The Building Coder

Element Identifiers in RVT, IFC, NW and Forge

A recent internal discussion clarifies Revit element identification in Forge, Navisworks and IFC, some new thoughts on consciousness versus AI, and a couple of topics of personal interest – Two Nice summer mountain hikes – Revit element ids in Forge via Navisworks and IFC – Some aspects of consciousness may be beyond reach of ai – Trees might help against global warming – Holidays ahead... Read more →

Accelerator, Dash Pattern Fix, Rotation and Phase

I am participating in the Forge Accelerator in Barcelona this week. Let me mention some pending Revit API issues before diving into any accelerator topics – AddMaterials enhancements – Retrieving element rotation – Changing the phase created parameter... Read more →

SketchIt, Lookup Family Types, Definition Names

Today, we present yet another RevitLookup enhancement, a note on an undocumented built-in parameter change and a neat Forge Design Automation for Revit sample app – RevitLookup family types and parameter definition names – Bitmap aspect ratio built-in parameter renamed – DA4R SketchIt demo generates walls... Read more →

Access BIM360 Cloud Links, Thumbnail and Dynamo

This post is somewhat overdue and hence rather full of various topics, mainly due to my struggles with my MacBook slowing to an unbearable crawl in the heat last week – Accessing BIM360 cloud links – Retrieve RVT preview thumbnail image with Python – Paolo's Dynamo primer and slide deck compendium – Slow MacBook with kernel_task using several 100% CPU – Failings of the political establishment... 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 →

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 →

Batch Processing and Aspects of AsStringValue

I avoid answering non-confidential questions in private, as I tell everyone who tries to do so. However, some non-confidential queries still come in via ADN. Here are two that came in today that might be of general interest and therefore seem worth sharing – Batch processing Revit families and documents – AsString and AsValueString results differ... Read more →

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 →

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 →

Forge Picture, Debugging, Snooping Appearances

Today, let's look at the Forge architecture, Revit add-in debug, edit and continue, and yet another RevitLookup enhancement – High-level picture of Forge – Debug and continue in a Revit add-in – Snooping appearance assets... 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 →

Stable Reference Relationships

Håvard Leding explores relationships between stable reference of main elements and their sub-elements, related to the intriguing undocumented ElementId relationships and stable representation magic voodoo. We need to access the sketch association to the element being sketched. I printed out stable references for 3 floors, and also the references for each ModelLine in their 3 Sketch elements... 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 →

New RevitLookup Snoops Edges, Faces and Links

Håvard Leding of Symetri added three new commands to RevitLookup – Three new RevitLookup commands – About "Snoop Pick Face" – About "Pick Linked Element" – Running in a family document... Read more →

Retrieving Linked IfcZone Elements Using Python

Today, I present a little exploration of how to access zones defined in an IFC file in Revit. If you are following this blog closely, you might guess that this is related to the room boundary CSV exporter project that I recently discussed. For this exploration, I installed and used RevitPythonShell. Here are the detailed steps – Importing IFC zones into Revit – Installing and using RevitPythonShell – Programmatically accessing IFC zones in Revit... Read more →

Python Rotate Picked Around Bounding Box Centre

Let's highlight a nice interactive didactical Python-based Revit API learning challenge on how to get the bounding box from a Revit element and determine its centre – Cyril's Python HVAC blog – Rotating elements around their centre in Python – Retrieve element and bounding box from picked reference – Use location point instead of bounding box centre – Final working solution... Read more →

Accessing Dimension Line Weight

Today we share a quickie from the Revit API discussion forum thread on how to access the line weight for dimension lines – I want to programmatically access a dimension line's line weight... Read more →

Forge DevCon Keynote and BIM360 Model Access

The November Forge DevCon keynote address has been published. Fittingly, some new hints on accessing Revit models from BIM360 – Forge DevCon 2018 keynote – Accessing BIM360 models... 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 →

Dashboard, Regen and Revit API Panel at AU

Topics to start the week – Revit API panel at AU in Las Vegas – Automatic BIM dashboard data extraction – When to regenerate the document? – RevitLookup centre parent for forms... Read more →

View Template Include Setting

A solution to a longstanding question on the view template 'include' setting – Does the Revit API provide any access to the view template 'include' settings defined by the check boxes in this form? – I can get the 'includes' via viewTemplate.GetNonControlledTemplateParameterIds. The method returns a list of parameter ids, and you can then use viewTemplate.Parameters to map them... 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 →

Auto-Run an Add-In for Design Automation

Still at the Forge Accelerator in Rome and looking further into the Forge Design Automation API for Revit. Althpough it is not yet available or documented, you can still start preparing your add-in for the day when it comes – Aspects to consider – Accessing the Revit Application object – DB application add-in manifest – Next steps... Read more →

Reality Solutions SDK Enables RCP File Read-Write

Today, we proudly present a DLL for reading and writing RCP files, announcing the Reality Solutions SDK, providing full access to the Autodesk proprietary point cloud format – Announcing the Reality Solutions SDK – How do I access the SDK? – Discussion and support resources... 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 →

Icon Access and Reference Plane in Family Instance

Today I highlight two of Fair59's numerous solutions in the Revit API forum, and also mention a joke I picked up in a Swedish cartoon – Fadaesen on racism versus realism – Retrieving a reference plane location in a family instance – Accessing the Revit ribbon icons... Read more →

Colleagues Deleting Non-Shared Project Parameter

Some happy news about two new Revit API supporter colleagues, Naveen Kumar and Zhong Wu. They already reached second and third place in the list of top solution providers. Here is also a very relevant recent case handled by Zhong – Top solution authors – Naveen on Naveen – Zhong shifts to AEC – Zhong on Zhong – Deleting a non-shared project parameter... Read more →

Revit 2019.1, CEFSharp, Forge Accelerator in Rome

I am back from a multi-day hike of about 70 km along the Swedish Sörmlandsleden wilderness trail. In the meantime, lots of noteworthy things happened – Revit 2019.1 update and features – Revit Add-Ins using the CEFsharp library – BIM 360 Issues API – Forge Accelerator in Rome and elsewhere – Looking for a Forge development partner – New way to retrieve a parameter id... Read more →

Wall Profile Command Update

I returned from my time off in July. I dived in deep into the Revit API again to resolve an issue retrieving wall profile curves. Here are some other noteworthy items to keep company with my debugging report – CmdWallProfile update – Access to the IUpdater original value – Getting element dimensions from IFC files – Creative workaround to rotate elevation marker in chunks... Read more →

Multi-Targeting Revit Versions, CAD Terms, Textures

Here comes another solution for efficiently compiling add-ins for multiple Revit version targets from one single code base, a note on resources for CAD term databases for consistent terminology translation, and a discussion on accessing custom texture maps in Forge and Revit – Multi-targeting Revit versions using TargetFrameworks – Further enhancement using the CSPROJ Import tag – CAD terminology resources for consistent translation – Showing a custom Revit texture map in the Forge Viewer... Read more →

BAM Digital Construction and Drawing a Model Line

I am attending the BAM Digital Construction Live event in the UK and presenting on Forge for that domain. Today, I'll share my slide deck from this event and welcome my colleague Xiaodong answering his first Revit API cases – Forge for Digital Construction – Welcome Xiaodong and invoking the Draw Model Line command... Read more →

BIM360 and Forge for AEC Message and Samples

I am participating in a Digital Construction Live event in the UK next week and presenting there on Forge for the BIM domain. Today, let's focus on the real message and some live samples putting it to use: – The real message – BIM collaboration roles and magnitudes – Forge for AEC Sample Live – Connecting Forge with BIM360 Sample... 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 →

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 →

Getting All Parameter Values

How to export all the Revit data to an external database? It is very simple to extract all the parameter data. Let's implement a solution to do so – Existing sample implementations – Black box input – Choices for the output and its structure – Retrieve parameter values from an element – FilterCategoryRule versus category filters – Category description extension method – Retrieve parameter data for all elements of given categories – External command Execute mainline – Sample run results – Download... 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 →

How to use FilterCategoryRule

@CaptainDan raised a very pertinent question in the discussion forum on using FilterCategoryRule in the Revit API that led to some discussion and clarification with the development team: I have three questions regarding the filter rule represented by this class... 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 →

RevitLookup Search by Element and Unique Id

Александр Пекшев aka Modis @Pekshev implemented another useful RevitLookup enhancement to search and snoop elements by element id or unique id – Search and snoop by element id or unique id – File changes – The built-in Select by Id command, Zoom To and StringSearch – RevitLookup update... Read more →

Create 2D Arc and Filter for Intersecting Elements

Several questions on filtering for intersecting elements came up recently. It is pretty easy as long as a bounding box can be used. However, the bounding box is generally aligned with the cardinal X, Y and Z axes. If the containing volume of interest is not, too many elements may be selected – Family instances in a diagonal room – Conduits intersecting a junction box – Generate 2D arc from radius, start and end points... Read more →

Changing Text Colour

Here are some notes on changing text colour and a nice node.js web scraping tutorial – Changing text colour via the text note type – Web scraping using node.js... Read more →

Retrieving Newly Created Element Ids

An add-in will often need to retrieve the elements that it just created for further processing. Frequently, the Revit API method used to create them will return their element ids. Sometimes, that is not the case. Now this topic arose again in a couple of cases and brought some other aspects to mind – Using the element lister – Consecutive element ids – Retrieving recently added elements – AEC job openings in Munich and elsewhere... Read more →

Gathering and Returning Failure Information

Is there a way to return failure information to your main command when creating a transaction? My program does some error logging and creates an error report at the end, and I'd like to include some information from specific types of Revit failures (i.e., include if multiple instances were created in the same place). Yes, you can use the PreprocessFailures method argument failuresAccessor to review and store failure message information for later use... Read more →

Pipe Fitting K Factor, Archi+Lab and Installer

Two recent Revit MEP related cases brought up some new information on the pipe K factor table and custom calculations for pipe fittings, the Forge DevCon class recordings are now available, and I discovered Konrad Sobon's wonderful archi+lab Revit API blog, which helps resolve an installation and setup issue – Pipe K factor table – Custom K factor calculation for pipe fittings – Dynamo code to change loss coefficient – Forge DevCon 2017 class recordings – Archi+Lab – Revit add-in installer and buttons... Read more →

Cloud Model Predicate, and Set Parameter Regenerates

The Revit API discussion forum continues to reach ever new levels of depth and coverage. Here are a couple of recent topics – Welcome to the top solution authors, Jim! – Setting a parameter to regenerate the model – Checking model for C4R versus local file... Read more →

Deleting a Global Parameter and RevitPythonShell

I have list of all global parameters from the active Revit document. I want to delete a specific global parameter from the list programmatically. Kindly suggest a way to delete a global parameter from the active document... Read more →

Curtain Wall Panel Geometry with Basic Wall Panel

A quick geometrical question on retrieving geometry from a basic wall being used as a panel in a curtain wall. I am struggling to retrieve the geometry data from a curtain wall that contains a Basic wall in one of the curtain wall panels. My example curtain wall has two panels. With one of the panels, a basic wall type is associated. I need to get the geometry data (i.e., the faces) for the entire curtain wall. When I reach the second panel in my code, the SymbolGeometry contains zero objects, so my code cannot retrieve any geometry for it... Read more →

Material Texture Path

Here is an official answer from the Revit development team on the long-standing and recurrent issue on retrieving the path to a specific material texture bitmap file – Question: I am working on an exporter plugin for Revit that exports all geometry from selected objects using the CustomExporter framework. When extracting object materials, I can successfully get most of the information, but I can't seem to find the path to the material texture Read more →

Edge Loop, Point Reference Plane and Column Line

A whole bunch of exciting Revit API topics to start the week – RevitLookup updated to use NuGet Revit API package – Determining the outer-most EdgeLoop – How to determine the location curve for a steel column – Determining a reference plane from a reference point... Read more →

Forge, Installed Version, Move Group, Name Filter

A biggish post rather late in the week... still answering too many cases – Forge for AEC demos and sample code – Determining the starting view – Detecting installed Revit version – Detecting installed C3D version – Moving items inside a detail group – Filtering for family instances and types by family name... Read more →