EDIT Keep in mind that if you import an SKP directly into Revit, it will create materials for each shading material as “Render Material xx-yy-zz” in the Material Library.  You can check which is which by looking at the colour on the Graphics tab, but you will need to manually map Render Appearances from here.

Also, remember that you can save all related material resources if you go via 3dsMax.
There have been many posts about how you can control Sketchup materials in Revit using Object Styles.  However, this relies on the existence of different layers for each distinct material in the original file.  If you have an SKP file and would like to create the layers you need (without using Sketchup itself), you can use this method:

  1. Import Sketchup SKP file in to 3ds Max Design
  2. Export as FBX file
  3. Use Import command in AutoCAD, choose the FBX file – choose to have a layer for each material (Assign Objects to Layers – By Material)
  4. For some reason, I had to untick the Block option – otherwise the file would not import at all.
  5. Save the DWG file
  6. Import to Revit – you now have granular control over each Material / Layer combination through Object Styles…

Note – this method uses only Autodesk tools, it does not require Sketchup to be installed.  If I remember correctly, you can instruct Sketchup to export different layers for each material when exporting a DWG (?)

If you have an alternative way of doing this, feel free to comment.

I have previously posted about accessing and modifying the Revit Database in a number of posts over the past couple of years, including:
Database and Excel Linking tools for Revit 2012
Exposing the Revit Database (RDB Link method)
Link Excel spreadsheet data into Revit

Now, from revit-pl.typepad.com we get a review of how to use DB Link to get a Revit model into access, then modify and update the database using Excel.

… the task of directing the attitude of these parameters that all poles have become a consistent shape, eg by one by one appropriately “shrunk” towards the top, according to a chart linear function.

First Saving the model into a format read by MS Access ®.
Second Modifying the parameters using the formulas family excelowskich and update the model.

There are a few videos at the original post.

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Google Translate
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Morze nowych możliwości. Revit MS Access MS Excel = BIM – My Blog

Normally, you can only set the Flash Player update interval to every 7 days (using the online Global Notifications Settings Panel).

However, using the method below you can set it to check for an update every single day:

1. Run Notepad.
2. Copy and paste the two lines below into Notepad. You may want to change the AutoUpdateInterval value according to the amount of days you want it to auto check.
AutoUpdateDisable=0
AutoUpdateInterval=1
3. Click on the File menu and select Save As. Set the file name as mms.cfg and make sure you select All Files (*.*) for Save as type or else you will end up with mms.cfg.txt which will not work. Set the Encoding to UTF-8.
4. Browse to the following location according to your Windows version. %WINDIR% refers to your Windows directory name.

32-bit Windows – %WINDIR%System32MacromedFlash
64-bit Windows – %WINDIR%SysWow64MacromedFlash

Save MMS.cfg flash config file
5. Click Save.

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Setting Adobe Flash Player Auto Update Check Interval | Raymond.CC Blog

Imagine a world where your firm doesn’t need to buy new computers, let alone BIM software. They would just rent the ability to stream top of the line computers into their office monitors. These computers will always have the latest version of Revit on them. It wouldn’t matter if your computer was a Mac or PC, new or old.

Onlive just launched Onlive Desktop. This service streams Windows to your iPad and gives you a few gigs of free cloud storage. It is like having the latest Windows computer, complete with Microsoft Office, on your iPad.

Read more at:
How Autodesk and Onlive Will Game The Future Of BIM | A/E/C Marketing Advice, Training, and Support Group | Help Everybody Everyday

www.autodesk.de has an extended post on how to view Revit files for free at this link:
Autodesk – Autodesk Revit Viewer Free

The page reviews the following methods (none of which are very exciting):

For Revit files There are various possibilities.

Display native Revit files
  • Revit installation in viewing mode
Viewing exported data
  • Viewing DWF in Autodesk Design Review
  • DWF viewing in Internet Explorer
  • DWF Viewing into NavisWorks
  • Viewing in NWD NavisWorks Freedom

The English equivalent to the .de page is considerably shorter:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=7290003&linkID=9243099

“For those that have seen enough of the standard Revit textures, there are remedies.
Recently, the company offers under the name LG Hausys HI-MACS textures for download.
The free file can be found at this link:
http://www.himacs.eu/produkte/farben_2″

ZIP file here

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Google Translate
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http://revitde.blogspot.com/2012/02/neue-texturen-fur-revit.html

This hotfix improves product stability when working with large datasets.

Make sure that Update Release 2 has been applied prior to adding the hotfix. Verify that the build number of Revit 2012 is 20110916_2132.
NOTE: This hotfix applies to the 64-Bit release of Autodesk Revit 2012 only.

The Readme contains the latest information regarding the installation and use of this update. It is strongly recommended that you read the entire document before you apply the update to your product. For your reference, you should save the Readme to your hard drive or print a copy.

Readme (htm – 84Kb)
revit2012_mem_hotfix.zip (zip – 11247Kb)

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Autodesk – Autodesk Revit Architecture Services & Support – Hotfix – Autodesk Revit 2012 – Improves stability when working with large datasets (64-bit only)

PHPP—the energy modeling software for the Passive House energy-efficiency standard—requires users to input wall areas calculated to the exterior of the thermal boundary. By default Revit does not calculate wall areas this way. Gregory Duncan Architect created a workaround to create a wall schedule that can export meaningful information to PHPP.

Read on at:
Revit and PHPP: Getting BIM and Energy Modeling Software to Work Together

Image from www.gduncan.us