Karo.WhyHidden: A Visibility-Diagnostics Add-in

Overview

Karo.WhyHidden is a Revit visibility-diagnostics add-in from Karo Modum. It investigates why a known element does not appear in a particular view, bringing together checks that would otherwise require opening several Revit settings dialogs. The vendor describes 16 visibility checks covering direct hiding, graphics settings, spatial clipping, worksets, phasing, design options, linked-model display, and view-template control. Findings appear as diagnostic cards identifying relevant settings, filters, or worksets. Selected issues have one-click fixes; others receive guidance. The product is primarily a troubleshooting aid rather than a model-wide QA engine or an automatic redesign of view standards. [1-3]

Typical Workflow

1. Identify the element: Select it in a view where it is visible, or use its element ID. This is a targeted investigation of a known object, not a search for an unidentified missing object.
2. Activate the problem view: Switch to the plan, section, elevation, or 3D view where the element should appear.
3. Run Why Hidden: Launch the command from the Karo ribbon tab.
4. Review diagnostics: Read the cards identifying visibility blockers and the settings responsible. Multiple conditions may apply at the same time.
5. Resolve appropriate conditions: Use an available quick fix or follow the guidance, retaining control over office templates and shared standards.
6. Verify and communicate: Confirm the intended display and copy the formatted diagnostic report into a team chat or task tracker. [2]

Karo.WhatsChanged: A Local Change-Audit and Investigation Layer

Overview

Karo.WhatsChanged is a model-coordination add-in for Autodesk Revit that records a reference state and identifies what changed after linked consultant models are reloaded. It is designed to replace broad visual comparison with an element-level audit that surfaces additions, deletions, moved geometry, coordinate changes, and parameter modifications. The add-in keeps comparison data locally in SQLite rather than uploading project geometry to a cloud service. Its principal audience is BIM coordinators, architects, engineers, and multidisciplinary delivery teams that need to assess the impact of updated architectural, structural, or MEP links.

Core Workflow

1. Establish a baseline. The add-in records a personal reference state for the host model and its links on the user’s workstation.
2. Reload updated links. When a consultant model is refreshed, WhatsChanged compares the new state with the stored baseline.
3. Review detected changes. An audit grid groups and counts Added, Modified, and Deleted elements and supports filtering by change status, category, and source document.
4. Inspect the delta. Select an item to review before-and-after parameter values and geometry or coordinate differences.
5. Locate the affected area. Synchronize the selected result with the active Revit view or create a dedicated 3D view with an automatically framed section box.
6. Document the review. Export results to Excel or a formatted PDF for coordination meetings, issue logs, and follow-up.
7. Advance the reference state. After the update is reviewed and accepted, establish the appropriate new baseline for the next comparison cycle.

Product Roundup: Penguin Tools (PTP)

From the Autodesk Design and Make Marketplace:

About

Hi there! We are a two-person team dedicated to building practical, time-saving plugins for Revit. After developing a range of internal automations to optimize our own projects, we decided to release them publicly to support fellow BIM managers, architects, and engineers.

Our goal is to keep over 90% of our add-ins completely free. The few exceptions involve tools with ongoing maintenance costs—such as cloud services and database hosting—which help support our infrastructure and keep the rest of our library free for everyone.

Community feedback drives our roadmap. If you have an idea for a plugin that would make your life easier, or feedback on our existing tools, don't hesitate to reach out!

Editor's Note: Ratings are static and accurate at press time. For up-to-date ratings, visit the Autodesk Design and Make Marketplace.

Auto Sync Pro

Automate your Autodesk® Revit® workflow with timed background synchronization, scheduled saves, idle exit, and smart model maintenance to keep your team efficient. | Free

No ratings yet

Bulk Rename Pro

Batch rename Autodesk® Revit® Views, Sheets, Levels, Grids & Elements with powerful regex, casing, and rule presets. | Free

No ratings yet

Free View Duplicator Pro: Create Organized, Predictably Named Deliverables

Overview

View Duplicator Pro is a free Revit add-in from Penguin Tools for batch-producing views and sheets. It is aimed at BIM managers and architectural, structural, and MEP teams that repeatedly create similar floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, elevations, 3D views, dependent views, or complete sheet sets. The add-in consolidates source selection, duplication method, naming, view-property overrides, sheet creation, and viewport placement into a visual workflow. Its core value is not merely copying views; it is creating organized, predictably named deliverables while reducing repetitive Revit commands and avoidable naming errors.

Core Workflow

1. Select source content. Choose one or more existing views or sheets that will act as the basis for the new deliverables.
2. Choose a duplication mode. Create standard copies, copies with annotations, dependent views, or duplicated sheet sets.
3. Build target names. Apply prefixes, suffixes, or find-and-replace rules, then inspect the live preview before making changes to the model.
4. Resolve conflicts. Review collision warnings where a proposed name already exists and manually override individual names when exceptions are required.
5. Apply view settings. Assign or replace View Templates, Scope Boxes, and Phases for the copies.
6. Create sheets and place views. Where required, create new sheets with a selected title block and place the duplicated views automatically. When entire sheets are duplicated, preserve the relative viewport layout.
7. Review the result. Validate generated names, crop regions, templates, phases, sheet numbers, viewport placement, and annotation behavior before issue.

Version QR Codes: Drawing Version Control

Overview

Version QR Codes is a Revit add-in from Penguin Tools that connects issued or printed sheets to live digital information through unique QR codes. Its principal use is drawing version control: a person in the office or on site scans the code with a standard phone or tablet camera to reach the latest PDF, a common data environment (CDE) location, a project URL, or a 3D model, and can determine whether the physical drawing is current or superseded. The product is intended to close the information gap between paper deliverables and the project’s digital source of truth. Penguin Tools reports more than 19,000 active codes in use; this is a vendor claim rather than independently verified usage data.

How It Works

1. Define the identifier. By default, the add-in uses the Revit Sheet Number. Users can combine built-in parameters and custom shared parameters assigned to the Sheets category to form a drawing name or data payload.
2. Configure a profile. A profile controls appearance, data links, and title-block placement. Profiles can be created for purposes such as client issue or internal review, saved for reuse, and loaded from a central network location to support company standards.
3. Generate and place codes. The add-in can create one code or batch-generate many unique codes and place them on title blocks. The vendor advertises generation of up to 1,000 codes in one operation.
4. Publish the deliverable. Codes can be carried into PDF, DWG, or DXF output, or exported as standalone PNG/JPG images for reports, labels, or stickers.
5. Scan and verify. The recipient scans the code without a proprietary viewer. The linked destination provides access to current information so the recipient can check the drawing’s status before using it.

Orkestra Review: Distributing Tools—Dynamo or Grasshopper Scripts or OkPy Add-ins

Editor's Note: This is a sister article to OkPy Review: Create Fully Functional Revit Add-ins with Zero Coding, with Examples!

Orkestra can be used for a couple different things. One is developing Revit add-ins with OkPy, which we've already covered. The second is distributing customizations in a managed way, whether they are OkPy-authored add-ins or Dynamo or Grasshopper graphs. 

The first step is publishing. If it's an OkPy add-in, you'll need both OkPy Pro and Orkestra subscriptions. For Dynamo and Grasshopper, an Orkestra subscription will suffice. For our example, we're going to work with the Color Warnings add-in from our OkPy review.

From the OkPy for Revit window, with the OkPy file loaded, click the Publish button:

The Publish to Orkestra window opens. There's some work to be done in this dialog: there's the Description, which is also the tooltip in Revit, the Body, which is the text for a wiki entry (this is what the user will see if they click on More Info in the tooltip), and Keywords:

Revision Manager Pro: Make Revision Administration Faster and More Consistent

Executive Summary

Revision Manager Pro is a free Revit productivity and QA/QC add-in from Penguin Tools designed to simplify revision creation, editing, sheet assignment, removal, and reporting. It organizes the work into two main stages: first managing the project’s revision records, and then applying selected revisions to filtered groups of sheets. Its strongest value is scale: operations that normally require repeated dialog navigation and sheet-by-sheet checking can be carried out across hundreds of sheets through a reviewable interface.

Core Capabilities

• Two-step interface: Separates revision definition and maintenance from revision-to-sheet assignment, making the workflow easier to understand and audit.
• Revision creation: Creates new project revisions and supports quick templates for recurring descriptions such as Tender, Construction, or other office-standard issue stages.
• Description history: Reuses standard or previously entered descriptions to reduce retyping and improve consistency.
• Bulk editing: Updates descriptions or dates for multiple revision records at the same time.
• Bulk sheet assignment: Applies a selected revision to large numbers of sheets with a single action.
• Smart sheet filtering: Narrows the sheet list by sheet sets, disciplines, issued status, the presence of revision clouds, or particular revisions.
• Regular-expression search: Supports advanced pattern searches for both revisions and sheets, enabling precise matching of sheet numbers, names, prefixes, or other naming conventions.
• Date-format builder: Provides a visual drag-and-drop method for constructing revision date formats that align with office or client standards.
• Undo Last Set: Reverses the most recent revision-assignment operation, providing a safeguard against accidental bulk changes.
• Revision-log management: Removes revisions from selected sheets or deletes them more broadly from the project when appropriate.
• Excel matrix export: Produces a project revision matrix for external reporting, transmittal preparation, audit records, or coordination.

Opening Handing: Calculate, Review, and Record Door and Window Handing at Scale

Executive Summary

Opening Handing is a Revit automation and QA/QC add-in from Penguin Tools for calculating, reviewing, and recording door and window handing. It analyzes opening geometry, swing direction, wall insertion orientation, and adjacent room context to determine standard architectural handing values such as Left Hand (LH), Right Hand (RH), Left Hand Reverse (LHR), and Right Hand Reverse (RHR). The calculated result can then be mapped to a chosen Revit parameter for schedules, door and window data, hardware coordination, and model checking. Its primary value is replacing repetitive visual interpretation and manual parameter entry with a consistent, reviewable process.

Core Capabilities

• Automated handing calculation: Determines LH, RH, LHR, and RHR classifications from the modeled orientation and swing behavior of an opening.
• Inward/outward interpretation: Can identify whether an opening swings inward or outward, adding useful directional context beyond a simple left/right result.
• Geometry-based analysis: Evaluates swing geometry, insertion vectors, wall orientation, mirrored state, and room-bounding relationships rather than relying only on family names.
• Flexible parameter mapping: Writes calculated codes to existing shared parameters, project parameters, or custom instance/type parameters instead of forcing a single proprietary field.
• From Room/To Room context: Uses spatial relationships to interpret the transition direction between rooms or between interior and exterior space.
• Batch audit dashboard: Presents calculated results in a table for review before model parameters are updated.
• Flipped-opening detection: Identifies mirrored or flipped doors and windows that may create hardware, scheduling, or documentation discrepancies.
• Multi-category support: The Marketplace description identifies Doors, Windows, Curtain Wall Doors, and custom nested opening families as supported targets.
• Custom handing attributes: Penguin Tools describes an interface that lets users assign or configure handing attributes for door and window types.

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Free Model Upgrader Pro: Process Interdependent Model Sets Systematically

Executive Summary

Model Upgrader Pro is a free, high-performance Revit add-in from Penguin Tools that automates the migration of project models and family libraries to a newer Revit release. It is aimed primarily at BIM managers, project leads, and architecture/engineering teams responsible for annual software-version transitions. The tool scans folders recursively, identifies file versions and linked-model relationships, opens and upgrades files in memory, and can apply worksharing and cleanup options without filling the active Revit session with view tabs. Its central value is the ability to process interdependent model sets systematically rather than requiring users to open, dismiss prompts, save, and close every file manually.

Core Capabilities

• Batch upgrading: Processes multiple Revit project files and family-library files in one run, reducing repetitive open-and-save work.
• Recursive folder scanning: Searches selected directories and their subfolders, reports file counts, and detects source Revit versions before processing.
• Linked-model inspection: Reads Revit Transmission Data to identify nested links inside parent models and add linked files to the upgrade queue.
• Dependency-aware processing: Helps preserve coordinated model sets by discovering linked content rather than treating each parent model in isolation.
• Duplicate sublink protection: Deduplicates repeated linked-model references so the same file is not unnecessarily processed more than once.
• In-memory operation: Opens and upgrades files without drawing their view canvases or populating the normal document-tab interface.
• Audit on open: Can invoke Revit’s internal audit process while opening files to identify and attempt correction of database inconsistencies.
• Worksharing handling: Provides options to detach worksets and re-establish upgraded workshared files as central models.
• Backup cleanup: Can remove redundant _backup directories created during processing to reduce storage clutter.

Free Color Tabs Pro: Includes User-Defined Rules-Based Processing

Executive Summary

Color Tabs Pro is a free Revit productivity add-in that visually organizes open document and view tabs. It automatically applies color and styling according to the source document, view type, file category, or user-defined rules. Its purpose is to reduce navigation errors in busy Revit sessions, particularly when users have many views open across multiple projects and family files. Instead of relying only on truncated tab names, users gain an immediate visual cue indicating which document or view category each tab belongs to.

Core Capabilities

• Unique color per document: Automatically assigns a distinct color from a curated palette to each open project, allowing all views from the same model to be recognized instantly.
• Color by view type: Uses different colors for functional view categories such as Sheets, Floor Plans, 3D Views, and Schedules.
• Single-color mode: Applies a consistent color to a selected document category—for example, displaying all Revit family documents in green.
• Separate project and family behavior: Allows .rvt and .rfa documents to use different coloring modes and styles.
• Multiple visual styles: Offers Solid Fill, Striped, Top Bar, and Border treatments, enabling users to balance visibility against interface intensity.
• Custom rules engine: Supports “If/Then” overrides based on Project Number, File Name, or Project Name. A high-priority project can therefore receive a specific color and style regardless of the general settings.
• Rule precedence: Custom rules override the broader project or family configuration, making exceptions predictable.
• Native-theme integration: Overrides Revit’s normal tab appearance while preserving the active-tab selection theme, helping the current tab remain identifiable.
• Background operation: Runs silently after configuration; users return to the settings dashboard from the Penguin Tools ribbon when changes are needed.

Free Bulk Rename Pro: Clean Up Model Naming Conventions at Scale

Executive Summary

Bulk Rename Pro is a Revit productivity add-in from Penguin Tools designed to standardize and clean up model naming conventions at scale. Rather than editing names one item at a time, users can assemble rename rules, preview the proposed results, and apply consistent changes across multiple categories. The Autodesk Marketplace listing positions it for BIM managers, architects, and engineers who need faster naming cleanup, repeatable standards, and fewer manual errors.

Core Capabilities

• Live before-and-after preview: Displays existing and proposed names in a sortable, filterable table so users can inspect results before committing changes.
• Case conversion: Converts names to uppercase, lowercase, Title Case, Sentence case, camelCase, or PascalCase.
• Find and replace: Replaces literal text and supports regular expressions for advanced pattern matching, extraction, and restructuring.
• Prefix and suffix rules: Adds project, discipline, package, status, or revision identifiers to many names in one operation.
• Trimming and insertion: Removes leading or trailing characters and whitespace, or inserts text at a specified character position.
• Symbol and spacing cleanup: Resolves double spaces, substitutes spaces with underscores or hyphens, and removes unwanted non-alphanumeric characters.
• Multi-category processing: The Marketplace listing identifies Views, Sheets, View Templates, Schedules, Levels, Grids, and Worksets as supported rename targets.
• Usage analytics: Tracks model updates and estimated time savings over time.

Typical Workflow

1. Select the Revit category or categories to be renamed.
2. Filter or sort the item list to isolate the intended scope.
3. Build one or more naming operations, such as case conversion, find-and-replace, prefixing, suffixing, trimming, character insertion, or regex-based transformation.
4. Review the live old-name/new-name preview and check for unintended results or potential naming conflicts.
5. Apply the changes to the model, then validate affected views, sheets, levels, grids, templates, schedules, and worksets against the project naming standard.

Free Auto Sync Pro: Automatic Sync, Relinquish, Link Reloading, Idle Exit, Compact & Backup Cleanup

Executive summary

Auto Sync Pro is a free Penguin Tools add-in designed to automate routine Revit file-management tasks in the background. Its central function is timed or idle-triggered saving and Synchronize with Central, but the documented toolset also includes automatic relinquishment, Revit-link reloading, scheduled or inactivity-based exit, compact-on-sync, backup cleanup, a live status dashboard, and a persistent activity log. The product is aimed at workshared teams that want to reduce forgotten synchronizations, stale links, retained ownership, oversized files, and Revit sessions left running after hours.

Core automation tasks

• Synchronize or save: Automatically performs Synchronize with Central for workshared projects or saves non-workshared/local files at configured intervals. The vendor describes smart logic that skips models with no changes.
• Relinquish ownership: Releases borrowed elements and worksets so other team members are less likely to encounter editing bottlenecks.
• Reload linked documents: Refreshes Revit links automatically to bring current discipline data into the host model.
• Auto-exit: Closes Revit safely after a specified idle period or at a scheduled time, helping release workstation and license resources.
• Compact on sync: Uses Revit’s compact option during synchronization to reduce file bloat and support model maintenance.
• Backup cleanup: Removes older numbered backup files to manage storage consumed by local or server-side backup folders.
• Activity logging: Keeps a persistent record of background events and task completion for review and troubleshooting.

Scheduling and operating modes

• Continuous mode: Runs enabled tasks at clock-based intervals. Public product descriptions identify common synchronization intervals of 15, 30, and 60 minutes.
• Idle mode: Waits until Revit has been inactive for a user-defined duration, reducing the chance that automation interrupts active modeling.
• Time boundaries: Restricts background operations to configured start and end times, such as normal office hours.
• Scheduled exit: Supports a set closing time in addition to inactivity-based exit.
• Global activation: A master toggle enables or suspends the entire automation system; disabled tasks do not run.

Free Section Box Pro: Expands the Native Section-Box Workflow

Executive summary

Section Box Pro is a free Revit add-in from Penguin Tools that expands the native section-box workflow for rapid 3D isolation, detailing, coordination, and documentation. Instead of manually creating a 3D view, enabling its section box, dragging six faces, orienting the camera, and renaming the result, users can select model elements and generate a tightly cropped, predictably named 3D view. Its principal differentiators are independent directional buffers, alignment to selected geometry, linked-model support, preset camera orientations, batch creation of one view per element, and automated view naming.

Core capabilities

• Instant cropped 3D views: Creates and activates a new 3D view whose section box is calculated from the selected element or elements.
• Six-direction buffer control: Allows separate offsets for top, bottom, left, right, front, and back, supporting asymmetric working space rather than a single uniform margin.
• Quick presets: Vendor documentation identifies Tight (150 mm), Context (500 mm), and Clash (0 mm) presets for common inspection and detailing conditions.
• Automatic alignment: Can align the section box to the primary rotation of selected walls, columns, or structural framing rather than leaving it aligned only to project north.
• Linked-model selection: Supports elements in linked Revit models and transforms their coordinates into the host model for correct box placement.
• Camera orientation: Offers standard isometric, top, bottom, front, back, left, and right orthographic viewpoints.
• Scope-box synchronization: Can match the active section-box extents to a project scope box.
• Batch view creation: Generates separate cropped 3D views for multiple selected objects, such as doors, columns, or equipment.
• Smart naming: Builds descriptive names from category, type, and mark while handling duplicate names to reduce generic “3D View” and “Copy 1” clutter.
• Element isolation: Can isolate the selected object in the generated view.
• Section-box visibility: Provides a quick show/hide control for the section-box cage, useful for screenshots and presentation exports.

OkPy Review: Create Fully Functional Revit Add-ins with Zero Coding, with Examples!

Recently we posted about OkPy and its parent, the Orkestra add-in. I've been using OkPy for several days and have created a few add-ins with it, with zero coding. (I haven't even so much as looked at code.) Here I'll detail my add-ins and the prompts I used to create them. It's a good cross section, from a simple scripting task to a model scanner to interactive element selection, with some snazzy dialog box design and Excel interoperability thrown in for good measure.

A little about my programming background: I have about 30 years of development experience, though it has been almost exclusively with Bentley products, especially MicroStation (I know, boo, hiss!), and primarily with Visual Basic. A few months ago, I tried to create a Revit add-in the traditional way, with C#, but you need to configure Visual Studio to work with Revit and I couldn't find a modern reference for how to do that, so I didn't even get out of the starting block.

First, let's cover an add-in I named Hammer Sync. I wanted a tool that would sync, reload selected links, and sync again. Something I could kickoff and walk away from. This process is handy before exporting CAD files to make sure everything's up to date.

I used the following prompt to create the add-in:

Create a new project named Hammer Sync. In a dialog box, list "Synchronize Now", then all the Revit links in the active file in alphabetical order, and "Synchronize Now" again. To the left of each list item, place an icon appropriate for the task, synchronize for each Synchronize Now and reload for each link. To the far left of each list item, place a checkbox. At the bottom left of the dialog, place "Check None" and "Check All" buttons. If all checkboxes are ticked, lock the Check All button. If some checkboxes are unticked, unlock the Check All button. If no checkboxes are ticked, lock the Check None button. If some checkboxes are ticked, unlock the Check None button. If the user clicks Check None, untick all the checkboxes. If the user clicks Check All, tick all the checkboxes. To the right of the list, place an image of a steaming cup of coffee. At the bottom right of the dialog, place "Apply" and "Cancel" buttons. When the user clicks Apply, if the first Synchronize Now list item is checked, synchronize the model. Then, reload each link that is checked in list order. Finally, if the second Synchronize Now is checked, synchronize the model again. To the right of the list, when a list item is being processed, show a clock icon. When a list item is done processing, display a checkmark.

Now, to be fair, it took me four prompts to get this all included, which was fortuitous because that's the number of free prompts OkPy gives you per day. But my first prompt did the lion's share of the work. The others were just interface tweaks.

Let's see how OkPy works...

You open the OkPy agent through the Orkestra tab: