The Building Coder

UI Top Forms, Buttons, Web, etc.

Several user interface related topics are being discussed in the Revit API discussion forum – Keep my form on top of Revit! – Creating buttons and getting started with an add-in UI – Integrating a web-based UI... Read more →

Scaling an Add-In for a 4K High Resolution Screen

As high-resolution monitors grow ever more common, an important question arises on handling add-in scaling for 4K high resolution screens – Problem adapting a Revit add-in for 4K displays – Application properties for stand-alone apps – Application manifest – Separate UI component with IPC – Two solutions for adjusting Revit for 4K displays – Method 1 – Run hires monitor in low resolution – Method 2 – Adjust how Revit handles 4k displays – Discussion of the results... Read more →

Scaling, Face and Mesh Triangle Normals

Let's look at a couple of scaling and triangle orientation issues that recently came up – Transform and scaling in Forge – ModPlus and scaling text in dockable panel – Exporting view image extents – Mesh triangle orientation – PlanarFace normal... Read more →

Revit Window Handle and Parenting an Add-In Form

Access to the Revit main window handle changed in Revit 2019, raising a couple of questions – Making Revit the add-in parent – The Revit 2019 MainWindowHandle API – Docking system and multiple main window explanation – Updating The Building Coder samples... Read more →

Resources, Rotated Rebar Stirrups and Steel Stuff

I'll start this week with several solutions from the Revit API discussion forum and elsewhere, especially two different approaches to create rotated rebar stirrups – Embedded tooltip icon resource – Revit 2019 tooltip videos are MP4 – How to read and write bolt, plate and weld – Creating rotated rebar stirrups... 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 →

Ten Years Anniversary, MVVM, WPF and WinForm

Today is The Building Coder's tenth birthday! The first post was a warm welcome on August 22, 2008. Very many thanks to the entire community for all your support, interest, comments and above all numerous contributions over the years! Today, let's pick up the recurring topic of accessing the Revit API from a modeless context... Read more →

Creating a Warning Using the Failure API

The Failure API enables both failure definition and handling capabilities – The ability to define and post failures from within API code when a user-visible problem has occurred – The ability to respond to failures posted by Revit and by API code through code in your application This also enables the creation of a modeless warning message to the user... Read more →

Scaling a Bitmap for the Large and Small Image Icons

Every time I created a ribbon button, I was faced with the task of creating appropriately scaled icons for it to populate the PushButton large and small image icon properties LargeImage and Image. They seem to expect a 32 x 32 and 16 x 16 icon, respectively. I finally solved that once and for all by implementing a couple of methods to perform automatic bitmap scaling – BitmapImageToBitmap – convert a BitmapImage to Bitmap – BitmapToBitmapSource – convert a Bitmap to a BitmapSource – ResizeImage – resize an image to the specified width and height – ScaledIcon – scale down large icon to desired size for Revit ribbon button – Usage sample – putting them together... Read more →

Contextual Help Best Practice

Dragos Turmac of the Revit development team solved the Revit API discussion forum questions on contextual help not working from within a command and on F1 help for add-in only by explaining the current best practice to implement online help – Question: I'm trying to add contextual help for all commands (press F1 to go to a location). It's working fine when the tooltip is shown for my commands, but, when the add-in form is open, pressing F1 opens the Autodesk knowledge site for Revit instead... 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 →

Modeless Form Keep Revit Focus and On Top

I am back from a nice break in Italy. Next, I am attending the European Autodesk University in Darmstadt, Germany. Meanwhile, solutions for two issues on keeping Revit focused and on top when working with a modeless form, and an important heads-up warning from the Revit development team on a future change coming. We here at Ideate Software are seeing what appears to be Revit add-in ownership issues with Revit's main window. The behavior has changed between Revit 2017 and Revit 2018 for modeless add-ins. For Revit 2018, when a modeless add-in is closed, Revit does not retain is focus; it is pushed behind another application... Read more →

Prompt Cancel Throws Exception in Revit 2018

In Revit 2018, cancelling family instance placement during a call to PromptForFamilyInstancePlacement throws an OperationCanceledException exception – Easily fixed, once discovered – Question – Change in Behaviour – Exceptions Should be Exceptional – Answer – The Building Coder samples CmdPlaceFamilyInstance... 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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Distances, Switches, Kiss-ing and a Dino

I continued my activity in the Revit API discussion forum and had lots of interesting discussions there. One recent thread caused me to bring up a favourite topic of mine, on keeping things simple. I'll also mention two other less recent recurring questions – Distance between two points in a specific direction – Revit command-line switches – Keeping things simple with the Revit API – Dino pondering lengthening days... Read more →

Stacked Ribbon Button Panel Options

Topic: a C# .NET Revit add-in demonstrating use of a split ribbon button to access a secondary command, e.g., option settings. In the Revit API discussion forum thread on using a StackButton as a PushButton with options, Allan 'aksaks' Seidel recently proposed a neat UI trick, saying: Perhaps this idea might be usable for others. The StackButton ribbon control is a stack of different PushButton instances where the last used PushButton remains visible to be used again. That visible button is reflected in the stack button's CurrentButton property. Imagine if the StackButton control always shows the first button in the stack, and the other button(s) are secondary to the first button's purpose... Read more →

The Building Coder Samples 2017

Last night, I migrated The Building Coder samples to Revit 2017 – Flat Migration – Updated RvtSamples Include File – Automatic Transaction Mode is Obsolete – Obsolete Plane Constructors and NewPlane Methods – Obsolete NewPlane Method Taking a CurveArray Argument – Replace View.SetVisibility by SetCategoryHidden – Use DirectShape ApplicationId and ApplicationDataId – All Obsolete Revit API Usage Eliminated... 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 →

Adding a Stacked Split Button to the Ribbon

I have been rather busy on the Revit API discussion forum these last few days. One of the issues I got involved with was Michał Helt's thread on RibbonPanel.AddStackedItems and SplitButton, discussing how to add a split button to a ribbon panel using the AddStackedItems method. Question: Currently, Split Buttons cannot be created in the ribbon using the AddStackedItems method. Only PushButtons, PulldownButtons, ComboBoxes and TextBoxes can be added this way. Would it be possible to remove this limitation?... Read more →

Drop-down Enumerated Parameter Values

I repeatedly hear from developers who wish to define a specific enumerated set of parameter values for their add-ins and limit the selection to these values in the element property palette user interface. Internally, Revit does implement a system to handle this, for instance by using negative element ids for element property drop-down list enumerations. This has also been a long-standing wish list item, and unfortunately still remains in that state, currently incorporated in the issue CF-3498 API wish: drop-down enumeration parameters for combo box... Read more →

PickPoint with WPF and No Threads Attached

Here is another contribution from Saied Zarrinmehr, of the BIM-SIM Research Group at the Texas A&M University, on the thread safety of the Selection.PickPoint method in Revit 2014 and 2015, resulting in a sample testing different methods for hiding and unhiding a WPF window. I trust they are interesting and useful for people working with Revit 2016 as well. Before getting to that, Calvin and Hobbes anniversary... Read more →

RTC Classes and Getting Started with Revit Macros

I am presenting three classes at the Revit Technology Conference RTC – Autumn walk over Schauenburg – Full moon fire – Revit 2016 R2 – Session #44 Connecting the Desktop and the Cloud – Session #130 The Building Coder Chatroom – Session #161 Getting Started with Revit Macros... Read more →

Filtering Samples and RAC 2016 Features

The issue of simple filtered element collector samples was raised in a private message. I do not like to receive private messages and avoid answering them in private. I always prefer to discuss everything I do in public and enable the entire community to contribute and share when possible. In this case, such a message led to the discussion below. I'll also point to an overview of Revit Architecture 2016 Features... Read more →

Revit Answer Day and Creating a Roof

Today I'll highlight two items, plus an addendum for Kinjal and Carolina – Revit Answer Day – Creating a Roof – Setting FootPrintRoof Slope... Read more →

The Responsive Building Coder

I suffer from acute and chronic responsiveness. That is unpleasant for me, although hopefully pleasing and useful for the rest of humanity. What I mean is, I tend to answer other people's questions and needs before taking care of my own. I am forever trying to stop doing that. One of these days, I certainly will. The topic I refer to above is not me, personally, though, but The Building Coder blog. Nowadays, web pages should be based on a... 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 →

Element Selection Changed Event

Many add-in developers are interested in being notified when the current selection changes in the Revit user interface. Among other things, it led to the implementation of the selection watcher using the Idling event and was one aspect of the discussion of element level events. Checking for Selection Changes in Idling Event Handler Ken Goulding submitted a comment on that, saying: When you mentioned "Element Level", I was hoping that included element selection events, but that does not seem to... Read more →

List and Switch Design Options Using UI Automation

Yesterday, we discussed a Revit add-in using .NET UI Automation to retrieve the current state of the Revit thin lines setting. Today, let's look at another application demonstrating use of that functionality to determine, list and set the Revit design options from a stand-alone executable application. Once again, this sample is presented by Revitalizer, aka Rudolf Honke of Mensch und Maschine acadGraph, who already contributed numerous other examples making use of the .NET UI Automation library to hack the Revit... Read more →

Thin Lines Add-in Using UI Automation

Revit add-in developers have repeatedly requested access to the Thin Lines setting provided in the Revit user interface, leading to Revit API discussion forum threads on view thin lines, exported image line weight (thin line) and rendering setting and a Revit API wish list item CF-192 – As an add-in developer, I need the API ability to detect and modify the "Thin lines" setting, so that the user can automatically get the environment configured in the way they like. Happily,... Read more →

A Dockable Web Browser

The Revit API supports add-ins defining their own dockable panels, similar to the built-in Revit project browser and element properties panels. Here is The Building Coder topic list of Dockable Panel related discussions: What's New in the Revit 2014 API A Simpler Dockable Panel Sample RevitRubyShell for Revit 2014 Revit 2014 Update Release 1 Open MEP Connector Warning Revit 2014 Update Release 2 I have repeatedly been asked bow to host a web browser in a dockable panel, and this... Read more →

PostRequestForElementTypePlacement Sample

I am back from my vacation in the snow, full of new energy, and up to both ears in hot Revit API cases again instead of that frozen stuff :-) The creation document NewFamilyInstance method provides the traditional way to programmatically create a new family instance within a project, or a nested instance within a family document. It does not support any user interaction whatsoever. A little bit of user interaction is provided by the PromptForFamilyInstancePlacement method introduced in the... Read more →

Automation, Ribbon Panel, ItemExecuted and Vacation

Here is an interesting exploration of using UI Automation to traverse the Revit ribbon items and subscribe to an event enabling you to determine when certain commands are executed. I'll leave you to ponder this while I take a vacation in the snow next week. Happy Revit add-in programming! Question: I would like to keep track of all add-ins that are started on a given Revit installation. We currently keep track of all our own using specific routines in the... Read more →

Keyboard Shortcuts and Other News

A couple of questions on stackoverflow and the Revit API discussion forum prompted me to pick up the age-old issue of keyboard shortcuts again. Plus, I'd like to point out some news from the AEC Hackathon in New York and the AECbytes newsletter: AEC Hackathon in New York AECbytes newsletter How to programmatically retrieve keyboard shortcuts How to assign a keyboard shortcut to an external command How to programmatically create a keyboard shortcut AEC Hackathon in New York I attended... Read more →

From Hack to App – OBJ Mesh Import to DirectShape

I already took a couple of looks at the DirectShape element in the past: DirectShape Performance and Minimum Size DirectShape versus Families, Category and Texture A much deeper investigation was prompted by Eric Boehlke of truevis.com, knowledgeable in architecture and above all in photogrammetry. Eric visited the DevHack at Autodesk University in December 2014. Together, right there and then, we put together a prototype Revit add-in that reads an OBJ file and creates a DirectShape element from it. Eric continued... Read more →

Displaying Progress Bar and Generating Animated GIF

A frequent request for Revit add-ins performing time-consuming tasks is to display a progress bar. My own progress bar implementation is provided by the ADN MEP sample application AdnRme, originally dating way back to 2009 and earlier still. Now Limin He of FM:Systems encountered and resolved an issue with his progress bar in VB.NET, raising the following comment on the topic of the new exceptions raised by multithreading in Revit 2015: Question: We came across the same issue described above... Read more →

Terminating a Family Instance Placement Loop with Esc

I presented the PromptForFamilyInstancePlacement method in June 2010 when it was newly introduced in the Revit API, together with a nice little solution temporarily subscribing to the OnDocumentChanged to access the newly added elements after terminating the placement interaction. Since then, the Revit 2015 API provided some Document API additions such as the method UIDocument.PostRequestForElementTypePlacement enabling an add-in to launch and to some extents control the full standard placement interaction between user and the Revit product. To retain control over... Read more →

SelFilter, a Powerful Generic Selection Filter Utility

I recently discussed the minimalist generic selection filter implementation JtElementsOfClassSelectionFilter that I added to The Building Coder samples. Alexander Buschmann of IDAT GmbH responded to that and says: I saw your generic SelectionFilter class and this reminded me of a little pet project I've done in my spare time that I thought your readers might be interested in. Two things always bothered me about the ISelectionFilter: You have to create a class to use it. Though most often you just... Read more →

Robot Structural Analysis and Mac App Tabbing

Let's look at these two little issues today: Adapting Robot Structural Analysis Tabbing between applications on Mac Adapting Robot Structural Analysis Question: I installed the Revit SDK and am looking at customising Revit Structure and Robot for my needs. I could only find tutorials for examples of API, but I can't find any information about the database code. I would like to enhance the implementation based on Eurocode for Brazil. How can I open and create a new database, like... Read more →

Launching a Stand-alone Executable

A colleague of mine asked for some help implementing a Revit add-in to launch an external stand-alone Windows executable from the Revit user interface. Since this might be useful to others as well, here is a summary of our discussion and solution: Question: I am working on a windows application using GBS API to perform building parametric analysis (energy consumption in terms of comparison of window glazing materials, building orientation). Currently, I am exporting the gbxml file, saving it on... Read more →

Moving an External Command Button within the Ribbon

I recently presented Frode Tørresdal's unofficial custom ribbon button implementation showing how you can add a custom button that Revit knows nothing about to the ribbon and hook it up with the Idling event to perform some action requiring access to the Revit API. It would be much simpler, safer and more effective if we could implement a normal official Revit external command instead and create a button anywhere we want in the Revit ribbon to drive that. Well, happily,... Read more →

Room Editor Live and Unofficial Custom Ribbon Button

I spent a wonderful weekend and yesterday's Whit Monday holiday enjoying high summer in Swiss nature with no electricity and a Chäschessi, the Swiss variant of a Jacuzzi or hot tub. Today I am leaving for a ten-day camping vacation in nature in Sweden. Here are two topics I would like to address before leaving that will hopefully keep you occupied and entertained during my absence: Room Editor Live Adding a custom button to the Modify tab Vacation time Room... Read more →

Revit 2015 API News – DevDays Online Recording

As the Walrus said, now "the time has come ... to talk of many things", including the highlights of the new Revit API functionality, so here we go! Welcome to my first post on the Revit 2015 API, disregarding the RevitLookup migration to Revit 2015, of course. A couple of posts on upcoming Revit 2015 product functionality were already published in the past week or so, e.g.: Overview of new features by synergiscad Feature list by Revit.King Highlighted features and... Read more →

Getting Serious Adding New Materials from List

Here is a post on some serious usability enhancements for the AddMaterials add-in, which reads a list of material properties from an Excel spreadsheet and generates Revit material elements accordingly. It was originally presented for Revit 2011, reimplemented for Revit 2014, and enhanced with improved error messages and reporting soon after. Until now, it was more of a programming example than an actual usable tool, but that is starting to change, thanks to a number of enhancements by Alexander Ignatovich,... Read more →

WPF Fill Pattern Viewer Control

Today, I present a useful stand-alone WPF control for viewing Revit fill patterns, originally implemented by Victor Checkalin, Виктор Чекалин, shared with us by Alexander Ignatovich, Александр Игнатович, of Investicionnaya Venchurnaya Companiya, as part of further enhancements for the AddMaterial add-in. The rest of his new enhancements will be discussed as soon as possible in a future post. The AddMaterials add-in reads a list of material properties from an Excel spreadsheet and generates Revit material elements accordingly. The input data... Read more →