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Batch Creation of Project Directory Structure on BIM 360 Docs

May 8, 2018 Luke Johnson

I’m looking into ways to batch initialize Revit models onto the new BIM 360 Docs (Document Management) platform. It is a work in progress at the moment – in Revit 2018, I think that there is limited ability to use newer API features for creating a Cloud ModelPath for batch processing. But more on that later…

For now, I wanted to replicate a folder structure from a local network onto the BIM 360 Docs platform. To do this, you just need the Desktop Connector + Preview installed, and then you copy and paste the data.

Here are the steps:

Clear Pending Actions on Desktop Connector for BIM 360 (recommended, use with care)
Work Offline (recommended). Folders will appear blue in Windows Explorer.
Set the folder path in the and create a CMD script using code below. It populates each subdirectory with a text file indicating the contents of the directory.
```
@echo off
chcp 65001 >nul
for /r "C:\Your\Folder\Path\Here" %%d in (.) do dir /a:-d "%%~fd" > "%%~dpnd\DirectoryFilePlaceholder.txt"
```
Run the script on your target directory (the local directory that you want to mirror into BIM 360 Document Management platform)
Run a FreeFileSync task with filters to include only the ‘DirectoryFilePlaceholder.txt‘ as a mechanism of building the file structure. This task copies those txt documents to the BIM 360 using the local Desktop Connector path, as shown here:
Then, disable ‘Work Offline’, so the sync to cloud should begin.
Wait for ‘Processing’ to complete

To force the sync you may have to toggle the ‘Offline’ status in the tray.

You can review sync state with the ‘Pending Actions’ link from the system tray:

After the file structure is copied and synced, you will be able to see it in BIM360 Docs.

You can then proceed with adding Permissions or uploading other files.

How to use Autodesk Desktop Connector with BIM 360 Docs

April 19, 2018April 19, 2018 Luke Johnson

Previously the Desktop Connector was built for BIM 360 Team projects running C4R. With the shift to B3D (BIM 360 Docs) platform, you need to:

Install Desktop Connector
Install beta version of a plugin for Desktop connector that allows access to BIM 360 Docs under a separate link

From the help:

This plugin is a connector that establishes BIM 360 Docs as a recognized data source for the Desktop Connector – making it available in your desktop folder and file structure for easy file management.

As with Desktop Connector, this means your BIM 360 Docs files are replicated in a connected drive. You can manage files in BIM 360 Docs through the connected drive, just as you would any other folder on your machine. Changes made on the desktop are automatically uploaded to BIM 360 Docs.

How do you get it?

Download b360provider.exe from here
(main page)
Run it

After install, you will see this in Windows Explorer:

Starting the Journey from C4R to B3D (BIM 360 Docs)

April 19, 2018April 24, 2018 Luke Johnson

If you are already a C4R user, for a while you can keep working as you are. But the entire platform is shifting from C4R to B3D (BIM 360 Docs), and you will eventually have to make the leap. In the long run, it will allow for more control, like folder-level permissions, so for big projects it is going to make a lot of sense. For now, there is some confusion out there (like in this Twitter thread), so here are some basic steps to activate a new BIM 360 Docs account, setup a Project, and then invite some collaborators into the project.

First, you can go to your account and use the special link to create a new BIM 360 Docs workspace. That is, if you are starting fresh in the new platform.

Here is the activation form notes (read carefully). Note: the links are different depending on how you activate it. For example, if you have an existing C4R account and you want to ‘transition’, you would use the relevant activation link for existing C4R customers :