Revit Customization in Revit

Customization in Revit

➲Wow! It has been quite a while since I have actually written an article for AUGI. It has been even longer since I have had to really dig into customization. You see, some time ago (a long time ago. Back when politics was boring) I felt it appropriate to switch my firm’s software application from AutoCAD MEP to Revit. I am the BIM Director for a good-sized firm that has every discipline in house. Yeah, Revit is better for trade coordination (bear with me, I’m not giving the tired old BIM pitch here), but it was during a roll out that was just being difficult…none of the mapping was sticking, all of the display configurations were messed up, annotative text wasn’t so…annotative. You get it. I deployed Revit, I had to map like two or three things, and even that was just to get my templates and content away from the samples that get deployed with Revit. That’s it.

DOWNLOADING REVIT FOR SINGLE INSTALL AND SIGN ON (SSO)

So what is my article on? OK, let’s start before you even deploy the software. Downloading the install files from your account can be done in a few ways. If you chose the wrong way, you might not get all of your content. It’s awful, I know. But, at least with the current version of Revit you might find that when you run the application, you’ll not see all of the content. So frustrating. Deploy that to 125 computers. Now you have an issue.

Follow these steps to make sure you are downloading everything:

1. Go to your Autodesk account and find the Revit version you want to download. Click the View All choice as shown in the Figure below. Chose Browser Download. I know it says (slowest), but

Figure 1

the Autodesk Download Manager is untrustworthy. (See Figure 1). You might be notified that you should turn off your popup blocking. Heed that advice, and turn it off. Just go to your 5. browser settings. I like Chrome. Also confirm the number of files it says it needs for the installation. For Revit 2021, there are six (6). You still might get an error asking to keep or discard the files (they are an .exe, so that is why your browser is so paranoid). Make sure you click Keep.

INSTALLING REVIT LOCALLY

Once ALL OF the files have been downloaded, you can create the deployment. Follow these steps: 1. Find the files. Generally, by default they go to your Downloads folder. I bring this up because if you have ever used the

Autodesk Download Manager, it creates and Autodesk folder and puts them there. In this case, it goes to your default folder. 2. Sort them by name 3. Right-click on the first file in the group and select Run as

Administrator… 4. The Autodesk Self Extractor will pop up and want to extract it to C:\Autodesk\ (Now it will make that folder). Click OK if that is where you want it to go. That is what I do then I just delete the files once the deployment is created. Click OK.

Follow the wizard and you are all set. Once you run Revit for the first time, you will sign in with your Autodesk account and will either simply pull the license, or you will be directed to your company’s Single Sign On (SSO).

Figure 3

CREATING A REVIT NETWORK DEPLOYMENT

If you have hundreds of users and you do not want them installing their own software, this is what you want to do: 1. Log into your Autodesk manage account. 2. On the left ribbon go to Deployments under the Products and

Services pulldown. 3. In the middle panel, Click Add next to Revit (See Figure 2, previous page) 4. Click Customize, and add the content paths you want and any extensions you would like to add. This is nice because it automatically adds the most recent patch. At the time of this article, it is Revit 2020.1 (Figure 3). 5. Click Next

Add a deployment name, a description, and the path where you want it located. 9. It then downloads the deployment. You might get a warning that this file is harmful. It’s not (well, that depends on who you ask). So, click Keep. 10. I like to click Show in Folder and right click and Run as

Administrator, but if you just click Run that should be fine.

Click Next

Agree to the terms and use, and click Create 11. Once finished you will get the below message:

Figure 5

12. Go to View deployment. 13. You will see a batch file called Install Revit.bat. This is what you distribute to your users.

As far as customization goes, by deploying Revit in a manner that you know is going to work, customizing is pretty much done. You may have third party applications that you like to use. I try to avoid them as much as possible. I’ve had projects get really bad because of them. If users like their background black, or different shortcut keys, I don’t get involved in that. Nor do I tamper with the revit.ini

file. There is no need.

MAPPING CONTENT

OK, maybe one more thing to do! Let’s make sure our users have their content mapped. In this phase, I have them run the .bat file then I send instructions to do this. As I mentioned before, I deal with several different trades. I don’t attempt to capture this mapping in a deployment. 1. Open Revit 2. Click the Home button

Revit 2021 AS FAR AS CUSTOMIZATION GOES, BY DEPLOYING REVIT IN A MANNER THAT YOU KNOW IS GOING TO PRODUCT FOCUS

WORK, CUSTOMIZING IS PRETTY MUCH DONE.

Figure 6

Click the blue File tab, and go to Options as shown in the Figure below. 4. From here, it is self-explanatory. Map your templates and your content to precisely where you want it to go. Send directions to your users. This is the most non-invasive way to do this.

Eric Wing lives in Syracuse NY where he is the Director of BIM Services for C&S Companies. Eric is a popular speaker at events around the country speaking on many BIM-related topics. Eric has authored several books including Autodesk’s official training guide for their BIM solution “Revit” called Revit for Architecture No Experience Required. Eric is also an author for LinkedIn Learning where he has authored around 60 full courses on BIM management, Revit, AutoCAD MEP, Navisworks and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC). Eric has truly been a leader in the architecture, engineering and construction industry since the conception of BIM and 3D design, and has specialty skills in BIM coordination, training and development of technical staff along with daily application of these tools on multi scale, multi-disciplinary projects. Eric is also currently a Professor at Syracuse University teaching BIM and Advanced BIM at the School of Architecture, and at the School of Engineering. Eric has also taught courses at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Clarkson University on the subjects of Analytical tools for Facility Management, BIM, and Integrated Project Delivery.