Tag: Google Drive

Use OneDrive or Google Drive to Store all of your Autodesk Updates for Automatic Sharing without a LAN

Luke Johnson

Do you want to create a shareable cloud-based resource for your Autodesk updates? Here is one way:

  1. Create a folder in one of your local cloud based mirror locations, for example:
    E:yourpathonedriveAUTODESK_UPDATES
    C:yourpathGoogle DriveAUTODESK_UPDATES
    C:UsersLuke JohnsonAppDataLocalAutodeskAutodesk SyncCloudluke.johnsonAUTODESK_UPDATES
    C:yourpathSharePointVirtual Built BIM Tools – DocumentsVirtual Built BIM ToolkitAUTODESK_UPDATES
    C:yourpathDropboxAUTODESK_UPDATES
  2. Share the folder with one of your local Windows users (could be your own username) by using Properties – Sharing.
  3. You will be able to access it in Windows explorer now as:
    yourPCnameAUTODESK_UPDATES
  4. Copy that address into your Autodesk Application Manager:
  5. Any future updates you install will be copied to that folder, and thus sync’ed up to the cloud folder. Now…
  6. On the PC you want to sync to, sync that shared Cloud folder down to a local location (usually this is using “Add to my OneDrive” or “Add to my Google Drive” feature)
  7. Do step 2 on this PC
  8. In Application Manager Manager, do step 4 on this PC
  9. Basically, for every pc you want to hook up just do steps 6-8.

You now have a bidirectional, self-hosted mirror in the cloud of any Autodesk updates that you do on any of the PCs you hook up in this way. This should make most of the updates you need auto-sync between your computers, meaning less waiting to download the same update multiple times 🙂

Restart Google Drive process automatically each day with a Windows Task to Fix Sync Problems

Luke Johnson

Sometimes Google Drive isn’t happy when you have it syncing large folders of often-changing files (sounds like a BIM environment, yeah?) But usually, all it needs is to restart the googledrivesync process to get things back in order. Here is one way you can do that:

1) Copy the following to a text document and save as BAT or CMD:
TASKKILL /F /IM googledrivesync.exe
START “” “C:Program Files (x86)GoogleDrivegoogledrivesync.exe” –noshow_confirmation_dialog_on_delete

2) Once you have the batch file ready, you can create a basic Windows task that runs daily (before you come into work) to restart Google Drive and ensure it is in sync.

How to Install Autodesk 360 Sync for Desktop as a Standalone Package (without AutoCAD)

Luke Johnson

You probably won’t find Autodesk 360 Desktop sync install package for download online, but you can install it “standalone”.

  1. Find some Autodesk install media
  2. Look for a subfolder named Cloudsync (make sure it is beneath x64 or x86 as appropriate for your system)
  3. Copy this folder to USB or a network location
  4. Run the file AdSync.msi on the PC you want to install Autodesk 360 on
  5. After install, you will need to restart
  6. After restarting, you may need to sign in using your Autodesk ID

I have previously described how to use Autodesk 360 as a cloud storage location for Revit (and any application) here:
Access Autodesk 360 files in any application, including Revit

Some paths that may assist – these were from BDSU2015:
Building_Design_Suite_Ultimate_2015_English_Win_64-32bit_dlmx64ComponentsCloudsync

Building_Design_Suite_Ultimate_2015_English_Win_64-32bit_dlmx64ComponentsCloudsyncAdSync.msi

Quickly Translate Revit project data into another language

Luke Johnson

Here is an interesting idea from Daniel Monsén: in the video below, he describes using bimframe connect (which I previously posted about a couple of times, including here) to translate data for a Revit project.

In simple steps:

  1. Export a given schedule (such as rooms) using bimframe connect addin to Google Sheets
  2. Use the googletranslate formula to translate the data from the source to a given target language
  3. Copy the translated over the top of the original source data
  4. Import the translated data back into Revit using bimframe connect

The one comment I would make in addition to the video embedded below – if you want to quickly apply a formula to an entire column worth of data in Google Sheets, you should definitely use ARRAYFORMULA. If you put an array formula in the top row of a given column, it will apply itself to every cell in that column. For example:
=ArrayFormula( GoogleTranslate( B2:B ; “en” ; “nl” ) )

Embedded:

via email:

From: Daniel Monsén
Subject: Translate a Revit project into another language.

Hi Luke.

I hope everything i fine.
I just want to see if you seen our trick to translate a revit file to another language, using bimframe connect. 
Maybe something for your blog?
Med vänliga hälsningar / Best regards
Daniel Monsén
Sr BIM advisor

Multi User, Cloud Based Schedule Editing and Linking with Revit just Got Real

Luke Johnson

We use Google Drive a lot now, particularly Google Sheets.  The power of a shared spreadsheet cannot be underestimated in the AEC world.

Now, imagine if you could directly export data from Revit to a Google Sheet, edit it, and then import the changes directly back to Revit.  Imagine if you could share that spreadsheet to other team members who may not know anything about Revit, but who can modify and update schedules with ease?  Yep, this just happened with Bimframe Connect… screenshots below.

Export from Revit to Google Drive

 

 

View and Edit on Google Sheets

Click import to bring the changes back

Changes are highlighted to show you what will be updated

Viewing the updated model in a Revit schedule

Download v1.0.0 at:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-I6xJbZzEKlMVFlRS1RN01VZVE&usp=sharing

Other links:

BIMFRAME community is here:
http://community.bimframe.com/

shop is here:
shop.bimframe.com

Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg8pgsW4iF8-SQBUq1ufVwg

Google Plus site:
https://plus.google.com/u/1/b/115998378603849570073/+Bimframeab

BIMFrame Connect – Google Cloud addin for Revit

Luke Johnson

Daniel Monsén has created one of those addins where you just have to say “this makes sense”. The key feature of Bimframe Connect?  It allows users to import and export data from Revit to a Google Spreadsheet.

The overall concept is that you can export data to a Google Spreadsheet, collaborate using a web client or mobile device, then import the data and update the Revit model.  Collaborators obviously don’t need Revit – just access to the Google spreadsheet.

Personally, I love the idea.  The more transparent the Revit building database is, the easier it is to add intelligence to the model, share the model, and detect design problems.

Overview:

The above video includes the following info:
Email: daniel@bimframe.com to get trial key.

Download the version 0.8 beta trial add in here:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxQhjQerGcutN3RCV0lCS2pmeFk&usp=sharing

There is a series of tutorials on Youtube here:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_8PPGYG2g576rssp9ykCw/feed

Download a backup copy of LOTS of your Google Data

Luke Johnson

Just go to https://www.google.com/takeout/ and login.

Many Google Services are supported – Blogger page export was recently added.  You can also backup all of your Google Drive docs and original Youtube videos.  The list goes on:

Some more info:
Google Takeout now offering Blogger and Google+ Page exports –

And some seemingly outdated (?) info at:
the Data Liberation Front 

Moving docs between Google Drive and Skydrive and keeping them in Sync

Luke Johnson

Install the Google Drive desktop utility and the Skydrive desktop utility.  After syncing both of these utilities / folders, you will have an offline version of both sets of documents in folders like:

Then, use FreeFileSync to sync folders locally.  For example, I made a subfolder on my Skydrive called Google_Drive and synced all of my Drive documents to that Skydrive folder.  You would have to do something similar in the opposite direction too.

Once the desktop utilities have re-synced, you now have access to all of your docs from each cloud.

Note:  Skydrive docs can’t open .gdoc yet.

You may have guessed that I have started using Skydrive due to my recent acquisition of a Windows Phone 8 device, a Nokia Lumia 820…

More info:
Google Drive Help