Ze’Connect is a Revit add-in from ZestineTech that automates some of the most repetitive coordination chores: exporting models for review, keeping links pointing at the right files, and moving models to the cloud. Its main idea is to stop opening files one by one. Pick a set of Revit models, local or in Autodesk Forma or BIM 360 projects, and Ze’Connect processes them in the background without opening each model in the Revit window. ZestineTech's product page lists five tools in one add-in: Batch NWC Export, Batch DWG/PDF Export, Batch IFC Export, Link Remapper, and Cloud Collaborate. A later update added Scheduled Export, which runs the exports automatically, even when Revit is closed, and Auto Open Revit, which opens a chosen model at a set time. ZestineTech describes it as a flagship product.
Note on sources: This summary is based on ZestineTech's product page and its "how it works" page, the Autodesk App Store listing, ZestineTech's two YouTube tutorials, and a third-party directory entry. Autodesk's documentation provides background on cloud models and supported Revit versions. I found no independent reviews or hands-on tests, so time-saving claims, such as the product page's "half the overhead," come from ZestineTech.
The Problem It Addresses
ZestineTech frames the problem around "the 8 AM problem," the routine that starts every coordination review. It names three pain points:
- Repetitive exports: Open a model, pull the 3D view, export the NWC, save, close, and repeat across dozens of models. Hours disappear before coordination even begins.
- Broken connections: A server rename or a BIM 360 migration breaks links. Each one has to be inspected, remapped, and reloaded in Revit's Manage Links dialog, one link and one model at a time.
- A hidden productivity tax: One missed view or outdated export can compromise a whole coordination review. Small manual tasks become a recurring cost on every project.
The Tools Inside
Batch NWC Export
Exports models to Navisworks (NWC) for coordination review without opening each file. The product page describes three steps:
- Select your files: Pick several Revit files from local storage or Forma / BIM 360 cloud projects in a single selection.
- Auto-extract 3D views: Ze’Connect pulls all the 3D views from each file in the background, without touching the Revit window.
- Configure NWC settings: Choose element properties, room geometry, and coordinate systems once, and apply them to every export.
Batch DWG/PDF Export
Exports sheets and views to DWG and PDF from many Revit files, local or cloud-hosted, without opening each model. The App Store listing says users keep full control over DWG export setups and PDF output, and it describes the tool as suited to issuing drawing sets and deliverables at project scale.
Batch IFC Export
Batch-exports 3D views to IFC for openBIM coordination. You set the IFC schema and export options once and apply them across many files, instead of exporting file by file.
Link Remapper
Fixes broken or outdated Revit links in bulk, for example after a server rename, a file move, or a migration to the cloud. ZestineTech's tutorial shows how it works on the active document:
- See every link at once: View all the Revit links in the active document.
- Select what needs fixing: Choose the specific links that need remapping.
- Point to new paths: Browse to the new file locations in local storage or Forma / BIM 360 cloud projects.
- Remap All: Apply the changes and reload all the selected links automatically in one batch.
The product page compares this with the usual routine of opening Manage Links, finding each broken link, browsing to the new path, and reloading, then repeating for every link in the model. ZestineTech says the batch version takes "minutes, not an afternoon." The tutorial describes the tool working on the open document's links, not on closed files.
Cloud Collaborate
Publishes local models to the cloud in batches. You select local files, browse ACC folders inside the add-in, and upload them together, with no round trip to the web interface. The App Store listing describes it as publishing local models to the cloud. I found no description of how it prepares models for cloud worksharing, which Autodesk treats separately from simply uploading a file.
Scheduled Export
Runs the batch exporters automatically at a time you choose, even when Revit is closed. This is the feature behind ZestineTech's "queue it the night before" message:
- Multiple formats in one task: Tick any of NWC, IFC, DWG, and PDF. Each format writes to its own subfolder and keeps the same options as the manual batch tools.
- Guided wizard: It walks you through picking files, configuring each format, renaming outputs, and setting the schedule.
- How a run works: At the due time, a background Revit session launches, opens each model once, exports every chosen format, and closes. The listing recommends it for nightly or weekly deliverables.
- Current model option: A "Use current model" source exports the model you're working in.
Auto Open Revit
Opens a chosen Revit model at a scheduled time, even when Revit is closed, so a large model is loaded and ready before you sit down. It works with local models and with cloud models in Autodesk Forma or BIM 360. You can choose how worksets open (all open, all closed, or a specific set) and set a daily, weekly, monthly, interval, or one-time schedule. Windows launches Revit and opens the model for you. The listing suggests it for warming up heavy cloud models first thing in the morning.
Fit for a BIM Coordinator
- Where it helps: Preparing federated models for weekly coordination meetings, issuing consistent DWG, PDF, and IFC sets, repairing links after a file server or cloud migration, and having large models open and ready at the start of the day.
- Standards and consistency: Because export settings are configured once and applied to every file, exports should be more consistent than hand-run ones. Check that your NWC, IFC, and DWG setups map cleanly into Ze’Connect's options before relying on them for a deliverable.
- Where to be careful: Test scheduled runs with a small set of models first. Confirm which views are exported, how files are named and overwritten, what happens when a model is locked or a cloud connection drops, and where failures are reported. The vendor's own animation shows "export failed · file locked · retry 3" as a possibility.
- IT and licensing: Scheduled and background runs use Revit sessions, so check that they fit your Revit license terms, machine availability, and cloud sign-in setup. I found no guidance on this.
- Fit with other tools: It overlaps with Autodesk's own batch and publishing features and with other batch-export add-ins. It's most distinctive for the combination of local-and-cloud support, link remapping, and scheduling in one free add-in.
Open Questions
- Does Scheduled Export need the PC to be on, signed in, or unlocked? How does it use Windows scheduling?
- Do background runs need a separate Revit license seat, and how do they affect cloud sign-in?
- How are exported files named, organized, and overwritten? Can old exports be kept or cleaned up?
- Which NWC options are available beyond element properties, room geometry, and coordinate systems? Does IFC export use saved Revit IFC setups?
- Can Link Remapper work on closed files, or only on the active document? What happens to links with different path types or nested links?
- Does Cloud Collaborate also initiate cloud worksharing, or only upload files?
- Is there a log or report for each batch run, including failures and retries?
Bottom Line
Ze’Connect targets the repetitive prep work behind coordination reviews. It batch-exports NWC, DWG/PDF, and IFC from local and cloud models without opening them, remaps links in bulk, uploads models to ACC, and can schedule exports to run overnight, even with Revit closed. The product is young, with its first release in May 2026 and a big update in September 2026, and the evidence for it comes mostly from ZestineTech. A BIM coordinator with a regular set of federated models should find it worth a trial. Start with a small set of models and compare the exports with your current ones. Test failure handling before putting scheduled runs in charge of a deliverable.
Sources
- ZestineTech: Ze’Connect product page
- ZestineTech: Ze’Connect “how it works” page
- Autodesk App Store: Ze’Connect
- Autodesk App Store: Ze’Connect (Revit listing)
- AEC Plus Tech: Ze’Connect directory entry
- YouTube: How to Remap Revit Links in Bulk (ZestineTech)
- YouTube: How to Batch Export Revit Files to NWC (ZestineTech)
- ZestineTech YouTube channel
- Autodesk Support: Officially supported product versions of Revit
- Autodesk Help: Create Publish Schedule for Cloud Workshared Revit Models
- Autodesk: Initiate or upload Revit models to the cloud for collaboration
- Autodesk Support: How to publish a Revit cloud model on Autodesk Forma
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