Revit Server API Lib, Truss Members and Layers

Today, we proudly present:

• NuGet Revit Server REST API Library
• RevitLookup Updates
• Truss Members and FamilyInstance Sub-Components
• GeometryObject Layer Name

NuGet Revit Server REST API Library

Eric Anastas posted a comment on the discussion of Andrey Bushman's NuGet Revit API package:

I created another Revit related Nuget package you and your readers may be interested in. It's a .NET library that wraps the Revit Server REST API:

• RevitServerAPILib package on NuGet
• RevitServerAPILib source on BitBucket

Many thanks to Eric for implementing and sharing this!

RevitLookup Updates

I integrated another couple of pull requests into RevitLookup.

Today, I added Einar Raknes' simple but significant one-liner to display the UnitType or a parameter Definition class instance:

  data.Add( new Snoop.Data.String( "Unit type",
    paramDef.UnitType.ToString() ) );

Thanks to Einar for spotting this and creating the pull request #21 for it!

Here it is with a little bit more context:

private void
Stream( ArrayList data, Definition paramDef )
{
  data.Add( new Snoop.Data.ClassSeparator( typeof( Definition ) ) );

  data.Add( new Snoop.Data.String( "Name", paramDef.Name ) );
  data.Add( new Snoop.Data.String( "Parameter type", paramDef.ParameterType.ToString() ) );
  data.Add( new Snoop.Data.String( "Parameter group", paramDef.ParameterGroup.ToString() ) );
  data.Add( new Snoop.Data.String( "Unit type", paramDef.UnitType.ToString() ) );

  ExternalDefinition extDef = paramDef as ExternalDefinition;
  if( extDef != null )
  {
    Stream( data, extDef );
    return;
  }

  InternalDefinition intrnalDef = paramDef as InternalDefinition;
  if( intrnalDef != null )
  {
    Stream( data, intrnalDef );
    return;
  }
}

Check out the newest release in the RevitLookup GitHub repository.

I am looking forward to your pull requests to add further enhancements that are important for you.

Truss Members and FamilyInstance Sub-Components

I have been pretty active lately in the Revit API discussion forum, and so have Matt Taylor and Frank 'Fair59', who provided many important answers that I was not aware of.

I'll pick up two of Franks nice succinct answers here today.

The first is on retrieving the components of a truss:

Question: I would like to get the components of a truss. Using the API, I tried via the GroupId property, but it doesn't work. And in general, the components of a family.

Answer: Components of a truss:

  Autodesk.Revit.DB.Structure.Truss _truss;
  List<ElementId> _members = _truss.Members.ToList<ElementId>();

In general, for user created families:

  FamilyInstance _instance;
  List<ElementId> _members = _instance.GetSubComponentIds()
    .ToList<ElementId>();

GeometryObject Layer Name

The second nice succinct answer by Frank 'Fair59' is on the GeometryObject Layer Name:

Question: I can loop the objects of a linked CAD file like this:

  foreach( GeometryObject geometryObj in 
    dwg.get_Geometry( new Options() ) )
  {
  }

How can I access the layer name of the object?

Answer: The information is contained in the GraphicalStyle element:

  GraphicsStyle gStyle = document.GetElement(
    geometryObj.GraphicsStyleId ) as GraphicsStyle;

The layer name is provided by gStyle.GraphicsStyleCategory.Name.