The Building Coder

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generic Any versus Count – Escape RevitLookup – Use extensible storage carefully – jQuery is widespread but outdated...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 →

Sci-Fi, Languages and Pipe Insulation Retrieval

Three quick notes on critical and inspiring sci-fi, programming languages and MEP filtering – Pipe insulation retrieval performance – Programming languages to learn – Agency by William Gibson... Read more →

DLL as Resource and Multi-Version Add-Ins

Lots of options to implement multi-version add-ins and examples showing how to store DLL dependencies in your add-in resources – Migration assistant rocks – ExportCncFab 2022 – Multi-version Revit add-in – Deploying a DLL file as a resource... Read more →

Hiding Edges, AU, Roadmaps and Vasa

Numerous exciting announcements leading up to AU this week – Revit roadmap update and AMA at AU – Structural news at AU – Revit category guide – How to hide internal edges of solids – VASA 3D voxel-based architectural space analysis... Read more →

Localised Forge Intros and Apply Code Changes

Today, I highlight our new local language Forge classes and the renewed ability to easily edit and continue while debugging a Revit add-in – Non-mobile after computer crash – Local language Forge classes – Apply code changes debugging Revit add-in... Read more →

Snooping Parts, C# Templates and Python Topics

A neat RevitLookup enhancement, powerful new Revit add-in template, and a couple of Python related topics – RevitLookup handles PartUtils – Nice3point Revit add-in C# template – IronPython hosting in C# add-in – Python 3, CPython, pyRevit and Dynamo... Read more →

Kfpopeye Open Source, AVF and Other Cleanup

Open source projects that help clean up parameter values, the Revit model and other operations, an important AVF cleanup required to prevent crashing, and some youngsters cleaning up some cash – Kfpopeye open source projects – AVF result clean-up before design option switch – Young teen and kid sister crypto entrepreneurs... Read more →

View Sheet from View and Select All on Level

Increasing numbers of of Python and Dynamo oriented topics in the Revit API discussion forum, and a final deprecated API clean-up – The Building Coder samples clean – Retrieving all elements on level – Get ViewSheet from View – Fabrication transaction in Dynamo... Read more →

Nina and a VS Revit Add-In Extension

Two useful community contributions and some thoughts on global warming – Nina for Revit – The BIMdev VS extension – The Economist on climate change – We are the weather... Read more →

Revit Roadmap, API and DA4R Survey

Opportunities to provide feedback on the Revit product, the Revit API and the Forge Design Automation API for Revit – Revit public roadmap update – Revit and DA4R API survey 2021 – MacOS Big Sur upgrade – The Economist on ransomware and cybersecurity... Read more →

Triangle Count, New Floor and Slab Creation

Getting back into the flow after my summer break – Model polygon or triangle count – Floor creation API clarification – Dynamo Studio EOL – My solar power project... Read more →

Autodesk University 2021, Python, Fuzz and Break

AU registration is open, fuzzy comparison is important for real numbers, Python learning material and time for a break – Autodesk University 2021 open and free – Real number comparison requires fuzz – Getting started with Python – Vacation time... Read more →

Collaboration, Dockables, Railings, Pop-Ups, ILSpy

An invitation to the upcoming AEC collaboration webinar and overviews over dockable panels, dialogue handling, decompilation and railing geometry – AEC collaboration webinar – Dockable panels and WebView2 – Dismissing Revit pop-ups – Check API changes using decompilation – Railing geometry... Read more →

Installer, List of Failures, Adjacent Rooms and Walls

We discuss enhancements to RevitLookup, a list of all built-in Revit failures, and a neat utility to determine all room-wall adjacencies – Adjacent rooms and walls – List of all built-in failures – Recent RevitLookup updates – RevitLookup installation... Read more →

Topo from Lines, Asset Keyword and Regeneration

Two Revit API discussion forum threads reinforce the ever-present need to regenerate, the development team clarifies access to various asset keyword properties, and Harry Mattison shares a free tool to create and update a toposurface from a set of model lines – Asset keyword access – Modifying group requires regen – Modifying part material requires regen – Topo from lines... Read more →

Painting Stairs and Shooting for the Beams

Two Revit API discussion forum threads that I am currently involved in – Painting stairs – Ray tracing vs bounding box to find beams intersecting columns... Read more →

ForgeTypeId and Units Revisited

A few new aspects of the Revit 2022 unit handling API and ForgeTypeId usage – FixtureUnit ParameterType – Revit 2022 unit handling API in Dynamo – String values for Forge units – Unit conversion without knowing – How will we live together?... Read more →

Flip, Mirror, Transform and Transient Graphics

How are reflections like flip and mirror reflected in the BIM element transform? – Transient elements hack – Temporary incanvas graphics API video – Shared versus non-shared parameter creation – Direct PDF export and DA4R... Read more →

RevitLookup Update, Fuslogvw and Override Joins

Here are a couple of the interesting topics that came up in the last couple of days – Numerous RevitLookup enhancements – Revit API Labs training material 2022 – Visual Studio Revit add-in templates 2022 – The SetGeometryCurve overrideJoins argument – Exploring assembly reference DLL hell with Fuslogvw... Read more →

Refreshment, Cloud Model Path, Angle and Direction

An example of real-time live graphical user input feedback, cloud model functionality, the ever important need to regenerate and other important topics for this holiday day – Line angle and direction jig – Determine cloud model local file path – How to refresh GroupType.Groups – Online access to RevitAPI.chm help files – C++/C# frontend engineer... Read more →

Roadmap Today and Sorting Non-Planar Curve Loops

Very short notice on the Ask Me Anything session taking place later today, and a vastly enhanced method for sorting curve loops – Today: Inside the Factory, Ask Me Anything – Sorting non-planar curve loops... Read more →

What's New in the Revit 2022 API

The Revit 2022 API includes an exceptional list of exciting enhancements for add-in developers, including numerous developer wishes and requests that have now been explicitly addressed – Information sources – What's new in previous versions – Detailed tasble of contents – API Changes – API Additions... Read more →

Revit 2022 SDK and The Building Coder Samples

The Revit 2022 SDK is now available for download from the Revit Developer Centre autodesk.com/developrevit. I logged my experiences installing it, setting up RvtSamples, loading the SDK external commands, and migrating The Building Coder samples to the new release – First the logs – Revit 2022 SDK warnings – Setting up RvtSamples – The Building Coder samples migration – ParameterType and ForgeTypeId – O'Reilly answers... Read more →

Revit 2022 Migrates BIM360 Team to Docs

We continue the foray into Revit 2022 enhancements with a real-world migration tool using the new SaveAsCloudModel functionality and the flat migration of RevitLookup – Save as cloud model from BIM360 Team to Docs – RevitLookup 2022 – A librarian's take on corona... Read more →

PDF Export, ForgeTypeId and Multi-Target Add-In

Revit 2022 has been released. Two important features are parameter API enhancements and built-in PDF export functionality – Replace deprecated ParameterType with ForgeTypeId – Multi-target 2021 and 2022 using MSBuild – PDF export default paper format can fail – PDF export output file naming – Five beginner mistakes... Read more →

Revit 2022 Released

Revit 2022 has been released – Revit 2022 SDK coming soon – What's new – Enhancements – Bimsmith take – Microservices and serverless architecture – Questioning the standard model theory... Read more →

Sneak Peek, Automatic Column, Arc Angle, Career

A new version of Revit coming soon, solutions for automatic column type creation and instance placement, handling arc angles, career opportunities and a sustainable economic model – What's new in Revit 2022 sneak peek – Creating column types from list – Normalising arc start and end angle – Many exciting opportunities at Autodesk – The sustainable doughnut economic model... Read more →

Forge, RevitApiDocs, Materials and Stacked Items

Here are some exciting Forge, Revit API and other topics for today – Forge online training in April 2021 – RevitApiDocs support for Revit 2021 – Welcome, AEC BIM Tools – Visual materials API in Dynamo – 24x24 stacked ribbon items – Innovative drone fly-through film... Read more →

Boundary Elements and Stirrup Constraints

A lengthy and fruitful conversation on implementing valid rebar stirrup constraints and more advice on determining boundary elements for the entire building and individual rooms – Rebar stirrup constraints – Exterior bounding walls – All walls including non-bounding interior walls – Floors and ceilings – Revit API and UX style guide – Today's collective action problem... Read more →

Exterior Walls and Room Bounding Elements

Let's look at the outer boundaries of both buildings and rooms today – Finding exterior walls continued – Retrieving room bounding elements – Comic Sans is a public good... Read more →

Naughty Updaters, DIY Add-In Manifest, GD, AI, etc.

Lots of exciting discussion going on in the Revit API discussion forum and elsewhere – No redemption for naughty updaters – DIY Add-in manifest – Generative design in C# – AI identifies and classifies BIM elements in 2D sketch... Read more →

Addin File, Learning Python and IFC.js

Today, we look at the add-in manifest, learning Python and Dynamo, the status of the Revit Python shell and a useful stand-alone IFC viewer – Personalised add-in manifest – Learning Python and Dynamo – Quo vadis, RevitPythonShell? – IFC.js... Read more →

Model Group and DA4R Language in Forge

Today, let's look at two Japanese Forge questions, on model groups and the Revit engine language, another RevitLookup enhancement, and, while we're talking about languages, a surprising scientific discovery on naked mole-rat dialects – Retrieving Revit model group in Forge – Specifying the Revit UI language in DA4R – RevitLookup supports ScheduleDefinition GetField – Naked mole-rats speak in community dialects – Van Gogh 360... Read more →

Birthday, DevDays, PostCommand + SendKeys

Birthday in the past, DevDays in the future, and running a Revit command in the present moment – Happy Birthday, Autodesk! – DevDays online 2021 – For everyone – For ADN members – PostCommand + SendKeys – SVG tutorial... Read more →

Splits: Persona, Collector, Region, Tag, Modification

I need to come to terms with a split personality. Meanwhile, lots more going on in the Revit API discussion forum – Two Jeremys – Multiple collectors versus multiple filters – RevitLookup handles split region offsets – Python and Dynamo autotag without overlap – Custom errors and preventing changes – Ecological cost of crypto currency and art... Read more →

Parameter Filter Checking Element Type and OCR

An important insight in using a filtered element collector with a parameter filter, a handy open source OCR tool and a few productivity tips – Parameter filter also checks element type – Capture2Text, a handy OCR tool – Productivity tips... Read more →

Face Triangulation LOD, .NET 5 and Core

Today, we discuss cores, splinters and data – Using .NET 5 and Core – Controlling face triangulation LOD – SQL versus NoSQL... Read more →

Sheet View Xform, Coords, Img Export and Title Block

Today, we look at accessing and exporting sheet view coordinates, transforms, images and title block data, including the title block geometry and text values – Extracting title block geometry and text – Element coordinates on sheet – Export view as high quality image... Read more →

Sketch-Based Creation and Editing API Preview

The wish to be able to programmatically access and modify sketch-based elements is long-standing, e.g., for editing an existing slab boundary. Here is an invitation to take a look at the Revit Preview (aka beta), offering a chance to provide feedback on several new sketch-based element creation and editing APIs... Read more →