The Building Coder

Extensible Storage Schema Deletion

A new team member, new Revit API and WPF tutorials, and new insights on handling extensible storage – Welcome, George! – WPF form UIApplication access – Mazri's Revit, Dynamo, web and WPF playlists – Extensible storage schema deletion – Extensible storage schema conflict... Read more →

APS Accelerator and Reloading a Purged Family

New date for the Dublin onsite APS accelerator and hints on reloading a purged family – APS accelerator Dublin Dec 5-9 – Reloading a purged family – The CSS OKLCH colour space Read more →

Unit Test Your Revit Add-In

The Building Coder blog standalone on GitHub, APS accelerator in Dublin, AU announcements, learning Revit API, retrieving all fabrication item materials, Revit add-in unit testing, AI-generated code, podcasts, news and more... Read more →

WebView2, LandXML, RefPlane and Revision

Using WebView2 in an add-in and other interesting little titbits from the Revit API discussion forum – WebView2 and CefSharp in Revit add-ins – Retrieve reference plane in element – Remove revisions on sheets – LandXML P tag... Read more →

Can You Avoid Chaining Idling?

AU 2022 classes are available online now, as well as a new Dynamo book and resources project. I also present some ongoing nitty-gritty discussions on external events and Idling – Modern add-in deployment and testing – Parametric curvature in families – Awesome Dynamo online book project – Launching command after closing form – Chaining Idling events and other solutions... Read more →

Element Level and IFC Properties

Tips on handling IFC and recent discussions on controlling the level of BIM elements – TwentyTwo add-ins and tutorials – IFC tips for APS and Forge – IFC custom properties in Revit – Set level id of existing element – Set level in NewFamilyInstance... Read more →

BIM360 Links and Programming Add-Ins

An important solution to fix a problem loading BIM 360 links and lots of advice on programming Revit add-ins in general – New Revit material appearance asset – BIM 360 links not found solution – AppStore guidelines for Revit add-in – Coding Revit add-ins the e-verse way – VS wizard template location... Read more →

APS, AU, and Miter Wall Join for Full Face

Autodesk University 2022 is in full swing and brings exciting news. Meanwhile, the Revit API discussion forum continues unperturbed with other equally exciting conversations and solutions – Forge is dead; long live APS – Forma for AEC – Linked element visibility – Visibility of a specific element in a view – Miter join walls to retrieve full faces... Read more →

Aligning Connectors

A C++ sample demonstrating how to align connectors, an impressive modern platform for implementing and streamlining online API processes, and my impressions of Harari's book on the history of mankind – Align connectors in C++ – Pipedream serverless API workflow – Harari: Sapiens Read more →

Deleting Storage and Picking a Symbol

Interesting hints from the forum and thoughts on feedback, community and communication – Unload IFC links to delete extensible storage – Picking, selection and UI design – Feedback is always a great gift – Scott Peck and community building... Read more →

Point Clouds, Coloured Triangles and Faces

Let's look at accessing point cloud points and colouring individual triangles and faces – Assigning material to each face – DirectContext3D colorized triangles – Pick and access point cloud points... Read more →

Home Planet and to Dy or Not to Dy

Let's look at two serious choices that we are facing – one more serious than the other – To Dynamo or not to Dynamo – Home planet at great risk... Read more →

Instances in Room and Need for Fuzz

Common tasks include finding instances with a given room, comparing real numbers, and sharing documentation online – Get family instances within room – Again, the need for fuzz – Avoid PDF for on-screen reading... Read more →

IFC Property Set, Bulk Instances and Vary by Group

Today, we talk about Forge, IFC, family instance creation in bulk, parameters that vary by group instance and a handy spell checker – Forge hackathon – Forge IFC exporter – NewFamilyInstances2 creates 27000 instances – Set parameter to vary by group instance – AI-enhanced web-based spell checker... Read more →

Immutable UniqueId and Revit Database Explorer

A new initiative to improve RevitLookup, and take care handling and trying to convert between an element id and its unique id – Immutable UniqueId, mutable element id – Revit database explorer... Read more →

Tag Extents and Lazy Detail Components

Today, we highlight two nice contributions from the Revit API discussion forum – Determining tag extents – One-click detail family generator... Read more →

MEP API Intro and RevitPythonShell Lookup Nuptials

Back to the beginning with a quick look at the Revit MEP API, and a great step forward for RevitPythonShell – Revit MEP API intro – RevitPythonShell RevitLookup nuptials... Read more →

Outer Walls, Lookup Update and Filtering

Freshening up a few of our favourite recurring topics – RevitLookup update – Filtering for multiple built-in categories – Retrieving all outer walls – Zen and the art of React programming... Read more →

Corridor Skeleton, Copy and Paste API

An urgent request for feedback from the Revit development team and an especially interesting thread from the Revit API discussion forum – Copy and paste API Feedback – Corridor skeleton... Read more →

Parameters, Snippets, Batch Mode and Self-Signing

Test run the Revit 2023 parameters service cloud – Roll your own verified publisher – Revit API code snippet repository – Batch processing and monitoring progress... Read more →

Structural Questions and the Future of REX

We ponder some structural rebar questions and the future of the REX structural Revit extensions included with the Revit SDK – Future of REX – Rebar API questions – GetCustomDistributionPath – Number of segments – IsRebarInSection... Read more →

Analysis of Macros, Journals and Add-In Manager

Looking at Revit macro usage, add-in manager debug/trace functionality and journal analysis in Python and Dynamo – Revit macro study shareback – Add-in manager with debug trace – Journal file analysis – Plugging the HSL colour format... Read more →

Revit 2023 API Docs and Disabling an Error Failure

We continue updating all systems the new release and take a deep dive into the mysteries and pitfalls of the Failure API – RevitApiDocs support for Revit 2023 – Migrating add-ins to Revit 2023 – Disable failure with error severity... Read more →

Forge Data Days and JoinGeometryUtils

Finally a chance to meet and learn live about Forge, the updated developer's guide and a nice JoinGeometryUtils sample – Revit 2023 developer's guide – Forge Data Days – Obtaining closed loops for joined element parts – Create and style your QR code – La Serre greenhouse wheelbarrow ballet... Read more →

Unique Id and IFC GUID Parameter

We take yet another look at element ids and maintaining connectivity with IFC GUIDs – Linking IFC export with modified BIM – You cannot control the unique id – You can control the IFC Export GUID... Read more →

TBC Samples 2023 and the New Structural API

Migrating The Building Coder samples, I encountered the same problems as others trying to update obsolete structural API code, so let's take a look at some resources assisting us in that area – Not migrating the derived analytical model – Revit 2023 Structural API... Read more →

What's New in the Revit 2023 API

The Revit 2023 API contains many exciting enhancements for add-in developers – Information sources – What's new in previous versions – Detailed table of contents – API Changes – API Additions... Read more →

Compiling the Revit 2023 SDK Samples

I log my work compiling the new Revit 2023 SDK and setting up RvtSamples to load the external commands – Update the RevitSdkSamples repo – Set the Revit API references – Eliminate processor architecture mismatch warning – Set up RvtSamples – DatumsModification – ContextualAnalyticalModel – CivilAlignments... Read more →

Revit 2023 and RevitLookup 2023

Revit 2023 has been released, including the Revit 2023 SDK, and so has RevitLookup 2023... Read more →

Revit Macro User Survey

We invite all Revit Macro users to take a short survey... Read more →

Purge Unused and the Autodesk Camel

We return to the topic of programmatic purging and learn the history and latest news about the venerable Autodesk Camel – Purge unused using eTransmitForRevitDB.dll – The Autodesk office Camel – Node.js reference architecture... Read more →

RevitLookup, WPF, Preventing Modification

Different approaches to prevent modification of certain elements and the latest news on RevitLookup – Prevent modification – RevitLookup updates – RevitLookupWpf – Pilcrow... Read more →

Drilling Holes in Beams and Other Projects

I am working on a few side projects and proofs of concept for my own and other teams – RvtParamDrop exports visible element properties – RvtLock3r validates BIM element properties – Drilling holes in beams... Read more →

ACC Summit, Model Properties, Copy Relationships

We take a look at maintaining relationships between Revit elements when copying, at ACC, the Autodesk Construction Cloud, and its APIs – ACC Model Properties API – ACC integration partner summit – Maintain relationships copying elements – Unsplash with free images... Read more →

Purge Unused and eTransmit for DA4R

Today, we return for a summary and a new, deeper look at a recurring topic – eTransmit documentation – Purge via performance advisor – eTransmit functionality in DA4R – Updated Autodesk Revit IFC manual – AI solves programming tasks... Read more →

Utility Classes and Constraining Stirrups

Taking a look at yet another overlooked Revit API utility class, rebar constraints, and learning basics of power, energy, entropy and information – ParameterFilterUtilities – Constrain stirrup to host cover – Rowers illustrate power and building energy – Wordle entropy and information... Read more →

Getting Started Once Again

Welcoming my new colleague Carol leads to a renewed look at getting started – Access permission to load my first add-in – My first Revit plug-in todo – Books on Python for Revit Dynamo – pyRevit saves insane amounts of time – Newtonsoft Json.dll version conflict – Lost in the World by Steve Cutts... Read more →

Add-In Manager, FormulaManager and Tiger Year

Exciting news around debugging and loading add-ins and adding formulas and scripting support to your own apps – Open source Add-In Manager – FormulaManager and scripting support – Happy New Year of the Tiger 虎... Read more →

Detailed 2D Text and Other Element Geometry

The 2D custom exporter provides a basis for a new and much more powerful approach to access detailed 2D geometry – Retrieve dimension text height and width – Determine text font geometry – Retrieve 2D geometry of any element... Read more →

Happy New Year with RevitExtensions

Off we go into a new adventurous year of BIM programming – Happy New Year – RevitExtensions... Read more →

RevitTemplates Update 1.7.0

Feedback appreciated on RevitTemplates update 1.7.0... Read more →

Symbol, Instance, Material, Data, Journal, Break

We close this year with an eclectic mix of topics – Symbol vs instance geometry clarification – Create new material with texture – RVT dashboard data access – Marking and retrieving a custom element – Advanced remote batch command processing – Midwinter break... Read more →

Logging and Monitoring Deleted Data

Useful insights on logging and monitoring – Monitoring with SLOG – Monitoring deleted elements – How to Favicon – Decentralised autonomous organisations – Palindrome and ambigram... Read more →

Revit Server and View Filter Alert

Non-API Revit Server access, exporting Outlook email text, and using a view filter to alert to missing data... Read more →

Installer Asset, FormIt and Quaternions

Notes on FormIt and its JavaScript API, the new automatically generated RevitLookup MSI installer asset, transformations and quaternions – FormIt API and geographical context – RevitLookup MSI installer asset – Transform and quaternions... Read more →

New Analytical Model API

Important news coming for structural developers, further development in RevitLookup, notes on extensible storage and JavaScript – New Analytical Model API – Praise for modeless RevitLookup – Benchmarking generic Any versus Count – Escape RevitLookup – Use extensible storage carefully – jQuery is widespread but outdated... Read more →

WallCrossSection Renaming in the Revit 2022.1 API

Breaking news from the Revit development team on the WallCrossSection to WallCrossSectionDefinition renaming in the Revit 2022.1 API update... Read more →

What's New in the Revit 2022.1 API

The Revit 2022.1 API includes some important enhancements addressing new Revit product functionality and developer wishes and requests – Information sources – What's new in previous versions – Diff to the Revit 2022 SDK – API additions... Read more →

Revit 2022.1 SDK, RevitLookup Build and Install

Exciting news with a lot of changes to RevitLookup and The Building Coder samples – Revit 2022.1 SDK released – WallCrossSection vs. WallCrossSectionDefinition – RevitLookup build and install – Bye-bye lookup builds – The Building Coder samples revamped – Copy as HTML update – Image cleanup and a robot arm... Read more →

Bridges, Regeneration and Modeless RevitLookup

The most exciting RevitLookup enhancement in its entire history, yet another need for regeneration and a great new option for your personal safety – Modeless RevitLookup – Need for regen for read-only parameter – Structural bridge design – Outdoor seatbelt... Read more →