What Revit Wants
Just a reminder on how this works, in the off-chance that you are confused…
2015 Products
Use the Enhancements link from https://manage.autodesk.com/cep/#products-services/all
2016 Products
Use the Autodesk App Store
2017 Products
Use Autodesk Desktop App
Yes, there are exceptions to these rules, but it should get you headed in the right direction.
RTC AUS 2016 is imminent! What are you looking forward to? I’m excited to connect with some Dynamo pros, and talk all about BIM process improvement.
Here’s what I’m talking about at RTC (this is a concise teaser only) …
I even get a little badge:
Check it out at:
Improve the Quality and Productivity of Your Revit Modeling with This Powerful Toolkit
Of particular interest are the CAD to RFA converter, Watermark Manager, and the powerful suite of Rebar (Reinforcement) Tools.
Hope you enjoy the review 🙂
Autodesk Screencast is a great screen recording tool. However, it is very tied to the cloud. What if you just want to grab the screen capture video file to put it onto your company LAN or insert it into a presentation?
The short story:
You could also use a video converter to convert the webm file to an mp4 or some other format that you could embed into PowerPoint etc.
Some related, uh, Screencasts:
Getting the WEBM files
Setting up the Syncs
(insert obligatory Revit 2017 blog post here…)
The annual Revit release schedule can become very tiring. Also challenging is the fact that you will probably not start running real, big, live Revit 2017 projects for around 6 months, so all of this new features noise will be a distant memory by then. However, it is good to be aware of the new abilities in the software, so that you can (possibly) stop using outdated workarounds and start using the software in the way Revit 2017 Wants.
By now, we should all be focusing on getting more useful data into our models. In accord with that aim, these are my top 3 new features:
1) Keynote Legends are better – Use Keynotes!
When a keynote legend is set to By Sheet, Revit takes into account whether a keynote is visible in the view as a result of View Range settings, Design Option settings, or Depth Clipping/Far Clipping settings.
2) Combined parameters in Schedules – Use the Data you Have!
Combine parameters in a schedule to display the values in a single cell. You can specify a prefix, suffix, sample value, and separator to display with each parameter. See Combine Parameters in a Schedule.
3) Schedule view templates – Templates are Good Revit
View templates for schedules and assembly views: To simplify the reuse of schedules, create a schedule view template. Schedule view templates include parameters for Fields, Filter, Sorting/Grouping, Formatting, Appearance, and Phase Filter. If the model contains RVT links or design options, Visibility/Graphics Overrides parameters are also available. See About Schedule View Templates and Create Assembly Views and Sheets.
The Help file:
Help: New in Revit 2017
The 1 minute video:
The playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY-ggSrSwbZo26bEbxXCXJzSGjjutm5PY
Steve’s big post:
Revit OpEd: Revit 2017 – New Features and Enhancements
Top 5 from Sean David Burke:
Five Standout Features from Autodesk Revit 2017 | Architect Magazine | Software, BIM, Construction Software, Design Workflow, Architecture, Autodesk
The Revit Kid Top 3:
Revit 2017 – My 3 Favorite new Features | TheRevitKid.com! – Tutorials, Tips, Products, and Information on all things Revit / BIM
Tim Waldock’s Revit 2017 posts (very thorough as usual):
http://revitcat.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/whats-new-in-revit-2017.html
http://revitcat.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/installing-revit-2017.html
http://revitcat.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/elevation-depth-cueing-in-revit-2017.html
—–
Problems (these are the Not So Good Things) so far:
—–
Licensing, and the ability to switch from Network to Standalone after installation:
via Autodesk 2017: Changing From Standalone to Network | Microsol Resources Blog
Other posts:
Navisworks 2017 New Features are summed up here:
BIM 360 Glue + Navisworks 2017: Reinforcing Construction Collaboration
Quite a momentous day!
You can download it at:
http://dyn-builds-data.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/DynamoInstall1.0.0.exe
(or you can wait for the auto update 🙂
Readme:
### 1.0.0 ###
– API Stabilization: 1.0.0 is a commitment to stable code that allows for smoother and more reliable movements from one version to another. To more clearly express this, we have been moving to “semantic versioning” to illustrate the nature of changes in each release. We will be using the fairly standard version naming with an x.y.z system, where x incrementing represents breaks to the API (requiring developer refactors), y indicates changes that are still backwards compatible, and z are smaller bug fixes. Package creators and maintainers are encouraged to assess changes to the previous code, which can be found here
https://github.com/DynamoDS/Dynamo/wiki/Dynamo-Node-Changes
https://github.com/DynamoDS/Dynamo/wiki/API-Changes
– Graphics performance enhancements: see this post for details
https://github.com/DynamoDS/Dynamo/pull/6356
– Documentation: Along with new sections of the DynamoPrimer (http://DynamoPrimer.com), we have started an online documentation of the Dynamo API with a searchable index of public API calls for core functionality. This will be expanded to include regular nodes and Revit functionality. http://dynamods.github.io/DynamoAPI/
– Licensing: Dynamo Studio is now using a new version of the Autodesk installer that allows for easier access to network and token flex licensing tools
– Install: we have created a separate installation for “core” Dynamo functionality, those tools used by all implementations of Dynamo, and Revit, and Studio installations. This allows for the sharing of a common core of Dynamo code and packages.
– List Management: Changes to “replication” or automated matching of different data streams in nodes and Code Block nodes eliminates the need for List.Map and List.Combine in many situations
– Send to Web: formerly known as Share Workspace, we have improved the ability to view and interact with Dynamo online with Customizers
– File Export: Users can now author DWG files in the Translation section of Dynamo Studio.
– Direct Shape: Dynamo in Revit 2017 can now take advantage of faster and more sophisticated direct shape creation. In most cases, solid and surface geometry can be sent directly into the Revit environment as smooth (rather than tesselated) surfaces and solids, categorized to whatever is needed. In the cases where a smooth element cannot be created, a tesselated (mesh) object is created, as was the case previously.
Bug Fixes
– An extensive list can be found here: http://dynamobim.org/incoming-bug-fixes-for-dynamo-1-0-0
Known Issues
– Listed here: https://github.com/DynamoDS/Dynamo/wiki/Known-Issues
Also:
Dynamo Builds
Check out David Fano’s post at this link.
The Apps and Issue Tracker are both available, at these links:
Over the years I have used many workarounds to get things done in Revit, and usually I post about how to do it, and sometimes I offer a family or RVT download too. However, some of these resources are now deeply buried in the blog history (hard to believe I’ve been doing this since 2008!)
With that in mind, I have created this post to share some of the more useful and interesting downloads with you… again 🙂 I’ll try to keep this page updated with the current set of What Revit Wants freebies and downloads.
I hope you enjoy the huge range of samples, workarounds, hacks and scripts linked below. Typically the title of the download is the link to the family, and the next line is the source post:
Download Link
Source Link
Feel free to comment to let me know if these are useful, or if they are not 🙂 In some cases, Revit has ‘caught up’ and the older workarounds are no longer necessary.
Also, for resources I create and share I will now use the tag WRWdownloads for easy discoverability.
FAMILIES and PROJECTS
Slanted Wall Family
What Revit Wants: Three ways to Model a Slanted or Tilted Wall in Revit (download)
Spot Slopes on Ramps
What Revit Wants: How to tag Ramp slopes in Revit 2013 and Revit 2014 with Slot Slope tool
Topography to Lofted Mass Surface Conversion
What Revit Wants: Convert Revit Topography into Massing Forms
Random Tree Heights and Locations
What Revit Wants: Random Tree Heights and Locations in Revit – make a forest in just a few clicks
Repeated Component Array
What Revit Wants: Why a Repeated component on a Divided Line Path is better than an Array
Issue Tracking Tool in Revit
What Revit Wants: Intelligent Issue Tracking in Revit, with download.
Gradient Annotation Family
post?
Detail Item for Scaling Images
What Revit Wants: Take the Guesswork out of Scaling an Image in Revit
Datum Scope Box Visibility
What Revit Wants: How to Show Linked Scope Boxes and Grids in a Host Plan View by Default
Level Parameter Tag workaround
What Revit Wants: Getting access to the Level parameter in Tags for Categories that don’t normally allow it
Detail Item Family with Adjustable Text (can be for dimensioning)
What Revit Wants: Detail Item Family with Adjustable Text – Dimensioning Tool
Generic Model family with a Scope Box in it that you can copy to other families:
Download family
From What Revit Wants: How to create a Scope Box in the Family Environment
2009 Mass
What Revit Wants: Using legacy mass forms in 2010 and 2011
Generic Label (automatic embedded tag)
What Revit Wants: How to add a label to a Component Family (automatic tag)
Mobius Strip
What Revit Wants: Mobius Strip Attempt with download
URL Annotation for Hyperlink
or
Linker Symbol
From What Revit Wants: Launching Scripts and Programs directly from Revit
Super Void Generic Model Family for cutting anything
SuperVoid Family download
From What Revit Wants: Using a Super Void Generic Model to Cut Anything
Seamless Sphere
From What Revit Wants: Making a Seamless Sphere in Revit
Symbol for Use in Locked 3D Views
From What Revit Wants: Using Annotation Symbols in Locked 3D Views in Revit
Swappable Profiles in Adaptive Models
From What Revit Wants: How to Setup Adaptive Profiles to Allow Swapping between completely different Profile shapes (with free download)
Room Category Families
From What Revit Wants: You can break Revit by making Room families
Room Calculator for X and Y dimensions
From What Revit Wants: Room Dimensions X by Y – 2 methods in Revit
Family with RVT and DWG Link
What Revit Wants: Live and reloadable RVT and DWG Link inside a component RFA Family
Family with IFC Link
What Revit Wants: Link an IFC file into a Revit Family RFA File
Custom Railing Connections
From What Revit Wants: Custom Railing Connections in 10 steps (free sample download)
SCRIPTS
Make Link Index to all of your Revit Families
From What Revit Wants: Use a CMD script to create a Hyperlink index to all your Family RFA files
Enable and Disable Revit 2015 Addins
You can download both Powershell scripts here
From What Revit Wants: Script to Disable All Revit Addins
ADDINS
Add Materials from Excel
From What Revit Wants: Add New Materials to Revit using an Excel file: including Cut and Fill Patterns, Transparency and RGB Values
EXCEL and Other
Duplicate Element Finder
What Revit Wants: Parse Element ID for quick deletion of “identical instances in the same place” errors
If you cut a sloping pipe in Revit, you can override the lineweight using Linework tool (or Visibility / Graphics) easily, because you are dealing with a model element. However, if you cut a ‘flat’ or horizontal pipe in a Section or Elevation, Revit assumes you want the nice system-related cut symbol for that Pipe and you can’t easily override the Cut Lineweight with a Linework tool.
What you need to do is turn off that default Symbol in Visibility / Graphics, and then you can successfully override the Cut representation.You may find that by turning off the Drop or Rise option, the symbol isn’t shown and the Linework tool will be active for the cut lines of flat pipes:
Currently including:
More information about these addins at:
Help: Add-Ins for Revit
