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Master Templates

The Master Template system is Vellum’s most powerful tool for BIM Managers and power users. Instead of manually styling and wiring logic for every schedule in your project, you can capture the exact formatting, conditional rules, and required parameters of a perfected schedule and save it as a reusable template.

With a single click, a Master Template can instantly transform raw Revit data into a fully styled, compliance-audited, brand-compliant document.

The Template Library Anatomy

Section titled “The Template Library Anatomy”

The Template Library is accessed directly from the Vellum Editor while working on an active schedule. It is organized into hierarchical folders and utilizes strict safety checks to ensure templates are only applied to the correct schedules.

Template Manager

Hover over the Sidebar, Template Grid, or the Save Button to explore the interface.

dashboard_customize

Master Templates

table_chart
Full Schedulelock Read-Only
For: Rooms

Standard Room Finish

Standard architectural room finish schedule with conditional formatting.

Apply Template
meeting_room
Full Schedulelock Read-Only
For: Doors

Door Hardware Matrix

Matrix style grouping for door hardware sets.

warning Category Mismatch

Template Hierarchies: Who & Where

Section titled “Template Hierarchies: Who & Where”

Vellum understands that different users need different levels of access. Templates are organized into three distinct tiers based on who created them and where they are stored:

  1. Corporate Standards (BIM Manager Tier): These templates are typically read-only and deployed centrally to all users in a firm. They enforce strict corporate branding, header layouts, and critical life-safety checking logic.
  2. Project Standards (Team Tier): These templates are saved directly inside the current .rvt file. Anyone working locally or on a cloud-hosted model can access and apply these templates to maintain consistency across a single project.
  3. My Templates (Local Tier): These are your personal templates. They are saved directly to your PC’s local storage and follow you across different Revit models.

Category Awareness & Safety

Section titled “Category Awareness & Safety”

Revit schedules are highly dependent on the category of elements they contain. A node graph designed to calculate Occupancy Load on a Room schedule will crash if applied to a Door schedule.

To prevent errors, Vellum makes Master Templates Category Aware.

  • Strict Matching: If a template was saved while editing a Room schedule, the library will automatically gray it out and disable it if you try to open it while viewing a Window schedule.
  • Category Agnostic (Headers/Footers): Some templates—like a 3-row corporate header containing your firm’s logo and project name—don’t care about Revit categories. These can be saved as “Header Only” templates and applied safely to anything.

Test the dropdown below to see how the template cards react to different schedule contexts:

tune
Simulate Active Schedule
Change the dropdown to see how Vellum safely disables templates that don't match the current Revit category.
table_chart
Full Schedulelock Read-Only
For: Rooms

Standard Room Finish

Standard architectural room finish schedule with conditional formatting.

meeting_room
Full Schedule
For: Doors

Door Hardware Matrix

Matrix style grouping for door hardware sets.

warning Category Mismatch
vertical_align_top
Header Onlylock Read-Only
Category Agnostic

Corporate Brand Header

Injects the standard 3-row corporate header with logo, project name, and date placeholders.

Smart Parameter Detection

Section titled “Smart Parameter Detection”

Applying a template does more than just copy colors and fonts; it copies the entire underlying Node Logic. But what happens if you apply a complex compliance template to a schedule that is missing the required Revit parameters?

Vellum handles it automatically.

When you apply a template, Vellum scans the node graph to see which parameters are required to run the logic. It then checks your current schedule. If parameters are missing, Vellum will intercept the application and ask: “This template requires parameters currently missing from your schedule. Would you like Vellum to automatically pull them in?”

If you agree, Vellum communicates directly with the Revit API, adds the necessary fields to your schedule, and then seamlessly applies the visual styling.

Creating & Saving Templates

Section titled “Creating & Saving Templates”

Any active schedule can be converted into a template. Once your headers are designed, your columns are padded, and your node graph is executing perfectly, click the Save as Template button in the header toolbar.

save Save as Template

Saved to this PC. Only you can see this template.

Best Practices for Saving

Section titled “Best Practices for Saving”
  • Use Descriptive Names: “Fire Rating Auditor” is much better than “Red Schedule 2”.
  • Write a Description: Use the description box to explain why the template exists. (e.g., “Highlights doors that do not meet the host wall’s fire rating”).
  • Choose the Right Location: If you are building a standard for a specific client, save it to Project Standards so your teammates don’t have to rebuild it. If it’s a personal workflow shortcut, use My Templates.