Just got the right catch. I was thinking to go with Dynamo but this is a handy one. This will easily save fifteen hours for me. Thanks for sharing it. 👍
Great video. What should I do if I want to have a description value that has commas in it? Im guessing that i should make it a formula in a new field or is there a work around?
If you are in a csv with symbols that would cause misinterpretation and save out of excel as a csv, it should account for these using a special syntax that wraps the full value in quotations to preserve the characters that could be seen as a separator I think.
Hi Gavin, thanks a lot for sharing the great tutorials. could you make a video about importing details of the Revit model to life cycle assessment software like Open LCA or any other LCA software?
I haven't really come across much LCA integration currently, but this resource might be useful (although it doesn't appear to be compatible beyond Revit 2020): www.oneclicklca.com
Hi Mate! I'm a first-timer around here, nice vid! I am looking for a way to manually (using my own code in a given programming language) produce Revit entities (shapes, objects, e.g., wall, table, windows, pipes etc). Any guess as to where do I should start from? Any references in terms of your videos or external resources would be much much appreciated mate! Thanks a lot and stay safe (y).
I'm only really experienced in python/c#/dynamo so if you're writing in another language not 100% sure. At the very least you'd need to use Revit API, maybe you could take advantage of the Dll files that come with Revit?
Usually authoring data serves a few purposes; 1. It provides a 'stamp' on the family to indicate ownership. It can be removed of course, but helps to keep company content clearly identified. 2. It provides the user with data about who and when the content was made by so they can find them for help if it breaks or has issues. 3. It is clear to the user or manager how many versions ahead the content has been made for. Usually it's best not to use content too many versions in age to avoid chance for corruption to occur.
Thanks Max - this sounds like a different sort of topic. Which aspects of the curtain wall are you exporting. Do you mean a curtain panel family? Curtain walls are technically systems as opposed to families so cannot be exported, only their data using excel or similar.
Thanks for your reply. I am designing a house using SIPs and using Sloped Glazing and Curtain Walls with the panels defined as SIP panels. I was able to successfully use the method you describe to create the 30 different SIP panel types for the Roof, Wall and Floor under Curtain Panels and as a novice Revit user of less than 6 months I mistakenly thought I could use the same process for Curtain Walls. It appears that I have hit a dead end and agree it is off topic for this post. I would like to discuss what I am trying to achieve off line one Aussie to another from the Wollongong! It may provide you a feast of material for future videos.
@@maxbranch3816 I believe the challenge with curtain wall is that they are technically 'elements' with both type and instance properties. Feel free to reach out to my on my gmail in the bannner and we'll see what we can do; I've got a few ideas (Dynamo + some other free plugins etc.). Great to hear from the 'Gong, I'm a Sydney-sider so not too far away, Oi oi oi!
This is great sir..sir can u make a.video on dynamo.. suppose i want to update or change one parameter value of this family and it's type also so how we can do this in Dynamo
Hello, thank you for your video. I’m trying since so many time to create type catalog from excel with the new version of excel (not 2016) and I still don’t understand how to do it. Can you investigate and help me please? Do you have some suggestions to do the same workflow with a new version of excel? I think it’s because there is a different default format in the new one but I don’t understand what I should do to make it works! Please, I will very appreciate your help! Thank you
The workflow will be the same regardless of version. The most common mistakes people make are spelling errors, referencing parameters that aren't stored in the file or not saving fhe file back to csv.
please i need your help before i get frustrated :( i exported a family catalog and it always gives a massage ( some features in your workbook might be lost if you save it as Unicode text) and tried to save it in a *CSV extension and it didn`t work! same massage, any advise Please
Save it as a csv file in the save as options, that should work (try opening it in notepad after to verify. Csv will not retain excel features like formulae and cell formatting so that is why it tells you features may be lost
can we add parameter in multiple Revit families (e.g. all steel sections) with same as the type catalog?. I want to add custom parameter to all steel section with updated text file type catalog. or this should be done manually, like edit each family>add type parameter and open the text file add ",Name##headear##" at the end of the textfile. cheers
This should be possible, but may need some work to be done in excel depending on the different system parameters present between categories. Ultimately I'd recommend giving each family its own type catalogue vs. using one for many, as the file needs to match it's family name to be detected by Revit when loading.
@@AussieBIMGuru Thanks man! i am thinking running one graph on one go. this could be done by your script but need some manual updating on the text file. eg. adding shared parameters on each family in one go. then manualy add shareparameter name on the text file with ## then add the parameter value manually
Probably only using something like dynamo or an addin. As well as this the family files would only really have names, parameters etc and not geometry easily stored in such a format.
If I wanted to use a .csv file instead of the .txt file, how would I import the .csv file? So far, I managed to import the .csv file through the "family types" in the properties tab under the create ribbon, but I've heard of articles saying I need to use "size_lookup," and my confusion is where do I input that function.
Size lookups might relate to lookup tables which are a pretty different feature. Revit only accepts txt files I believe for the import process, so if you wanted to use a csv you would need to build an app or dynamo script to read that and set the values instead.
Hi Gavin - great tutorial, thank you. One question - is there something similar (text/CSV import and export) for locating an instance of a family type on a specific plan? For example, linking the type code to "Level B" at a certain location?
Hrm maybe... not 100% sure what you mean but you could get all locations of elements as points and then build points using your excel data, then check the distance between each excel/revit point, then for each revit point return the index with shortest distance. That would then allow you to retrieve other data from the matching indices (rows) in the excel data lists (columns).
@@AussieBIMGuru Yes exactly! Is there a menu button to export elements as points, similar to Export > Family Types as you show in this tutorial? Thank you!
Yes the Orchid package can do this and Crumple has some nodes needed to do this but honestly the best way is to write it in Python or C# using Revit API as it's a very custom/complex workflow to achieve in nodes alone.
that was useful!,, kindly can you show us how to create CSV file from the same Excel? thanks a lot, i`m going to be a Mechanical draftsman fo r fire fight products and i will be asked to build CSV files for the products such as Flanges, thank you again
System types are harder as they tend not to have a create method in the API. The main way is to use the duplication AI to copy an existing wall type then rebuild it into the desired properties you provide it. If you want to programatically construct its layers that gets harder as then you need to look into compound structure class creation. If you're not familiar with the Revit API, Genius Loci has some nodes that do the duplication and compound layer construction.
Love your tutorials, comprehensive and concise.
Thanks! Glad to hear they hold up 😀
Thank you very much. Your tutorials regarding family creation are excellent. Your explanations of these subjects is comprehensible and easy to follow.
Glad to hear!
Just got the right catch. I was thinking to go with Dynamo but this is a handy one. This will easily save fifteen hours for me. Thanks for sharing it. 👍
It's definitely a huge time saver, especially for MEP. Glad it helped!
Really good tutorial. Thank you.
Just finished my first family with these tables.
You're welcome mate, and nice work!
Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for!!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. What should I do if I want to have a description value that has commas in it?
Im guessing that i should make it a formula in a new field or is there a work around?
If you are in a csv with symbols that would cause misinterpretation and save out of excel as a csv, it should account for these using a special syntax that wraps the full value in quotations to preserve the characters that could be seen as a separator I think.
Hi Gavin, thanks a lot for sharing the great tutorials. could you make a video about importing details of the Revit model to life cycle assessment software like Open LCA or any other LCA software?
I haven't really come across much LCA integration currently, but this resource might be useful (although it doesn't appear to be compatible beyond Revit 2020): www.oneclicklca.com
Very helpful. Thanks!
You're welcome!
You're welcome!
Thanks, it is a very helpful video
You're welcome!
Thank you so much for sharing.
Do you have same way with Dynamo?
You're welcome.
Yep (but it's tricky due to data types):
ua-cam.com/video/bfiXf2E3Crs/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/x4bWu-rj3-g/v-deo.html
THANKYOU MATE
You're welcome!
Hi Mate! I'm a first-timer around here, nice vid!
I am looking for a way to manually (using my own code in a given programming language) produce Revit entities (shapes, objects, e.g., wall, table, windows, pipes etc).
Any guess as to where do I should start from? Any references in terms of your videos or external resources would be much much appreciated mate!
Thanks a lot and stay safe (y).
I'm only really experienced in python/c#/dynamo so if you're writing in another language not 100% sure. At the very least you'd need to use Revit API, maybe you could take advantage of the Dll files that come with Revit?
Hi Gavin. Could you explain why is it important to have the information regarding Date of Creation, Modification, Version and Revit Version?
Usually authoring data serves a few purposes;
1. It provides a 'stamp' on the family to indicate ownership. It can be removed of course, but helps to keep company content clearly identified.
2. It provides the user with data about who and when the content was made by so they can find them for help if it breaks or has issues.
3. It is clear to the user or manager how many versions ahead the content has been made for. Usually it's best not to use content too many versions in age to avoid chance for corruption to occur.
Great video. I would like to edit/add to Curtain Wall Family but I am unable to export the family
Thanks Max - this sounds like a different sort of topic.
Which aspects of the curtain wall are you exporting. Do you mean a curtain panel family?
Curtain walls are technically systems as opposed to families so cannot be exported, only their data using excel or similar.
Thanks for your reply. I am designing a house using SIPs and using Sloped Glazing and Curtain Walls with the panels defined as SIP panels. I was able to successfully use the method you describe to create the 30 different SIP panel types for the Roof, Wall and Floor under Curtain Panels and as a novice Revit user of less than 6 months I mistakenly thought I could use the same process for Curtain Walls. It appears that I have hit a dead end and agree it is off topic for this post. I would like to discuss what I am trying to achieve off line one Aussie to another from the Wollongong! It may provide you a feast of material for future videos.
@@maxbranch3816 I believe the challenge with curtain wall is that they are technically 'elements' with both type and instance properties. Feel free to reach out to my on my gmail in the bannner and we'll see what we can do; I've got a few ideas (Dynamo + some other free plugins etc.).
Great to hear from the 'Gong, I'm a Sydney-sider so not too far away, Oi oi oi!
This is great sir..sir can u make a.video on dynamo.. suppose i want to update or change one parameter value of this family and it's type also so how we can do this in Dynamo
I have a 2 part workflow here that exports/imports family type data:
ua-cam.com/video/bfiXf2E3Crs/v-deo.html
Guru, u r great... Thanks tho
Most welcome!
Hello, thank you for your video. I’m trying since so many time to create type catalog from excel with the new version of excel (not 2016) and I still don’t understand how to do it. Can you investigate and help me please? Do you have some suggestions to do the same workflow with a new version of excel? I think it’s because there is a different default format in the new one but I don’t understand what I should do to make it works! Please, I will very appreciate your help! Thank you
The workflow will be the same regardless of version. The most common mistakes people make are spelling errors, referencing parameters that aren't stored in the file or not saving fhe file back to csv.
please i need your help before i get frustrated :( i exported a family catalog and it always gives a massage ( some features in your workbook might be lost if you save it as Unicode text) and tried to save it in a *CSV extension and it didn`t work! same massage, any advise Please
Save it as a csv file in the save as options, that should work (try opening it in notepad after to verify. Csv will not retain excel features like formulae and cell formatting so that is why it tells you features may be lost
can we add parameter in multiple Revit families (e.g. all steel sections) with same as the type catalog?.
I want to add custom parameter to all steel section with updated text file type catalog.
or this should be done manually, like edit each family>add type parameter and open the text file add ",Name##headear##" at the end of the textfile.
cheers
This should be possible, but may need some work to be done in excel depending on the different system parameters present between categories. Ultimately I'd recommend giving each family its own type catalogue vs. using one for many, as the file needs to match it's family name to be detected by Revit when loading.
@@AussieBIMGuru Thanks man! i am thinking running one graph on one go.
this could be done by your script but need some manual updating on the text file.
eg. adding shared parameters on each family in one go.
then manualy add shareparameter name on the text file with ## then add the parameter value manually
@@ryeulang8416 not sure if it would work as Revit probably checks out the csv file, but dynamo has the ability to read/write to csv files also.
hi that's great! Many thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Is there a way to create new familes files .rfa from a database contained in excel?
Probably only using something like dynamo or an addin. As well as this the family files would only really have names, parameters etc and not geometry easily stored in such a format.
If I wanted to use a .csv file instead of the .txt file, how would I import the .csv file? So far, I managed to import the .csv file through the "family types" in the properties tab under the create ribbon, but I've heard of articles saying I need to use "size_lookup," and my confusion is where do I input that function.
Size lookups might relate to lookup tables which are a pretty different feature. Revit only accepts txt files I believe for the import process, so if you wanted to use a csv you would need to build an app or dynamo script to read that and set the values instead.
Hi Gavin - great tutorial, thank you. One question - is there something similar (text/CSV import and export) for locating an instance of a family type on a specific plan? For example, linking the type code to "Level B" at a certain location?
Hrm maybe... not 100% sure what you mean but you could get all locations of elements as points and then build points using your excel data, then check the distance between each excel/revit point, then for each revit point return the index with shortest distance. That would then allow you to retrieve other data from the matching indices (rows) in the excel data lists (columns).
@@AussieBIMGuru Yes exactly! Is there a menu button to export elements as points, similar to Export > Family Types as you show in this tutorial? Thank you!
@@laurenkelly2960 no in this case I believe only a dynamo script or addin could do this.
do you know how to save this family types into individuals rfa files with each type name and purge the unused ones? that would help me a lot
Yes the Orchid package can do this and Crumple has some nodes needed to do this but honestly the best way is to write it in Python or C# using Revit API as it's a very custom/complex workflow to achieve in nodes alone.
that was useful!,, kindly can you show us how to create CSV file from the same Excel? thanks a lot, i`m going to be a Mechanical draftsman fo r fire fight products and i will be asked to build CSV files for the products such as Flanges, thank you again
Excel can be saved as csv when doing 'save as'. This will separate all cells by a comma, and new lines will be maintained.
excuse me how to do with wall ?
System types are harder as they tend not to have a create method in the API. The main way is to use the duplication AI to copy an existing wall type then rebuild it into the desired properties you provide it. If you want to programatically construct its layers that gets harder as then you need to look into compound structure class creation.
If you're not familiar with the Revit API, Genius Loci has some nodes that do the duplication and compound layer construction.
@@AussieBIMGuru Yup Thankyou so much saving time