The Building Coder

WTA Mech and TTT for Provision for Voids

Today is the last day of the Forge accelerator, and I am still working on the ForgeFader project. The topics today are mainly related to Revit, though – Google prettifier on GitHub – WTA mechanical family placement add-in – Provision for void – What is a provision for void? – Creating a provision for void... Read more →

RvtFader, AVF, Ray Tracing and Signal Attenuation

I implemented a neat new little sample add-in, RvtFader, that calculates and displays signal attenuation caused by distance and obstacles, specifically walls. It uses two very interesting pieces of Revit API functionality – AVF, the Analysis Visualisation Framework, for displaying graphical data in a transient manner directly in the BIM – The ReferenceIntersector ray tracing functionality to detect walls and other obstacles between two points. In the course of implementing the AVF part of things, I also resuscitated my trusty old RevitWebcam add-in – RevitWebcam – RvtFader – Task – Implementation – Further Reading... Read more →

Family Bounding Box and AEC Hackathon Munich

I briefly mentioned the AEC Hackathon in Munich yesterday. Here is some more information on that, highlighting the exciting speaker line-up and target topics, plus a solution for determining the bounding box of an entire family – AEC Hackathon Munich Topics and Speakers – Family bounding box – Continuous integration for RevitLookup? 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 →

RVT Properties to XLS and Forge Accelerators

Are you interested in easy access to your Revit model properties? Well, you can have that even without a need to install Revit. The Forge Model Derivative API extracts a streamlined copy of all geometry, BIM element hierarchy and properties from over fifty file formats, and Revit RVT files are just one of them. Augusto Goncalves implemented a Forge sample to read all the properties on all BIM elements in an RVT file and export them to an XLSX spreadsheet – Test run it yourself – Source code on GitHub... Read more →

Setting Active View During Idling

Here is a summary of the discussion and solution for setting ActiveView during the Idling event from the Revit API discussion forum raised and solved by Rudi 'Revitalizer' and Kinjal Desai; As per API documentation, this operation should not be invalid: no open transactions; IsModifiable is ok; IsReadOnly is ok; No pre-action events around. However, trying to do so throws an InvalidOperationException with the message "Setting active view is temporarily disabled"... Read more →

Moving the Section View Location

Today, let's recap the Revit API discussion forum thread on moving the location of a section vie raised by Danny Bentley, BIM Structural Technician at SOM in California, since Danny very kindly created a video and GitHub repo to demonstrate and share the solution, which will certainly be of use to others as well. By the way, Danny also writes Bentley's Revit Dynamo & API blog on his personal exploration of the Revit API and Dynamo... Read more →

Multiple Language RESX Resource Files

A large contribution today from Andrey Bushman, and a couple of upcoming Forge events – Supporting multiple language resource files – Creating and using localised resource RESX files – Upcoming Forge accelerators... Read more →

UIView Windows Coordinate Ray Casting Tooltip

I revisited the custom tooltip implementation that I prepared to demonstrate the Revit 2013 API features including the View API and its UIView class. It class still provides the only possibility to convert back and forth between Revit model coordinates and Windows device screen points. That functionality can be combined with the ReferenceIntersector to shoot a ray through the model to determine what Revit database element is located under the current cursor position and display a custom tooltip presenting information about it or anything else you please... Read more →

BIM 360, Docs, Issues, Forge, DevDay and Accelerator

Good news on BIM 360 itself, Docs, Issues, and high time to prepare for the DevDay conference and accelerator next week – BIM 360 and C4R Success Story – Forge Web Services – BIM 360 Docs – The Forge Issues Service API – 24 Forge DevCon Presentation Recordings – Forge Hackathon Webinar Series Recordings – DevDay Europe and Forge Accelerator in Munich... Read more →

Using Other Events to Execute Add-In Code

The Revit API is very simple. It is entirely event driven. Any and every use of the Revit API requires a valid API context. The most common and obvious way to get into a valid Revit API context – and the most commonly used event – is the one to launch an external command, which calls the IExternalCommand Execute handler method. Other important ones to be aware of are ApplicationInitialized and DialogBoxShowing, unconnected with any external command at all... Read more →

1500 Posts, DevDay and Storing a Dictionary

Welcome to The Building Coder post number 1500! I returned safe and sound to Europe from Autodesk University 2016 in Las Vegas and recuperated from jetlag over the weekend. Today I discuss upcoming events, new simple samples to embed a Forge viewer in a web page or blog post, and strategies to embed a dictionary into the Revit database – DevDay Europe in Munich – AEC Symposium in New York – Embedding a Forge viewer – Storing a dictionary in the Revit database... Read more →

AU Day Two, IFC and Revit API Panel

The second day. I finally got to attend Angel Velez' IFC class – it always clashed with my own in previous years – followed by the product keynote and the Revit API panel discussion – Angel Velez on IFC – Product keynote – Revit API panel – Panel members – Questions and answers – Notes from previous Revit API panel sessions – Session materials... 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 →

DevDay Conference at Autodesk University

Yesterday afternoon, I checked into the Venetian hotel for AU and the preceding DevDay conference – Desert day and night versus hotel morning – DevDay general session and Forge – AEC breakout – Revit API news, roadmap and idea station – BIM 360 – InfraWorks 360 and Civil 3D – Forge's first birthday party... Read more →

BIM@TuDa, DevDays, Forge News and More Events

I am in Darmstadt preparing the Forge and BIM presentation and hands-on workshop at Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institut für Numerische Methoden und Informatik im Bauwesen, the institute for numerical methods and computer science in the construction industry at the technical university here. Many other larger events are coming up after this – BIM@TuDa agenda – Getting started with Dynamo – Forge news – New Forge resources – Forge events and community – DevDays – Developer Day conferences and accelerators... Read more →

Roomedit3dv3 Diff from Forge Boilerplate Code

I am preparing the Forge and BIM presentation and hands-on workshop this coming Friday at Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institut für Numerische Methoden und Informatik im Bauwesen, the institute for numerical methods and computer science in the construction industry at the technical university in Darmstadt. Now I prepared a detailed analysis of the exact changes I made to the forge-boilers.nodejs boilerplate code to implement the roomedit3dv3 sample connecting BIM with the cloud – Comparing the root folder contents – Comparing the Forge node.js boilerplate – Starting fresh from scratch – Copy, install and load the viewer extension – Adding the link to load the viewer extension – Renamed viewer extension base and toolkit js modules – All Viewer Extension Modifications – Successful test and final diff – 25 lines of code... Read more →

Revit Future Direction and Public Roadmap

Here I am in Munich, supporting the one-week Forge accelerator workshop – Pizza and Isar – Public Revit Roadmap – Revit Idea Station – Revit Today and Tomorrow... Read more →

How to Create a New Line Style

I arrived safe and sound in Munich to provide support for the one-week Forge accelerator workshop at the Autodesk offices here – Arrival in Munich and Hotel Schlicker – Official pictures from RTC in Porto – Art of README – What is Join? – How to Create a Line Style... Read more →

Revit API Connecting Desktop and Cloud @ TUDa

The RTC Revit Technology Conference Europe and my stay here in Porto is nearing its end – Wrapping up in Porto – Connecting BIM and Cloud @ TUDa – Creating a Revit add-in with one single click – Connecting Revit and Forge in 55 minutes... Read more →

RTC Revit API Panel, Idea Station, Edit and Continue

This morning saw some lively discussion in the Revit API Panel at the RTC Revit Technology Conference Europe – Panel Members – Questions and Answers – Notes from Previous Revit API Panel Sessions – Session Materials... Read more →

Connecting Desktop and Cloud RTC Material

I am in the last stages of preparing my presentation this afternoon on connecting the desktop and the cloud for the RTC Revit Technology Conference Europe. For your and the audience's convenience, here are the materials I am presenting, and some of the main links to further information – Handout – Slide deck – Recording – Samples Connecting Desktop and Cloud... Read more →

Cool Forge Demos and Roomedit Caveat

Getting ready to present an overview of Forge and talk about connecting the desktop and the cloud at the RTC Revit Technology Conference Europe and the ISEPBIM Forge and BIM workshops at ISEP, the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Jim Quanci very kindly supplied an updated list of really cool demo sites, plus a word of warning: – Cool Forge demos – Caveat on connecting desktop and cloud... Read more →

Roomedit3d Broadcast, Teigha BIM, Forge Webinar 3

My discussion with Philippe on integrating roomedit3dv3 with the rest of his Forge node.js boilerplate samples continues, as does the Forge hackathon webinar series. Furthermore, the Open Design Alliance made an interesting Revit related announcement – REST vs WebSocket and Roomedit3dv3 broadcast architecture – Teigha BIM announcement – Forge webinar series... Read more →

Flipping a Section View and Forge Webinar 3

I already created a starting point for the new roomedit3d incarnation last week, in its own repository. This week, I agreed with Philippe to retain the new project in an own branch within the Forge boilerplate code sample collection. Hopefully, that will simplify keeping my BIM sample synchronised with any future updates make to that. Now I need to get started implementing and testing the actual viewer extension functionality itself. My main topic today is something different and purely Revit API oriented, besides the next Forge session – Flipping a section view – Forge webinar series... Read more →

The Birth of Roomedit3dv3 and Forge Webinar 2

I made my choice on the starting point for the new roomedit3d incarnation, and the second Forge webinar was successfully held – The birth of Roomedit3dv3 – Forge webinar session 2 on OAuth and the Data Management API... Read more →

Forge Webinar Series and Roomedit Starting Points

I am still in the initial steps of preparing for my upcoming presentations on connecting the desktop and the cloud and exploring more Forge sample starting points. At the same time, we are in the midst of the Forge and AppStore online hackathon webinars, with one down and nine more to come – More Roomedit3dv3 starting points – Forge webinar series... Read more →

MacroManager, Materials and Getting Started

I am answering Revit API discussion forum threads and developer cases like crazy. Instead, as usual at this time of the year, I should be focussing and putting higher priority on the exciting upcoming events. I keep promising myself to do so and stop answering cases. Then I address just one more... Here are some of the upcoming events and recent Revit API issues – Events – Forge Accelerators, DevDay, RTC and AU – Accessing the MacroManager to Delete Document Macros – Getting Started and Changing the Colour of a Wall – Getting Started and Using the Visual Studio Revit Add-In Wizard Auto-Installer... Read more →

Vacation End, Forge News and Bounding Boxes

I am back from a very relaxing vacation. I did next to nothing, and that felt fine. Meanwhile, obviously, lots of important and exciting Forge community and Revit API related happenings – PyRevit Blog – Forge DevCon 2016 material and 2017 dates – Forge forums closing in favour of StackOverflow – Forge Accelerator in Munich – Bounding Box ExpandToContain Extension Methods – Bounding Box and Lower Left Corner of Rooms – Bounding Box of Selected Elements or Entire Model – Setting 3D section box to selected elements' extents... Read more →

Dynamic Model Updater Tutorial and Wizard Update

The Forge DevCon is over and was a great success. I am really excited to see where our paths will lead us in the near future as we continue to improve the connections between the desktop, Revit and BIM to the cloud and move forward towards freeing our BIM data. I published pointers to all the 'Free your BIM data' resources yesterday. Our main topics today are completely different and purely Revit API related – Updated Visual Studio Revit Add-in Wizards – RevitPythonShell Dynamic Model Updater Tutorial... Read more →

Freeing Your BIM Data and Roomedit3d Forge OAuth

The Forge DevCon took off yesterday with a big bang, as you have certainly heard by now. The 3D Web Fest evening event was also very cool. Today is the big day for me, with my presentation on Freeing your BIM Data coming up this afternoon. Here are all the roomedit3dv2 resources for you to explore at your own leisure – Detailed discussion – Slide deck – Demo recording – Source code – Live test... Read more →

Highlighting Revit Rooms in the Forge Viewer

I am leaving Athens today. The Athens Forge meetup and web server workshop at The Cube went well. Now it is full steam ahead towards the Forge DevCon in San Francisco week after next. Not to forget the 3D Web Fest on June 15, in parallel with Forge DevCon, showcasing the best of the 3D web as live performance art with a catered reception in a film festival atmosphere... Read more →

My Mac Died and I am Alive in Greece

I had a couple of eventful days – My Mac crashed – Setting up the new Mac – Recompiling the samples connecting BIM and cloud – Travel to Athens – Athens Forge Meetup – Athens Forge Workshop... Read more →

Roomedit3d Live Real-Time Socket.io BIM Update

I completed the first running version of my roomedit3d project connecting BIM and the cloud demonstrating two cool possibilities to enhance interaction with the View and Data API – A viewer extension enabling interactive model modification, i.e., translation of selected elements – Real-time communication of the modification back to the source CAD system using a direct socket.io connection to broadcast from the web server to any number of desktop clients... Read more →

Forge Accelerator, DevCon and Answer Day

In case you wonder why I am so quiet: I am busy in Barcelona at the Forge Accelerator in the Autodesk office in Poble Nou. Furthermore, I am preparing for the Forge DevCon in San Francisco next month. As if that was not enough, on Wednesday, I am also participating in the worldwide Autodesk Answer day, taking place from 6am to 6pm Pacific Time. This one will be the biggest yet, focusing on seven products: 3ds Max, AutoCAD, Civil3D, Inventor, Maya, Revit, and Vault... Read more →

DLL Signature, BIM 2 in UK and AutoCAD.NET

A couple of quick topics to start the week – Add-in DLL signature – BIM 2 in the UK – Communication between AutoCAD and Revit... Read more →

Forge and Autodesk University Call for Proposals

In the beginning of the week, I listed my things to do next, including the most important and exciting one, attending and presenting at the Forge DevCon developer conference in San Francisco June 15-16. My to-do list also includes the Forge accelerators being held in Barcelona May 16-20 and in San Francisco June 19-24. Now the calls for proposals have opened for both Autodesk University and the Forge accelerator in San Francisco... Read more →

FireRatingCloud Context and Architecture

A picture says more than a thousand words. I find a compelling and clear picture takes a lot of work, though. I created the image below to explain the context and architecture of the FireRatingCloud and other samples connecting BIM and the cloud like RoomEditorApp, followed by some musings on using Revit as a server – FireRatingCloud context and architecture – You cannot use Revit as a server... Read more →

Real-Time BIM Update via a Windows Forms Client

Today, I address the first item in yesterday's to do list – Document and improve FireRatingClient, the stand-alone Windows client – we will need this to demonstrate the real-time BIM update from arbitrary sources – Context – FireRatingClient – Adding the modified Field – Updating the modified Field on Edit – FireRatingClient Live BIM Update Demo Recording – Download – To Do... Read more →

Real-Time BIM Update with FireRatingCloud 2017

Yesterday, I migrated RoomEditorApp to Revit 2017 and mentioned the BIM and cloud related projects I am working on. Next, let's focus on the FireRatingCloud sample. The main goal there is to implement fully automatic real-time BIM update from the cloud. Now, 24 hours after writing the previous sentence, I can tell you that I succeeded. Well, add another six hours to edit this post... Here is the updated FireRatingCloud custom ribbon tab with its new set of commands... Read more →

Room Editor – First Revit 2017 Addin Migration

A wonderful Monday morning to you. We are enjoying perfect April weather, rapidly oscillating back and forth between warm sprintime sunshine, sleet and hail. Meanwhile, I am continuously striving hard yet failing miserably to reduce my pure Revit API focussed case answering and Revit API activity – Things To Do – Forge DevCon developer conference – RoomEditorApp for Revit 2017 – Roomedit CouchDB installation on Windows – FireRatingCloud enhancements completed and upcoming – First Revit 2017 deprecated API clean-up – Where BIM hasn't gone... Read more →

Vipassana and Idling versus External Events

I am leaving for a ten-day Vipassana meditation retreat next week, so I'll cram in this quick Saturday post on the meditation retreat and mindfulness before I have too much to do getting prepared next week. It includes yet another discussion of Idling versus external events for modeless dialogues and dockable panels. Vipassana means 'seeing'. In this case, seeing is enhanced by concentration on my own self, my body, my mind, my thoughts. No talking, no communication whatsoever, no Internet, no mobile devices, no pen and paper, no reading. No input, no output. Sitting... Read more →

ADN Becomes Forge and Barcelona Accelerator

Our fearless leader Jim Quanci already explained the importance of our Forge platform and his vision of the future of making things. Now, after more than 20 years, the time has come to change the name of our team, ADN, the Autodesk Developer Network – It's time for a change – Forge and Cloud – Forge Accelerator in Barcelona – The Block Research Group at ETHZ... Read more →

Implementing the TrackChangesCloud External Event

Today, I'll discuss this morning's work – TrackChanges enhancement idea – The TrackChangesCloud add-in – The TrackChangesCloud external event – Creating and raising an external event – Raising the external event from a separate thread – First test run – Trigger immediate execution by setting Revit foreground window – Complete external application module – Next steps – Download... Read more →

Reorg, FoMT, DevCon, TED, QR, Custom Exporter Quality

I had last week off and terminated it with a nice ski tour climbing the Albristhorn. Here are some topics to get going again – Reorg and Octo – The Future of Making Things, Iot, Forge and more – Forge and the DevCon in SF – T⁴ – Top Twelve TED Topics – RDBLink and Exporting data from Revit – Revit QRCode generator – Controlling custom exporter geometry quality... Read more →

Richard Stallman for a Free Digital Society

I attended the presentation by Richard M. Stallman of the Free Software Foundation FSF for a free digital society in the University of Bern yesterday – Ground Rules – Threats to our Freedom in the Digital Society – DRM – Digital Management of Rights or Restrictions? – GNU and Linux – JavaScript – Software as a Service – Open Source versus Free Software – Free Software Evangelism – Surveillance – Censorship – Voting Systems – The War on Sharing – Sharing Art – Issues in Switzerland – Digital Freedom of Speech – Auction of an Adorable GNU – Recording of the Entire Presentation... Read more →

BIM 360 Docs, Add-In Folders, Stallman and Abc

I am going to the University of Bern this afternoon to listen to Richard Stallman speak For A Free Digital Society. Here are some other recent and not-so-recent topics – BIM 360 Docs – Richard Stallman in Switzerland – Is the abc conjecture proven? – Add-In Folders – BIM 360 Docs is the new Autodesk platform for construction document management. It provides web services to ensure that the entire project team is always building from the correct version of documents, plans, and models... Read more →

BIM Programming Madrid and Spanish Connectivity

I spent this week in Madrid, presenting at the BIM Programming conference and teaching the subsequent two-day workshop on the Revit API and connecting the desktop and the cloud – BIM Programming mainstage presentation – The Spanish nature of connectivity – Castafiore – Zazen – Matins – AlphaGo, machine learning and intuition... Read more →

Tracking Element Modification

How to determine and track element modification? I implemented a solution! – Two approaches – Task analysis – Modification tracker – Creating an element state snapshot – Determining which elements to track – Implementation – Geometrical comparison – String formatting – Retrieve solid vertices – GetTrackedElements – retrieve elements of interest – GetElementState – store element state – Creating a database state snapshot – Report differences – External command mainline Execute method – Sample runs – Demo recording – Download... Read more →

DevDay Conference in Munich and WPF DoEvents

Let's talk about doing events, from two radically different perspectives, one great big external one and lots of teeny-weeny little internal ones. I'll share some pictures from the European DevDay conference and snow in Munich today, then discuss a WPF issue that came up last week – DevDay conference in Munich – WPF DoEvents... Read more →