BIM 360 has just changed in a fundamental way. The trust environment is now more controlled, and it is sharing base technology with BIM 360 Docs. So instead of talking about C4R bolted onto A360 or BIM360, we will now be talking about ‘Revit files in this Docs module in this Team Project on BIM 360 Design’ (I think).

Revit 2018.3 is required and direct download link can be found here.

I’ll follow up with some more detailed information in the coming weeks.

Here is the post from Kyle:

All,
I wanted to welcome you, on behalf of the team here at Autodesk, to the Design Collaboration forum.  This forum exists for conversations about the design collaboration workflows possible in the BIM 360 Design product, which released today.  We look forward to the conversation.  First though, I’ll try to answer some likely questions you all have.

 

What’s BIM 360 Design?

BIM 360 Design is the next generation of Collaboration for Revit (C4R).  It enables the cloud worksharing you’ve come to love in C4R, but connected to the next generation BIM 360 platform.  You can learn more about it here on our new product center, and below is an image that captures what comes with it.BIM 360 Design.png

 

 

You can see that within BIM 360 Design there are 2 next gen modules that are included, Design Collaboration and Document Management.  Together with cloud worksharing, they represent the most seamless way to collaborate on Revit data across the globe.  We’ll talk more about the new workflow in subsequent targeted posts.

 

What Happened to C4R?

C4R just became BIM 360 Design as of today.  If you’re an existing subscriber, you’ll see the branding update in manage.autodesk.com shortly.  If you have existing projects in-progress, working against BIM 360 Team (aka Classic), nothing really changes aside from the branding you see in the account portal.  You can continue to work on those projects, and new subscriptions to BIM 360 Design can be allocated to new team members, who can then start to work on those existing projects.  More detail can be found in this FAQ.

 

What Can I Do With BIM 360 Design?

With BIM 360 Design, BIM authoring teams can say goodbye to “high trust” as the only way to work, and hello to flexible dynamics between multi-discipline BIM authoring teams. Along with those improved access controls comes a whole new web and mobile experience delivered by Next Gen BIM 360.  Across Document Management and the new Design Collaboration module, teams can:

  • Quickly and easily set up teams and define the data spaces they will work in.
  • Easily understand the current state of the project, with an aggregated view of the project data that can be navigated the way they think about it, not how our beloved authoring tools structure it.
  • Exchange data between teams in a controlled way, on the back of our new currency for data exchanges: Packages. These are like transmittals on steroids, allowing teams to curate the versions of Models, 2D Sheets, and 3D Views needed to communicate process.
  • Understand how data has changed over time. Change visualization can be enabled with the touch of a button on any BIM artifact contained in a Package. No more hunting for revision clouds or exporting the 3rd party tools.
  • Provide feedback on those BIM artifacts, with Markups and closed loop Issues created in Document Management (Issues are on their way to Design Collaboration).
  • Use the Preview version of Desktop Connector to collaborate on non-Revit project data, centralizing the data platform used for all Work in Progress (WIP) project data.
  • Use those BIM artifacts downstream for construction workflows across the Field Management, Project Management, and Model Coordination modules.

How Do I Get Started with BIM 360 Design?

If you’d like to start a new Project in this new way to work, you need to:

  1. Get a BIM 360 Account
    1. If you have an existing next gen BIM 360 account, you should automatically get the Design Collaboration module enabled tonight (April 9th US time zone)
    2. If you don’t have an existing account, your Contract Manager should receive an email shortly with instructions on how to get one created.
  2. Install the Revit 2018.3 Update
    This update released today, and should be available in the Autodesk Desktop app.  A direct download link can be found here.  This is required for Revit 2018 to know how to communicate with next gen BIM 360.
  3. Start a New Project and Enable Document Management + Design Collaboration
    With these two modules enabled, along with the latest update of Revit, you have what you need to get started.  We’ll have a separate thread that walks through the process to get up in running in more detail.

Hopefully, you all are as excited about this as we are.  We’re biased though; we’ve worked hard based on lots of feedback and customer engagement to deliver this new way to work, and your continued feedback and engagement will make sure that we deliver on the needs you all have.  Look out for subsequent discussions on specific parts of the overall product experience, and we look forward to hearing from there.  Post here in this thread with general questions.

 

Cheers,

Kyle & the Team

Kyle Bernhardt
Product Line Manager
BIM Project Delivery
Autodesk, Inc.

The 2019 release season is here…

Links are for Autodesk 2019 trial versions, you will need your official Autodesk license to activate.

Revit 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/RVT/4694D374-BE4C-4D95-BD13-184A9FC500F3/SFX/Revit_2019_G1_Win_64bit_dlm_001_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/RVT/4694D374-BE4C-4D95-BD13-184A9FC500F3/SFX/Revit_2019_G1_Win_64bit_dlm_002_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/RVT/4694D374-BE4C-4D95-BD13-184A9FC500F3/SFX/Revit_2019_G1_Win_64bit_dlm_003_003.sfx.exe

 

Revit Server 2019

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/downloads/caas/downloads/content/autodesk-revit-server-2019.html?v=2019

 

Autocad 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ACD/B4202181-E422-4A7D-941E-D0F2FB753703/SFX/AutoCAD_2019_English_Win_32bit_dlm.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ACD/A17F42E7-F296-422C-9096-B4CA509BF2AA/SFX/AutoCAD_2019_English_Win_32bit_Trial.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ACD/C9344344-1AE9-4207-930B-462FCD804733/SFX/AutoCAD_2019_English_Win_64bit_Trial.sfx.exe

 

3ds Max 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/3DSMAX/1892F598-C427-40F3-B4AB-6F95FA2D0BE1/SFX/Autodesk_3ds_Max_2019_EFGJKPS_Win_64bit_001_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/3DSMAX/1892F598-C427-40F3-B4AB-6F95FA2D0BE1/SFX/Autodesk_3ds_Max_2019_EFGJKPS_Win_64bit_002_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/3DSMAX/1892F598-C427-40F3-B4AB-6F95FA2D0BE1/SFX/Autodesk_3ds_Max_2019_EFGJKPS_Win_64bit_003_003.sfx.exe

 

Navisworks Manage 2019

https://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/NAVMAN/9EF86405-F84E-4A9B-B4C9-36529E8C4832/SFX/Autodesk_Navisworks_Manage_2019_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm_001_002.sfx.exe
https://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/NAVMAN/9EF86405-F84E-4A9B-B4C9-36529E8C4832/SFX/Autodesk_Navisworks_Manage_2019_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm_002_002.sfx.exe

 

Navisworks Simulate 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/NAVSIM/F70C49BA-56D4-44E6-83DE-940DED7A65AF/SFX/Autodesk_Navisworks_Simulate_2019_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm_001_002.sfx.exe 
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/NAVSIM/F70C49BA-56D4-44E6-83DE-940DED7A65AF/SFX/Autodesk_Navisworks_Simulate_2019_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm_002_002.sfx.exe

 

Civil 3D 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/CIV3D/D6AF6368-9138-431C-8E7B-74B43EC53FFB/SFX/Autodesk_Civil3D_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm_001_002.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/CIV3D/D6AF6368-9138-431C-8E7B-74B43EC53FFB/SFX/Autodesk_Civil3D_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm_002_002.sfx.exe

 

Recap Pro 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/RECAP/BD021342-F07C-4C16-B6D6-E9DBBF97E730/SFX/Autodesk_ReCap_50040_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm.sfx.exe

Inventor Professional 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/INVPROSA/3F333A5F-4A60-4DCE-9D09-918FFFCE2B6B/SFX/Inventor_Pro_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm_001_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/INVPROSA/3F333A5F-4A60-4DCE-9D09-918FFFCE2B6B/SFX/Inventor_Pro_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm_002_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/INVPROSA/3F333A5F-4A60-4DCE-9D09-918FFFCE2B6B/SFX/Inventor_Pro_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm_003_003.sfx.exe

 

Robot Structural Analysis Professional

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/RSAPRO/CF18720A-FE7B-407C-885B-9D5145303B34/SFX/Robot_Structural_Analysis_Professional_2019_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm.sfx.exe

 

Alias AutoStudio

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ALAUST/97CE4946-AEA7-4978-B935-894F3E4223BB/SFX/Autodesk_ALAUST_2019_Enu_64bit_dlm_001_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ALAUST/97CE4946-AEA7-4978-B935-894F3E4223BB/SFX/Autodesk_ALAUST_2019_Enu_64bit_dlm_002_003.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ALAUST/97CE4946-AEA7-4978-B935-894F3E4223BB/SFX/Autodesk_ALAUST_2019_Enu_64bit_dlm_003_003.sfx.exe

 

CFD Ultimate

https://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/SCFDM/D0A06AEF-078F-40E6-9CC4-C08F11AB4F29/SFX/Autodesk_CFD_Ultimate_2019_Win_64bit_dlm.sfx.exe

 

Alias Speedform 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ALSSF/9B898815-8D13-4EF3-B7AE-F757B641A680/SFX/Autodesk_ALSSF_2019_JE_Win_64bit_dlm.sfx.exe

Alias Surface 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/SURFST/3CB5194F-D4E8-41DC-96A6-C049F6C10324/SFX/Autodesk_ASURF_2019_Enu_64bit_dlm_001_002.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/SURFST/3CB5194F-D4E8-41DC-96A6-C049F6C10324/SFX/Autodesk_ASURF_2019_Enu_64bit_dlm_002_002.sfx.exe

Alias Design 2019

http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/DESNST/EF543FAC-8A17-4BCA-A8D8-1033915F6FC4/SFX/Autodesk_DESNST_2019_Enu_Win_64bit_dlm_001_002.sfx.exe
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/DESNST/EF543FAC-8A17-4BCA-A8D8-1033915F6FC4/SFX/Autodesk_DESNST_2019_Enu_Win_64bit_dlm_002_002.sfx.exe

Advance Steel 2019 ML

https://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ADSTPR/0DD20980-F6CD-4BC0-A570-A7CFE055E0E8/SFX/Advance_Steel_2019_G1_Win_64bit_dlm_001_002.sfx.exe
https://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/ADSTPR/0DD20980-F6CD-4BC0-A570-A7CFE055E0E8/SFX/Advance_Steel_2019_G1_Win_64bit_dlm_002_002.sfx.exe

AutoCAD Plant 3D 2019 English

https://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/PLNT3D/C33B2423-14F9-46AE-80CC-353E799129E4/SFX/AutoCAD_Plant_3D_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm_001_002.sfx.exe
https://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/PLNT3D/C33B2423-14F9-46AE-80CC-353E799129E4/SFX/AutoCAD_Plant_3D_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm_002_002.sfx.exe
Point Layout 2019_x32 & x64
http://trial2.autodesk.com/NetSWDLD/2019/PNTLAY/ESD/Autodesk_Point_Layout_2019_Win_32-64bit_en-us.exe

More links to follow…

 

 

The product keys for Autodesk 2019 products are as follows:

Product Name Product Key
Autodesk 3ds Max 2019 128K1
Autodesk 3ds Max 2019 with Softimage 978K1
Autodesk Advance Steel 2019 959K1
Autodesk Alias AutoStudio 2019 966K1
Autodesk Alias Concept 2019 A63K1
Autodesk Alias Design 2019 712K1
Autodesk Alias SpeedForm 2019 A62K1
Autodesk Alias Surface 2019 736K1
Autodesk AutoCAD 2019 001K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Architecture 2019 185K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite Premium 2019 768K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite Standard 2019 767K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Electrical 2019 225K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite 2019 596K1
Autodesk AutoCAD LT 2019 057K1
Autodesk AutoCAD LT Civil Suite 2019 545K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Map 3D 2019 129K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Mechanical 2019 206K1
Autodesk AutoCAD MEP 2019 235K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Plant 3D 2019 426K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Raster Design 2019 340K1
Autodesk AutoCAD Revit LT Suite 2019 834K1
Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium 2019 765K1
Autodesk Building Design Suite Standard 2019 784K1
Autodesk Building Design Suite Ultimate 2019 766K1
Autodesk Burn 2019 C0YK1
Autodesk CFD Design Study Environment 2019 812K1
Autodesk CFD Premium 2019 810K1
Autodesk CFD Ultimate 2019 811K1
Autodesk Civil 3D 2019 237K1
Autodesk Fabrication CADmep 2019 839K1
Autodesk Fabrication CAMduct 2019 842K1
Autodesk Fabrication ESTmep 2019 841K1
Autodesk Factory Design Suite Premium 2019 757K1
Autodesk Factory Design Suite Standard 2019 789K1
Autodesk Factory Design Suite Ultimate 2019 760K1
Autodesk Factory Design Utilities 2019 P03K1
Autodesk FeatureCAM Premium 2019 A9FK1
Autodesk FeatureCAM Standard 2019 A9GK1
Autodesk FeatureCAM Ultimate 2019 A9EK1
Autodesk Flame 2019 C0TK1
Autodesk Flame 2019 – Education C14K1
Autodesk Flame Assist 2019 C0VK1
Autodesk Flame Premium 2019 C0XK1
Autodesk Flare 2019 C0WK1
Autodesk Helius PFA 2019 899K1
Autodesk HSM Premium 2019 C12K1
Autodesk HSM Ultimate 2019 C13K1
Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Premium 2019 786K1
Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Standard 2019 787K1
Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Ultimate 2019 785K1
Autodesk Inventor 2019 208K1
Autodesk Inventor Engineer-to-Order 2019 – Developer A66K1
Autodesk Inventor Engineer-to-Order 2019 – Distribution 996K1
Autodesk Inventor Engineer-to-Order 2019 – Server 997K1
Autodesk Inventor Engineer-to-Order Series 2019 805K1
Autodesk Inventor Engineer-to-Order Server 2019 752K1
Autodesk Inventor HSM Premium 2019 969K1
Autodesk Inventor HSM Ultimate 2019 970K1
Autodesk Inventor LT 2019 529K1
Autodesk Inventor OEM 2019 798K1
Autodesk Inventor Professional 2019 797K1
Autodesk Lustre 2019 C0UK1
Autodesk Lustre Burn 2019 C10K1
Autodesk Lustre ShotReactor 2019 C11K1
Autodesk Manufacturing Automation Utility 2019 A9YK1
Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility Premium 2019 A9VK1
Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility Standard 2019 A9XK1
Autodesk Manufacturing Post Processor Utility 2019 A9TK1
Autodesk MEP Fabrication Suite 2019 00QK1
Autodesk Moldflow Adviser Premium 2019 571K1
Autodesk Moldflow Adviser Ultimate 2019 572K1
Autodesk Moldflow Design 2019 837K1
Autodesk Moldflow Insight Premium 2019 574K1
Autodesk Moldflow Insight Standard 2019 573K1
Autodesk Moldflow Insight Ultimate 2019 575K1
Autodesk Moldflow Synergy 2019 579K1
Autodesk Nastran 2019 986K1
Autodesk Nastran In-CAD 2019 987K1
Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2019 507K1
Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2019 506K1
Autodesk PartMaker 2019 A9SK1
Autodesk Plant Design Suite Premium 2019 763K1
Autodesk Plant Design Suite Standard 2019 788K1
Autodesk Plant Design Suite Ultimate 2019 764K1
Autodesk Point Layout 2019 925K1
Autodesk PowerInspect Premium 2019 A9JK1
Autodesk PowerInspect Standard 2017 A9KI1
Autodesk PowerInspect Standard 2018 A9KJ1
Autodesk PowerInspect Standard 2019 A9KK1
Autodesk PowerInspect Ultimate 2019 A9HK1
Autodesk PowerMill Modeling 2019 A9UK1
Autodesk PowerMill Premium 2019 A9AK1
Autodesk PowerMill Standard 2019 A9QK1
Autodesk PowerMill Ultimate 2019 A9PK1
Autodesk PowerShape Premium 2019 A9MK1
Autodesk PowerShape Standard 2019 A9NK1
Autodesk PowerShape Ultimate 2019 A9LK1
Autodesk Product Design Suite Premium 2019 782K1
Autodesk Product Design Suite Ultimate 2019 781K1
Autodesk ReCap Pro 919K1
Autodesk Revit 2019 829K1
Autodesk Revit LT 2019 828K1
Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional 2019 547K1
Autodesk SketchBook for Enterprise 871K1
Autodesk TruComp 2019 00EK1
Autodesk TruFiber 2019 01WK1
Autodesk TruLaser 2019 00DK1
Autodesk TruNest 2019 – Nesting Engine 00FK1
Autodesk TruNest Composites 2019 00BK1
Autodesk TruNest Contour 2019 00AK1
Autodesk TruNest Multi-Tool 2019 00CK1
Autodesk TruPlan 2019 01VK1
Autodesk Vault Office 2019 555K1
Autodesk Vault Professional 2019 569K1
Autodesk Vault Workgroup 2019 559K1
Autodesk Vehicle Tracking 2019 955K1
Autodesk VRED 2019 884K1
Autodesk VRED Design 2019 885K1
Autodesk VRED Presenter 2019 888K1
Autodesk VRED Professional 2019 886K1
Autodesk VRED Render Node – consumption-based license 2019 A93K1
Autodesk VRED Render Node 2019 890K1
Autodesk VRED Server 2019 887K1
Autodesk Wiretap Gateway 2019 C0ZK1
FeatureCAM Premium 2019 P16K1
FeatureCAM Standard 2019 P15K1
FeatureCAM Ultimate 2019 P17K1
HSMWorks Premium 2019 873K1
HSMWorks Ultimate 2019 872K1
PowerInspect Premium 2019 P13K1
PowerInspect Standard 2019 P12K1
PowerInspect Ultimate 2019 P14K1
PowerMill Premium 2019 P07K1
PowerMill Standard 2019 A9ZK1
PowerMill Ultimate 2019 P08K1
PowerShape Premium 2019 P10K1
PowerShape Standard 2019 P09K1
PowerShape Ultimate 2019 P11K1
T1 Enterprise Multi-flex 2019 535K1

Also see https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/installation-licensing/autodesk-2019-products-direct-links-until-available-in-virtual/td-p/7910906

Aerial imagery and 3D models are extremely powerful visual tools. Often, these are used primarily in early design and master planning. Some software tools connect directly to aerial imagery and 3D data providers. Unfortunately, Google has not really opened up the connection to their base 3D data. But we can capture imagery from it, and then rebuild in another photo-to-mesh tool, like Recap Photo. Keep in mind that you will be creating a 3D mesh, from an isometric 3D world view, which was created only from aerial images. Basically, your output will vary, and will probably not be high quality. But for the intended use in early design and master planning, the below workflow may be useful…

Note: Please investigate the license and copyright of this data for such use.

Here’s how:

  1. Open your desired 3D isometric aerial imagery in desired application (such as Google Earth, Google Maps or similar)

    *Note: User to be aware of relevant copyright restrictions
  2. Open ScreenToGif (downloads here). This is used to create snapshot images of the screen very quickly.
  3. Setup the scene, so that you have the ScreenToGif window appropriately overlaid onto your actual imagery
  4. Start recording, and slowly orbit at least 360 degrees as shown
    here
  5. In ScreenToGif, open the image folder
  6. Convert the images from PNG to JPG (I used Irfanview Batch Convert)
  7. Load into Recap Photo, make new Object project, spend 12 cloud credits and start the mesh creation
  8. After meshing, in Recap use the measurement scale tool to scale the model based on the distance between two known points

  9. Export the 3D Model from Recap. Various formats are available. In this case, I exported directly to FBX with Y-Up and imported straight to Revizto. You could also import FBX to AutoCAD and then to Revit, or you could bring it into Meshmixer first to delete some parts of the model via OBJ.

In Revizto, the direct FBX import looks like this:

Sheet overlay in Revizto. Simply with a PDF and some freely available aerial imagery, we now have a 3D collaboration workspace ready to go:

I have been chatting with one or two industry insiders over at Autodesk recently, and there are some pretty big changes coming to the BIM360 fraternity of products. For the most part, it seems like these will be very welcome improvements. However, it may have an impact on how you run projects through BIM360, and so it might be advisable to check out the upcoming BIM360 webinar (link). Details below:

Stay up to date with everything new in BIM 360. Each month, join us and the BIM 360 Product Team to find out how you can take advantage of the most recent and upcoming product updates.
• Learn how BIM 360 can help you improve project delivery
• Stay up to date with the newest features
Get early insights into what’s coming in the next updates
• Participate in Q&A with the BIM 360 Product Team
• Get the resources you need to be successful

If you are new to BIM 360, check out our product overview before the webinar and bring your questions.
Copy & Paste the following url into your web browser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4bDXLJzga8&feature=youtu.be

Image result for bim360 autodesk

As you probably know, Forge is kind of like Autodesk’s way of opening up a model API for anything and anybody to connect to (over-simplified description, I know).

If you do want to start playing with Forge, Philippe Leefsma has put together a whole lot of boilerplate code that you can deploy on Heroku. He has shared a collection of node.js-based boiler projects for the Autodesk Forge Web Services APIs.

The main page includes step-by-step workflows on how to get started, deploy the code, and test the framework:

Check it out at:

https://github.com/Autodesk-Forge/forge-boilers.nodejs

The whole C4R thing with link files is a bit of a challenge at the moment. It will get better, but for now, there are at least two things that don’t match typical desired project delivery:

  • We essentially have a ‘high trust’ environment, which applies to everyone who is invited to a C4R project. High trust in this context means anyone can edit anything, if they have Editor permissions for the project.
  • Also, we don’t have folder structures for Revit files that have been initiated on C4R – they are all in the root folder. However, we can store Revit files in subfolders as a kind of dumb link file (not a collaborative model).

So, until it does get better… how do we use the Desktop Connector to link files from a non-C4R folder structure, into a C4R initiated file?

Basically, you take these steps:

  1. Use Windows Explorer and the Autodesk Desktop Connector to manage your files and folder structure. Navigate to your BIM 360 Team project, add folders, and drag and drop Revit files into those folders.
  2. Then, in Revit, in the Import / Link dialog, you can select the ‘BIM 360 Team’ link from the drop down list. You will notice some special things happening after you link one of these files.
  3. Finally, you can observe the new ‘cloud’ pathed Revit models in the Manage Links dialog box. The saved path should start with Autodesk Drive:// and the Path Type is Cloud.

What does this all mean? Really, it just means the workarounds are getting slightly better. We don’t need to maintain a separate cloud storage repository for Revit models (like Box) just for the link files. And we shouldn’t need to go through too much pain to update the link models. Just drag-and-drop the new Revit link model into the correct folder in the Desktop Connector to update the link for everyone in the team.

 

This feature also works with things other than Revit files. So you can use the same process to store DWG files on BIM 360 Team and link them into your Revit model.

And the same process can be used for things like:

  • Keynoting Settings
  • Shared Parameter files
  • Assembly Code Settings
  • Material Libraries

Pretty much any project-linked resource can now be stored in the cloud, shared with a team, and linked into Revit.

Over the years, Autodesk has provided various means for us to access, sync, backup and share files. Most recently we used “A360 Desktop” (see end of this post) and more recently “A360 Drive“. Autodesk recently released the Autodesk Desktop Connector, which allows you to:

  • Manage remote files from your desktop
  • Connect to Team Hubs
  • Work offline or online

Desktop Connector gives you access to your production A360 data. Using Desktop Connector  to modify files that reside in production A360 will automatically sync changes, updating your production file in A360.

You will see a link on your BIM 360 Team hub like this:

You can install from here which links to these downloads (Help page for install here).

x64

x86

mac

 

You need to sign in:

You should now see a BIM 360 Team link in Windows Explorer:

You can use the tray icon to “Work Offline”.

More Information

Release notes here

Getting Started guide here

Some notes about A360 Desktop retirement

A360 Desktop older versions will get this message:

A360 Desktop current versions:

  • A360 desktop Windows Updater: All users except 2018 AutoCAD products
Windows 32-bit installer – A360 desktop Version 7.3 (exe – 362MB)
Windows 64-bit installer – A360 desktop Version 7.3 (exe – 409MB)
  • A360 desktop Windows Updater: For AutoCAD 2018 product users only
Windows 32-bit installer – A360 desktop Version 9.5 (exe – 373MB)
Windows 64-bit installer – A360 desktop Version 9.5 (exe – 409MB)

 

A360 Desktop Expiration link:

A while back I posted about how to setup and deploy Collaboration for Revit. Things are moving quickly in this space, as more projects now need concurrent access to centralized models from a distributed team (say that quickly 5 times!)

Here is an updated list of a few best-practices for initial C4R project setup:

  • generally its a good idea to do a Reload Latest before Sync with Central
  • its best to be on the most current versions of Revit and their C4R extensions
  • baseline all workstations to the latest ISV certified drivers, reinstall the C4R v6 components using the .exe installer and flush all 4 caches being – CollaborationCache, PacCache, Communicator, User Temp Dir. This will ensure all workstations are at exactly the same Revit environment.
  • confirm that traffic to/from pubnub.com is successfully moving across your firewalls to/from the C4R workstations? That’s an important requirement for the Communicator panel; a key reliability and performance enhancement depends on this connectivity and without it the Communicator will fall back on an earlier implementation behavior which is known to be less reliable.
  • ADSK recommends that all users should use the personal accelerator.
  • To the best of each user’s ability, ADSK recommends self-scheduling SWC activity by using the Communicator timeline to avoid syncing when another user is syncing. See images below to help the team understand why this is important.
  • The success of this project likely hinges on the team’s ability to develop a way to coordinate SWC activity, as poor SWC scheduling is responsible for the major pain point for project teams. It should also be noted that the most egregious cases of poor SWC performance are due to users failing to self-schedule their SWC activity. When multiple SWC operations are in-flight simultaneously, Revit must go through multiple RL phases to maintain model and data integrity. this has the effect of greatly expanding SWC time, which is why we recommend that users check in the Communicator panel to see if a SWC is already in progress before attempting one. See the attached pptx for an explanation of why this is important.
  • Please review this Link here to understand the Proxy Server settings to unblock Autodesk A360 services
  • Please use this Link here for Proxy Server and domain exceptions for A360
  • The table below provide further information on minimum system requirements.
  • Note the connectivity speeds:

Sync with Central diagrams

As you can see below, when SWCs ‘overlap’ there is a performance hit. Good C4R management will require:

  • attempting to sync on a schedule… because modelling projects are easy to schedule, right?
  • using the Communicator (or some other IM tool) to keep team informed that you are syncing / about to sync. You could use a Slack channel per RVT for this?

I have added the above information to the Best Practices section of the Revit Collaboration Public Help notebook I created:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmvJg0j4a7kRo61EJKCpdkr3lhTecg

Autodesk is looking at using “machine learning to automate speech and image recognition, make photos and videos searchable using system generated (automated) SmartTags, and to provide metrics on project safety, productivity and quality.”

From email:

Investment in Smartvid.io. Today Boston-based construction-focused startup Smartvid.io founder Josh Kanner announced the close of the company’s Series A funding round for which Autodesk is a proud investor. Smartvid.io embraces machine learning to automate speech and image recognition, make photos and videos searchable using system generated (automated) SmartTags, and to provide metrics on project safety, productivity and quality. The investment is expected to accelerate the delivery of AI to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry and the built environment as a whole. Smartvid.io is also now integrated into Autodesk’s BIM 360 software. Mr. Kanner was the co-founder of Vela Systems, which ultimately became Autodesk BIM 360 Field after Kanner’s company was acquired by Autodesk.

Going back in time, there was 123D Catch and related processing engines. Basically, it was a tool that took photos and turned them into something real in 3D. There was also something called Remake.

Now, we have Recap Photo, which basically does the same things. Over time, the processing engines have improved. Recap Photo is part of your Recap Pro licence, and now integrated into your Recap Pro install. It looks something like this when you install the latest version of Recap (I downloaded the web installer from manage.autodesk.com):

Once installed, you can start the standalone ReCap Photo app:

 

Features of ReCap Photo include:

  • A new photogrammetry engine that can process up to 1,000 photos, a 4x improvement from the previous maximum of 250 photos (note: using the cloud service consumes Autodesk Cloud Credits)
  • The ability to set GPCs (Ground Control Points, survey points) in any coordinate system.
  • New functionality to support vertical and nadir photos (photos taken by drones and UAVs at 90 degrees above the site)
  • View your 3D photo-textured mesh
  • View the geolocated orthographic view, zoom in and out, and add measurements, tags, and annotations.
  • Share the project, including its additional metadata (measurements, tags, annotations), with anyone.
  • Merge laser scan point clouds with UAV-based point clouds.

From this post http://blogs.autodesk.com/recap/introducing-recap-photo/