The Building Coder

Auto-Executing an External Command

I had an extensive discussion on automatically driving Revit from outside to auto-execute a simple functionality with no user input, originally implemented by an external command. Also, a big thank you to all for the numerous congratulations on The Building Coder's eleventh birthday – Auto-executing an external command – Eleventh birthday congratulations... Read more →

11 Years and Revit API Docs Full Text Search

Happy Birthday to The Building Coder! The online Revit API documentation now supports full text search. Dynamo implements a new ViewCone functionality... Read more →

Zero Touch Node Wrapper and Load from Stream

Here are some topics that came up last week – Dynamo Zero Touch Node Revit element wrapper – Loading a .NET assembly from a memory stream – How to become a successful freelancer – Talking about memory streams, I hiked up Rio Chillar in Nerja, Andalusia... Read more →

Revit API and Design Automation API Survey

The Revit product team is conducting a survey to improve the functionality of the Revit services. Please help them prioritise new features and upcoming enhancements to future releases of the Autodesk Revit API and the Forge Design Automation for Revit API by taking a brief survey... Read more →

MEP Ductwork and Changing Pipe Direction

One of today's Revit API discussion forum threads prompted a discussion of MEP duct- and pipework creation topics – Changing pipe direction – MEP ductwork creation tip... Read more →

IFC Update, Instance Geometry, Parameters

I completed the move to my new computer, and happily all systems go now. Here are some other topics that came up in the past few days – Revit-IFC Release 20.1.0 – Community discussion on Revit – Solid or instance, depending – Exporting parameters to Access – Store globals on custom DataStorage, not ProjectInfo – Iranian civil engineering project video... Read more →

New PC, KLH Snoop, Annotations and Vertex Handling

I have been very busy and motivated indeed setting up a new computer this week. Nonetheless, I was able to keep going full steam with Revit API related issues as well – Setting up a new MacBook – KLH Engineers RevitDeveloperTools snooping tool – Pulling text from annotation tags – Vertex handling – The true meaning of pizza... Read more →

Auto-Dimension Filled Region Boundary

I am back from my break and picked up the question about creating dimensions for a filled region boundary – Programmatically creating dimensions for a filled region – Coding suggestion – Final solution... Read more →

Roadmap, Rebar Curves, Wizard Zip and More

Topics for this week – Revit public roadmap July 2019 – Rebar curves – Built-in zip utility for add-in wizard – Only detail section views can be used for top view direction – Displaying an RFA family instance in DA4R – Revit 2020 alters the TEMP file system variable – Lattice multiplication... Read more →

BIM365 Getting Started, Materials API, CPU Voltage

I am on vacation right now, enjoying splendid weather camping on the coast of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, here are a few items that cropped up in the past few days – Getting started and programming buttons with Revit API – Links to API to modify visual appearance of materials – Improving performance by optimising CPU voltage... Read more →

Element Identifiers in RVT, IFC, NW and Forge

A recent internal discussion clarifies Revit element identification in Forge, Navisworks and IFC, some new thoughts on consciousness versus AI, and a couple of topics of personal interest – Two Nice summer mountain hikes – Revit element ids in Forge via Navisworks and IFC – Some aspects of consciousness may be beyond reach of ai – Trees might help against global warming – Holidays ahead... Read more →

Room Volume glTF Generator

I travelled home from the Barcelona Forge accelerator and continued working on the room volume exporter. I now implemented support for glTF, the GL Transmission Format. A few more little items to wrap up the Barcelona topic – Kean Walmsley's report on this year's Forge Accelerator in Barcelona – My two favourite restaurants in Poblenou... Read more →

Room Closed Shell DirectShape for Forge Viewer

I explored three main topics here at the Forge accelerator – Room closed shell solid visibility in the Forge viewer – Rebar simplification: replace rebar elements with simplified solids or model curves – glTF export – Today, I'll dive deeper into the first – IFC exporter utility adds new built-in parameter – Barcelona Forge accelerator – Room closed shell in the Forge viewer – Triangulate the solid face by face – Triangulate entire solid – Tessellation accuracy control documentation error... Read more →

Accelerator, Dash Pattern Fix, Rotation and Phase

I am participating in the Forge Accelerator in Barcelona this week. Let me mention some pending Revit API issues before diving into any accelerator topics – AddMaterials enhancements – Retrieving element rotation – Changing the phase created parameter... Read more →

Revit Camera Settings, Project Plasma, DA4R and AI

Here are this week's interesting items I want to share with you – Map Forge Viewer camera settings back to Revit – Project Quantum becomes Plasma – Mikako's DA4R overview – AI is affecting human game strategies – AI can convert speech to gesture – Barcelona Forge accelerator – Open positions at Autodesk... Read more →

SketchIt, Lookup Family Types, Definition Names

Today, we present yet another RevitLookup enhancement, a note on an undocumented built-in parameter change and a neat Forge Design Automation for Revit sample app – RevitLookup family types and parameter definition names – Bitmap aspect ratio built-in parameter renamed – DA4R SketchIt demo generates walls... Read more →

Access BIM360 Cloud Links, Thumbnail and Dynamo

This post is somewhat overdue and hence rather full of various topics, mainly due to my struggles with my MacBook slowing to an unbearable crawl in the heat last week – Accessing BIM360 cloud links – Retrieve RVT preview thumbnail image with Python – Paolo's Dynamo primer and slide deck compendium – Slow MacBook with kernel_task using several 100% CPU – Failings of the political establishment... Read more →

DirectShape Element to Represent Room Volume

Yesterday, I implemented a new add-in, RoomVolumeDirectShape, that creates DirectShape elements representing the volumes of all the rooms – Request to display room volumes in Forge SVF file – RoomVolumeDirectShape functionality – Retrieving all element properties – Converting a .NET dictionary to JSON – Generating DirectShape from ClosedShell – Complete external command class Execute method – Sample model and results – Challenges encountered underway – Cherry BIM Services – On the value of the "Loss Method" property – AI-generated talking head models... Read more →

Retrieving Section View Intersection Cut Geometry

I played around creating a new SectionCutGeo add-in to retrieve the geometry resulting from cutting a family instance in a section view. This was prompted the Revit API discussion forum thread on getting intersection lines from cut in section view – Intersection of section and family instance task – Solution options, geometry elements and view settings – Retrieving curves in the cut plane – Helper methods and external command mainline – Sample model and results – Caveat... Read more →

Secret Reference Line Faces

The open source space around the Revit API is continuously growing richer, solutions are shared and exciting discoveries are made, both in the Revit API discussion forum and elsewhere – Debugging, code signing and HOK Mission Control – Creating connectors on a reference line... Read more →

Precast API and Cloud Open Callback

As usual, I am over-active in the Revit API discussion forum, so you can see most of what I have been up to right there. Here and now, I'll highlight one of those threads and clarify how to access the Revit 2019 Precast API – Structural Precast API – IOpenFromCloudCallback and the DefaultOpenFromCloudCallback class... Read more →

Filtered Element Collector Benchmark

Today, let's present a benchmark monitoring filtered element collector performance. First, however, a quick note on a very useful Forge learning resource – Forge learning resource – Filtered element collector benchmark... Read more →

Tagging a Linked Element

The linked file enhancements introduced in the Revit 2014 API obviously need more awareness – Link enhancements – Conversion of geometric references – Tagging a linked element – Using the stable representation to tag a linked element – List all untagged doors... Read more →

Rapid Prototyping, Testing and Deployment

The pyRevit rapid application development environment can be used for the entire add-in lifecycle, supporting rapid debugging, testing and deployment as well. I successfully implemented invoking an external command defined in a stand-alone Revit plugin assembly from pyRevit! It's proving extremely useful... Read more →

Spatial Geometry, Add-In Manager and Show Reels

New Autodesk show reels, a solution to the lack of an add-in manager in the Revit 2020 SDK, an update for the SpatialElementGeometryCalculator and an interesting observation on English spelling – 2019 Autodesk show reels – The Add-In Manager for Revit 2019 still works – Spatial element geometry calculator update – English spelling... Read more →

AI, Boundaries, Loops and RevitApiDocs 2020

Yet another eagerly awaited update for the Revit 2020 API, a couple of interesting Revit API discussion forum threads, and some thoughts on how AI might affect and be used in an architectural context – RevitApiDocs updated with the Revit 2020 API – More room boundary segments than expected – How to get width and height of a CurveLoop – AI and architecture... Read more →

Location Point and Filtering Hints

I am probably doomed to spend the rest of my life telling people not to unnecessarily apply ToList to a filtered element collector. It happened several times again today answering questions in the Revit API discussion forum – Don't trust the family instance location point – Searching by name for element type and text note type – Searching using a negated category filter... Read more →

Revit 2020 C# and VB Visual Studio Add-in Wizards

Continuing the update of my development environment for Revit 2020, I now turn to the Visual Studio Revit add-in wizards. I'll also highlight a couple of recent interesting AEC related job offers, an AI 101 intro, and some really important suggestions on how to ask a question well – C# and VB Visual Studio add-in wizards for Revit 2020 – How to ask a question well – Open Autodesk AEC related positions – AI for all... Read more →

New Revit 2020 SDK Samples

Question: What can we do with the new Revit 2020 API features? Well, just like most of the existing functionality, the enhancements and some typical yet simple use cases for them are demonstrated by the updated SDK samples. Revit 2020 sports five brand new SDK samples – AttachedDetailGroup – CreateTrianglesTopography – Custom2DExporter – PathOfTravel – ViewTemplateCreation – This list also highlights some the most exciting areas of enhancement... Read more →

Forge DA4R IFC Support and Snoop Enhancements

Let's close this eventful week with two important enhancements added to the Forge Design Automation API for Revit and our beloved RevitLookup tool – IFC Support in the Design Automation for Revit API – RevitLookup Snoop Enhancements... Read more →

Batch Processing and Aspects of AsStringValue

I avoid answering non-confidential questions in private, as I tell everyone who tries to do so. However, some non-confidential queries still come in via ADN. Here are two that came in today that might be of general interest and therefore seem worth sharing – Batch processing Revit families and documents – AsString and AsValueString results differ... Read more →

Close Doc and Zero Doc RvtSamples

Still getting up to speed with Revit 2020 and my new virtual machine that I set up for it... First, however, an interesting adaptation of RvtSamples to run in zero document state – RvtSamples adapted for zero document state – Migrating The Building Coder samples to Revit 2020 – Installing PowerTools Copy HTML Markup – Using PostCommand to close document... Read more →

What's New in the Revit 2020 API

The Revit 2020 API includes exciting enhancements for add-in developers, including numerous developer wishes and requests that have now been explicitly addressed – Information sources – Installation and migration from previous versions – What's new in previous versions – Detailed TOC of major changes and renovations – API Changes – API Additions... Read more →

RevitLookup and SDK for Revit 2020

Happy Easter! The post on What's New in the Revit 2020 API is overdue... for the time being, of course, you can refer to the documentation included with the Revit 2020 SDK, either Revit Platform API Changes and Additions.docx or the corresponding section in the help file RevitAPI.chm. I promise you there is some really juicy stuff in there! Here are some other quick notes as an Easter present for you – RevitLookup for Revit 2020 – Revit 2020 SDK posted – Generative Design with Philippe Starck... Read more →

The Revit 2020 FCS, API and SDK

Revit 2020 has been released, and we go through the same procedure as every year, looking at the DevDays online presentations highlighting the API news, getting the system requirements set up, installing, compiling the Revit SDK samples and setting up RvtSamples to load them – Revit 2020 first customer shipment – Revit 2020 DevDays Online – Setting up Windows 10 – Installing Revit 2020 and the new SDK – Visual Studio and .NET 4.7 – Compiling the Revit 2020 SDK samples – Setting up RvtSamples... Read more →

Set Floor Level and Use IPC for Disentanglement

Today, yet another introduction to Forge, a simple issue of setting the level of a floor element, and the much more complex one of gaining freedom and total independence via IPC – What is Forge? – Changing the level of a floor – Entanglement can be hell – CefSharp entanglement – Disentanglement and independence via IPC – Beer-ware license... Read more →

Slow, Slower Still and Faster Filtering

Today I discuss (once again) an important performance aspect of Revit element filtering, a Python script for tagging JPEG images with EXIF data, prompted by a recent ski tour, and three other interesting topics that caught my eye – Slow, slower still and faster filtering – Python JPEG EXIT filename tagging – TED talks and population growth – Objective reality does not exist – Artificial intelligence judge... Read more →

Setting Material Texture Path in EditScope

Lukáš Kohout brought up an interesting and important issue on changing material texture path with EditScope – How to set the material texture path? – Suggestions – Solution and sample material – ChangeRenderingTexturePath method – Step by step guide – Test run... Read more →

Binding a Shared Parameter to Revision

Here is a recurring question on binding a shared parameter to a given category – How to add a shared parameter to revision? – Determine the category – Binding to the category – Implementation sample... Read more →

Determine Exact Opening by Demolishing

We have looked at numerous different approaches to determine wall openings in the past, so it seems pretty hard to nail down, and pretty important to solve. Now Håvard Leding of Symetri contributed yet another exciting idea which highlights a number of surprising aspects, demonstrates a further creative use case for GetDependentElements and expands on his recent RevitLookup enhancement to retrieve and snoop dependent elements – Get demolished solid – Why? – Questions... Read more →

Forge Picture, Debugging, Snooping Appearances

Today, let's look at the Forge architecture, Revit add-in debug, edit and continue, and yet another RevitLookup enhancement – High-level picture of Forge – Debug and continue in a Revit add-in – Snooping appearance assets... Read more →

Scaling, Face and Mesh Triangle Normals

Let's look at a couple of scaling and triangle orientation issues that recently came up – Transform and scaling in Forge – ModPlus and scaling text in dockable panel – Exporting view image extents – Mesh triangle orientation – PlanarFace normal... Read more →

Retrieving and Snooping Dependent Elements

Håvard Leding of Symetri raises another exciting topic on using the the GetDependentElements method to retrieve and snoop dependent elements, e.g., the sketch of a floor and the model lines defining the floor boundary in that sketch – The GetDependentElements method – Snoop dependent elements – CmdSnoopModScopeDependents – RevitLookup update... Read more →

Before Getting Started with Design Automation

Several people have recently asked how to get started with Forge Design Automation for Revit or DA4R. I will not get into any nitty-gritty details, since they are well covered by the Forge Design Automation API documentation, which includes DA4R tutorials and samples. Here are examples of two conversations on planning first steps for DA4R solutions – Structural analysis with DA4R – Implementing a DA4R RVT round trip... Read more →

Assigning a Level to an Element Missing It

I recently implemented the IfcSpaceZoneBoundaries add-in to link in and analyse IFC file zones and spaces, then prepared it for use in Forge Design Automation. Now I want to add level information to the CSV export. However, the DirectShape elements created to represent the rooms and zones have no valid level assigned, so their Level property is invalid. Happily, we can easily analyse the BIM and generate the equivalent information ourselves – Retrieve levels sorted by elevation – Determine level from element elevation – Carl Bass and Zoox autonomous vehicles – Physical reasons to be happy to be alive... Read more →

AI, Trends and Yearly API Usage Cleanup

Same procedure as every year: eliminate all deprecated Revit API usage warnings before even thinking of migrating to the next major release. First, however, two other technical news items – Self-teaching AI surpasses human knowledge – CAD trends 2019 – Deprecated API usage warnings – Replace GetRules by GetElementFilter – Deprecated material asset accessors – Update with zero compilation warnings... Read more →

Forum Français and Treeview Performance

As usual, I have been much too active in the Revit API discussion forum recently and worked too little for my taste here in the blog. Here are some of the recent items that I want to share plus a few pictures from my latest mountain outing – Marat's shapka ushanka and Balmer's Graetli – Naveen is a top solution author now – Revit et BIM en Français – Tree view performance optimisation – Underture... Read more →

Register for DevDays Online

Revit API and Forge updates – keep up to date with the new enhancements by joining the upcoming webinars; also enjoy the fact that your Revit knowledge is a valuable skill – DevDays online schedule – Revit is one hot job skill... Read more →

Creating a Sweep with Multiple Closed Loops

A demonstration of using the NewSweep method was very kindly provided in yet another helpful answer by Frank @Fair59 Aarssen to the Revit API discussion forum thread on how to create a sweep with multiple closed loops in profile. Let me also highlight an interesting TED talk on the topic of poverty versus universal basic income – Creating a sweep with multiple closed loops – Poverty versus universal basic income... Read more →

Accessing and Modifying Settings in the Ini File

Some interesting settings are stored in and can be modified by editing the Revit ini file. Peter @pgerz pointed out yet another possibility in his answer to the Revit API discussion forum thread on adding a project template to 'New Project' via API. Question: I noticed the UI method for adding a project template to the 'New Project' dialog on the Start Window by going to Options > File Locations and clicking the little plus symbol... Read more →