Category: Uncategorized

Upgrading Revit files using eTransmit if you are faced with "central model could not be reached" error

Luke Johnson

Why does this happen? Because the Bulk File Upgrader doesn’t work if it is trying to upgrade a Local and it can’t find a Central (I believe this is a Revit API thing)… and you may get this error:
filename.rvt could not be upgraded: The file-based central model could not be reached, because e.g. the network is down or the file server is down. 

The core problem here is that someone has probably given you a Local copy, when they should have given you a Central or Detached copy to link into your project.

If we want to upgrade lots of these “local-type” linked files, how can we get around this batch upgrade limitation? We will need to to use eTransmit – twice. Let’s say we are upgrading from Revit 2013 to Revit 2015:

  1. Make a blank 2013 RVT project
  2. Link in all the 2013 version files you want to upgrade
  3. Save the host file in 2013 and close it
  4. Transmit the host using Revit 2013, including Links and tick the ‘Open and Save models in the active version of Revit’ option (this places the newly saved linked models into a transitory state, where you can choose to save as central or work with this model temporarily)
  5. Open Revit 2015
  6. Addins – Transmit a Model
  7. Choose the output eTransmitted 2013 host file from step 4
  8. Make sure to tick the “Linked Revit models” and “Cleanup” boxes
  9. Click Transmit Model and wait for all of the files to be upgraded (yay)
  10. Remember to discard the host file before transmitting or copying the files

Note: using the “Add Files” option in eTransmit and adding RVTs manually will not upgrade them.

Here’s the link for eTransmit for Autodesk Revit 2015.

Also, you *might* have to press ok after each if you get this error (Easy Keynoter?)

Automatic and Free way to Add RSS Feed to OneNote Notebook (plus bulk forwarding from Gmail to OneNote)

Luke Johnson

OneNote is becoming a bit of an obsession lately. Its one tantalising step closer to a paperless life.

My latest project was to feed a large RSS reading list from Inoreader into OneNote (for offline use, archiving, searching etc). Inoreader has a paid version that can do this, but I’m always search for the free option…

The short version:

  1. Subscribe to an RSS feed with your Microsoft account
  2. Set up a rule to forward to me@onenote.com

    The longer and more powerful way:

    1. Set up a new Microsoft account (so we can use Quick Notes default notebook freely)
    2. Make a Google account (if you don’t already have one)
    3. Make the Google account an alias of the Microsoft account, and enable it for OneNote
    4. Burn the RSS feed you want with Feedburner (I am using a large list from Inoreader, so I take that folder and burn it so I can use Email Subscription)
    5. Subscribe to it via email with the Google account
    6. Set up forwarding from the Google account to the Microsoft one. (I use the Google account so that I can do another thing later…)
    7. Forward emails matching Subject line of subscribed RSS feed to the Microsoft email address
    8. Make sure the Microsoft account is an approved alias for OneNote (step 3)
    9. In Outlook email rules, forward emails matching the FROM address of the Google account to me@onenote.com
    10. Share the default notebook from this newly created Microsoft account to your ‘real’ one.

    Now, why do we use the Google account (step 6)? So that we can use this Google script to grab lots of stuff (from that Google account) and forward it to the OneNote Notebook and populate it with lots of interesting data. In my case, I had a few years worth of these daily RSS digest emails, and I applied a label to them in Gmail and then used the script to forward them to the Microsoft account. As the rule was set up in step 9 above, these are automatically forwarded to me@onenote.com and then added to the OneNote Notebook.

    Slowly but surely, this Notebook is filling up with thousands of pages of research that can be searched, taken offline and shared.

      Workarounds for "No suitable geometry found when exporting from Revit to Navisworks 2015"

      Luke Johnson

      On latest R2 version of Revit 2015, with Navisworks 2015 SP3 and Navisworks Exporters R3, there remains a Navisworks export bug that affects some projects after upgrade from previous versions of Revit.

      Error: documented at http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Error-No-suitable-geometry-found-when-exporting-from-Revit-to-Navisworks-2015.html

      Workaround: You can use the selection method to Export and the error does not seem to occur:

      1. Open the 3D view to export 
      2. Select all visible objects 
      3. Go to Addins ribbon, 
      4. choose External Tools – Navisworks 2015 (Exporter) 
      5. In the settings, choose “Selection” (see attached screenshot) 
      6. Name the file and export as usual

      Other suggested workarounds (did not work in this instance):

      1. Turn off Detail Items
      2. Try exporting again

      or

      1. Remove View Template
      2. Set Level of Detail of view to something other than Fine
      3. Set Level of Detail of categories in V/G to the setting you desire (can be Fine)
      4. Try exporting again 

      or
      Try turning off categories one at a time to find out which Category the problem geometry resides in.

      or
      using “uncut” in the Family Editor to uncut the voids from everything, and then using ‘cut’ to cut them again. after reloading back through into the project, this also allowed the export to continue.

      or
      some other way…

          The log file reports:
          Autodesk.Revit.Exceptions.ExternalApplicationException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
             at Autodesk.Revit.DB.CustomExporter.Export(View3D view)
             at NavisWorks12.LcIRevitBase.Export3DView(View3D view_3d, StateDictionary state_dict)
             at NavisWorks12.LcIRevitBase.ExportDocument(String& return_message, ElementSet elements, LcIRevitParameters* params)

          Related forum:
          v2015 – Navisworks Can’t Import Revit – Autodesk Community

          Download beta Excel sheet to build and manipulate Revit IFC mapping tables

          Luke Johnson

          Teun De Vries shared an: “Excel document (download), with which you can build the mapping tables that Revit can use when importing from, or exporting to IFC. It is still a bèta. You can use it or even change it, but at your own risk of course. And if you do so, Teun would love to know what your experiences are. The RevitGG is also using this tool to help build some parts for in the Dutch Revit Standard the DRS.”

          Original post:
          Ik Leer BIM: A tool to build Revit’s IFC mapping tables

          Looks pretty interesting?

          Changing Pipe from One System to Another (and Undefining MEP Systems). Plus upgrading Systems to Revit 2015…

          Luke Johnson

          To change the System Type for the connected run, Tab-select until you have the System, then change the Type. You can also change the name here.

          To completely undefine pipes, tab-select the system, then delete it. Pipes will become undefined. Start Draw Pipe command from one end and a new name will be automatically created. Apply System Name and System Type as above.

          via
          Changing Pipe from One System to Another

          and here is how you can break systems up by using a custom family with multiple connectors:

          via
          Breaking up Pipe Systems

          Note on upgrading: we discovered an interesting thing in the Design Office recently. When upgrading Revit 2013 files containing Systems (in this case Pipe) to Revit 2015, it is highly advisable to install the latest update (preferably R2, which is roughly equivalent to Update 4) prior to upgrading. If you use the ‘initial release’ version of Revit 2015, it will come up with lots of warnings if you have systems with duplicate names. However, it appears that the R2 version will automatically go through and un-duplicate the System names for you, making them all unique. Obviously, there may be a situation where this is not desirable (tagged systems linked to quantity takeoff or something), but for the most part it is nice to have all of those errors / warnings fixed during the upgrade to 2015.

          Also some related into at:
          Re: Pipe System to same Pipe System of a different… – Autodesk Community

          UPDATE: Tip from Jim in the comments regarding Revit and Sysque, and exploding systems…
          In 2015 REVIT-Sysque if you are having the problem where when you change pipes to a certain system more pipes than you thought (sometimes all) of the pipes change to one system or another.

          SOLUTION: Pick a pipe, a tab opens up which says “piping systems” pick that tab. It highlights the whole system the pipe you have selected is apart of. It may consist of supply and return piping. This is where you can explode the system. DO IT. You can then change what pipes you want change to a particular system and not have to redraw anything. jim badiali 

          Entourage Workshop will allow you to override individual RPC styles in Revit (by Archvision, new feature coming soon)

          Luke Johnson

          UPDATE: If you want to register for the beta, go here http://www.archvision.com/entourageworkshop

          It allows for greater stylistic control of RPC elements, and facilitates a greater level of artistic style in native Revit visualization.

          Check out the video:

          Collaboration for Revit is coming, Multi-firm concurrent authoring without complicated IT and LAN setup

          Luke Johnson

          I’m pretty sure this is what Revit Skyscraper is going to look like when it gets released, and I’m guessing it will be called “Collaboration for Revit” or “Revit Collaboration” (sounds like an addin, yeah?). Check out the image:

          Those features again:

          • Multi-firm concurrent authoring
          • No IT setup required
          • BIM directly accessible to other Cloud Services

          I’m not breaking NDA as this was a mailout from CTC, and you can register for the webinar here.

          A different take on the LODs

          Luke Johnson

          Posts and articles about Level Of Development are so prevalent, and they can tend to be repetitive, or controversial, or somewhat tedious (or is it just me?) But recently I thought of a different way to look at LOD. What if you take the perspective of the individuals or teams who have to deal with a given generation of data? How does that relate to LOD? Here’s one way it could be expressed:

          LOD100
          The Client says “We want something that will maybe look a bit like this”
          LOD200
          The Architect says “OK, but here is a more realistic and developed idea of the design”
          LOD300
          The General Contractor says “Nice design, but here is something that is more coordinated and ‘buildable’
          LOD400
          The Trade Contractor says “That was close, but this is how it is actually going to get fabricated and put together”
          LOD500
          The Builder Operator says “Let’s take some of those 3D models and as constructed documents, and figure out what is actually going to be useful moving forward”
          random image from web, not related to text above 🙂

          In case you missed it – Design Academy Beta is now live

          Luke Johnson

          Many downloads and lesson material related to specific Autodesk products and industries are available on this new portal.

          Main site:
          Design Academy

          Search results for Revit