Getting Started with Guardian

In This Article

• How Guardian Protects Your Models
• Part 1: Install and Access Guardian
• Part 2: Set Up Your Company and Projects
• Part 3: Prepare for Rollout
• Part 4: Build Out Configurations
• What’s Next: Building Out Guardian

How Guardian Protects Your Models

Before you start, it helps to know three ideas you will see throughout setup: protection modes, rule-based protections, and model overrides.

Three Protection Modes

Most Guardian protections can run at one of three levels, so you can choose how firmly to enforce each standard.

All three modes can also send email notifications to administrators. Monitor is the default for new accounts and the recommended minimum for every feature.

Learn more: Protection Mode

Project Command Protections

Project Commands (previously known as User Commands) are tied to specific Revit commands (such as Explode CAD, Delete, Mirror, Load Family, and many more). All native Revit Postable commands are available.

Learn more: Project Commands

Rule-Based Protections

Rule-based protections let you target specific Revit actions, such as hiding elements, copying, deleting, mirroring, loading families, and more.

Learn more: Rules

Model-Based Protections

Model-based protections let you target individual elements within the active model. These include Families and their Types, View Templates, View Filters, Mirroring, and Protected Pins.

Learn more: Model-Based Protections

Model Overrides for Model-Specific Needs

Every registered model starts with one of your company’s Project Configurations. When one model needs different settings, administrators can change them for that model alone with Model Overrides, found under Model Settings > Model Overrides in the Guardian ribbon.

Once a model is overridden, later changes to its Project Configuration no longer reach it. You can remove the overrides, push them back into the configuration, or save them as a new configuration.

Learn more: Model Overrides

Part 1: Install and Access Guardian

Step 1: Install Guardian

Download Guardian and install it on your administrator machine first, then roll it out to users.

Learn more: Installing Guardian

Step 2: Keep Guardian Up to Date

Staying on the latest version gives you new features and fixes. See the Release Notes for what changed in each version.

Learn more: Updates

Step 3: Log In as an Administrator

Sign in with administrator rights to unlock the setup tools used in the rest of this guide.

Learn more: Administrator Login

Part 2: Set Up Your Company and Projects

Step 4: Configure Company Settings

Set your firmwide defaults first, because later steps build on them.

Learn more: Company Settings

Step 5: Add Your Company Logo

Add your company logo to personalize Guardian with your company branding. Once your logo is uploaded, it will appear in all message interfaces.

Learn more: Add a Logo

Step 6: Register Your Models

Establish your Model Registration rules for your Revit models so Guardian can apply your configurations and protections.

Learn more: Model Registration

Step 7: Manage Registered Projects

Once models are registered, organize, review, and manage them as projects in one place.

Learn more: Registered Projects

Step 8: Organize with Labels

Use labels to apply meta-data to your models within Registered Projects so you can filter and organize your project and models as needed. Labels are also available in Guardian Backstage to filter your data accordingly.

Learn more: Label Manager

Step 9: Set Up Additional Administrators

Add the other people who will help manage Guardian and give them the right roles.

Learn more: Administrator Setup

Part 3: Prepare for Rollout

Step 10: Know How to Pause Guardian

Pausing is useful while you test, troubleshoot, or get through a deadline. Learn how before you roll out to users.

Learn more: Pausing Guardian

Step 11: Communicate with Users through Guardian Messages

Use Guardian Messages to reach users inside Revit. A welcome message at rollout tells users what Guardian is and where to get help.

Learn more: Guardian Messages

Part 4: Build Out Configurations

Configurations are reusable sets of settings that Guardian applies to your registered models. Set them up once, and every model that uses them stays in step.

Step 12: Create Mapping Configurations

A Mapping Configuration stores the rules Guardian uses to map incoming Revit properties to your standards, then applies them automatically whenever content is loaded. Guardian ships with none, so a Company Administrator must create them under Settings > Mapping Configurations.

Model Properties will not run on a model until it has a Mapping Configuration assigned. A good starting set:

Add Discipline or Client/Project Standards configurations later if some teams follow different standards. Assign a default for newly registered models in Company Settings, on the Model Registration tab.

Learn more: Mapping Configurations

Step 13: Set Up Project Configurations

Project Configurations work like templates for your Guardian protections. Each one holds Project Controls, Project Commands, Transactions, and Sync Properties settings, plus the password for bypassing Prevent mode. Find them under Settings > Project Configurations.

New accounts start with two: Company Default [Monitor] and Company Default [Examples]. Many firms add more for different disciplines, project types, regions, or client standards. Changes to a configuration reach every model that uses it, unless that model has Model Overrides.

Pro Tip: Use the star icon to set the configuration applied to newly registered models that don’t match a registration rule.

Learn more: Project Configurations

Step 14: Set Up Workset Configurations

Workset Configurations let you apply standard worksets to your models and use rules-based automations to place elements on their correct worksets.

Learn more: Workset Configurations

What’s Next: Building Out Guardian

With the basics in place, continue through the knowledge base in this order.

1. Data & Insights. See model performance and usage data in Project Central and Guardian Backstage.
2. Sync Traffic Control. Reduce sync conflicts and downtime with Sync Traffic Control.
3. Standards & Mappings. Clean up your template and map families and parameters. Start with Model Properties.
4. Managing Worksets. Set up standard worksets with Initial Setup: Worksets.
5. Recommended Workflows. Before rolling protections out firmwide, try Testing as a User.