The Building Coder

Issue Using a Preview Control in a Macro

Here is a recent surprising little issue on using the Revit PreviewControl widget in the macro environment, brought up by Stephen Faust of Revolution Design: Question: I would like to use the preview control to display previews of parts of the model. However, whenever I try to create a preview control it gives me the error "Revit does not support more than one preview control and there is already one active": I have searched online and I found the UI... Read more →

Revit Server API Access and VBScript

I recently summarised the material describing the Revit Server API. Apparently, that still does not cover everything. You want more? Well, here is more! It led to the following two new queries and further clarification of this topic: SOAP API and no access to Admin service Accessing Revit Server using VBScript Here are the gory details in all their glory: SOAP API and No Access to Admin Service Question: Can you please let me know the cause for the 'Endpoint... Read more →

Open MEP Connector Warning

I presented a little utility add-in yesterday that determines the maximal flow in HVAC duct connectors and populates a shared parameter with the result. It received positive feedback, and triggered an additional request for new functionality: Response: Looks great! This is a huge step forward. The routine runs as expected, and actually uncovered a disconnect in my sample model. I was also then able to run it successfully on other, bigger models with no issues. One situation where we may... Read more →

Determining Maximal Flow in HVAC Duct Connectors

A colleague came up with a request for a simple Revit MEP HVAC utility add-in that I would like to present. Question: We need to extract some specific ductwork values in Revit MEP and report them to the user. To begin with, all we need is the largest flow value on each duct, exported to a shared parameter on the duct. The purpose of the routine is for the users to confirm their duct sizing with this data reflecting the... Read more →

Exporting Image and Setting a Default 3D View Orientation

Here is a nice little explanation by Alexander Ignatovich of Investicionnaya Venchurnaya Companiya (that sounds like a venture investment company to me) on how to export an image file for a family or project. One issue that cropped up was how to set the default view orientation for a newly created 3D view: Question: In versions prior to Revit 2014, I used this code to create a new 3D view with a default view direction: var direction = new XYZ(... Read more →

Retrieving All Available Line Styles

I mentioned an AEC DevBlog post providing sample code showing how to retrieve all line styles through the CurveElement GetLineStyleIds property and mentioned that you can create a temporary curve element to invoke the property on in a separate transaction which is rolled back afterwards. Actually, there is no need at all for all this rigmarole, as the following answer to a developer query shows: Question: I need to retrieve all the available line styles in a project. I did... Read more →

Happy Birthday, Dear Building Coder!

This is the thousandth and fourth post on The Building Coder, and today is its fifth birthday, a good double reason for celebration. The first post ever was a warm welcome on August 22, 2008. Here is a nice new and very professional Building Coder flash screen created by my son Christopher, also known as the composer Allerdings, to celebrate the occasion: Thank you, Christopher! I love you. A better reason still is that we hear how important this resource... Read more →

ADN Training Material on GitHub and Portathon Reminder

My colleague Gopinath Taget and I completed the migration of the ADN Revit API training material in preparation for the Sydney Revit API training, even though the training actually ended up based on completely new spontaneus project ideas from the participants instead, making it more fun, challenging and creative. Anyway, here are some steps of the migration path and pointers to more detailed information: Migrating the ADN training labs to Revit 2014 The ADN sample AdnRme for Revit MEP 2014... Read more →

Determining Absolutely All Visible and Hidden Elements

Yesterday, I discussed the view filter API. One issue mentioned that was not completely answered was the following: Question 3: I would like to export only visible objects. Using the element IsHidden method reports whether it was hidden using the Hide in View > Elements menu option, but ignores Hide in View filters, and so does the IsHiddenElementOrCategory method. How can my application determine exactly what the user actually sees on the screen? Our customers obviously expect this functionality for... Read more →

View Filter API

One long-standing developer wish list item that was fulfilled by the Revit 2014 API is the ability to access, add and control the view filters listed in the visibility dialogue. The Revit API now provides the following methods supporting this: View.AddFilter() View.SetFilterVisibility() View.SetFilterOverrides() Here are several variations of the request for this functionality that help understand the need and new possibilities by highlighting the numerous ways in which it can be used: Question 1: We want to programmatically achieve what... Read more →

Exchange App Videos and DevTV YouTube Channel

I recently mentioned the Exchange App Portathon event at which you can Earn $100 Submitting an App. To further support and simplify this task, my colleagues Mikako Harada and Gopinath Taget have lately been busy creating a series of videos showing exactly how to publish apps to the Autodesk Exchange Store for Revit. The videos are also accessible from the Autodesk DevTV YouTube channel as part of the Publish Your Revit Apps to Autodesk Exchange Store playlist. Topic Length (min:sec)... Read more →

Generating a MidCurve Between Two Curve Elements

Here is a fun little geometric issue raised by Bang in his or her comment on Revit curves and their parameterisation, and also discussed quite extensively in this discussion thread on how to create middle/centre curve between two curves: Question: How to determine the curve centre between two curves, e.g. between: Arc – Arc Circle – Arc Elliptical arc – Ellipse Ellipse – Ellipse NURBS – NurbSpline Hermite – HermiteSpline Answer: That is a nice geometrical question you have. The... Read more →

Language Independent Section View Type Id Retrieval

I already discussed changing the viewport type and mentioned Steve Mycynek's all-encompassing AU class CP3133 Using the Revit Schedule and View APIs explaining everything else there is to know about the topic of generating new views. Here is an important language independence enhancement for this provided by Håkan Wikemar of AEC AB, who asked: Question: I ran into a little problem trying to create some section views, in which a view type element id has to be specified: NyViewSectionB =... Read more →

Deleting and Updating Extensible Storage Schema

We discussed a number of extensible storage schema topics in the past. Once you've started using it, you may run into the need to update or delete something. Discussing that also provides an opportunity to summarise the other results we already have: Deleting an Extensible Storage Schema Question: I am unable to delete my extensible storage schema if the RVT project contains a linked project with the same schema. First I thought I was doing something wrong, but the ExtensibleStorageUtility... Read more →

Attributes, Relationships and Other Stuff

Before entering this wonderful new week, I have some unfinished business left over from the last one. Last week I returned from a short holiday and was inundated with developer cases, some of which I would still like to report on, or the results will presumably be lost forever, or at least until the next person runs into the same issue. I hope to prevent this here and now before starting with anything new. Let us therefore take a quick... Read more →

Revit 2014 Update Release 1

Rather belatedly, let me point out that Revit 2014 Update Release 1 has been posted to the Autodesk Revit product pages: Revit 2014 Update Release 1 Revit Architecture 2014 Update Release 1 Revit MEP 2014 Update Release 1 Revit Structure 2014 Update Release 1 As usual, the update release uses service pack technology and does not require a full install. Prior to installing the Update Release 1, please verify that you are running the First Customer Ship build of Autodesk... Read more →

Setting the Compound Structure Core and Shell Layers

Modifying the compound layer structure of a wall or floor type is pretty well documented, and we already discussed the use of the SetCompoundStructure method to update the compound layer structure. However, how to define which layers are and are not part of the core is less obvious, which lead to the developer query below. Before I get to that, here is a snapshot of the north-east ridge and summit of the Hinderi Spillgerte (German) that I recently climbed: The... Read more →

The Revit Server REST API

Let's take a look at the material available for programmatic access to the Revit Server. This came up in a developer query on automatically extracting data from a Revit model housed there. The automatic extraction of data requires batch mode opening of a Revit model and launching of a command, for which there is no direct Revit API support. However, this can be easily worked around using normal batch files to start Revit with a given project file, an add-in... Read more →

Setting the Exact Same Location for two Views on a Sheet

A recent developer query requests a method to define the exact same location for two views on a sheet. This was possible to achieve in Revit 2013 and previous releases, and some related API behaviour apparently changed in Revit 2014. A simple but clever trick enables achieving this reliably in Revit 2014 as well. Question: I noticed that sometimes when I place views on a sheet the location is somewhat shifted. I have a Revit sample model and C# add-in... Read more →

Animation and the DisplacementElement Class

A recent developer query asks about animating elements in the Revit model and updating the display within a loop in the external command to show the step-by-step displacements. This provides a welcome opportunity to highlight another one of the Revit 2014 SDK Samples: The DisplacementElementAnimation SDK Sample One of the very visually impressive Revit 2014 API samples is the DisplacementElementAnimation application. It automatically animates groups of structural building members in any Revit BIM, proceeding sequentially from bottom level to top.... Read more →

Spanish Revit API Training in Mexico

Hello. I am not really back yet, but my vacation is slowly drawing to a close, and I checked my email. Here is the first result of that: My colleague Augusto Gonçalves from the ADN team in São Paulo is providing two days each of AutoCAD.NET and Revit API training in Mexico and in Spanish on September 3-4 and 5-6, respectively. Here are direct links to the course descriptions and registration page. Now to enjoy the last couple of hours... Read more →