Coming Soon: 5 Years of Revit Add-ons, 30 Days of Exclusive Savings! (Updated)

Update: Event extended to May 18!

Happy Leap Day everyone!

In a little over a month from now, April will mark the 5th anniversary of Revit Add-ons, and I've got some special things lined up to mark the occasion, one of which is 30 Days of Exclusive Savings! During the month of April, and until May 18, vendors and developers are invited to offer savings in the form of discounts and giveaways. All readers need do is sit back and enjoy the savings!

I've always intended Revit Add-ons be a resource for vendors/developers and readers, and I think this event will typify that.

FAQ

Q: Can anyone participate?
A: Yes!

Q: Is there a fee to participate or any further commitment, i.e.: does one have to become a paid advertiser?
A: No!

Q: What can be offered?
A: Discounts or giveaways on Revit-related:

• Add-ins and other products
• Services such as training, consulting, development, etc.
• Conference registration, accommodations or airfare

Q: Can one offer promotions on multiple products or offerings?
A: Yes!

Q: What are the guidelines?
A: There are none! Promote your products in the manner that works best for you! (If you want some suggestions, we're happy to help!)

Q: Are there any special requirements?
A: Only that...

• Offerings be Revit-related
• Offers be exclusive to Revit Add-ons

Q: Is there a submissions deadline?
A: Yes, March 15th! No! 

Q: How do I get started?

A: Contact us!

This is a great, no cost marketing opportunity. Vendors and developers, take advantage today!

Readers: keep an eye on Revit Add-ons for some great deals beginning on April 1! No foolin'!

Roundup – New and Updated Revit Add-ins on the Autodesk App Store for the Week of February 21, 2016

The week of February 21 saw the debut of 3 new add-ins on the Autodesk App Store, one for performing water systems calculations, one for exporting Revit files to JT format, and one for accessing free content from within Revit.

9 add-ins also received updates, including CTC's popular BIM Project Suite and BIM Manager Suite, as well as CADstudio Revit Tools, just to name a few.

NEW

Water System Calculations
OS: Win64
Flow calculations for Domestic Water Systems according to DIN 1988-W308 norm with display of pressure loss and critical path | Trial

ExportMaster for Revit® - JT® - Win 64
OS: Win64
ExportMaster for Autodesk® Revit® - JT® exports your Revit models to JT format (.jt file). You can set translation options while exporting model to J | Trial

Polantis API
OS: Win32 and 64
Polantis Revit Api for Autodesk® Revit® is one of the best tools for architects to integrate CAD and BIM objects directly in their projects | Free


UPDATED

DPR Model Slicer
OS: Win32 and 64
Section your Autodesk® Revit® models automatically and repeatedly by using preconfigured settings, which allow multiple different 3D sectioned views to be created within a single interface | Free
About This Version: Version 6, 2/26/2016 – Revit 2016 now supported

Annotation Tools 2016
OS: Win64
Annotation Tools contains three features sets for Autodesk® Revit®: it enables you to generate labels/documentation for layers of walls and floors, for windowsill height dimensions and also door swing | $1.99
About This Version: Version 2.0.0.1, 2/25/2016 – Incorrectly listed as "Initial version."

RDBK_AutoNumber Pro 2016
OS: Win32 and 64
Selectively number many Autodesk® Revit® element types with auto-increment | $9.00
About This Version: Version 2016, 2/24/2016 – Updated for Revit 2016

CTC BIM Project Suite 2016
OS: Win32 and 64
Automate tedious tasks, use the power of Excel with Revit, manage content, compare a project at 2 points in time, validate families in rooms and much more. For Revit 2014-2016 | Free
About This Version: Version 16.0.5, 2/23/2016 – For details, see this post

CTC BIM Project Suite 2016 (Purchase)
OS: Win32 and 64
Automate tedious tasks, use the power of Excel with Revit, manage content, compare a project at 2 points in time, validate families in rooms and much more. For Revit 2014-2016 | $450.00
About This Version: Version 16.0.5, 2/23/2016 – For details, see this post

CTC BIM Manager Suite 2016 (Purchase)
OS: Win32 and 64
For people who manage Autodesk® Revit® content and projects, BIM Manager Suite contains tools to help standardize, protect, and quickly change Revit families and projects. For Revit 2014-2016 | $1,250.00
About This Version: Version 16.0.5, 2/23/2016 –
Batch Family Loader Enhancement: Loading into project (rte) and family (rft) file types now supported.
Dimension Checker Enhancement: Search choice: Include or Exclude when filtering dimensions with specific text strings

CTC BIM Manager Suite 2016
OS: Win32 and 64
For people who manage Autodesk® Revit® content and projects, BIM Manager Suite contains tools to help standardize, protect, and quickly change Revit families and projects. For Revit 2014-2016 | Free
About This Version: Version 16.0.5, 2/23/2016 –
Batch Family Loader Enhancement: Loading into project (rte) and family (rft) file types now supported.
Dimension Checker Enhancement: Search choice: Include or Exclude when filtering dimensions with specific text strings

CTC BIM Project Suite 2016.0.5 Released

From the Autodesk App Store...

About This Version
Version 16.0.5, 2/23/2016

NEW TOOL:  Schedule Parameter Resolver

• Schedule Parameter Resolver makes it fast and easy to synchronize multiple schedules with the right parameter information by changing the parameter definitions in the schedule to match the parameters used in families within the project, without losing the schedule formatting.

BIM List New Features:

• New option: enable BIMList Browser to always open when a project is loaded
• Content tab export function: export content list to spreadsheet

BIM List Enhancements:

• Processes additional system family categories in databases: columns, mullions, slab edges, wall sweeps, fascias, gutters
• The content tab view now displays more information about content in the database such as date added, last updated date.
• Content tab report includes user ratings and number of times loaded
• Search scope while in tabbed view now searches entire database
• Database dropdown list sorts alphabetically

Fire Rating Enhancement:

•  Tag spacing is now supported on curved walls

Revision Reporter is renamed to Revision Manager.  New features:

• New tab: Apply Revisions, associate a revision sequence to multiple sheets at once.
• Manage Revisions tab has three editable fields: Mark, Comments and Issued

Schedule XL New Features:

• Spreadsheets can now be drawn in drafting views (as well as in schedules)
• Images in spreadsheets can now be placed in Revit schedules and drafting views (Revit 2015 and 2016 only)
• Spreadsheets can be drawn in schedules and drafting views now based on Named Ranges in the spreadsheet

Water System Calculations Add-in

From the Autodesk App Store...

This is a TRIAL app. After installation, when Autodesk® Revit® is started, the user will be asked to activate the trial. To activate the trial, the user must obtain an activation code, which can be generated on our website (clicking the Activate button directly in the WCS app will take the user to the activation web form). The user must submit first name, last name, and email to which the activation code will be sent.

Trial means fully functional application for 30 days after the activation.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In general, "Water System Calculations" is providing three key features:
1. Conducts flow calculations according to DIN 1988-W308 norm, frequently used in Europe.
The application adds user defined flow calculations for Domestic Water System into Revit Mechanical Settings (under Pipe Settings / Calculation / Flow / Calculation Method), which uses Fixture Units (defined in plumbing fixtures families) to calculate water flow.

2. Calculates pressure loss on critical path and shows critical path for Domestic Water System or Hydrant System
One major and unique feature is critical path finder. It will find the critical path with the highest pressure drop combined of friction and elevation losses along the path. The final result is total pressure drop. Revit finds the critical path as well, but it does not take elevation into account.

Free Polantis API – In-App Access to Free Revit Content

From the Autodesk App Store...

Founded in France in 2008, Polantis was one of the first companies to understand the rapid technological changes and change of method due to the arrival of BIM in the world of AEC manufacturing. With hundreds of thousands of AEC professionals subscribed from 164 countries, a multitude of CAD & BIM objects created in nearly 30 different formats, Polantis is a world leader in CAD & BIM creation for AEC professionals.

The Polantis application permits a direct connection from Autodesk® Revit® to a huge object and texture database hosted on dedicated servers and in the cloud, all in .rvt and .rfa formats. It’s a great time-saver allowing AEC professionals to concentrate on what’s most important - conception and planning.

About This Version
Version 1.0.0.0, 2/22/2016: Download objects in .rvt and .rfa formats directly from Revit in one click staying on the same window. Sort and access objects by manufacturer Sort and access textures by manufacturer Access object data and information online directly from an object in Revit. This includes critical manufacturer data, updates, contact details, norms etc. Access Polantis homepage and last consulted object page

The free Polantis API add-in is brought to you by Polantis. There's more information available on the Autodesk App Store.

RTC 2016 NA – Essential Revit Add-ons Abstract

I posted recently that my abstract for Essential Revit Add-ons was accepted for a lecture presentation at the Revit Technology Conference North America 2016. Below is the text from my abstract.

Title:

Essential Revit Add-ons

Body:

So you want to increase productivity with Revit add-on applications? You have a limited budget and want to get the best bang for your buck. You’ve done some research, but are overwhelmed by the choices. Which add-ons are essential, and why? This presentation is intended to help you narrow the field of Revit add-on applications to those that deliver the best value.

The categories of add-ons we will focus on will be:

• Family content management 
• Excel interoperability 
• Project management/maintenance 
• Transmittal automation 
• Productivity suites 
• Annotating 
• Viewing 
• Human interface devices 
• And more! 

This lecture will be designed for Revit users from all disciplines and at all experience levels.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover recommended add-ins for each category covered
• Learn about paid and free alternatives
• Learn about online add-in resource sites

If you'll be attending RTC 2016 NA in Phoenix in July, I'll hope to see you at the event, if not at my session.

For those in the greater Seattle area, I plan to also present this session at the August Seattle Revit User Group (SeaRUG) meeting.

I plan to resubmit my abstract for consideration for next year's international RTC events in Asia, Australasia, and Europe. If you'd like to see me present this session at one or more of these events, please contact RTC Events Management and let them know!

Related:

• Essential Revit Add-ons Presentation Video
• RTC 2016 NA – Essential Revit Add-ons Handout

Dynamo 0.9.1 Released – NEW! Share Customizable Designs In Any Web Browser!

From the Dynamo website...

Dynamo is breaking through into new areas of design with the ability to share workflows online, manipulate geometry through direct click/drag mouse interaction, and reference external file formats.  We’ve even got Dynamo running remotely from a web service now (Check out the Customizer feature).  We’ve also made it easier to work with long-running computations and to interact with Revit files with tools to control when you want parts of your graph to execute. Read the more extensive list below.

Along with the more user-visible pieces mentioned above, we are also working “under the hood” towards an increasingly clean separation between the “Core” Dynamo TECHNOLOGY (that part that handles logic, node graphics, execution, etc) and those additional things that come in PRODUCTS like Dynamo for Revit and Dynamo Studio.  Dynamo Core technology is really just that, a technology, not a product that you can install and use on it’s own.  Dynamo is the stuff that powers “Dynamo for Revit”, “Dynamo Studio”, and soon, you will see Dynamo for other tools too!  Some of these are in alpha/beta stages of development, but one of the more developed ones is React Structures. Dynamo4* and more to come!

We are also particularly excited about the “Customizer” feature for sharing content online.  While the Customizer itself is pretty cool, what it represents is fantastic.  Customizers run on any modern browser with no Dynamo required.  This is because we can now run Dynamo instances from regular old servers like AWS (Amazon Web Service), opening up the possibility of computationally enhanced workflows on Macs, Linux, mobile devices, really anything, without having to actually run Dynamo on those devices.  Customizers are the tip of the iceberg, watch this space for more exciting things.

New for Dynamo Core

Here are some of the new goodies that are now available as a basic functionality in anything that consumes Dynamo.

Direct manipulation

Sometimes numerical manipulation isn’t the right approach. Now you can push and pull Point geometry when in navigating in the background 3d preview and still keep parametric/numerical control of the elements.

Freeze Functionality

When you have long running portions of your graph, or don’t want to export data to other applications, or want to debug some logic, don’t unplug your nodes. Now you can suspend execution of specified nodes in the graph by using Freeze in the right-click contextual menu

Bluebeam Revu 2016 Features Revit Plugin Enhancements

Bluebeam Revu is one of my favorite products. As Revit and ArchiCAD are great for BIM, and Navisworks perfectly enables clash management, Revu is outstanding for PDF markup and editing, standalone or collaboratively. Owing to its elegant markup tools, which include symbols such as section and detail callouts, furniture, plants, etc., I describe Revu as "PDF CAD".

Bluebeam has released Revu 2016, and it includes the following enhancements to the Bluebeam Revit plugin. 

• Rooms can be exported to spaces for easier markup tracking
• Area measurement markups can be added to rooms during export
• Materials are handled more elegantly, including material colors when creating 3D PDFs
• Section boxes are honored when creating 3D PDFs

Check out the video below for examples, and see the Bluebeam website for more information.

Roundup – New and Updated Revit Add-ins on the Autodesk App Store for the Week of February 14, 2016

The week of February 14th saw the release of a new Revit add-in on the Autodesk App Store, Kubity Exporter for exporting Revit models to Google cardboard virtual reality.

There were also updates to 9 Revit add-ins, including the Autodesk-authored Site Designer Extension, the popular BOM to Excel for exporting Revit bill of materials to Excel, and Enscape for creating real time 3D rendered walkthroughs, to name a few.

NEW

Kubity Exporter
OS: Win32 and 64
Export any Autodesk® Revit® model to your mobile and see it in VR! | Free



UPDATED

BOM to Excel - Reports, Tables, Quantities
OS: Win32 and 64
Create custom BOM tables from Revit schedules. Export to Excel for professional client reporting, design documentation, QC or analysis. Instant quantities for estimating and take offs for parameters | $900.00

BOM to Excel - Reports, Tables, Quantities - Trial
OS: Win32 and 64
Create custom BOM tables from Revit schedules. Export to Excel for professional client reporting, design documentation, QC or analysis. Instant quantities for estimating and take offs for parameters | Trial

OBJ Exporter For Revit®
OS: Win32 and 64
OBJ Exporter for Autodesk® Revit® exports a Revit model to an OBJ file. The file format is open and has been adopted by other 3D graphics application vendors | Trial

Autodesk Site Designer Extension for Revit
OS: Win64
Autodesk Site Designer Extension for Revit software provides site planning tools to shape the terrain for building sites within the Revit environment | Subscription App

Lumion Collada Exporter
OS: Win32 and 64
Using this add-in you can easily export your scene from Autodesk® Revit® to COLLADA format (*.DAE) | Free

Enscape™
OS: Win64
Enscape™ – Realtime 3D rendered walkthrough for your projects in Autodesk® Revit®. It enables you to show and communicate designs in your team or to your customers effortlessly | Trial

RevitWorks Door Factory 2016 LITE
OS: Win64
Create Doors & Curtain Panel Doors quickly with the RevitWorks Door Factory LITE: a FREE door maker add-in. The Door Factory creates doors that are incredibly easy to use within Autodesk® Revit® | Free

NoteMaster
OS: Win64
Creates and manages both project general notes and keynotes. Notemaster also allows users to save commonly used notes on a master list for use on other projects | $30.00

OneRay-ST Spiral Stairs
OS: Win64
OneRay-ST Spiral Stairs for Autodesk® Revit® creates wonderful highly customizable spiral stairs for Revit within just a few minutes. Revit Family for Spiral Stairs creation included! | $28.00

Free qrVR Exporter – Revit Models to Virtual Reality with One Click

From the Autodesk App Store...

See all of your Autodesk® Revit® models in Virtual Reality (VR) on Google Cardboard with just one click.

This plugin enables the “Export to qrVR” option in Revit and allows you to seamlessly transfer your models to the new qrVR app. Just click on the qrVR button and your Revit model will open automatically in your browser in just a few seconds.

Once your model has been exported, scan the generated QR code with your qrVR app on your favorite smartphone (it's a free download from the App Store and Google Play Store) and enjoy the VR mode.

If you need to contact the team, please write to support@kubity.com

Get the free qrVR app for iPhone/iPad: itunes.apple.com/app/kubity/id1012366115

& for Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kubity.player

About This Version
Version 1.0.0, 2/16/2016
Initial release.

The free qrVR Exporter is brought to you by Kubity. There's more information available on the Autodesk App Store.