ModelData is an Autodesk Revit add-in from underbim, a Portugal-based BIM consultancy with experience in BIM, Revit training, consulting, and software development since 2001. It is one of eight add-ins in ub.Suite Edition 1, released in late October 2026. underbim positions it as a “data workbench” to “build, inspect, calculate and refine Revit schedule and model data with more control over the logic behind the result.” Rather than replacing Revit schedules with a separate data viewer, ModelData extends the schedule workflow with richer field sources, logical filters, grouping, calculated and combined values, investigation in the model, and reusable definitions and results. It is sold individually or as part of the complete ub.Suite.
This summary is based primarily on the text of the official ModelData product page, supplemented by underbim’s website and suite announcement. The product page is marketing material: it describes capabilities at a high level, and some feature areas are named without detailed explanation. No user guide content, independent review, or hands-on testing was available, so those gaps are identified in the open-questions section rather than filled with assumptions.
Core Concept: Work with the Logic Behind the Schedule
The product idea is to extend Revit’s schedule workflow “with filters, grouping, derived values and model context — while keeping the native Revit schedule at the centre.” underbim frames this as four connected layers:
- Input: native and semantic fields.
- Logic: filters and structure.
- Data: calculated and combined values.
- Context: investigation in the model.
The product page includes an illustrative data-workbench preview listing walls with Element, Level, Calculated, and Status columns, in which one row is flagged “CHECK” while the others show “OK.” This suggests that calculated values and status-style results can be used to flag items for review. Because it is a marketing preview, the specific rules behind such a status column are not explained.
Six-Step Workflow
underbim describes a connected workflow in which each step, “from source data to final output,” remains part of the same process:
- Fields: choose native, semantic, and derived data sources.
- Filter: build conditions and logical groups around the result.
- Structure: sort, group, and organize the schedule output.
- Calculate: create concatenations and calculated data where needed.
- Investigate: move from rows and values back into model context.
- Output: keep the Revit schedule or continue into reusable results.
Feature Explorer: Eight Layers of Control
The product page presents “one workbench” with eight feature areas: Fields, Filters, Sorting and Grouping, Formatting, Concatenations, Calculated Data, Investigate, and Semantic Data. The supplied page text describes Fields and Investigate in detail; the other areas are named and summarized only through the workflow description above.
Fields: Choose the Data Source, Not Just the Column
ModelData works with native Revit schedule fields while also providing access to semantic and derived data where a workflow needs a more stable or reusable source.
- Native first: use Revit data directly and keep native schedule behavior wherever it already solves the task.
- Select from: choose from supported sources beyond the immediate field list, broadening data access.
- Portable logic: preserve meaning by keeping data identities useful across definitions and workflows.
Filters, Structure, and Calculations
- Filters: conditions and logical groups built around the result. The page does not specify supported operators, nesting depth, or how the logic relates to Revit’s native schedule-filter limits.
- Sorting and Grouping: sort, group, and organize schedule output.
- Formatting: named as a feature area; its options are not described.
- Concatenations: combine values into new data where needed.
- Calculated Data: create derived values. Formula syntax and whether results are written to parameters are not described.
- Semantic Data: named as a feature area and linked to “more stable or reusable” data sources; the exact meaning of “semantic” in ModelData is not defined.
Investigate: The Data Never Has to Lose the Model
ModelData turns schedule results back into model context, following a path from schedule row to model context to focused view:
- Select / Zoom: return directly from a schedule result to the corresponding element in the model.
- Isolate / Clear: temporarily isolate relevant elements to reduce visual noise, then restore the working view when finished.
- Focus: frame the selected result with a controlled contextual margin.
- Groups: surface conditions related to Revit groups “instead of silently forcing unsafe changes.” This indicates awareness of group constraints, although the page does not specify which operations might change elements.
Connected ub.Suite Workflows
ModelData can be used on its own, but underbim emphasizes carrying structured context and results between ub.Suite tools “instead of starting again from scratch”:
- FilterToSchedule → ModelData: open a FilterToSchedule result directly in ModelData and continue with fields, filters, grouping, calculations, investigation, and output.
- Interference Investigator → ModelData: carry structured clash results forward so an investigation can become a schedule, a reusable result, or further model-data analysis.
- ub.Flow: ModelData participates in a wider ub.Suite workflow model in which tools exchange context and results instead of acting as isolated endpoints. The page describes this as “start from the task, then carry the context”; ub.Flow’s own features are not detailed.
This also provides the first published indication of FilterToSchedule’s role: it produces filtered results that can be opened in ModelData for further structured analysis.
Definitions, Results, and Output
ModelData is designed to preserve both the setup and the result, so the logic can be reused and outputs keep their context:
- .UBSD—Reusable definition: Stores a reconstructible schedule definition, including the logic needed to rebuild the working setup.
- .UBR—Definition + context + result: Stores a factual result with enough context to understand where it came from and continue working with it.
- CSV / XLSX—External exchange: Exports structured results when the next step belongs outside Revit.
- Revit schedule—Native working surface: Keeps the Revit schedule central instead of replacing it with a disconnected data viewer.
The page describes CSV and XLSX as export formats; it does not describe importing edited spreadsheet data back into Revit.
Compatibility and Licensing
- File formats: .ubsd definitions and .ubr contextualized results, plus CSV and XLSX export.
- License model: perpetual licensing by Edition. Edition updates are included; major Edition upgrades are optional.
- Documentation: the page links to setup and documentation resources.
The bundle may suit teams that want the connected FilterToSchedule and Interference Investigator workflows.
Workflow Value for BIM Coordinators
The following are interpretations of the published capabilities, not verified performance claims:
- Richer schedule logic: logical filter groups, calculated values, and concatenations may reduce dependence on helper parameters, Dynamo graphs, or spreadsheet post-processing for analytical schedules.
- QA/QC: calculated values and status-style results, combined with Select, Zoom, Isolate, and Focus, support a review loop of identifying an anomaly, locating it in the model, and investigating it.
- Standardization: reusable .ubsd definitions could let BIM coordinators package and share standard data checks across projects.
- Traceability: .ubr results preserve where a result came from, which may support coordination records and reporting.
- Coordination follow-up: carrying Interference Investigator results into ModelData could turn clash findings into structured, trackable data.
- Native continuity: keeping the Revit schedule central may make outputs easier to place on sheets and maintain within existing project standards.
Remaining Open Questions
The product page answers the main questions about purpose, workflow, output formats, compatibility, and pricing. These details remain to be confirmed from documentation or a trial:
- Writing data: does “refine” include editing element parameter values, or do calculated and concatenated values exist only in ModelData schedules and results? If values are written, what parameters are created, and how are undo and validation handled?
- Semantic data: what does “semantic” mean in practice, and which additional data sources are available beyond standard schedule fields?
- Filter logic: are OR conditions, nested groups, and more than Revit’s native limit of eight schedule filters supported, and how is the result maintained in the native schedule?
- Calculations: what formula syntax, functions, units, and rounding rules are supported?
- Updates: do schedules and results refresh automatically after model changes, or must definitions be rerun?
- Model scope: how are linked models, phases, design options, and worksharing handled?
- Spreadsheet round trip: is XLSX export-only, or can edited data be imported?
- Performance: how does ModelData perform on large models and schedules?
- Licensing details: two-activation price, whether activations are per machine or per user, license transfer, offline activation, and what counts as an Edition update versus a major upgrade.
- Data handling: what licensing traffic occurs through Freemius licensing, and is all model processing local?
Suggested Trial Evaluation
- Use a copy of a representative project rather than a live model.
- Rebuild an existing analytical schedule that currently relies on helper parameters or Dynamo, then compare setup time and results.
- Test complex filters with OR conditions and nested groups, and confirm the rows match the expected element set.
- Spot-check calculated and concatenated values against manual calculations, including units and rounding.
- Use Select, Zoom, Isolate, Focus, and Clear to confirm that results map to the correct elements and that the working view is restored.
- Include elements in Revit groups to observe how group-related conditions are reported.
- Save a .ubsd definition, reuse it in another project, and confirm that the setup rebuilds correctly.
- Save a .ubr result and export CSV and XLSX files, then review the context, structure, and formatting.
- If the suite is being considered, test the FilterToSchedule and Interference Investigator handoffs to ModelData.
- Check for any parameters, schedules, or other content added to the project, and confirm they meet office standards.
Overall Assessment
ModelData is a schedule-centered data workbench. It adds expanded field sources, logical filters, grouping, calculations, concatenations, and investigation tools on top of native Revit schedules instead of replacing them. Its main differentiators are bidirectional movement between schedule data and model context, reusable .ubsd definitions, context-preserving .ubr results, and integration with other ub.Suite tools. It is positioned for BIM coordinators who need more analytical control over schedule data. Key implementation details—particularly whether it writes data back to elements and how semantic data and complex filters work—are not yet published in the reviewed material. A 30-day trial on a representative project is recommended before adoption.
Sources
- underbim — ModelData product page. Primary source for product concept, workflow, features, connected workflows, file formats, compatibility, licensing, and pricing.
- underbim — home page. Lists ModelData within ub.Suite Edition 1.
- underbim — ub.Suite 1 LinkedIn announcement. Source for suite context and release timing.
- underbim — About page. Source for company background since 2001.
- underbim — Contact page. Source for contact email.
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