I have covered using FBX to access Navisworks data for downstream use. What about KMZ? This format contains lightweight geometry as well as some model structure. It is actually quite difficult to find an easy way to go from KMZ to IFC, or KML to IFC. But, it can be done!

Here’s one method:

  1. Export desired view from Navisworks to KML with “collapse” set to None. This will bring the full model hierarchy with the KML file (see help for more info)
  2. Install ArchiCAD 16 and the Google Earth import / export plugin
  3. File Special – Merge, select the KMZ (this part could take a while)
  4. File Special – IFC 2×3 – Merge to IFC Model…
  5. Select an IFC file (maybe make an empty one to merge with first, like this one)
  6. You will get geometry and some basic data, but the main thing is that the object segregation is still present
  7. From here you can import the IFC file to Revit as usual

Note: you can use 7-zip to extract a KMZ and you will see the KML file inside.

Screenshots:

Other ideas:

QGIS:
Welcome to the QGIS project!
Weekly builds:
Index of /downloads/weekly

Forum post:
Importing KMZ files into AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 – Autodesk Community

Addons for AutoCAD:
SL-King Download King.KML FDO provider

Spatial Manager™ – Download

When working with multiple linked files, you can utilize the ability of Revit to close Worksets in Linked Files, and in some cases this is a good visibility shortcut. Along these lines Simon over at BIM42 has written “a few line of code for set up every Scope Box, and Reference plane to the correct workset…”

See the code at:

Managing linked worksets | BIM 42

In Revit 2015, you can use the IfcOpeningElement subcategory of Generic Models (and possibly other categories) for a Linked IFC to hide the orange “void” elements that appear in certain situations, as per this image:

Just use the Revit Links Display Settings to “override” settings in Visibility / Graphics (choose custom, and Model Categories tab also custom) to access this subcategory.

Lot’s of screenshots getting tweeted, like:

You might also be interested in some more Revit History at:
Revit Launch
Revit Promo Video and Screenshots
Revit Release 3
Revit 4.0 video 
Similar:

This video shows how Autodesk Vault interacts with Revit server and how to configure them both across different sites connected through a WAN. The demo at the end shows the workflow between different sites.
You will also notice the handling of a referenced DWG in a Revit shared project through Autodesk Vault Professional. The demo shows how and why the combination of Vault and Revit server is the perfect solution for cross-site collaboration.


From:
http://youtu.be/cYVMMs32bJs

AutoCAD 2015:
download.autodesk.com/SWDLDDLM/Updates/BIM360Addin/2015/4.33.6482/B3AddinAcad64.msi

Revit 2015:
download.autodesk.com/SWDLDDLM/Updates/BIM360Addin/2015/4.33.6482/B3AddinRvt.msi

Navisworks Manage 2015:
download.autodesk.com/SWDLDDLM/Updates/BIM360Addin/2015/4.33.6482/B3AddinNWMan.msi

You can also go to the main Glue addin page:
https://b4.autodesk.com/addins/addins.html

Tekla have released a viewer app for iOS that can read IFC files. You will probably use Dropbox to get any large IFC files onto your phone or tablet, but you can also open from email or web.

Download at:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/tekla-field3d/id868034113?mt=8

Free version features
• View 3D models in multiple formats: .ifc, .3ds, .obj
• Very large models load in mere seconds, tested to more than 2 GB
• Zoom, pan and rotate 3D models
• Object Outlines and dynamic Shadows to better visualize model geometry and depth
• Open files from email, file-share or web
• Sample files included and more can be downloaded
• Orthogonal view of 3D models – as an alternative to Perspective view
• Imperial units display option for Property values (feet &inches)

Of course, you could also append the IFC to Navisworks, then Glue it, and use the BIM 360 Glue app to do something very similar 🙂

Mehmet Polat Diker has been busy doing some interesting Revit things over at Red Hot BIM. Like this little family that takes two dates and checks if the “deadline” has past or not. Some pretty detailed formulas here – nice work.

Download:
D_GEN_DEADLINE.rfa (Revit 2015)

The deadline family has 2 data entry parameters:
DateA and DateB. Family expects DateA to be earlier than DateB by default.

It has 2 check parameters:
DateAcheck and DateBcheck. These parameters show how the family interprets the dates we’ve entered.

Read the whole post:
http://www.redhotbim.com/2014/05/revit-deadline-calculate-days-between.html

He has also made a Calendar family:
D_GEN_CALENDAR.rfa (Revit 2015)
from
http://www.redhotbim.com/2014/05/revit-calendar.html

Straight copy from Revit Clinic:

Update Release 3 for Revit 2015 has been released to the App Manager. However, if the App Manager is not finding the update, you can download them directly from the links below:
Revit 2015
Revit Architecture 2015
Revit MEP 2015
Revit Structure 2015
Revit LT 2015 (64-bit)
Revit LT 2015 (32-bit)

Original post:
Revit 2015 – Update Release 3 – The Revit Clinic

If you paste a heap of elements from one Revit model to another, you may come across this error:
“There are identical instances in the same place. This will result in double counting in schedules.”

If you want to quickly select and delete the duplicate elements, here is one possible method. Basically, we are parsing the element IDs (every second one) from the Error Report and then quickly selecting them in Revit.

This relies on an Error Report that only has “identical instances” error messages (see images at end):

  1. Export the Error Report
  2. Open the HTML file directly in Excel
  3. Select all of Columns A and B, then Ctrl+C
  4. Switch to the XLS template (download here), click in cell A1 and Ctrl+V
  5. This will fill up the table, and using formulas it will find every second element ID. It ignores the first ID, because this “should” be the original one. The template file is good for around 600 data rows (255 identical items), but formulas can be extended to more elements if necessary.
    (EDIT: the main concatenate formula is at its “limit” at Row 513, anything below this is ignored – Excel doesn’t like it bigger than this, so I recommend you either:
    – do this operation 300 duplicates at a time or
    – make a new concatenate formula for rows 513 to 1026 etc…
    its still going to be quicker than clicking every duplicate manually in Revit 🙂
  6. Scroll down to the end of the data that you have pasted and click the Row Label for the first empty row
  7. Ctrl+Shift+End
  8. Delete (this prunes the formulas and element ID list)
  9. Click in cell H3 (this has the list of element IDs)
  10. Ctrl+C
  11. Switch to Revit and start the “Select Elements by ID” command
  12. Ctrl+V
  13. Click OK
  14. Duplicate elements are now selected – press Delete

 You might get some unexpected results (broken systems etc) depending on your project type. Use with care…

This page helped with quickly making a long CONCATENATE list.