The Building Coder

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 →

RevitLookup 2018 and Forge DevCon CFP

Revit 2018 has been released. The Revit 2018 SDK is available from the Revit Developer Centre. I migrated RevitLookup and The Building Coder samples. Finally, the call for proposals has opened for the Forge DevCon at Autodesk University in Las Vegas – Revit 2018 Software Developers Kit – RevitLookup 2018 – The Building Coder samples 2018 – Forge DevCon call for proposals... Read more →

ForgeFader, Lookup Builds, Purge & Room Instances

Blogging despite having already exceeded my work quota for the week, but there is so much to share – ForgeFader user interface – RevitLookup builds – Purging types, families and materials – Retrieving all family instances in a room... Read more →

Elasticsearch-Head, RevitLookup and Area Schemes

I ran the first query on the collection of tbc blog posts imported into Elasticsearch to experiment for the question answering system Q4R4 Question Answering for Revit API and installed the elasticsearch-head web front end to better explore and understand my local Elasticsearch cluster – Elasticsearch text field mapping – Elasticsearch-head web front end – More RevitLookup updates – Get area scheme from an area... Read more →

Q4R4 tbc Import and RevitLookup

I started working on the question answering system Q4R4 Question Answering for Revit API. The first step is to import The Building Coder blog posts into Elasticsearch and experiment with full-text queries on them. Furthermore, we are proud to present yet more enhancements to the revamped version of RevitLookup – Q4R4 sources and result presentation – Importing tbc blog posts into Elasticsearch – Listing and clearing the Elasticsearch tbc index – Strip and clean up HTML for JSON document – Q4R4 GitHub repo and tbcimport.py script – RevitLookup bug fixes – RevitLookup icons... 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 →

RevitLookup Extensible Storage Restored

I already discussed the first clean-up of the new Reflection based version of RevitLookup; here comes the second one, restoring access to view extensible storage data – Recent changes to RevitLookup – Restore access to extensible storage data – Download and access to old functionality... Read more →

RevitLookup with Reflection Cleanup

Last week, I presented a drastic change to RevitLookup using Reflection to provide more complete coverage of all the Revit database element methods and properties. Victor Chekalin took a critical look at this new version and cleaned it up significantly. Now all is well and order has been restored again – Shock and gripe – Commit summary – 1. Methods and properties extraction – 2. Show enum values – 3. Drill down into SymbolGeometry – 4. Remove duplicate get_ property getter method – 5. Fixed Fine DetailLevel bug – 6. Visual style of separator – Download and access to old functionality – Reaction and read-only assurance... Read more →

Revit MEP Connector Number

I answered a question in the Revit MEP forum, prompted by Robert Klempau's direct mention in the thread on connector numbers of mechanical equipment. Since it is rather technical and even includes a snippet of Revit source code, let me reiterate it here for better readability and future reference – Question: I created a mechanical exhaust fan with four connectors... Read more →

RevitLookup Reflection Cross-Version Compatibility

Today, I present a large and drastic contribution to RevitLookup from Andy @awmcc90 McCloskey of RevDev Studios that will help significantly in supporting both past and future releases of Revit – Drastic changes making use of object inspection via Reflection – Cross version compatibility – Removal of events and unused functionality – Commit summary – Snoop / CollectorExts – Utils – Tests – File Changes – Download... 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 →

Schedule Parameters and Shared Parameter GUID

Lots of information on, from and about schedule parameters, and a new elegant solution to a long-standing challenge – Direct access to shared parameter GUID – Getting parameter information from a schedule... Read more →

RevitLookup Supports Spot Dimension and Escape

RevitLookup sports two new useful enhancements since adding support for the NuGet Revit API package in mid-December – Close all forms using the Escape key – Support for spot dimension... Read more →

NuGet Revit API Package

Most of the work of the year has been done, and it is time to settle down and clear out for the new. Tomorrow is the winter solstice, followed by Christmas and Yuletide, ending with the Twelfth Night. For me, this is a time of retreat, calm, reflection, and renewal of energy. Today brings a nice gift from Andrey Bushman – NuGet Revit API package – RevitLookup using the NuGet Revit API package – Creating a NuGet package from assembly DLLs – More NuGet packages... Read more →

Revit 2017, RevitLookup and SDK Samples

Revit 2017 was released yesterday. Here is the official Autodesk statement stating that Revit 2017 advances BIM for the future of designing buildings. I downloaded and installed my version from the Autodesk Revit family free trial web site. Let's look at what I did to install and first add-in compilation experiences – Uninstalling prior versions and cleaning the registry – Dummy API assembly folder for compiling samples – Resolving hiccups compiling Revit 2017 SDK samples – RevitLookup for Revit 2017... Read more →

SVG, In-Memory Family, RevitLookup BoundingBox

The cloud accelerator kept me busy last week, I am working hard on the CompHound project and documenting that work on The 3D Web Coder. Besides that, I submitted several enhancements to various Revit add-in projects. Here are some of my recent activities – CompHound component tracker project development – RevitLookup displays element bounding box – SvgExport for Revit 2016 – In-memory family creation and structural stiffener migration from 2012 to 2016... 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 →

Family Category, Element Ids, Transaction Undo and Updates

Lots of topics from Revit API discussion forum threads and GitHub updates: Family category; Keeping track of elements; Undoing a transaction; RevitLookup, GetRevisionData and ADN Revit API Training Labs update... Read more →

RevitLookup in Python Shell and Multi-Release Solution

Here is some exciting news from Daren Thomas on RevitLookup and the Revit Python Shell. The Python and Ruby shells came up a couple of times recently, and I also mentioned Daren's initial thoughts on making the RevitLookup snoop functionality easily accessible from within the interactive Python IDE: Curved wall elevation profile implementation in Python Live development Revit 2016 Python shell and RevitLookup incorporation Revit 2016 Ruby shell This idea has now come to fruition, and more easily than one... Read more →

Migrating The Building Coder Samples to Revit 2016

I finally tackled the task of migrating The Building Coder Samples to Revit 2016. I also have another update on RevitLookup to report: Preparation Fixing the compilation errors Installing RvtSamples RevitLookup update displays all built-in parameter names Preparation Before doing anything else, I ensured that the entire project compiles for Revit 2015 with zero warnings. This guarantees that I am not using any API functionality that was already deprecated in Revit 2015 and therefore removed in 2016. I then replaced... Read more →

CopyElements, Revit 2016 Scalability, Python and Ruby

Here are a bunch of infos on and updates for Revit 2016, as well as some important hints on the use of the ElementTransformUtils.CopyElements method: CopyElements view argument is for 2D only Revit 2016 scalability enhancements Revit 2016 Python shell Revit 2016 Ruby shell RevitLookup for Revit 2016 CopyElements View Argument is for 2D only You should only use the ElementTransformUtils.CopyElements views argument when working with view dependent elements, i.e., 2D elements. This was pointed out by Arnošt Löbel in... Read more →

What's New in the Revit 2016 API

Here is the online version of the 'What's New' section of the Revit 2016 API help file. The information provided here is extracted from the document 'Revit Platform API Changes and Additions.docx' provided with the Revit SDK. As said, is also included in the 'What's New' section in the Revit API help file RevitAPI.chm. This is very important information, even for later reference. The explanation of the changes and enhancements are well worth referring to later on as well, to... Read more →

Revit 2016 API News and DevDays Online Recording

Revit 2016 has been released! Let's dive straight in to the new Revit API functionality, plus a note on table of contents for video recordings: Revit 2016 API news – DevDays Online slide deck, recording, notes and sample code Video recording table of contents RevitLookup for Revit 2016 Revit 2016 API News – DevDays Online Slide Deck, Recording, Notes and Sample Code Here is the Revit 2016 DevDays Online recording material, based on the presentations shown at the confidential Autodesk... Read more →

Re-Researching Lighting Family Instance Placement

The placement of family instances can sometimes be a tricky topic in the Revit API. Programmatically, this is always achieved using the NewFamilyInstance method. However, this method provides 13 different overloads to choose from, which can be a non-trivial task: NewFamilyInstance(Face, Line, FamilySymbol) – Inserts a new instance of a family onto a face of an existing element, using a line on that face for its position, and a type/symbol. NewFamilyInstance(Line, FamilySymbol, View) – Add a line based detail family... Read more →

3D Viewing, vA3C and RevitLookup Updates

Here are some GitHub updates on the vA3C and RevitLookup projects, and 3D viewing in general: vA3C project going full steam ahead vA3C hacker R1 is up Rendering an element in 3D Small RevitLookup update vA3C Project Going Full Steam Ahead The WebGL and three.js based AEC 3D viewer project vA3C is going ahead at full steam, driven mainly by Theo Armour. vA3C is a free, open source viewer and navigator for a variety of file types. The most recent... Read more →

Picking Pairs and Dimensioning Family Instance Origin

We looked at various aspects of creating dimensioning in the past. There is still one glaring omission, though: how to dimension to a family instance origin point. Let's take a look at that, after quickly mentioning the official announcement of the movie matching game that we created at the recent Berlin hackathon. Actually, coincidentally, I discuss two topics today that are both completely and utterly dedicated to picking pairs: the Movie Match MasterY game, matching pairs of cards representing films,... Read more →

Past, Future, Frameworks, RevitLookup and Hackathon

Today, let me ask you to test my RevitLookup future-proofing update and mention a discussion on the use of the .NET 4.5 framework for Revit 2013, 2014 and 2015. I am sitting here writing this among the swans and gulls, squinting in the autumn sunshine on the shore of the Zurich Lake. Later, I visited the nearby Kronenhalle, a rather exclusive restaurant highly praised year in and year out by gourmet Christian Seiler, e.g. 2011, 2012 and 2014. With all... Read more →

ADN Labs Xtra on GitHub and RvtVa3c in Three.js

I had several cases recently discussing advanced Revit API exploration issues with experienced application developers new to the Revit API. Therefore, once again, the topic of available tools and their various uses came up. One important tool for me is the simple element lister, which is currently still part of the ADN Xtra labs, the precursor to the official ADN Revit API training labs. I had not yet migrated those to Revit 2015, so I now finally did so and... Read more →

Setting up a 3D View like a Section View

Lots of add-in developers have struggled with various aspects of setting up cameras and views. I summarised a number of them in two new topic groups: 5.37. Creating and Setting Up a 3D View 5.38. Creating and Setting Up a Section View I keep hoping that they cover everything one needs to know in this area, together with Steve Mycynek's all-encompassing AU class CP3133 Using the Revit Schedule and View APIs. Here is one recent example proving that this sometimes... Read more →

Debugging and Maintaining the Image Relationship

The Revit database contains a number of undocumented relationships, and it can be challenging and useful to discover them. Christian Tonn of kubit presents a powerful method to determine and maintain such a relationship using an officially supported approach instead: Question: Is it possible to get the ImageType object from an image you inserted in the Revit document with Document.Import? Answer: Not directly! I am using the Import method: bool Import( string file, ImageImportOptions options, View view, out Element element);... Read more →

Exploring How to Remove a Shared Parameter Definition

Here is yet another example of the importance of the RevitLookup database exploration tool. In this case, Trevor Taylor of ZGF, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP, shows his use of it to discover how to remove a shared parameter definition. Task at Hand When I remove a shared parameter definition, it disappears from the UI. However, the parameter definition isn't truly removed from the model. Its definition persists. Steps to repeat: In a shared parameter definition file, create a parameter... Read more →

Accessing Extensible Storage on OwnerFamily in Project

A couple of developers reported a problem accessing extensible storage data on families when they are loaded into a project in Revit 2015. This problem did not occur in previous versions. Luckily, a workaround is possible right now, designed and implemented by Alexander Ignatovich, Александр Игнатович, of Investicionnaya Venchurnaya Companiya. Alexander already made a number of other complex and powerful contributions to The Building Coder in the past: Exporting Image and Setting a Default 3D View Orientation Intimate Revit Database... Read more →

New Revit 2015 SDK Samples

Rather belatedly, I went through my usual analysis of the Revit SDK to determine the new samples added to the Revit 2015 SDK. While I was at it, I also migrated the DevDays samples for Revit 2015 UR1, since some new SDK functionality is not yet covered by new SDK samples, and the ones posted with the DevDays online recording were still compiled for one of the early pre-release versions of Revit. New Samples in the Revit 2015 SDK To... Read more →

RevitLookup for UR1, ADN, AEC and AU News

Here are some of the non-confidential items from the new confidential April 17 Autodesk Developer News newsletter, plus one or two additional items of interest from myself and elsewhere: AEC Technology Symposium Migrate Autodesk Exchange Apps and publish 2015 versions Proposals for Autodesk University 2014 Proposals for Autodesk University Germany 2014 Autodesk ReCap Connect Partnership Program RevitLookup for Revit 2015 UR1 Happy Easter! AEC Technology Symposium I already pointed out the upcoming AEC Technology Symposium in New York City on... Read more →

RevitLookup for Revit 2015

My first post dealing with Revit 2015 is dedicated to RevitLookup, the most important Revit database exploration tool, both for developers and interested non-developers. This is particularly urgent, since RevitLookup no longer is included in the standard Revit SDK (software development kit). It is now available from the RevitLookup GitHub repository instead. I created a preliminary version of RevitLookup for the Revit 2015 Meridian pre-release, just to ensure that everybody who needs access to this tool has it available right... Read more →

The GEOM_VISIBILITY_PARAM Visibility Settings

Here is an nice, useful and interesting example of a Revit API forum discussion thread and cooperative research between Remy van den Bor of ICN Solutions, Rudolf Honke of Mensch und Maschine acadGraph, the Revit development team, Joe Ye and your humble scribe on retrieving an element's detail view visibility settings, before wishing you and us all the best for the year of the horse: Remy: Hello Reviteers, Does anybody know how to get to the visibility settings in the... Read more →

Lots of Clouds

Let me recapitulate my cloud related explorations for my simplified 2D BIM editor, since I will be discussing it again at a web-based BIM workshop later this week. Before getting to that, though, talking about cloud related topics reminds me of some others of completely different nature that are near and dear to me: Clouds in La Palma Cloud Atlas Cloud-based simplified BIM editor Autodesk cloud service overview Updated RevitLookup on GitHub Above, in and under the Clouds of la... Read more →

ExportCncFab on GitHub and RevitLookup Update

I am in a hurry, still not finding time to prepare my AU classes, and lots going on. I published an add-in named ExportWallboard to automatically isolate and export wall parts individually to DXF for CNC fabrication back in March, still for Revit 2013, at the time. That utility is in use, was renamed to ExportCncFab and has enjoyed some further enhancement since, such as: Support for export to SAT as well as DXF A beautiful little external application to... Read more →

RevitLookup on GitHub and Invitation to Collaborate

I sincerely hope that everybody reading this is aware of the power and importance of RevitLookup, has already installed it, and is an avid user. If you do not know what I am talking about, please read these previous posts on the topic, noting that it was previously named RvtMgdDbg, short for 'Revit managed debugging tool': RvtMgdDbg Fixing RvtMgdDbg for MEP Connectors RvtMgdDbg for Revit 2010 RevitLookup Update Units and RevitLookup Getting Started with the Revit API RevitLookup is currently... Read more →