At Ideate Software, we believe in empowering our users to streamline their workflows. One such workflow that may have flown under the radar is our capability to utilize Project Information parameters as variables within Ideate Automation scripts. This feature becomes very useful when trying to process multiple Revit files across multiple projects, enabling project-specific export folder locations.

One use case of this workflow came to us as a request directly from one of our customers, Jan Leenknegt, BIM Director at BIG stating: “We would like to push different pdf exports to different project folders for ultimate ease by the teams.” We understand that this feature is a game changer for project organization, efficiency, and workflow management. 

So, how does it work? It's elegantly simple. 

You need to create a custom project parameter in your Revit model—in this example below: “Project-Folder” —and place the desired PDF export path in that field per image: 

 
This parameter and value will always reside within the Revit model in Project Information. Users can now specify exactly where they want their PDF exports to go. 

The magic happens when running Ideate Automation and utilizing the proper syntax for Export Folder field to call that value that exists in the Revit model.  The value when creating the automated task will be: ${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.Project-Folder}

 
Utilizing this method enables the creation of tasks that utilize multiple models as input. Upon the execution of the export to PDF task, Ideate Automation seamlessly directs the output to the designated export folder of the respective model, ensuring organization without additional manual intervention.  This workflow finds application in various scenarios, including:

1. Automated exports of PDF/DWG/IFC/NWC files, with export destinations residing within the Revit project
2. Automated project Save-As operations, leveraging project information parameters for specifying Save As locations
3. Automated Health-Check exports, with export destinations managed within the Revit project parameter

Below is a practical task setup demonstrating the utilization project information to define paths for Save As operations for a list of Revit models. Additionally, this example incorporates the creation of subfolders corresponding to the project name, thereby streamlining the placement of exports within the designated directories.

 

1. File list is a .txt file containing a list of Revit models utilized in this task
2. SaveAs variable name identified in this task to be the file name
3. Remarks is a Project Information parameter setup in each model in the list, facilitating save as to designated locations
4. An option to include subfolders into the location parameter, which can serve both as a parameter and a standalone entity. In this demonstration, it is represented by the Revit filename parameter.

Here is a diagram illustrating the output resulting folder structure:

 
Please note, with this workflow, folders will get generated by the task in the event they do not already exist. 

We're excited to deliver this solution to our customers, helping them streamline processes and achieve even greater success in projects. Try it out today and experience the difference firsthand. If you love the idea of using Project Information parameters for export locations, you will find this blog post on using Project Information for export file naming useful. 

For additional training tips, check out more posts in our Training blog series.

Browse our website to learn more about how Ideate Software add-on products help Revit users save time, increase model accuracy, improve deliverables, and elevate design. You can give them a try by downloading trial versions or purchasing the bundle for access to the Revit plugin solutions Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for six months. 

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About the Author

Nivin Nabeel, Customer Success Manager, Americas

Nivin has a background in architecture, visual arts, and computer science and has extensive experience in managing and manipulating BIM data, developing and implementing BIM standards and workflows, and applying BIM workflows to ancillary project components for improved efficiency. Before joining Ideate Software, Nivin worked at several architecture and design firms where she learned about Ideate Software products, used them, advocated for them, implemented them, and trained others on how to use them. She earned her Bachelor of Architectural Science degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. Follow Nivin on LinkedIn.

One of the best places to get started with learning Ideate BIMLink is a Room Finish Schedule. If your Revit project has more than 30 rooms and more than four (data-input) columns, using Ideate BIMLink can significantly reduce the time it takes to review and edit your room data by allowing your edits to happen within Excel. The sheer volume of data makes this Revit task unwieldy. Despite the addition of “Freeze Header,” Revit still has a long way to go to achieve the ease-of-use found within Excel.

When you export your Room Finish data to Excel via Ideate BIMLink, you get these benefits:

• Fantastic editing functions within Excel! Today I’ll highlight three of my favorites.

1. Format as Table
2. Autofill
3. Find and Replace

• More control of the Room Phase and Design Option properties

1. Unlike Revit, Ideate BIMLink data exports do not limit the room list to one specified phase or design option 
2. Being able to edit all Room data across multiple phases at once will save you time in your complex projects
3. As this blog series continues, we will explore these and other powerful uses of Ideate BIMLink

• Most importantly, you can hand off the Excel file generated via Ideate BIMLink to anyone on the project team for editing, regardless of their Revit skill set.

The example I’m using here is based on the Snowdon Towers Sample Architectural model that comes with Revit 2024. Everything shown here is supported as far back as Revit 2021 at the time of this post. All the Scheduled fields shown in the Schedule Properties in our example are built-in Revit parameters. 


Here’s a cropped example of the Room Finish Schedule as viewed in Revit. 

Now let’s get this information out to Excel!

There are three methods for creating links with Ideate BIMLink. We’re going to use what I think is the easiest, Create from Schedule.

Simply open Ideate BIMLink, choose “New,” then “Create from Schedule” where you can browse or search for the Room Finish Schedule, and the click “Next.”

 
After reviewing the Link Properties, pick “Done.” You’ll be returned to the Ideate BIMLink home screen where you select the newly created Link and click “Export” to save and open it in Excel.

Now that the Excel file is open, let’s have a look at my favorite editing features.

Format as Table

This one click is the most powerful thing you can do to any Excel file that has been exported from Ideate BIMLink. 

With cell A1 as the default selection when Room Finish Schedule.xlsx is opened, pick Format as Table from the Styles Tab in Excel to give your table headers (parameters) drop down-functionality!

The ability to filter and sort parameter values is nearly endless. Good luck getting a Revit Schedule to work like this!

Autofill

Revit typically limits us from editing more than one value at a time in a Schedule View. Once in Excel, use Autofill options to easily copy multiples and sequences up and down columns with ease.

While Autofill is super helpful, be aware that it won’t work if you have applied a filter to any of the column headers. A perfect example of that would be in the previous step where we filtered the Levels column to show only L2 and L3.

Find and Replace

When it comes to making wholesale changes for issues like typos or in this case, changes to a finish that affects many rooms, Find and Replace is your friend.

Make sure to expand the ‘Options’ when using Find and Replace to get the most benefit.

We recommend that all Revit users have access to Ideate BIMLink to expedite the review and editing of Revit schedules and Room Finish Schedules are a great place to start. You can download a trial version of Ideate BIMLink and try for yourself.

In my next Training blog post, I’ll expand on this theme and cover the benefits of Revit Key Schedules.

For additional training tips, check out our Training Blog Series.

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About the Author

Jason Bailly, Training Manager
Jason brings 20 years of experience in the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner-operator space with past roles including customer success manager, digital practice specialist, digital design principal, and application manager. At Ideate Software, he develops and leads training courses for customers and the internal technical sales and software development teams. When not working, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and children as well as mid-century modern architecture, road racing vintage two-stroke motorcycles, and landscaping

 

Managing the myriad of materials within a Revit project can be a daunting and time-consuming task. This task is made easier and more efficient using Ideate BIMLink.

We always recommend using one of the many sample link definitions that ship with Ideate BIMLink.  In this example I’m using the Column_Types link definition, open the properties and add the Material Parameter.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the simple things, like using the search function within Ideate BIMLink to search for the parameter that you want to add to the link definition:

Search for the key word in the Search box e.g., Material

Material Parameter has been added to the link.

Edit the materials as required, either within the Ideate BIMLink interface or for quick bulk editing export to Excel.

Edit the Material as required.

It’s as simple as that!

In the May 2023 release of Ideate Software, you are now able to edit and manage the material types and thicknesses within compound Wall, Floor, Roof and ceiling elements using Ideate BIMLink. There is a new folder of link definitions specifically for managing materials.

Check out this short video to learn more about editing the material layers within Walls. 

For additional training tips, check out our Training blog series.
 

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About the Author

Steve Deadman - Customer Success Manager - EMEA
Steve provides support to customers and helps them get a strong return on their software investment. He has a B.Eng (Hons) degree in Mechanical Engineering and various certifications in engineering. Before joining Ideate Software, he worked at several top architectural firm in the United Kingdom where he specialized in the implementation and management of BIM processes and technology. Find Steve on LinkedIn.

 

 

Recently we added the ability to create the export of DWG files from Revit models with Ideate Automation. 

• We’ve supported the creation of PDFs since June of 2022 
• We support exporting to DWG from Revit version 2020 and above

Controlling the output of files is performed with the set-up wizard in Ideate Automation. We improved the Revit DWG export settings, and you can control the naming of the DWGs better and add custom parameters where needed.

• The default file naming for many scripts that export to DWG is controlled by the variable ${view_parameterValue}, which is in turn controlled by either a sheet or view name parameter. 
• The default value for the sheet elements is to use the parameter called “Sheet Number.”
• The default value for view elements is to use the parameter called “View Name.” 

For example, to comply with ISO 19650 standards, many people manage required sheet number values with custom parameter names. In the image below, you see that the sheet number on the title block is combined with two custom parameters called Project Code and Originator. Both of them are stored under Project Information.

Complying with ISO 19650 UK Standard with a title sheet using custom parameters

You can use the AUT-Export_DWG and the IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic Ideate Automation scripts to deliver unique dwg file names by adjusting the File Name variable to:

${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.Project Code}-${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.Originator}-${view_parameterValue}

 Adding custom parameters from Project Information to the file name.

After the script is complete and the files created, the file name is created by concatenating the Project Code, the Originator, and the Sheet Number parameters.

DWG exports are created with names consistent with ISO the 19650 UK standard.

Combinations of custom or built-in parameters under Project Information can follow this syntax to become part of the file naming.  However, you can only use one Sheet or View parameter in combination with any Project Information parameters within the script.

Read more about how to automate DWG exports from Revit in this how-to guide.

If you’re a fan of ISO 19650, you may find these blog posts useful as well:

• ReNumber Revit Sheets per ISO 19650-2 Standards with IdeateApps
• Evolve Consultancy Streamlines ISO 19650-2 Compliance with Ideate BIMLink

For additional training tips, check out our Training blog series

Browse our website to learn more about how Ideate Software add-on products help Revit users save time, increase model accuracy, improve deliverables and elevate design. You can give them a try by downloading trial versions or purchasing the bundle for access to the Revit plugin solutions Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for six months. 

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About the Author

Steve Deadman - Customer Success Manager - EMEA
Steve provides support to customers and helps them get a strong return on their software investment. He has a B.Eng (Hons) degree in Mechanical Engineering and various certifications in engineering. Before joining Ideate Software, he worked at several top architectural firm in the United Kingdom where he specialized in the implementation and management of BIM processes and technology. Find Steve on LinkedIn.

 

 

Our customers are overwhelmingly delighted with one of our newest features developed by Michael Coffey. This is also one of my favorites. I can see how helpful it can be in creating similar sheets with room views for projects. I wanted to bring your attention to this hidden powerful feature! Long gone are the days of manual view creations and manual alignment. 

When using this feature in Ideate ViewCreator, one of the tools in the IdeateApps collection, you can setup one sheet with the room views that you like and then use it as a template to create many more.

Tips to making this successful: Make sure to turn off, Grids, Sections, and Levels in your view template prior to cloning the Sheet. This ensures the scope box placement and the extent of the view match the original setup without being affected by Grids, Sections and Levels. Once when the new Sheet is created, you can turn these categories back on, if desired. The same View Template will be applied to the Cloned Sheet, so turning the items back on will be a breeze. 

Original Sheet used as a Template:

 
New Cloned Sheet:

Bonus! You can select multiple rooms to follow one template! Batch view creation made easy! 

 
Learn more about batch creating room-based views here.

This blog post is part of our Training Series. Access more here. 

Browse our website to learn more about how Ideate Software’s Revit add-ins help Revit users save time, increase model accuracy, improve deliverables, and elevate design. You can give them a try by downloading trial versions or purchasing the bundle for access to Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for six months.

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About the Author

Nivin Nabeel, Customer Success Manager, Americas

Nivin has a background in architecture, visual arts, and computer science and has extensive experience in managing and manipulating BIM data, developing and implementing BIM standards and workflows, and applying BIM workflows to ancillary project components for improved efficiency. Before joining Ideate Software, Nivin worked at several architecture and design firms where she learned about Ideate Software products, used them, advocated for them, implemented them, and trained others on how to use them. She earned her Bachelor of Architectural Science degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. Follow Nivin on LinkedIn.