Free Lights Add-in

From the Autodesk App Store...

Lights is a full LED luminaire library from Winled featuring always up-to-date luminaires. Every luminaire is modelled with user interest in mind and have functionalities that equal reality.

The Lights application provides over 50 different kinds of luminaires with comprehensive technical data.

More info at www.lightsforrevit.com

About This Version
Version 1.0.0, 10/14/2016
Initial release

The free Lights add-in is brought to you by Winled Oy.

There's more information available on the Autodesk App Store.

3D PDF Converter by 3DA Systems Version 9.0.1 Released

From the Autodesk App Store...

About This Version

Version 9.0.1, 10/12/2016

• Improvement in the conversion speed for Revit® 2017 projects
• Improvement for the linked file conversion
• Improvement for the conversion of imported object and DWG plans

Description

3D PDF Converter is an integrated software working within the Autodesk® Revit® environment that enables users to publish rich, interactive 3D PDF files that are significantly smaller than the original Revit 3D models.

The 3D PDF Converter for Revit connects the extensive Building Information Modeling (BIM) community for the first time with a Revit plug-in that supports data sharing using 3D PDF based on the PRC file format.

The software uses the Adobe 3D Technology as a one button file conversion that is easily exchangeable and viewed with the free Adobe Reader.

Roundup – Current Expiration Dates of Free Revit-Related Tech Previews on Autodesk Labs

Courtesy of Scott Sheppard from his It's Alive in the Lab blog...

Most technology previews are like milk cartons. They have expiration dates on them. When a technology preview expires, the technology preview no longer operates. A preview has a time-bomb in it that makes it stop working on a particular date. We do this so there is a sense of urgency to try a technology preview and get back to us. Our customers are busy people, and without this, they would just say "I'll get to that later."

When a technology preview expires, any data that has been created by it continues to be valid. It's just that the data cannot be edited using the technology preview since the preview does not run anymore. Certainly, new data can't be created either.

This time-based approach allows us to get timely feedback, early in the technology life cycle, on the general idea, user interface, performance characteristics, and correctness of the results.
Here is a list of active technology previews and their associated expiration dates. The list is sorted by expiration date — so act fast if you want to provide feedback on these technology previews before they retire or graduate.

Dynamo Plug-in for Robot Structural Analysis
Connect Dynamo to Robot Structural Analysis.
Expires: October 31, 2016

React Structures
Connect your BIM process to intuitive structural analysis.
Expires: November 17, 2016

Project Monolith
Try voxel-based modeling engine for multimaterial 3D printing.
Expires: December 31, 2016

Project Play
Make amazingly rich interactive 3D presentations on the web.
Expires: January 31, 2017


There's more information available on the It's Alive in the Lab blog.

Raceways Add-in for MEP

From the Autodesk App Store...

The add-in, Raceways, is specifically designed to show the length of the cable route in a raceway in Autodesk® Revit®.

About This Version
Version 1.0.1, 10/12/2016
English version

The Raceways add-in is brought to you by PROMNOVATSIYA, LLC. It's priced at 1.00 USD.

There's more information available on the Autodesk App Store.

Revit 2017.1 Release from an Add-ons Perspective (Updated)

October 12th saw the release of Revit 2017.1 (formerly R2 in previous release years). Perhaps the biggest news was the inclusion of the Dynamo Player, which allows Revit users to run Dynamo scripts without even having to open Dynamo. Dynamo for all, NICE!

Here's an Autodesk-authored short video of the Dynamo Player in action:



Revit 2017.1 also includes the latest release of Dynamo, the very recently released Dynamo version 1.2.

Lastly, a couple Autodesk-authored former add-ins were natively rolled into the base product, Insight 360 and the Space Naming Tool (for MEP). We've updated our Roundup of Autodesk Product Enhancements for Revit 2017 accordingly.

For more information on the Revit 2017.1 release, see the Inside the Factory blog. There's also a nifty video playlist of the new features on YouTube.

Updated on October 13, 2016 to include the version of Dynamo installed with Revit 2017.1, and to include the link to the YouTube playlist of the new features.

Revizto Version 4.2 Released

Revizto Version 4.2 is out this week. Unusually, Revizto doesn't have a "What's New" type post up on their blog, at least not yet, instead opting to host a webinar on the new features on October 12th.

In the blog post announcing the webinar though, they did drop a couple of nuggets. And we were also able to glean more information from Luke Johnson's What Revit Wants blog as well as the Twitter-sphere.

Here's what we know about Revizto 4.2:

• Supports HTC Vive controllers
• Offers VR support for the Issue Tracker – the ability to see clashes, create issues and view issues all in virtual reality
• Features new cloud optimization options that can decrease file size by as much as 80%
• Offers the ability to export Revit sheets in vector format (in Beta)
• Supports DWF import
• Offers improved support of 4K screens
• Export for MacOS

The latest version of Revizto may be downloaded here

Revizto is brought to you by Vizerra. It's priced beginning at 650.00 USD per month for a "20 Collaborator" package.

Further reading:

• Revizto Version 4.1 Released
• Revizto Version 4.0 Released

Credit: Luke Johnson's What Revit Wants blog

Precast Concrete Suite from AGACAD

From the AGACAD website...

COMPREHENSIVE BIM SOFTWARE FOR DETAILED MODELING OF PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS IN REVIT®

• Model precast walls and floors with easy split, update and modify options
• Insert connection details, plates, grout tubes, anchors, etc. using flexible rules setup
• Manage changes in your project and benefit from dynamic updating of assemblies
• Automatically sort elements and prepare shop drawings for final documentation

Compatible with BIM software Autodesk® Revit®, Revit® Architecture, Revit® Structure and Building Design Suite.

CREATE PRECAST ELEMENTS – INSERT DETAILS – SORT ELEMENTS – CREATE DRAWINGS

• Avoid wasting time: lengthy tasks automated and/or eliminated.
• Eliminate useless costs: profit boosted by faster work and easier updating
• Don’t risk falling short: best practices built-in for any design standards

COMPLETE SOLUTION FOR PRECAST ELEMENT DESIGN AND DOCUMENTATION

What's Hot in Revit Add-ons for September 2016

Of those articles posted on Revit Add-ons in September 2016, the announcement of the initial commercial release of the content management system Avail received the most pageviews. Coming in second was a post about the latest release of the Autodesk IFC add-in.

Coming in third was an announcement of a sale on the 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Enterprise and SpaceMouse Enterprise Kit. Sadly, the sale ended on September 30th.

Receiving the fourth most pageviews was a post about a new release of Revision Cloud Manager, which always generates a lot of interest.

Next up were a couple of aggregation-type posts, the previous What's Hot article and the weekly roundup of new and updated add-ins on the Autodesk App Store for the week of August 14th.

And rounding out this month's top performing posts was one about a release of CTC's BIM Batch Suite and a case study on RTV Xporter PRO & HOK.

Descriptions are those of the vendors.

Avail for Revit – Initial Commercial Release Now Available!

We’re pleased to announce that AVAIL is now available!  AVAIL is a new, one-of-a-kind content management solution for Revit and all of your visualization assets.

AVAIL helps you organize and retrieve Revit Families, System Families, Drafting Views, Sheets, Schedules, Groups and more across your project teams and entire firm!

Read the full story about the initial commercial release of Avail here.

Webinar – Creating Revit Luminaire Families

Editor's Note: David Speer of Lighting Analysts asked us to relay the following.

From the ElumTools website...

Revit Online Education

Lighting Analysts is once again pleased to host noted Revit expert and author, Mr. Dan Stine in a team effort with our own Mr. Matt Kincaid for a two hour session on Revit Luminaire Families. This course provides vital content for anyone creating families that is interested in preserving integrity for accurate lighting calculations. End users of Revit and ElumTools will enjoy the many valuable tips for understanding and interacting with the wide variety of family content available from today’s providers.

Special Bonus Material: When you attend you will also receive in PDF format a 66 page chapter on basic family construction from Dan Stine’s Revit Textbook “Design Integration Using Autodesk Revit 2017”.

Live Webinar Sessions
Revit Luminaire Families - Best Practices for Lighting Calculations; 2 hours ($200/attendee)
November 3rd, 2016 11am-1pm Mountain Time Zone

SEE SCHEDULE
REGISTER NOW!

Hilti Button for Firestop Plugin

From the Hilti website...

Detect. Match. Done.

Hilti Button for Firestop automates the entire firestop BIM process by identifying penetrations, and recommending listed firestop systems, saving you time and giving you the information you need to get the job done right.



The Hilti Button for Firestop plugin is priced at 995.00 USD per year per user.

There's more information available on the Hilti website.

Free NuBIM Vulcraft Add-in for Joists and Decks

From the Vulcraft website...

SPECIFYING JOIST AND DECK IS EASIER THAN EVER
NUBIM® VULCRAFT ADD-IN FOR REVIT® SOFTWARE
AVAILABLE ONLY FROM VULCRAFT

VULCRAFT/VERCO GROUP’S NUBIM® ADD-IN FOR REVIT® 2017 IS NOW AVAILABLE.

The new version available exclusively from Vulcraft/Verco Group includes improved joist and deck families with added functionality. An improved user interface to aid in specifying joists and deck to a BIM Level of Development (LOD) of 300, thus keeping the model and drawings more in sync.

• Joist Types Available: K, KCS, LH, DLH, CJ, Ecospan®, Joist Girder
• Special Profile Joists: Scissor, Archchord, Bowstring, Double Pitch, Multi Pitch, Single Pitch
• Special Profile joists now have more flexibility for end depths and mid-span depths
• Joist End Tagging allows you to automatically place joist end data on your drawings
• Joist Loading Specification has been improved
• Dynamic Load Diagrams can now be created
• Joist Load Tables can be placed on drawings like any other standard Revit schedule
• All joist families show Conceptual Web Layouts at fine detail level
• Joist seats automatically adjust based on the slope of the joist
• Vulcraft/Verco deck profiles, including Vulcraft’s new Dovetail Deck, are also available through the NuBIM Add-In for complete specification of your Revit floor/roof system

All of these features combine to increase efficiency and improve accuracy when developing the  model and creating the contract drawings on your projects.

Free InstaFoundation Add-in

From the Autodesk App Store...

Until now, to create a step foundation Autodesk® Revit® users had to use the foundation template, calling for them to draw the rectangles of the required dimensions and then extruding them.

With the Instafoundation app, users can build the step footing without drawing a single line. They need to input their footing sizes in the dialogue box and their footing is then ready. Very simple. Even a non- Revit user can use it.

The plug-in is available to you in the Revit Structural Foundation template under RCC CAD menu.

1. You can create footings in imperial as well as metric units. 
2. It saves time by 90%. 
3. Non Revit users can also create the footing with very little training. 
4. It is very easy to use. 
5. You can also create single pedestal footing.

And of-course it's free.

BIM Track Version 1.5 Released

From the Autodesk App Store...

About This Version

Version 1.5, 10/7/2016

Here are the features included in this version :

• Addin:
• Create issues from clashes in Navisworks
• Show Clash Spheres in Revit and Navisworks
• Keep and restore hidden elements when creating issues (Revit & Navisworks)
• Edit issues and add comments directly in Revit and Navisworks
• Filter issues by Type, priority, zone, phase, labels, teams, group and author
• Few bug fixes and improvements
• Web platform:
• Assign users to project when adding them to the hub
• Assign issues to a team
• Few bug fixes and improvements

Description

BIM Track™ is a web-based collaboration platform that empowers your team with better coordination workflows. BIM Track™ provides a central hub for all coordination information from design to construction. With information at your fingertips, you can get access to your data anytime, anywhere, either from a desktop or mobile device. Charts and graphics help understand data and your management performance through precise metrics. We promote Open BIM workflow solutions by supporting IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) and BCF (BIM Collaboration Format).

Print Reports

Dynamo Version 1.2 Released

From the Dynamo blog...

October 3, 2016
ZACH KRON

Autumn is upon us, and we have lots of new functionality in Dynamo 1.2, as well as significant improvements to stability and performance.  Some of the most apparent changes are additional tools we have added to enhance list manipulation workflows, and a large number of new Revit functionalities for Annotation and other areas.  Download the new Dynamo For Revit build here, or the main download button on the top right of this site.  Dynamo Studio updates will be available later this week.  Existing Studio users will be alerted via the Autodesk Desktop App, new users can download 1.1 from here and run the patch update from the Desktop App.

Stability

Stability is usually measured as a trailing indicator, we can look back on previous releases and make assertions about how we are trending.  We can now compare 0.9.1 (the build that was included in Revit 2017) with build 1.1 and can see a +4x improvement in stability in Dynamo for Revit.  In concrete terms, this means you can expect to work for more than 4 times as long in 1.1 before seeing “exceptions” (those times where Dynamo thows up a critcal error warning or crash).  Improved instrumentation will give us more clarity on these stability improvements going forward.

In addition to regular bug fixes and stability improvements, 1.2 has also made some drastic stability enhancements that are a direct result of previous work done for 1.0 and 1.1 “instrumentation” (the ability to gather usage information based on your usage).  Essentially, 1.2 development eliminated 30% of crashes in 1.1 by gathering better data from you. These are the kinds of crashes that are complicated to reproduce, and might be hard to describe, but leave a clear signature in the code.  With better data coming back in from users, we now have a steady stream of very actionable bugs.  So thanks to everyone who crashed in 1.1, you have made our 1.2 world a better place!

We have lots more to do, but we will continue consistently and vigorously making Dynamo more robust and dependable with each release.

Roundup – For the Week of October 2, 2016, New and Updated Revit Add-ins on the Autodesk App Store (Updated)

The week of October 2nd saw the release of two new Revit add-ins on the Autodesk App Store: a commercial one for location-based quantity takeoffs, Location Tool, and a free one for aligning views in the same location across multiple sheets, Align Views.

Numerous add-ins were also updated, including the following that received relatively significant updates: Autodesk LIVE Viewer and Revision Cloud Manager.

Updated 10/10/2016: Added the 2016, 2017, and Free versions of the Location Tool add-in. Also added BIM Track, which made its debut on the App Store this week.

NEW

Location Tool PRO (2015)
We make BIM better! Location based quantity take off is now available in Revit... | USD 30.00
About This Version: Version 2015, 10/7/2016 – Initial version

Location Tool PRO (2016)
We make BIM better! Location based quantity take off is now available in Autodesk® Revit® | USD 50.00
About This Version: Version 2015, 10/7/2016 – Initial version

Location Tool PRO (2017)
We make BIM better! Location based quantity take off is now available in Autodesk® Revit® | USD 50.00
About This Version: Version 2015, 10/7/2016 – Initial version

Location Tool Free
We make BIM better! Location based quantity take off is now available in Revit | Free  About This Version: Version 2015, 10/7/2016 – Initial version

BIM Track™
BIM Track™ is a web-based collaboration platform that empowers your team with better coordination workflows. It provides a central hub for all coordination information from design to construction | Free
About This Version: Version 1.5, 10/7/2016 – For release notes, see this post.