The Building Coder

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 →

Painting Stairs and Shooting for the Beams

Two Revit API discussion forum threads that I am currently involved in – Painting stairs – Ray tracing vs bounding box to find beams intersecting columns... Read more →

Roadmap Today and Sorting Non-Planar Curve Loops

Very short notice on the Ask Me Anything session taking place later today, and a vastly enhanced method for sorting curve loops – Today: Inside the Factory, Ask Me Anything – Sorting non-planar curve loops... Read more →

Boundary Elements and Stirrup Constraints

A lengthy and fruitful conversation on implementing valid rebar stirrup constraints and more advice on determining boundary elements for the entire building and individual rooms – Rebar stirrup constraints – Exterior bounding walls – All walls including non-bounding interior walls – Floors and ceilings – Revit API and UX style guide – Today's collective action problem... Read more →

Exterior Walls and Room Bounding Elements

Let's look at the outer boundaries of both buildings and rooms today – Finding exterior walls continued – Retrieving room bounding elements – Comic Sans is a public good... Read more →

Splits: Persona, Collector, Region, Tag, Modification

I need to come to terms with a split personality. Meanwhile, lots more going on in the Revit API discussion forum – Two Jeremys – Multiple collectors versus multiple filters – RevitLookup handles split region offsets – Python and Dynamo autotag without overlap – Custom errors and preventing changes – Ecological cost of crypto currency and art... Read more →

Dynamo Book and Texture Bitmap UV Coordinates

The week is coming to an end all too quickly... here are some compelling topics before we enter the weekend – Explaining texture UV mapping using AVF – Más Allá de Dynamo Spanish-language book – A detailed 3D model of a human cell... 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 →

FireRevit, Deprecated API and Elbow Centre Point

Topics for today – Revit 2021 DisplayUnitType – Eliminated TBC samples deprecated API usage – Calculating the elbow centre – FireRevit identifies room location for fire escape routes... 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 →

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 →

Selection in Link, Cancel in Export, Multithreading

Cool topics to wrap up this hot and exciting week – Are you using the derived analytical model? – Pick room in current project or linked model – Determine whether custom export was cancelled – Multi-threading with the single-threaded Revit API – Beginner’s guide to abstraction... Read more →

Section to Crop, Linked Boundary and Intersection

Two beautiful Revit API solutions to – Set view crop to section box and – Access room boundaries and intersections in linked models... Read more →

Automatically Open Correct RVT File Version

Today, let's address a couple of quick questions and share a useful utility – How to determine Revit export image coordinates – Problems compiling and installing the Revit SDK samples – RvtVerFileOpen utility opens correct RVT file version – Angular and react tutorials – Give and take... Read more →

Stair Point References, BIM360 Users, Zoom, Jobs

I hope you and your friends and family are all safe, sound and managing well. Our main solution today reveals a new trick handling multistory stairs – Point element references in multistory stairs – BIM 360 GET project users API – Zoom tips – Jobs at Autodesk... Read more →

Satellite Images and Instance Transforms

I hope you are doing well and remaining healthy! Topics for today – Transforming symbol geometry to instance placement – Importing and displaying satellite images – Free time? Learn! Free code camp... Read more →

Autorouting and Reference for CreatePipeConnector

Today we pick up two recent MEP related discussions, on creating a new pipe connector for a hydraulic fitting family and on automatic pipe system routing, and a couple of other odd items – The names they are a-changin – Getting a ReferencePlane for CreatePipeConnector – Auto-routing a pipe system between plumbing fixtures – Handling dialogue and failure messages – Retrieving a geometry reference... Read more →

Another Async Await, REX + Structural Analysis SDK

Here are two important utilities, one eagerly awaited, the other a nice surprise: the updated REX and Structural analysis SDKs and a powerful async and await wrapper for the Revit API external event – REX SDK and Structural Analysis SDK 2020 – Revit.Async – Background – Standard approach – Revit.Async approach... Read more →

Adjust Wall Location Curve and Visual Presentation

An exciting discussion on applying minimal adjustments to the model, and yet another research result on the effectivity of visual presentation – Adjusting versus recreating wall location curve – Multimedia communication versus bullet points... Read more →

Multi-Threading Family Instance Placement Monitor

Kennan Chen perfected his family instance placement monitor by elegantly combining the Revit API with additional .NET timer and multi-threading functionality in a novel fashion seldom seen in a Revit add-in... Read more →

Lat Long to Metres and Duplicate Legend Component

Today, we discuss duplicating legend components in Python, my own non-API Python work and some undocumented utility methods – Duplicate legend component in Python – Convert latitude and longitude to metres in Python – UIFrameworkService utility methods – Exceptions should be exceptional... Read more →

Ini File, Localisation and Torsion Tools Two

More Revit API tutorial material and tools, plus a couple of hints from the Revit API discussion forum and the Forge blog – Torsion Tools two – Retrieve path to Revit.ini – Updated NeXLT localization URL – Volume and area of triangulated solid... Read more →

Swissbau Basel and Comparing Family Part Atoms

Here is a last-minute announcement that I will be attending the Swissbau Basel on Wednesday, a quick hint to answer a support case that just came in today, a forum thread issue, and a pointer to a drum solo – Attending Swissbau Basel on Wednesday – Comparing families using part atoms – Maximum area rectangle in polygon – Neil Peart drum solo... Read more →

Extrusion Analyser and 2D Boolean Element Outline

Happy New Year to the Revit add-in developer community! My main holiday project was the implementation of an external command to determine the 2D plan view outer boundary of a room in the XY plane, including all its bounding elements' geometry – How to generate a 2D polygon representing the birds-eye view of an element – CmdExtrusionAnalyzer element outline using ExtrusionAnalyzer – Cmd2dBoolean element outline using 2D Booleans – CmdRoomOuterOutline outer room outline using 2D Booleans... Read more →

Dashboard, CreateViaOffset and Room Outer Outline

An inconclusive struggle to use CurveLoop.CreateViaOffset leads us once again to thank the powers that be for the integer-based 2D Boolean Clipper library, and some thoughts on project dashboards – Extracting data for project dashboard – Specifying a list of offsets to CreateViaOffset – Alternatives to determine room outline including surrounding walls... Read more →

Forge Rooms, Effective Filtered Element Collectors

I successfully made it from Switzerland to Paris and the Forge accelerator in spite of the French strikes. My only worry is how to get back again tomorrow. Again, the train I have booked has been cancelled. Meanwhile, let's take a look at – DA4R room support and new samples – Effective filtered element collection... Read more →

DLL Conflicts and Replicating Schedule Sort Order

Today I highlight the following topics – I caved in to smartphone – Handling third party library DLL conflicts – Replicating schedule sort order... Read more →

DevCon, Sun with True North and RVT without Revit

Please note that the European Forge DevCon in Darmstadt is looming imminent. Furthermore, here are some notes on two recent Revit programming discussions and a pointer to some of the top-rated online classes – DevCon Darmstadt – Personal DevCon invitation from Jim Quanci – Sun direction adjusted for project true north – Reading an RVT file without Revit – The top 100 free online courses... 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 →

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 →

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 →

Determine Exact Opening by Demolishing

We have looked at numerous different approaches to determine wall openings in the past, so it seems pretty hard to nail down, and pretty important to solve. Now Håvard Leding of Symetri contributed yet another exciting idea which highlights a number of surprising aspects, demonstrates a further creative use case for GetDependentElements and expands on his recent RevitLookup enhancement to retrieve and snoop dependent elements – Get demolished solid – Why? – Questions... Read more →

Assigning a Level to an Element Missing It

I recently implemented the IfcSpaceZoneBoundaries add-in to link in and analyse IFC file zones and spaces, then prepared it for use in Forge Design Automation. Now I want to add level information to the CSV export. However, the DirectShape elements created to represent the rooms and zones have no valid level assigned, so their Level property is invalid. Happily, we can easily analyse the BIM and generate the equivalent information ourselves – Retrieve levels sorted by elevation – Determine level from element elevation – Carl Bass and Zoox autonomous vehicles – Physical reasons to be happy to be alive... Read more →

Forum Français and Treeview Performance

As usual, I have been much too active in the Revit API discussion forum recently and worked too little for my taste here in the blog. Here are some of the recent items that I want to share plus a few pictures from my latest mountain outing – Marat's shapka ushanka and Balmer's Graetli – Naveen is a top solution author now – Revit et BIM en Français – Tree view performance optimisation – Underture... Read more →

Link in and Analyse IFC File Zones and Spaces

I am working on extracting room and zone information from IFC files, both geometry and relationships, specifically room and zone boundaries and containment. My new IfcSpaceZoneBoundaries add-in project retrieves this information, exports it to CSV and demonstrates a host of other important aspects – What happens on linking in an IFC file? – Read user configuration input settings from a file – Log messages, warnings and errors to an output file – Read the IFC properties stored as shared parameters – Extract the horizontal boundary information from a DirectShape element – Export the relevant data to CSV – Programmatically link in an IFC file into a Revit RVT project – Retrieve all currently linked-in IFC files from the Revit application... Read more →

Face Methods and Custom Command Line Arguments

Inundated with interesting topics, let's skim a few topmost ones off – Passing an add-in custom command line parameters – Useful methods help verify a Face is rectangular – Automate complex family creation – C++ code extracts 3D line segments from point cloud – Big data visualisation and storytelling... Read more →

Fire Rating Zone Intersection

Let's tackle a 2D fire rating zone intersection task. Actually, it was originally raised a 3D intersection task. Reducing it to 2D makes it much more tractable – 3D solid extrusion creation and intersection task – 2D area intersection task – Jack's sample and description – Soffit subdivision sample code – Cleanup and GitHub repository... Read more →

Efficient and Elegant Code

I remain busy, mainly in the Revit API discussion forum. Here are three recent samples dealing with pretty generic questions – Efficiency and elegance in simple code – Pushing wall type to doors... Read more →

Tailor Your BIM with F#, Forge, IFC and Takeoffs

I have a whole bunch of exciting overdue topics lined up. Let's start with these – Tailor Your BIM sums room areas with F# – Control view for design option elements with F# – Copy legend view and component from background file – Forge RVT to IFC translation defaults to 2x3 – Latitude and longitude in Revit IFC export – Takeoff creation requires branch duct... Read more →

Protecting a Family from Tampering

The Forge accelerator in Rome is winding down with the demonstrations of what was achieved being recorded as I write. An interesting conversation I had at the celebratory dinner last night gave me an idea for a solution to a longstanding question on family tampering protection – Roma accelerator group photo – Protecting a family from tampering – Implementing a canonical key for geometrical objects... Read more →

Floor Area Above Room and Mysterious Hide

Today, we focus on two pure programming questions from the Revit API discussion forum – Area of an exterior floor above a room – Mysterious element hiding activity... Read more →

Rebar, Wall Centreline, Core and Grid Dimensioning

My colleague Zhong John Wu just solved a Revit API discussion forum issue on how to create dimension line for rebar. I took this as a prompt to clean out a bunch of other dimensioning related issues lurking in my infinite and growing to-do list – Create dimension line for rebar – Newly created dimensioning not displayed – Dimension leader remains visible after removal – Dimension wall centreline, centre and faces of core – Grid references for dimensioning... Read more →

Support DLL, Zero Doc State and Forge Accelerators

If you are interested in Forge programming, don't miss the upcoming deadline for proposals for the Boston Forge accelerator! Looking at the Revit API, I migrated my sample demonstrating how to enable ribbon items in zero document state to Revit 2019. Let's look at that, and another recurring topic, on loading add-in support DLLs – Migrating the ZeroDocPanel to Revit 2019 – Loading add-in support DLLs – Rome and Boston Forge accelerators... Read more →

Reference Intersector and Deleting Reference Planes

We already looked at deleting unnamed non-hosting reference planes back in 2012 and 2014. Some things have changed since then, and the old code requires fixing and updating. Other interesting topics also want to be mentioned – Embodyment workshop – Bös Fulen mountain hike – Using ReferenceIntersector to place lighting fixture on ceiling face – Reformat stable representation string for dimensioning – Deleting unnamed non-hosting reference planes updated... Read more →

Forge Tutorials and Filtering for a Parameter Value

Today, let's revisit the topic of filtering for a parameter value, and mention the updated Forge tutorials – Learning Forge tutorials – Filtering for a specific parameter value – Filtered element collector optimisation... Read more →

FilterRule Use and Retrieving Exterior Walls

Today, we revisit the interesting and generic question on retrieving all exterior walls. That may be easy in a perfect and complete model. However, it raises some challenges in an incomplete BIM – Retrieving all exterior walls – Several possible approaches – Using a computational geometry approach – Manually adding the huge surrounding room – Encapsulate transactions and roll back instead of deleting – Determining model extents via wall bounding box – Implementing the huge surrounding room approach – Retrieving family instances satisfying a filter rule... Read more →

Parameters, Walls and Driving Revit via WCF Service

Exciting news from Russia and some mundane updates on other repetitive topics – Driving Revit from a modeless context via a WCF service – Room walls' directions – Retrieving all exterior walls – Getting and setting a shared parameter value... 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 →

Standalone BasicFileInfo and ExtractPartAtom

A discussion with Håvard Dagsvik on the use of TransmissionData, standalone access to the BasicFileInfo without the need for a valid Revit API context, and a Revit-independent method replacing Family ExtractPartAtom – No document required for TransmissionData access – TransmissionData requires a valid Revit API context – Standalone GetFamilyXmlData method replacing ExtractPartAtom – Windows explorer BasicFileInfo right click utility... Read more →