The Building Coder

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 →

Roomedit3d Update for Connecting Desktop and Forge

As I already pointed out, it is really high time now for me to get started preparing for the upcoming presentations on connecting the desktop and the cloud. Let's look at what I prepared for that in the past, in the recent almost-present for the Forge DevCon in June, and plans for the future – Past connecting desktop and cloud samples – DevCon Forge sample for Freeing Your BIM Data – Roomedit3dv3 starting point – Augusto's node.js sample guidelines and naming conventions – Forge Viewer access to Revit 2D views... 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 →

What Can Revit on the Cloud Do For You?

Dear Revit API Add-in Developer Community, this is The Building Coder Post nr. 1400! 1400 is the number of different arrangements of four non-attacking queens on a 4×10 chessboard. I am using this happy special occasion to ask you an important and hopefully very popular question: What Can Revit on the Cloud Do For You? Would you like to run Revit on a Server? Are you looking for a Revit I/O, similar to AutoCAD I/O? What does Revit on the Cloud look like in your dreams? Could you make use of RealRVT, something similar to RealDWG, to programmatically access, create and modify a complete BIM without installing Revit? Read more →

Connecting Desktop and Cloud at AU and DevDays

I am still working on my Autodesk University preparations, and, as always, lots of Revit API cases, both from ADN and Revit discussion forum threads. Let's look at the current state of affairs regarding AU, DevDays, and two of those threads – AU 2015 – Connecting Desktop and Cloud for AEC – Regeneration invalidates all geometry – Autodesk DevDays 2015 and Cloud Accelerator Week... Read more →

RealDWG, AutoCAD I/O, View & Data API Meetup

Are you interested in reading or writing DWG files directly, without installing AutoCAD? Querying? Viewing? Editing? Would you like to expand your solutions to support mobile devices and the web? Would you like to avoid implementing different or new application code to support desktop, mobile and web apps? Hear about the most efficient, reliable and robust solutions at the upcoming 'I Love DWG' meetup in Prague next Tuesday evening, September 8, using RealDWG, AutoCAD I/O and the View and Data API for DWG viewing and manipulation on any device, regardless of mobile, desktop, OS... Read more →

Accelerator, AppStore, Disqus and AEC DevBlog Articles

Lots of things happening, making it challenging to find time for my Milano trip preparations: Accelerator in Prague One million AppStore downloads Responsive blogs now use Disqus comments Great series of AEC DevBlog articles: PipeScheduleType is missing for a RTE file Reading ASHRAE Table information from elements Reading Loss Methods available on Revit MEP Creating dimensioning between two detail components Placing a FamilyInstance on a wall face How to create a coloured detail line in family? How to create revision... 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 →

First Cloud Accelerator Success – Second Coming Up

The first Autodesk Cloud Accelerator completed last week with great success. As a result, the Autodesk Cloud Accelerator v2 has already been announced, in quick succession, on June 1-12, 2015. What is this cloud accelerator thing? Simply put, a two-week intensive workshop for creative developers, hosted by Autodesk in San Francisco, to expand your business in the cloud. Read more about it on the web site and in my announcement of the first Autodesk Cloud Accelerator two months ago. Apply... Read more →

Split Personality and Revit API Class Diagram

Developers have been requesting a Revit API class diagram for years. There used to be one back in the dawn of time, up until the Revit 2010 API. Now the question came up again with a happy resolution in the Revit API discussion forum thread on the 2014 Revit object model. Before I get to that, I have an important personal announcement to make: The 3D Web Coder Commenced, Embarked, Blasted Off and Away In an attempt to clarify the... Read more →

WebGL Goes Mobile and Sorted Level Retrieval

Today, let's look at a generic WebGL and a specialised Revit API issue: WebGL on all Apple platforms and sorted level retrieval. WebGL Goes Mobile Apple announced full support of WebGL for its desktop and mobile browsers, so WebGL goes truly cross platform, as pointed out by Paul Flanagan: Previous claims of cross-platform support for this HTML5 standard were largely worthless because they did not include the iPhone, iPad, or desktop Safari. That has changed, and this standard for 3D... 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 →

Brussels Hackathon, Pipe Wall Thickness and Voids

I received an email asking whether it is possible to determine the Revit MEP pipe element wall thickness, and also about the API access to voids in the family editor. Before getting to that, let me mention that I am now in Brussels at the Open Data Hackathon. Hackathon Open Data Brussels I arrived in Gent last night and returned to Brussels this morning for the Hackathon Open Data Brussels taking place today and tomorrow, October 17-18 2014. It is... Read more →

Autodesk View and Data API Webinar

I listed a whole bunch of upcoming events last week. Now I have yet another one to announce, a webinar introducing the Autodesk View and Data API, immediately preceding the exchange apps hackathon. Autodesk Exchange Apps Hackathon – September 20-21, 2014 There are less than two weeks left before the Autodesk Exchange Apps Hackathon, a two-day virtual web based coding 'festival' that will run from September 20 through to September 21, 2014. This year's event is bigger and better than... 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 →

View and Data API Presentation Material

I presented the Autodesk View and Data API at the Basel.js meetup yesterday evening. Now I would like to share the material that I showed with you as well: Appetiser demos Introduction Slide deck and notes Curl shell scripts for authorisation, model upload and translation Demo script Resources Holiday and vacation This should provide a handy snapshot and point of reference for my colleagues as well :-) Appetiser Demos Before we even start talking about this, let's take a really... 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 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 →

RvtVa3c – Revit Va3c Generic AEC Viewer JSON Export

When you read this, I will already be sitting on the plane back from New York to Switzerland. Before leaving, though, I wanted to add some more explanations on the extremely fruitful work we accomplished this weekend. I am very happy and grateful that we spontaneously formed such a wonderful team and worked together so enthusiastically, pleasantly and effectively. Most of all, I enjoyed the companionship, competence and professionality of my closest teammate Matt Mason of Imaginit Technologies. In the... Read more →

AEC Hackathon – From the Midst of the Fray

The New York AEC Symposium and Hackathon is nearing its conclusion. The end and final result demos are scheduled for Sunday noon, coming up all too soon. A bunch of us have been working non-stop through the night since Saturday morning. It is now early Sunday morning, and coffee is eagerly awaited by all. I am participating in a pretty big project to implement a general-purpose 3D AEC model viewer. It is designed to consume models defined in three.js JSON... Read more →

Back from Desert and Two Happy Events

I returned from my hike near Zagora in the Sahara desert in Morocco. I was welco... Read more →

AU Day 3, ReCap & Cloud-based Round-trip Model Editing

When you get to read this, I will be sitting in a plane at 30'000 feet over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean... or somewhere over Greenland, whatever. Thursday was the third and last day of Autodesk University. I went out for a quick beer with some of my ex-Autodesk-colleagues from decades ago on Wednesday evening, and a very nice time was had by all. It turned out to be not quite so quick, however, and not just one beer,... Read more →

DevDay@au Chronicle Estorage View Depth Sound of Noise

Monday was the first day at Autodesk University in Las Vegas, dedicated to the forward-looking confidential DevDays conference with the main focus on the rEvolution – where desktop meets the cloud. In spite of the confidential nature of the information discussed, I am sure I can share an at least an outline of the content here in public with you. I'll also touch on a couple of other interesting topics that cropped up on the past few days, such as... Read more →

AppHack 2, Training Material and the Developer Guide

Let me talk today about the second edition of the AppHack contest, ADN Revit API training material and developer guide. Revit 2013 API Developer Guide PDF As you know, the Revit API Developer Guide is online only and has been so since the Revit 2013 timeframe. I am a great fan of quick ubiquitous immediate access to information, including offline, so I would love a PDF version of it as well. Nor am I alone in this, as you can... Read more →

Cloud and AppStore Usage Grows – Portathon Reminder

As you know, we are promoting the use of the Autodesk Exchange AppStore and cloud and mobile technologies. We have the Portathon coming up end of next week, and you can earn $100 right away, just by submitting an exchange app before it ends: Earn $100 submitting an Autodesk Exchange App Exchange App tutorial videos Portathon reminder and video announcement Regarding the cloud and mobile side of things, I published my cloud-based 2D Revit model editor (live tech summit recording),... 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 →

My Cloud-Based 2D Editor Implementation and Status

Continuing the research and development for my cloud-based round-trip 2D Revit model editing project, here are some issues I tackled since my last report: Updated project description and status CouchDB SVG editor implementation Home page: list all models and select one Updated Project Description I originally thought I would be implementing three cooperating components: the Revit add-in, a cloud-based data repository, and a browser-based JavaScript SVG viewer and editor client for the mobile devices. After struggles with and resolution of... Read more →

Room Editor Project Overview and CouchDB Configuration

Continuing the research and development for my cloud-based round-trip 2D Revit model editing project, here are some issues I tackled since my last report: Project Overview Replicating a CouchDB with Python Same origin policy snag and resolution Learning and struggling with CouchApps Relief moving to Kanso Next steps Project Overview To recapitulate, the grand plan is to grab a 2D floor plan with furniture and equipment layout from the BIM, upload it to the cloud, and make it accessible for... Read more →

2D SVG Editing on Mobile Device with Raphaël

As I mentioned last week, I took another look at displaying a 2D view of a Revit model on mobile devices using SVG to enhance the room polygon and furniture picker in SVG. That implementation displays a read-only view of the model, useful for picking and identifying elements, e.g. for querying or adding metadata to them. It would also be nice to be able to edit some data graphically, e.g. enable translation and rotation of the furniture and other family... Read more →

Room Polygon and Furniture Picker in SVG

I documented a number of personal and possibly naive ideas and experiments regarding mobile device room location as a result of my previous so-called education day four weeks back. Well, last Friday I had another one :-) This time I took a deeper and hopefully very slightly wiser look at ideas for enabling the following kind of workflow: Extract relevant data from the BIM. Populate a cloud database to provide ubiquitous access to relevant data. Serve up relevant data in... Read more →

Mobile Device Room Location

I had a so-called education day last Friday, and one of our current goals for these days is to learn about mobile and cloud computing. Here is my account of activities and research that day. Please excuse me for exposing my fallibility in this rambling account of a spontaneous unstructured single-person work-in-progress project. The task I set myself was to query the location of a mobile device and determine the room it is located in in the Revit model. That... Read more →

Validate Roof Type and View OBJ on Android

I spent some time exploring how to view the output generated by the OBJ exporter on an Android tablet. Viewing an OBJ Model on Android That proved to be easy. I installed the KiwiViewer open-source visualization app, which supports OBJ, and used Dropbox to upload the OBJ export of my Revit model to the Internet, from where I could access it on the tablet from anywhere. Anywhere with a wifi Internet link, that is. It works fine as far as... Read more →