The Building Coder

.NET Core Preview and Open Source Add-In Projects

Open-source related discussions, interesting Revit API and AI related news – Revit preview release with C# 7 – RevitLookup 2024.0.9 is here – RevitPythonDocs for Dynamo and pyRevit – New Revit SDK sample browser and launcher – Purge add-in with rave reviews – SpeedCad tools OptionsBar and StatusBar – Managing multiple Revit API versions – DesignScript, Rhino, and other geometry libraries – Trading glass beads for AI IP... Read more →

Journal Magic, Adjacent Rooms and Room Boundary

Taking a look at journal files, room boundaries, adjacent rooms, a ForgeTypeId question and where AI might lead – Harry's journal file magic – Closed contiguous room boundary loop – Challenges identifying adjacent rooms – ForgeTypeId for 'Other' parameter group – AI may obsolete all apps... Read more →

DLL Paradise and a Fall

APS overview – DLL paradise for Revit add-ins via named pipe IPC – Interprocess communication strategies and best practices – Using named pipes to communicate between different .NET versions – Interactions between .NET 4.8 and .NET 7 – Server / client transmission protocol – Connection management – Two-way communication... Read more →

Xgbxml Fixes Building Geometry Gaps

A mighty beautiful Python solution for fixing gaps in the building geometry and new AI-related titbits – Fixing building geometry gaps – Open and render gbXML BIM model – Identify gaps in geometry – Add missing surfaces – Verify waterproof – LLaVA large language and vision assistant – Moonvalley text to video – DETR model detects objects in images... Read more →

No Geometry, Touching Geometry and Cut Geometry

Discussions of BIM, geometry, pyRevit and AI news – pyRevit discourse – The BIM has no geometry – Get touching elements – What is a stable representation of a reference? – CUT_EDGE reference voodoo – Revit and IFC coordinate systems – Chinese influencer deepfakes livestreaming 24/7 – Generative AI use and misuse... Read more →

15 Years, Polygon Areas and .NET Core

A birthday celebration, a forward-looking statement or two and observations on geometry, AI and emissions – 15 years of The Building Coder – Revit API with .NET Core – Bye-bye document macro? – Polygon area algorithms – AI recreates Pink Floyd from brain activity – Create ML model with one sentence? – Compress greenhouse gas emissions... Read more →

GasTools, Cmd Ids, Key Schedule et al

A nice, varied bouquet of topics – GasTools – Key schedule browser API – Revit command id list – AI generates 3D model from 2D drawings – Careful with infant screen use – Baroque typography in the digital world... Read more →

Bounding Boxes Axis Alignment and Transformation

Aspects of axis-aligned bounding boxes, SVG paths and AI news – BoundingBox is axis-aligned – BoundingBox transformation – Interactive explanation of SVG path – Claude.AI – Relativising the impact of AI... Read more →

BRepBuilder and Toposurface Interior

An update for the Revit SDK, an in-depth discussion of Revit geometry generation, a Toposurface issue and a hint at where the software development industry may be headed – Revit SDK update – BRepBuilder organisation – Change Toposurface interior point to boundary – To code or not to code, that is the question... Read more →

Dark Icons, NewFamilyInstance and AI News

Hacks for dark icons supporting Revit 2024 theme switching and news from the ever-accelerating AI revolution – Dark theme icons by ImageMagick – Embed dark theme icon name in BitMapSource – New NewFamilyInstance overload – Open-source AI surging ahead – Timeline of major milestones crossed – Non-technical explanation of AI and deep learning – Using AI to read your thoughts – AI emergent abilities may not be emergent after all – Risk of AI manipulation... Read more →

News Reel, Roadmap and RevitLookup Updates

More news and updates related to Revit 2024, and some little titbits on AI and literature: – News reel and AEC roadmaps – Revit API training – RevitLookup 2024 updates – Free Dolly open-source instruction-tuned LLM – Websites powered by AI – Walkaway by Cory Doctorow... Read more →

UV, Emergence, Fuzz and the get_ Prefix

Current topics of interest from the Revit API discussion forum and elsewhere – Switch metric + imperial units – What is UV? – What is fuzz? – What is get_Parameter and get_Geometry? – Default localised workset names – Bing Chat Python and Dynamo tutor – Claude on Slack summarises and answers questions – Emergence and sparks of artificial general intelligence... Read more →

IFC, Dimension and Reference Intersector with Links

Pros and cons of the reference intersector and how to use it with linked files and filtered element collectors, a design automation IFC exporter, dimensioning linked elements using the reference stable representation and new forays with large language models – Reference intersector with filters and links – Revit IFC exporter for APS DA – Stable representation voodoo with links – Running Dalai LLaMa locally – ChatGPT invented a game... Read more →

Lookup Ideas, Jigs and ACC Docs Access

A request for new ideas for enhancing RevitLookup, implementing a pickpoint rubber band and opening BIMs on ACC Docs – Request for RevitLookup ideas – Transient elements for jig – Opening a model in ACC Docs – Stop using JPEG – Stop using voice id... Read more →

Back to Basics and ChatGPT

Impressed and intrigued by what ChatGPT can and cannot do, trying out new aspects myself and with my friends – Element filtering – XYZ trigonometry – Projecting points – Using ChatGPT with Revit API – Generative AI and multi-modal learning – ChatGPT in academia, education, building a VM, DIY, payment plan, Solarpunk... Read more →

Exploring ARM, ChatGPT, Nairobi and the TSP

I am still in Nairobi, Kenya, getting to know the lay of the land and team here, as well as setting up my new computer; meanwhile, OpenAI ChatGPT is making global waves and first explorative steps are being made to use it with the Revit API – Outings in Nairobi – ChatGPT in Kiswahili – for music and poetry mimicry – for Revit API – for Revit interaction – teaching about the birds and the bees – limitations and improvement – acrostic poem – VS2022 on MacBook Pro M1 with Parallels – Chasing the travelling salesman... Read more →

Unit Test Your Revit Add-In

The Building Coder blog standalone on GitHub, APS accelerator in Dublin, AU announcements, learning Revit API, retrieving all fabrication item materials, Revit add-in unit testing, AI-generated code, podcasts, news and more... Read more →

IFC Property Set, Bulk Instances and Vary by Group

Today, we talk about Forge, IFC, family instance creation in bulk, parameters that vary by group instance and a handy spell checker – Forge hackathon – Forge IFC exporter – NewFamilyInstances2 creates 27000 instances – Set parameter to vary by group instance – AI-enhanced web-based spell checker... Read more →

Purge Unused and eTransmit for DA4R

Today, we return for a summary and a new, deeper look at a recurring topic – eTransmit documentation – Purge via performance advisor – eTransmit functionality in DA4R – Updated Autodesk Revit IFC manual – AI solves programming tasks... Read more →

Sci-Fi, Languages and Pipe Insulation Retrieval

Three quick notes on critical and inspiring sci-fi, programming languages and MEP filtering – Pipe insulation retrieval performance – Programming languages to learn – Agency by William Gibson... 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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Preview, Code Signing and Element Type Predicates

A few interesting threads from the Revit API discussion forum and AI news – Revit add-in code signing YAML – Preview control rotates model – Element type predicates – AI ethics... Read more →

Custom Parameters and Tile Packing

Parameter changes and tile packing using the Revit API and AI, plus some other notes on Forge and general stuff – Parameter type changes to Custom – Determining cut tiles in room – Optimal banana sandwich slice packing with AI – Forge solution showcase – Effect of home office on meeting culture – Motivating kids can be harder than business success... Read more →

Unit Migration Toggle Imperial and Metric Project Unit

I just helped address a wish in the Revit Idea Station. I also started taking a course on AI, designed for absolutely everybody – Single-click imperial and metric project unit toggle – Solution – Elements of AI – crash course for everyone – Zhonghu solo music... Read more →

Visual Studio 2019 Revit Add-in Template Tags

A small enhancement to the Visual Studio Revit Add-in Template, and another interesting little AI surprise – Template tags for Visual Studio 2019 – My wizard works again – OpenAI plays hide and seek and breaks the game... Read more →

Starter Kit, Books and Music

A search for Revit API related books, a very nice new Revit API starter kit, a richer and much more complex literary AI-related book, and a quick bottleneck steel guitar blues recording not related with any technical topic whatsoever – A very basic book on Revit API – Revit API starter kit – Machines like me – Bottleneck blues guitar... Read more →

Revit Camera Settings, Project Plasma, DA4R and AI

Here are this week's interesting items I want to share with you – Map Forge Viewer camera settings back to Revit – Project Quantum becomes Plasma – Mikako's DA4R overview – AI is affecting human game strategies – AI can convert speech to gesture – Barcelona Forge accelerator – Open positions at Autodesk... Read more →

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 →

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 →

Revit 2020 C# and VB Visual Studio Add-in Wizards

Continuing the update of my development environment for Revit 2020, I now turn to the Visual Studio Revit add-in wizards. I'll also highlight a couple of recent interesting AEC related job offers, an AI 101 intro, and some really important suggestions on how to ask a question well – C# and VB Visual Studio add-in wizards for Revit 2020 – How to ask a question well – Open Autodesk AEC related positions – AI for all... Read more →

Slow, Slower Still and Faster Filtering

Today I discuss (once again) an important performance aspect of Revit element filtering, a Python script for tagging JPEG images with EXIF data, prompted by a recent ski tour, and three other interesting topics that caught my eye – Slow, slower still and faster filtering – Python JPEG EXIT filename tagging – TED talks and population growth – Objective reality does not exist – Artificial intelligence judge... Read more →

AI, Trends and Yearly API Usage Cleanup

Same procedure as every year: eliminate all deprecated Revit API usage warnings before even thinking of migrating to the next major release. First, however, two other technical news items – Self-teaching AI surpasses human knowledge – CAD trends 2019 – Deprecated API usage warnings – Replace GetRules by GetElementFilter – Deprecated material asset accessors – Update with zero compilation warnings... Read more →

Revit Unit Test Framework Improvements

The UpCodes AI team shared some significant Revit Test Framework improvements – Created a NuGet package – Added the ability to group tests by the model – Added ability to use wildcards for model filenames – Clear messaging and indication of failures... Read more →

Exported File Path and Revit Structural Analysis SDK

I am busy in the Revit API discussion forum. However, you can check the discussions there yourself. Here and now, I'll mention some different topics – oops, one of them is from there after all – RST and the Structural Analysis SDK – Determining the path of a recently exported file – Driving NavisWorks programmatically via ExecuteCommand – The Autodesk assistant Ava and the uncanny valley... Read more →

Multi-Target Add-Ins, AI, Markdown and Job Offer

Let's finish this week with a blog post completely free of source code – but not of Revit API topics – Compiling add-ins for multiple Revit versions – Generative design for office planning – Handy Markdown tutorial – Job offer for senior software engineer in Tel Aviv... Read more →

AU Recording, Books, Education and Units

I completed the presentation and recording of my presentation yesterday on Rational BIM programming using Revit and Forge at Autodesk University in Darmstadt, Germany – Rational BIM Programming recording – Pleasant walks in the Odenwald – Some of my favourite recent books – Where to continue after finishing school – New AlphaGo Zero is completely self-taught – TotalPressureLoss units... Read more →

Dockable Pane, Point Cloud, AI, BIM360, Forge, AU

Summer is here. Autodesk shut down for the first week of July. I went on a few mountain hikes. Explorations to apply artificial intelligence in construction projects are under way. World-wide Autodesk University, Forge Accelerator and BIM360 events have been announced – Forge accelerators in India and France – BIM 360 online hackathon – BIM 360 integration and partnering webinar recording – Call for add-in developers using dockable pane and point cloud engine – Forge at Autodesk University in China, Japan, Germany and Las Vegas – Deep learning analyses photos and videos of industrial sites... Read more →

Sensors, BIM, AI, RevitLookup, Fuzzy Comparison

We continue patrolling the well-trodden paths of BIM, AI, Revit precision and RevitLookup – Connected BIM – Intuitive AI – Fuzzy Comparison – RevitLookup 2018.0.0.1... Read more →

AI News and Sub-Transaction Regen

Things continue moving fast in AI, and the need to regenerate in the Revit API remains unchanged – AI News – Subtransaction Requires Regeneration... Read more →

Q4R4 – Revit API Question Answering System

I am back from my short vacation and raring to go again. I checked in to the Revit API discussion forum today, of course. I am much more interested in implementing a question answering system or QAS for the Revit API, though. Now I finally had a chat with a real human being who put me on the right track to getting started for real – The Revit API question answering system Q4R4 – Three steps towards implementing a QAS – Obsolete pre-Sacha notes... Read more →

TextNote Rotation, DevCon, TensorFlow and Keras

The Forge DevCon developer conference has been happily united with Autodesk University, text note rotation is easy, and I continued my deep learning exploration for implementing a Revit API question answering system – Forge DevCon at AU – Setting TextNote rotation – TensorFlow and Keras – Updating restricted Python packages – Rules of machine learning... Read more →

Vertical Dimensioning and Revit API QAS Research

Today, I highlight yet another interesting Revit API discussion forum thread and list my ongoing research links on implementing a Revit API question answering system – Creating vertical dimensioning – Revit API QAS research continued – QnA Maker – First steps with DeepDive – YodaQA, DL-Learner and OWL – My current open questions... Read more →

Virtuous Reproduction, Research, Settings, Ontology

I have probably asked developers for reproducible cases a couple of thousand times by now. Let's discuss that and also return to the topic of how to research a Revit API problem in general. Finally, I'll point out a Revit 2017 API MEP electrical feature. Oh, and I continued my research into deep learning for a Revit API question answering system – Creating a reproducible case may well solve the issue at hand – How to research to find a Revit API solution – Access to cable tray and conduit settings – Getting started implementing a question answering system – First impression from IBM Bluemix – Open source QAS options – Building a Revit API ontology... Read more →

AU in London and Deep Learning

I took a first look at deep learning for question answering systems. Before that, I share some news on AU in Europe, thoughts on UI and innovation, and point out a useful Revit API feature for converting a Hermite spline to Bezier – Autodesk University in London – Rules of thumb for change agents – Invisible user interfaces – Conclusions from lexical analysis of top news stories – Converting a Revit Hermite spline to Bezier or NURBS – Lots of literature on deep learning... Read more →

AU Day One, Keynote and DevLab

Today Autodesk University started up for real. For me personally, the morning was occupied with booth preparation, the exciting keynote presentations and the afternoon DevLab Q&A – Autodesk University Keynote – Jeff Kowalski, CTO – Machine learning – Generative design – Virtual reality – Robotic systems – Exciting times – Guest Speakers Christian Benimana and Anna Nixon – Carl Bass, CEO – DevLab – Forge Pricing – Cl3ver, Chaos Group and V-Ray... Read more →