Category: Uncategorized

Remove all Views not on Sheets

Luke Johnson

… by using a very wild script from dp Stuff!

Comes with a disclaimer:
Warning! Make sure you don’t run this script on your central model – detach it from central first. Because once the views are gone – they are GONE! Don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you – use it at your own risk.
Download Revit IronPython Shell script via
dp Stuff: Remove Working Views With Python Shell and Revit API

Convert Family from Wall to Face based

Luke Johnson

Have you created a heap of wall based families that you would like convert to face based?  Jarod Schultz provides a nice workaround for this.  Essentially, you Link and then Copy/Monitor the elements, then when you use the Edit Family button, Revit swaps them to Face based for you!

“Get into a 3D view so it is easier to see your linked file and the lighting fixture. We are now going to use the “Copy/Monitor -> Select Link” tool to “Copy” in the light fixture.”

Read the whole post at:
Jarod Schultz: Revit Wall/Face Based Family Trick | Jarod Schultz

EDIT

This workflow can be used to convert any hosted Family to a Workplane based or unhosted versions, as David describes here:

  1. Place an instance of the family you want to hack in the drawing area. You can insert multiple ones at the same time;
  2. Save the file and close it;
  3. Open a new Revit file from no template. This ensures it is completely empty and Revit will thus create this hacked copy when we do step #6;
  4. Link the previously saved model into this new file;
  5. Go to the Collaborate Tab>Copy/Monitor>Select Link and pick the linked file. Once in C/M mode, click Coordination Settings and make sure that the family types you want to hack are set to “Copy Type”;
  6. Click the Copy button and pick the families you want to hack;
  7. Finish and exit from this mode when you’re done.

New Revit 2014 SDK, and the gbXML2dwfx tool

Luke Johnson

Two great tips via The Building Coder today.  Firstly, the updated Revit SDK is available for download from here.  Here are some links:

Revit 2014 SDK (Update April 24, 2013) (exe – 217899Kb)
Revit 2013 SDK (Update April 11, 2012) (exe – 161112Kb)
Revit 2012 SDK (Update June 22, 2011) (exe – 151105Kb)

Secondly, did you realise that Revit 2014 comes with a tool to convert gbXML data into a dwfx file?    Look in your Revit program folder for a file called gbXML2dwfx.exe

Using Whitefeet Parameter Math tool to copy a untaggable System parameter into a Shared Parameter

Luke Johnson

In the image below, I show the basic process used to drive a Floor Area parameter into a manually added shared parameter.  Obviously, this scenario is not ideal – the data link isn’t dynamic, so we have essentially created a mini-silo (that’s what I’m going to call “in-software unlinked BIM”) right inside Revit.

In any case, here is how you can quickly do it with Whitefeet tools (start at 1 and follow the arrows):


I previously posted another workaround for this – using a filtered schedule:
Tag Floor Area in Revit workaround

Use 3ds Max to prepare geometry for Smooth surface import into Revit

Luke Johnson

This is a great post / video from pedroeron on RFO.  It essentially shows you how to hide the edges of imported geometry (such as from Sketchup), so that when it imports into Revit, you only see the shaded surfaces – not the ugly triangulated surface edges.  Nice!

Also, this video shows that it is possible to Link a DWG into an inplace Component family – some interesting possibilities arise from that.


via
From 3ds max to revit without viewing triangles edges

EDIT – the steps are basically:

  1. In 3dsMax, Use ProOptimizer Modifier to get your model to less than 32000 faces (so that it can be exported to DXF)
  2. Convert to Editable Mesh
  3. Use Mesh Selection – Edge tool
  4. Select all Edges and change to invisible
  5. Make one or two triangles visible (so that you can select the model in Revit)
  6. Export to DXF 2007 version
  7. Import into Revit

Note – you can also go Export to 3DS, then import to AutoCAD (using 3DSIN command) and divide object by Material (creating a new layer for each material), then go to Revit from there.  You may experience some geometry issues through this multi-handling of the data.

Material Library bug? (library in Template File)

Luke Johnson

Here is the fix:
If you unload the material library from the template, save it, close Revit, reopen, create a project from your template and add the Material Library there: not a problem. It’s all there.

Now getting back to answer number one: it stays there. The above workflow is a definitive solution to the problem. Once loaded into the project you can reload the Material Library in your template. Then and when you create a new project from that template there won’t be a problem. It’s like the entire problem never existed.

via
RevitForum Blog: Material Library weirdness

Including Project Parameters or Area Schemes from Linked Models in a Schedule

Luke Johnson

It may not be immediately obvious how you can quickly transfer Project Parameters or Area Schemes between linked models (to allow scheduling of linked RVT data in a host project).

Turns out the answer is pretty simple – just use Ctrl+C (Copy to Clipboard) to copy the required Schedules from one RVT to another.

The full process is described at:
Including Project Parameters or Area Schemes from Linked Models in a Schedule – WikiHelp

BIM Documents and Standards – big list for download

Luke Johnson

I can’t recall how many BIM document PDFs I have downloaded over the years.  There are web indexes of the indexes of the lists of standards you can access…

But here is a simple list by Ben Malone:
https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BwLLFYLrgVI6WldMeFlDQ1hSVE0/edit?pli=1

It looks like it might be a work in progress – there are still plenty more that could be added (and probably will be, when Ben finds the time 🙂

Note – if you click the “Open in Drive” button, you can then check all the boxes and click Download to get them all at once…

Heads-up from Dave Light:
Revit: BIM Docs!