This Is the End My Friends

It is with a heavy heart that I write today to inform you that this is the end of Revit Add-ons as a going concern. Why you may ask. I took over this site a little over a year ago as a side hustle reliant upon ad revenue. Come ad renewal time last December, we lost approximately 80% of our advertisers. Why that was likely varies. In some cases, marketing focuses simply shifted. In others, new marketing managers with different priorities were in place. Some may have even skipped renewal owing to the relationships they had with my predecessor, founding editor Tim Grimm. These relationships can sometimes take years to build, and be just as time-consuming to rekindle.

In any event, at our current ad revenue level, it simply does not make monetary sense for me to continue the site as a side-hustle. Put simply, the juice just isn't worth the squeeze.

Tim's still working for Bentley Systems so it's a no-go for him too.

So that, as they say, is that. The site will remain up, and it's apropos that our most steadfast paid advertisers, Bird Tools, Revit Works, Revolution Design, and RTV Tools, along with a few others that offer just freebies, will have their ads remain on the site in perpetuity.

Goodbye friends. Drop me a line if you feel like it.

Free Worksets Management

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

Worksets Management is a free plugin for Autodesk® Revit® developed to streamline various worksets related activities. This application contains 6 useful tools to boost daily productivity, and ensure project requirements compliance and data consistency.

1. Create:

• create all or selected worksets based on the provided list in a text file
• validate whether worksets listed in the text file are currently in the model

2. Rename:

• worksets rename based on new name column value

3. Grids/Levels:

• assign selected grids and/or levels to the selected target workset
• assign all grids and levels to the default "Shared Levels and Grids" workset

4. Revit/CAD:

• assign selected linked Revit and/or linked/imported CAD to the selected target workset
• create and assign a new workset for selected linked Revit and/or linked/imported CAD

5. 3D:

• create the combined 3D view for selected worksets
• create a single 3D view for each of the selected worksets

Instance Locator: Map AutoCAD Blocks to Revit Families

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

With this application, you can increase your modeling speed when creating BIM based on DWG information. Just import DWG links and Instance Locator will allow you to map every type of block with  Autodesk® Revit® family type. You can place elements on walls, ceilings and floors.

You can refer to elements on the file or on Revit links. Choose to orient them up, down or laterally to the wall. Also you can place the instances at a fixed height with or without reference element.

Free Power Automate from Autodesk: Connect Design Data to Microsoft Power Automate Automated Workflows

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

With Microsoft Power Automate, anyone can build automated business processes between hundreds of apps to boost their productivity. Now, by using Autodesk® Data Exchange Connector for Power Automate, you can also connect design data to your automated flows.

Through Data Exchanges, you and your collaborators can share and use subsets of design and make data in your app of choice. Automatically receive notifications in Slack or Microsoft Teams when updates to your exchange occur, create costing spreadsheets based on specific Autodesk® Revit® categories, or generate insightful PowerBI dashboards that include only the information you want to share – all in Power Automate, via the Data Exchange Connector. Start connecting your design data today by exploring our pre-defined workflow templates on the Power Automate platform.

Currently available for Revit data through the Autodesk Construction Cloud®.

Connect and visualize your design data in apps
such as PowerBI in your flow

Free Webinar April 29: New TestFit Add-in for Revit

From the announcement:

Topic

TestFit Addin for Revit

Description

Join us for our webinar featuring the brand-new Revit add-in for TestFit clients. Moving beyond our Dynamo scripts, the TestFit Addin for Revit will allow users to easily create a Revit model from TestFit, handle Interior Fitouts and export kits-of-parts to TestFit.

Take advantage of TestFit for quick and fast feasibility studies, and avoid data drop by bringing it straight in to Revit for detailed documentation.

Time

Apr 29, 2022 12:30 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register for the webinar here »

Free Speckle: Open Source Data Platform

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

Speckle is a platform with endless possibilities, organizations all over the world rely on our collaboration, interoperability and automation systems to deliver better buildings, faster.

Speckle is made of multiple parts, the main ones being the Web App and the Desktop Connectors.

This package includes a simple installer and manager for our Desktop Connectors.

Our Desktop Connectors are plugins for some of the most popular AEC software, including: 

• Autodesk® Revit®
• Autodesk® AutoCAD®
• Autodesk® Civil 3D®
• Dynamo
• McNeel Rhinoceros
• Grasshopper
• Unity
• Unreal Engine
• Blender
• Excel
• QGIS
• PowerBi
• Tekla
• ETABS
• ArchiCAD
• SketchUp
• ...with more on the way soon!

Formwork: Calculate Formwork Area

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

Formwork Area is a plugin for Autodesk® Revit® that allows users to calculate the formwork area. This plugin allows the user to customize which face of the formwork to show up and also works with link models.

Main features:

• Calculate formwork area.
• Render formwork.

demo

hsbCLT: Detail Cross-Laminated Timber Projects

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

hsbCLT for Autodesk® Revit® works with native Revit® objects, seamlessly transitioning from architectural design to fabrication. It enhances the hsbDesign platform to detail cross-laminated timber (CLT) projects. It is a toolset of lamella layers connected to form high-density wall, floor, and roof panels, matched with tools to complete the design and production in CLT construction. Flexibility to define detailed panel styles, varying surface qualities, coupled together in a library with predefined grain directions aligned to spans of panels, can connect walls to floors to roofs. In addition, defining openings in walls can be filled with windows and doors automatically detailed to the manufacturing criteria. 

Standard connections like lap joints and joint boards are easily adaptable and supported by industry leaders and customizable electrical installations and HVAC configurations. In addition, the finalized outputs include detailed BIM production documents - compatible automated dimensioned layouts, material lists, and site assembly documents.

hsbCLT enhances the intelligence of Revit® built-in elements, making your models even smarter. Furthermore, through continuous integration with the latest production methods, hsbcad ensures limitless users' design, extending BIM possibilities with complementary hsbcad tools.

Free Export Schedule

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

Adds the ability to export a schedule to an Excel file. Unlike the current export via a text format the app can respect font styles, column widths, merged column headers and background colors. 

Free Knauf Planner Suite: Insert Knauf Products & Systems Based on Simple Questions

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

Knauf Planner Suite is your productivity tool for BIM planning. With its seamlessly connected product search, data validation, and tendering functions within one BIM plug-in it offers you an integrated solution that supports you at all stages of your planning journey.

The right product at hand 

The Plug-In allows you to find and insert Knauf products and systems directly within Autodesk® Revit®. Based on simple questions, it gives you an overview of systems that match your requirements. Furthermore, factors, such as regional availability, are considered to make sure that all recommendations are relevant for your project location – which is especially useful for cross-border projects. At the click of a button, BIM objects of your selected systems will be inserted into your BIM model including all relevant specifications.

Always up to date

Of course, BIM objects in the Plug-In are based on the most current data. To ensure this remains true for products you inserted into Revit in the past, the Plug-In features a data validation function. With this function you can easily check the accuracy of all Knauf systems in your model. Any objects with updated information can then be brought to the most current version at the click of a button.

Naviate Accelerate: A Productivity Suite of 50+ Tools

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

The core in Naviate for Autodesk® Revit®

In Naviate Accelerate you will find all the common specifications and features for your Naviate for Revit. With your chosen discipline on top, you will have access to the Naviate best suited for your work tasks and project planning. 

The common ground in the industry

Naviate Accelerate contains all the features found across the AEC industries, from collaboration, productivity and documentation. With best-practice workflows and task management like Family Browser, Filter Elements, Sheet Manager, and Edit Parameters to mention a few.

Filter Elements

Filter any object based on type or instance parameter value from the entire project. You can combine filters and save them for reuse. If it's in Revit you can filter it.

Filter any object based on type or instance parameter value from the entire project.

homeAR Connect

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

The homeAR platform is purpose-built to display home designs in Augmented Reality with just a phone or iPad. The homeAR mobile app allows you to deliver designs in full-scale AR in the real world or in dolls house scale AR, providing an impactiful and informative way to present to clients.

homeAR connect provides a direct export from Autodesk® Revit® to the homeAR web portal where your models are optimized for AR and then published in the homeAR mobile apps

homeAR Connect features

• Export existing models from Revit to homeAR
• Requires a homeAR account

homeAR features

• Full Scale Augmented Reality view
• Dolls House Augmented Reality view
• Multi-user viewing (for viewing models on multiple devices simultaneously)
• Simple positioning tools
• Sharing and publishing tools (including QR codes)
• Webview (for browser viewing)

AGACAD Easter Sale: Save 50% Off Each Second License

From the announcement:

For a limited time, get 50% OFF on every 2nd license for annual subscriptions.

Why do you need to act now? Because time is money. The earlier you take advantage, the more you save. With AGACAD add-ins for Revit, you can:

• save time creating 3D models and project documentation in Revit 
• cut costs due to errors & minimize waste of materials
• increase the sustainability of projects

A Blog Post on Using AGACAD's Smart Browser, Plus a Free Webinar on April 14

From the AGACAD website:

April 12, 2022 Aleksandras Šeža

Make auditing your BIM data, Revit family browsing and management look easy

Having consulted Revit users from all over the world who work in lots of different types of design companies, I can say that Revit users generally face similar challenges in working with Revit families and managing projects and have needs like these:

Working with Revit families

• A quick and easy way to modify multiple families from different locations in one go;
• to see in one window all the changes to be applied to the families, from the addition of a new Type to a formula change inside a given parameter;
• to check every parameter of owned families and see if there are any duplicates or typos in naming;
• to standardize the parameter scheme in families.

NavVis IVION

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

NavVis provides an all-in-one reality capture solution that captures and visualizes indoor environments during the construction and operational phases. With NavVis IVION add-in for Revit, NavVis users can now improve BIM workflows by connecting Revit models to 360° immersive imagery and point clouds that display the current state of the building. With this add-in, users can:

• Create BIM models faster
• Compare as-built with as-is
• Spot differences visually
• Verify measurements remotely
• Collaborate with stakeholders online