Exclusive: Interview with Nonica Co-Founder and CTO Jaime Alonso

Editor's Note: Here on Revit Add-ons, we've documented NonicaTab Free and NonicaTab PRO previously. However, since then, both versions have undergone significant changes, especially with the additions of AI. Instead of simply documenting the add-ins again, we reached out to the good folks at Nonica for an interview, and Jaime Alonso, co-founder and CTO, was kind enough to oblige.

Can you please describe your two add-ins in a quick, elevator pitch?

NonicaTab actually started back in 2020 as a Revit Add-In to make custom Revit toolbars easier, we ended up building over 36 tools that people can mix and match depending on what they need. Then, in early 2025, when MCPs [Model Context Protocols] came out, we saw an opportunity and shifted toward AI, specifically, an A.I. Connector for Revit that lets AI extract, review, report on, and document your models using natural language.

We offer it in two versions: there is a Free version, which includes a solid set of our most-used tools plus a limited version of the AI Connector, so people can really get a feel for what it does. And then there is PRO, which unlocks the full toolset and unlimited use of the AI Connector for those who end up relying on it more heavily.

Jaime Alonso

In more detail, what are the differences between the Free and Pro versions?

On the toolbar side, Free includes a curated set of our most popular tools, the ones people reach for most often [12 tools]. PRO gives you all 36+ tools, so if there's something more specific or niche you need, it's probably in there.

On the AI Connector side, Free lets you use it too, with some usage limits, so you can genuinely try it out on real work and see how it fits into your workflow. It is mostly geared toward extracting, reviewing, and reporting from Revit, asking questions, pulling data, generating reports. The editing side, like setting parameters or adding views to sheets, is reserved for PRO.

So honestly, a lot of users do just fine on Free, especially if they are mostly doing lighter documentation and review work. PRO makes more sense once you want AI to actually make changes in the model, not just report on it.

What popular 3rd party add-ins are baked into the Pro version?

A few tools were inspired from some well-known third-party add-ins such as Align or Room Finishing. For instance, for the tool Color Elements by Parameters, we converted the Color Splasher from C# to Python, and added a few features (e.g. the option to create view filters for the colors or automatic legends). After releasing in Nonicatab, it was also included in pyRevit set of tools, so especially proud about that one. The idea was to build native versions inside NonicaTab that we could keep supporting long-term, so users aren't stuck depending on something that might not get another update.

Free Maestro: Create, Organize, Deploy, and Manage Custom Autodesk Revit Tools

Summary: 

Maestro is a platform for creating, organizing, deploying, and managing custom Autodesk Revit tools without building a traditional compiled add-in. Rather than functioning as a fixed productivity pack, Maestro gives AEC teams a flexible framework for turning firm-specific workflows into accessible Revit ribbon tools. It is designed to help BIM, VDC, digital practice, and software development teams package automations, scripts, documentation, and resources directly inside Revit in a way that feels familiar to end users.

Purpose and Positioning

Maestro is intended for teams that need custom Revit functionality but do not always need or want the overhead of developing, compiling, distributing, and maintaining a conventional add-in. It allows workflows to be assembled around the actual needs of a firm, project team, or production group. Users can place scripts, websites, folders, documentation, and other resources into custom Revit ribbon interfaces so that important workflows are easier to find, launch, and standardize.

Custom Revit Ribbon Creation

One of Maestro’s primary capabilities is the creation of custom Revit ribbon interfaces. Teams can build their own structured ribbon environment using custom tabs, panels, individual buttons, button stacks, pulldown buttons, split buttons, and panel slide-outs. Each ribbon item can include custom naming, descriptions, and icons, helping teams create a polished and intuitive interface for their internal tools.

Ribbon items can be configured to launch Python scripts, websites and web applications, files, folders, documentation, and other workflow resources. This reduces the need for users to search shared drives, remember command names, or locate scripts manually. Instead, Maestro places the workflow directly where Revit users already work: inside the Revit interface.

Python-Based Automation and Future Support

Maestro currently supports Python-based Revit workflows, allowing teams to create reusable automations that can be launched from the custom ribbon. These scripts can support a wide range of Revit tasks, including parameter review and modification, view and sheet management, annotation workflows, element selection and filtering, model audits, repetitive model changes, report generation, and enforcement of company standards. Support for C# scripts and Dynamo workflows is currently in development, which suggests the platform is intended to expand beyond its current Python-focused automation model.

3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro

From the 3Dconnexion website:

The 3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro with detached numpad is engineered to help you create digital 3D models and professional designs. Its compact width enables a better position of your mouse or pen resulting in a more natural and comfortable posture. Twelve programmable 3Dconnexion keys automatically provide access to app-specific commands you need most – saving time and keeping you focused.

3Dconnexion keys adapt to the app you are using

The 3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro features 12 additional function keys located above the standard keys. The keyboard instantly recognizes the applications you are using, as well as their environments. Commands you use most are automatically assigned to the individual keys, so you can access them directly. You can also easily personalize the 3Dconnexion keys according to your preferences.

An on-screen display lets you know which commands are assigned at all times.

Product Roundup: PARS-BIM

From the Autodesk Design and Make Marketplace:

We are making construction easier.

Editor's Note: Ratings are static and accurate at press time. Please see the Autodesk Design and Make Marketplace for latest ratings.

PARS-BIM: Architecture Tools

Accelerate your architectural workflow in Revit. From rapid sheet management and rule-based modeling to advanced CAD-to-BIM conversion, PARS-BIM Architecture Tools empowers you to complete projects faster. | $30.00/month or $250.00/year

★★★★★ (5 reviews)

PARS-BIM: MEP Tools

The ultimate MEP productivity suite for Autodesk® Revit®. Solve complex clash detection, automate pipe/duct routing, and fix common Revit bugs with one-click professional MEP tools. | $35.00/month or $300.00/year

No ratings yet

PARS-BIM: Architecture Tools & MEP Tools Bundle

The complete BIM solution. Get the full power of PARS-BIM Architectural and MEP toolsets in one professional package. Your ultimate competitive advantage in Autodesk® Revit®. | $40.00/month or $400.00/year

No ratings yet

Product Roundup: Avant Leap

From the Autodesk Design and Make Marketplace:

At Avant Leap, our mission is to revolutionize the engineering landscape by providing cutting-edge digital solutions.  We empower engineers to achieve excellence through seamless integration of technology, automation, and intelligence. Our commitment is to lead the way in transforming industries, optimizing practices, and creating a sustainable impact on the world. 

We are a team of passionate thinkers and strategists in the building industry. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and innovation, we tackle intricate challenges. Our collaboration with architects, engineers, contractors, and owners ensures optimized project delivery across the entire lifecycle.

Editor's Note: Ratings are static and accurate at press time. Please see the Autodesk Design and Make Marketplace for latest ratings.

Ecco

Ecco is an Autodesk® Revit® add-in that creates unified proxy solids from assemblies, families, and groups for logistics planning — enabling QTO, delivery sequencing, and truck assignment. | $39.00

★★★★★ (1 review)

Enlazo
The Enlazo is an add-in that automatically assigns parameter values from parent structural elements to nearby child elements using proximity detection. | $39.00

No ratings yet

Sequenza: 4D Construction Sequence Exporter

Summary

Sequenza is an Autodesk Revit add-in designed to automate the extraction of construction sequence information from a Revit model and convert it into structured files for 4D construction simulation. It bridges Revit model data with downstream tools such as Navisworks TimeLiner and 3ds Max by generating the task, component, and animation data needed to build a construction timeline.

Core Purpose

The primary purpose of Sequenza is to eliminate the manual effort required to create construction sequence data for 4D workflows. Instead of building Navisworks TimeLiner task hierarchies and element assignments by hand, users can generate structured CSV outputs directly from the Revit model. This allows project teams to spend more time refining the actual construction logic and less time assembling the underlying data structure.

Model Reading and Grouping Workflow

Sequenza reads the active Revit project and organizes model elements by level and category. This grouping creates a practical construction-oriented structure that reflects how work is commonly planned and sequenced in the field. By grouping elements into level-category packages, the tool can generate a manageable hierarchy for construction simulation while still preserving a clear relationship between model elements and schedule tasks.

As part of the process, Sequenza assigns shared parameters that encode each element’s position in the construction timeline. These parameters help identify sequencing information inside the Revit model and support consistent export into the downstream simulation files.

Export Outputs

Sequenza generates three primary output files for 4D coordination and visualization. The Simulations Identification CSV is used for importing tasks into Navisworks TimeLiner. The Simulations Components CSV links Revit model elements to those construction tasks, creating the relationship between the geometry and the timeline. The MaxScript Animation file supports playback in 3ds Max, allowing the exported sequence to be used for animated construction visualization.

Ostacolo: Clash Detection & Tracking in Revit

Summary

OSTACOLO is an Autodesk Revit add-in designed to manage clash detection, tracking, and resolution directly inside the Revit environment. Instead of relying entirely on external coordination platforms and repeated export/import workflows, OSTACOLO keeps clash identification and issue management within the active project model. It stores clash data persistently in the Revit file using Extensible Storage while also maintaining a structured JSON database for sharing and offline coordination.

Core Purpose

The primary purpose of OSTACOLO is to turn clash coordination into an in-model workflow. Traditional clash detection often requires moving data between Revit and separate coordination applications, which can create extra steps, disconnected issue records, and coordination overhead. OSTACOLO addresses this by detecting clashes, placing visual markers, storing issue data, and managing clash status changes without requiring users to leave Revit.

Detection Protocols

OSTACOLO detects geometric conflicts using five configurable discipline protocols. These include Structural vs MEP, Architecture RC versus Structural and MEP, Architecture WD versus Structural and MEP, MEP Internal, and a combined All protocol. This structure allows users to target specific coordination scenarios rather than running only broad, unfocused clash tests.

The Architecture RC protocol focuses on roof, floor, and ceiling elements, while the Architecture WD protocol focuses on windows and doors. MEP Internal checks conflicts within MEP disciplines, and the All protocol provides a broader combined coordination review. Each protocol can be configured to suit the coordination goals of the project team.

Hard Clash and Clearance Modes

Each detection protocol supports two clash modes. Hard Clash mode identifies physical intersections between element solids, flagging situations where elements overlap in the model. Clearance mode identifies elements that do not intersect but fall within a user-defined minimum distance, measured in millimetres. This allows teams to detect both direct conflicts and spacing violations that may affect constructability, maintenance access, code compliance, or coordination requirements.

Mostra: Parameter Colorization

Summary

Mostra is an Autodesk Revit add-in designed to help BIM teams quickly visualize model data by grouping elements according to shared parameter values and applying color-coded graphics across the model. Instead of manually creating filters, assigning colors, or building separate coordination views, users can select a category, choose a parameter, pick a color palette, and generate visual results in seconds.

Core Purpose

The primary purpose of Mostra is to make model information easier to understand, review, and communicate. Revit models often contain valuable parameter data, but reviewing that data element by element or building visual filters manually can be slow and error-prone. Mostra turns parameter values into immediate visual groupings, making it possible to see patterns, gaps, inconsistencies, and distribution across a model without writing filter rules by hand.

Workflow and Interface

When Revit loads, Mostra adds two ribbon buttons to the AvantLeap Tools tab: MOSTRA and MOSTRA PRO. The standard MOSTRA button supports a focused, single-category workflow. Users choose one element category, select one visible parameter such as Level, Phase, Fire Rating, Assembly Code, or another available Revit parameter, choose a color palette, select an operation, and click Execute.

MOSTRA PRO expands the workflow by supporting multiple categories and named presets. This allows BIM teams to save recurring configurations and reload them in future sessions with one click. Presets are especially useful for repeated coordination checks, design reviews, or quality-control workflows that rely on the same categories, parameters, palettes, and output operations.

Visualization Operations

Mostra offers four main operations: Create Views, Apply Filters, Apply Overrides, and Reset View. Create Views can generate isolated 3D views based on parameter groups, helping users separate model elements by shared values. Apply Filters creates persistent parametric filters so the visualization can remain part of the Revit view setup. Apply Overrides directly changes graphics in the active view for quick visual analysis. Reset View removes the applied visualization changes when the review is complete.

Schema: View Layout Manager For Project-to-Project Organization

Summary

Schema is a Revit add-in designed to streamline BIM project setup by automating the reuse of standard sheet and viewport arrangements. It addresses a common source of repetitive work for BIM managers, template administrators, and project teams: rebuilding the same drawing set structure on every new model. Instead of manually laying out sheets, viewports, and schedules project after project, teams can define a standard arrangement once and apply it consistently across future Revit models.

Core Purpose

In many BIM environments, drawing set organization is standardized across projects, but the setup process still requires substantial manual effort. Sheet names, viewport placements, schedule locations, and drawing arrangements are often recreated from scratch even when a proven layout already exists. Schema captures the structure of an established drawing set and converts it into a portable schema file that can be reused without transferring model geometry, project-specific content, or full template files.

Two-Step Workflow

Schema works through a two-step process: first capturing a layout from a source model, then assembling that layout in a target model. This approach separates drawing set standards from project-specific data, allowing teams to maintain reusable documentation layouts that can be safely shared, versioned, and applied across different projects.

Edit Schema: Capture the Source Layout

The workflow begins in a Revit model that already contains the desired sheet and viewport arrangement. Using the Edit Schema command, Schema scans all sheets, viewports, and schedule instances and displays the complete drawing set on an interactive canvas. Viewports appear as gold rectangles, while schedule instances appear in blue, giving users a visual representation of the exact geometric arrangement of their documentation set.

Within the Schema Editor, users can review the detected layout and make adjustments to viewport or schedule positions if needed. Once the layout is approved, it is saved as a portable .schema.json file. This file stores sheet names, viewport positions, viewport sizes, view types, and schedule placement data, but it does not include model geometry or sensitive project-specific information. As a result, the schema can be safely shared across teams, archived for future use, or managed in version-control systems.

Spazio: Extract and Regenerate Rooms Across Floors, Buildings or Projects

Summary

Spazio is a Revit workflow tool designed to eliminate one of the most repetitive tasks in architectural practice: rebuilding room layouts that have already been designed, coordinated, and documented in other projects. Instead of manually recreating common room types—such as hotel guestrooms, hospital wards, apartment units, or other repeatable spatial modules—Spazio allows teams to capture the layout once and reuse it across future projects.

Core Purpose

In many architectural and BIM workflows, recurring room types require significant duplicated effort. Designers and modelers often need to redraw boundaries, reposition furniture, reload or re-specify families, and place fixtures and equipment from scratch even when the layout has already been resolved elsewhere. Spazio addresses this inefficiency by turning a completed room layout into a portable package that can be stored, shared, filtered, previewed, and placed in another Revit model.

Extract and Export Workflow

The workflow begins inside a Revit model containing placed rooms. With the Extract & Export command, Spazio scans the model and identifies each room along with the related layout information. It collects furniture, lighting fixtures, electrical equipment, plumbing fixtures, mechanical equipment, and boundary walls associated with the selected rooms. The extraction window presents the available rooms with their areas and element counts, helping users decide which layouts are worth packaging.

After selecting the desired rooms and assigning a filename, Spazio exports each room as a standalone .spazio file. These files use a plain JSON format, making them portable, readable, shareable, and suitable for archiving or version control. This approach allows firms to build reusable room libraries without locking the information into a single Revit project.

Enlazo: Parameter Link Propagation

Summary

Enlazo is an add-in for Autodesk Revit designed to automate the transfer of parameter values from parent elements, such as structural columns, beams, walls, or slabs, to nearby child elements in any Revit category with writable instance parameters. Instead of requiring users to manually copy values from one element to another, Enlazo uses spatial proximity detection to identify related elements and apply the appropriate parameter values in a controlled, repeatable workflow.

Purpose and Problem Solved

The add-in addresses a common BIM coordination problem: many Revit elements need parameter values that reflect their relationship to nearby structural or spatial elements, but those relationships are not always explicitly stored in the Revit data model. In typical workflows, BIM coordinators, structural engineers, or MEP coordinators must visually inspect the model, determine which elements belong to the same zone or structural relationship, and then enter values one element at a time. This process is slow, repetitive, and prone to inconsistency, especially on projects with hundreds or thousands of related elements.

Workflow

1. Select the parent category and the parent parameter to read.
2. Click Find Parent and select the source element in the model. Enlazo highlights the parent element in orange and displays its current parameter value.
3. Select the child category and the writable child parameter that should receive the value.
4. Click Find Children. Enlazo samples points along the parent geometry and detects nearby elements within the configured search radius, highlighting detected children in blue.
5. Review the detected child elements in the tree view, remove any elements that should not be updated, or add elements manually when needed.
6. Confirm the value to assign, then click Save Data. Enlazo writes the selected value to all selected child elements in a single Revit transaction.

For a typical parent element, this workflow can be completed in less than a minute, making it significantly faster than manual parameter entry across repeated or connected model elements.

Ecco: Logistics Planning

Ecco is a Revit add-in that creates simplified logistics proxies from assemblies, families, and groups by converting their combined geometry into unified DirectShape elements. Each proxy is represented as a single solid, making it easier to support quantity takeoff, delivery sequencing, procurement tracking, and truck-loading workflows directly inside Revit without exposing the full complexity of the design model.

The workflow begins with Create Proxies. Users select assemblies, family instances, or groups, and Ecco recursively gathers all subcomponent solids from the selected elements. It then boolean-unions that geometry into one solid, aligns the resulting proxy according to the source element’s facing direction, and places it at a user-defined staging offset. Each proxy is linked back to its original source element using Revit ExtensibleStorage, creating a bidirectional relationship that helps keep the logistics model connected to the design model.

The Rotate Proxy tool supports visual staging and truck-fit review by allowing selected proxies to be rotated in 90-degree increments around the X, Y, or Z axis. Because the tool is modeless, users can keep it open while rotating multiple proxies without repeatedly restarting the command.

The Set to Truck workflow is designed for fast assignment of proxies to trucks or containers. When opened, it automatically isolates proxy elements in the active view so users can focus only on logistics objects. Proxies can then be assigned continuously to a truck or container ID without reopening the window for each assignment, and the view is restored when the workflow is closed.

The Create Schedule command generates a Revit schedule named Ecco — Logistics Schedule, listing proxy elements by truck or container assignment. This allows logistics and procurement teams to review delivery groupings directly in Revit instead of relying on manually maintained spreadsheets.

Famiglia: Composite Family Round-Trip

Famiglia is a Revit add-in designed to streamline composite family creation, separation, and placement workflows without scripting or manual Family Editor work. It provides three ribbon-based tools: Join Family, Separate Family, and Place Along Curve.

Key benefits include a complete round-trip composite family workflow, accurate preservation of position and orientation, automatic Generic Model template discovery, configurable curve-based placement, and diagnostic log files for troubleshooting.

Join Family combines multiple selected project instances into a new composite family file. It automatically creates the family document, loads each selected component, preserves their positions and rotations relative to the group centroid, saves the new family temporarily, and reloads it into the project at the correct location. This reduces a workflow that might normally take 30–60 minutes manually to roughly 30 seconds.

Separate Family reverses this process by breaking a composite family instance back into its original individual components. It restores each component to its exact world position while preserving horizontal rotation and elevation. Once all eligible components are placed successfully, the composite family is removed. Components that cannot be placed by coordinate, such as some face-based elements, are skipped and reported with warnings.

Place Along Curve lets users select a model curve, choose a family type, and specify spacing in millimeters. The tool then places family instances evenly along the full curve length.

HMK Tools: Productivity Add-ins & AI for Revit

From the HMK Tools website:

The tools that should always be there.

A deep suite of productivity add-ins for Autodesk Revit, plus Pilot AI — an assistant that lives inside Revit and drives Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D from your favorite LLM. All the things your design software should already do, in one place. 

Pilot AI

Pilot Chat

An AI assistant that lives inside Revit.

Pilot Chat is a dockable chat panel right inside Revit. Ask questions about your model, run audits, and automate edits in plain language — without leaving the application. It understands your active document and can act on it directly.

Highlights

• Dockable pane that stays out of your way
• Analyze, automate, and audit your model conversationally
• Bring your own API key — you stay in control
• Works on any open Revit document

How Revit MCP works →

Ceiling Walls: Quickly Create Walls Between Two Ceilings

This plug-in quickly creates walls between two ceilings, making a normally time-consuming task much faster on large projects such as hotels. Users can generate the wall by setting a few options, and it can also create hidden linear lighting at the same time when needed.