The Building Coder

Setting Material Texture Path in EditScope

Lukáš Kohout brought up an interesting and important issue on changing material texture path with EditScope – How to set the material texture path? – Suggestions – Solution and sample material – ChangeRenderingTexturePath method – Step by step guide – Test run... Read more →

Scaling, Face and Mesh Triangle Normals

Let's look at a couple of scaling and triangle orientation issues that recently came up – Transform and scaling in Forge – ModPlus and scaling text in dockable panel – Exporting view image extents – Mesh triangle orientation – PlanarFace normal... Read more →

Revit 2018.3, SetValueString and External Events

I installed the latest Revit update, and want to highlight two of the numerous interesting ongoing Revit API forum discussions – Revit 2018.3 update – Avoid SetValueString – Passing Data via ExternalEvent.Raise... Read more →

Updated ADN Web Site, Revit API Labs, Tag Creation

Here are a couple of Revit API related updates to take note of – Autodesk Developer Network ADN web site update – Revit Developer Centre update – ADN Revit API Training Labs update – Revit API Training Labs Xtra update – New top solution author record score... Read more →

What's New in the Revit 2018.2 API

Let's discuss the Revit API enhancements added since the initial release of Revit 2018 – Revit 2018.2 Product Update and Resolved API Issues – Revit 2018.2 SDK Update – Major Additions to the Revit 2018.1 API – Material API additions – Geometry API additions – BrowserOrganization API additions – IFC additions – Rebar API additions – Major Additions to the Revit 2018.2 API – Fabrication API additions... Read more →

Modifying Material Visual Appearance

Question: How can I set the Material Render Appearance through the API? I can see there is the Autodesk.Revit.DB.Visual.Asset class, but how do I add to the list of Autodesk.Revit.DB.Visual.AssetProperty objects for a new material? Answer: The good news is that this is possible in Revit 2018.1 using the Visual Materials API. Check out Boris Shafiro's class at AU to learn about it... Read more →

Modeless Form Keep Revit Focus and On Top

I am back from a nice break in Italy. Next, I am attending the European Autodesk University in Darmstadt, Germany. Meanwhile, solutions for two issues on keeping Revit focused and on top when working with a modeless form, and an important heads-up warning from the Revit development team on a future change coming. We here at Ideate Software are seeing what appears to be Revit add-in ownership issues with Revit's main window. The behavior has changed between Revit 2017 and Revit 2018 for modeless add-ins. For Revit 2018, when a modeless add-in is closed, Revit does not retain is focus; it is pushed behind another application... Read more →

Revit 2018.1.1 API Docs and CropBox Setting

The Revit 2018.1.1 hotfix was released last week and solves an API issue that was already being discussed in the Revit API discussion forum. Further, Gui Talarico updated the online Revit API documentation for Revit 2018.1 – Revit and Revit LT 2018.1.1 released – CropBox setting in Revit 2018 API fixed – CropBox setting workaround – Revit 2018.1 API documentation online... Read more →

ExtentElem and Square Face Dimensioning References

Alexander Ignatovich answered several interesting questions in the Revit API discussion forum – The ExtentElem and duplicating legend components – Obtaining generic model square face references for dimensioning – Preparing family with reference planes for dimensioning – Creating a line perpendicular to another... Read more →

NuGet Package Update, Rooms and Views in Forge

Two little items to point out before we end the week – Select Rooms and Views to Publish to the Cloud – Revit 2018.1 API NuGet Packages... Read more →

Revit 2018.1 and the Visual Materials API

The Revit 2018.1 update was released last month. It implements one of the most important and long-standing API wishes, providing programmatic access to materials – Dynamo Player improvements – Visual Materials API – Fabrication parts centre line length API – MAJ file creation API... Read more →

SDK Update, RvtSamples and Setting Grid Endpoint

An updated version of the Revit SDK was published, I set up RvtSamples for Revit 2018, which I use to load The Building Coder samples, and we present a useful employment of the DatumPlane class methods GetCurvesInView and SetCurveInView – Revit 2018 SDK Update – RvtSamples for Revit 2018 – How to Modify Grid Curve End Points... Read more →

Revit 2017 and 2018 SDK Samples

The Revit API discussion forum thread on drawing or rendering over the active view brought to my attention that an important new SDK sample created to demonstrate the use of the Revit 2018 functionality DirectContext3D for display of externally managed 3D graphics in Revit is missing in the SDK. I added it right here, in DuplicateGraphics.zip, and also provide an overview of the new SDK samples – CapitalizeAllTextNotes – DuplicateGraphics – GenericStructuralConnection – BRepBuilderExample – MultistoryStairs – PlacementOptions – Structural Analysis CodeCheckingConcreteExample and CalculationPointsSelector – REX SDK DRevitFreezeDrawing... Read more →

Hotfix Resolves Export and Print Issue

Here is just a quick note to begin the week with the good news that the Revit 2018 issue reported in the Revit API discussion forum thread on Revit 2018, DWF, shaded views, and Windows explorer bug is resolved by the hotfix to handle the product crash when communicating with licensing server. It can apparently also occur when exporting or printing views... Read more →

API Access to Family Instance References

Here is another Revit 2018 API enhancement that is obviously worth highlighting, since it immediately answers the question on getting a specific reference from a family instance raised in the Revit API discussion forum: Is it possible to get a named reference plane from a family without going into the family editor API? For example, I would like to have users be able to name a reference plane 'my arbitrary location' when they are creating a family... Read more →

Prompt Cancel Throws Exception in Revit 2018

In Revit 2018, cancelling family instance placement during a call to PromptForFamilyInstancePlacement throws an OperationCanceledException exception – Easily fixed, once discovered – Question – Change in Behaviour – Exceptions Should be Exceptional – Answer – The Building Coder samples CmdPlaceFamilyInstance... Read more →

Women Coders, Forge and Revit API Docs Updates

Updates on Revit 2017, Revit 2018, and above all our treasured Revit API Docs. Plus, the clock is running now on two Forge enhancements. Finally, notes on DevCon, AU, female coders and the Women Who Code conference – Revit 2018 added to Revit API Docs – Revit 2018.0.1 hot fix – Revit 2017.2.1 update – Forge scopes enforcement by May 22 – Forge View and Data API countdown – Forge DevCon call for speakers is open – Autodesk University call for proposals – Five Autodeskers speak at Women Who Code... Read more →

Revit 2018 Visual Studio .NET Add-in Wizards

I updated the Visual Studio Revit C# and VB add-in templates for Revit 2018. They enable you to create a new C# or VB Revit add-in in Visual Studio with one single click on File > New > Project... > Visual Basic/Visual C# > Revit 2018 Addin and define a complete skeleton Revit add-in, ready to immediately compile and run, including an add-in manifest file, external application and external command. Just hit F5 to start debugging; the add-in manifest is installed, Revit launched and the command is immediately available... Read more →

What's New in the Revit 2018 API

The Revit 2018 includes numerous exciting enhancements for add-in developers. The What's New section always provides very important information, both for discovering and exploring the newly added API functionality and for later reference. If you encounter any issues migrating your existing add-ins between different versions, this is one of the first places to look... Read more →

RevitLookup 2018 and Forge DevCon CFP

Revit 2018 has been released. The Revit 2018 SDK is available from the Revit Developer Centre. I migrated RevitLookup and The Building Coder samples. Finally, the call for proposals has opened for the Forge DevCon at Autodesk University in Las Vegas – Revit 2018 Software Developers Kit – RevitLookup 2018 – The Building Coder samples 2018 – Forge DevCon call for proposals... Read more →

RevitLookup and DevDays Online API News

Unprecedented exciting information to share with you today! DevDays Online recordings are available right now, before the product launch! Furthermore, we are proud to present another little update of the revamped version of RevitLookup – Forward-looking DevDays Online API news – Revit API news for the next major release – Revit API news slide deck contents – Must do – New functionality – Revit roadmap – RevitLookup enhancements... Read more →