The Building Coder

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 →

I18n, Forge Accelerators, AEC and BIM360 Focus

An especially interesting Forge accelerator is coming up, and how to handle Revit add-in language resources – Upcoming Forge accelerators – AEC focused Forge accelerator Waldspirale – Internationalisation using .NET language resources... Read more →

Transient Graphics, Humane AI, BI and Lockdown

A quick look at various methods to integrate transient graphics into Revit and pointers to articles of interest on other current non-API-related topics such as chess AI, basic income and the effectiveness of lockdowns – Transient graphics – AI learns to emulate human-style chess – Basic income as fault-tolerant engineering – Lockdown effectivity... Read more →

Forge at AU and Open Source Property Access

Today, we take a look at a fix for the RvtVa3c custom exporter and a Forge issue related to Revit property access – Pull metadata from RVT in BIM 360 – Forge at AU class recordings – RvtVa3c updated and issues fixed... Read more →

Line Subcategory Filter, Modification Tracker and NW

I played around a bit with the NavisWorks API and discovered a nice Revit project modification tracking tool in Dynamo – Filter for detail lines subcategory – Revit project modification tracking – Retrieving all NavisWorks model properties – Node.js best practices – Early history of programming and C... Read more →

Simple IUpdater and other TBC Updates

A nice new minimal DMU example and updates and enhancements to several other important sample applications – Simple dynamic model updater example – ExportCncFab SortMark update – RevitLookup exception on view GetTemplateParameterIds... Read more →

Dynamo Book and Texture Bitmap UV Coordinates

The week is coming to an end all too quickly... here are some compelling topics before we enter the weekend – Explaining texture UV mapping using AVF – Más Allá de Dynamo Spanish-language book – A detailed 3D model of a human cell... Read more →

Revit API Roundtable Notes

Boris Shafiro hosted the virtual Revit API expert and feedback roundtable on Thursday last week as part of the Autodesk University Idea Exchange. I took the following notes... Read more →

Expand your App – Integrate and Leverage Cloud

Expand the value and reach of your Revit add-in. Join our webinar and learn how to quickly add cloud powered capabilities to your application and business offering by leveraging Forge and BIM 360... Read more →

Join the Revit API Expert and Feedback Roundtable

I encourage all developers interested in the Revit API to join me and the Revit development team in the Revit API expert roundtable and feedback session at Autodesk University this week, on Thursday, 19 November 2020, 15:00-16:00 o'clock Central European Time, CET... Read more →

DA4R Cannot Save Directly to Cloud

Today, let's address a resurfacing question in the Forge Design Automation for Revit or DA4R context – DA4R cannot save RVT as a cloud model – Every program launch is logged... Read more →

BIM360 Scripts, Dotnet Template and Prism Goodies

Philipp Mueller highlights a set of BIM360 user management scripts and Diego Rossi shares two useful GitHub repositories – BIM360 user management scripts – External application with Prism goodies – Revit add-in dotnet template... Read more →

Doc Session Id, API Context and External Events

Some new topics, and, as always, some recurring – Document session id – Valid Revit API context and external events – Determining RVT file version for DA4R workitem – Revit API via HTTP – Parable of the polygons... Read more →

Custom Export Precision, Sheet Metadata, Project Id

Many interesting topics on pure Revit API, Forge, BIM360 and AI – Custom export precision – Dismissing a Windows dialogue with JtClicker – AU classes for construction customers – Retrieve sheet metadata in Forge viewer – Determining the BIM 360 project id – AI solves partial differential equations – AI-enhanced video editing... Read more →

Onbox, DirectContext Jig and No CDN

Autumnal topics for this week – The Onbox cross-platform Revit API framework – DirectContext rectangle jig – Creating reports from AutoCAD and Revit – RevitApiDocs statistics – Stop using JavaScript CDN... Read more →

FireRevit, Deprecated API and Elbow Centre Point

Topics for today – Revit 2021 DisplayUnitType – Eliminated TBC samples deprecated API usage – Calculating the elbow centre – FireRevit identifies room location for fire escape routes... Read more →

Save and Restore 3D View Camera Settings

Valerii Nozdrenkov shares a powerful solution to save and restore the complete 3D view camera settings and Ehsan Iran-Nejad publishes his set of Revit cheat sheets – Serialising 3D view camera settings – Revit cheat sheets... Read more →

Avoid Brain Racking by Using Using

You should always keep things simple (I think). The opposite can lead to racking your brain. In one case at least, that can easily be avoided by using a using statement – Avoid brain racking by using using – On the VS operation unspecified error – Native sons... Read more →

High Performance Outline, Line-Plane Intersection

Today let's talk mainly about geometric analysis and performance – High-performance outline optimisation – Simple line-plane intersection – Set base and survey clipped and unclipped – Two German uni BIM360 construction cloud startups – AI-based face streaming hits mainstream... Read more →

Forge Design Automation and DesignScript

Today, I'll mainly pick up some non-desktop issues – DesignScript with Dynamo and Revit – Forge getting started material – Getting started with DA4R – DA4R local debug tool – AI vision model images – Vonnegut on technology... Read more →

Quo Vadis Revit

An exciting announcement was made today; I add pointers to two preceding recent news items that may or may not be related – Autodesk joins Open Design Alliance – Martyn Day on the past and future of Revit – Håvard Vasshaug on the open letter... Read more →

On Spaces in Help and Renaming a Parameter

I am busy as ever in the Revit API discussion forum. Today, let's highlight a couple of items that were not discussed there – ContextualHelp with space – On renaming a shared parameter – Build a minimal neural network from scratch... Read more →

Inside the Factory – Ask me Anything – Today!

Here is a last-minute heads-up for the first online Inside the Factory live AMA (Ask me Anything) style session today, Thursday, September 10, with Aaron Vorwerk, Senior Technical Marketing Manager, Harlan Brumm, Senior Product Manager of Architecture and Sasha Crotty, Senior Product Manager, Revit Platform & Services... Read more →