The Building Coder

Doc Session Id, API Context and External Events

Some new topics, and, as always, some recurring – Document session id – Valid Revit API context and external events – Determining RVT file version for DA4R workitem – Revit API via HTTP – Parable of the polygons... Read more →

Rational BIM Programming at AU Darmstadt

I am attending Autodesk University in Darmstadt, Germany, and putting the final touches to my presentation tomorrow on Rational BIM programming using Revit and Forge. Here are the slides and the handout document in their current state in PDF format – Slide deck – Handout document – For your convenience, here is the full text of the latter as well... Read more →

Revit Server Download and Hiding Point Cloud Scan

Today, I have two important results to share based on hard work by Tim Burnham and Pierre Navarra – Download from Revit Server requires RSN.INI entry – Hiding a point cloud scan RCS in an RCP instance... Read more →

Revit Server API Lib, Truss Members and Layers

Today, we proudly present – NuGet Revit Server REST API Library – RevitLookup Updates – Truss Members and FamilyInstance Sub-Components – GeometryObject Layer Name... Read more →

Forge Formats Python Script and IFC Open Shell

I went back to answering way too many questions in the Revit API discussion forum yesterday. However, two other interesting topics also cropped up when I finally let go of that pastime, and I just finished a good book – The Sellout by Paul Beatty – IFC Ids and Open Shell – Forge Python scripts – py_forge_formats.py – forge_authenticate_app – forge_formats – jprettyprint – Mainline... 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 →

Forge Formats, Webinars and Fusion 360 Client API

I updated the WebGL and Forge introduction for BIM programming and its GitHub source for the presentations in the coming days at the RTC Revit Technology Conference Europe and the ISEPBIM Forge and BIM workshops at ISEP, in Porto, implemented two little curl wrapper scripts to help me list the supported file formats, explored why they changed and updated the hackathon webinar overview. Before getting to that, I'll also highlight a helpful note by Christian on how to access the 'Symbolic Representation' setting – 'Symbolic Representation' setting parameter – Forge intro for BIM programming – cURL wrapper scripts to list Forge file formats – Updated Forge file formats – Forge hackathon webinar series and Fusion 360 Client API recording... 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 →

BCF API and Manually Setting Up an Add-In

The time is overdue to migrate the Visual Studio Revit Add-In Wizards to Revit 2017. This time, instead of a simple flat migration like in previous years, I decided to set up a new Visual Studio C# .NET Revit add-in project manually, by hand, completely from scratch, just to see whether anything significant changed since I did that last, and to ensure that the wizard is really using all the required Visual Studio settings. I tried it out in by implementing a buildingSMART BCF API sample client. Basically, that requires the following steps – Create a new pure Visual Studio class library – Rename Class1 to Command – Add references to the Revit API assemblies – Implement an external command – Implement an add-in manifest – Define an add-in GUID – Implement a post-build event to auto-install the add-in... 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 →

Forge DevCon, Spring, Impermanence, BIM Cloud

Spring is getting into swing, and new life is budding. I hope the same holds true for all your development efforts and visions of the future. Not everything is budding into new life, though... part of existence is passing away, as well. One of my dearest school classmates and closest friends of my youth, Prof. Dr. Lorenz Poellinger, unexpectedly passed on. The two of us travelled together for several of months, climbing and hitchhiking... Read more →

Entitlement API, Trial Period and Floating License

I had an exciting weekend with ski tours under challenging weather conditions around Oberalppass, Sedrun-Andermatt, skiing on Piz Maler on Friday, piste in a snow storm on Saturday, and climbing Piz Cavradi via the Maighelshuette Sunday morning in splendid conditions, with 50 cm of fresh powder snow for the descent. Here is today's Revit news for you – Trial period, floating license and the Entitlement API – SketchUp Plugin for Grevit – EMEA ADN team meeting in London... Read more →

FireRating in the Cloud and RevitLookup Update

I am currently working intensely at the Autodesk Cloud Accelerator in Prague. I spent a lot of my time so far enhancing the FireRating in the Cloud sample. – FireRating in the Cloud enhancements – RevitLookup update to handle null analytical model – Retrieving all model elements... Read more →

Simple DirectShape on Face, RestSharp, PUT and POST

Creating a DirectShape from a face used the picked face reference and its stable string representation to navigate the element geometry and determine a transformation. Let's take a look at a much simpler approach – Simpler DirectShape on picked face using total transform – The CompHound component tracker – FireRating in the cloud enhancement... Read more →

Grevit, FireRating in the Cloud Deployment, Vacation

I have been extremely busy the past few days implementing my FireRating in the Cloud sample, a migration of the standard Revit SDK FireRating sample to a cloud-based multi-project implementation – reflected in this week's GitHub contributions: Also, I heard from Max Thumfart about his very interesting Grevit project: FireRating in the cloud demo and deployment Grevit Vacation time soon FireRating in the Cloud Demo and Deployment I'm just about done with my FireRating in the Cloud project. I published... Read more →

Using ReferenceIntersector in Linked Files

Quite a while ago, we had a Revit API discussion forum thread on the use of the ReferenceIntersector in linked files. Apparently, some restrictions on that have been removed in Revit 2016. Before getting to that, let me mention that I have been very busy in the past few days in the Revit API discussion forum, answering various cases, and on The 3D Web Coder, implementing a cloud-based enhancement for the FireRating Revit SDK sample. Steps Towards a Cloud-Based FireRating... Read more →

FireRating and the Revit Python Shell in the Cloud

In the past few days, The 3D Web Coder documented the first steps of research for a re-implementation of the Revit SDK FireRating sample in the cloud, and Daren Thomas pointed out his new project driving Revit and the Revit Python Shell through a REST API: The FireRating Revit SDK sample FireRating data structure FireRating in the cloud Revit and the Revit Python Shell as a REST API driven web server Summer has arrived in Switzerland! This entire week is... Read more →

Live Revit Element Rendering in Remote WebGL Viewer

Today, I'll implement live real-time export of 3D geometry from a Revit add-in to a web-hosted WebGL viewer. This is an enhancement to the initial version exporting 3D element geometry to a WebGL viewer, which just generated data that I copied and pasted to hard-code it into the NodeWebGL viewer as a proof of concept. Meanwhile, I enhanced the WebGL viewer in various ways to prepare it for this real-time live connection, mainly by adding a REST API and support... Read more →

Autodesk Open Source All Over – Germany and Japan

Here are some notes on Autodesk Open Source involvement from AU Germany, the Japan hackathon, and two other nice topics for today: Autodesk University Germany Japanese View and Data API hackathon projects CAD Term Translation Cool presentation gimmick Autodesk University Germany In the keynote session, Carl Bass introduced Spark, Autodesk's new 3D printer and total commitment to open source: Connected – Spark connects digital information to 3D printers in a new and streamlined way, making it easier to visualize and... Read more →

Autodesk View and Data API Notes and Samples

Here is a summary of my notes from three presentations on the Autodesk View and Data API given by Cyrille Fauvel and Philippe Leefsma, in the two introductory workshops at HackZurich on Friday evening, October 10 and at HackaBxl in Brussels on October 17. Philippe also presented a very nice and absolutely minimal basic viewer sample in node.js demonstrating how to implement a private web service to obtain the authorisation token without exposing your key and secret in your JavaScript... Read more →

PoiPointer, View Depth Override and Destination BIM

Three topics for today: Brussels hackathon and PoiPointer View depth override Destination BIM contest Brussels Hackathon and PoiPointer I returned from the Hackathon Open Data Brussels that I mentioned last Friday, promoting the use of the huge amounts of open data, cf. this impressive list of available data sets. As said, I participated in the PoiPointer project, with a goal of implementing an app pointing out points of interest of various categories in Brussels, e.g. museums, cultural places, monuments, sculptures,... Read more →

Revit Server Thumbnail Requires Redistributable

Here is a quick answer to a simple Revit Server question to close for this week: Question: My application retrieves thumbnails of models stored on Revit Server 2014 via REST calls using the following code: WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create( "http://" + "/RevitServerAdminRESTService2014" + "/AdminRESTService.svc/" + "|demorevitserver_ab.rvt/thumbnail" + "?width=200&height=200" ); request.Method = "GET"; request.Headers.Add( "User-Name", "d5783faa-3548-4e6e-be9a-aeca05c59352" ); request.Headers.Add( "User-Machine-Name", "MyComputerXyz" ); request.Headers.Add( "Operation-GUID", Guid.NewGuid().ToString() ); // Next line fails // The remote server returned an error: // (500) Internal Server Error.... Read more →

Three.js AEC Viewer Progress on Two Fronts

Along with our everyday workload, my colleagues and I are busy playing with the View and Data API and the powerful WebGL based viewer that is on the verge of release. Meanwhile, very significant progress has also been made on the public domain and open source vA3C three.js based AEC viewer. The Autodesk View and Data API WebGL Based Viewer I mentioned that I presented the Autodesk View and Data API and viewer technology at the July basel.js meetup. My... Read more →

Accessing a Revit Server Central Model Path

I am still enjoying my summer break, and back to work temporarily for just a couple of days in between. For today, I present the following summary of a recent discussion on accessing a Revit server central model path including some useful new hints from the development team. Question: Given a path to a central model on a Revit server like rsn://xxxx, is it possible to know if the given path points to an existing project or not? Answer: Here... Read more →

Basel.js Meetup View and Data API Demo

I am busy right now answering Revit API cases as usual, and preparing my Basel.js meetup View and Data API presentation for tomorrow evening. One of the cases caused me to add yet another iteration to last Friday's note on how to empower yourself to search for an answer on the Internet. Also, before I get to the technical stuff, let me mention that I went climbing again last weekend, after a long break, and in spite of the rather... Read more →

The Road Ahead

Here is a recent presentation that I would like to share with you by Jim Quanci, Senior Director of the Autodesk Developer Network ADN, on current business aspects of interest to Autodesk, the industry in general, and obviously also us Revit API developers. To enjoy this best, please scroll through Jim's slide deck in parallel with the following text that I extracted from it: The Road Ahead – Prepare Yourself and Your Company Lets start with some important questions: Do... Read more →

Room Editor Element Properties and the Async Trap

I made significant progress with my Tech Summit preparations, in spite of trying to "dance at many weddings", as the Germans say, i.e. juggle too many balls at once, what with new technologies, meetups, hackathons, AU preparations, support cases, email requests, blogging and all the normal everyday admin work that we are all confronted with. I originally had plans for three main enhancements of the room editor: Display sheet, views and floor plan geometry Revit add-in part implemented, web part... Read more →

Web Workshop, Tech Summit Plans and Security

Last week, I mentioned my short visit to Gothenburg, Sweden, for a mini web workshop hosted by CAD-Q and promised you more information about it anon. Well, the time has come to summarise the results from that venue, and also start planning my internal Autodesk Tech Summit proposal, due today, February 7, at the latest. I was a bit surprised by the contents of the web workshop. I had expected to contribute my part, for an hour or two, and... Read more →

REST POST Request to Revit Server 2014

I just arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden, for a mini-web-workshop. I'll let you know what I learn here soon. Meanwhile, here is a quick little important note on a change to the Revit Server 2014 REST API that affected some: Question: I am using a POST request to copy a RVT file from one Revit Server folder to another. This call worked fine in Revit Server 2013, but returns an error code 404 in Revit Server 2014. I looked at the... Read more →

Revit Server API Access and VBScript

I recently summarised the material describing the Revit Server API. Apparently, that still does not cover everything. You want more? Well, here is more! It led to the following two new queries and further clarification of this topic: SOAP API and no access to Admin service Accessing Revit Server using VBScript Here are the gory details in all their glory: SOAP API and No Access to Admin Service Question: Can you please let me know the cause for the 'Endpoint... Read more →

The Revit Server REST API

Let's take a look at the material available for programmatic access to the Revit Server. This came up in a developer query on automatically extracting data from a Revit model housed there. The automatic extraction of data requires batch mode opening of a Revit model and launching of a command, for which there is no direct Revit API support. However, this can be easily worked around using normal batch files to start Revit with a given project file, an add-in... Read more →

Correct Detail Component Rotation in Elevation View

My colleague Miroslav Schonauer of Autodesk Consulting ran into and solved a critical issue to fix the unexpected values reported by the Rotation property on detail components in elevation views. Here are the steps describing the problem and happy resolution in detail, followed by a quick note on my tech summit cloud-based round-trip 2D Revit model editing project: Detail component rotation problem 1 Detail component rotation problem 2 Workaround description Workaround implementation Live recording and plans I was so busy... Read more →

CouchDB Implementation and GitHub Repository

I more or less completed the research for my cloud-based round-trip 2D Revit model editing project. I'll describe some parts of that, and also address Three aspects of life and programming Room editor navigation Nested asynchronous database call-back functions Roomedit – my first GitHub project Debugging JavaScript with Firebug Screen snapshots on mobile devices Open source components used by Autodesk Retrieve slabs above specific walls Lazy, Simple and Perfect You will like the first slide of my upcoming tech summit... Read more →

Cloud & Mobile, Extensible Storage Data Use in Schedules

My topics for today are: Cloud and mobile topics I covered so far Cloud-based round-trip 2D Revit model editing on any mobile device using SVG Extensible storage data use in schedules I am still meeting with my European DevTech colleagues here in Konk Leon, 'anse du Lèon', the cove of the lion, aka Le Conquet, Brittany. Yesterday, one of our topics was work we have done so far for cloud and mobile applications. It was very interesting to hear about... Read more →

URL and Other Buttons, XYZ Points and Vectors

Let me summarise a very few of the topics I have been chatting with people about in the past few days: Ribbon button identification Opening a URL from a ribbon button XYZ comparison and point and vector behaviour Autodesk API overview The Green Building Studio GBS REST API Actually, to tell the truth, it is just one day, so far, this week. Wow, my days are too full. I am getting nothing else done! Ribbon Button Identification Here is a... Read more →

BIM 360 Glue REST API Authentication Using Python

I provided an overview of the BIM 360 Glue REST API and SDK last Friday and hinted at upcoming further exploration. Well, here it is already. Due to Autodesk University and the world-wide developer conferences, I had to skip my last education day, but this stuff was too exciting to wait any longer :-) So, unwilling to go for any length of time without trying out something new, I played a bit with the Glue API anyway. For fun, I... Read more →

The BIM 360 Glue Viewer and REST API

As you certainly know by now, Autodesk provides a range of powerful cloud-based solutions, specifically Autodesk 360, PLM 360 and BIM 360 Glue (reference). Of special interest to AEC developers, the BIM 360 Glue platform includes support for programming interfaces and a software development kit, the BIM 360 Glue SDK, providing a set of tools for developers to interface with it. The programming support consists of two distinct components: Display component: embeddable 3D viewer to provide visual access to models... Read more →

Copy a Model from a Revit Server

Yesterday evening we had dinner together with developer partners at Heaven 23 again, the same place we visited last year, with its unique reflection-accessible cloud. Today we are holding a DevLab here in the Autodesk office in Gothenburg in Sweden, providing an opportunity for developers to come visit us with their day-to-day work in progress and current issues. Meanwhile, here is a question related to the Revit Server and its API: Question: How can I copy a Revit file out... Read more →

Revit Server REST API

I am currently in Paris giving a Revit API training, last thing before taking off for Autodesk University end of next week. Meanwhile, one little item which just dropped into my mailbox is the call to vote on the AUGI wish list: AUGI Wish List AUGI, the Autodesk User Group International, needs you to choose your top ten wish list items to help define the final Top Ten to be presented to Autodesk during the AUGI Annual Meeting. You can... Read more →