The Building Coder

DirectShape Element to Represent Room Volume

Yesterday, I implemented a new add-in, RoomVolumeDirectShape, that creates DirectShape elements representing the volumes of all the rooms – Request to display room volumes in Forge SVF file – RoomVolumeDirectShape functionality – Retrieving all element properties – Converting a .NET dictionary to JSON – Generating DirectShape from ClosedShell – Complete external command class Execute method – Sample model and results – Challenges encountered underway – Cherry BIM Services – On the value of the "Loss Method" property – AI-generated talking head models... Read more →

Retrieving Section View Intersection Cut Geometry

I played around creating a new SectionCutGeo add-in to retrieve the geometry resulting from cutting a family instance in a section view. This was prompted the Revit API discussion forum thread on getting intersection lines from cut in section view – Intersection of section and family instance task – Solution options, geometry elements and view settings – Retrieving curves in the cut plane – Helper methods and external command mainline – Sample model and results – Caveat... Read more →

Secret Reference Line Faces

The open source space around the Revit API is continuously growing richer, solutions are shared and exciting discoveries are made, both in the Revit API discussion forum and elsewhere – Debugging, code signing and HOK Mission Control – Creating connectors on a reference line... Read more →

Precast API and Cloud Open Callback

As usual, I am over-active in the Revit API discussion forum, so you can see most of what I have been up to right there. Here and now, I'll highlight one of those threads and clarify how to access the Revit 2019 Precast API – Structural Precast API – IOpenFromCloudCallback and the DefaultOpenFromCloudCallback class... Read more →

Filtered Element Collector Benchmark

Today, let's present a benchmark monitoring filtered element collector performance. First, however, a quick note on a very useful Forge learning resource – Forge learning resource – Filtered element collector benchmark... Read more →

Tagging a Linked Element

The linked file enhancements introduced in the Revit 2014 API obviously need more awareness – Link enhancements – Conversion of geometric references – Tagging a linked element – Using the stable representation to tag a linked element – List all untagged doors... Read more →

Rapid Prototyping, Testing and Deployment

The pyRevit rapid application development environment can be used for the entire add-in lifecycle, supporting rapid debugging, testing and deployment as well. I successfully implemented invoking an external command defined in a stand-alone Revit plugin assembly from pyRevit! It's proving extremely useful... Read more →

Spatial Geometry, Add-In Manager and Show Reels

New Autodesk show reels, a solution to the lack of an add-in manager in the Revit 2020 SDK, an update for the SpatialElementGeometryCalculator and an interesting observation on English spelling – 2019 Autodesk show reels – The Add-In Manager for Revit 2019 still works – Spatial element geometry calculator update – English spelling... Read more →

AI, Boundaries, Loops and RevitApiDocs 2020

Yet another eagerly awaited update for the Revit 2020 API, a couple of interesting Revit API discussion forum threads, and some thoughts on how AI might affect and be used in an architectural context – RevitApiDocs updated with the Revit 2020 API – More room boundary segments than expected – How to get width and height of a CurveLoop – AI and architecture... Read more →

Location Point and Filtering Hints

I am probably doomed to spend the rest of my life telling people not to unnecessarily apply ToList to a filtered element collector. It happened several times again today answering questions in the Revit API discussion forum – Don't trust the family instance location point – Searching by name for element type and text note type – Searching using a negated category filter... Read more →