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1. Autodesk Revit Element element elementiter Current as Autodesk Revit Element Use the DesignOption property of Element if element DesignOption null MessageBox Show element DesignOption Name ToString The following rules apply to Design Options e The value of the DesignOption property is null if the element is in the Main Model Otherwise the name you created in the Revit UI is returned e Only one active DesignOption Element can exist in an ActiveDocument The primary option is considered the default active DesignOption For example a design option set is named Wall and there are two design options in this set named brick wall Revit 2008 API User Manual 141 Datum and Information Elements and glass wall If brick wall is the primary option only this option and elements that belong to it are retrieved by the Element Iterator Glass wall is inactive To activate an inactive design option select Tools gt Design Options gt Pick to Edit to pick a secondary option or make the secondary option primary using Tools gt Design Options gt Design Options Design Options Now Editing Edit Main Model Edit Selected Finish Editing brick wall primary Option Set Rename Accept Primary Rename Duplicate Delete Figure 95 Design Options Revit 2008 API User Manual 142 Annotation Elements 12 Annotation Elements This chapter in
2. Dimension or API Class Location Constraint Builtl nCategory Curve Reference View Dimension linear OST_Constraints Constraint dimension constraint angular dimension Equality Constraint Spot Coordinates Spot Elevations SpotDimension LocationPoint Spot Dimension Specific view OST_SpotCoordinates OST_SpotElevations Table 28 Dimension Category Comparison 12 1 5 Create and Delete The create dimension method is available in the Creation Document class Currently this method is applied to create a linear dimension only public Dimension NewDimension View view Line line ReferenceArray references public Dimension NewDimension View view Line line ReferenceArray references DimensionType dimensionType Using the NewDimension method input parameters you can define the visible View dimension line and References two or more However there is no easy way to distinguish a linear dimension DimensionType from other types Currently the overloaded NewDimension method with the DimensionType parameter is rarely used The following code illustrates how to use the NewDimension method to duplicate a dimension Code Region 2 Annotation Elements Dimension dimension GetDimension Line line dimension Curve as Line if null line View view dimension View ReferenceArray references dimension References Autod
3. Core Face Interior Table 20 Wall Location Line There are five override methods to create a Wall public Wall NewWall Curve curve Level level bool structural public Wall NewWall Curve curve WallType wallType Level level double height double offset bool flip bool structural public Wall NewWall CurveArray profile WallType wallType Level level bool structural public Wall NewWall CurveArray profile WallType wallType Level level bool structural ref XYZ normal public Wall NewWall CurveArray profile bool structural The first two methods create rectangular Walls and the remaining three methods create Walls with vertical profiles that are not rectangular In the Revit API Stacked wall and Curtain wall can be a non rectangular shape Revit 2008 API User Manual 104 Host Elements and Opening The WallType Wall Function WALL_ATTR_EXTERIOR parameter influences the created wall instance Room Bounding and Structural Usage parameter The WALL_ATTR_EXTERIOR value is an integer Wall Function Interior Exterior Foundation Retaining Soffit Value 0 1 2 3 4 Table 21 Wall Function The following rules apply to Wall e If the input structural parameter is true or the Wall Function WALL_ATTR_EXTERIOR parameter is Foundation the Wall StructuralUsage parameter is Bearing otherwise it is NonBearing e The created Wall Room Bounding WALL
4. Wall wall docCreator NewWall geomLine wallLevel true app ActiveDocument EndTransaction 1f no transaction to group the creation of wall as above cannot get the value of Geometry and AnalyticalModel Autodesk Revit Geometry Options options app Create NewGeometryOptions Autodesk Revit Geometry Element geoelem wall get_Geometry options Autodesk Revit Structural AnalyticalModel analyticalmodel wall AnalyticalModel other operations The transaction timeline for this sample is as follows UnTransacted CreateWall get Geometry AnalyticalModel You can get those properties only after using transaction Transaction Figure 193 Transaction timeline 19 2Boundaries Because you are in charge of starting ending and aborting transactions it is important to be aware of transaction boundaries A transaction boundary is the period between starting and ending or aborting a transaction It is best to confine your boundary to a small scope For example if you start a transaction in a function try to end or abort it before you return from that function since you might not have knowledge of the transaction outside of the function It is not necessary to follow this rule if you want to maintain global managers for your transaction activity but you should be responsible for aborting or ending all transactions you start Revit 2008 API User Manual 246 Transaction The following sample
5. XYZToString curve get_EndPoint 0 Get curve end point message End point XYZToString curve get_EndPoint 1 MessageBox Show message Revit MessageBoxButtons OK Output the point s three coordinates string XYZToString Autodesk Revit Geometry XYZ point return point x T P p int Y polnt z pry 11 2 2 Create a Grid Two overloaded methods are available to create a new grid in the Revit API Using the following method with different parameters you can create a curved or straight grid public Grid NewGrid Arc arc public Grid NewGrid Line line Note The arc or the line used to create a grid must be in a horizontal plane Revit 2008 API User Manual 138 Datum and Information Elements The following code sample illustrates how to create a new grid with a line or an arc Code Region 4 Datum and Information Elements void CreateGrid Autodesk Revit Application app Create the geometry line which the grid locates XYZ start new XYZ 0 0 0 XYZ end new XYZ 30 30 0 Line geomLine Line get_Bound ref start ref end Create the geometry arc which the grid locates XYZ endO new XYZ 0 O 0 XYZ endl new XYZ 10 40 0 XYZ pointOnCurve new XYZ 5 7 0 Arc geomArc app Create NewArc ref end0 ref endl ref pointOnCurve Create a grid using the geometry line Grid lineGrid
6. 10 3 3 1 Room Information Familylnstance properties include Room FromRoom and ToRoom For more information about Room refer to the Revit Architecture chapter 10 3 3 2 Revit Structure Related Analytical Model AnalyticalModel retrieves the family instance structural analytical model Different analytical models are returned based on the instance type Autodesk Revit Structural AnalyticalModel AnalyticalModel get For example if the instance is a beam a frame analytical model is returned If the instance is a footing a location analytical model is returned For more information about AnalyticalModel refer to the Revit Structure chapter 10 3 4 Creation The Document NewFamilyl nstance method is used to create a new Familylnstance object in the Revit project Some Familyl nstance objects require more than one location to be created In these cases it is more appropriate to use the more detailed creation method provided by this object If the instance is not created an exception is thrown The type symbol used must be loaded into the project before the method is called Families and family symbols are loaded using the Document LoadFamily or Document LoadFamilySymbol methods Some families such as Beams have more than one endpoint and are inserted in the same way as a single point instance Once the linear family instances are inserted their endpoints can be changed using the Element Location property For mor
7. Boolean Door 1 Door 2 Door 3 Door 4 Property FacingFlipped False True False True HandFlipped False True True False Table 24 Different Instances of the Same Type 10 3 1 2 Rotation Mirrored The Mirrored property indicates whether the Familylnstance object has been mirrored Revit 2008 API User Manual 123 Component Elements Boolean Door 1 Door 2 Door 3 Door 4 Property Mirrored False False True True Table 25 Door Mirrored Property In the previous door example the Mirrored property for Door 1 and Door 2 is False The Mirrored property for both Door 3 and Door 4 is True It is because Door 1 and Door 2 are in the default state If a user draws a door in the Revit project the default result is either Door 1 or Door 2 To draw a door like Door 3 or Door 4 you must flip the Door 1 and Door 2 hand orientation respectively The flip operation is like a mirror transformation This is why the Door 3 and Door 4 Mirrored properties are True For more information about using the Mirror operation in Revit refer to the Editing Elements chapter 10 3 1 3 Rotation CanRotate and Rotate The family instance Boolean CanRotate property is used to test whether the family instance can be rotated 180 degrees This depends on the family to which the instance belongs For example in the following picture the CanRotate properties for Window 1 Casement 3x3 with Trim 36 x72 and Door 1 Double Glass 2 72
8. Ifthe Start Release is set to User Defined the parameters Start Fx Start Fy and other parameters are editable New Construction None SISO000 Figure 50 Parameter relationship sample Revit 2008 API User Manual 82 Parameter 2 Some elements have different parameters when the value of a particular parameter is changed Select a beam system then set the Layout Rule to Fixed Distance In this case a parameter named Fixed Spacing appears in the property dialog box Parameter Value A Constraints Pattern Layout Rule Fixed Distance Y Fixed Spacing Justification Center Beam Type W MWide Flange W12 26 Identity Data Figure 51 Parameter relationship sample When the Layout Rule is set to Fixed Number the Number of Lines parameter appears instead of Fixed Spacing Constraints Number of Lines W Wide Flange W12X26 Pattern a Layout Rule Fixed Number v Identity Data Figure 52 Parameter relationship sample 3 Some parameters are computed in Revit such as wall Length and Area parameter These parameters are always read only because they depend on the element s internal state Parameter Se _ 4 gt Dimensions 1 j ad AAA Pe D E LUENLILY vata Figure 53 Wall computed parameters It is vital to pay attention to the relationships between parameters when working on parameters using the Revit API Revit 2008 API User Manual 83 Para
9. revit ActiveDocument AbortTransaction doc EndTransaction Create a geometry plane in revit application XYZ origin new XYZ 0 0 0 XYZ normal new XYZ 1 1 0 Plane geomPlane appCreator NewPlane ref normal ref origin Create a sketch plane in current document SketchPlane sketch docCreator NewSketchPlane geomPlane non transient elements so they are grouped into transaction as atomic user actions doc BeginTransaction Create a ModelLin lement using the created geometry line and sketch plane ModelLine linel docCreator NewModelCurve geomLinel sketch as ModelLine ModelLine line2 docCreator NewModelCurve geomLine2 sketch as ModelLine ModelLine line3 docCreator NewModelCurve geomLine3 sketch as ModelLine if DialogResult OK MessageBox Show Click OK to call EndTransaction otherwise AbortTransaction Revit MessageBoxButtons OKCancel doc EndTransaction Revit 2008 API User Manual 244 Transaction else doc AbortTransaction 4 other operations If the clause was excuted nothing will be drawn Figure 191 Transaction result The transaction timeline for this sample is as follows Line Line Line ModelLine ModelLine ModelLine UnTransacted UnTransacted UnTransacted Transient Elements are not managed by transactions Transaction Figure 192 Transaction timeline 19
10. you needn t check null for elem All collections implement the Enumerable interface and all relevant iterators implement the IEnumerator interface As a result all methods and properties are implemented in the Revit API and can play a role in the relevant collections Revit 2008 API User Manual 87 Collection The following table compares the Array Map and Set methods and properties Function Array Map Set Add the item to the end of the collection Append Object Removes every item from the collection rendering it empty Clear Clear Clear Tests for the existence of a key within the collection Contains Object Contains Object Removes an object with the specified key from the collection Erase Object Erase Object Retrieve a forward moving iterator to the collection Forwardlterator Forwardlterator Forwardlterator Retrieve a forward moving iterator GetEnumerator GetEnumerator GetEnumerator to the collection Insert the specified item into the Insert Object Object Insert Object collection Insert Object nt32 Retrieve a backward moving iterator to the collection Reverselterator Reverselterator Reverselterator Test to see if the collection is empty IsEmpty get IsEmpty get IsEmpty get Gets or sets an item at a specified Item Int32 Item Object get set ind
11. El Brace AI Component e Roof Slab Beam System e Foundation Isolated Slab 4 Figure 68 Wall ContFooting 9 3 Other Elements The following Elements are part of Host Elements but they exist as special cases 9 3 1 Stair and Ramp Stair Ramp and the associated symbols do not have specific classes in the API e Stair and its associated symbol are represented as Element and Symbol in the OST_ Stairs category e Ramp and its symbol are represented as Element and Symbol in the OST Ramps category 9 3 2 Ceiling and Roof Ceiling does not have a specific class The CeilingAndFloor class is not its corresponding class e The Ceiling object is an Element in the OST Ceilings category e The Ceiling symbol is HostObjAttributes using the OST_ Ceilings category with its CompoundStructure available Roof does not have a specific class e The Roof object is an Element in the OST_Roofs category e The Roof symbol is HostObjAttributes in the OST_Roofs category with its CompoundStructure available 9 4 CompoundStructure Some host elements such as Walls Floors Ceilings and Roofs include parallel layers The parallel layers are available from the HostObjAttributes CompoundStructure property Revit 2008 API User Manual 108 Host Elements and Opening HostObjAttributes CompoundStructure CompoundStructure DN CompoundStructure 4 Layers CompoundStructureLayerArray Compou
12. The Blend command blends two profiles together For example if you sketch a large rectangle and a smaller rectangle on top of it Revit Architecture blends the two shapes together Query the Blend Form object for a generic form to use in family modeling and massing The Blend class has the following properties Property Description BottomSketch Returns the Bottom Sketch It is a Sketch object TopSketch Returns the Top Sketch Blend It is a Sketch object FirstEnd Returns the First End It is a Double type SecondEnd Returns the Second End It is a Double type Table 34 Blend Properties Revit 2008 API User Manual 160 Sketching The FirstEnd and SecondEnd property values are consistent with the same parameters in the Revit UI The following pictures illustrate the Blend corresponding parameters the sketches and the result Element Properties Family Type Type Parameters Control all elements of this type Parameter Value Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Parameter Value R Constraints Second End First End visible Visibility Graphics Overrides lt By Category gt The value of FirstEnd property is 0 0 The value of SecondEnd is 20 0 Figure 119 Corresponding parameters Top Bottom Figure 120 Blend top sketch and bottom sketch Revit 2008 API User Manual 161 Sketching Figure 121 Blend result 13 2 4 Swe
13. Autodesk Revit Elements FamilyInstance beam Autodesk Revit Geometry Options options Autodesk Revit Geometry CurveArray curves Autodesk Revit Geometry SolidArray solids Autodesk Revit Geometry Element geomElem beam get_Geometry options Find all solids and insert them into solid array AddCurvesAndSolids geomElem curves solids private void AddCurvesAndSolids Autodesk Revit Geometry Element geomElem Autodesk Revit Geometry CurveArray curves Autodesk Revit Geometry SolidArray solids foreach Autodesk Revit Geometry GeometryObject geomObj in geomElem Objects Autodesk Revit Geometry Curve curve geomObj as Autodesk Revit Geometry if null curve curves Append curve continue Autodesk Revit Geometry Solid solid geomObj as Autodesk Revit Geometry if null solid solids Append solid continue 1f this GeometryObject is Instance call AddCurvesAndSolids Autodesk Revit Geometry Instance geomInst geomObj as Autodesk Revit Geometry Instance if null geomInst Autodesk Revit Geometry Instance transformedGeomInst geomiInst get_Transformed geomInst Transform AddCurves transformedGeomInst SymbolGeometry curves solids Curve Solid Revit 2008 API User Manual 220 Geometry Note For more information about how to retrieve the Geometry Options type object refer
14. The Family object represents an entire family such as a Single Flush door For example the Single Flush door corresponds to the Single Flush rfa file The Family object contains several FamilySymbols that are used to get all family symbols to facilitate swapping instances from one symbol to another The FamilySymbol object represents a specific set of family settings corresponding to a Type in the Revit Ul such as 34 X80 The Familylnstance object represents an actual Type FamilySymbol instance in the Revit project For example in the following picture the Familyl nstance is a single door in the project e Each Familylnstance has one FamilySymbol The door is an instance of a 34 X80 e Each FamilySymbol belongs to one Family The 34 X80 symbol belongs to a Single Flush family e Each Family contains one or more FamilySymbols The Single Flush family contains a 34 X80 symbol a 34 X84 symbol a 36 X84 and so on Revit 2008 API User Manual 118 Component Elements Element Properties Type 36 x 84 v Edit New 30 x 80 Type Paraj 30 x 84 32 x 84 34 x 80 7 0 Door Material Door Panel Figure 78 Change an instance FamilySymbol In the previous picture notice that you can change the Familylnstance symbol object from one FamilySymbol object to another in the set It is noteworthy that while most component elements are exposed through the API classes Fa
15. app ActiveDocument Create NewGrid geomLine if null geomArc throw new Exception Create a new straight grid failed Create a grid using the geometry arc Grid arcGrid app ActiveDocument Create NewGrid geomArc if null arcGrid throw new Exception Create a new curved grid failed Note In Revit the grids are named automatically in a numerical or alphabetical sequence when they are created 11 3 Phase Some architectural projects such as renovations proceed in phases Phases have the following characteristics e Phases represent distinct time periods in a project lifecycle e The lifetime of an element within a building is controlled by phases e Each element has a construction phase but only the elements with a finite lifetime have a destruction phase All phases in a project can be retrieved from the Document object A Phase object contains three pieces of useful information Name D and Uniqueld The remaining properties always return null or an empty collection You can define phases and phase filters in your project and then choose the phase to show and the filter to apply to the view If desired you can make multiple copies of a view and then apply different phases and phase filters to the different copies Revit 2008 API User Manual 139 Datum and Information Elements Project Phases Phase Filters Graphic Overrides PAST Insert Name script
16. e Ifthe category is not built in the ID is converted to a null value Code Region 2 Elements Essentials Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument ElementIterator iter doc Elements iter Reset BuiltInCategory enumCategory BuiltInCategory INVALID whil iter MoveNext Autodesk Revit Element element iter Current as Autodesk Revit Element if null element null element Category Revit 2008 API User Manual 64 Elements Essentials numCategory BuiltInCategory element Category Id Value Note To avoid Globalization problems when using Category Name Builtl nCategory is a better choice Category Name can be different in different languages 5 2 2 Family Families are classes of Elements within a category Families can group Elements by the following e A common set of parameters properties e Identical use e Similar graphical representation Most families are component Family files meaning that you can load them into your project or create them from Family templates You determine the property set and the Family graphical representation Another family type is the system Family System Families are not available for loading or creating Revit predefines the system Family properties and graphical representation they include walls dimensions roofs floors or slabs and levels Families System Families Compon
17. e Integrate applications into Revit based vertical products Examples include linking an external relational database to Revit or sending model data to an analysis application e Perform analysis of all sorts using BIM e Automatically create project documentation 1 3 Requirements To go through the user manual you need the following 1 A working understanding of Revit Architecture 2008 Revit Structure 2008 and Revit MEP 2008 2 You must know at least one Common Language Specification compliant language For more information about CLS compliant languages review the information at the following link http msdn microsoft com library default asp url library en us cpquide html cpconwhatiscommonlanguagespecification asp Revit 2008 API User Manual 13 Welcome to the Revit API Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 if not already installed with Visual Studio 5 The Revit Software Developer s Kit SDK which you can download from the Autodesk Developer Network ADN or the Revit installation CD DVD lt DVD_Drive gt 1COMMONI Revit SDK 6 Two days of free time 1 4 Install and Learn the Revit Based Product The Revit API requires the Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 SDK The examples in this document use Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 for the Integrated Development Environment IDE If you are a beginning programmer learn Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and
18. public IExternalCommand Result Execute ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message ElementSet elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument StringBuilder st new StringBuilder SelElementSet selElements doc Selection Elements Autodesk Revit Element selectedElem null foreach Autodesk Revit Element elem in selElements Revit 2008 API User Manual 75 Parameter selectedElem elem break iterate element s parameter set foreach Parameter para in selectedElem Parameters st AppendLine GetParameterInformation para doc Give the user some information MessageBox Show st ToString Revit MessageBoxButtons OK If everything goes well return succeed return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded String GetParameterInformation Parameter para Document document string defName para Definition Name string val Use different method to get parameter according to the storage type switch para StorageType case StorageType Double covert the number into Metric return defName para AsValueString case StorageType Elementld find out the name of th lement ElementId id para AsElementId if id Value gt 0 return defName document get_Element ref id Name else return defName id Value ToStrin
19. Annotation Elements 12 5 Annotation Symbol An annotation symbol is a symbol applied to a family to uniquely identify that family in a project T Tag All Not Tagged Color Scheme Legend Figure 107 Add annotation symbol 7 Figure 108 Annotation Symbol with two leaders 12 5 1 Create and Delete The annotation symbol creation method is available in the Creation Document class public Dimension NewAnnotationSymbol ref XYZ location FamilySymbol symbol Level level The annotation symbol can be deleted using the Document Delete method 12 5 2 Add and Remove Leader Add and remove leaders using the addLeader and removeLeader methods Code Region 4 Annotation Elements AnnotationSymbol symbol GetSymbol int leaderSize symbol Leaders Size symbol addLeader leaderSize symbol Leaders Size symbol removeLeader leaderSize symbol Leaders Size Revit 2008 API User Manual 152 Sketching 13 Sketching To create elements or edit their profiles in Revit you must first sketch them in a sketch editor Examples of elements that require sketches include e Roofs e Floors e Stairs e Railings Sketches are also required to define other types of geometry such as e Extrusions e Openings e Regions In the Revit API sketch functions are represented by 2D and 3D sketch classes such as the following e 2D sketch class include SketchPlane Sketch ModelCu
20. Another use is to trigger a set of operations that execute after a transaction is completed This chapter introduces the two uses for Transaction and the limits that you must consider 19 1Usage The basic function of the transaction is to wrap a set of operations that can be transacted e The Document BeginTransaction method starts the transaction e The Document EndTransaction method finishes the transaction when all operations are successful e The Document AbortTransaction method rollbacks the whole transaction if an exception or a required abort operation occurs 19 1 1 Atomic User Actions The main transaction function in Revit is to initiate atomic user actions All changes to persistent data are grouped into Transactions A Transaction corresponds to a single undo action Some changes affecting the display but not the model content can persist after saving the file but these situations are not managed by transactions Transient Elements temporarily added to the document by editors are not persistent data Unless the elements become non transient their addition and removal is not managed by transactions Examples of atomic user actions include the following e Create a wall door window and so on e Cut copy paste e Move Rotate e Delete e Choose OK or Apply in a Properties dialog box Examples of non atomic actions include the following e Press the left mouse button to start a pan A display change e Create a poly wall More
21. D EA1 bin Debug EA1 dll 3 4 Access to Revit Events Currently you can access the following Revit Events OnDialogBox OnDocumentClosed OnDocumentNewed OnDocumentOpened OnDocumentSaved OnDocumentSavedAs Revit 2008 API User Manual 40 Add In Integration Revit 2008 API User Manual 41 Add In Integration The following code provides more detail about how to use the Events namespace Autodesk Revit public class Application APIObject public event DialogBoxEventHandler OnDialogBox public event DocumentClosedEventHandler OnDocumentClosed public event DocumentNewedEventHandler OnDocumentNewed public event DocumentOpenedEventHandler OnDocumentOpened public event DocumentSavedEventHandler OnDocument Saved public event DocumentSavedAsEventHandler OnDocumentSavedAs public class ControlledApplication public event DialogBoxEventHandler OnDialogBox public event DocumentClosedEventHandler OnDocumentClosed public event DocumentNewedEventHandler OnDocumentNewed public event DocumentOpenedEventHandler OnDocumentOpened public event DocumentSavedEventHandler OnDocument Saved public event DocumentSavedAsEventHandler OnDocumentSavedAs 3 4 1 OnDialogBox The OnDialogBox event is invoked before a form or a dialog box appears The DialogBoxData parameter contains the necessary dialog data public delegate void Dialog
22. Document Projectlnformation See the following note Project Parameters Document ParameterBindings Only for See Shared Parameter Shared Parameter Manage Place and Locations Document ProjectLocations See Place and Locations Document ActiveProjectLocation Fill Patterns Document Settings FillPatterns See the following note Materials Document Settings Materials See Materials Management Object Styles Document Settings Categories See the following note Revit 2008 API User Manual 53 Application and Document Ul command Associated API Reference Phases Document Phases See the following note Structural Settings Only exposed Loads related See Revit Structure Project Units Document ProjectUnit See Unit Options Application Options See the following note Table 6 Settings in API and Ul Note For more information about some of the commands in the table read the following information e Project Information The API provides the Projectlnfo class which is retrieved using Document Projectlnformation to represent project information in the Revit project Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Project Issue Date Issue Date Project Status Project Status Client Name Owner Project Address SS AA Project Name Project Name Project Number Project Number Figure 28 Project information parameters The following table identifies the corresponding API
23. ElementSet elements EEY Autodesk Revit Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument FamilyInstance window null foreach Autodesk Revit Element element in doc Selection Elements window element as FamilyInstance if null window throw new Exception Please select a window before run this commmand Cast the window element to family instance Materials materials doc Settings Materials FamilySymbol windowSymbol window Symbol Category category windowSymbol Category Autodesk Revit Elements Material frameExteriorMaterial null Autodesk Revit Elements Material frameInteriorMaterial null Autodesk Revit Elements Material sashMaterial null Check the paramters firstly foreach Parameter parameter in windowSymbol Parameters Revit 2008 API User Manual 199 Material switch parameter Definition Name Exterior Material case Frame frameExteriorMaterial break case Frame Interior Material frameInteriorMaterial break case Sash sashMaterial break default break Try category if the material is set by category if null frameExteriorMaterial category Material frameExteriorMaterial if null frameInteriorMaterial frameInteriorMaterial category Material materials get_Item parameter AsElementld materials get_Item
24. Hello World for VB NET C Hello World for VB NET Directions for creating the sample application for Visual Basic NET are available in the following sections The sample application was created using Microsoft Visual Studio C 1 Create a New Project The first step in writing a VB NET program with Visual Studio is to choose a project type and create a new project 1 From the File menu select New gt Project 2 Inthe Project types frame click Visual Basic 3 Inthe Templates frame click Class Library The application assumes that your project location is D Sample In the Name field type HelloWorld as the project name Click OK New Project Project types Templates Visual C isual Studio installed templates Windows Office Ea Windows Application Smart Device EA console Application el Windows Control Library Database DelCrystal Reports Application ae Device Application Starter Kits SF Excel Workbook 4 Outlook Add in Test Other Languages My Templates Visual Basic Visual Jit search Online Templates Visual C Distributed System Solutions E Other Project Types Test Projects A project For creating a VB class library dIl Name HelloWorld Location D Sample v Solution Name HelloWorld Create directory for solution C Add to Source Control Figure 227 New Project dialog box C 2 Add Reference and Namespace VB NET uses a process similar to C After you create
25. Revit does not expose functions from the Phase class e Options The Options command configures project global settings You can retrieve an Options Application instance using the Application Options property Currently the Options Application class only supports access to library paths and shared parameters file 4 5 Unit The Revit Unit System is based on seven base units for seven base quantities that are independent The base units are identified in the following table Base Unit Unit In Revit Unit System Length Feet ft Imperial Angle Radian Metric Mass Kilogram kg Metric Time Seconds s Metric Electric Current Ampere A Metric Temperature Kelvin K Metric Luminous Intensity Candela cd Metric Table 8 7 Base Units in Revit Unit System Note Since Revit stores lengths in feet and other basic quantities in metric units a derived unit involving length will be a non standard unit based on both the Imperial and the Metric systems For example since a force is measured in mass length per time squared it is stored in kg ft s The Revit API provides the information in the following dialogs using Document ProjectUnit Revit 2008 API User Manual 55 Application and Document Project Units Discipline ETE y Rounding 0 decimal places Unit suffix SF Options Slope Decimal symbol Rise 12 v point v Figur
26. Revit 2008 API User Manual 166 Sketching Note The following information applies to GeometryCurve e In Revit you cannot create a Hermite curve but you can import it from other software such as AutoCAD Geometry Curve is the only geometry class that represents the Hermite curve e The SetPlaneAndCurve method and the Curve and SketchPlane property setters are used in different situations When the new Curve lies in the same SketchPlane or the new SketchPlane lies on the same planar face with the old SketchPlane use the Curve or SketchPlane property setters If new Curve does not lay in the same SketchPlane or the new SketchPlane does not lay on the same planar face with the old SketchPlane you must simultaneously change the Curve value and the SketchPlane value using SetPlaneAndCurve to avoid internal data inconsistency 13 3 2 2 LineStyle Currently line style does not have a specific class but is represented by the Document Element class e All line styles for a ModelCurve are available from the LineStyles property in the Element Properties dialog box e The Element object that represents line style cannot provide information for all properties Most properties will return null or an empty collection e The only information returned is the following Id Uniqueld Name e Use the getLineStyle method to retrieve the current line style or use the setLineStyle method to set the current line style to
27. This section describes the HostObject CompoundStructure property and provides tips to access Material In addition to host Elements the Opening class is introduced at the end of this chapter 9 1 Wall There are four kinds of Walls represented by the WallType WallKind enumeration e Stacked e Curtain e Basic e Unknown The Wall and WallType class work with the Basic wall type while providing limited function to the Stacked and Curtain walls On occasion you need to check a Wall to determine the wall type For example you cannot get sub walls from a Stacked Wall or get mullions from a Curtain Wall using the API WallKind is read only and set by System Family The Wall Flipped property and Wall flip method gain access to and control Wall Orientation In the following examples a Wall is compared before and after calling the flip method e The Orientation property before is 0 0 1 0 0 0 Revit 2008 API User Manual 103 Host Elements and Opening e The Orientetion property after the flip call is 0 0 1 0 0 0 e The Wall Location Line WALL_KEY_REF_PARAM parameter is 3 which represent the Finish Face Interior in the following table e Taking the line as reference the Wall is moved but the Location is not changed il OEE c Figure 62 Original wall Figure 63 Wall after flip Location Line Description Value Wall Centerline Core Centerline Finish Face Exterior Finish Face Interior Core Face Exterior
28. e Limited energy analysis functions Note Currently PlanTopology and PlanCircuit are used to create rooms 20 1Room The following sections cover information about the room class its parameters and how to use the room class in the API 20 1 1 Room Area and Tags Room class is used to represent rooms drawn in the plan view However it also represents elements such as room schedule and area The properties and create function for different rooms areas and their corresponding tags in the API are listed in the following table Element Class Category Boundary Location Can Create Room in Room OST_Rooms Has if in an LocationPoint NewRoom and NewRooms Plan View enclosed except for region NewRoom Phase Room in Room OST_Rooms Null Null NewRoom Phase Schedule View Area OST_Areas Always has LocationPoint No Room Tag RoomTag OST_RoomTags LocationPoint Creation Document NewRoomTag Area Tag FamilySymbol OST_AreaTags LocationPoint No Table 43 Room Area and Tags relationship Note Room Name is the combination of the room name and room number Use the ROOM_NAME BuiltInParameter to get the room name In the following picture the Room Name returns Room 9 Upper Limit Limit Offset 10 0 Dimensions a Identity Data Number 9 Name Room Comments Figure 194 Room name and number Note As an Annotation Element the specific view is available using RoomTag View Never try to set the RoomTag Name pr
29. e Material Material data is an Element that identifies the physical materials used in the project as well as texture color and more Revit 2008 API User Manual 15 Welcome to the Revit API 1 7 4 Advanced Topics Before reviewing the advanced topics be sure to review the basic and Element topics e Geometry Discusses graphics related types in the API used to describe the graphical representation of the model including the three classes that describe and store the geometry information e Place and Locations Defines the project location including city country latitude and longitude e Shared Parameter Shared parameters are external text files containing parameter information This chapter introduces how to gain access to shared parameters through the Revit API e Transaction Introduces the two uses for Transaction and the limits that you must consider when using Transaction 1 7 5 Product Specific Revit products include Revit Architecture Revit Structure and Revit MEP Some APIs only work in specific products e Revit Architecture Discusses the APIs specific to Revit Architecture e Revit Structure Discusses the APIs specific to Revit Structure 1 7 6 Other e Glossary Definitions of terms used in this document e Appendix Additional information such as Frequently Asked Questions Using Visual Basic Net for programming and more 1 8 Documentation Conventions This document contains class
30. opt View commandData Application ActiveDocument ActiveView Revit 2008 API User Manual 201 Geometry Note For more information refer to the Geometry Options section in this chapter 16 1 2 Retrieve Faces and Edges Wall geometry is a solid made up of faces and edges Complete the following steps to get the faces and edges 1 Retrieve a Geometry Element instance using the Wall class Geometry property This instance contains all geometry objects in the Object property such as a solid a line and so on 2 Iterate the Object property to get a geometry solid instance containing all geometry faces and edges in the Faces and Edges properties Iterate the Faces property to get all geometry faces Iterate the Edges property to get all geometry edges The sample code follows Code Region 2 Geometry Wall aWall GetWall Autodesk Revit Geometry Options opt GetGeometryOptions Autodesk Revit Geometry Element geomElem aWall get_Geometry opt foreach GeometryObject geomObj in geomElem Objects Solid geomSolid geomObj as Solid if null geomSolid foreach Face geomFace in geomSolid Faces get wall s geometry faces foreach Edge geomEdge in geomSolid Edges get wall s geometry edges 16 2 Geometry Node Class The Geometry Node class describes the graphical representation in the API Eight Geometry Node classes are in the API The class
31. properties e CompoundStructuralLayer DeckUsage e DeckProfile The properties are outlined in the following dialog box Revit 2008 API User Manual 268 Revit Structure Edit Assembly Family Floor Type 3 LW Concrete on 2 Metal Deck Total thickness D 5 Default Function Material Thickness _ Wraps Variable 11 Core Boundary Layers Above 0 0 Structure 1 Concrete Cast 0 5 Structural Detk Metal Deck o o Core Boundary Layers Below W 0 0 Structural Deck Properties Deck Profile Deck Usage Form Deck_Non Composite 2 x E w Bound Layer Above Figure 218 Floor CompoundStructuralLayer unsupported functions 21 2 AnalyticalModel In Revit Structure an analytical model is the engineering description of a structural physical model The following structural elements have elemental analytical models e Column e Beam e Slab e Brace e Wall In the API an Element object s AnalyticalModel type is determined by the class type Category and other properties Depending on the element s family the AnalyticalModel may not exist If the AnlyticalModel value does not apply to an element s family the AnalyticalModel property is null Check the value before using this class The following table lists the structural elements and AnalyticalModel types in the API Revit 2008 API User Manual 269 Revit Structure Object Element Type Category AnalyticalModel Type Builtl n
32. ref origin Create a sketch plane in current document SketchPlane sketch doc Create NewSketchP lane geomPlane Create a ModelLin lement using the created geometry line and sketch plane ModelLine line doc Create NewModelCurve geomLine sketch as ModelLine Create a ModelArc element using the created geometry arc and sketch plane ModelArc arc doc Create NewModelCurve geomArc sketch as ModelArc other operation 13 3 2 Properties ModelCurve has properties that help you set specific GeometryCurves In this section the GeometryCurve and LineStyle properties are introduced 13 3 2 1 GeometryCurve The GeometryCurve property is used to get or set the model curve s geometry curve Except for ModelHermiteSpline you can get different Geometry Curves from the four ModelCurves e Line e Arc e Ellipse e Nurbspline The following code sample illustrates how to get a specific Curve from a ModelCurve Code Region 3 Sketching get the geometry curve of the model curv Autodesk Revit Geometry Line geoCurve modelCurve GeometryCurve as Autodesk Revit Geometry Line The GeometryCurve property return value is a general Geometry Curve object therefore you must use an As operator to convert the object type For more details about using the As operator see the As and Is Operators section in the Collection chapter or reference the related C material
33. used when loading a parameter the current file can be changed freely 18 2 2 2 Traverse All Parameter Entries The following sample illustrates how to traverse the parameter entries and display the results in a message box Code Region 3 SharedParameter private void ShowDefinitionFilelnfo Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionFile myDefinitionFile StringBuilder fileInformation new StringBuilder 500 Get the file name myDefinitionFile Filename fileInformation AppendLine File Name Iterate the Definition groups of this file foreach Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionGroup myGroup in myDefinitionFile Groups Get the group name fileInformation AppendLine Group Name myGroup Name Iterate the difinitions foreach Autodesk Revit Parameters Definition definition in myGroup Definitions Get definition name fileInformation AppendLine Definition Name definition Name MessageBox Show fileInformation ToString Revit 18 2 3 Change the Parameter Definition Owner Group The following sample shows how to change the parameter definition group owner Code Region 4 SharedParameter private void ReadEditExternalParam Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionFile file Get ExternalDefinition from shared parameter file Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionGroups myGroups file Groups Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionGrou
34. 12 Revit Familia 280 A 13 Revit Parameters A ae Rae Marae SA pee 280 A 14 Revit TYPES mipi iera de ds e de a a Gece ee 280 A 15 O Ueda ea eee bale 280 A 16 Element ID vicio pa dive ees She ea deve ees co deeded dean a a a aaa 280 A 17 Element UID mnisi aa eden ean Ch Atheist as ee oe PA Aneel Pa oa 280 B FAQ oa 281 B 1 Generali QUESTIONS esei aera aeons Rae rain 281 B 2 Revit Structure Questions oooocccoccccncnncnonnnncnnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnrnnnnnnrnnenranrnnaninnan 282 C Hello World for VB NET ocococcccoccnconcnconnncannnconnncannnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnncnrannnrannnranancnnaneananess 285 C I Create a New Projet ia A AA 285 C 2 Add Reference and NaMe Space ccccceee cece eee ee teen e ene e etna eae e ea eee eats 285 C 3 Change the Class Nameni ennie oana aA a E AE nee ne EEEa need 286 C 4 Add Code ii a idad des 287 C 5 Modify the Revilla a Mia vba eee ert 287 C 6 Build the Program daly aech Seemne ek 288 C 7 Debug the Program s c s i tece ex gerisoedaccsersaes da ia 288 Welcome to the Revit API 1 Welcome to the Revit API All Revit based products are Parametric Building Information Modeling BIM tools These tools are similar to Computer Aided Design CAD programs but are used to build 3D models rather than create drawings In Revit you place real world elements like columns and walls into the model Once the model is built you can create model views such as sections and callouts Views are generated from the
35. 150 Annotation Elements newTag LeaderMode LeaderEndCondition LEC_FREE XYZ elbowPnt wallMid new XYZ 5 0 5 0 0 0 newTag LeaderElbow elbowPnt XYZ headerPnt wallMid new XYZ 10 0 10 0 0 0 newTag TagHeadPosition headerPnt Hello Figure 106 Create IndependentTag using sample code 12 4Text In the API the TextNote class represents Text lts general features are as follows Function API Method or Property Add text to the application Creation Document NewTextNote Get and set string from the text component Does not exist in this version Get and set text component position TextNote Coord Property Get and set text component width TextNote Width Property Get all text component leaders TextNote Leaders Property Add a leader to the text component TextNote AddLeader Method Remove all leaders from the text component TextNote RemoveLeaders Method Table 30 General Features of TextNote Revit supports two kinds of Leaders straight leaders and arc leaders Control the TextNote leader type using the TextNoteLeaderType enumerated type Function Member Name o a right arc leader TANET ee ie a left arc leader NEL TNLT_STRAIGHT_R aca a right leader TNLT_STRAIGHT_L Add a left leader Table 31 Leader Types Note Straight leaders and arc leaders cannot be added to a Text type at the same time Revit 2008 API User Manual 151
36. 3 3 3 6 Room3 Circuit 4 3 Room4 Circuit 5 3 Room5 Table 45 Compare Room Boundary with PlanCircuit 20 1 5 Room and Familyl nstance Doors and Windows are special family instances related to Room Only doors are discussed here since the only difference is that windows have no handle to flip The following characteristics apply to doors e Door elements can exist without a room e in the API and only in the API a Door element has two additional properties that refer to the regions on the two opposite sides of a door ToRoom and FromRoom Ifthe region is a room the property s value would be a Room element Ifthe region is not a room the property will return null Both properties may be null at the same time The region on the side into which a door opens will be ToRoom The room on the other side will be FromRoom Both properties gets dynamically updated whenever the corresponding regions change In the following pictures five doors are inserted into walls without flipping the facing The table lists the FromRoom ToRoom and Room properties for each door The Room property belongs to all Family Instances Te 6 Ss y i a Figure 206 Door 1 Figure 207 Door 2 Revit 2008 API User Manual 257 Revit Architecture Figure 208 Door 3 Table 46 Door Properties All family instances have the Room property which is the room where an instance is loca
37. 3D physical model consequently changes made in one view automatically propagate through all views This virtually eliminates the need to update multiple drawings and details when you make changes to the model 1 1 Introduction to the Revit API The Revit NET API allows you to program with any NET compliant language including Visual Basic NET C and C CLI In addition the API is focused on integrating analysis and visualization applications into the Revit Building Information Model Revit Architecture 2008 Revit Structure 2008 and Revit MEP 2008 all contain the Revit API so that you can integrate your applications into Revit The three APIs are very similar and are jointly referred to as the Revit 2008 API Before using the API learn to use Revit and its features so that you can better understand the relevant areas related to your programming Learning Revit can help you 1 Maintain consistency with the Revit Ul and commands 2 Design your add in application seamlessly 3 Master API classes and class members efficiently and effectively If you are not familiar with Revit or BIM learn more in the Revit product center at http www autodesk com revit 1 2 What Can You Do with the Revit API You can use the Revit API to e Gain access to model graphical data e Gain access to model parameter data e Create edit and delete model elements like floors walls columns and more e Create add ins to automate repetitive tasks
38. Category option For example the Wall and Floor IndependentTag are respectively OST_WallTags and OST_FloorTags If the tag is created using the Multi Category or Material style their categories are respectively OST_MultiCategoryTags and OST _MaterialTags Similar to DetailCurve NewTag only works in the 2D view otherwise an exception is thrown The following code is an example of IndependentTag creation Run it when the level view is the active view Code Region 3 Annotation Elements Wall wall GetWall Autodesk Revit Elements View view commandData Application ActiveDocument ActiveView if ViewType ThreeD view ViewType return TagMode tagMode TagMode TM_ADDBY_CATEGORY TagOrientation tagorn TagOrientation TAG_HORIZONTAL Add the tag to the middle of the wall LocationCurve wallLoc wall Location as LocationCurve XYZ wallStart wallLoc Curve get_EndPoint 0 XYZ wallEnd XYZ wallMid wallLoc Curve get_EndPoint 1 wallStart Add ref wallEnd Divide 2 Autodesk Revit Creation Document docCreator commandData Application ActiveDocument Create IndependentTag newTag docCreator NewTag view wall true tagMode tagorn wallMid if null newTag throw new Exception Create IndependentTag Failed newlag TagText Hello set leader mode fr otherwise leader end point move with elbow point Revit 2008 API User Manual
39. Globally Unique Identifier which is unique across separate Revit projects Uniqueld can help you to track elements when you export Revit project files to other formats Code Region 7 Elements Essentials String uniqueld element Uniqueld Note The Elementid is only unique in the current project It is not unique across separate Revit projects Uniqueld is always unique across separate projects 5 4 3 Location The location of an object is important in the building modeling process In Revit some objects have a point location For example a table has a point location Other objects have a line location representing a location curve or no location at all A wall is an element that has a line location The Revit API provides the Location class and location functionality for most elements For example it has the Move and Rotate methods to translate and rotate the elements However the Location class has no property from which you can get information such as a coordinate In this situation downcast the Location object to its subclass like LocationPoint or LocationCurve for more detailed location information and control using object derivatives The following picture shows the inherited relationship Revit 2008 API User Manual 70 Elements Essentials APIObject Z Move bool Rotate bool Figure 42 Location diagram Retrieving an element s physical location in a project is useful
40. Int32 Boolean Array one or several elements in the project by a Radial Double specified degree Array ElementSet Int32 Boolean Array one or several elements in the project by a Linear XYZ specified number Array ElementSet Int32 Boolean Array one or several elements in the project by a Radial Double specified degree Table 19 Document Array Members There are two types of arrays linear array and radial array e Linear arrays represent an array created from one point to another point in the Revit project e Radial arrays represent an array created around a central point in the Revit project The Array method is useful if you need to create several instances of a component and manipulate them simultaneously Every instance in an array can be a member of a group Note When using the Array method the following rules apply e When performing Linear and Radial Array operations elements dependent on the arrayed elements are also arrayed e Some elements cannot be arrayed because they cannot be grouped e Arrays are not supported by most annotation symbols The Revit API also provides ArrayWithoutAssociate methods to array one or several elements without being grouped and associated This method is similar to the Array method 8 7 SuspendUpdating SuspendUpdating is a class that temporarily delays automatic updating and consistency operations in Revit For example if you create an instance of this object it suspends
41. It must be unique or a null pointer pLevel Level associated with the plan view viewType Type of plan view created It must be Floor Plan or Ceiling Plan Structural Plan in Structure box View orientation and bounds The X axis points towards the right of screen Y towards up Z towards the user titleBlock The titleblock family symbol applied to the sheet Table 38 Create View Element Methods If a view is created successfully these methods return a reference to the view otherwise it returns null The methods are described in the following sections Delete a view by useing the Document Delete method with the view ID You can also delete view dependent elements For example deleting the level element causes Revit to delete the corresponding plan view or deleting the camera element causes Revit to delete the corresponding 3D view Note Currently you cannot gain access to Schedule views in the Revit 2008 API as there is no NewScheduleView method 14 2View3D View3D is a freely oriented three dimensional view There are two kinds of 3D views perspective view and orthographic view The difference between the two views is based on the projection ray relationship The View3D sPerspective property indicates whether a 3D view is perspective or orthographic Complete the following steps to add a View3D by adding a camera 1 From the toolbar click View gt New gt Camera 2 Check the Perspecti
42. Model Elements oooococccocccoccccnoccnncnnncnnnnnnnnn nn nn nrn nn nrnnnnnn narrar aran anar 261 21 1 1 Column Beam and BTACe oooocccccccnconcnconcnnoncnnnncnnnncnnnnnnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrrannrnnnns 261 21 1 2 AreaReinforcement and PathReinforcement occccccccccccnconcnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncnnnns 262 21 1 3 BEAMS VSCOM rirerire a oa 265 21 1 4 E OO EE 265 21 1 5 Boundary CONAIIOAS A A a a he 267 21 1 6 Other Structural Elements ccc eee ener een eee aera 268 21 2 AnalyticalModel xico eae bee ep EU tee bee ee Ee dee BO Ee 269 21 2 2 RIQIGLINK ii cuss a a A Give ved a aaaea we aa AE teehee 271 21 2 3 SUPPOrt Dalat nirna vtec thik dete eee eee bata bas bien e 272 21 3 LOGOS eh tote cede dt dedo T 275 21 3 1 koad Settings naan eid dest ee he RA A ee i ete ee ea eae coe eee 275 21 3 2 Load Limitation Sa eieae eao ees ened a a teta airis 276 21 4 Analysis Linkin A 276 A Glossary eaei a rsi Ean nn nnnnrnnnnrnnanrnsanrananes 279 A 1 Art o o a tool 279 A 2 PUTA od oie Soe See A coda hovel senae sae TET T TT 279 A 3 BlMi is a A A AA Weekes AS ieee 279 A 4 A ea bel ges en a ee eed eye bees ee has E ee de eee gees 279 A 5 EVEN is accreted tia eve A A A ew ches a Panacea ane 279 A 6 GUI a Ges ios mien UE a Reh takes Wie 279 A 7 EA a dia eat eevee eee 279 A 8 MethOd PREE TEIE E E S AAEE banhweds se OS das 279 A 9 Namespace ica cdi CEES 279 A 10 Overloading iva A ee ee eee 280 A 11 Properties cess cticdeca cing beck ones Cena A aiii 280 A
43. Output window indicating that the project compiled without errors 2 2 6 Modify the Revit ini file The HelloWorld dll file appears in the project output directory If you want to invoke the application in Revit modify the Revit ini file to register it into Revit 1 To edit the Revit ini file open it for edit in Notepad The Revit ini file is usually located in the Revit installation directory on your computer For example C program Files Revit Architecture 2008 Program 2 Add the following to the end of the existing code ExternalCommands ECCount 1 ECClassNamel HelloWorld CsHelloWorld ECAssemblyl D Sample HelloWorld bin Debug HelloWorld dll ECNamel HelloWorld ECDescriptionl Implementation of HelloWorld within Autodesk Revit Note ECAssembly1 is the path to the assembly D Sample HelloWorld bin Debug HelloWorld dll in this particular example Refer to the Add in Integration chapter for more details about the Revit ini file 2 2 7 Debug the Add in Running a program in Debug mode uses breakpoints to pause the program so that you can examine the state of variables and objects If there is an error you can check the variables as the program runs to deduce why the value is not what you might expect 1 In the Solution Explorer window right click the HelloWorld project to display a context menu Revit 2008 API User Manual 23 Getting Started 2 From the context menu click Pro
44. Revit application For more details about RoomTag see the Room section in the Revit Architecture chapter Note The IndependentTag class represents the tag element in Revit and other specific tags such as keynote beam system tag electronic circuit symbol Revit MEP and so on In Revit internal code the specific tags have corresponding classes derived from IndependentTag As a result specific features are not exposed by the API and cannot be created using the NewTag method They can be distinguished by the following categories Tag Name Builtl nCategory Keynote Tag OST_KeynoteTags Beam System Tag OST_BeamSystemTags Electronic Circuit Tag OST_ElectricalCircuitTags Span Direction Tag OST_SpanDirectionSymbol Path Reinforcement Span Tag OST_PathReinSpanSymbol Rebar System Span Tag OST_IOSRebarSystemSpanSymbolCtrl Table 29 Tag Name and Category In this section the main focus is on the tag type represented in the following picture Revit 2008 API User Manual 149 Annotation Elements Scope Box lt gt Keynote By Category Room Tag Multi Category E Tag All Not Tagged _ Material Symbol Df Figure 105 I ndependentTag Every category in the family library has a pre made tag Some tags are automatically loaded with the default Revit application template while others are loaded manually The IndependentTag objects return different categories based on the host element if it is created using the By
45. Window lt gt Community Help 13 AS SS ms a a Tinan O A a Sl 2a CF A Ob Debug Any CPU zlc Xll CsHelloworld vb d HelloWorld Start Page Object Browser e Ss Application Configuration Active Debug e Platform Active Any CPU w Compile Debug Start project References Start external program C Program Files Autodesk Revit Building 10 Prograr Kas O Start browser with URL Settings Start Options Signing Command line arguments Code Analysis working directory kad C Use remote machine Enable Debuggers C Enable unmanaged code debugging C Enable SQL Server debugging Figure 230 Set Debug environment 5 From the Debug menu select Toggle Breakpoint or press F9 to set a breakpoint on the following line MsgBox Hello World 6 Press F5 to start the debug procedure 7 Test the debugging From the Revit menu bar click Tools gt External Tools HelloWorld appears in the submenu Revit Architecture 2008 Project1 Floor Plan Level 1 2 File Edit View Modelling Drafting Site MESSI Settings Debug Window Help De E 3 External Tools gt Helloworld 3D Work Plane gt F E Plane BE OM fit A Fp n 38 Split F Trim A Design Options Figure 231 HelloWorld External Tools command Click HelloWorld to execute the program activating the breakpoint P
46. a compatible language such as C or Visual Basic Net There are many good books and classes to get you started If you are a Revit novice go through the tutorials which are accessible from the Revit Help menu If possible take a training class from your local Autodesk reseller to help you quickly get up to speed Regardless of your experience level you can join one of the many discussion groups dedicated to Revit and the Revit API The following resource links are a good starting point www autodesk com revitbuilding www autodesk com revitstructure www autodesk com revitsystems www autodesk com bim www revitcity com www augi com http discussion autodesk com Select Autodesk Revit Architecture Then Select Autodesk Revit API http forums augi com forumdisplay php f 93 http discussion autodesk com index2 jspa categoryl D 27 http discussion autodesk com index2 jspa categoryl D 104 http discussion autodesk com index2 jspa categoryl D 114 1 5 Installation The Revit API is installed with Revit Architecture Revit Structure and Revit MEP Any NET based application will reference the RevitAPI dll located in the Revit Program directory 1 6 Supported Programming Languages The Revit API is fully accessible by any language compatible with the Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 such as Visual Basic NET or Visual C 1 7 User Manual This document is part of the Revit SDK It provi
47. and Min points are based on this system The created section view introduces a new system O X YZ as the viewing coordinate system e Point O is the section view origin e Its coordinates are retrieved using the View Origin property e The section view crop box is calculated using the box Note When you create a section using the command View gt New gt Section the created view is located in the Sections Building Section node in the Project Browser The view class type is Elements View and the view type is ViewType Section However when you create a section using the API Autodesk Revit Creation NewViewSection method the created view is in the Detail Views Detail node The class type is Elements ViewSection and the view type is ViewType Detail 14 6 View Sheet A sheet is a view used to prepare a finished printout It contains views and a title block When creating a sheet view with the Autodesk Revit Creation NewViewSheet method a title block family symbol is a required parameter for the method The Autodesk Revit Document TitleBlocks property contains all title blocks in the document Choose one title block to create the sheet public void AddView View newView ref UV location The newly created sheet has no views The ViewSheet AddView method is used to add views e The ref Geometry UV location parameter identifies where the added views are located It points to the added view s center coordinate m
48. and does not need to be downcast to FloorType For more information about structure related functions such as SpanDirectionSymbols and SpanDirectionAngle refer to the Revit Structure chapter When editing an Isolated Foundation in Revit you can perform the following actions You can pick a host such as a floor However the Familyl nstance object Host property always returns null When deleting the host floor the Foundation is not deleted with it The Foundation host is available from the Host INSTANCE_FREE_HOST_PARAM parameter Use another related Offset INSTANCE_FREE_HOST_OFFSET_PARAM parameter to control the foundation offset from the host Element MV Moves With Grids Pick Host Edit Family Pick a new host for the selection Figure 67 Pick Host for FoundationSlab Familyl nstance Continuous footings are represented by the ContFooting class in the API Currently the API provides limited access to both ContFooting and ContFootingType except when using AnalyticalModel refer to the AnalyticalModel section in the Revit Structure chapter For example the attached wall is not available in Revit Architecture In Revit Structure the relationship between the Wall class and the ContFooting class is shown using SupportData in the structural Wall class AnalyticalModelWall For more details refer to the SupportData section in the Revit Structure chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 107 Host Elements and Opening
49. application Autodesk Revit MenuItem menuItem application CreateTopMenu NewMenultem Create a menu iterm in the top menu NewMenultem click it the add in application HelloWorld will be triggered menultem Append Autodesk Revit Menultem MenuType BasicMenu HelloWorld D HelloWorld dll HelloWorld CsHelloWorld return IExternalApplication Result Succeeded 2 3 4 Build the Application After completing the code build the application From the Build menu click Build Solution Output from the build appears in the Output window indicating that the project compiled without errors AddMenu dll is located in the project output directory 2 3 5 Modify the Revit ini File To invoke the application in Revit modify the Revit ini file to register it into Revit 1 Open the Revit ini file for edit using Notepad The ini file is usually in the Revit installation directory on your computer For example it is usually located at the following path C Program Files Revit Architecture 2008 Program 2 Add the following information to the end of the file ExternalApplications EACount 1 EAClassNamel AddMenu CsAddMenu EAAssemblyl D Sample AddMenu AddMenu bin Debug AddMenu dll Note The AddMenu dll file is in the default file folder in a new folder called Debug D Sample HelloWorld bin Debug AddMenu dll Use the file path to evaluate ECAssemblyl Refer
50. category or subcategory to which an Element belongs It is used to identify the inferred Element type For example anything in the walls Category is considered a wall Other categories include doors and rooms Categories are the most general class The Categories object is a map that contains all Category objects in the document and is subdivided into the following Revit 2008 API User Manual 62 Elements Essentials e Model Categories Model Categories include beams columns doors windows and walls e Annotation Categories Annotation Categories include dimensions grids levels and textnotes Categories _ Model Annotation Beams Columns Windows Dimensions Grids Levels Doors TextNotes Figure 37 Categories Note The following guidelines apply to categories e In general the following rules apply to categories Each family object belongs to a category Non family objects like materials and views do not belong to a category There are exceptions such as Projectl nfo which belongs to the Project Information category e An element and its corresponding symbols are usually in the same category For example a basic wall and its wall type Generic 8 are all in the Walls category e The same type of Elements can be in different categories For example SpotDimensions has the SpotDimensionType but it can belong to two different categories Spot Elevations and Spot Coordinates e Different Elements ca
51. certain updating and consistency operations to increase large scale change performance using the API Revit 2008 API User Manual 100 Editing Elements Updating continues when the SuspendUpdating object is explicitly disposed Currently the SuspendUpdating function works primarily with object transformation operations such as move and rotate Code Region 14 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Selection choices doc Selection ElementSet collection choices Elements Using statement defines a scope at the end of which the suspandUpdating object is disposed using SuspendUpdating aSuspendUpdating new SuspendUpdating doc Suspend these operations foreach FamilyInstance element in collection MoveRotateElement commandData Application Create doc element Update operations when the SuspendUpdating object is disposed SuspendUpdating objects can be nested The Nested property returns true if the object is already nested During nesting the final update happens only when all SuspendUpdating objects are disposed For example if the following function is called by the previous example the bSuspendUpdating object Nested property returns true In this situation the Move operation update only happens after both bSuspendUpdating and aSuspendUpdating objects are disposed Note The aSuspendUpdating object Nested property still returns false While
52. drawings that are not included in the model e Inthe drafting view the user can create details in different view scales coarse fine or medium e You can use 2D detailing tools including Detail lines Reference planes Detail regions Dimensions Detail components Symbols Insulation Text These tools are the same tools used to create a detail view e Drafting views do not display model elements Use the Autodesk Revit Creation NewViewDrafting method to create a drafting view Model elements are not displayed in the drafting view 14 5 View Section Section views cut through the model to expose the interior structure The Auotdesk Revit Creation NewViewSection method creates the section view public ViewSection NewViewSection BoundingBoxXYZ box The box parameter is the section view crop box It provides the orientation and bounds which are required for the section view Usually another view s crop box is used as the parameter You can also build a custom BoundingBoxXYZ instance to represent the orientation and bounds Revit 2008 API User Manual 182 Views ion Plan view sect 140 igure F ion t ion view sec Sect Figure 141 183 Revit 2008 API User Manual Views Figure 142 Section view box For example apply the box to the section view create method The coordinate system O XYZ is the model coordinate system and the box Max
53. eae e eaten anata eee 59 SLS Sketch Elements NT 61 5 1 6 Information Elements rsisi ivre re iaie eee enna ene eee eee nee EEIN aak 61 5 2 Other Classification Sis vc ce A eine eo nee ed de See be 62 A E o A E 62 zz Ea lA end 65 Zi MD da 66 A istan Enea Pha veronica nner A aA enone ro daca A EAA AEEA EE E ANES 67 5 3 Element Retrieval pyne rotar a e A CAERA KETS O Ea GEEAE 67 53L General iesen ee a a O ee eee ee ry 67 5 32 SOON isana a Led deed o di tac 68 a OM ios cda 69 5 4 General Proper OS A A A See eae lt 69 5 4 1 Element cece tees gees ves au te save eee ce ee egts Ge glee etna le Galvan ees EAA ls EEEa avi ugha eden NAY 69 5 4 2 Umiquel ii oa 70 543 LOCATON ees ieee eee hence Gleeakees Gites ben ceva ees adda egies dances Ea Give ees dda iea die ees edibles elena 70 O 72 A cs atenian ni i aTa AA eddie AES E enc aE ea AE AARE AA EEE yaks 72 O ParaMeCten ini 75 6 1 Walkthrough Get Selected Element Parameters oooccccccccccnnnconnnccnnnnoncnncnnncnnnnnananos 75 6 2 DePINIEIOM ii A A A A cide cbse giv ees av ee ees edna 77 6 2 1 Parameterly pe x s ciicias een as escola tain eas da 78 6 2 2 Para Meter phair iania e dada 78 6 3 Builtl mParameter io 78 6 4 Storag Ty pe dara Deeks 79 6 5 AsValueString and SetValueString c cece teen eterna teeta een a teens 81 6 6 Parameter Tips ANd TriCKS ooococcccccnccnnnccnnncnnnnnannncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncnrnnrnnnnnnnannn 82 6 7 Add Parameters to Element 0
54. from the current active document without iterating all Elements The specified Elements you can retrieve are listed in the following table Element Access in property of Document Projectinfo Document Projectlnformation ProjectUnit Document ProjectUnit ProjectLocation Document ProjectLocations Document ActiveProjectLocation SiteLocation Document SiteLocation Phase Document Phases FillPattern Document Settings FillPatterns Material Document Settings Materials FamilySymbol relative to the deck profile Document DeckProfiles of the layer within a structure FamilySymbol in the Title Block category Document TitleBlocks All Element types Document AnnotationSymbolTypes BeamSystemTypes ContFootingTypes DimensionTypes FloorTypes GridTypes LevelTypes RebarBarTypes RebarHookTypes RoomTagTypes SpotDimensionTypes WallTypes TextNoteTypes Table 10 Retrieving Elements from document properties 5 4 General Properties The following properties are common to each Element created using Revit 5 4 1 Elementid Every element in an active document has a unique identifier represented by the Elementld storage type Elementid objects are project wide It is a unique number that is never changed in the element model which allows it to be stored externally to retrieve the element when needed To view an element ID in Revit complete the following steps 1 From the Tools menu select Element Ids The Element Ids
55. functionality in the API Revit 2008 API User Manual 109 Host Elements and Opening 9 4 1 Material Each CompoundStructureLayer in HostObjAttributes is typically displayed with some type of material If CompoundStructureLayer Material returns null it does not mean the layer does not have Material Material is Category related For more details refer to the Material chapter Getting the CompoundStructureLayer Material is illustrated in the following sample code Code Region 1 Host Elements and Opening get selected wall WallType aWallType aWall WallType Only Basic Wall has compoundStructure if WallType WallKind Basic aWallType Kind Get CompoundStructure CompoundStructure comStruct aWallType CompoundStructure Categories allCategories doc Settings Categories Get the category OST_Walls default Material it is the category OST_Walls default Material CompoundStructureLayer if that layer s default Material is lt By Category gt Category wallCategory allCategories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_Walls Autodesk Revit Elements Material wallMaterial wallCategory Material foreach CompoundStructureLayer structLayer in comStruct Layers Autodesk Revit Elements Material layerMaterial structLayer Material T CompoundStructureLayer s Material is specified use default Material of its Category if null layerMaterial switch structLayer Funct
56. generic form to use in family modeling and massing The Revolution class has the following properties Revit 2008 API User Manual 158 Sketching Property Description Axis Returns the Axis It is a ModelLine object EndAngle Returns the End Angle It is a Double type Sketch Returns the Extrusion Sketch It contains a SketchPlane and some curves Table 33 Revolution Properties EndAngle is consistent with the same parameter in the Revit UI The following pictures illustrate the Revolution corresponding parameter the sketch and the result Element Properties Family Type Type Parameters Control all elements of this type Parameter Value Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Parameter Value Constraints The value of EndAngle End Angle Start Angle Visible 160 000 s property is 160 9 000 The value of StartAngle cannot be accessed Visibility Graphics Overrides Materials and Finishes Identity Data Subcategory Solid Yoid Revit 2008 API User Manual lt By Category gt Figure 116 Corresponding parameter 159 Sketching de is yA Revolution Profile Figure 117 Revolution sketch Figure 118 Revolution result Note e The Start Angle is not accessible using the Revit API e Ifthe End Angle is positive the Rotation direction is clockwise If it is negative the Rotation direction is counterclockwise 13 2 3 Blend
57. identifier that is universally unique That means it is unique across separate Autodesk Revit projects Revit 2008 API User Manual 280 FAQ B FAQ B 1 General Questions Q How do reference an element in Revit A Each element has an ID The ID that is unique in the model is used to make sure that you are referring to the same element across multiple sessions of Revit Q Can a model only use one shared parameter file A Shared parameter files are used to hold bits of information about the parameter The most important piece of information is the GUID Globally Unique Identifier that is used to insure the uniqueness of a parameter in a single file and across multiple models Revit can work with multiple shared parameter files but you can only read parameters from one file at a time It is then up to you to choose the same shared parameter file for all models or a different one for each model In addition your API application should avoid interfering with the user s parameter file Ship your application with its own parameter file containing your parameters To load the parameter s into a Revit file e The application must remember the user parameter file name e Switch to the application s parameter file and load the parameter e Then switch back to the user s file Q Do need to distribute the shared parameters file with the model so other programs can use the shared parameters A No The shared parameters file is on
58. of elements in the active document and active view The number of elements in the active view changes if you hide some elements while the number of elements in the document is constant Code Region 2 View private void CountElements Autodesk Revit Document doc Count the number of elements in the document int count 0 ElementIterator iter doc Elements iter Reset whil iter MoveNext Autodesk Revit Element elem iter Current as Autodesk Revit Element if null elem count StringBuilder message new StringBuilder message AppendLine Elements within Document count ToString message AppendLine Elements within active View doc ActiveView Elements Size ToString MessageBox Show message ToString 14 1 4 Create and Delete Views The Revit API provides five methods to create the corresponding view elements derived from Autodesk Revit Elements View class Method Parameters Revit 2008 API User Manual 174 Views Method View3D NewView3D ref XYZ viewDirection ViewPlan NewViewPlan string pViewName Level pLevel ViewType viewType ViewSection NewViewSection BoundingBoxXYZ box ViewSheet NewViewSheet FamilySymbol titleBlock ViewDrafting NewViewDrafting Parameters viewDirection Vector pointing towards the viewer s eye pViewName Name for the new plan view
59. one returned from the LineStyles property Revit 2008 API User Manual 167 Sketching Element Properties Constraints Phasing Figure 130 Line Style parameter Revit 2008 API User Manual 168 Views 14 Views Views are images produced from a Revit model with privileged access to the data stored in the documents They can be graphics such as plans or text such as schedules Each project document has one or more different views The last focused window is the active view In this chapter you learn how views are generated the types of views supported by Revit and the features for each view 14 1 Overview This section is a high level overview discussing the following e How views are generated e View types e Element visibility e Create and delete views 14 1 1 View Process The following figure illustrates how a view is generated 3D world coordinate Clipped 2D device output primitives world coordinates coordinates Transform into Clip against Project onto viewport in crop box projection gt 2D device plane coordinates for display Figure 131 Create view process Each view is generated by projecting a three dimensional object onto a two dimensional projection plane Projections are divided into two basic classes e Perspective e Parallel After the projection type is determined you must specify the conditions under which the 3D model is needed and the scene is
60. parameter The parameter value identifies the Material type as shown in the following table Value Type in API Type in Revit 0 Unassigned 4 MaterialWood Wood Table 39 PHY_MATERIAL_PARAM_TYPE Parameter Values Note Do not convert the integer parameter to Structural Enums Material Structural Enums Material represents a structural Familylnstance family parameter in the Revit Structure product The Familylnstance or FamilySymbol Material property is determined by the Family It is not related to the Material object In Revit when editing a Structural Family Settings gt Family Category and Parameter note that the Family Parameter Structural Material Type corresponds to the Structural Enums Material enumerated type Revit 2008 API User Manual 188 Material Family Category and Parameters Family Category Boundary Conditions Columns Floors Generic Models Mass Roofs Structural Connections Structural Foundations Structural Framing Structural Stiffeners Structural Trusses Walls Windows C Show categories from all disciplines Family Parameters Structural Material Type Always export as geometry Beam cutback in plan m bounding box Show Family pre cut in plan v Figure 144 Family parameter and Enum material Although there is no enumerated type for the Integer you can define one as illustrated in the following code Code Region 2 Material Autodesk Revit E
61. performed by the external command marking it a failure ExternalCommand Result Cancelled The user cancelled the external command Revit reverses changes made by the external command without marking it a failure Table 2 I ExternalCommand Result The following example displays a greeting message and allows the user to select the return value Use the Execute method as the entrance to the Revit application Code Region 3 Add In ntegration public IExternalCommand Result Execute ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message ElementSet elements LEY Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument ElementIdSet ids doc Delete doc Selection Elements DialogResult result MessageBox Show OK to return succeeded and delete all selection No to cancel all commands Revit 2008 API User Manual 36 Add In Integration Revit MessageBoxButtons YesNoCancel if DialogResult Yes result return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded else if DialogResult No result lements doc Selection Elements message Failed to delete selection return IExternalCommand Result Failed else return IExternalCommand Result Cancelled eatch message Unexpected Exception is thrown out return IExternalCommand Result Failed 3 2 3 ExternalCommands In the Revit ini Ext
62. program demonstrates transaction boundaries Code Region 3 Transaction other operations EEY app ActiveDocument BeginTransaction Some operation End transaction before return from function Rules in local function is the same app ActiveDocument EndTransaction return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded catch Exception ex Some operation Abort transaction when exception occured app ActiveDocument AbortTransaction return IExternalCommand Result Failed other operations Most applications use transaction management for operations on objects The operations are committed at the end of the outermost transaction e A Revit command boundary is the boundary of your transaction as far as you can stretch e No active transactions exist when a command ends If it does Revit aborts or crashes Generally speaking it is a good idea to start a transaction when one of your functions is invoked and end the transaction when you return from that function Most actions in Revit refer to this idea using the Document BeginTransaction method and Document EndTransaction method Revit 2008 API User Manual 247 Transaction Revit 2008 API User Manual 248 Revit Architecture 20 Revit Architecture This chapter covers API functionality that is specific to Revit Architecture namely e Functionality related to rooms Element Room RoomTag etc
63. project 1 Create a C project in Visual Studio using the Class Library template 2 Type AddMenu as the project name 3 Add the RevitAPI reference using the directions in the previous walkthrough Walkthrough Hello World 2 3 2 Change the Class Name To change the class name complete the following steps 1 In the class view window right click Class1 to display a context menu 2 From the context menu select Rename and change the class name to CsAddMenu 3 In the Solution Explorer right click the Class1 cs file to display a context menu 4 From the context menu select Rename and change the file s name to CsAddMenu cs 5 Double click CsAddMenu cs to open it for editing 2 3 3 Add Code The Add Menu project is different from Hello World because it is automatically invoked when Revit runs Use the ExternalApplication interface for this project The ExternalApplication interface contains two abstract methods OnStartup and OnShutdown For more information about lExternalApplication refer to the Add in Integration chapter Add the following code for the menu item Code region 2 Getting Started public class CsAddMenu IExternalApplication public IExternalApplication Result OnShutdown ControlledApplication application Revit 2008 API User Manual 26 Getting Started return IExternalApplication Result Succeeded public IExternalApplication Result OnStartup ControlledApplication
64. property Revit 2008 API User Manual 195 Material 15 3 2 Material and Category Only model elements can have material APIObject Category lt Material Material Parent Category SubCategories CategoryNameMap CategoryNameMap Figure 149 Material and Category diagram From the Revit menu bar click Settings gt Object Style to display the Object Styles dialog box Elements whose category is listed in the Model Objects tab have material information Object Styles Model Objects Annotation Objects Imported Objects Line Weight Category s Line Color Line Pattern Structural Path Reinforcement 1 EE Black Solid Structural Rebar EE Black Solid Structural Stiffeners 1 Black Structural Trusses oo MA AGB 000 127 000 Dash Telephone Devices E LJ Black 3 Topography EE Black Solid Site Earth Walls EE Black Solid Default Wall Windows EE Black Solid Elevation Swing EE Black Centre Frame Mullion EE Black Solid Glass EE Black Solid Hidden Lines EE AGE 000 000 127 Dash Moulding EE Black Solid Opening EE Black Solid Plan Swing EE Black Solid Sil Head EE Black Solid Trim _ EE Black Solid Wires f MM Black Solid Modify Subcategories Select All Select None Show categories from all disciplines SHINS NNN NH wo MD Figure 150 Category material Only Model elements can have the Material property assigned Querying Material for a category that corresponds to other than Model elements e g Anno
65. reference plane The Reflection property needs the geometry plane information for the reference plane Code Region 8 Geometry ReferencePlane refPlane GetRefPlane Transform mirTrans Transform get_Reflection refPlane Plane 16 3 1 3 Rotation Rotate by a specified angle around a specified axis and point 16 3 1 4 Translation Translate by a specified vector Given a vector XYZ data a transformation is created as follow 1 0 0 x x y z gt 0 1 0 y 0 0 1z 16 3 1 5 Determinant Transformation determinant BasisX X BasisY X BasisZ X BasisX Y BasisY Y BasisZ Y BasisX Z BasisY Z BasisZ Z 16 3 1 6 HasReflection Boolean value that indicates whether the transformation produces a reflection Revit 2008 API User Manual 209 Geometry 16 3 1 7 Scale Value that represents the transformation scale 16 3 1 8 Inverse An inverse transformation Transformation matrix A is invertible if a transformation matrix B exists such that A B B A identity 16 3 1 9 Isl dentity Boolean value that indicates whether this transformation is an identity 16 3 1 10I sTranslation Boolean value that indicates whether this transformation is a translation Geometry Transform provides methods to perform basal matrix operations 16 3 1 11 Multiply Multiplies a transformation by a specified transformation and returns the result Operator Multiplies two specified transforms 16 3 1 12ScaleBasis Scales the basis
66. submenu appears 2 Select Ids of Selection to get the ID number for one element Project Position Orientation b Element Ids gt Ids of Selection Select by Id Analytical Model bL 7 mo Figure 41 Elementid Revit 2008 API User Manual 69 Elements Essentials In the Revit API you can create an Elementid directly and then associate a unique integer value to the new Elementld The new Elementld value is O by default Code Region 5 Elements Essentials ElementId id new ElementId id Value 155507 Elementid has the following uses e Use Elementld to retrieve a specific element from Revit From the Revit Application class gain access to the active document and then get the specified element using the Document Element Elementl d property Code Region 6 Elements Essentials Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument ElementId id new ElementId id Value 155507 Get specified elements using ElementId Element element doc get_Element ref id If the ID number does not exist in the project the element you retrieve is null e Use Elementid to check whether two Elements in one project are equal or not It is not recommended to use the Object Equal method 5 4 2 Uniqueld Every element has a Uniqueld represented by the String storage type The Uniqueld corresponds to the Elementld However unlike Elementld Uniqueld functions like a GUID
67. than one transaction e Drag the end of a wall when creating a wall command Less than one transaction e Select Without persistent effect A transaction typically contains several smaller changes including a direct user change and the resultant effects of regeneration However reversing a subset of these can leave the document in an inconsistent state Therefore changes are grouped and rollback to the document state is Revit 2008 API User Manual 243 Transaction permitted only to certain defined points in the change history The following sample program demonstrates the transaction API function Code Region 1 Transaction Autodesk Revit Application app commandData Application Autodesk Revit Document doc app ActiveDocument Define the creator Autodesk Revit Creation Application appCreator app Create Autodesk Revit Creation Document docCreator doc Create Create a geometry line in revit application XYZ Pointl new XYZ 0 0 0 XYZ Point2 new XYZ 10 0 0 XYZ Point3 new XYZ 10 10 0 XYZ Point4 new XYZ 0 10 0 Transient Elements so they are not managed by transactions doc BeginTransaction Adding the following clause will not change the result Line geomLinel appCreator NewLine ref Pointl ref Point2 true Line geomLine2 appCreator NewLine ref Point4 ref Point3 true Line geomLine3 appCreator NewLine ref Pointl ref Point4 true
68. the fully qualified path for the assembly is C Project1 Project1 dll e ECName The ECName property sets a short menu name for the external command in the Tools menu The identifies the command number such as ECNamel The command number must match the command number used for the ECClassName property In the previous example the menu item for command 1 is My Tool e ECDescription The ECDescription property is a string that appears in the Revit status bar when the mouse moves over the menu item The help string is a one line description of the external command In the previous example the message Implementation of My Tool within Revit appears in the status bar when the mouse moves over the My Tool menu item Note The Revit ini file is read when Revit starts It is not read at any other point during application execution 3 3 External Application External Developers can add functionality through External Applications as well as External Commands Revit recognizes external applications using the Revit ini Menu items and the toolbar are customized using the External Application Menu items and toolbar items are bound to an External command 3 3 1 IExternalApplication lExternalApplication is an interface implemented using the entrypoint type when you want to extend Revit functionality with an External Application To add an External Application to Revit you must implement an object that supports the ExternalApplication
69. the geometry information for the box It returns an instance of BoundingBoxXYZ indicating a rectangular parallelepiped in the viewing coordinate system The coordinate system and the crop box shape are illustrated in the View3D section After cropping the model is projected onto the projection plane The following rules apply to the projection e The projection contents are mapped to the screen view port for display e During the mapping process the projection contents are scaled so that they are shown properly on the screen The View Scale property is the ratio of the actual model size to the view size The view boundary on paper is the crop region which is a projection of the crop box on the projection plane The size and position of the crop region is determined by the View OutLine property 14 1 2 View Types A project model can have several view types The following picture demonstrates the different types of views in the Project browser Revit 2008 API User Manual 170 Views Project1 Project browser E Views all Floor Plans Level 2 Site Ceiling Plans Level 1 Level 2 3D Views 3D Elevations Building Elevation East North South West Sections Building Section Section 1 Drafting Views Detail Drafting 1 Legends Legend 1 o Schedules Quantities Floor Schedule 5 Sheets all 4101 Unnamed Figure 132 Different views in the Project browser In the API there are two ways to c
70. they can be deleted from the project When a model element in a model group is deleted it is still visible when the mouse cursor hovers over or clicks the group even if the application returns Succeeded to the UI In fact the model element is deleted and you cannot select or access that element When the last member of a group instance is deleted excluded or removed from the project the model group instance is deleted When a detail element in a detail group or an attached group is excluded the detail element is invisible However you can use the Place Detail button on the Options bar to place the attached detail group to the selected model group again The following figure illustrates the Attached Detail Group Placement dialog box Revit 2008 API User Manual 98 Editing Elements Attached Detail Group Placement Attached detail groups Check indicates placement of the Attached Detail group for selected Model group instances in this view Figure 59 Attached detail group placement When elements are grouped they cannot be moved or rotated If you perform these operations on the grouped elements nothing happens to the elements though the Move or Rotate method returns true You cannot group dimensions and tags without grouping the elements they reference If you do the Revit API fails and throws the following exception Revit Architecture 2008 Warning can be ignored The elements you have selected f
71. this chapter to indicate the Familyl nstance objects corresponding to structural columns beams and braces Though Structural column beam and brace are all Familylnstance objects in the API they are distinguished by Category and StructuralType property Code Region 1 RevitStructure FamilyInstance inst GetFamilyInstance Category cate inst Category if null cate return if cate Id Value int BuiltInCategory OST_StructuralColumns FamilyInstance aColumn inst else if cate Id Value int BuiltInCategory OST_StructuralFraming if StructuralType Beam inst StructuralType FamilyInstance aBeam inst Revit 2008 API User Manual 261 Revit Structure else if StructuralType Brace inst StructuralType FamilyInstance aBrace inst You can filter out FamilySymbol objects corresponding to structural columns beams and braces in the same way The category for Structural beams and braces is BuiltlnCategory OST_StructuralFraming Code Region 2 RevitStructure FamilySymbolSet columnTypes new FamilySymbolSet FamilySymbolSet framingTypes new FamilySymbolSet Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument ElementFilterlterator elemFilterItor doc get_Elements typeof Family elemFilterItor Reset while elemFilterItor MoveNext Family tmpFamily elemFilterItor Current as Family Category catego
72. this object is active Revit model data can be inconsistent Code Region 15 Editing Elements private bool MoveRotateElement Autodesk Revit Creation Application appCreation Document doc Autodesk Revit Element elem using SuspendUpdating bSuspendUpdating new SuspendUpdating doc Move Element XYZ translation3D new XYZ 0 0 0 0 0 0 bool successfull doc Move elem ref translation3D Rotate Element XYZ pointl new XYZ 10 20 0 XYZ point2 new XYZ 10 20 30 Line axis appCreation NewLineUnbound ref pointl ref point2 bool successful2 doc Rotate elem axis Math PI 3 0 return successfull amp amp successful2 Revit 2008 API User Manual 101 Editing Elements Revit 2008 API User Manual 102 Host Elements and Opening 9 Host Elements and Opening This chapter discusses Elements and the corresponding Symbols representing built in place construction e HostObject The first two sections focus on HostObject and corresponding HostObjAttributes subclasses shown in the following diagram ContFooting EN 1 ContFootingType FloorType WallType NE HostObjAttributes Figure 61 HostObject and HostObjAttributes diagram e Foundation Different foundations in the API are represented as different classes including Floor ContFooting and Familylnstance The Floor and Foundation section compares them in the API e CompoundStructure
73. to be rendered For more information about projection refer to the View3D section World coordinates include the following e The viewer s eye position e The viewing plane location where the projection is displayed Revit uses two coordinate systems e The global or model space coordinates where the building exists e The viewing coordinate system Revit 2008 API User Manual 169 Views The viewing coordinate system represents how the model is presented in the observer s view Its origin is the viewer s eye position whose coordinates in the model space are retrieved by the View Origin property The X Y and Z axes are represented by the View RightDirection View UpDirection and View ViewDirection properties respectively e View RightDirection is towards the right side of the screen e View UpDirection towards the up side of the screen e View ViewDirection from the screen to the viewer The viewing coordinate system is right handed For more information see the Perspective Projection picture and the Parallel Projection picture in the View3D section in this chapter Some portions of a 3D model space that do not display such as those that are behind the viewer or too far away to display clearly are excluded before being projected onto the projection plane This action requires cropping the view The following rules apply to cropping e Elements outside of the crop box are no longer in the view e The View CropBox property provides
74. to the Add in Integration chapter for more information about the Revit ini file 2 3 6 Debugging To begin debugging build the project and run Revit A new menu item appears on the menu bar named NewMenultem and HelloWorld appears in the drop down menu Revit 2008 API User Manual 27 Getting Started attings Debug Window RENE MNA Help me MESETA y o Demolish Align e Split fF Trim gt Offse Ir 1 Figure 9 Add a new menu Item to Revit Click HelloWorld to run the application and display the following dialog box Hello World Figure 10 Hello World dialog box 2 4 Walkthrough Retrieve Selected Elements Although the Hello World project is a very simple application it gives you a good idea of how you can add new applications This section introduces you to an add in application that gets selected elements from Revit In the add in applications you perform a specific operation to a specific element For example you can get or change an element s parameter value Complete the following steps to get a parameter value 1 Create a new project and add the references using the previous walkthroughs 2 Usethe Application ActiveDocument Selection Elements property to get the selected object The selected object is a Revit elementSet You can get all of the information about the selected object from the elementSet Use the IEnumerator interface or foreach loop to search the elementSet The
75. viewer in the screen space The perspective view crop box is part of a pyramid with the apex at the viewer position It is the geometry between the two parallel clip planes The crop box bounds the portion of the model that is clipped out and projected onto the view plane Revit 2008 API User Manual 176 Views e The crop box is represented by the View CropBox property which returns a BoundingBoxXYZ object e The CropBox Min and CropBox Max points are marked in the previous picture Note that the CropBox Min point in a perspective view is generated by projecting the crop box front clip plane onto the back clip plane Crop box coordinates are based on the viewing coordinate system Use Transform OfPoint to transform CropBox Min and CropBox Max to the world coordinate system For more detail about Transform refer to the Geometry Transform section in the Geometry chapter Project plane plus the front and back clip plane are all plumb to the view direction The line between CropBox Max and CropBox Min is parallel to the view direction With these factors the crop box geometry can be calculated View OutLine Max Crop Regin E ee CADA Figure 136 Perspective 3D view The previous picture shows the projection plane on screen after cropping The crop region is the rectangle intersection of the projection plane and crop box e Geometry information is retrieved using the View CropRegion propert
76. when you get the geometry of an object The following rules apply when you retrieve a location e Wall Beam and Brace are curve driven using LocationCurve e Room RoomTag SpotDimension Group Familylnstances that are not curve driven and all In Place Familylnstances use LocationPoint In the Revit API curve driven means that the geometry or location of an element is determined by one or more associated curves Almost all analytical model elements are curve driven linear and area loads walls framing elements and so on Other Elements cannot retrieve a LocationCurve or LocationPoint They return Location with no information Location nformation Elements LocationCurve Wall Beam Brace Structural Truss LineLoad without host LocationPoint Room RoomTag SpotDimensioin Group Column Mass Only Location Level Floor some Tags BeamSystem Rebar Reinforcement PointLoad AreaLoad without Host Span Direction IndependentTag No Location View LineLoad with host AreaLoad with Host BoundaryCondition Table 11 Elements Location nformation Note There are other Elements without Location information For example a LineLoad with host or an AreaLoad with host have no Location Some Familylnstance LocationPoints such as all in place Familylnstances and masses are specified to point 0 O 0 when they are created The LocationPoint coordinate is changed if you transform or move the instance To change a Gr
77. x 0 y 0 while symbolItor MoveNext FamilySymbol symbol symbolltor Current as FamilySymbol XYZ location new XYZ x y 10 Do not use the overloaded NewFamilyInstance method that contains the Level argument otherwise Revit cannot show the instances correctly in 3D View for the table is not level based component FamilyInstance instance document Create NewFamilyInstance ref location symbol StructuralType NonStuctural x 10 Revit 2008 API User Manual 127 Component Elements The result of loading the Tables family Figure 86 Load family and create tables in the Revit project 10 4 2 Create a Beam In this sample a family symbol is loaded instead of a family because loading the family M_W Wide Flange rfa takes a long time However loading a symbol such as W1100X499 is very fast In the end the beam location curve is changed to make it normal Code Region 2 ComponentElements void CreateBeam Autodesk Revit Application revit Using the family file Structural Framing Steel M_W Wide Flange rfa and using the Symbol name W1100X499 FamilySymbol gotSymbol null if document LoadFamilySymbol fileName name ref gotSymbol XYZ location new XYZ 0 0 0 FamilyInstance instance document Create NewFamilyInstance ref location gotSymbol level StructuralType Beam LocationCurve curveLocation instance Location as LocationCurv
78. x82 are true while Window 2 Fixed 36 w x 72 h is false Window 1 Window 1 rotated Door 1 Window 2 cannot be rotated Bari rotated Figure 84 Changes after rotate If CanRotate is true you can call the family instance Rotate method which flips the family instance by 180 degrees Otherwise the method does nothing and returns False The previous picture also shows the Window 1 and Door 1 states after executing the rotate method 10 3 1 4 Location Location is used to find the physical location of an instance in a project An instance can have a point location or a line location Revit 2008 API User Manual 124 Component Elements Autodesk Revit Location Location get The following characteristics apply to Location e A point location is a LocationPoint class object A footing a door or a table has a point location e Aline location is a LocationCurve class object A beam has a line location e They are both subclasses of the Location class For more information about Location refer to the Editing Elements chapter 10 3 2 Host and Component Host and Component are both Familylnstance properties Component can be further divided into Subcomponent and Supercomponent 10 3 2 1 Host A Familyl nstance object has a Host property that returns its hosting element Autodesk Revit Element Host get In the example of the round table the property returns no
79. you can load family symbols and family instances 4 3 1 Document Retrieval The Application class maintains all documents As previously mentioned you can open more than one document in a session When you open more than one document the active or the top view identifies the document you are using The active document is retrieved using the Application class property ActiveDocument All open documents including the active document are retrieved using the Application class Documents property The property returns a set containing all open documents in the Revit session 4 3 2 Document File Information The Document class provides two properties for each corresponding file PathName and Title e PathName returns the document s fully qualified file path The PathName returns an empty string if the project has not been saved since it was created e Title is the project title which is usually derived from the project filename The returned value varies based on your system settings 4 3 3 Open a Document The Application class provides a method to open an existing project file Method Corresponding Event UI Command Document OpenDocumentFile string filename File gt Open OnDocumentOpened Table 3 Open Document in API When you specify a string with a fully qualified file path Revit opens the file and creates a Document instance Use this method to open a file on other computers by assigning the files Universal Namin
80. you get a double value like 20 without the unit of measure if you use the AsDouble method Use the SetValueString method to change the value of a value type parameter instead of using the Set method The following code sample illustrates how to change the parameter value using the SetValueString method Code region 6 Parameter public bool SetWithValueString Parameter foundParameter bool result false if foundParameter IsReadOnly Revit 2008 API User Manual 81 Parameter T successful the result is true result foundParameter SetValueString 221 31 return result 6 6 Parameter Tips and Tricks There are several relationships between Parameters In the Property dialog box there are some combo box parameters that appear to be a drop down list with each choice shown as a String Internally each choice has an associated value either an Integer or an Elementid All values for a given combo box parameter share the same data type 1 Inthe Element Property dialog box a combo box is selected disabling other parameters For example Select a beam in Revit then open the Element Property dialog box If the Start Release is set to Pinned the parameters Start Fx Start Fy and other parameters are disabled Phase Created New Construction Phase Demolished None Structural Analysis A A Sinned Bending Moment ser Defined Figure 49 Parameter relationship sample
81. 0 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Delete all the selected elements via the set of element ids ElementIdSet idSelection new ElementIdSet foreach Autodesk Revit Element elem in doc Selection Elements ElementId id elem Id idSelection Insert ref id ElementIdSet deletedIdSet4 doc Delete idSelection Note After you delete the elements any references to the deleted elements become invalid and throw an exception if they are accessed Some elements have special deletion methods For example the Materials Remove method is specifically for deleting Material objects For more information see the Material chapter Material Management section 8 4 Mirror The Revit API uses the Mirror method to mirror one or more elements in the project Member Description Mirror Element Reference Mirror one element by a reference Mirror Elementld Reference Mirror one element by a reference and the element ID Mirror ElementldSet Reference Mirror several elements by a reference and their Ds Mirror ElementSet Reference Mirror several elements by a reference Table 18 Mirror Members There are two ways to mirror one element and two ways to mirror several elements After performing the mirror operation you can access the new elements from the Selection ElementSet The following code illustrates how to mirror a column u
82. 08 API User Manual 111 Host Elements and Opening APIObject DN Geometry CurveArray Element Geometry XYZArray MN Creation Document NewOpening Figure 71 Opening diagram 9 5 1 General Properties This section explains how to use the Opening properties e sRectBoundary Identifies whether the opening has a rectangular boundary If true it means the Opening has a rectangular boundary and you can get an XYZArray object from the Opening BoundaryRect property Otherwise the property returns null Iffalse you can get a CurveArray object from the BoundaryCurves property e BoundaryCurves If the opening boundary is not a rectangle this property retrieves geometry information otherwise it returns null The property returns a CurveArray object containing the curves that represent the Opening object boundary For more details about Curve refer to the Geometry chapter e BoundaryRect If the opening boundary is a rectangle you can get the geometry information using this property otherwise it returns null The property returns an XYZArray object containing the XYZ coordinates The XYZArray usually contains the rectangle boundary minimum lower left and the maximum upper right coordinates e Host The host property retrieves the Opening host element The host element is the element cut by the Opening object Note If the Opening object category is Shaft Openings the Opening hos
83. 1 2 Get Created Element Geometry and AnalyticalModel Another transaction function in Revit triggers operations that only execute after a transaction is completed For example if you create a wall then try to get the Geometry property the property returns nothing It is because some operations cannot be executed before a transaction is completed Essentially an External Command is such a transaction But it is also possible to use internal transaction to group creation events Using the AnalyticalModel property is the same as using Geometry For more details about the AnalyticalModel property refer to the AnalyticalModel section in the Revit Structure chapter For more details about the Geometry property refer to the Geometry chapter The following sample program demonstrates the API transaction function Code Region 2 Transaction Autodesk Revit Application app commandData Application other operations Define the creator Revit 2008 API User Manual 245 Transaction Autodesk Revit Creation Document docCreator app ActiveDocument Create Build a location line for the wall creation XYZ start new XYZ 0 0 0 XYZ end new XYZ 10 10 0 Autodesk Revit Geometry Line geomLine app Create NewLineBound ref start ref end app ActiveDocument BeginTransaction Level wallLevel GetLevelForWallCreation app ActiveDocument Create a wall using the location line
84. 23 22d Debug the Add Oi A A A talon sag 23 2 2 0 TEQUES IIA as 25 2 3 Walkthrough Add Hello World Menu ooooocccccccccncnccnnnccnnncnnnnnnnnncnnnnnnnnnrrnancnnnnnnnncos 26 2 3 1 Create a New Projetti nuininciii da 26 2 3 2 Change the Class Name cccc cece cece ee nena ene eee eee anna ra nrn ra nrnrannnnanes 26 23 3 Adad A A O 26 2 324 Build the Application ei iaa att 27 2 3 5 Modify the Revit ini File oooooccccncccnnicccnccnnccnnnncnnnncnnnncnnancnnnnnn nana ra kiaia aa aE 27 23 607 DEDUQGING ac A ias old 27 2 4 Walkthrough Retrieve Selected Elements 0cccceeeeee ee eee ee eae e eae ee eae ee eae ee tana 28 2 5 Walkthrough Retrieve All Elements ooooocccccccccccnccnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnrnnnnanannnnnnnannnes 29 3 Add in IntegratiON cocmococnoronnncannncannncancnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnn nn nnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnrananenanenniness 31 3 1 OM e Pata as ching Batis 31 3 2 External COMMANA circadiano dedo inte blada tilde 31 ZZL MA barto 32 3 2 2 ANEXO MAN ici A E a AEEA EEEO Ea EEA 33 3 2 3 FEXTETRNAICO MMM iii a a a aa 37 3 3 External Application 0 nn nnnrn nn nn rnnnnnnnnrnnrnrnnanrnnrnnnnnn 38 3 311 IEXternalApplicatiON ati id 38 3 3 2 ExternalApplications ae aaeeea Aan a a TAA RENA AAEE TE AA EA TAARE aein aat 40 3 4 Access to Revit EVentS isasyi enta e a a e aa 40 3 41 OnDialogBOX umm cia 42 3 4 2 OnDocumentCloseds civic a e as 42 3 4 3 ONDOCUMENtN Wed ee eee et a ec ee 43
85. 25 Place and Locations Specify Shared Coordinates Relocate this project in Shared Coordinates by specifying known values at the point you selected Current project will move relative to globally positioned links New Coordinates East West NBDE Ss North South 14 6 11 32 Elevation 0 0 Angle From Project North to True North 30 oo oo east Figure 179 Point coordinates Note East indicates that the Location is rotated counterclockwise West indicates that the location is rotated clockwise If the Angle value is between 180 and 360 degrees Revit transforms it automatically For example if you select East and type 200 degrees for Angle Revit transforms it to West 160 degrees 7 x Elevation 0 O 0 North South East West Y Y Figure 180 Geographical offset and rotation sketch map The following sample code illustrates how to retrieve the ProjectLocation object and change the object s geographical offset and rotation Revit 2008 API User Manual 226 Place and Locations Code region 1 Place and Locations get and set the value of the projectlocation public void GetProjectLocation ExternalCommandData revit ProjectLocation currentLocation revit Application ActiveDocument ActiveProjectLocation Retrieve all the project locations associated with this project ProjectLocationSet locations revit Application ActiveDocum
86. 3 4 4 OnDocumentOpened 0 eee r ene tate nate tates 43 3 4 5 ONDOCUMENES AVE waco neds a A ae 43 3 4 6 OnDocumentSavedAs ccce cece re ene ne ene ener r rr rar rra nen ra mirra 43 3 5 Menu tem and TOOID aR neresen nannaa eae eed Aer eee ne ee ee eee 43 3 5 1 Create a New TopMenu and Menu IteMS ccc ceee eee eee eee ee eee teen e etna tae ee eats 43 3 5 2 Create a New Toolbal cc cece a eee ene ene nena eee a a aep aa ai iiai 45 3 6 API OD CGiic A A we Seas Spee eee Passat cena Natt a te 46 3 6 1 APIObject IsReadOnly Property cece eee ene eee ene eee a eee tne neta eee 46 3 6 2 APlObject ToString Method ics aaa A oie ala cat A hd 47 30 30 EQU is a adidas anaes Pee eee 47 4 Application and DOCUMENL ccccseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeeaeeeeaeeeeaeeesaeeaeaeseeaseaeaseeeaeeeeeeeananes 48 4 1 Application FUNCTIONS ss i sedencdtat snow inate mehete a a dean ia ctaned lade neslnatas obied mete 48 4 1 1 Application Version Information cece eee eee eee teen e tee ne tates 48 4 1 2 Application Wide Settings cece eee eee needa eee eee neta teeta teeta 48 4 1 3 Document ManageMent occocccccoccnncnncnnnncnnnnonanennnnnnn nn e eee ene anna nea ee eee eden eee ents 48 4 1 4 Shared Parameter Management 0 c cece cece e eee e eee eee eee eee eee teen e tne ne eats 49 4 1 5 Menu and Toolbar Utility ocoooccncnccccncconcncnnncconnncnnnccnnnccnnnccn
87. API User Manual 32 Add In Integration lt lt interface gt gt lt lExternalCommand T MyApp dll lt 1 T Revit ini u V AN ExternalCommand O _ Revit exe RevitAPl dil Ga ama a an a a a a A A A a a a A A a A A A AER AO a a a A Figure 15 I nvoking the External Command You must initialize external tools and menu items upon start up The initialization steps are as follows e Revit ini is read It identifies External Applications that can be invoked External Tools that can be added to the Revit Tools menu e External Application session adds menu items 3 2 2 IExternalCommand ExternalCommand is an interface implemented by the entrypoint type when you want to extend Revit with external command add ins To add an external command implement an object that supports the ExternalCommand interface lt lt interface gt gt lExternalCommand Execute in ExternalCommandData out string out ElementSet IExternalCommand Result Figure 16 I ExternalCommand UML diagram The IExternalCommand interface has one abstract method Execute which is the main method for external commands Overload the Execute method to implement ExternalCommand The following code is the full Execute method definition public interface IExternalCommand TExternalCommand Result Execute Autodesk Revit ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message Autodesk Rev
88. Application Import to Revit StructuralColumn Column NewStructuralColumn Property Location Read only Parameter Analyze as Editable AnalyticalModel Profile Read only RigidLink Read only Material Table 51 Revit and Analysis Application Object Mapping Revit 2008 API User Manual 277 Revit Structure Revit 2008 API User Manual 278 Glossary A Glossary A 1 API The Application Programming Interface API defines how programs communicate with one another much in the same way that a GUI Graphical User Interface is used by humans to communicate with applications A 2 Array Arrays hold a series of data elements usually of the same size and data type Individual elements are accessed by their position in the array The position is provided by an index which is also called a subscript The index usually uses a consecutive range of integers but the index can have any ordinal set of values A 3BIM Building Information Modeling is the creation and use of coordinated internally consistent computable information about a building project in design and construction In a BIM application the graphics are derived from the information and are not the original information itself like in general CAD applications A 4 Class In object oriented programming OOP classes are used to group related Properties variables and Methods functions together A typical class describes how those meth
89. Arc ModelLine ModelHermiteSpline ModelNurbSpline Figure 127 ModelCurve diagram ModelEllipse The following pictures illustrate the four ModelCurve derived classes Lines Model Lines Figure 128 ModelLine and ModelArc a F Lines Model Lines Lines Model Lines Figure 129 ModelEllipse and ModelNurbSpline 13 3 1 Create The key to creating a ModelCurve is to create the Geometry Curve and SketchPlane where the Curve is located Based on the Geometry Curve type you input the corresponding ModelCurve returned can be downcast to its correct type The following sample illustrates how to create a new model curve ModelLine and ModelArc Code Region 2 Sketching other operation Autodesk Revit Application app commandData Application Document doc app ActiveDocument Create a geometry line in revit application XYZ startPoint new XYZ 0 0 0 XYZ endPoint new XYZ 10 10 0 Line geomLine app Create NewLine ref startPoint ref endPoint true Revit 2008 API User Manual 165 Sketching Create a geometry arc in revit application XYZ endO new XYZ 1 0 0 XYZ endl new XYZ 10 10 10 XYZ pointOnCurve new XYZ 10 0 0 Arc geomArc app Create NewArc ref end0 ref endl ref pointOnCurve Create a geometry plane in revit application XYZ origin new XYZ 0 0 0 XYZ normal new XYZ 1 1 0 Plane geomPlane app Create NewPlane ref normal
90. AutoCAD SQL Interface Autodesk Autodesk Envision Autodesk Insight Autodesk Intent Autodesk Inventor Autodesk Map Autodesk MapGuide Autodesk Streamline AutoLISP AutoS nap AutoSketch AutoTrack Backdraft Built with O bjectAR X logo Burn Buzzsaw CAiCE Can You Imagine Character Studio Cinestream Civil 3D Cleaner Cleaner Central ClearScale Colour Warper Combustion Communication Specification Constructware Content Explorer Create gt what s gt Next gt design logo Dancing Baby image DesignC enter Design Doctor Designer s Toolkit DesignKids DesignProf DesignS erver DesignStudio Design Studio design logo Design Y our World Design Y our World design logo DWF DWG DWG logo DWG TrueConvert DWG TrueView DXF EditDV Education by Design Extending the Design Team FBX Filmbox FMDesktop GDX Driver Gmax Heads up Design Heidi HOOPS HumaniK i drop MO UT Incinerator IntroDV Kaydara Kaydara design logo LocationLogic Lustre Maya Mechanical Desktop MotionBuilder ObjectARX ObjectDBX Open Reality PolarSnap PortfolioWall Powered with Autodesk Technology Productstream ProjectP oint Reactor RealDWG Real time Roto Render Queue Revit Showcase SketchBook StudioTools Topobase Toxik Visual Visual Bridge Visual Construction Visual Drainage Visual Hydro Visual Landscape Visual Roads Visual Survey Visual Syllabus Visual Toolbox Visual Tugboat Visual LISP Voice Reality Volo and Wiretap T
91. BoxEventHandler DialogBoxData dialogBoxData 3 4 2 OnDocumentClosed The OnDocumentClosed event is invoked before a document is closed The document parameter identifies the document to close public delegate void DocumentClosedEventHandler Document document Revit 2008 API User Manual 42 Add In Integration 3 4 3 OnDocumentNewed The OnDocumentNewed event is invoked before a document is created The document parameter identifies the new document public delegate void DocumentNewedEventHandler Document document 3 4 4 OnDocumentOpened The OnDocumentOpened event is invoked before a document is opened The document parameter identifies the document to open public delegate void DocumentOpenedEventHandler Document document 3 4 5 OnDocumentSaved The OnDocumentSaved event is invoked before a document is saved The document parameter identifies the saved document public delegate void DocumentSavedEventHandler Document document 3 4 6 OnDocumentSavedAs The OnDocumentSavedAs event is invoked before a document is saved as another file The document parameter identifies the document that is saved as public delegate void DocumentSavedAsEventHandler Document document 3 5 Menu Item and Toolbar Revit provides API solutions to integrate custom menus and toolbars These APIs are used with ExternalApplication APIObject Toolba
92. By Object Access Group By Object Type Figure 5 Change the class name 2 2 4 Add Code Add the following code to create the add in From the context menu select Rename and change the file s name to CsHelloWorld cs Code Region 1 Getting Started using System using System Windows Forms using Autodesk Revit namespace HelloWorld lt summary gt CsHelloWorld implements IExternalCommand interface lt summary gt public class CsHelloWorld IExternalCommand public IExternalCommand Result Execute ExternalCommandData revit ref string message ElementSet elements Revit 2008 API User Manual 22 Getting Started MessageBox Show Hello World return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded Note To use the MessageBox class you must use the System Windows Forms namespace after you add the reference Every Revit add in application must have an entry point class that implements the ExternalCommand interface and you must implement the Execute method The Execute method is the entry point for the add in application similar to the Main method in other programs The add in entry point class definition is contained in an assembly For more details refer to the Add in Integration chapter 2 2 5 Build the Program After completing the code you must build the file From the Build menu click Build Solution Output from the build appears in the
93. Category Continuous Wall ContFooting OST_StructuralFoundation AnalyticalModel3D Foundation Structural Wall Wall OST_Walls AnalyticalModelWall Slab Floor OST_Floors AnalyticalModelFloor Beam StructuralBeam OST_StructuralFraming AnalyticalModelFrame Brace StructuralBrace OST_StructuralFraming AnalyticalModelFrame Column StructuralColumn OST_StructuralColumns AnalyticalModelFrame Isolated Footing Familyl nstance OST_StructuralFoundation AnalyticalModelLocation In Place Member Familyl nstance Corresponding Category AnalyticalModel3D Table 48 Elements and Corresponding AnalyticalModel Type Use the following code to get the proper AnalyticalModel for different elements Code Region 7 Autodesk Revit RevitStructure Element elem Get Wall aWall elem if null aWall as Wall AnalyticalModelWall modelWall Element aWall AnalyticalModel as AnalyticalModelWall Floor aFloor elem as Floor if null aFloor AnalyticalModelFloor modelFloor ContFooting aContFooting elem as ContFooting if null aContFooting AnalyticalModel3D model3D aContFooting AnalyticalModel as AnalyticalModel3D FamilyInstance famInst elem as FamilyInstance if null faminst Category cate if null cate if cate Id cate AnalyticalModelFram famInst Category aFloor AnalyticalModel as AnalyticalM
94. DATATYPE Parameter type This field can be a common type TEXT INTEGER etc structural type FORCE MOMENT etc or common family type Area Tags etc Common type and structural type parameters are specified in the text file directly e g TEXT FORCE If the value of the DATATYPE field is FAMILYTYPE an extra number is added For example FAMILYTYPE followed by 2005020 represents Family type Area Tags FAMILYTYPE 2005020 Revit 2008 API User Manual 232 Shared Parameter Parameter Properties Name area Tags Discipline Common v Type of Parameter Family type Area Tags v Figure 185 New parameter definition GROUP A group ID used to identify the group that includes the current parameter definition VISIBLE Identifies whether the parameter is visible The value of this field is O or 1 O invisible 1 visible As the definition file sample shows there are two groups e MyGroup ID 1 Contains the parameter definition for MyParam which is a Text type parameter e AnotherGroup ID 2 Contains the parameter definition for Price which is an Integer type parameter 18 2Definition File Access In the add in code complete the following steps to gain access to the definition file 1 Specify the Autodesk Revit Options Application SharedParametersFilename property with an existing text file or a new one APIObject ZN Application Option
95. Element Visibility in a View Views keep track of visible elements All elements that are graphical and visible in the view can be retrieved using the View Elements property This property returns a set of elements visible in the Revit 2008 API User Manual 173 Views view However some elements in the set may be hidden or covered by other elements You can see them by rotating the view or removing the elements that cover them Elements are shown or hidden in a view by category e The View getVisiblility method queries a category to determine if it is visible or invisible in the view e The View setVisibility method sets all elements in a specific category to visible or invisible The set returned by View Elements only contains elements visible in the current view You cannot retrieve elements that are not graphical or elements that are invisible Document Elements retrieves all elements in the document including invisible elements and non graphical elements For example when creating a default 3D view in an empty project there are no elements in the view but there are many elements in the document all of which are invisible Note Autodesk Revit Document also has a property named Elements It is important to distinguish the Autodesk Revit Elements View Elements property from the Autodesk Revit Document Elements property based on the previous description and the following code sample The following code sample counts the number
96. Element mechanism classification and features e Parameter Most Element information is stored as Parameters This chapter discusses Parameter functionality e Collection Utility collection types such as Array Map Set collections and related Iterators 1 7 3 Element Topics Elements are introduced based on element classification Make sure that you read the Elements Essentials and Parameter chapters before reading about the individual elements e Editing Elements Learn how to move rotate delete mirror group and array one element or a set of elements e Host Elements and Opening Discusses Elements their corresponding Symbols representing built in place construction and different types of Openings in the API e Component Elements Component Elements are Family Instance elements belonging to the Model Element Learn about the relationship between family and family instance family and family instance features and how to load or create them e Datum and Information Elements Learn how to set up grids add levels use Design Options and more e Annotation Elements Discusses document annotation including adding dimensions detail curves tags and annotation symbols e Sketching Sketch functions include 2D and 3D sketch classes such as SketchPlane ModelCurve GenericForm and more e Views Learn about the different ways to view models and components and how to manipulate the view in the API
97. FamilySymbol NewFamilyl nstance Category Foundation OST_StructuralFoundation Foundation Floor FloorType NewFloor Category Slab OST_StructuralFoundation StructuralUsage InstanceUsage SlabFoundation FloorType sFoundationSlab true Table 22 Floors and Foundations in the API The following rules apply to Floor e Elements created from the Foundation Design bar have the same category OST_StructuralFoundation but correspond to different Classes e The FloorType IsFoundationSlab property sets the FloorType category to OST_StructuralFoundation or not When you retrieve FloorType to create a Floor or Foundation Slab with NewFloor use the following method Document FloorTypes A To create Slab To create Foundation Slab IsFoundationSlab NewSlab NewFoundationSlab Figure 65 Create foundation and floor slab NewSlab is an override NewFloor method Currently the API does not provide access to the Floor Slope Arrow in the Floor class However in Revit Structure you can create a sloped slab with NewSlab public Floor NewSlab CurveArray profile Level level Line slopedArrow double angle bool isImperial bool isStructural Revit 2008 API User Manual 106 Host Elements and Opening Slope Arrow is created using the slopedArrow parameter Figure 66 slopedArrow parameter in NewSlab Floor FloorType is preferred to Floor ObjectType because it has a setter
98. For ModelCurve refer to the Sketching chapter e For Material and FillPattern refer to the Material chapter e For gbXMLParamElem refer to the Revit Architecture chapter 11 1Level A level is a finite horizontal plane that acts as a reference for level hosted elements such as roofs floors and ceilings In the Revit API the Level class is derived from the Element class The inherited Name property is used to retrieve the user visible level name beside the level bubble in the Revit UI To retrieve all levels in a project use the Elementlterator iterator to search for Level objects 11 1 1 Elevation The Level class has the following properties e The Elevation property LEVEL_ELEV is used to retrieve or change the elevation above or below ground level Revit 2008 API User Manual 134 Datum and Information Elements regardless of the Elevation Base parameter value Elevation Base is a Level type parameter Its BuiltlnParameter is LEVEL_RELATIVE_BASE_TYPE Its StorageType is Integer O corresponds to Project and 1 corresponds to Shared ES Element Properties Family 5 ystem Family Level 1 4 Head Edit New Type Type Properties Type Parameters Control all Family System Family Level Constraints TE Elevation Base Type 1 4 Head v Duplicate Level 2 Graphics 1 y Type Parameters Constraints Elevation Base Instance Parameters Contro P
99. Portions Copyright 1991 1996 Arthur D Applegate All rights reserved Portions of this software are based on the work of the Independent J PEG Group RAL DESIGN RAL Sankt Augustin 2002 RAL CLASSIC RAL Sankt Augustin 2002 Representation of the RAL Colors is done with the approval of RAL Deutsches Institut fur GUtesicherung und Kennzeichnung e V RAL German Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification re Assoc D 53757 Sankt Augustin Typefaces from the BitstreamH typeface library copyright 1992 Typefaces from Payne Loving Trust 1996 All rights reserved AutoCAD 2008 is produced under a license of data derived from DIC Color Guide from Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc Copyright Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc All rights reserved DIC Color Guide computer color simulations used in this product may not exactly match DIC Color Guide DIC color Guide Part 2 identified solid color standards Use current DIC Color Guide Manuals for exact color reference DIC and DIC Color Guide are registered trademarks of Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc Printed manual and help produced with Idiom WorldServer WindowBlinds DirectSkin OCX Stardock AnswerWorks 4 0 1997 2003 WexTech Systems Inc Portions of this software Vantage Knexys All rights reserved The Director General of the Geographic Survey Institute has issued the approval for the coordinates exchange numbered TKY 2 GD for Japan Geodetic Datum 2000 also known as technical info
100. Reference 3 Set Copy Local Inthe Reference folder right click the RevitAPI node to display a context menu From the context menu click Properties The Properties dialog box appears Set Copy Local property to False 4ax bd E Reterences di De eS Specific Version Jame Figure 4 Set Copy Local Property False Note Setting Copy Local to false tells Visual Studio not to copy the RevitAPI dll file to the project output directory There are usually two benefits to using this configuration e Saves space on your hard disk Revit 2008 API User Manual 21 Getting Started e Implements the add in application fluently without a version conflict between the RevitAPI dll and the Revit exe 2 2 3 Change the Class Name To change the class name complete the following steps In the class view window right click Class1 to display a context menu From the context menu select Rename and change the class name to CsHelloWorld In the Solution Explorer right click the Class1 cs file to display a context menu UR WN a Double click CsHelloWorld cs to open it for editing EE Hello World Hello_World gt H B Sl View Class Diagram 8 Go To Definition 3 Browse Definition Find All References be Filter To Type Create Instance gt Invoke Static Method gt 3 Copy ab Rename Sort Alphabetically Sort By Object Type Sort
101. Revit 2008 API User Manual Version 1 0 Y Y Y jo OQ E lt April 2007 Copyright 2007 Autodesk Inc All Rights Reserved This publication or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form by any method for any purpose AUTODESK INC MAKES NO WARRANTY EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN AS IS BASIS IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK INC BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL COLLATERAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF ACQUISITION OR USE OF THESE MATERIALS THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO AUTODESK INC REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE IF ANY OF THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN Autodesk Inc reserves the right to revise and improve its products as it sees fit This publication describes the state of the product at the time of publication and may not reflect the product at all times in the future Autodesk Trademarks The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk Inc in the USA and other countries 3DEC design logo 3December 3December com 3ds Max ActiveS hapes Actrix ADI Alias Alias swirl design logo AliasStudio Alias Wavefront design logo ATC AUGI AutoCAD AutoC AD Learning Assistance AutoCAD LT AutoCAD Simulator AutoCAD SQL Extension
102. S nadasa a e ea id 144 12 1 2 Constraldt ElSMeNtS nica dt aa a aA 145 12 1 3 Spot Dimensions ccc tod Meakin eet a a nesta eds Meas A A A ath AAE persa 147 12 1 4 COMPARISON a fesa ocd ea ched ena ta a Gees enced dena pele 147 12 1 5 Greate and Delete im A eed Oe ieee ete 148 12 2 Detail Curve revser inaona teba a e 148 12 3 TAGS veiicvaidecesoednsss te veigad A a 149 12 4 TA E conus A tara ee a seal anan ntenuvensatatee 151 12 5 Annotation SyMDol vss cirio tir a e causes de a te 152 12 5 1 Create and Delete ui a 152 12 5 2 Add and Remove Leader oooccccccccnccccncocnnnncnnnonnnnnnnnnnnnnrnnnnrnrnnrnrnnrnnnnrnnaninnan 152 13 Sketching iiien ee ee eee eee neces eeee eee eens ease ease eases a a aa a Eai 153 13 1 2D SKeteh Class iria as 153 13 2 SD Skeeter tan a Ea dated ENEE EA DEEA i A EAA AAEE AE aa 156 13 2 1 EXE a i 157 13 2 2 R EVOIUCION ici A ve cies E ee a ities ave 158 13 2 3 BIGMG sd 160 13 2 4 SWEEP hte adane at da id be ardid eins 162 13 3 Mode CUA as 164 13 3 1 A ON 165 13 3 2 Properties pt a deel A eer ot eed eT ere ee ee 166 PO AAA 169 14 1 OAE lt a lea 169 14 1 1 ANA a ROLE A AAA ee ae eat Sek 169 14 1 2 View TYPOS vicio ciar it aaa e ext ngs a e a ir eee 170 14 1 3 Element Visibility in a ViCW ccc erate nee nana 173 14 1 4 Create and Delete ViCWS cc cece cece eee ne ene ene nena teen e eee netted 174 14 2 VIEWS Di sorts carne athe as a a eign unas heh OR 175 14 2 1 Perspective VIEW aisinat in
103. View Type Class Type Area Plans Elements ViewPlan Ceiling Plans Elements ViewPlan Graphic Column Schedule Elements View Reports Elements View Detail Views Elements ViewSection Drafting Views Elements ViewDrafting Sheets Elements ViewSheet Elevations Elements View Structural Plans Revit Elements ViewPlan Structure Floor Plans ViewType FloorPlan Elements ViewPlan Revit 2008 API User Manual 172 Views Project Browser Views View Type Class Type Project Browser System ViewType nternal Elements View Navigator Unavailable to API user Legends Elements View Reports Revit MEP Elements View Reports Revit MEP Elements View Reports Revit MEP Elements View Renderings Elements ViewDrafting Reports Elements View Schedules Quantities Elements View Sections Elements View 3D Views Elements View3D Walkthroughs ViewType Walkthrough Elements View3D Table 37 Project Browser Views In the following example if variable v is an Elements View object you can get the variable view type and class type using the following code Code Region 1 View Autodesk Revit Elements View view GetView Two ways to judge the type of a view first way ViewType viewType view ViewType switch viewType case Autodesk Revit Enums ViewType ThreeD View type of v is ThreeD break Get other types second way if view is View3D Class type of v is View3D 14 1 3
104. Wall or Floor geometry you can filter the PlanarFace out as follows e Downcast the Face to PlanarFace Code Region 3 RevitStructure Get Face aPlanarFace PlanarFace aPlanarFace aFace as PlanarFace e Ifitis a PlanarFace get its Normal and Origin Code Region 4 RevitStructure if null aPlanarFace XYZ normal aPlanarFace Normal XYZ origin aPlanarFace Origin e Filter out the right face based on normal and origin For example For a general vertical Wall the face is located using the following factors The face is vertical normal Z 0 0 Parallel face directions are opposite Revit 2008 API User Manual 264 Revit Structure normal1 X normal2 X normal1l Y normal2 Y Normal must be parallel to the location line Fora general Floor without slope the factors are The face is horizontal normal X 0 0 amp amp normal Y 0 0 Judge the top and bottom face distinguish 2 faces by normal Z For more details about retrieving an Element s Geometry refer to the Geometry chapter 21 1 3 BeamSystem BeamSystem provides you with full access and edit ability You can get and set all of its properties such as BeamSystemType BeamType Direction and Level BeamSystem Direction is not limited to one line of edges It can be set to any XYZ coordinate on the same plane with the BeamSystem Note You cannot change the StructuralBeam AnalyticalModel after the Elevatio
105. Z coordinate value However you can place the element at any location in the same level For example if you create a new column at the original location 0 O 0 in Levell and then move it to the new location 10 20 30 the column is placed at the location 10 20 0 instead of 10 20 30 Code Region 1 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Get the revit document create handl Autodesk Revit Creation Document creater doc Create Create a column with given location column type and level XYZ origin new XYZ 0 0 0 Level level GetLevel doc Revit 2008 API User Manual 91 Editing Elements FamilySymbol columnType GetColumnType doc FamilyInstance column creater NewFamilyInstance ref origin columnType level Autodesk Revit Structural Enums StructuralType Column Move the column to new location XYZ newPlace new XYZ 10 20 30 doc Move column ref newPlace e When you move one or more elements associated elements are moved For example if a wall with windows is moved the windows are also moved It is the same when moving several elements e If you pin the element in Revit the Element Pinned property is true This means that the element cannot be moved or rotated Another way to move an element in Revit is to use Location and its derivative objects In the Revit API the Location object provides the ability to transl
106. _ATTR_ROOM_BOUNDING parameter is false if the Wall Function WALL_ATTR_EXTERIOR parameter is Retaining e Wall WallType is preferred to Wall ObjectType because it has a setter and does not need to be downcast to WallType For more information about structure related functions such as the AnalyticalModel property refer to the Revit Structure chapter 9 2 Floor and Foundation Floors and Foundations are located in the Design bar Modify A a H Structural Column Leger Modify E Lonas WS Structural Wall E Sche i wal L Boundary Conditions TEST Sheet IU Lines je Famili Q Door El Brace 180 Group A Window H Structural Column 1 Component O Revit f Column structural Wall W Roof a Component T Beam amp Slab Q Roof E Brace Il Beam System bz Component Foundation wall Stairs 7 Slab Edge y Slab Figure 64 Floors and foundations Their counterparts in the API include Object Element Symbol Element Other Type Type Creation Floor Floor FloorType NewFloor StructuralUsage NewSlab InstanceUsage Slab FloorType sFoundationSlab false Revit 2008 API User Manual 105 Host Elements and Opening Object Element Symbol Element Other Type Type Creation Slab FloorType NewSlab StructuralUsage InstanceUsage Slab FloorType sFoundationSlab false Wall ContFooting ContFootingType Category Foundation OST_StructuralFoundation Isolated Familyl nstance
107. able because the BeamSystem does not have the AnalyticalModel property The solution is to call the GetAllBeams method to retrieve the AnalyticalSupportI nfo for the Beams Revit 2008 API User Manual 273 Revit Structure Sketch De Modify 2 Dimension pa Lines 7 Ref Plane Reset Structure E Pick Supports Beam Direction sf Set Work Plane 53 Structural Bean eje Finish Sketch Quit Sketch Figure 223 BeamSystem and Wall SupportData 21 2 3 5 ContFooting and Wall SupportData For a Wall with a continuous Foundation the Wall has a Line_Support with ContFooting available The support curves are available using the AnalyticalModel3D Curves In the following sample there are two Arcs in the Curve Figure 224 ContFooting and Wall SupportData 21 2 3 6 Isolated Foundation and StructuralColumn SupportData StructuralColumns can have an Isolated Footing as a Point_Support In this condition the Footing can move with the supported StructuralColumn The Familylnstance with the OST_StructuralFoundation category is available from InfoArray Generally the support point is the bottom point of the AnalyticalModelFrame Curve property It is also available after you get the Familylnstance Isolated Footing and the AnalyticalModelLocation Point property Revit 2008 API User Manual 274 Revit Structure Figure 225 solated Foundation Family nstance and StructuralColumn SupportData 21 3Loads The fol
108. al summoned gt E Windows Discipline vi Instance Type Type of Parameter C Show categories from all disciplines C Hide un checked categories Figure 189 Parameter Properties dialog box Type Binding The following code segment demonstrates how to add parameter definitions using a shared parameter file The following code performs the same actions as using the dialog box in the previous picture Parameter definitions are created in the following order 1 A shared parameter file is created 2 A definition group and a parameter definition are created for the Walls type 3 The definition is bound to the wall type parameter in the current document based on the wall category Code Region 5 SharedParameter Create the CompanyName parameter in the definition file and add it to wall type in the current document public bool SetNewParameterToTypeWall Autodesk Revit Application app DefinitionFile myDefinitionFile Revit 2008 API User Manual 238 Shared Parameter Create a new group in the shared parameters file DefinitionGroups myGroups myDefinitionFile Groups DefinitionGroup myGroup myGroups Create MyParameters Create a type definition Definition myDefinition_CompanyName myGroup Definitions Create CompanyName ParameterType Text Ccreate a category set and insert category of wall to it CategorySet myCategories app Create NewCate
109. all grid properties and methods The inherited Name property is used to retrieve the content of the grid line s bubble 11 2 1 Curve The Grid class Curve property gets the object that represents the grid line geometry e Ifthe IsCurved property returns true the Curve property will be an Arc class object e Ifthe IsCurved property returns false the Curve property will be a Line class object For more information refer to the Geometry chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 137 Datum and Information Elements The following code is a simple example using the Grid class The result appears in a message box after invoking the command Code Region 3 Datum and Information Elements public void GetInfo_Grid Grid grid string message Grid Show IsCurved property message nIf grid is Arc grid IsCurved Show Curve information Autodesk Revit Geometry Curve curve grid Curve if grid IsCurved If the curve is an arc give center and radius information Autodesk Revit Geometry Arc arc curve as Autodesk Revit Geometry Arc message nArc s radius arc Radius message nArc s center XYZToString arc Center else If the curve is a line give length information Autodesk Revit Geometry Line line curve as Autodesk Revit Geometry Line message AnLine s Length line Length Get curve start point message nStart point
110. ameter is an assembly location with External Commands Code Region 6 Add In I ntegration private void CreateToobarAndToolbarltems ControlledApplication application string imagePath string dllPath Create a toolbar with named Custom Toolbar and set the image path Note The image should be 16x 15 bmp 48 15 Autodesk Revit Toolbar toolBar application CreateToolbar toolBar Name Custom Toolbar toolBar Image imagePath Create one BtnRText toolbar item using menu item Add a toolbar item using menu item the toolbar item calls the external command Revit 2008 API User Manual 45 Add In Integration Menultem menultem application CreateTopMenu custom menu Menultem menulteml menultem Append Menultem MenuType BasicMenu Command1 dllPath Namespacel Class1 Add the following menu item to create a new toolbar item Toolbarltem iteml toolBar AddItem menulIteml1 Tthe item is a button with rich text iteml ItemType ToolbarItem ToolbarItemType BtnRText iteml ItemText Commandl1 iteml StatusbarTip Commandl Tip iteml ToolTip Commandl Tip Create the BtnRText toolbar item using the specified assembly and class name Add the second button with Toolbar AddItem String String ToolbarItem item2 toolBar AddItem dllPath Namespace2 Class2 Button with rich text item2 ItemType Toolbarlte
111. amily in the current project 10 2 4 Load The Document class contains the LoadFamily and LoadFamilySymbol methods e LoadFamily loads an entire family and all of its types or symbols into the project e LoadFamilySymbol loads only the specified family symbol from a family file into the project Note Loading an entire family can take a long time and use a lot of memory To avoid time and memory issues only load the symbols you need e The family file path is retrieved using the Options Application object LibraryPaths property e The Options Application object is retrieved using the Application object Options property e In LoadFamilySymbol the input argument Name is the same string value returned by the FamilySymbol object Name property For more information refer to the Code Samples in this chapter 10 3Familyl nstance Examples of Familylnstance objects in Revit are Beams Braces Columns Furniture Massing and so on The Familylnstance object provides more detailed properties so that the family instance type and appearance in the project can be changed 10 3 1 Location Related Properties Location related properties show the physical and geometric characteristics of Familylnstance objects such as orientation rotation and location 10 3 1 1 Orientation The face orientation or hand orientation can be changed for some Familylnstance objects For example a door can face the outside or the inside of a room or wall and it can be pla
112. anagement The Application class provides methods to open and create a document For more details see the Document and Management section in this chapter In addition the following characteristics apply e The active document is identified using the ActiveDocument property Revit 2008 API User Manual 48 Application and Document e Retrieve all open documents using the Documents property 4 1 4 Shared Parameter Management Revit uses one shared parameter file at a time The Application OpenSharedParameterFile method enables access to the shared parameter file whose path is set in the Options object For more details see the Shared Parameter chapter 4 1 5 Menu and Toolbar Utility Use the Application object to add new menus and custom toobar controls to Revit You can add the following e Top level menus e Pop up menus e Menu items e Separators For more details see the Menu Item and Toolbar section in the Add In Integration chapter 4 1 6 Event The Revit API exposes document and dialog box events such as document open and Save Subscribing to these events notifies the application when the events are enabled and acts accordingly For more details see the Access to Revit Event section in the Add In Integration chapter 4 1 7 Create The Create property returns an Object Factory used to create application wide utility and geometric objects in the Revit API Create is used when you create an object in the Re
113. and use the Tools gt Shared Coordinate gt Acquire Coordinate command to get the coordinat of th Document doc ElementIterator linked project commandData Application ActiveDocument elemItor Reset lemItor doc Elements Y Revit 2008 API User Manual 135 Datum and Information Elements while elemItor MoveNext Level aLevel elemItor Current as Level if null alevel continue Get the elevation and project elevation of the level double projectElevation aLevel ProjectElevation double elevation aLevel Elevation Get the level typ LevelType levelType aLevel LevelType Parameter levelBaseParam levelType get_Parameter Built InParameter LEVEL_RELATIVE_BASE_TYPE int levelBaseValue levelBaseParam AsInteger string levelbaseString Impossible go here try to change the value of Elevation Base prameter to s th different of Elevation value if 1 levelBaseValue levelbaseString Shared else if 0 levelBaseValue levelbaseString Project Debug Assert projectElevation elevation levelBaseParam Set 1 double realElevation aLevel Elevation levelBaseParam Set 0 return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded 11 1 2 Create a Level Using the Level command you can define a vertical height or s
114. apter focuses on the following e Learning how to add functionality using External Commands and External Applications e How to access Revit events e How to customize add or edit menu items and toolbars 3 1 Overview The Revit API is set up based on Revit application functionality Revit is not dependent on the API RevitAPI is a class Library that only works when Revit is running With the powerful API you can add API based add ins to extend Revit with the types and methods in the RevitAPI As the following picture shows Revit Architecture Revit Structure and Revit MEP are specific to Architecture Structure and MEP respectively In addition Architecture also has other more widely used code such as families Add In RevitAPI RevitAPILink Revit Revit Structure MEP Revit Architecture Figure 11 Revit RevitAPI Link RevitAPI and Add in Specific entrypoint types are provided in the add in dll These entrypoint classes implement the external series interfaces such as ExternalCommand and ExternalApplication In this way the add in is invoked automatically on certain events or manually from the Tools menu ExternalCommand ExternalApplication and other available Revit events for add in integration are introduced in this chapter 3 2 External Command External developers add functionality by implementing External Commands which appear in the Tools menu Revit recognizes the existence of external commands using the Re
115. arameter Constraints Figure 92 Level Type Elevation Base property Graphics 2 line Weight t When you use the Tools gt Shared Coordinates gt Acquire Coordinates command to get the coordinates of a linked project in Revit the coordinates in the host project are updated The following changes are made when the coordinates are updated coordinates in the host project the value of the Elevation Base parameter is set to Shared in the host project The ProjectElevation property is used to retrieve the elevation relative to the project origin The shared coordinate s origin in the linked project becomes the new origin for the updated The Elevations of all levels in the host project are updated based on the new coordinates if The Project Elevations remain the same because they are based on the internal coordinates Note If you want to get the new elevation levels after acquiring the coordinates from a linked RVT project set the Elevation Base parameter value to Shared Otherwise the Elevation and Project Elevation values are equal The following code sample illustrates how to retrieve all levels in a project using Elementlterator Code Region 1 Datum and Information Elements public IExternalCommand Result lements ElementSet Before invoke Execute ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message this sample please link a RVT file into the current project
116. aryConditions Parameter param aBC get_Parameter BuiltInParameter BOUNDARY_CONDITIONS_TYPE switch param AsInteger case 0 XYZ point aBC Point break Case 1 Curve curve aBC get_Curve 0 break case 2 CurveArray profile new CurveArray for int i 0 i lt aBC NumCurves i profile Append aBC get_Curve 1 break default break Revit 2008 API User Manual 267 Revit Structure 21 1 6 Other Structural Elements Some Element derived classes exist in Revit Architecture and Revit Structure products In this section methods specific to Revit Structure are introduced For more information about these classes see the corresponding parts in the Host Elements and Opening and Component Elements chapters 21 1 6 1 Slab Both Slab Structural Floor and Slab Foundation are represented by the Floor class and are distinguished by the IsFoundationSlab property The Slab Span Directions are represented by the ndependentTag class in the API and are available as follows Figure 216 Slab span directions ElementArray ltem Element lEnumerable Oo IndependentTag Figure 217 SpanDirectionSymbols diagram When using NewSlab to create a Slab Span Directions are not automatically created Currently there is also no way to create it directly The Slab compound structure layer Structural Deck properties are exposed by the following
117. ate and rotate elements More location information and control is available using the Location object derivatives such as LocationPoint or LocationCurve If the Location element is downcast to a LocationCurve object or a LocationPoint object move the curve or the point to a new place directly Code Region 2 Editing Elements Wall wall GetWall doc LocationCurve wallLine wall Location as LocationCurve XYZ translationVec new XYZ 10 20 0 wallLine Move ref translationVec When you move the element note that the vector 10 20 0 is not the destination but the offset The following picture illustrates the wall position before and after moving 10 p Figure 56 Move a wall using the LocationCurve Revit 2008 API User Manual 92 Editing Elements In addition you can use the LocationCurve Curve property or the LocationPoint Point property to move one element in Revit Use the Curve property to move a curve driven element to any specified position Many elements are curve driven such as walls beams and braces Also use the property to resize the length of the element Code Region 3 Editing Elements Wall wall GetWall LocationCurve wallLine wall Location as LocationCurve XYZ pl XYZ Zero XYZ p2 new XYZ 10 20 0 Line newWallLine doc Create NewLineBound ref pl ref p2 Change the wall line to a new line wallLine Curve newWallLine Use the LocationPoint Point pr
118. ate sketch plane SketchPlane sketchPlane app ActiveDocument Create NewSketchPlane geometryPlane Other operation 13 23D Sketch 3D Sketch is used to edit a family or create a 3D object In the Revit UI you can complete a 3D Sketch with a Solid Form or a Void Form as follows Revit 2008 API User Manual 156 Sketching I amp Solid Form Y Solid Form W Solid Extrusion 6 Solid Form 5 Void Form EH Void Form A Solid Blend ED Void Form yoid Extrusion amp Solid Revolve BA void Blend Load into Proje 5 solid sweep 4 Load into Projet A void Revolve Void Sweep Figure 113 Solid Form and Void Form In the Revit API you can complete the 3D Sketch using the following classes However the 3D model can only be accessed and not created through the Revit API e Extrusion e Revolution e Blend e Sweep In other words there are four operations through which a 2D model turns into a 3D model For more details about sketching in 2D refer to the 2D Sketch section in this chapter The classes derive from the Generic Form which is retrieved using the Family SolidForms property and the Family VoidForms property For more details about Generic Form refer to the Solid and Void Forms section in the Component Elements chapter 13 2 1 Extrusion Revit Architecture uses extrusions to define 3D geometry for families You create an extrusion by defining a 2D sketch on a plane Revit Archi
119. ating mechanical duct work elbows Create a segmented sweep by setting two sweep parameters and sketching a path with arcs Revit 2008 API User Manual 163 Sketching Element Properties Family Type Type Parameters Control all elements of this type Parameter Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Parameter Visible Visibility Graphics Overrides Materials and Finishes lt By Category gt Identity Data The value of EnableTrajSegmentation Other R Trajectory Segmentation property IS True Maximum Segment Angle The value of MaxSegmentAngle property is 30 Figure 125 Corresponding segment setting Note The following information applies to segmented Sweeps e The parameters affect only arcs in the path e The minimum number of segments for a sweep is two e Change a segmented sweep to a non segmented sweep by clearing the Trajectory Segmentation check box The EnableTrajSegmentation property returns false e Ifthe EnableTrajSegmentation property is false the value of MaxSegmentAngle is the default 360 Figure 126 Sweep result 13 3 ModelCurve ModelCurve represents model lines in the project It exists in 3D space and is visible in all views The following picture shows the ModelCurve inheritance hierarchy Revit 2008 API User Manual 164 Sketching DN Elements ModelCurve GeometryCurve SketchPlane SetPlaneAndCurve Model
120. c cece eee erate nena e enna 84 7 CollectiON 2 cece eceee eee a a seen seen a eee n Ena nn nena rana nrnnnnrnnencananrananennaness 85 7 1 Interface ii A A cee uate eee ec EAE e ii 85 PAL VEMUme rable ici A aa 85 MZ MENU AO A A A aia 86 DA As SS OPE Si ene ae Ee ce ee 86 7 2 Collections and IteratorS ooocccnccccncccnncncnncncnnonnnnnnnnnnnnnnn rra nn n rn nr rra ie Gaa aa ia ia 87 8 Editing Element iiinn naaie daia aaa aiaee 91 8 1 MOV AE E E A A A E T 91 8 2 Rotate itean A AA ad 93 8 3 Dd A ad 95 8 4 MIRROR diodo 96 8 5 EU A Ai 97 8 6 AT it A A A A A AS A da a 100 8 7 SuspendUpdating s cirai aa a ee N deine cede vee ede eevee ee 100 9 Host Elements and Opening coccococcnconcncannncannncnnnncnnnncnnnncnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrannnrannnrnnnncanancananess 103 9 1 Wallis sucvaas e hath nha a 103 9 2 EIOOF AMGFOUR GATIONS smirena id 105 9 3 Other Elmer 108 9 3 1 Stal and RAMD 3 2 ees hides eaea ceeded dene a anal 108 9 3 2 Cellingand ROO 22 esee ese act oe seed aie ee Tee AA E ee et vie ere 108 9 4 CoMmpoundStructUre on ccc4 ccavecs seas a cues ceed pias 108 94 1 Material oie 110 9 5 OPIO maA A A a sine ad ee de de 111 9 5 1 General Properties oooocccccccccnccncncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnrnrnnanrnranranenernanes 112 9 5 2 Create Opening siii selene ee eee Se a eee bene ea Se ee eee ee a 113 10 Component ElementS occcocncnococnncncnnnncnnnncnnrncnnrncnnrnnnnrnnnnrncnnrncnnrnnnnrnnnnrannraanracaneasanes 117 10 1 Ident
121. can quickly get all project objects from the active document using the Application ActiveDocument Elements property To query one or more elements you can iterate through all elements and test each one Code region 4 Getting Started using using using using using using System System Collections Generic System Text System Windows Forms Autodesk Revit Autodesk Revit Elements Revit 2008 API User Manual 29 Getting Started namespace Gettingstart public class GetAllElem IExternalCommand ExternalCommandData commandData public IExternalCommand Result Execute Autodesk Revit ref string message ElementSet elements Get specified elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument ElementIterator i doc Elements l Reset Wall wall null while i MoveNext Element e i Current as Element if null e Get wall element wall e as Wall E return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded Revit 2008 API User Manual 30 Add In Integration 3 Add In Integration Developers add functionality by creating and implementing External Commands and External Applications Revit identifies the new commands and applications using the Revit ini e External Commands appear in the Tools menu e External Applications are invoked when Revit starts up or shuts down This ch
122. cation ActiveDocument ActiveProject Location There must be at least one project location in the project ProjectLocationSet locations revit Application ActiveDocument ProjectLocations if 1 locations Size return string name location if name currentLocation Name foreach ProjectLocation projectLocation in locations if projectLocation Name name revit Application ActiveDocument Delete projectLocation Note The following rules apply to deleting a project location e The active project location cannot be deleted because there must be at least one project location in the project e You cannot delete the project location because the ProjectLocationSet class instance is read only Revit 2008 API User Manual 229 Shared Parameter 18 Shared Parameter Shared Parameters are parameter definitions stored in an external text file The definitions are identified by a unique identifier generated when the definition is created and can be used in multiple projects This chapter introduces how to gain access to shared parameters through the Revit API The following overview shows how to get a shared parameter and bind it to Elements in certain Categories e Set SharedParametersFileName e Get the External Definition e Binding 18 1 Definition File The DefinitionFile object represents a shared parameter file The definition file is a common text file Do not edit the definition fi
123. ccccoccnnoncnnnccnnnncnnnncnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrrannrrnnns 14 1 7 User Manual dad 14 1 7 1 Introduction to the Revit API ssssssssssssrsssrrrssrsrssrrrsrrrnerrnnerrnnerrnnerrnnnnrnnernnnennn 15 72 BASIC TOMES e thea 15 I3 Element TOPICS ita dida 15 L74 Advanced TOPICS 00 4 vten aver a ees o td ee Se ak ea ade 16 1 7454 Product S pecifiGy 2vscsg n deeseeed deta fd A eee eee el deca eee dss 16 LiF A O y SR aise O AO 16 1 8 Documentation CONVeNti0NS ooooccccnccnnnconnnccnnncnnncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnanrnrnnrnnnncn 16 1 9 Object Model Diagram 0 2 ccc cece e eee eee eee een eee eee p a E eee eaten mirra 16 1 10 What s new in this release 0 cece cc eee rene eee eden t nena teenies 17 2 Getting Started ococncconnncocnnranancnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnrnnn rana r nar nn aran rana nrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrananennaness 19 2 1 WAlIKEDFOUDAS ii Ac 19 2 2 Walkthrough Hello World0 ooococcccccccccccccoconcncnnnncnnnncnnnnnnnn cnn nn nnnnnnnrnn rra a teeta teeta ties 19 2 2 1 Create a New Projet seduces asin ad bind ae ee es ies ad Geeta einen ete 19 2262 KACO REPEFENCES cional ota eta atea 20 2 2 3 Change the Class Name c cece eee eee ene eee eee ee eee nena eee 22 BLE Add Code si a ea ead va had Seals de 22 225 BUG the Pro raM 3 ms cs cect code eee tetas teenie iid vias eee ren 23 2 2 6 Modify the Revit ini file ooooocoonncnccnccccnccccococcnnnnnnnnnnnnncrnnnnnnnnn nn nn nr nn nn rn teeta tates
124. ccess an Existing Shared Parameter File Because you can have many shared parameter files for Revit it is necessary to specifically identify the file and external parameters you want to access The following two procedures illustrate how to access an existing shared parameter file 18 2 2 1 Get DefinitionFile from an External Parameter File Set the shared parameter file path to app options SharedParametersFilename as the following code illustrates then invoke the Autodesk Revit Application OpenSharedParameterFile method Code Region 2 SharedParameter private Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionFile SetAndOpenExternalSharedParamFile Autodesk Revit Application app string sharedParameterFile set the path of shared parameter file to current Revit app Options SharedParametersFilename sharedParameterFile open the file return app OpenSharedParameterFile Note Consider the following points when you set the shared parameter path e During each installation Revit cannot detect whether the shared parameter file was set in other versions You must bind the shared parameter file for the new Revit installation again e If Options SharedParametersFilename is set to a wrong path an exception is thrown only when OpenSharedParameterFile is called Revit 2008 API User Manual 235 Shared Parameter e Revit can work with multiple shared parameter files Even though only one parameter file is
125. ced with the handle on the left side or the right side The following table compares door window and desk family instances Revit 2008 API User Manual 122 Component Elements Boolean Property Door Window Desk Fixed 36 w x 72 h CanFlipFacing True True False CanFlipHand True False False Table 23 Compare Family Instances If CanFlipFacing or CanFlipHand is true you can call the flipFacing or flipHand methods respectively These methods can change the facing orientation or hand orientation respectively Otherwise the methods do nothing and return False When changing orientation remember the following tips e Inthe Revit project the user interface reminds you that an orientation can be flipped An arrow with two directions appears in the middle of the element shown in the following picture There are two small arrows in the picture labeled 2 One is for the facing orientation One is for the hand orientation Inthe case of a window you only see one glyph for the facing orientation e Some types of windows can change both hand orientation and facing orientation such as a Casement 3x3 with Trim family There are four different facing orientation and hand orientation combinations for doors See the following picture for the combinations and the corresponding Boolean values are in the following table Figure 83 Doors with different Facing and Hand Orientations
126. cess to all elements in the Document It returns an iterator that traverses the entire element database and enables iteration for all elements e Retrieve selected elements using the Selection property This property returns an object representing the active selection containing the selected project elements It also provides an add in Ul interaction function Seletion PickOne to pick elements e Retrieve certain elements by Elementld or Uniqueld using the Element property For more details see the Elements Essentials chapter 4 2 6 File Management Each Document object represents a Revit project file Document provides the following functions e Retrieve file information such as file path name and project title e Provides Close and Save methods to close and save the document For more details see the Document and File management section in this chapter 4 2 7 Element Management Revit maintains all Element objects in a project e The Create property returns an Object Factory used to create new project element instances in the Revit API such as Familyl nstance or Group e Use the Delete method to delete an element in the project Deleted elements are not displayed in any views and are removed from the Document and any dependent elements References to deleted elements are invalid and cause an exception For more details see the Editing Element chapter e Document performs the following common operations on elements
127. ch mode select Pick Supports on the design bar As shown in the following picture a slab has three support beams By iterating the slab SupportData InfoArray you get the three Beams as well as the Line_Support SupportType N Modify 42 Dimension ib Lines 7 Ref Plane Te Pick Supports Pick Walls amp Slope Arrow s Set Work Plane 32 Flanr Pronerties Figure 220 Floor and StructuralBeam SupportData 21 2 3 2 Floor and Wall SupportData After drawing a slab by picking walls as the support you cannot get Walls from Floor SupportData Instead Floor is available in Wall SupportData Get the support curve from the AnalyticalModelWall property Curves Revit 2008 API User Manual 272 Revit Structure Sketch gt Modify 7 Dimension KS Lines 7 Ref Plane Te Pick Supports E Pick Walls O Slope Arrow 57 Set Work Plane i Floor Properties aja Finish Sketch Figure 221 Floor and Wall SupportData 21 2 3 3 Structural Column Beam and Brace SupportData In the following picture the horizontal beam has three Point_Supports two StructuralColumns and one StructuralBrace The brace has three Point_Supports two StructuralColumns and one StructuralBeam Neither Column has a support Element Figure 222 StructuralElements SupportData 21 2 3 4 BeamSystem and Wall SupportData Though you can pick walls as supports when you draw a BeamSystem its support information is not directly avail
128. cluding color fill pattern and more 15 1 2 1 Properties and Parameter Elements Material and its subclasses provide properties that have a counterpart Parameter For example the Color and Glow properties correspond to the BuiltlnParameter MATERIAL_PARAM_COLOR and MATERIAL_PARAM_GLOW respectively In some cases it is better to use a parameter rather than a property For example the AsValueString method refer to the Parameter chapter sections AsValueString and SetValueString is used to get a Parameter value in the unit The result is converted to the same value as the one you see in Revit Code Region 3 Material Autodesk Revit Elements MaterialSteel materialSteel GetSteelMaterial get young mod x Parameter parameter materialSteel get_Parameter BuiltInParameter PHY_ MATERIAL PARAM YOUNG_MOD1 double dYOUNG_MOD parameter AsDouble string strYOUNG_MOD parameter AsValueString YoungModulusX get by the two ways should be the same Debug Assert dYOUNG_MOD materialSteel YoungModulusX 15 1 2 2 Rendering Information Currently the AccuRender resource location is not available in Options Application LibraryPaths In the following Material Library dialog box picture the API Material RenderLibrary is _accurender the Material RenderName is Carpet Solid Colors Blue Navy Medium Pile When setting the two Material properties the API does not check to find out if the library or material
129. dOnly Revit 2008 API User Manual 80 Parameter StorageType parameterType foundParameter StorageType if StorageType Double parameterType throw new Exception The types of value and parameter are different T successful the result is true bool result foundParameter Set value return result return false The Set method return value indicates that the Parameter value was changed It does not indicate whether the change was successful or not The Set method returns true if the Parameter value was changed otherwise it returns false Not all Parameters are writable An Exception is thrown if the Parameter is read only 6 5 AsValueString and SetValueString The AsValueString method and SetValueString method are Parameter class methods The two methods are only applied to value type parameters Use the AsValueString method to get the parameter value as a string with the unit of measure For example the Base Offset value a wall parameter is a Double value Usually the value is shown as a string like 20 0 in the Element Properties dialog box Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Parameter Value Constraints Location Line Wall Centerline Top Constraint Up to level Level 1 Figure 48 AsValueString and SetValueString sample Using the AsValueString method you get the 20 0 string value directly Otherwise
130. dary and Transaction When you call Room Boundary after creating an Element using the API such as a wall the wall can change the room boundary You must make sure the data is updated The following illustrations show how the room changes after a wall is created using the Revit API Figure 203 Added wall changes the room boundary Revit 2008 API User Manual 254 Revit Architecture To update the room boundary data use the transaction mechanism in the following code Code Region 4 Revit Architecture Autodesk Revit Application app commandData Application Document doc app ActiveDocument Room room GetRoomWithBoundary doc Level aLevel GetLevel doc Get the size before creating a wall int size room Boundary get_Item 0 Size Prepare a line XYZ startPos new XYZ 10 0 0 XYZ endPos new XYZ 10 0 0 Line line app Create NewLine ref startPos ref endPos true Create a new wall and enclose the creating into a single transaction doc BeginTransaction Wall wall doc Create NewWall line aLevel false doc EndTransaction Get the new siz size room Boundary get_Item 0 Size For more details see the Transaction chapter 20 1 4 Plan Topology The level plan that rooms lie in have a topology made by elements such as walls and room separators The PlanTopology and PlanCircuit classes are used to present the level topology e Get the PlanTop
131. data from an element how to transform an element and more 16 1Example Retrieve Geometry Data from a Wall This walkthrough illustrates how to get geometry data from a wall The following information is covered e Getting the wall geometry edges e Getting the wall geometry faces Note Retrieving the geometry data from Element in this example is limited because Instance is not considered For example sweeps included in the wall are not available in the sample code The goal for this walkthrough is to give you a basic idea of how to retrieve geometry data but not cover all conditions For more information about retrieving geometry data from Element refer to Example Retrieving Geometry Data from a Beam Geometry GeometryObject A Geometry FaceArray Geometry Element MaterialElement Objects 1 Geometry Face Geometry Solid Faces Edges Geometry EdgeArray Geometry Edge GeometryObjectArray Figure 153 Wall geometry diagram 16 1 1 Create Geometry Options In order to get the wall s geometry information you must create a Geometry Options object which provides detailed customized options The detailed code is as follows Code Region 1 Geometry Autodesk Revit Geometry Options opt commandData Application Create NewGeometryOptions opt ComputeReferences true opt DetaillLevel Autodesk Revit Geometry Options DetailLevels Fine
132. del is projected onto a view plane and then scaled onto the screen The View Scale property represents the ratio of actual model size to the view size The related expressions are as follows View CropBox Max X Y View OutLine Max X Y View CropBox Min X Y View OutLine Min X Y View Scale public View3D NewView3D ref XYZ viewDirection Create an orthographic 3D view by passing the view vector to the Autodesk Revit Creation Document NewView3D method This vector can be a unit vector or not Revit determines the following e Position of the viewer e How to create the viewing coordinate system using the view direction e How to create the crop box to crop the model Once the view is created you can resize the crop box to view different portions of the model Currently the API does not support modifying the viewing coordinate system The following code sample illustrates how to create a 3D view The created view is orthographic Code Region 3 View private void CreateView3D Autodesk Revit Document doc CEY Create a new View3D XYZ direction new XYZ 1 1 1 View3D view3D doc Create NewView3D ref direction if null view3D return The created View3D isn t perspective Debug Assert false view3D IsPerspective catch Exception e Debug WriteLine e ToString 14 2 3 3D Views SectionBox Each view has a crop box The crop box focuses on a portion o
133. des an introduction to implementing Revit add in applications using the Revit API Revit 2008 API User Manual 14 Welcome to the Revit API Before creating a Revit API add in application read through the manual and try the sample code If you already have some experience with the Revit API you may just want to review the Notes and Troubleshooting sections 1 7 1 Introduction to the Revit API The first two chapters present an introduction to the Revit API and provide an overview of the User Manual e Welcome to the Revit API Presents an introduction to the Revit API and necessary prerequisite knowledge before you create your first add in e Getting Started Step by step instructions for creating your first Hello World add in application using Visual Studio 2005 and three other walkthroughs covering primary add in functions 1 7 2 Basic Topics These chapters cover the Revit API basic mechanisms and functionality e Add in Integration Discusses how an add in is integrated into the Revit UI and invoked by user commands or specific Revit events such as program startup e Application and Document Application and Document classes respectively represent the Revit application and project file in the Revit API This chapter explains basic concepts and links to pertinent chapters and sections e Elements Essentials The bulk of the data in a Revit project is in a collection of Elements This chapter discusses the essential
134. diBuild Exclude From Project B cut Ha Copy X Delete Rename Properties Figure 229 Change the class name C 4 Add Code When writing the code in VB NET you must pay attention to key letter capitalization Code Region 5 Getting Start HelloWorld VB Imports System Imports System Windows Forms Imports Autodesk Revit Public Class HelloWorld Implements Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand Public Function Execute ByVal commandData As Autodesk Revit ExternalCommandData ByRef message As String ByVal elements As Autodesk Revit ElementSet As Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand Result _ Implements Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand Execute MsgBox Hello World Return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded End Function End Class C 5 Modify the Revit ini File After you add the code you must build the file The HelloWorld dll file appears in the project output directory If you want to invoke the application in Revit modify the Revit ini file to register it Revit 2008 API User Manual 287 Hello World for VB NET 1 To edit the Revit ini file open it for editing in Notepad The Revit ini file is usually located in the Revit installation directory on your computer For example C Program Files Revit Architecture 20081Program 2 Add the following to the end of the existing code ExternalCommands ECCount 1 ECClassNamel HelloWorld H
135. e if null curveLocation XYZ endPoint new XYZ 10 0 0 curveLocation Curve Line get_Bound ref location ref endPoint The picture on the right is the result if you use the code as written If the gray lines in the previous code are commented out the beam curve start point and end point are identical by default length equals 0 The picture on the left is the result if you comment out the code indicated Revit 2008 API User Manual 128 Component Elements Figure 87 Result of not changing left and changing right the Location property 10 4 3 Create Doors Create a long wall about 180 0 in length and select it before running this sample The host object must support inserting instances otherwise the NewFamilylnstance method will fail If a host element is not provided for an instance that must be created in a host or the instance cannot be inserted into the specified host element the method NewFamilylnstance does nothing Code Region 3 ComponentElements void CreateDoorsInWall Autodesk Revit Application revit Use the family file Doors Single Decorative 2 rfa Autodesk Revit Elements Family family null if document LoadFamily fileName ref family return FamilySymbolSetIterator symbolItor family Symbols ForwardIterator double x 0 y 0 z 0 while symbolItor MoveNext FamilySymbol symbol symbolltor Current as FamilySymbol XYZ locat
136. e different locations relative to the projects around it Depending on the coordinates and origins in use there can be many ProjectLocation objects in one project By default each Revit project contains at least one named location Internal It is the active project location You can retrieve it using the Document ActiveProjectLocation property All existing ProjectLocation objects are retrieved using the Document ProjectLocations property Manage Place and Locations o Locations Place Used for orientation and position of the project on the site and in relation to other buildings There may be many Shared Locations defined in one project Locations defined in this project internal current Duplicate New Location nn Rename Anale from Project North to True North 0 00 00 Figure 178 Project locations 17 4 Project Position Project position is an object that represents a geographical offset and rotation It is usually used by the ProjectLocation object to get and set geographical information In the Revit UI use the Tools gt Shared Coordinates gt Specify Shared Coordinates at a Point command to view the project location The following pictures display the results after changing the ProjectLocation geographical rotation and the coordinates for the same point in the dialog box However you cannot see the result of changing the ProjectLocation geographical offset directly Revit 2008 API User Manual 2
137. e 29 Project units and format dialog box The APIs used to gain access to the settings include the following UI Command Corresponding Type in API Access API Slope ProjectUint Slope Decimal symbol ProjectUint DecimalSymbolType Discipline ProjectUnit FormatOptions Discipline Units ProjectUnit FormatOptions Units Rounding ProjectUnit FormatOptions Rounding Unit suffix Enums UnitSuffixType ProjectUnit FormatOptions Unitsuffix Table 9 Project Unit Properties Revit 2008 API User Manual 56 Elements Essentials 5 Elements Essentials An Element corresponds to a single building or drawing component such as a door a wall or a dimension In addition an Element can be abstract like a door type a view or a material definition If a building is regarded as a system the components are Elements This chapter introduces the Revit API Elements starting with an overview of the Revit Elements classification Detailed Element classification is next followed by a discussion of important Element properties 5 1 Elements Classification The Revit API classifes Elements based on the Element specialty Revit Elements are divided into six groups Each group contains relative Elements and their corresponding symbols The following digram identifies each Element group and the corresponding symbol Autodesk Revit Elements Model Elements Component Elements Host Elements Structure Elements Sketch Elements Eleme
138. e cece eee eee eee eee eae ee aes 201 16 1 1 Create Geometry ODptions 00 ccc cece eee eee eee eee eee nee neat e etree 201 16 1 2 Retrieve Faces and Edges ccceceee eee eee eee eee eee nena nena nena ne nee ene 202 16 2 Geometry Node ClasS ioccoi a as 202 16 2 1 Geometry Instante nemirk a nena nana 203 16 2 2 Geometry MOS aii 205 16 2 3 SOM tt da ido baaa ula 206 16 3 Geometry Helper Clasico ais 207 16 3 1 Geometry Transformi kees enaena esep eaaa epe A ER aa EEA EEaren 207 16 3 2 Geometry ReferenCe mico be thee 210 16 3 3 Geometry OPtONS A aa 212 16 3 4 Geometry BoundingBoOxXYZ ooococcccccccnccncnnoncnnnncnnnncnnnncnnnnrnnnnrrnnnrrannrnnnnenanes 214 16 3 5 Geometry BoundingBOxUV ooocccccccccccnconcnnoncnnnnnnnnncnnnnnnnnncrnnnrnnnnrrnnnrnnnrnnanns 218 16 4 Collection Classes aiis cinco te a e a ae iia eee 218 16 5 Example Retrieve Geometry Data from a BeaM oooccocccccnccnconcnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnns 219 17 Place and LocatiONS omccoonnconnncanoncannncannnnnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnsnnrnnnnrnsnnrncnnracnnrananracanineas 223 17 1 Pl a e e eee ado ah Lada Ha 223 17 2 A aa tica had nen tata a aa a e a ae a a oa aA a E 224 17 3 Proj CCE OCatlOnw sesh eens Pic as ih ee etal eas ih eek aco eats aA E ee AA AEA 225 17 4 Project Position a Gees deid aia idea dede 225 17 4 1 Create and Delete iy icc ccs eeaes oes a eh nets Maa vb othe eee vines ober eee 228 18 Shared Parameter ccccceesceeeeeeeeeee
139. e family and family instance features 10 1 Identifying Elements In Revit the easiest way to judge whether an element is a Familylnstance or not is by using the properties dialog box e Ifthe family name starts with System Family and the Load button is disabled it belongs to System Family Element Properties Family Basic Wall i A Type Generic 8 v Edit New Figure 74 System Family e A general Familylnstance which belongs to the Component Family does not start with System Family For example in the following picture the family name for the desk furniture is Desk In addition the Load button is enabled Element Properties ran B J Type 60 x 30 Y Edit New Figure 75 Component Family e The exceptions are Mass and in place member The Family and Type fields are blank Element Properties Family Type y Edit New Figure 76 System Family and Component Family exception example Revit 2008 API User Manual 117 Component Elements Families in the Revit API are represented by three objects e Family e FamilySymbol e Familylnstance Each object plays a significant role in the family structure APIObject A FamilyBase Z Insertablelnstance Z Familyinstance Symbol FamilySymbol Q A FamilySymbol Family Family Symbols FamilySymbolSet FamilySymbolSet Figure 77 Family related class diagram
140. e host element 21 4Analysis Link With Revit Structure an analytical model is automatically generated as you create the physical model The analytical model is linked to structural analysis applications and the physical model is automatically updated from the results through the Revit Structure API Some third party software developers already provide bi directional links to their structural analysis applications These include the following Revit 2008 API User Manual 276 Revit Structure e Robot Millennium from Robobat www revit robobat com e RAM Structural System from RAM Intl www ramint com support revit jsp e RISA 3D and RISAFloor from RISA Technologies www risatech com e Smart Modeller from CADS www cads co uk e Fastrak and S Frame from CSC www cscworld com e GSA from Oasys Software Arup www oasys software com products Later in 2007 The key to linking Revit Structure to other analysis applications is to set up the mapping relationship between the objects in different object models That means the difficulty and level of the integration depends on the similarity between the two object models For example during the product design process design a table with at least the first two columns in the object mapping in the following table one for Revit Structure API and the other for the structural analysis application shown as follows Revit Structural API Analysis
141. e information refer to the Code Samples section in this chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 126 Component Elements 10 4 Code Samples Review the following code samples for more information about working with Component Elements Please note that in the NewFamilyl nstance method a StructuralType argument is required to specify the type of the family instance to be created Here are some examples Type of Family Instance Value of StructuralType Doors tables etc NonStructural Beams Beam Braces Brace Columns Column Footings Footing Table 26 The value of StructuralType argument in the NewFamilyl nstance method 10 4 1 Create Tables The following function demonstrates how to load a family of Tables into a Revit project and create instances from all symbols in this family The LoadFamily method returns false if the specified family was previously loaded Therefore in the following case do not load the family Table Dining Round w Chairs rfa before this function is called In this example the tables are created at Level 1 by default Code Region 1 ComponentElements void CreateTables Autodesk Revit Application revit Use the family file Furniture Table Dining Round w Chairs ria Autodesk Revit Elements Family family null if document LoadFamily fileName ref family return FamilySymbolSetIterator symbolItor family Symbols ForwardIterator j int
142. eRoom document Create NewRoom newConstructionPhase string newRoomNumber 101 string newRoomName Class Room 1 newScheduleRoom Name newRoomName newScheduleRoom Number newRoomNumber Room newRoom2 document Create NewRoom newScheduleRoom planCircuit Debug Assert newRoom2 Number newRoomNumber amp amp newRoomName newScheduleRoom get_Parameter Built InParameter ROOM_NAME AsString Y document Create NewRoom newScheduleRoom planCircuit it must not display in any plan view to avoid exception Create rooms in certain levels in batches The NewRooms method can create rooms for every enclosed region in a given level 20 1 3 Room Boundary Rooms have boundaries that create an enclosed region where the room is located e Boundaries include the following elements Walls Model lines Revit 2008 API User Manual 250 Revit Architecture Columns Roofs And more e No more than two rooms can share the same boundary or a warning appears 20 1 3 1 Retrieve Boundaries The key to recognizing the Room Boundary is in the User Interface UI After selecting a wall all the boundary segments are highlighted ETT Figure 195 Room boundary diagram In the following picture notice the highlighted lines around the room Figure 196 Room boundary e Room BoundaryArray is an array of BoundarySegment objects e Room Boundary is null when the roo
143. easured in inches e The coordinates 0 0 are relative to the sheet s lower left corner Each sheet has a unique sheet number in the complete drawing set The number is displayed before the sheet name in the Project Browser It is convenient to use the sheet number in a view Revit 2008 API User Manual 184 Views title to cross reference the sheets in your drawing set You can retrieve or modify the number using the SheetNumber property The number must be unique otherwise an exception is thrown when you set the number to a duplicate value The following example illustrates how to create and print a sheet view Begin by finding an available title block in the document and use it to create the sheet view Next add the document active view The active view is placed in the center of the sheet Finally print the sheet by calling the View Print method Code Region 7 View private void CreateSheet View Autodesk Revit Document doc Get an available title block from document FamilySymbolSet fsSet doc TitleBlocks if fsSet Size 0 MessageBox Show No title blocks return FamilySymbol fs null foreach FamilySymbol f in fsSet if null f break LEY Create a sheet view ViewSheet viewSheet doc Create NewViewSheet fs if null viewSheet return Add current view onto the center of the sheet UV location new UV viewSheet Outline Max U viewS
144. ecause the document is used by an external application You can only call this method on non active documents Enhancements are planned in future versions 4 3 6 Load Family and Load Family Symbol The Document class provides you with the ability to load an entire family and all of its types symbols into the project Because loading an entire family can take a long time and a lot of memory the Document class provides a similar method LoadFamilySymbol to load only specified symbols For more details see the Component Elements chapter 4 4 Settings On the Settings menu the commands in boxes in the figure below are available in the Revit API Revit 2008 API User Manual 52 Application and Document Tools Debug Window Help gt 4 q Project Information A 3D Project Parameters t Manage Place and Locations lr Trim pl Browser Organization Fill Patterns Object Styles Phases Revisions Room and rea Settings View Templates Color Fill Schemes Keynoting Filters Line Styles Line Weights Line Patterns Sun and Shadows Settings su View Tags gt Site Settings Structural Settings Annotations gt Project Units UN Snaps Temporary Dimensions Detail Level Figure 27 Setting menu items The following table identifies the APIs and the corresponding Ul commands UI command Associated API Reference Project Information
145. eeeeeecueeaeaeeauaeeauaseeuaseauaseauaaeasaeeasageasageasageausgeansguans 231 18 1 Definition Ele os 231 18 1 1 Definition File Format mre aea ea ER ene nena nr nn nn nar rn nr rra 231 18 2 Definition File ACCESS iiir urni rta de a ra te 233 18 2 1 Create a Shared Parameter File ooooocoococccccccccncnncncnnnnnnnnncnnnn rra nn rra neta nated 235 18 2 2 Access an Existing Shared Parameter File cccceeeeeee cece eee ee teeta eee na eee 235 18 2 3 Change the Parameter Definition Owner Group c ce ceeee eect ee eect eee e eee ne ed 236 18 3 BIM GING tada dial adan 237 18 3 1 TY Pe BIN oleadas 238 18 3 2 Instance Bid cocacola a id redee 239 19 TransactiON ommmncnonncnnnncnnnncnnnncnn cnn nn n Ma ae aa aa Ka A n rara rara nrnsnnrncnnracanracaneananes 243 19 1 WS AGE E cri di a 243 19 1 1 Atomic User ACOSO io 243 19 1 2 Get Created Element Geometry and AnalyticalModel ooooococccccccccccnccnnnccannnos 245 19 2 Boundaries iveciiociintes ee ey be ts a a e a ewes Ge a 246 20 Revit Architecture eioan aa raaa aa a a aa a a aa a a a a ie aae aa a aaa rE E a r aian 249 20 1 ROO Mii A AA A E A E E aa 249 20 1 1 ROOM ATea NA TAS aaia a e a A e a tet 249 20 1 2 Erre E E E ites 250 20 1 3 Room Bouda ecos 250 20 1 4 Plan TOPOlOGY iii A eee bee dee Eyed EE 255 20 1 5 Room and Familyl nstance cece reenter ene t aetna 257 20 2 Energy Data icici aidha ii 259 ASA ee a a a a aa a aE aaraa 261 21 1 Structural
146. elloWorld ECAssemblyl D Sample HelloWorld bin Debug HelloWorld dll ECNamel HelloWorld ECDescriptionl Implementation of HelloWorld within Autodesk Revit Note ECAssembly1 is the path to the assembly D Sample HelloWorld bin Debug HelloWorld dll in this particular example Refer to the Add In Integration chapter for more details about the Revit ini file C 6 Build the Program After completing the code you must build the file From the Build menu click Build Solution Output from the build appears in the Output window indicating that the project compiled without errors C 7 Debug the Program Running a program in Debug mode uses breakpoints to pause the program so that you can examine the state of variables and objects If there is an error you can check the variables as the program runs to deduce why the value is not what you might expect 1 In the Solution Explorer window right click the HelloWorld project to display a context menu From the context menu click Properties The Properties window appears Click the Debug tab In the Debug window Start Action section click Start external program and browse to the Revit exe file By default the file is located at the following path C Program File Revit Architecture 2008 Program Revit exe Revit 2008 API User Manual 288 Hello World for VB NET 22 HelloWorld Microsoft Visual Studio File Edit Yiew Project Build Debug IncrediBuild Data Tools Test
147. ent Families Figure 38 Families In addition to functioning as an Element class Family is also a template used to generate new items that belong to the Family 5 2 2 1 Family in the Revit API In the Revit API both the Family class and Familylnstance belong to the Component Family Other Elements include System Family Families in the Revit API are represented by three objects e Family e FamilySymbol e Familylnstance Each object plays a significant role in the Family structure Revit 2008 API User Manual 65 Elements Essentials O Familylnstance Figure 39 Family FamilySymbol and Familyl nstance UML diagram The Family object has the following characteristics e Represents an entire family such as a beam e Represents the entire family file on a disk e Contains a number of FamilySymbols The FamilySymbol object represents a specific set of family settings in the Family such as the Type Concrete Rectangular Beam 16x32 The Familylnstance object is a FamilySymbol instance representing a single instance in the Revit project For example the Familylnstance can be a single instance of a 16x32 Concrete Rectangular Beam in the project Note Remember that the Familylnstance exists in Component Elements Datum Elements and Annotation Elements Consequently the following rules apply e Each Familylnstance has one FamilySymbol e Each FamilySymbol belongs to one Family e Each Family contains one or more Fami
148. ent ProjectLocations get the project position XYZ origin new XYZ 0 0 0 a modulus for degree convert to pi const double Modulus 0 0174532925199433 ProjectPosition projectPosition currentLocation get_ProjectPosition ref origin Angle from True North double angle 30 0 Modulus double eastWest 30 0 East to West offset double northSouth 23 32 North to South offset double elevation 22 14 Elevation above ground level create a new project position ProjectPosition newPosition revit Application Create NewProjectPosition eastWest northSouth if null newPosition set the value of the project position currentLocation set_ProjectPosition ref origin newPosition elevation angle Note There is only one active project location at a time To see the result after changing the ProjectLocation geographical offset and rotation change the Orientation property from Project North to True North in the plan view Properties dialog box Visibility Graphics Overrides AAA AAA Model Graphics Style Hidden Line Advanced Model Graphics A A Underlay None Orientation Wall Join Display Discipline Color Scheme Identity Data View Name Level 1 Figure 181 Set orientation value in plan view Properties dialog box Revit 2008 API User Manual 227 Place and Locations Manage Place and Locations Locations Place Used for orientation and p
149. ents including many abstract and invisible objects You can get all current project objects from the active document using the Application ActiveDocument Elements property Revit 2008 API User Manual 67 Elements Essentials 5 3 2 Selection Rather than getting all of the elements in the model you can access just the elements that have been selected by the users You can get the selected objects from the current active document using the Application ActiveDocument Selection Elements property The selected objects are in an ElementSet in Revit From this Element set all selected Elements are retrieved The selected Element set can be changed To modify the Selection Elements 1 Create a new SelElementSet 2 Put Elements in it 3 Set the Selection Elements to the new SelElementSet instance The following example illustrates how to change the selected Elements Code Region 3 Elements Essentials Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Selection choices doc Selection SelElementSet collection choices Elements Create a Column FamilyInstance newColumn CreateColumn doc Create a new SelElementSet SelElementSet newSelectedElementSet commandData Application Create NewSelElementSet Create a new SelElementSet as below is ok SelElementSet newSelectedElementSet new SelElementSet Reassemble the selected elements newSelectedElementSet Add ne
150. ep The Sweep command sweeps one profile along a created 2D path or selected 3D path The path may be an open or closed loop but must pierce the profile plane Query the Sweep Form object for a generic form for use in family modeling and massing The Sweep class has the following properties Property Description Path3d Returns the 3D Path Sketch It is a Path3D object PathSketch Returns the Plan Path Sketch It is a Sketch object ProfileSketch Returns the profile Sketch It is a Sketch object EnableTraj Segmentation Returns the Trajectory Segmentation state It is a Boolean MaxSegmentAngle Returns the Maximum Segment Angle It is a Double type Table 35 Sweep Properties Click the corresponding command to enter the path sketch editor See the following example 3 sketch 20 Path eee Path 2D E Pick Path e Path 3D Figure 122 2D path and 3D path Creating a 2D Path is similar to other forms The 3D Path is fetched by picking the created 3D curves Revit 2008 API User Manual 162 Sketching e Profile SketchPlane p 3D Path Figure 123 Pick the Sweep 3D path Note The following information applies to Sweep e The Path3d property is available only when you use Pick Path to get the 3D path e PathSketch is available whether the path is 3D or 2D Figure 124 Sweep profile sketch Note The ProfileSketch is perpendicular to the path Segmented sweeps are useful for cre
151. ernalCommands section you can specify the external tools External commands are listed in the ExternalCommands section There can only be one ExternalCommands in the revit ini file Example ExternalCommands ECCount 1 ECClassNamel Projectl1 Classl ECAssembly1 C Project1 Project1l dll ECNamel My Tool ECDescriptionl Implementation of My Tool within Revit Note If the ExternalCommands section is not included in Revit ini you must create it e ECCount Set the ECCount property to the total number of external commands available For example if your application supplies two external commands the entry is ExternalCommands ECCount 2 Revit 2008 API User Manual Add In Integration e ECClassName The ECClassName property is used to provide the command object that supports the ExternalCommand interface The command object is the full class name with the namespace such as MyNamespace MyClass The is the command number such as ECClassNamel e ECAssembly The ECAssembly property is used for NET based objects only This property identifies the path to the Assembly containing the NET command object The path can be relative to the Revit installation directory or fully qualified The identifies the command number such as ECAssembly1 The command number must match the command number used for the ECClassName property In the previous example
152. erty Figure 111 Pick a Plane on a wall as Work Plane Note Sketchplane is different from work plane because work plane is visible and can be selected It does not have a specific class in the current API but is represented by the Element class A work plane must be defined based on a specific SketchPlane Both the work plane and SketchPlane Category property return null Although SketchPlane is always invisible there is always a SketchPlane that corresponds to a work plane A work plane is used to express a SketchPlane in text and pictures The following information applies to SketchPlane members e D Uniqueld Name and Plane properties return a value e Parameters property is empty e Location property returns a Location object e Others return null Plane contains the SketchPlane geometric information SketchPlane sets up a plane coordinate system with Plane as the following picture illustrates Revit 2008 API User Manual 155 Sketching Figure 112 SketchPlane and Plane coordinate system The following code sample illustrates how to create a new SketchPlane Code Region 1 Sketching Other operation Autodesk Revit Application app commandData Application Create a new sketch plane XYZ newNormal new XYZ 1 1 0 the normal vector XYZ newOrigin new XYZ 0 0 0 the origin point Create geometry plane Plane geometryPlane app Create NewPlane ref newNormal ref newOrigin Cre
153. es are e Profile A geometric profile consisting of a loop of curves e Face A 3D solid face Some derived classes give detailed faces e Edge A 3D solid edge e Curve A parametric curve Some derived classes provide detailed curves e Element Geometric representation of an element containing all geometry information in its property This element is not an Element type e Mesh A triangular mesh used to describe the shape of a 3D face Revit 2008 API User Manual 202 Geometry e Instance An instance of another element symbol Specifically you can retrieve a symbol s geometry information from the instance referring to it e Solid 3D solid Geometry GeometryObject Z Geometry Element Geometry Profile Geometry Instance Geometry Mesh Geometry Solid DN DN Geometry HermiteFace Geometry RuledFace Geometry Line Geometry Arc Geometry Ellipse Geometry NurbSpline Geometry ConicalFace Geometry CylindricalFace Geometry PlanarFace Geometry RevolvedFace Figure 154 Geometry node hierarchy diagram 16 2 1 Geometry I nstance The Instance class represents an instance of another element symbol specially positioned by this element It is used to store geometry information for the symbol The Instance class can pack any geometry information data including another instance making it a good way to build a geometry tree using the instance in a complicated geometry representation The Instance class stores geom
154. esk Revit Creation Document docCreator commandData Application ActiveDocument Create Dimension newDimension docCreator NewDimension view line references Though only linear dimensions are created you can delete all dimensions and constraints represented by Dimension and SpotDimension using the Document Delete method 12 2Detail Curve Detail curve is an important Detail component usually used in the detail or drafting view Detail curves are accessible in the DetailCurve class and its derived classes Revit 2008 API User Manual 148 Annotation Elements DetailCurve AN Figure 104 DetailCurve diagram DetailCurve is view specific as are other annotation elements However currently there is no DetailCurve View property When creating a detail curve you must compare the detail curve to the model curve view public DetailCurve NewDetailCurve View Curve SketchPlane public ModelCurve NewModelCurve Curve SketchPlane Generally only 2D views such as level view and elevation view are acceptable otherwise an exception is thrown Except for view related features DetailCurve is very similar to ModelCurve For more information about ModelCurve properties and usage see the ModelCurve section in the Sketching chapter 12 3Tags A tag is an annotation used to identify drawing elements The API exposes the IndependentTag and RoomTag classes to cover most tags used in the
155. essageBoxButtons OK Revit 2008 API User Manual 260 Revit Structure 21 Revit Structure Certain API features that only exist in Revit Structure products are discussed in the following sections e Structural Model Elements Discusses specific Elements and their properties that only exist in the Revit Structure product e AnalyticalModel Discusses analytical model related classes such as AnalyticalModel RigidLink and SupportData e Loads Discusses Load Settings and three kinds of Loads e Your Analysis Link Provides suggestions for API users who want to link the Revit Structure product to certain Structural Analysis applications This chapter contains some advanced topics If you are not familiar with the Revit API read the basic chapters first such as Getting Started Elements Essentials Parameter and so on 21 1Structural Model Elements Structural Model Elements are literally elements that support a structure such as columns rebar and so on This section discusses how to manipulate these elements 21 1 1 Column Beam and Brace Currently Structural column beam and brace elements do not have a specific class such as the StructuralColumn class but they are in the Familyl nstance class form Specific classes for these structural elements are expected in the next API release Note Though the StructuralColumn StructuralBeam and StructuralBrace classes do not exist in the current API they are used in
156. et method A 12Revit Families A Family is a collection of objects called types A family groups elements with a common set of parameters identical use and similar graphical representation Different types in a family can have different values of some or all parameters but the set of parameters their names and their meaning are the same A 13Revit Parameters There are a number of Revit parameter types e Shared Parameters can be thought of as user defined variables e System Parameters are variables that are hard coded in Revit e Family parameters are variables that are defined when a family is created or modified A 14Revit Types A Type is a member of a Family Each Type has specific parameters that are constant for all instances of the Type that exist in your model these are called Type Properties Types have other parameters called Instance parameters which can vary in your model A 15Sets A set is a collection container of values without a particular order and no repeated values It corresponds with the mathematical concept of set except for the restriction that it has to be finite A 16Element ID Each element has a corresponding ID It is identified by an integer value It provides a way of uniquely identifying an Element within an Autodesk Revit project It is only unique for one project but not unique across separate Autodesk Revit projects A 17Element UID Each element has a corresponding UID It is a string
157. etry data in the SymbolGeometry property using a local coordinate system It also provides a Transform instance to convert the local coordinate system to a world coordinate space To get the same geometry data as the Revit application from the Instance class use the transform property to convert each geometry object retrieved from the SymbolGeometry property Generally three geometry objects can be retrieved from an instance They are e Curve Curve or its derived class e Solid Contains some faces and edges e Instance Another instance which forms this instance Users need to transform the retrieved geometry objects using the Transfrom property For more details refer to the Geometry Transform section in this chapter The following diagram illustrates how to get geometry objects from an instance Revit 2008 API User Manual 203 Geometry Item Geometry Curve al ranstormed Geometry Solid Faces Edges GeometryObjectArray Geometry Element MaterialElement Objects Geometry Instance SymbolGeometry Geometry Element Transform Geometry Transform get_Transformed Geometry Instance The geometry objects in Instance need to transform using Transform property Curve class gives Geometry Transform Transformed property to do this task but the others not It s better to transform each point in the objects L Figure 155 Instance geometry diagram No
158. evaluated only once The As operator only performs reference conversions and boxing conversions It cannot perform other conversions such as user defined conversions The Is operator is used to check whether the run time object type is compatible with a particular type For example you can use the Is operator as follows if obj is string 1 e An Is expression is true if the provided expression is non null and the provided object can be cast to the provided type without throwing an exception e The Is keyword results in a compile time warning if the expression is always true or always false Type compatibility is typically evaluated at run time e The Is operator only considers reference conversions boxing conversions and unboxing conversions Other conversions such as user defined conversions are not considered 7 2 Collections and I terators In the Revit API the Collections namespace mainly contains Array Map Set collections and the relevant Iterators API Collections and Iterators are generic and type safe For example ElementSet and Elementlterator always contain Element and can be used as follows elems is ElementSet foreach Autodesk Revit Element elem in elems some operations elemItor is ElementIterator elemItor Reset It is not necessary but the proposal to do so while elemItor MoveNext Autodesk Revit Element elem elemItor Current
159. ew the change in UI material RenderLibrary _accurender material RenderName Metals Steel Satin Plain 15 1 2 3 FillPattern All FillPatterns in a document are available in the Settings class FillPatterns property Currently the FillPattern object only contains the Name and ID information There are two kinds of FillPatterns Drafting and Model In the UI you can only set Drafting fill patterns to Material CutPattern However the classification is not exposed in the API The following example shows how to change the material FillPattern Code Region 5 Material foreach FillPattern fillPattern in document Settings FillPatterns always set successfuly material CutPattern fillPattern material SurfacePattern fillPattern Debug Assert material SurfacePattern Name fillPattern Name Revit 2008 API User Manual 191 Material Debug Assert material CutPattern Name fillPattern Name 15 2 Material Management The MaterialSet object retrieved from the Settings class manages all Materials in the Document Every Elements Material object in the Document is identified by a unique name lEnumerable ltem String ltem Elementid Figure 147 Material management diagram The following example illustrates how to use the material name to get material and how to get the Document material set Code Region 6 Material Materials materials document Settings Mate
160. ex key within the array map get set Returns the number of objects in Size get Size get Size get the collection Table 13 Collections Methods and Properties Note The GetEnumerator method uses the Forwardlterator method in its core code Using the Forwardlterator method to get the corresponding Iterator works the same way as using GetEnumerator In the Revit API Collections have their own Iterators that implement the I Enumerator interface Use the GetEnumerator method or Forwardlterator to get the Iterator To implement the IEnumerator interface the Iterator requires the following e MoveNext method e Reset method e The Current property Function Array Map Set Move the iterator one item forward MoveNext MoveNext MoveNext Bring the iterator back to the start of the array Reset Reset Reset Retrieve the current focus of the iterator Current get Current get Current get Table 14 Method and Property I terators In general Array Map and Set are not used generically Instead use a collection that has an idiographic type such as ElementSet Revit 2008 API User Manual 88 Collection Implementing all of the collections is similar The following example uses ElementSet and ModelCurveArray to demonstrate how to use the main collection properties Code Region 1 Collection Autodesk Revit Application app commandData Application Aut
161. f the Element class most of the members inherited from the Element return null or an empty set except for Name Id Uniquel d and Parameters In the Revit English version Name returns Energy Data with the following Parameters e The BuildingType property is used to get or set the Project Information Building Type e The ZIPCode property is used to get or set the Project Information ZIP Code The following code sample uses the goXMLParamElem class The result appears in a message box after invoking the command The following sample illustrates how to create a new grid with a line Code Region 6 Revit Architecture public IExternalCommand Result Execute ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message ElementSet elements Autodesk Revit Application app commandData Application Revit 2008 API User Manual 259 Revit Architecture Document doc app ActiveDocument The gbXMLParamElem can be retrieved from ProjectInformation only gbXMLParamElem xmlPara doc ProjectInformation gbXMLSettings if null xmlPara Get Info_gbXMLParamElem xmlPara return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded public void GetInfo_gbXMLParamElem gbXMLParamElem xmlParamElem string message gbXMLParamElem message nBuildingType xmlParamElem BuildingType message nZIPCode xmlParamElem ZIPCode MessageBox Show message Revit M
162. f the model to project and show in the view For 3D views there is another box named section box e The section box determines which model portion appears in a 3D view e The section box is used to clip the 3D model s visible portion Revit 2008 API User Manual 179 Views e The part outside the box is invisible even if it is in the crop box e The section box is different from the crop box in that it can be rotated and moved with the model The section box is particularly useful for large models For example if you want to render a large building use a section box The section box limits the model portion used for Radiosity or Raytrace calculation To display the section box in the 3D view Element Properties dialog box select Section Box in the Extents section You can also set it using the API Code Region 4 View private void ShowHideSectionBox Autodesk Revit Elements View3D view3D foreach Parameter p in view3D Parameters Get Section Box parameter if p Definition Name Equals Section Box Show Section Box p Set 1 Hide Section Box p Set 0 break Section Box Rotation Control Handles Handle Section Box Figure 139 Section box The View3D SectionBox property is used to get and change the box extents In some cases setting the View3D SectionBox can have a side effect Setting the property to certain values can change the box capacity and display
163. f you get a Geometry Line from ModelLine Geometry its Reference returns null You must get a plane or line Reference from model element For this reason the Mirror method is not easy to use 8 5 Group The Revit API uses the Creation Document NewGroup method to select an element or multiple elements or groups then combines them so that they can be modified as one large element Code Region 12 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Selection choices doc Selection ElementSet collection choices Elements Group all selected elements Group group doc Create NewGroup collection Revit 2008 API User Manual 97 Editing Elements Initially the group has a generic name such as Group 1 It can be modified by changing the name of the group type as follows Code Region 13 Editing Elements Change the default group name to a new name MyGroup group GroupType Name MyGroup Like the Revit UI there are three types of groups in the Revit API Model Group Detail Group and Attached Detail Group All are created using the NewGroup method The created Group s type depends on the Elements passed If no detail Element is passed Model Group is created If all Elements are detail the Detail Group is created If both Elements are included a Model Group that contains an Attached Detail Group is created and returned Note When elements are grouped
164. face See the following picture 00 06 90 00 Level 2 10 0 Figure 72 Opening cut perpendicular to the host element face Level 2 HO 0 sy Figure 73 Opening cut vertically to the host element Revit 2008 API User Manual 114 Host Elements and Opening e Create a New Opening Element Use to create a shaft opening in your project However make sure the topLevel is higher than the bottomLevel otherwise an exception is thrown e Create an Opening in a Straight Wall or Arc Wall Use to create a rectangle opening in a wall The coordinates of pntStart and pntEnd should be corner coordinates that can shape a rectangle For example the lower left corner and upper right corner of a rectangle Otherwise an exception is thrown Note Using the Opening command you can only create a rectangle shaped wall opening To create some holes in a wall edit the wall profile instead of the Opening command Revit 2008 API User Manual 115 Host Elements and Opening Revit 2008 API User Manual 116 Component Elements 10 Component Elements Component Elements are Familylnstance objects that belong to the Model Element Model Element is classified in the following way e Non Familylnstance Elements in the System Family e Familylnstance Elements in the Component Family In this chapter you will learn the following e Relationship between family and family instance e Family and family instance features e How to load or creat
165. fo_Phase Document doc Get the phase array which contains all the phases PhaseArray phases doc Phases Revit 2008 API User Manual 140 Datum and Information Elements Format the prompt string which identifies all supported phases in the current document String prompt null if 0 phases Size prompt All the phases in current document list as follow foreach Phase ii in phases prompt n t ii Name Give the user the information MessageBox Show prompt Revit MessageBoxButtons OK 11 4Design Options Design options provide a way to explore alternative designs in a project Design options provide the flexibility to adapt to changes in project scope or to develop alternative designs for review You can begin work with the main project model and then develop variations along the way to present to a client Most elements can be added into a design option Elements that cannot be added into a design option are considered part of the main model and have no design alternatives The main use for Design options is as a property of the Element class See the following example Code Region 6 Datum and Information Elements void Getinfo_DesignOption Document document Get the Element in the Active Document Autodesk Revit ElementIterator elementiter document Elements lementiter Reset while elementiter MoveNext
166. following code is an example of how to retrieve selected elements Code region 3 Getting Started using System using System Collections Generic using System Text using System Windows Forms using Autodesk Revit using Autodesk Revit Elements namespace Gettingstart public class GetSelectedElem IExternalCommand public IExternalCommand Result Execute Autodesk Revit ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message ElementSet elements Revit 2008 API User Manual 28 Getting Started Before invoke this application you can selete som lements in Revit Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Selection property returns an object that represents the activ selection Selection choices doc Selection The Elements property returns a set of the elements that were selected at the time th xternal command was executed ElementSet collection choices Elements Element currentComponent null foreach Element elem in collection currentComponent elem cry bfx catch Exception e ee return II ExternalCommand Result Succeeded After you get the selected elements you can get the properties or parameters for the elements For more information see the Parameter chapter 2 5 Walkthrough Retrieve All Elements Similar to retrieving selected elements you
167. g case StorageType Integer if ParameterType YesNo para Definition ParameterType if para AsInteger 0 return defName False else Revit 2008 API User Manual 76 Parameter return defName True else val para AsInteger ToString return defName val case StorageType String return defName para AsString default return Unexposed parameter Show parameters in selected Element Length 51 0 Base Offset O 0 Area 1020 00 SF Phase Created New Construction Top Constraint 1 Phase Demolished 1 Comments Base Extension Distance 0 0 Base Constraint Level 1 Top is Attached False Location Line 0 Top Extension Distance 0 0 Related to Mass False Mark Base is Attached False Volume 680 00 CF Room Bounding True Structural Usage O Top Offset 0 0 Unconnected Height 20 0 Figure 46 Get wall parameters result Note In Revit some parameters have values in the drop down list in the Element Properties dialog box You can get the numeric values using the Revit API but you cannot get the string representation for the values using the Parameter AsValueString method 6 2 Definition The Definition object describes the data type name and other Parameter details There are two kinds of definition objects derived from this object e InternalDefinition re
168. g Conversion UNC name to this method The file can be a project file with the extension rvt a family file with the extension rfa or a template file with the extension rte The method throws System InvalidOperationException if you try to open unsupported file types If the document is opened successfully the OnDocumentOpened event is raised Revit 2008 API User Manual 51 Application and Document 4 3 4 Create a Document Create new documents using the Application methods in the following table Method Corresponding UI Event Command Document NewProjectDocument File gt New gt Project OnDocumentNewed string templateFileName Document NewFamilyDocument File gt New gt Family OnDocumentNewed string templateFileName File gt New gt TitleBlock File gt New gt Annotation Symbol Document File gt New gt Project OnDocumentNewed NewProjectTemplateDocument string templateFilename Table 4 Create Document in the API Each method requires a template file name as the parameter The created document is returned based on the template file 4 3 5 Save and Close a Document The Document class provides methods to save or close instances Method Corresponding UI Event Command Save File gt Save OnSave SaveAs File gt Save As OnSaveAs Close File gt Close OnClose Table 5 Save and Close Document in API Note The Close method does not affect the active document or raise the OnClose event b
169. gorySet Use BuiltInCategory to get category of wall Category myCategory app ActiveDocument Settings Categories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_Walls myCategories Insert myCategory Create an object of TypeBinding according to the Categories TypeBinding typeBinding app Create NewTypeBinding myCategories Get the BingdingMap of current document BindingMap bindingMap app ActiveDocument ParameterBindings Bind the definitions to the document bool typeBindOK bindingMap Insert myDefinition_CompanyName typeBinding BuiltInParameterGroup PG_TEXT return typeBindOK 18 3 2 Instance Binding The Autodesk Revit Parameters InstanceBinding object indicates binding between a parameter definition and a parameter in certain category instances The following diagram illustrates Instance Binding in the Walls category Once bound the parameter appears in all property dialog boxes for the instance Changing the parameter in any one instance does not change the value in any other instance Revit 2008 API User Manual 239 Shared Parameter Parameter Properties x Parameter Type Categories Project parameter Site o Al Can appear in schedules but not in tags Slab Edges C Specialty Equipment Shared parameter Stairs Can be shared by multiple projects and families exported to ODBC and C Structural Beam Systems appear in schedules and tags Structural Columns C Structural Fo
170. gure 143 Material related classes diagram 15 1 General Material Information Before you begin the walkthrough read through the following section for a better understanding of the Material class 15 1 1 Classification All Elements Material objects are available in the Settings class Materials property For more details refer to the Management in Document section in this chapter Material objects are also available in Document Category Element Face and so on and are discussed in the pertinent sections in this chapter Wherever you get a material object it is represented as the Elements Material class requiring you to downcast the object to its derived type There are two ways to downcast the Elements Material object to its derived type Use Runtime Type Information RTTI or BuiltlnParameter 15 1 1 1 Use Runtime Type Information RTTI The basic way to downcast the object is to use RTTI For more information about the As operator refer to the Collection chapter Code Region 1 Material Revit 2008 API User Manual 187 Material ElementIterator iter document Elements whil iter MoveNext MaterialSteel materialSteel iter Current as MaterialSteel if null materialSteel use it as a MaterialSteel object 15 1 1 2 Use Built nParameter The second option is to use the BuiltlnParameter PHY_MATERIAL_PARAM_TYPE It is an Elements Material class integer
171. he ControlledApplication type Code Region 4 Add In I ntegration public class EApplication Autodesk Revit IExternalApplication public Autodesk Revit IExternalApplication Result OnShutdown Autodesk Revit ControlledApplication application application OnDialogBox new Autodesk Revit Events DialogBoxEventHandler application_OnDialogBox application OnDocumentNewed new Autodesk Revit Events DocumentNewedEventHandler application_OnDocumentNewed return Autodesk Revit IExternalApplication Result Succeeded public Autodesk Revit IExternalApplication Result OnStartup Autodesk Revit ControlledApplication application application OnDialogBox new Autodesk Revit Events DialogBoxEventHandler application_OnDialogBox application OnDocumentNewed new Autodesk Revit Events DocumentNewedEvent Handler application_OnDocumentNewed return Autodesk Revit IExternalApplication Result Succeeded void application_OnDialogBox Autodesk Revit Events DialogBoxData dialogBoxData MessageBox Show Before Dialog is shown void application_OnDocumentNewed Autodesk Revit Document document MessageBox Show Before create a new document Revit 2008 API User Manual 39 Add In Integration 3 3 2 ExternalApplications In the Revit ini you specify external applications using ExternalApplications External applicat
172. he Solution Explorer right click References to display a context menu From the context menu click Add Reference The Add Reference dialog box appears Inthe Add Reference dialog box click the NET Tab From the Component Name list select System Windows Forms Click OK to close the dialog box System Windows Forms appears in the Solution Explorer reference tree Revit 2008 API User Manual 20 Getting Started Add Reference NET L COM Projects Browse Recent Component Name System Security System ServiceProcess System Transactions System Web System Web Mobile System Web ReqularExpressions System Web Services System Windows Forms System Xml V SLangProj SLangProj SLangProj2 V SLangProj2 SLangProj 80 YSI anonProian Ly Properties c AssemblyInfo cs a y Version 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 7 0 3300 0 7 0 3300 0 7 0 5000 0 7 0 5000 0 8 0 0 0 a Runtime 2 0 50727 v2 0 50727 v2 0 50727 v2 0 50727 v2 0 50727 v2 0 50727 v2 0 50727 v2 0 50727 1 0 3705 1 0 3705 1 1 4322 w1 1 4322 v1 0 3705 41 0 3705 Path C WINC C WINE C WINL C WINL Ci WINE C WINC C WINC C AWINE C Progt C Proar C Progr C Progt CuProgr C iPrant 4 gt 3 System Windows Forms 3 System Xml H Hellaiiterld re Figure 3 Add
173. he System Collections namespace It supports a simple iteration over a non generic collection IEnumerator is the base interface for all non generic enumerators The foreach statement in C For Each in Visual Basic hides the enumerator s complexity Note Using foreach is recommended instead of directly manipulating the enumerator Enumerators are used to read the collection data but they cannot be used to modify the underlying collection Use l Enumerator as follows e Initially the enumerator is positioned in front of the first element in the collection The Reset method moves the enumerator back to the original position At this position calling the Current property throws an exception Call the MoveNext method to advance the enumerator to the collection s first element before reading the current iterator value e The Current property returns the same object until either the MoveNext method or Reset method is called The MoveNext method sets the current iterator to the next element e If MoveNext passes the end of the collection the enumerator is positioned after the last element in the collection and MoveNext returns false When the enumerator is in this position subsequent calls to the MoveNext also return false Ifthe last call to the MoveNext returns false calling the Current property throws an exception To set the current iterator to the first element in the collection again call the Reset met
174. he following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk Canada Co in the USA and or Canada and other countries Backburner Discreet Fire Flame Flint Frost Inferno Multi Master Editing River Smoke Sparks Stone Wire Third Party Trademarks All other brand names product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders Third Party Software Program Credits ACIS Copyright 1989 2001 Spatial Corp Portions Copyright 2002 Autodesk Inc Copyright 1997 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved Flash O is a registered trademark of Macromedia Inc in the United States and or other countries International CorrectS pell Spelling Correction System 1995 by Lernout amp Hauspie Speech Products N V All rights reserved InstallShield 3 0 Copyright 1997 InstallShield Software Corporation All rights reserved PANTONEU Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may not match PANTONE identified standards Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color PANTONETD and other Pantone Inc trademarks are the property of Pantone Inc Pantone Inc 2002 Pantone Inc is the copyright owner of color data and or software which are licensed to Autodesk Inc to distribute for use only in combination with certain Autodesk software products PANTONE Color Data and or Software shall not be copied onto another disk or into memory unless as part of the execution of this Autodesk software product
175. he unique name is the Elements Material object key Code Region 8 Material Add a new material to document Materials materials document Settings Materials string materialName New Concrete Material if materials Contains materialName materials AddConcrete materialName Debug Assert materials get_Item materialName is MaterialConcrete 15 2 2 Delete There are two ways to delete a material e Materials Remove e Document Delete The Materials Remove method is specific to the Elements Material class Code Region 9 Material Material material GetMaterial string newMaterialName my new material2 if document Settings Materials Contains newMaterialName material material Duplicate newMaterialName Debug Assert newMaterialName material Name document Settings Materials Remove newMaterialName Debug Assert document Settings Materials Contains newMaterialName Document Delete is a more generic method See the Editing Elements chapter for details Revit 2008 API User Manual 193 Material Note Though you can delete material using Document Delete the Materials collection is not updated immediately after it is called As a result it is easy to cause Material management inconsistencies in your Add in application The best solution is to only use Materials Remove 15 3Element Material One element can have several elements and com
176. he value appears as Length Volume Material and so on For more details about ParameterType Material please refer to the Material chapter 6 2 2 ParameterGroup The Definition class ParameterGroup property returns the parameter definition group ID The BuiltInParameterGroup is an enumerated type listing all built in parameter groups supported by Revit Parameter groups are used to sort parameters in the Element Properties dialog box 6 3 Builtl nParameter The Revit API has a large number of built in parameters The parameter ID is used to retrieve the specific parameter from an element if it exists using the Element Parameter property However not all parameters can be retrieved using the ID For example family parameters are not exposed in the Revit API therefore you cannot get them using the built in parameter ID Revit 2008 API User Manual 78 Parameter The following code sample shows how to get the specific parameter using the BuiltlnParameter ld Code region 3 Parameter public Parameter FindWithBuildingParameterID Wall wall Use the WALL_BASE_OFFSET paramametld to get the base offset parameter of the wall BuiltInParameter paraIndex BuiltInParameter WALL BASE_OFFSET Parameter parameter wall get_Parameter paralndex return parameter Note With the get_Parameter method use an Enumerated type Builtl nParameter as the method parameter For example use Bui
177. heet Outline Min U viewSheet Outline Max V viewSheet Outline Min V 2 viewSheet AddView doc ActiveView ref location Print the sheet out if viewSheet CanBePrinted if MessageBox Show Print the sheet Revit Revit 2008 API User Manual 185 Views MessageBoxButtons YesNo DialogResult Yes viewSheet Print catch Exception e MessageBox Show e ToString Note You cannot add a sheet view to another sheet and you cannot add a view to more than one sheet otherwise an argument exception occurs Revit 2008 API User Manual 186 Material 15 Material In the Revit API material data is stored and managed as an Element The Material element includes Elements Material and its subclasses e MaterialGeneric e MaterialConcrete e MaterialWood e MaterialSteel e MaterialOther Material features are represented by properties such as FillPattern Color Render and so on Because Material is abstract most functionality in the API is introduced by comparing the information with corresponding commands in the Revit UI In this chapter you learn how to access material elements and how to manage the Material objects in the document The section Walkthrough Get Window Materials provides a walkthrough showing how to get a window material APIObject Elements Material TAN MaterialConcrete MaterialGeneric MaterialSteel MaterialWood MaterialOther Fi
178. hod followed by MoveNext e An enumerator remains valid as long as the collection remains unchanged If changes are made to the collection such as adding modifying or deleting elements the enumerator is invalidated and the next call to the MoveNext or the Reset method throws an InvalidOperationException Ifthe collection is modified between the MoveNext and the current iterator the Current property returns to the specified element even if the enumerator is already invalidated Note All calls to the Reset method must result in the same state for the enumerator The preferred implementation is to move the enumerator to the collection beginning before the first element This invalidates the enumerator if the collection is modified after the enumerator was created which is consistent with the MoveNext and the Current properties 7 1 3 As and Is Operators The As operator is used to implement the conversion between two compatible reference types For example string s someObject as string if null s someObject is a string Revit 2008 API User Manual 86 Collection Note The As operator is similar to a cast except that it yields null on conversion failure instead of raising an exception For example you can use the As operator in the following ways e someObject as string is equal to e someObject is string string someObject string null Note that the expression in the first bullet is
179. hods Figure 162 Face reference 4 For Cut Edge Edge Reference property UN Edge Class B Edge Members B Edge Constructor 1 Properties B ApproximateLength Property B EndPointReference Property E Face Property Bf Reference Property E Methods Figure 163 Edge reference Different reference types cannot be used arbitrarily For example e NewLineBoundaryConditions method requires a reference for Line e NewAreaBoundaryConditions method requires a reference for Face e NewPointBoundaryConditions method requires a reference for Point 16 3 3 Geometry Options The Geometry Options object defines a user preference for parsing geometry It provides the following customized options e ComputeReferences Indicates whether to compute the geometry reference when retrieving geometry information e View Gets geometry information from a special view e DetailLevel Indicates the preferred detail level 16 3 3 1 ComputeReferences If you set this property to false the API does not compute a geometry reference All Reference properties retrieved from the geometry tree return nothing For more details about references refer to the Reference section 16 3 3 2 View If users set the View property to a different view the retrieved geometry information can be different Review the following examples for more information 1 In Revit draw a stair in 3D view then select the Crop Region Crop Region Visible and Secti
180. i a a S Figure 31 Model Elements diagram 5 1 2 View Elements View Elements represent the way you view and interact with other objects in Revit For more information see the Views chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 58 Elements Essentials APIObject Figure 32 View Elements diagram e N eel f View Elements 5 1 3 Group Elements Group Elements represent the assistant Elements such as Array and Group objects in Revit For more information see the Editing Elements chapter Group Elements Figure 33 Group Elements UML diagram 5 1 4 Annotation and Datum Elements Annotation and Datum Elements contain non physical items that are visible e Annotation Elements represent 2D components that maintain scale on paper and are only visible in one view For more information about Annotation Elements see the Annotation Elements chapter For Room information see the Revit Architecture chapter Note Annotation Elements representing 2D components do not exist only in 2D views For example dimensions can be drawn in 3D view while the shape only exists in a 2D planar face e Datum Elements represent non physical items that are used to establish project context These elements can exist in views Datum Elements are further divided into the following Common Datum Elements Common Datum Elements represent non physical visible items used to sto
181. ialParaName Debug Assert parameter Definition ParameterType ParameterType Material ElementId materialld parameter AsElementId if 1 materiallId Value Invalid ElementId assume the material is By Category if null element Category Material material element Category Material else Autodesk Revit Elements Material material document Settings Materials get_Item materialld Revit 2008 API User Manual 194 Material break Note If the material property is set to By Category in the UI the Elementld for the material is 1 and cannot be used to retrieve the Material object as shown in the sample code Try retrieving the Material from Category as described in the next section Some material properties contained in other compound parameters are not accessible from the API As an example in the following picture for System Family Railing the Rail Structure parameter s StorageType is StorageType None As a result you cannot get material information in this situation Element Properties Family System Family Railing Load Type 300mm Edit New Type Parameters Control all elements of this type Height Rail Structure Edit Baluster Placement Edit Rails Farnily Railing Type 300mm Rails Name Height Offset A i Raili 900 0 25 0 Default lt By Category gt Figure 148 Rail structure
182. ifying Elements sii ii 117 10 2 Family odon mace es r Padus citadbanatiadt ance ae ee aa a na aa tanta aee tae nace 119 10 2 1 COMPONENTS iaa ea aa A aE A O 119 10 2 2 Solidand AOS daa 120 10 2 3 QUNEMS iii a A A A sa ii 121 10 2 4 O O ues eee ata eG ee E 122 10 3 FamMilVlinstanCe iii dd 122 10 3 1 Location Related Properties ooooocccccccccnccccncnnnncnnnncnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncnnnnnns 122 10 3 2 Host and Component ss sarrera eee ee eee ene ERa ene ene nee eee 125 10 3 3 Other Properties acota A 126 10 3 4 A O dgnbe cae anes Agate shane vae AA AA A menu EAE 126 10 4 Code Samples lion 127 10 4 1 Create Lables ia esa ge nein eee ag eee ts aR ie a pial sees ele gee 127 10 4 2 Create a BAM iii a A A aveaayta Gl a td 128 10 4 3 Create Doors A A as 129 10 4 4 Create Familylnstances Using Reference DirectiONS ooococcccccccconncconnncnnncnnannns 130 11 Datum and Information Element occococnncocnncannoracnnrananracnnrncnnrncnnracnnracnnracanrncanrananes 133 11 1 OV El ios ON 134 11 1 1 Elevatlonscnenr cession ra ard 134 11 1 2 Createva Level nor paraa es 136 11 2 Eli A A A ia 137 11 2 1 UA Aaa 137 11 2 2 Create Grs tilda 138 11 3 POS O A a er eos don 139 11 4 Design Options 22 isvis cito ie a ea exe ees a o 141 12 Annotation Element ccmocncnonocnncncnonacnnrncnnrncnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnsnnrnnnnrnnnrnnnnrannnrncanracanrasines 143 12 1 Dimension and Constraint cece a a aE a a E nates 144 12 1 1 Permanent DIMENSION
183. imene tt it 176 14 2 2 Orthographic VIEW raid 178 14 2 3 3D Views SectionBOX srecen cauen cd pe ebed Sued a E eg 179 14 3 ViWPl Mini A A ote aad Annas Maa tad Adeeb ote aces 181 14 4 VICWD FARING O dan enact Remax 182 14 5 MIO WS GCEIONE 2 25 des ibecls lios 182 14 6 VIEWS EOE ieee CrP ae e See Ras Neh ae 184 15 Materdal ocononncnnnncnnnncnnnncnnnncnnrnc nn nn nn narran nen inaani nr n rn n rn rn nrncnnrncnnranenrananracaneasanes 187 15 1 General Material Information cece eee eee eee eee ented 187 15 1 1 Classifications aka a paaa ees bebe seve eek ve edie ede ees EE vate 187 15 1 2 PFOPERCIES seksi ccniotes nas niet has baton el e at 190 15 2 Material Management c cece cece ene nrnrn rre ene nee nena eee ees 192 15 2 1 RN erent 192 15 2 2 Deli A A A el tes 193 15 3 Element Material ocio eee dee eta de 194 15 3 1 Material in a Parameter cc cece cece eect ee eee ene eee ene e nena ne tes 194 15 3 2 Material and Category Saeni era eee ne enna ene ne nena aai 196 15 3 3 CompoundStructureLayer Material cccccceee eee e eee ee eee eee eaten eee ne ea eneed 197 15 3 4 Retrieve Element Materials c ccc cee eee eet eens 198 15 3 5 Walkthrough Get Window Materials cccceee cece ee eee cette teeta tenet eneed 199 16 Geometry one cceseeseeeceseeeeeeeeeeee eee ceeeeeeeeeee eee eee eee eens eee eee eee 201 16 1 Example Retrieve Geometry Data from a Wall cecee
184. in the document such as Move Rotate Mirror Array For more details see the Editing Element chapter 4 2 8 Transactions Every external command is inside a transaction A transaction combines several operations into one atomic operation If an external command is successful that is if it returns Result Succeeded the transaction will commit all the changes and close itself The operation is completed If on the other hand the external command is not successful the transaction will abort which in effect will cancel all operations within For more details see the Transaction chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 50 Application and Document 4 2 8 1 Events Events are raised when you save a project using Save or Save As To capture the events and respond in the application you must register the event handlers For more details see the Access to Revit Event section in the Add In Integration chapter 4 2 9 Others Document also provides other functions e ParameterBindings Property Mapping between parameter definitions and categories For more details see the Shared Parameter chapter e ReactionsAreUpToDate Property Reports whether the reactionary loads changed For more details see the Loads section in the Revit Structure chapter 4 3 Document and File Management Document and file manangement make it easier to create and find your documents and files so that you can work in them Using the Revit API
185. ing Document Delete Be careful using the following input parameters e NewLoadCombination method e LoadCaseArray factor e LoadcombinationArray factor public LoadCombination NewLoadCombination string name int typelnd int statelnd double factors LoadCaseArray cases LoadCombinationArray combinations LoadUsageArray usages Factor size must be equal to or greater than the sum size of cases and combinations For example e If cases Size is M combinations Size is N e Factors Size should not be less than M N The first M factors map to M cases in order and the last N factors map to N combinations e Check that LoadCombination does not include itself There is no Duplicate method in the LoadCase and LoadNature classes To implement this functionality you must first create a new LoadCase or LoadNature object using the NewLoadCase or NewLoadNature method and then copy the corresponding properties and parameters from an existing LoadCase or LoadNature 21 3 2 Load Limitations Currently you cannot create LineLoad and AreaLoad with Host using the corresponding methods in Creation Document In other words you cannot create a LineLoad along a StructuralBeam or an AreaLoad on a structural Wall Even if the location of the LineLoad is created along the StructuralBeam s analytical model line the Host property returns null Additionally you can identify whether a Load has a host in the UI if it can be moved with th
186. ings Materials IsReadOnly ToString 3 6 2 APIObject ToString Method The method APIObject ToString returns the object type derived from the API Object region IExternalCommand Members public IExternalCommand Result Execute ExternalCommandData commandData 1 J string result commandData ToString gt return IExt result 4 Autodesk Revit ExternalCommandData F endregion Figure 25 API Object ToString The ToString method inherited from APIObject works the same way as the API Object ToString method However you cannot use the ToString method to get object information such as the Element Name 3 6 3 Equals You cannot use the following to compare two elements e Object Equals e operator e operator Compare Element and Category using their Elementld Value Some classes provide specific compare methods For example XYZ UV and Transform use AlmostEqual to compare two objects If you want to compare specific elements use a specific comparison method Revit 2008 API User Manual 47 Application and Document 4 Application and Document The Revit API uses a Multi Document model similar to Microsoft Office The top level classes in the Revit API are Application and Document e The Application object refers to an individual Revit session providing access to documents options and other application wide data and settings e The Document object is a single Revit project file
187. interface lt lt interface gt gt lExternalApplication OnStartup in ControlledApplication IExternalApplication Result OnShutdown in ControlledApplication lExternalApplication Result Figure 19 I ExternalCommand The ExternalApplication interface has two abstract methods OnStartup and OnShutdown Override the OnStartup and OnShutdown methods in the class implementing the interface to customize features before starting and after closing Revit Overload OnStartup and OnShutdown to implement ExternalApplication The following code is the OnStartup and OnShutdown abstract definition public interface IExternalApplication TExternalApplication Result OnShutdown ControlledApplication application Revit 2008 API User Manual 38 Add In Integration H ExternalApplication Result OnStartup ControlledApplication application The parameter application is the ControlledApplication type ControlledApplication provides solutions to certain Revit events and customizes menu items and the toolbar For example the public event OnDialogBox of ControlledApplication can be used to capture the event of a dialog showing The following code snippet registers the handling function that will be called right before a dialog is shown application OnDialogBox new Autodesk Revit Events DialogBoxEventHandler application_OnDialogBox The following code sample illustrates how to use t
188. ion case CompoundStructureLayerFunction Finishl layerMaterial allCategories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_WallsFinishl Material break case CompoundStructureLayerFunction Finish2 layerMaterial allCategories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_WallsFinish2 Material break case CompoundStructureLayerFunction MembraneLayer layerMaterial allCategories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_WallsMembrane Material break case CompoundStructureLayerFunction Structure layerMaterial Revit 2008 API User Manual 110 Host Elements and Opening allCategories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_WallsStructure Material break case CompoundStructureLayerFunction Substrate layerMaterial allCategories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_WallsSubstrate Material break case CompoundStructureLayerFunction ThermalOrAir layerMaterial allCategories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_WallsInsulation Material break default It is impossible run here break if null layerMaterial If sub Category s Material returns null CompoundStructureLayer s default Material is its SubCategory s layerMaterial wallMaterial 9 5 Opening In the Revit API the Opening object is derived from the Element object and contains all of the Element object properties and methods To retrieve all Openings in a project use Document ElementFilterlterator to find the Elements Opening objects Revit 20
189. ion Combine with Figure 93 Phases in a project Each new modeling component added to a project has a Phase Created and a Phase Demolished property The Phase Created property has the following characteristics e It identifies the phase in which the component was added e The default value is the same as the current view Phase value e Change the Phase Created parameter by selecting a new value from the drop down list The Phase Demolished property has the following characteristics e It identifies in which phase the component is demolished e The default value is none e Demolishing a component with the demolition tool updates the property to the current Phase value in the view where you demolished the element e You can demolish a component by setting the Phase Demolished property to a different value e If you delete a phase using the Revit API all modeling components in the current phase still exist The Phase Created parameter value for these components is changed to the next item in the drop down list in the Properties dialog box Phase 1 v xisting ew Construction Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Figure 94 Phase created component parameter value The following code sample displays all supported phases in the current document For practice add some phases in Revit and then invoke the code sample The phase names are displayed in a message box Code Region 5 Datum and Information Elements void Getin
190. ion new XYZ x Y Z FamilyInstance instance document Create NewFamilyInstance ref location symbol wall level StructuralType NonStuctural x 10 y 10 2 4 1 5 The result of the previous code in Revit is shown in the following picture Notice that if the specified location is not at the specified level the NewFamilylnstance method uses the location elevation instead of the level elevation Revit 2008 API User Manual 129 Component Elements Figure 88 Insert doors into a wall 10 4 4 Create Familyl nstances Using Reference Directions Use reference direction to insert an item in a specific direction Code Region 4 ComponentElements void CreatenIstancesReferDirection Autodesk Revit Application revit Tf Use the family file Furniture Bed Box rfa Autodesk Revit Elements Family family null if document LoadFamily fileName ref family return FamilySymbolSetIterator symbolItor family Symbols ForwardIterator int x 0 y 0 int i 0 while symbolItor MoveNext FamilySymbol symbol symbolltor Current as FamilySymbol XYZ location new XYZ x y 0 XYZ direction new XYZ switch i 3 case 0 ll direction new XYZ 1 1 0 break case 1 direction new XYZ 0 1 1 break Case 2 direction new XYZ 1 0 1 break FamilyInstance instance document Create NewFamilyInstance ref location direction flo
191. ion for certain elements such as defining a CropBox for a view using the BoundingBoxXYZ class e BoundingBoxXYZ A 3D rectangular box used in many cases such as defining a 3D view section area e Transform Transforming the affine 3D space e Reference A stable reference to a geometric object in a Revit model which is used when creating elements like dimensions e Plane A completely flat surface in geometry e Options User preferences for parsing geometry e XYZ Structure Object representing coordinates in 3D space e UV Structure Object representing coordinates in 2D space e BoundingBoxUV A 2D rectangle parallel to the coordinate axes The following diagram displays the properties APIObject A Reference BoundingBoxXYZ Geometry Options ComputeReferences DetailLevel View Figure 158 Geometry helper hierarchy diagram 16 3 1 Geometry Transform Transforms are limited to 3x4 transformations Matrix in the Revit application transforming an object s place in the model space relative to the rest of the model space and other objects The transforms are built from the position and orientation in the model space Three direction Vectors Revit 2008 API User Manual Geometry BasisX BasisY and BasisZ properties and Origin point provide all of the transform information The matrix formed by the four values is as follows BasisX X BasisY X BasisZ X Onigin X Ba
192. ion transform XYZ origin new XYZ 0 0 0 XYZ axis new XYZ 0 0 1 Transform rotate Transform get_Rotation ref origin ref axis 2 Transform the View3D s SectionBox with the rotation transfrom box Transform box Transform Multiply rotate view3d SectionBox box Revit 2008 API User Manual 217 Geometry 16 3 5 Geometry BoundingBoxUV BoundingBoxUV is a value class that defines a 2D rectangle parallel to the coordinate axes It supports the Min and Max data members Together they define the BoundingBoxUV s boundary BoundingBoxUV is retrieved from the View Outline property which is the boundary view in the paper space view lt gt Y Figure 171 View outline Two points define a BoundingBoxUV e Min point The bottom left endpoint e Max point The upper right endpoint k Max Min 5 N Figure 172 BoundingBoxUV Max and Min Note BoundingBoxUV cannot present a gradient rectangle as the following picture shows Figure 173 Gradient rectangle 16 4 Collection Classes The API provides the following collection classes based on the items they contain Class Type Corresponding Collection Classes Corresponding terators Curve CurveArray CurveArraylterator Revit 2008 API User Manual 218 Geometry Class Type Corresponding Collection Classes Corresponding terators Edge EdgeArray EdgeArraylterator EdgeArrayArray EdgeArrayArrayltera
193. ions are listed in the ExternalApplications section There is only one ExternalApplications section in the ini file The following code example illustrates how to specify an external application ExternalApplications EACount 1 EAClassNamel EA1 Class1 EAAssembly1 D EA1 bin Debug EA1 d11l Note If the ExternalApplications section is not included in Revit ini you must create it EACount Set the EACount property to the total number of external applications available For example if your application supplies two external applications then the entry is ExternalApplications EACount 2 EAClassName The EAClassName property is used to provide the application object name that supports the ExternalApplication interface described earlier in this chapter For NET objects it is the full class name with the namespace such as MyNamespace MyClass The identifies the application number such as EAClassNamel EAAssembly The EAAssembly property is used for NET based objects only This property identifies the Assembly path containing the NET application object The path can be relative to the Revit installation directory or fully qualified The identifies the application number such as EAAssembly1 The application number must match the application number used for the EAClassName property In the previous example the Assembly has the fully qualified path
194. is Math PI 2 0 8 3 Delete The Revit API provides Delete methods to delete one or more elements in the project Member Description Delete Element Delete an element from the project Delete Element d Delete an element from the project using the element ID Delete Element dSet Delete several elements from the project by their IDs Delete ElementS et Delete several elements from the project Table 17 Delete Members You can delete the element specified using the element object or the Elementi d These methods delete a specific element and any elements dependent on it Code Region 7 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Delete a selected element ElementIdSet deletedIdSetl doc Delete element Revit 2008 API User Manual 95 Editing Elements Code Region 8 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Delete an element via its id Elementld elementld element ld ElementldSet deletedIdSet2 doc Delete ref elementld The API also provides two ways to delete several elements Code Region 9 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Delete all the selected elements via the set of elements ElementSet elementSet doc Selection Elements ElementIdSet deletedIdSet3 doc Delete elementSet Code Region 1
195. it ElementSet elements The Execute method has three parameters e in commandData ExternalCommandData e out message String e out elements ElementSet 3 2 2 1 in commandData ExternalCommandData The ExternalCommandData object contains references to Application and View which is required by the external command All Revit data is retrieved directly or indirectly from this parameter in the external command Revit 2008 API User Manual 33 Add In Integration For example the following statement illustrates how to retrieve Autodesk Revit Document from the commandData parameter Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument The following table illustrates the ExternalCommandData public properties Property Description Application Autodesk Revit Application Retrieves an object that represents the current Application for external command Data A data map that can be used to read and write data to the Autodesk Revit Collections StringStringMap Revit journal file IsReadOnly bool Informs the developer of the read and write capabilities of the object Inherited from API Object View Autodesk Revit Elements View Retrieves an object that represents the View external commands work on Table 1 ExternalCommandData public properties 3 2 2 2 out message String Error messages are returned by an external command using the out parameter message The string type parameter is
196. it in the view However you can assign a null value to the SectionBox to keep the modified value and make the section box invisible in the view To avoid displaying the section box change the section box value then set the section box to null The following code sample illustrates this process Notice it only works when the Section Box check box is selected in the View property dialog box Revit 2008 API User Manual 180 Views Code Region 5 View private void ExpandSectionBox Autodesk Revit Elements View3D view The orignial section box BoundingBoxXYZ sectionBox view SectionBox Expand the section box XYZ deltaXYZ sectionBox Max sectionBox Min sectionBox Max deltaXYZ 2 sectionBox Min deltaXYZ 2 After reseting the section box it will be shown in the view It only works when the Section Box check box is checked in View property dialog view SectionBox sectionBox Setting the section box to null will make it hidden view SectionBox null line x Note If you set view SectionBox to null it has the same effect as hiding the section box using the Section Box parameter The current section box is stored by view and is restored when you show the section box using the SectionBox parameter 14 3 ViewPlan Plan views are level based There are two types of plan views floor plan view and ceiling plan view e Generally the floor plan view is the default view o
197. ite Settings Debug Window Help De 3 gt External Tools gt HelloWorld 3D Work Plane gt z m E Plane HH 5 ft A amp fh fh n Split e Trin F Design Options gt Figure 7 HelloWorld External Tools command Click HelloWorld to execute the program activating the breakpoint Press F5 to continue executing the program The following system message appears Revit 2008 API User Manual 24 Getting Started Hello World Figure 8 System message 2 2 8 Troubleshooting Q Why does my add in application not work A There are usually three reasons the application does not work 1 An error in Revit ini configuration file 2 An exception is thrown for a logical error in the code 3 The dll is compiled with a different RevitAPI version Begin by checking the Revit ini file located in the Revit setup folder Check the following eight possible causes 1 Revit cannot find the Revit ini file in the Revit setup folder Cannot find the ExternalCommands block in Revit ini ExternalCommands is empty Location of ExternalCommands is incorrect ECCount is not equal to the real command number ae O ECClassName is not correct 7 ExternalCommands does not contain ECName Make sure the first six cases are corrected first If they are not corrected the add in will not work The last fix is not required However it is helpful to provide a name for your add in since this name is used in the menu to iden
198. lassify all views The first way is by using the view element View ViewType property It returns an enumerated value indicating the view type The following table lists all available view types Member Name Description AreaPlan Area view CeilingPlan Reflected ceiling plan view ColumnSchedule Coulmn schedule view CostReport Cost report view Detail Detail view DraftingView Drafting view DrawingSheet Drawing sheet view Elevation Elevation view EngineeringPlan Engineering view FloorPlan Floor plan view Internal Revit s internal view Legend Legend view LoadsReport Loads report view PanelSchedule Panel schedule view PresureLossReport Presure Loss Report view Revit 2008 API User Manual 171 Views Member Name Description Rendering Rendering view Report Report view Schedule Schedule view Section Cross section view ThreeD 3 D view Undefined Undefined unspecified view Walkthrough Walkthrough view Table 36 Autodesk Revit Enums ViewTypes The second way to classify views is by the class type The following figure illustrates the view class hierarchy in the Revit API ViewDrafting Autodesk Revit Creation Document NewViewPlan NewView3D NewViewDrafting NewViewSection NewViewSheet Figure 133 View classes in the Revit API diagram The following table lists the view types and the corresponding views in the Project browser Project Browser Views
199. le method e Autodesk Revit Parameters ExternalDefinition Class The ExternalDefinition class is derived from the Definition class The ExternalDefinition object is created by a DefinitionGroup object from a shared parameter file External parameter definitions must belong to a Group which is a collection of shared parameter definitions Revit 2008 API User Manual 234 Shared Parameter e Autodesk Revit Options Application SharedParametersFilename Property Get and set the shared parameter file path using the Autodesk Revit Options SharedParametersFilename property By default Revit does not have a shared parameter file Initialize this property before using If it is not initialized an exception is thrown e Autodesk Revit Application OpenSharedParameterFile Method This method returns an object representing a Revit shared parameter file Revit uses one shared parameter file at a time The file name for the shared parameter file is set in the Revit Application Options object If the file does not exist an exception is thrown 18 2 1 Create a Shared Parameter File Because the shared parameter file is a text file you can create it using code or create it manually Code Region 1 SharedParameter private void CreateExternalSharedParamFile string sharedParameterFile System IO FileStream fileStream System IO File Create sharedParameterFile fileStream Close 18 2 2 A
200. le directly instead edit it using the UI or the API 18 1 1 Definition File Format The shared parameter definition file is a text file txt with two blocks GROUP and PARAM Definition File Sample This is a Revit shared parameter file Do not edit manually GROUP ID NAME GROUP 1 MyGroup GROUP 2 AnotherGroup PARAM GUID NAME DATATYPE DATACATEGORY GROUP VISIBLE PARA 4b217a6d 8740 4e64 9bbc 42b69d437dda6 MyParam TEXT 1 1 PARAM 34b5cb95 a526 4406 806d dae3e8c66fad Price INTEGER 2 1 PARAM 05569 bb2 9488 4be4 ae21 b065f93f7dd6 areaTags FAMILYTYPE 2005020 ab i e The GROUP block contains group entries that associate every parameter definition with a group The following fields appear in the GROUP block ID Uniquely identifies the group and associates the parameter definition with a group Name The group name displayed in the Ul Revit 2008 API User Manual 231 Shared Parameter Edit Shared Parameters Shared parameter file DAR vitpi MyParameters txt Parameter group MyGroup Parameters MyParameter Properties Move Delete Rename o y 5 a E 3 m a Delete Figure 184 Edit Shared Parameters Group and Parameter e The PARAM block contains parameter definitions The following fields appear in the PARAM block GUID Identifies the parameter definition NAME Parameter definition name
201. lements Material material GetMaterial Parameter parameter material get_Parameter BuiltInParameter PHY_MATERIAL PARAM TYPE int materialType parameter AsInteger if 2 materialType Debug Assert material is MaterialSteel use the MaterialSteel object There is no way to change the basic Material type For example you cannot change a MaterialSteel object to a MaterialWood object Note Unlike the Ul shown below the API does not provide access to the values of Concrete Type for Concrete material Revit 2008 API User Manual 189 Material Materials Name A Appearance Physical Identity Air Barrier Air Infiltration Barrier Boundary Roller N Concrete Cast In Situ Material Type Concrete i Concrete Cast in Place Concrete Concrete Castin Place Concrete 21 MPa Concrete Cast in Place Concrete 28 MPa Concrete Cast in Place Concrete 35 MPa Concrete Castin Place Lightweight Concrete 28 MP Concrete Precast Concrete Concrete Type lt Unnamed gt v lt Unnamed gt Lightweight Concrete 28 MPa Normal Weight Concrete 21 MPa Physical Normal Weight Concrete 28 MPa sical parameters Normal Weight Concrete 35 MPa Parameter Figure 145 Concrete Type Material Concrete Sand Cement Screed Default Default Flanr 15 1 2 Properties The material object properties identify a specific type of material in
202. lly as an 8 byte floating point number Integer Internal data is stored as a signed 32 bit integer None None represents an invalid storage type Do not use this value Table 12 Storage Type In most cases the Elementld value is a positive number However it can be a negative number When the Elementld value is negative it does not represent an Element but some other thing For example the storage type parameter for a beam s Vertical Projection is Elementld When the parameter value is Level 1 or Level 2 the Elementld value is positive and corresponds to the Elementid of that level However when the parameter value is set to Auto detect Center of Beam or Top of Beam the Elementid value is negative Analytical Model Vertical Projection ieee Other Auto detect Top of beam Figure 47 Storage type sample The following code sample shows how to change a parameter value Code region 5 Parameter public bool SetParameter double value Peles Try to get the select wall in Revit Wall wall GetWall if null wall Use the paramametId WALL_BASE_OFFSET to get the Base Offset parameter of the wall BuiltInParameter paraIndex BuiltInParameter WALL_BASE_ OFFSET Parameter foundParameter wall get_Parameter paraIndex if the parameter is readonly you can t change the value of it if null foundParameter amp amp foundParameter IsRea
203. lowing sections identify load settings and discuss load limitation guidelines 21 3 1 Load Settings All functionality on the Setting dialog box Load Cases and Load Combinations tabs can be rebuilt by the API Settings gt Structural Settings gt Load Cases tab and Load Combinations tab The following properties are available from the corresponding LoadCase BuiltlnParameter Property Built nParameter Case Number LOAD_CASE _NUMBER Nature LOAD_CASE_NATURE Category LOAD_CASE_CATEGORY Table 49 Load Case Properties and Parameters The LOAD_CASE_CATEGORY parameter returns an Elementid The following table identifies the mapping between Category and Elementid Value Load Case Category Builtl nCategory Dead Loads OST_LoadCasesDead Live Loads OST_LoadCasesLive Wind Loads OST_LoadCasesWind Snow Loads OST_LoadCasesSnow Roof Live Loads OST_LoadCasesRoofLive Accidental Loads OST_LoadCasesAccidental Revit 2008 API User Manual 275 Revit Structure Load Case Category Builtl nCategory Temperature Loads OST_LoadCasesTemperature Seismic Loads OST_LoadCasesSeismic Table 50 Load Case Category The following Element subclasses create corresponding subclasses e NewLoadUsage creates LoadUsage e NewLoadNature creates LoadNature e NewLoadCase creates LoadCase e NewLoadCombination creates LoadCombination Because they are all Element subclasses they can be deleted us
204. lse C WINDOWS Microsoft NET Framework v2 0 507271System Wind System Xml d False C WINDOWS Microsoft NET Framework y2 0 50727 System Xml dll Settings Signing Code Analysis lt gt Imported namespaces Properties Autodesk Revit RevitAPI Reference Properties Y Autodesk Revit A selst j Autodesk Revit Collections Autodesk Revit Creation Copy Local False Autodesk Revit Elements Autodesk Revit Events Autodesk Revit Geometry Autodesk Revit Options Y po Figure 228 Add references and import Namespaces After adding the reference you must import the namespaces used in the project For this example import the Autodesk Revit namespace To complete the process click RevtAPI in the Reference frame to highlight it Set Copy Local to False in the property frame C 3 Change the Class Name To change the class name complete the following steps 1 In the Solution Explorer right click Class1 vb to display a context menu 2 From the context menu select Rename Rename the file HelloWorld vb 3 In the Solution Explorer double click HelloWorld vb to open it for editing Revit 2008 API User Manual 286 Hello World for VB NET Solution Explorer Solution HelloWorld 1 p A X DAEA lod Solution HelloWorld 1 project El HelloWorld Sa My Project El Y Open Open With View Code m A 2 View Class Diagram 4 Compile with Incre
205. ltlnParameter GENERIC_WIDTH If you do not know the exact BuiltInParameter ID get the parameter by iterating the ParameterSet collection Another approach for testing or identification purposes is to test each Builtl nParameter using the get_ Parameter method Use the Enum class to iterate as illustrated in the following code When you use this method it is possible that the ParameterSet collection may not contain all parameters returned from the get_Parameter method though this is infrequent Code region 4 Parameter public void FindBuiltInParameter Wall wall foreach BuiltInParameter bip in Enum GetValues typeof BuiltInParameter Parameter param wall get_Parameter bip if null param Do something to see what you have 6 4 StorageType StorageType describes the type of parameter values stored internally The property returns one of the following types e String e Integer e Double e Elementid Based on the property value use the corresponding access and Set methods to retrieve and set the parameter data value Revit 2008 API User Manual 79 Parameter The StorageType is an enumerated type that lists all internal parameter data storage types supported by Revit Member Name Description String Internal data is stored as a string of characters Elementi d Data type represents an element and is stored as an Element ID Double Data is stored interna
206. lts Coarse Medium Fine Figure 167 Detail geometry for a beam 16 3 3 4 Creation The Options object is created using the NewGeometryOptions method in the Creation Application class You can set properties after the instance is created Code Region 9 Geometry Autodesk Revit Geometry Options opt commandData Application Create NewGeometryOptions opt ComputeReferences true opt DetailLevel Autodesk Revit Geometry Options DetailLevels Fine opt View commandData Application ActiveDocument ActiveView 16 3 4 Geometry BoundingBoxXYZ Different from BoundingBoxUV BoundingBoxXYZ is a reference class derived from the API Object class It defines a 3D rectangular box that is required to be parallel to any coordinate axis Similar to the Instance class the BoundingBoxXYZ stores data in the local coordinate space It has a Transform property that transforms the data from the box local coordinate space to the model space In other words to get the box boundary in the model space the same one in Revit transform each data member using the Transform property The following sections illustrate how to use BoundingBoxXYZ 16 3 4 1 Define the View Boundaries BoundingBoxXYZ can be used to define the view boundaries through View CropBox property The following pictures use a section view to show how BoundingBoxXYZ is used in the Revit application Revit 2008 API User Manual 214 Geo
207. ly used to load shared parameters After they are loaded the file is no longer needed for that model Q Are shared parameter values copied when the corresponding element is copied A Yes If you have a shared parameter that holds the unique ID for an element in your database append the Revit element Unique ID or add another shared parameter with the Revit element unique ID Do this so that you can check it and make sure you are working with the original element ID and not a copy Q Are element Unique IDs UID universally unique and can they ever change A The element UIDs are universally unique but element IDs are only unique within a model For example if you copy a wall from one Revit project to another one the UID of the wall is certain to change to maintain universal uniqueness but the ID of the wall may not change Q Revit takes a long time to update when my application sends data back to the model What do need to do to speed it up A You can try using the SuspendUpdating command See the FrameBuilder example in the SDK Revit 2008 API User Manual 281 FAQ Q What do do if want to add shared parameters to elements that do not have the ability to have shared parameters bound to them For example Grids or Materials A If an element type does not have the ability to add shared parameters you need to add a project parameter This does make it a bit more complicated when it is time to access the shared parameter ass
208. lySymbols For more detailed information see the Component Elements chapter 5 2 3 Symbol In the Revit API Symbols are usually non visible elements used to define instances Symbols are called Types in the user interface e Atype can be a specific size in a family such as a 1730 X 2032 door or an 8x4x1 2 angle e A type can be a style such as default linear or default angular style for dimensions Symbols represent Elements that contain shared data for a set of similar elements In some cases Symbols represent building components that you can get from a warehouse such as doors or windows and can be placed many times in the same building In other cases Symbols contain host object parameters or other elements For example a WallType Symbol contains the thickness number of layers material for each layer and other properties for a particular wall type FamilySymbol is a symbol in the API It is also called Family Type in the Revit user interface FamilySymbol is a class of elements in a family with the exact same values for all properties For example all 32x78 six panel doors belong to one type while all 24x80 six panel doors belong to another type Like a Family a FamilySymbol is also a template The FamilySymbol object is derived from the Symbol object and the Element object Revit 2008 API User Manual 66 Elements Essentials 5 2 4 Instance Instances are items with specific locations in the building model instances o
209. m ToolbarltemType BtnRText item2 ItemText Command2 item2 StatusbarTip Command2 Tip item2 ToolTip Command2 Tip Create a separator toolbar item and add a separator between the second button and the third button ToolbarItem item3 toolBar AddItem sep sep Separator button item3 ItemType ToolbarItem ToolbarItemType BtnSeparator Create a standard toolbar item ToolbarItem item4 toolBar AddItem dllPath Namespace3 Class3 Standard item image only item4 ItemType ToolbarItem ToolbarItemType BtnStd item4 StatusbarTip Command3 Tip item4 ToolTip Command3 Tip 3 6 API Object Most reference types in the Revit API are inherited from the API Object 3 6 1 APIObject lsReadOnly Property The IsReadOnly property indicates whether the object is writable If the property is set to true an exception is raised when a method is called that requires write capabilities public virtual bool IsReadOnly get Revit 2008 API User Manual 46 Add In Integration For example Categories is set to IsReadOnly so that you cannot insert or remove an item The Materials IsReadOnly setting is false so you can add and remove materials in the current document Application app commandData Application Document project app ActiveDocument Settings settings project Settings MessageBox Show settings Categories IsReadOnly ToString MessageBox Show sett
210. m is not in an enclosed region or only exists in the schedule Revit 2008 API User Manual 251 Revit Architecture The segment array size depends on the enclosed region topology Each BoundarySegmentArray makes a circuit or a continuous line in which one segment joins the next The following pictures provide several examples In the following pictures all walls are Room Bounding and the model lines category is OST_AreaSeparationLines If an element is not Room Bounding it is excluded from the elements to make the boundary Room Room pee a Room Room e Figure 197 Rooms 1 2 3 4 Room Separation Room Figure 198 Room 5 6 The following table provides the Room Boundary Size results for the previous rooms Room Room Boundary Size Room 1 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 2 Room 5 3 Room 6 Table 44 Room Boundary Size Note Walls joined by model lines are considered continuous line segments Single model lines are ignored Revit 2008 API User Manual 252 Revit Architecture After getting BoundarySegmentArray get the BoundarySegment by iterating the array 20 1 3 2 BoundarySegment The segments that make the region are represented by the BoundarySegment class its Element property returns the corresponding element with the following conditions e For a ModelCurve element the category must be BuiltlnCategory OST_AreaSeparationLines meaning that it represents a Room Separator e For other elemen
211. m the Level property you only get null instead of the reference level information Level is the most commonly used element in Revit In the Revit API all levels in the project are located by iterating over the entire project and searching for Elements Level objects The following code retrieves all levels from the current active document Code Region 9 Elements Essentials Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument List lt Level gt levelList new List lt Level gt ElementFilterlterator iter doc get_Elements typeof Level iter Reset Retrieve all levels within the project whil iter MoveNext levelList Add iter Current as Level For more Level details see the Datum and Information Elements chapter 5 4 5 Parameter Every element has a set of parameters that users can view and edit in Revit The parameters are visible in the Element Properties dialog box select any element and click the Properties button next to the type selector For example the following image shows Room parameters Revit 2008 API User Manual 72 Elements Essentials Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Parameter Design Return Airflow Actual Return Airflow Design Exhaust Airflow Actual Exhaust Airflow Dimensions 4rea Perimeter Height Volume Identity Data Name Room Comments Figure 44 Room parameters In the Revi
212. massing e SketchPlane e Sketch e Path3D e GenericForm For Sketch details see the Sketching chapter APIObject ModelLine Figure 35 Sketch Elements UML diagram 5 1 6 Information Elements Information Elements contain non physical invisible items used to store project and application data Information Elements are further separated into the following e Project Datum Elements e Project Datum Elements Unique For more information about Datum Elements see the Datum and Information Elements chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 61 Elements Essentials ES APIObject f EoaaNature E Phase lt MaterialConcrete MaterialGeneric MaterialOther MaterialSteel DesignOption MaterialWood SiteL ti N gbXMLParamElem iteLocaton Project Datum Elements Unique ProjectUnit Projectinfo E A A pa a a a Sm A ee Se d Figure 36 I nformation Elements diagram 5 2 Other Classifications Elements are also classified by the following e Category e Family e Symbol e Instance There are some relationships between the classifications For example e Distinguish different kinds of Familyl nstances by the category Items such as structural columns are in the Structural Columns category beams and braces are in the Structural Framing category and so on e Differentiate structural Familylnstance Elements by the symbol 5 2 1 Categories Category represents the
213. meter 6 7 Add Parameters to Elements In the Revit API you can use all of the defined parameters and you can add custom parameters that you define using the Revit user interface and the Revit API Users and developers using the Revit API can add custom parameters as shared parameters Complete the following steps to add a parameter to an element using the Revit API 1 Open the shared parameters file using the Document OpenSharedParameterFile method Use an existing group or create a new one using the DefinitionFile Groups property Use an existing external parameter definition or create a new one using the DefinitionGroup Definitions property Create a new Binding object using an InstanceBinding or a TypeBinding object 5 Add the binding and definition to the document using the Document ParameterBindings object For more details refer to the Shared Parameter chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 84 Collection 7 Collection The Revit API has some utility collection types such as Array Map Set collections and related Iterators There are many advantages to using Revit API Array Map and Set e They are generic convenient type safe and fast to use e Although there are generic classes such as List lt T gt and Collection lt T gt in the NET Framework 2 0 library the API collection classes are closed to internal implementation making them faster e The method return value the method input parameter and propertie
214. meter REBAR_E paramLayout Set 1 Parameter paramNum bar get_Parameter Built InParameter REBAR_ELEM_QUANTITY_OF_BARS paramNum Set 10 bar ArrayLength 1 5 The following table lists the integer value for the Parameter REBAR_ELEM_LAYOUT_RULE Value 0 1 2 3 4 Description None Fixed Number Maximum Number with Minimum Clear Spacing Spacing Spacing Table 47 Rebar Layout Rule In the NewRebar method input parameters the following rules apply e All curves must lie on the same plane e If the input parameter normal is not vertical to the plane the curves are projected to the plane that is vertical to the normal and contains the origin point In the following picture the input curves are horizontal rectangles e The horizontal Rebar is created with vertical normal e The declining Rebar is created with the same curves and another normal parallel to the normal e The rectangle is projected to the plane vertical to the normal Revit 2008 API User Manual 266 Revit Structure Normal Input Curves Figure 215 Normal is not vertical to curves in NewRebar 21 1 5 BoundaryConditions There are three types of BoundaryConditions e Point e Curve e Area The type and pertinent geometry information is retrieved using the following code Code Region 6 RevitStructure BoundaryConditions aBC GetBound
215. metry v hm si ome Ss m y Floor Plan View North Elevation View Figure 168 BoundingBoxXYZ in section view The dash lines in the previous pictures show the section view boundary exposed as the CropBox property a BoundingBoxXYZ instance Figure 169 Created section view The previous picture displays the corresponding section view The wall outside the view boundary is not displayed 16 3 4 2 Define a Section Box BoundingBoxXYZ is also used to define a section box for a 3D view retrieved from the View3D SectionBox property Select the Section Box property in the Properties Dialog box The section box is shown as follows Revit 2008 API User Manual 215 Geometry Crop Region Figure 170 3D view section box 16 3 4 3 Other Uses e Defines a box around an element s geometry Element BoundingBox Property The BoundingBoxXYZ instance retrieved in this way is parallel to the coordinate axes e Used in NewViewSection method in the Creation Document class The following table identifies the main uses for this class Property Name Usage Max Min Maximum Minimum coordinates Theses two properties define a 3D box parallel to any coordinate axis The Transform property provides a Transform Transform from the box coordinate space to the model space Enabled Indicates whether the bounding box is turned on transform matrix that can transform the box to the appropriate po
216. milySymbol and Familylnstance some have been wrapped with specific API classes For example AnnotationSymbolType wraps FamilySymbol and AnnotationSymbol wraps Familylnstance More of these may be coming in the future 10 2Family The Family class has important properties including the following e Components e SolidForms e VoidForms e Others e and more 10 2 1 Components Components return a read only set of all components belonging to a particular family Components represent the auxiliary parts instead of the main body Autodesk Revit ElementSet Components get In the following example in which you load a table family then select the chairs individually the chairs are family components 1 Load a table family from the file Table Dining Round w Chairs rfa into the Revit project 2 Create a family instance by adding a family member such as 60 Diameter A table with 6 chairs appears in the view 3 Select the newly created table and choose Edit Family You can select each chair individually Each family has a default family symbol The family Components returns the default family symbol auxiliary components In the table and chairs example the family has three family symbols which have four six and ten chairs However the Components property returns six chairs which is the default family symbol component Revit 2008 API User Manual 119 Component Elements Figu
217. ms Material enumerated type that belongs to the element e There are two element classifications when retrieving the Material Revit 2008 API User Manual 198 Material HostObject with CompoundStructure Get the Elements Material object from the CompoundStructureLayer class Material property Others Get the Material from the Parameters When you get a null Material object or an invalid Elementid with a value of 1 try the Material from the corresponding category Note that a Familylnstance and its FamilySymbol usually have the same category e The more you know about the Element object the easier it is to get the material For example If you know the Element is a beam you can get the instance parameter Beam Material If you know the element is a window you can cast it to a Familylnstance and get the FamilySymbol After that you can get the Parameters such as Frame Exterior Material or Frame Interior Material to get the Elements Material object If you get null try to get the Material object from the FamilySymbol Category e Not all Element Materials are available in the API 15 3 5 Walkthrough Get Window Materials The following code illustrates how to get the Window Materials Code Region 11 Material Select a window before run this command public class Command Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand public IExternalCommand Result Execute ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message
218. n be in the same category because of their similarity or for architectural reasons ModelLine and DetailLine are in the Lines category To gain access to all Revit categories in a document s Setting class use one of the following techniques e Get the Categories from the document properties e Get a specific category quickly from the categories map using the Builtl nCategory enumerated type Code Region 1 Elements Essentials Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Get settings of current document Settings documentSettings doc Settings Get all categories of current document Categories groups documentSettings Categories get Floor category according to OST_Floors and show its name Category floorCategory groups get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_Floors Revit 2008 API User Manual 63 Elements Essentials Category is used in the following manner e Category is used to classify elements The element category determines certain behaviors For example all elements in the same category can be included in the same schedule e Elements have parameters based on their categories e Categories are also used for controlling visibility and graphical appearance in Revit Visibility Graphic Overrides for Floor Plan Level 1 Model Categories Annotation Categories Imported Categories Filters MV Show model categories in this view If a category is unchecked it will not be visible Line St
219. n property is changed in the UI or by the API In the following picture the analytical model lines stay in the original location after BeamSystem Elevation is changed to 10 feet Figure 214 Change BeamSystem elevation 21 1 4 Rebar When using the NewRebar method the parameters RebarBarType and RebarHookType are available in the RebarBarTypes and RebarHookTypes property The RebarBarTypes property and RebarHookTypes property are Document properties public Rebar NewRebar RebarBarType rebarType RebarHookType startHook RebarHookType endHook Element host ref XYZ origin ref XYZ norm CurveArray curves int startHookOrient int endHookOrient The following code illustrates how to create Rebar with a specific layout Code Region 5 RevitStructure virtual public IExternalCommand Result Execute ExternalCommandData commandData ref String message ElementSet elements Revit 2008 API User Manual 265 Revit Structure Dd os Get necessary input parameters Rebar barl document Create NewRebar barType hookType hookType host ref origin ref tmpPnt curves 0 0 Rebar bar2 document Create NewRebar barType hookType hookType host ref origin ref normal curves 0 0 SetRebar barl SetRebar bar2 Pee void SetRebar Rebar bar H EM_LAYOUT_RULE Parameter paramLayout bar get_Parameter BuiltInPara
220. names in namespace format such as Autodesk Revit Element In C CLI Autodesk Revit Element is Autodesk Revit Element Since Visual C is commonly used in this manual the default namespace is Autodesk Revit 1 9 Object Model Diagram The following picture shows the Revit 2008 API Object Model Diagram For more information review the Revit API Help system Revit 2008 API User Manual 16 Welcome to the Revit API Autodesk Revit 2008 API Object Model 3 es fa E O e A yw AE k ME ar gt Y 2 505 t gt gt H T E e iat B H ke H e ns a beget E cammen cj E mre my csn Daqui Cnty Ones perra TD beeen TA enee Site Geometry Figure 1 Revit 2008 API Object Model diagram 1 10What s new in this release Please see the documents that are available in the Revit 2008 SDK for information on changes from the previous version Revit 2008 API User Manual 17 Welcome to the Revit API Revit 2008 API User Manual 18 Getting Started 2 Getting Started The Revit API is fully accessible by any language compatible with the Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 such as Visual C or Visual Basic NET VB NET Both Visual C and VB NET are commonly used to develop Revit API applications However the focus of this manual is developing applications using Visual C 2 1 Walkthroughs If you are new to the Revit API the foll
221. ndStructureLayerArray ltem CompoundStructureLayer FloorType WallType CompoundStructureLayer Figure 69 ComponentStructure diagram Note The following items are important when using CompoundStructure e The total thickness of the element is the sum of each CompoundStructureLayer s thickness You cannot change the element s total thickness directly but you can change it via changing the CompoundStructureLayer thickness e CompoundStructure is a property of HostObjAttributes Changing the CompoundStructureLayer changes every element instance in the current document e The CompoundStructureLayerArray ReadOnly property retrieved from the element CompoundStructure is always true You cannot insert remove or reorder CompoundStructureLayer within the array e The CompoundStructureLayer DeckProfile and DeckUsage properties only work with Slab in Revit Structure For more details refer to the Revit Structure chapter e The wall related information outlined in the rectangles in the following picture are not exposed by the API Edit Assembly X Edit Assembly F amiy Famy Stacked Wall Type Genenc 8 Type Exterior Brick Over CMU w Metal Stud Total thickness os Olfset Core Centerine Sample Height 20 0 EXTERIOR SIDE INTERIOR SIDE Default Wapping At Inserts At Ends Do net wrap v None Modily Vertical Structure Section Preview only TAR Cr ARO Figure 70 Non Supported CompoundStructure
222. nnncnnnrrnnncrnnnnannnes 49 GVO A OA 49 BV NO 49 4 2 Document FUNCIONS iia ad 49 4 2 1 Settings Property ovio ci A a e es 49 42 2 Place and LOCationS uc A O ot 49 4 213 Type Collections sica nt 49 4 2 4 View Management ccc cece ee rre rar rra nr AA Ea 49 4 2 5 Element Retrieval ocio Rca 50 4 2 6 File Management 0 cece iEn naeia rre rar eae eee eae 50 42 7 Element Management a 50 4 28 TRANSACHONS aida altos 50 O bas desk acetate aioe bel aerated lal neta A tlt aes te sewed is 51 4 3 Document and File Management cece ee eee nents 51 4 341 Document Retrieval isserrat en eee rea 51 4 3 2 Document File Information c cece eee ene eee teeta eae e eae 51 4 33 Openira DOCU Lido dida tion 51 43 4 Creates a DOCUMENT sieran eea A OEA EEA EO DE Ani 52 4 3 5 Save and Close a Document ssssssssssssrressrrrssrrrerrnnerrnnsrrnnsrinnerinnerrnasrrnnerennennn 52 4 3 6 Load Family and Load Family SyMbOl oooooncccinccnccccnnnccnnnccnnnccnnnccnnncrnnnccnnncrnnnnannns 52 4 4 A 52 4 5 e io ol 55 5 Elements EssSentialS coonccocnoronnncacnnracnncanancnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnrnnanrnnancaneness 57 5 1 Elements Classification se esise an na a cava bit Week eri AAE EA aTa EA ae 57 5 1 1 Model Elements osese anaoa A aA ACEA KETA OEE EEY 57 5 1 2 View Elements eniin a A a en A E aE 58 a ee A ET 59 5 1 4 Annotation and Datum Element 0c cece eee eee eae
223. nts View Elements View Elements Group Elements Group Elements Annotation Elements Datum Elements Annotation Elements Figure 30 Elements classification diagram 5 1 1 Model Elements Model Elements represent physical items that exist in one building project Elements in the Model Elements group can be subdivided into the following Information Elements Project Datum Elements Project Datum Unique Elements e Component Elements Component Elements contain component family objects You can load family objects into your project or create them from family templates For more information see the Component Elements chapter e Host Elements Host Elements contain system family objects that can contain other model elements such as wall and floor For more information about Host Elements see the Host Elements and Opening chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 57 Elements Essentials e Structure Elements Structure Elements contain elements that are only used in Revit Structure For more information about Structure Elements see the Revit Structure chapter APIObject Component Elements FamilySymbol Familyinstance gt A ContFooting K gt ContFootingType PathReinforcement K gt PathReinforcementType AreaReinforceMentCurve BoundaryConditions BeamSystem K gt Structure Elements BeamSystemType RebarBarType Le RebarHookType cei
224. ociated with the element because it does not show up as part of the element s parameter list By using tricks like making the project shared parameter a string and including the element ID in the shared parameter you can associate the data with an element by first parsing the string Q How do access the saved models and content BMP A The Preview dll is a shell plugin which is an object that implements the Extract mage interface Il Extractl mage is an interface used by the Windows Shell Folders to extract the images for a known file type For more information review the information at http windowssdk msdn microsoft com en us library ms645964 aspx CRevitPreviewExtractor implements standard API functions STDMETHOD GetLocation LPWSTR pszPathBuffer DWORD cchMax DWORD pdwPriority const SIZE prgSize DWORD dwRecCirDepth DWORD pdwFlags STDMETHOD Extract HBITMAP It registers itself in the registry B 2 Revit Structure Questions Q Sometimes the default end releases of structural elements render the model unstable A The Analytical Model Check feature introduced in Revit Structure R3 can find some of these issues When importing the analytical model you are asked if you want to retain the release conditions from RST Revit Structure or if you want to set all beams and columns to fixed When re importing the model to RST always update the end releases and do not overwrite the end releases on subsequent exp
225. odelFloor Value int BuiltInCategory OST_StructuralColumns Id Value int BuiltInCategory OST_StructuralFraming modelFram Revit 2008 API User Manual 270 Revit Structure famInst AnalyticalModel as AnalyticalModelFrame AnalyticalModelProfile modelProfile modelFrame Profile if cate Id Value int BuiltInCategory OST_StructuralFoundation AnalyticalModelLocation modelLocation famInst AnalyticalModel as AnalyticalModelLocation e AnalyticalModelProfile objects are available in the AnalyticalModelFrame Profile property you can get it from the AnalyticalModel property directly e Theln place member AnalyticalModel property returns an AnalyticalModel3D object 21 2 1 1 Wall AnalyticalModel Every overridden NewWall method has a structural Boolean input parameter that indicates if the wall is structural in nature Check for one of the following conditions e The wall family contains AnalyticalModel and the structural input parameter is true e WALL_ATTR_EXTERIOR is Foundation If either of these conditions applies downcast the created Wall s AnalyticalModel property to AnalyticalModelWall In this case the StructuralUsage property of the wall will be Bearing Without the AnalyticalModelWall the StructuralUsage property is NonBearing 21 2 1 2 Floor AnalyticalModel If the Floor parameter FLOOR_PARAM_IS_STRUCTURAL is true the Floor AnalyticalModel is present and the Floor s Anal
226. odesk Revit Document doc app ActiveDocument Autodesk Revit SelElementSet selection doc Selection Elements Store the ModellLine ModelArc ModelNurbSpline references ModelCurveArray lineArray new ModelCurveArray ModelCurveArray arcArray new ModelCurveArray ModelCurveArray nurbArray new ModelCurveArray a Store operation ElementId id new ElementId id Value 131943 assume 131943 is a model line element id lineArray Append doc get_Element ref id as ModelLine use Size property of Array MessageBox Show Before Insert lineArray Size in lineArray arcArray Size in arcArray nurbArray Size in nurbArray use IsEmpty property of Array if lineArray IsEmpty use Item int property of Array ModelCurve modelCurve lineArray get_Item 0 as ModelCurve erase the specific element from the set of elements selection Erase modelCurve create a new model line and insert to array of model line SketchPlane sketchPlane modelCurve SketchPlane XYZ startPoint new XYZ 0 0 0 the start point of the line XYZ endPoint new XYZ 10 10 0 the end point of the line create geometry line Line geometryLine app Create NewLine ref startPoint ref endPoint true create the ModelLine ModelLine line doc Create NewModelCurve geometryLine sketchPlane as ModelLine lineArray Inse
227. ods operate upon and manipulate the properties Classes can be standalone or inherited from other classes In the latter a class from which others are derived is usually referred to as a Base Class A 5 Events Events are messages or functions that are called when an event occurs within an application For example when a model is saved or opened A 6 GUI The Graphical User Interface GUI is the graphic interface that humans use to interact with computer programs These are usually considered the windows toolbars and menus in a program A 7 Iterator An iterator is an object that allows a programmer to traverse through all elements in a collection an array a set etc regardless of its specific implementation A 8 Method A method is a function or procedure that belongs to a class and operates or accesses the class data members In procedural programming this is called a function A 9 Namespace A namespace is an organizational unit used to group similar and or functionally related classes together Revit 2008 API User Manual 279 Glossary A 100Overloading Method overloading is when different methods functions of the same name are invoked with different types and or numbers of parameters passed A 11Properties Properties are data members of a class accessible to the class user In procedural programming this is called a variable Some properties are read only support Get method and some are modifiable support S
228. oints new XYZArray for int n 0 n lt 3 n XYZ point triangular get_Vertex n points Append ref point invoke the method to draw the triangle DrawTriangle points The following pictures illustrate how a mass looks in the Revit application left picture and the same mass drawn with the API right picture Figure 156 Draw a mass using the API Note The approximation tolerance used for display purposes is defined internally by Revit including distance tolerance and angle tolerance 16 2 3 Solid The Solid class defines a 3D solid from which users can get faces and edges The Solid class defines a geometry solid such as a cube or a cylinder You can get the following using the solid s properties e Faces e Edges e Surface area e Volume Geometry Solid Edges EdgeArray Faces FaceArray SurfaceArea double Volume double Figure 157 Geometry Solid class diagram Note Sometimes the API can have unused solids containing zero edges and faces Check the Edges and Faces properties before completing further work Revit 2008 API User Manual 206 Geometry Code Region 6 Geometry GeometryObject geoObj GetGeometryObject Solid solid geoObj as Solid if null solid amp amp 0 solid Faces Size do further work here 16 3 Geometry Helper Class Several Geometry Helper classes are in the API The Help classes are used to describe geometry informat
229. ology object from the Document object using the Level In each plan view there is one PlanTopology corresponding to every phase e The same condition applies to BoundarySegment except room separators and Elements whose Room Bounding parameter is true can be a side boundary in the PlanCircuit Revit 2008 API User Manual 255 Revit Architecture PlanTopology Level PlanTopologys PlanTopologySet PlanTopology Rooms Circuits Figure 204 Room and Plan Topology diagram PlanCircuit PlanCircuitSet K gt The PlanCircuit SideNum property returns the circuit side number which is different from the BoundarySegmentArray Size e The BoundarySegmentArray Size recognizes the bottom wall as two walls if there is a branch on the wall e PlanCircuit SideNum always sees the bottom wall in the picture as one regardless of the number of branches A IN AN Y y if AN MH NN fr Room Y Room AS A AS ON pi S Circuit 1 Circuit 2 N A y N NS j NA y A j Room NN NN O y N Y CED A A y y A N PA A LP room LT Room NN e MA EBAY MA N Circuit 3 Circuit 4 and Circuit 5 Figure 205 Compare room boundary with PlanCircuit Circuit Circuit SideNum BoundarySegmentArray Size for Room Circuit 1 3 Room1 Circuit 2 4 2 6 4 3 7 Room2 Revit 2008 API User Manual Revit Architecture Circuit Circuit SideNum BoundarySegmentArray Size for Room Circuit
230. on Box properties in the 3D view In the Crop Region modify the section box in the 3D Revit 2008 API User Manual 212 Geometry view to display a portion of the stair If you get the geometry information for the stair using the API and set the 3D view as the Options View property only a part of the stair geometry can be retrieved The following pictures show the stair in the Revit application left and one drawn with the API right Section Box SS A SE e E ie Figure 164 Different section boxes display different geometry 2 Draw a stair in Revit then draw a section as shown in the left picture If you get the information for this stair using the API and set this section view as the Options View property only a part of the stair geometry can be retrieved The stair drawn with the API is shown in the right picture Figure 165 Retrieve Geometry section view 16 3 3 3 DetailLevel The API defines three enumerations in Geometry Options DetailLevels The three enumerations correspond to the three Detail Levels in the Revit application shown as follows O Coarse E Medium El Fine Figure 166 Three detail levels Revit 2008 API User Manual 213 Geometry Different geometry information is retrieved based on different settings in the DetailLevel property For example draw a beam in the Revit application then get the geometry from the beam using the API to draw it The following pictures show the drawing resu
231. operty because the name is automatically assigned otherwise an exception is thrown Revit 2008 API User Manual 249 Revit Architecture 20 1 2 Create The following code illustrates the simplest way to create a room at a certain point in a specific level Code Region 1 Revit Architecture Level level getLevel UV uv new UV 0 0 Room room document Create NewRoom level ref uv RoomTag roomTag document Create NewRoomTag room ref uv Rooms can be created in a room schedule then inserted into a plan circuit e The Document NewRoom Phase method is used to create a new room and insert it into an existing schedule Make sure the room schedule exists or create a room schedule in the specified phase before you make the call e The Document NewRoom Room room PlanCircuit circuit method is used to create a room from a schedule room and a PlanCircuit The input room must exist only in the room schedule meaning that it does not display in any plan view After invoking the method a model room with the same name and number is created in the view where the PlanCircuit is located For more details about PlanCircuit see the Plan Topology section in this chapter The following code illustrates the entire process Code Region 2 Revit Architecture Phase newConstructionPhase GetPhase Debug Assert newConstructionPhase null amp amp planCircuit null Room newSchedul
232. operty to set the element s physical location Code Region 4 Editing Elements FamilyInstance column GetColumn doc LocationPoint columnPoint column Location as LocationPoint XYZ newLocation new XYZ 10 20 0 Move the column to the new location columnPoint Point newLocation 8 2 Rotate The Revit API uses the Rotate methods to rotate one or several elements in the project Member Description Rotate an element in the project by a specified degree around a Rotate Element Line Double given axis Rotate an element by ID in the project by a specified degree Rotate Elementld Line Double A around a given axis Rotate several elements by IDs in the project by a specified degree Rotate ElementldSet Line Double i around a given axis Rotate several elements in the project by a specified degree around Rotate ElementSet Line Double a given axis Table 16 Rotate Members In the rotate methods the angle of rotation is in radians The positive radian means rotating counterclockwise around the specified axis while the negative radian means clockwise as the following pictures illustrates Revit 2008 API User Manual 93 Editing Elements After Rotation Rotate Angle Math Pl 3 0 o Before Rotation Figure 57 Counterclockwise rotation Before Rotation Rotate Angle Math Pl 3 0 After Rotation Figure 58 Clockwi
233. or StructuralType NonStuctural symbol ref Revit 2008 API User Manual 130 Component Elements Figure 89 Revit 2008 API User Manual Create family instances using different reference directions 131 Component Elements Revit 2008 API User Manual 132 Datum and Information Elements 11 Datum and Information Elements This chapter introduces Datum Elements and Information Elements in Revit e Datum Elements include levels grids ModelCurve and so on e Information Elements include phases design options goXMLParamElem and so on For more information about Revit Element classifications refer to the Elements Essentials chapter APIObject Datum Elements Structural Datum Elements Datum Elements y Figure 90 Datum Elements diagram Revit 2008 API User Manual 133 Datum and Information Elements gt APIObject S A EoaaNature toadusage ase a DesignOption o lt o o mo mm mo o mm mm mm om a em a a a f gbXMLParamElem SiteLocation Project Datum Elements Unique ProjectUnit Projectinfo Figure 91 Information Elements diagram Note Many elements in the previous diagram are not introduced in this chapter If you need more information refer to the related chapter e For LoadBase LoadCase LoadCombination LoadNature and LoadUsage refer to the Revit Structure chapter e
234. or grouping contain dimensions or tags which do not reference a common model group No detail group has been created Figure 60 Grouping dimension exception without a reference You can group dimensions and tags that refer to model elements in a model group The dimensions and tags are added to an attached detail group The attached detail group cannot be moved copied rotated arrayed or mirrored without doing the same to the parent group Revit 2008 API User Manual 99 Editing Elements 8 6 Array The Revit API uses the Array methods to array one or more elements in the project These methods create a linear or radial array of one or more selected components For example you can select a door and windows located in the same wall then create multiple instances of the door wall and window configuration Member Description Array Type Array Element Int32 Boolean XYZ Array one or several elements in the project by a Linear specified number Array Element Int32 Boolean Double Array one or several elements in the project by a Radial specified degree Array Elementld Int32 Boolean XYZ Array one or several elements in the project by a Linear specified number Array Elementld Int32 Boolean Array one or several elements in the project by a Radial Double specified degree Array ElementIdSet Int32 Boolean Array one or several elements in the project by a Linear XYZ specified number Array ElementidSet
235. ormed points foreach Face face in solid Faces Mesh mesh face Triangulate foreach XYZ ii in mesh Vertices XYZ point ii XYZ transformedPoint instTransform OfPoint ref point foreach Edge edge in solid Edges foreach XYZ ii in edge Tessellate XYZ point ii XYZ transformedPoint instTransform OfPoint ref point Note You find similar situations when you get geometry information for doors windows and other elements For more details about the retrieved geometry refer to Example Retrieving Geometry Data from a Beam in this chapter 16 2 2 Geometry Mesh Geometry mesh is a triangular mesh used to describe the shape of a 3D face The face object can be a curved surface which can be described by its endpoints just like a polygon As a result the mesh object provides a way to split the face into many small triangles where the endpoints locate the split face The following code sample illustrates how to draw the geometry of a mass The mass geometry faces are described by the mesh Code Region 5 Geometry Face aFace GetFace a face has a mesh all meshes are made of triangles Mesh mesh aFace Triangulate for int i 0 i lt mesh NumTriangles i MeshTriangle triangular mesh get_Triangle i Define a XYZ array which stores the triangle s endpoints Revit 2008 API User Manual 205 Geometry XYZArray p
236. ort to analysis programs Q am rotating the beam orientation so they are rotated in the weak direction For example the of a W14X30 is rotated to look like an H by a 90 degree rotation How is that rotation angle accessed in the API Because the location is a LocationCurve not a LocationPoint do not have access to the Rotation value so what is it need to check have a Familylnstance element to check so what do do with it A Take a look at the RotateFramingObject example in the SDK It has examples of how to get and change the beam braces and columns rotation angle Revit 2008 API User Manual 282 FAQ Q How do add new concrete beam and column sizes to a model A Take a look at the FrameBuilder sample code in the SDK Q How do view the true deck layer A There is an example in the SDK called DeckProperties that provides information about how to get the layer information for the deck The deck information is reported in exactly the same way as it is in the Ul The deck dimension parameters are shown as follows A Y r Figure 226 Deck dimension parameters Q How do I tell when have a beam with a cantilever A There is no direct way in the Revit database to tell if a beam has a cantilever However one or more of the following options can give you a good guess at whether a section is a cantilever 1 There are two parameters called Moment Connection Start and Moment Connection End If the
237. osition of the project on the site and in relation to other buildings There may be many Shared Locations defined in one project Locations defined in this project Internal current Angle From Project North to True Nort 30 0000 Duplicate Rename Figure 183 Project location information 17 4 1 Create and Delete Create new project locations by duplicating an existing project location using the Duplicate method The following code sample illustrates how to create a new project location using the Duplicate method Code region 2 Place and Locations public ProjectLocation DuplicateLocation ExternalCommandData revit string newName ProjectLocation currentLocation t Application ActiveDocument ActiveProjectLocation ProjectLocationSet locations revit Application ActiveDocument ProjectLocations foreach ProjectLocation projectLocation in locations if projectLocation Name newName Revit 2008 API User Manual 228 Place and Locations throw new Exception The name is same as a project location s name please chang one return currentLocation Duplicate newName The following code sample illustrates how to delete an existing project location from the current project Code region 3 Place and Locations public void DeleteLocation ExternalCommandData revit ProjectLocation currentLocation revit Appli
238. oup s LocationPoint do one of the following e Drag the Group origin in the Revit UI to change the LocationPoint coordinate In this situation the Group LocationPoint is changed while the Group s location is not changed e Move the Group using the Document Move method to change the LocationPoint This changes both the Group location and the LocationPoint For more information about LocationCurve and LocationPoint see the Editing Elements chapter Move section Revit 2008 API User Manual 71 Elements Essentials 5 4 4 Level Levels are finite horizontal planes that act as a reference for level hosted or level based elements such as roofs floors and ceilings The Revit API provides a Level class to represent level lines in Revit Get the Level object to which the element is assigned using the API if the element is level based Code Region 8 Elements Essentials Get the level object to which the element is assigned Level level element Level A number of elements such as a column use a level as a basic reference When you get the column level the level you retrieve is the Base Level Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Parameter value Constraints a Baselevel islet n d Base Offset 9 0 Top Level Level 2 Top Offset o o 3 Moves With Grids Figure 43 Column Base Level parameter Note Get the Beam or Brace level using the Reference Level parameter Fro
239. owing topics are good starting points to help you understand the product Walkthroughs provide step by step instructions for common scenarios helping you learn about the product or a particular feature The following walkthroughs will help you get started using the Revit API e Walkthrough Hello world Illustrates how to create an add in using the Revit API e Walkthrough Add Hello World Menu Illustrates how to add a menu item e Walkthrough Retrieve Selected Elements Illustrates how to retrieve selected elements e Walkthrough Retrieve All Elements Illustrates how to retrieve all document elements 2 2 Walkthrough Hello World Use the Revit API and C to create a Hello World program using the directions provided For information about how to create an add in application using VB NET refer to the section Hello World for VB NET in the Appendix The Hello World walkthrough covers the following topics e Create a new project e Add references e Change the class name e Write the code e Debug the add in All operations and code in this section were created using Visual Studio 2005 2 2 1 Create a New Project The first step in writing a C program with Visual Studio is to choose a project type and create a new Class Library From the File menu select New gt Project In the Project Types frame click Visual C In the Templates frame click Class Library This walkthrough assumes that the project loca
240. p myGroup myGroups get_Item MyGroup if null myGroup return Autodesk Revit Parameters Definitions myDefinitions myGroup Definitions Revit 2008 API User Manual 236 Shared Parameter Autodesk Revit Parameters myDefinitions get_Item MyParam ExtDef if null my return return Change the OwnerGroup of the Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionGroup anotherGroup myGroups get_Item AnotherGroup if null anotherGroup myExtDef OwnerGroup anotherGroup ExternalDefinition myExtDef as Autodesk Revit Parameters ExternalDefinition ExternalDefinition 18 3 Binding In the add in code complete the following steps to bind a specific parameter 1 object Use an InstanceBinding or a TypeBinding object to create a new Binding object that includes the categories to which the parameter is bound Add the binding and definition to the document using the Document ParameterBindings Definition K ExternalDefinition InstanceBinding ElementBinding TypeBinding BindingMap Insert in in Binding bool V APIObject DefinitionBindingMap Erase in int lt lt interface gt gt lEnumerable lt Figure 188 Binding diagram The following list provides more information about the classes and methods in the previous diagram Autodesk Revit Parameters BindingMap Class The BindingMa
241. p object is retrieved from the Document ParameterBindings property Parameter binding connects a parameter definition to elements within one or more categories The map is used to interrogate existing bindings as well as generate new parameter bindings using the Insert method 237 Revit 2008 API User Manual Shared Parameter e Parameters BindingMap Insert Definition Binding Method The binding object type dictates whether the parameter is bound to all instances or just types A parameter definition cannot be bound to both instances and types Ifthe parameter binding exists the method returns false 18 3 1 Type Binding The Autodesk Revit Parameters TypeBinding objects are used to bind a property to a Revit type such as a wall type It differs from Instance bindings in that the property is shared by all instances identified in type binding Changing the parameter for one type affects all instances of the same type Parameter Properties Parameter Type Categories Project parameter _ Roofs A Can appear in schedules but not in tags Site _ Slab Edges Shared parameter C Specialty Equipment Can be shared by multiple projects and families exported to ODBC and C Stairs appear in schedules and tags C Structural Beam Systems Structural Columns o Structural Foundations C Structural Framing Parameter Data O Topography Home Group parameter under Ea Sweeps A Other y M
242. parameter AsElementId materials get_Item parameter AsElementId if null sashMaterial sashMaterial category Material Show the result because the category may have a null Material the got Material objects need to be checked string materialsInfo materialsInfo Frame Exterior Material null frameExteriorMaterial frameExteriorMaterial Name Mra ES a materialsInfo Frame Interior Material null frameInteriorMaterial frameInteriorMaterial Name mthar Mint A Sash null sashMaterial sashMaterial Name nal my MessageBox Show materialsInfo catch Exception ex message ex Message return IExternalCommand Result Failed return IExternalCommand Result Succeeded Revit 2008 API User Manual 200 Geometry 16 Geometry The Geometry namespace contains graphic related types used to describe the graphical representation in the API The API provides three classes used to describe and store the geometry information data according to their base classes e Geometry Node class Includes classes derived from the GeometryObject class e Geometry Helper class Includes classes derived from the API Object class and value types e Collection class Includes classes derived from the Enumerable or IEnumerator interface In this chapter you learn how to use various graphic related types how to retrieve geometry
243. pened in a new project e Most projects include at least one floor plan view and one ceiling plan view e Plan views are usually created after adding new levels to the project Adding new levels using the API does not add plan views automatically Autodesk Revit Creation Document provides a NewViewPlan method to create a plan view Code Region 5 View public ViewPlan NewViewPlan string pViewName Level pLevel ViewType viewType The viewType parameter must be FloorPlan or CeilingPlan The level parameter represents a level element in the project to which the plan view is associated The following code creates a floor plan and a ceiling plan based on a certain level Code Region 6 View private void CreatePlanView Autodesk Revit Document doc try Revit 2008 API User Manual 181 Views Create a Level and a Floor Plan based on it double elevation 10 0 Level levell doc Create NewLevel elevation ViewPlan floorView doc Create NewViewPlan null levell ViewType FloorPlan Create another Level and a Ceiling Plan based on it elevation 10 0 Level level2 doc Create NewLevel elevation ViewPlan ceilingView doc Create NewViewPlan null level2 ViewType CeilingPlan catch Exception exp MessageBox Show exp ToString 14 4ViewDrafting The drafting view is not associated with the model It allows the user to create detail
244. perties The Properties window appears Click the Debug tab 4 Under the Start Action section click Start external program and browse to the Revit exe file By default the file is located at the following path C Program Filel Revit Architecture 2008 Program Revit exe 23 HelloWorld Microsoft Visual Studio File Edit View YAssistx Project Build Debug Data Tools Window Community Help MEN 231 232 H Al 2 slv L gt Debug Any CPU y g MacrosForm e m Solution Explorer Hellow y A X Object Browser elloWorld ata A Solution HelloWorld 1 project Application A q _ gt gt x_AA S El HelloWorld Configuration ANA Y Sal Properties Build fH a References Start Action 4 HelloWorld cs Bui Platform Active Any CPU v Start project Start external program C Program Files Autodesk Revit Building 10 Prograr i Start browser with URL Settings Start Options Reference Paths Command line arguments Y m o Wawlina divanka Figure 6 Set debug environment 5 From the Debug menu select Toggle Breakpoint or press F9 to set a breakpoint on the following line MessageBox Show Hello World 6 Press F5 to start the debug procedure 7 Test debugging From the Revit menu bar click Tools gt External Tools HelloWorld appears in the submenu Revit Architecture 2008 Project1 Floor Plan Level 1 Fie Edit View Modelling Drafting S
245. ponents For example Familylnstance has SubComponents and Wall has CompoundStructure which contain several CompoundStructureLayers For more details about SubComponents refer to the Component Elements chapter and refer to the Host Elements and Opening chapter for more information about CompoundStructure In the Revit API get an element s materials using the following guidelines e Ifthe element contains elements get the materials separately e Ifthe element contains components get the material for each component from the parameters or in specific way see Material section in the Host Elements and Opening chapter e Ifthe component s material returns null get the material from the corresponding Element Category sub Category 15 3 1 Material in a Parameter If the Element object has a Parameter where ParameterType is ParameterType Material get the element material from Parameter For example a structural column FamilySymbol a Familylnstance whose Category is BuiltlnCategory OST_StructuralColumns has the Column Material parameter Get the Material using the Elementid The following code example illustrates how to get structural column Material that has one component Code Region 10 Material The element should be a structural column ParameterSet parameterSet element Parameters string materialParaName Column Material foreach Parameter parameter in parameterSet if parameter Definition Name mater
246. presents all kinds of definitions existing entirely in the Revit database e ExternalDefinition represents definitions stored on disk in a shared parameter file You should write the code to use the Definition base class so that the code is applicable to both internal and external parameter Definitions The following code sample shows how to find a specific parameter using the definition name Revit 2008 API User Manual 77 Parameter Code region 2 Parameter Find parameter using the Parameter s definition name public Parameter FindParameter ParameterSet parameters Parameter foundParameter null In the Revit English edition you can find the parameter name Base Offset However in other language editions you may need to change this string value string name Base Offset foreach Parameter parameter in parameters if parameter Definition Name name foundParameter parameter break return foundParameter Note This example shows how to get Element parameters using the parameter definition names Base Offset is the definition name of a parameter in Revit English Edition You can change the string values based on the language edition you use 6 2 1 ParameterType This property returns the visible interpretation of the parameter data The parameter data is stored in the following e Integer e Double e String e An Elementid For Revit users t
247. r Toolbarltem Addltem Toolbarltem AddToExternalTools Append Menultem GetSubMenu Menultem Figure 20 Menu and Toolbar diagram 3 5 1 Create a New TopMenu and Menu Items The following sample illustrates how you can create menus and menu items in different ways In this sample BasicMenu SeparatorMenu and PopupMenu are added Revit 2008 API User Manual 43 Add In Integration Window NewMenultem Help Hello Menultem an LI Helo Sea Align Split ffr a Hello Shrimp nt as olish Figure 21 New top menu and sub menu item Hello Fish Figure 22 New top menu and sub menu item The following code integrates the menu and menu items in the previous figures The external command location is D Hello dll in an assembly containing the External Command Types e Hello HelloMenultem e Hello HelloSea e Hello HelloFish e Hello HelloShrimp Code Region 5 Add In ntegration In the using segment add using Menultem Autodesk Revit Menultem public Autodesk Revit IExternalApplication Result OnStartup Autodesk Revit ControlledApplication application Create a top menu Menultem topMenultem application CreateTopMenu NewMenultem Create a basic menu under the new top menu topMenultem Append Menultem MenuType BasicMenu Hello Menulten Q D XHello dl11 Hello HelloMenuItem Create a popup menu under the new
248. r on a drawing sheet annotation instances Instance represents transformed identical copies of a Symbol For example if a building contains 20 windows of a particular type there is one Symbol with 20 Instances Instances are called Components in the user interface Note For Familylnstance it is better to use the Symbol property instead of the ObjectType property to get the corresponding FamilySymbol It is convenient and safe since you do not need to do a type conversion 5 3 Element Retrieval Elements in Revit are very common Retrieving the elements that you want from Revit is necessary before using the API for any Element command 5 3 1 General In general an element is retrieved from the document Elements collection object using Elementi d or iteration The following figure shows how to get the element using the Revit application APIObject Application ActiveDocument Create Options Create Element Elements ParameterBindings Forwardlterator GetEnumerator Insert Reverselterator Figure 40 Retrieving Elements diagram e Application refers to the Autodesk Revit Application providing access to documents options and other application wide data and settings Gain access to the application from the parameter commandData in the ExternalCommand Execute method e Document represents an open Revit project e ElementSet is a set that contains element objects e All Elements are common elem
249. radial dimension constraints return two Reference objects from the Dimension References property Figure 100 Linear and Radial dimension constraints Constraint elements are not view specific and can display in different views Therefore the View property always returns null In the following picture the constraint elements in the previous picture are also visible in the 3D view Figure 101 Linear and Radial dimension constraints in 3D view Although equality constraints are based on dimensions they are also represented by the Dimension class There is no direct way to distinguish linear dimension constraints from equality constraints in the API using a category or DimensionType Equality constraints return three or more References while linear dimension constraints return two or more References yue Level 5 elt gg 4 444 6 Level 1 Figure 102 Equality constraints To show the constraint element curve in the previous picture in Revit complete the following steps Revit 2008 API User Manual 146 Annotation Elements 1 Lock a permanent linear or radial dimension in the Revit application 2 Delete the dimension A warning dialog box appears 3 Click OK to close the warning dialog box 4 Select the element to which the dimension refers Note Not all constraint elements are represented by the Dimension class but all belong to a Constraints OST_Constraints category such as alignment constrain
250. re 79 Table Dining Round w Chairs rfa family components Note Many Families have no Components and return and empty set For example the Desk family Components property returns an empty set because Desk does not have components Figure 80 A Desk has no components 10 2 2 Solid and Void Forms Both solid forms and void forms are generic form models in Revit The void form is used to cut off a part from the solid form Both forms have the following characteristics e Both forms are GenericForm class objects with a different Boolean property IsSolid to distinguish them e The GenericForm object is used in family modeling and massing in Revit e Itis the base class for Sweep Blend Extrusion and Revolution 10 2 2 1 Solid Form SolidForms returns a read only set of all solid forms representing solid parts in the main family body Autodesk Revit Elements GenericFormSet SolidForms get Revit 2008 API User Manual 120 Component Elements The main family body Table Dining Round w Chairs is a round table composed of five basic parts See the following picture All five parts are the GenericForm type Solid Extrusions in this case whose IsSolid property is true In this case the property returns a set containing five Extrusion objects If the main family body contains no solid forms the property returns an empty set Figure 81 Five parts GenericForm objects of the table 10 2 2 2 Void Form VoidForms
251. re data for modeling Datum Familylnstance Datum Familylnstance represents non physical visible items loaded into your project or created from family templates Revit 2008 API User Manual 59 Elements Essentials Note For more information about Common Datum Elements and Datum Familyl nstance see the Datum and Information Elements chapter for ModelCurve related contents see the Sketching chapter Structural Datum Elements Structural Datum Elements represent non physical visible items used to store data for structure modeling For more information about Structural Datum Elements see the Revit Structure chapter APIObject amet mba Te Ez Familyinstance AAA FamilySymbol ae Familyinstance Dimension gt DimensionType DA A LJ SpotDimension SpotDimensionType gt AnnotationSymbol AnnotationSymbolType IndependentTag RoomTagType Annotation Elements DetailCurve DetailArc DetailEllipse DetailLine Annotatio Elements DetailNurbSpline TextElement K gt TextElementType 4 DO a TextNote K gt TextNoteType Revision Jo Elements PointLoad Datum Elements Figure 34 Annotation Elements diagram Revit 2008 API User Manual Elements Essentials 5 1 5 Sketch Elements Sketch Elements represent temporary items used to sketch 2D 3D form This group contains the following objects used in family modeling and
252. rence identifies a path within a geometric representation tree in a flexible manner The tree is used to view specific geometric representation creation The API exposes four types of references based on different Pick pointer types They are retrieved from the API in different ways 1 For Point Curve EndPointReference property Curve Class B Curve Members B Curve Constructor QG Properties ApproximateLength Property a EndParameter Property a EndPoint Property a EndPointReference Property a IsBound Property a IsCyclic Property a Length Property a Period Property a Reference Property a Transformed Property gt Methods Figure 160 Point reference 2 For Curve Line Arc and etc Curve Reference property Q Curve Class 3 Curve Members 3 Curve Constructor QG Properties ApproximateLength Property E EndParameter Property B EndPoint Property 3 EndPointReference Property B IsBound Property B IsCyclic Property B Length Property B Period Property Bf Reference Property B Transformed Property es Methods Figure 161 Curve reference Revit 2008 API User Manual 211 Geometry 3 For Face Face Reference property Q9 Face Class B Face Members B Face Constructor Q9 Properties B Area Property B EdgeLoops Property B IsCyclic Property B IsTwoSided Property B MaterialElement Property a Period Property B Reference Property E gt Met
253. representing a building model Revit can have multiple projects open and multiple views for one project e The active or top view is the active project and the active document The relationship between the classes Application Document Element and View are illustrated in the following diagram Application e e ESA OpenDocumentFile DocumentSet NewFamilyDocument NewProjectDocument NewProjectTemplateDocument O System lEnumerable System lEnumerable Figure 26 Application Document View Element diagram This chapter identifies all Application and Document functions and then focuses on file management settings and units For more details about the Element class refer to the Elements Essentials and Editing Elements chapters and refer to the Views chapter for more details about the view elements 4 1 Application Functions Application Functions provide access to documents objects and other application data and settings All application functions are identified and defined in the following sections 4 1 1 Application Version Information Application object properties include VersionBuild VersionNumber and VersionName Each property returns Revit version information 4 1 2 Application Wide Settings The Options property provides configuration functions corresponding to the Setting gt Options menu items For more details see the Settings section in this chapter 4 1 3 Document M
254. ress F5 to continue executing the program The following system message appears Hello World Figure 232 System message Revit 2008 API User Manual 289
255. returns a read only set of all void forms representing the void parts in the main family body Autodesk Revit Elements GenericFormSet VoidForms get In the previous example the main family body Table Dining Round w Chairs with GenericForm type parts contains no void forms In this case this property returns an empty set If a family contains void forms this property will return them For instance in the following picture the Family contains one solid form Extrusion as the main body and one void form also an Extrusion cutting a cylindrical solid from the main body The object in this Family has the SolidForms property and the VoidForms property whose sizes are both one Level 1 3D Figure 82 An Element whose Family contains void forms 10 2 3 Others Others returns a read only set of all other components in a particular family Revit 2008 API User Manual 121 Component Elements Autodesk Revit ElementSet Others get In the previous example when retrieving the Others property from the Table Dining Round w Chairs family a set containing many kinds of Element objects is returned Element objects include the following e Level e View e LevelType e ViewPlan e Symbol e Sketch e ReferencePlane e SketchPlan e Dimension e ModelLine Group e DimensionType e and more e TextNoteType The objects are part of the Revit project and are used to retrieve information related to the f
256. rials Material floorMaterial null string floorMaterialName Default Floor floorMaterial materials get_Item floorMaterialName Debug Assert null floorMaterial or travel all the materials foreach Material material in materials if floorMaterialName material Name floorMaterial material break Debug Assert null floorMaterial Note To run the sample code make sure the material name exists in your document All material names for the current document are located in the UI menu Settings gt Materials 15 2 1 Create There are two ways to create a new Elements Material object in the API e Duplicate an existing Material e Add a new Material with a specific type Revit 2008 API User Manual 192 Material When using the Duplicate method the returned Material object has the same type as the original and it is added to the Materials collection automatically Code Region 7 Material Duplicate a material string newMaterialName my new material if document Settings Materials Contains newMaterialName MaterialSteel newMaterial materialSteel Duplicate newMaterialName as MaterialSteel Debug Assert newMaterial Name newMaterialName Debug Assert document Settings Materials Contains newMaterialName Use the Materials class to add a new Material directly No matter how it is applied it is necessary to specify a unique name T
257. rmation No H1 NO 2 of the Geographic Survey Institute to be installed and used within this software product Approval No 646 issued by GSI April 8 2002 Portions of this computer program are copyright 1995 1999 LizardTech Inc All rights reserved MrSID is protected by U S Patent No 5 710 835 Foreign Patents Pending Portions of this computer program are Copyright 2000 Earth Resource Mapping Inc OSTN97 Crown Copyright 1997 All rights reserved OSTNO2 Crown copyright 2002 All rights reserved OSGMO02 Crown copyright 2002 Ordnance Survey Ireland 2002 FME Objects Engine 2005 SAFE Software All rights reserved GOVERNMENT USE Use duplication or disclosure by the U S Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in FAR 12 212 Commercial Computer Software Restricted Rights and DFAR 227 7202 Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software as applicable Table of Contents 1 Welcome to the Revit APl cononnconcnconnncannncannncannncnnnnrnnnncnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrnnnnrannnrannnrnnnracaneananes 13 1 1 Introduction to the Revit API ccc tenner nent nena 13 1 2 What Can You Do with the Revit API ccc cee eee eee eee eee eee eae ee tate eae ee tata 13 1 3 REQUIFEIMENES lA A AAA ei ee dal 13 1 4 Install and Learn the Revit Based Product ccccceee cetera eee eee tenets 14 1 5 Installation ad 14 1 6 Supported Programming Languages oocccoc
258. rt line lineArray Size 1 MessageBox Show After Insert lineArray Size in lineArray Revit 2008 API User Manual 89 Collection use Clear method to renov lineArray Clear MessageBox Show After Clear all elements in lineArray lineArray Size in lineArray Revit 2008 API User Manual 90 Editing Elements 8 Editing Elements In Revit you can move rotate delete mirror group and array one element or a set of elements with the Revit API Using the editing functionality in the API is similar to the commands in the Revit Ul AM Move bool bool boo bool Group bool Array bool Figure 55 Editing Elements diagram 8 1 Move The Revit API provides Move methods to move one or more elements from one place to another It is as precise as the Move Command in the Revit UI Member Description Move Element XYZ Move an element in the project by a specified vector Move Elementld XYZ Move an element by ID in the project by a specified vector Move ElementidSet XYZ oe elements by a set of IDs in the project by a specified Move ElementSet XYZ Move several elements in the project by a specified vector Table 15 Move Members Note When you use the Move method the following rules apply e The Move method cannot move a level based element up or down from the level When the element is level based you cannot change the
259. rve and more e 3D sketch class include GenericForm Path3D and more In addition to Sketch Elements ModelCurve is also included in this chapter For more details about Element Classification see the Elements Classification section in the Elements Essentials chapter 13 12D Sketch Class The Sketch class represents enclosed curves in a plane used to create a 3D model The key features are represented by the SketchPlane and CurveLoop properties When editing a Revit file you cannot retrieve a Sketch object by iterating Document Elements enumeration because all Sketch objects are transient Elements When accessing the Family s 3D modeling information Sketch objects are important to forming the geometry For more details refer to the 3D Sketch section in this chapter The following picture shows the key classes to sketch in 2D Revit 2008 API User Manual 153 Sketching APIObject KI Elements SketchBase Elements Sketch k gt Elements SketchPlane K gt Geometry Plane aus SketchPlane Figure 109 2D Sketch diagram SketchPlane is the basis for all 2D sketch classes such as ModelCurve and Sketch SketchPlane is also the basis for 2D Annotation Elements such as DetailCurve Both ModelCurve and DetailCurve have the SketchPlane property and need a SketchPlane in the corresponding creation method SketchPlane is always invisible in the Revit UI To test its visibility complete the follo
260. ry tmpFamily Category if null category if int BuiltInCategory OST_StructuralColumns category Id Value foreach FamilySymbol tmpSymbol in tmpFamily Symbols columnTypes Insert tmpSymbol else if int BuiltInCategory OST_StructuralFraming category Id Value foreach FamilySymbol tmpSymbol in tmpFamily Symbols framingTypes Insert tmpSymbol 21 1 2 AreaReinforcement and PathReinforcement Find the AreaReinforcementCurves for AreaReinforcement by iterating the Curves property which is an ElementArray In edit mode AreaReinforcementCurves are the purple curves red when selected in the Revit UI From the Element Properties dialog box you can see AreaReinforcementCurve parameters Parameters such as Hook Types and Orientation are editable only if the Override Area Reinforcement Setting parameter is true Revit 2008 API User Manual 262 Revit Structure Sketch R Modify 4 Dimension Ii Lines Y Major Direction amp Area Reinforce ele Finish Sketch Quit Sketch Element Properties gt Red curve Family System Family Span Direction Edges when selected Type Type Parameters Control all elements of this type Parameter Value Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Parameter Value SS a Override Area Reinforcement Settinas m1 O Rebar Cover Side Edge Top Major Hook Type Top Major Hook Orienta
261. s Learn how to use the Revit user interface for adding and managing parameters before using the Revit API The parameter user interface components are located in the following locations e Element Properties dialog box e Shared Parameters dialog box from the File menu e Project Parameters dialog box from the Settings menu e Family Types dialog box from the Settings menu when editing a family Retrieve the Parameter object from Element if you know the built in ID definition or shared parameter GUID Global Unique Identity Code APIObject A InternalDefinition ExternalDefinition Parameter WW 1 StorageType Storage Type Definitions Definition DisplayUnitType DisplayUnitType y yp pay nt yp ParameterGroup BuiltinParameterGroup EPA PU oe lt sining ParameterType ParameterType SetValueString bool Set bool VZ nit 4 ParameterType lt lt enumeration gt gt ParameterType lt lt enumeration gt gt lt lt enumeration gt gt DisplayUnitType BuiltinParameterGroup Figure 45 Parameter related classes diagram lt lt enumeration gt gt Storage Type 6 1 Walkthrough Get Selected Element Parameters The Element Parameters are retrieved by iterating through the Element ParameterSet The following code sample illustrates how to retrieve the Parameter from a selected element Code region 1 Parameter
262. s Application Options Options Application tions Options Application E SharedParametersFilename string OpenSharedParameterFile DefinitionFile 1 1 Figure 186 Application and Options Application diagram Open the shared parameters file using the Application OpenSharedParameterFile method Open an existing group or create a new group using the DefinitionFile Groups property Open an existing external parameter definition or create a new definition using the DefinitionGroup Definitions property Revit 2008 API User Manual 233 Shared Parameter Application OpenSharedParameterFile DefinitionFile APIObject DefinitionFile ec EN Groups DefinitionGroups DefinitionGroupBase DefinitionGroups DefinitionGroup Definitions Definitions DefinitionsBase Definition OwnerGroup DefinitionGroup ParameterType Visible bool Figure 187 Get the ExternalDefinition type object diagram The following list provides more information about the classes and methods in the previous diagram e Autodesk Revit Parameters DefinitionFile Class The DefinitionFile object represents one shared parameter file The object contains a number of Group objects Shared parameters are grouped for easy management and contain shared parameter definitions You can add new definitions as needed The DefinitionFile object is retrieved using the Application OpenSharedParameterFi
263. s are API collection classes avoiding transformation between different collections The collections inheritance hierarchy is as follows Array o lEnumerable lEnumerable ei oe K mron K O O lEnumerable lEnumerator O lEnumerator Maplterator Setlterator O lEnumerator Figure 54 Collection diagram Note Array Map and Set in the Revit API are different from the classes in the NET Framework Library such as System Array In the Revit API they only implement interface Enumerable but not List Collection Cloneable and so on These collection types support the foreach semantics in C for each in C CLI For Each in Visual Basic The IEnumerable and IEnumerator interfaces implemented in Revit collection types are defined in the System Collection namespace 7 1 Interface The following sections discuss interface related collection types 7 1 1 l Enumerable The l Enumerable interface is in the System Collections namespace It exposes the enumerator which supports a simple iteration over a non generic collection The GetEnumerator method gets an enumerator that implements this interface The returned Enumerator object is iterated throughout the collection Note The GetEnumerator method return value is an IEnumerator object Consequently the As operator is used to convert the object type Revit 2008 API User Manual 85 Collection 7 1 2 lEnumerator The IEnumerator interface is in t
264. s for the Project Information parameters Parameters Corresponding API Built in Parameters Project Issue Date PROJECT_ISSUE_DATE Project Status PROJECT_STATUS Client Name CLIENT_NAME Project Address PROJECT_ADDRESS Project Name PROJ ECT_NAME Project Number Projectl nfo Number PROJ ECT_NUMBER Table 7 Projectl nformation Use the properties exposed by Projectinfo to retrieve and set all strings These properties are implemented by the corresponding built in parameters You can get or set the values through built in parameters directly For more information about how to gain access to these parameters through the built in parameters see the Parameter section in the Elements Essentials chapter However the recommended way to get project information is to use the Projectlnfo properties e Fill Patterns Retrieve all Fill Patterns in the current document using Document Settings FillPatterns Revit 2008 API User Manual 54 Application and Document e Object Styles Use Settings Categories to retrieve all information in Category objects except for Line Style For more details see the Categories section in the Elements Essentials chapter and Material chapter e Phases Revit maintains the element lifetime by phases which are distinct time periods in the project lifecycle All phases in a document are retrieved using the Document Phases property The property returns an array containing Phase class instances However
265. s placed in the world City Boston MA USA Latitude Longitude 71 060 Time Zone Figure 176 Project Place Do not edit the Latitude Longitude and Time Zone fields even though the fields can be edited If you change the Latitude or Longitude and the value is different from any city in the drop down list the City field is changed to User Defined Manage Place and Locations o Y Locations Place There is a single Place for each Revit project that defines where the project is placed in the world City User Defined E Latitude 23 900 gt Longitude 14 500 Time Zone Figure 177 Avoid changing the Latitude and Longitude Note After you change the value of Latitude or Longitude the City field is empty Close the dialog box and open it again The City field is changed to User Defined 17 2 City City is an object that contains geographical location information for a known city in the world It contains longitude latitude and time zone information The city list is retrieved by the Cities Revit 2008 API User Manual 224 Place and Locations property in the Application object Currently new cities cannot be added to the existing list in Revit The city where the current project is located is not exposed by the Revit API 17 3ProjectLocation A project only has one site which is the absolute location on the earth However it can hav
266. se rotation Note When you rotate an element the axis line must be bound An unbounded axis line results in a failed rotation even if Succeeded is returned to Revit In this situation the Rotate method still returns a true value Code Region 5 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument XYZ pointl new XYZ 10 20 0 XYZ point2 new XYZ 10 20 30 The axis should be a bound line Line axis commandData Application Create NewLineBound ref pointl bool successful doc Rotate element axis Math PI 3 0 ref point2 Revit 2008 API User Manual 94 Editing Elements If the element Location can be downcast to a LocationCurve or a LocationPoint you can rotate the curve or the point directly Code Region 6 Editing Elements XYZ aa XYZ Zero XYZ cc XYZ Zero Rotate the element via its location curve LocationCurve curve element Location as LocationCurve if null curve Curve line curve Curve aa line get_EndPoint 0 cc new XYZ aa X aa Y aa Z 10 Line axis commandData Application Create NewLineBound ref aa ref cc curve Rotate axis Math PI 2 0 Rotate the element via its location point LocationPoint point element Location as LocationPoint if null point aa point Point cc new XYZ aa X aa Y aa Z 10 Line axis commandData Application Create NewLineBound ref aa ref cc point Rotate ax
267. set in the external command process When ExternalCommand Result Failed or ExternalCommand Result Cancelled is returned and the message parameter is set an error message appears The following code sample illustrates how to use the parameter message Code Region 1 Add In I ntegration public class Command Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand public Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand Result Execute Autodesk Revit ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message Autodesk Revit ElementSet elements message message test return Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand Result Failed Implementing the previous external command causes the following dialog box to appear Revit 2008 API User Manual 34 Add In Integration Revit Architecture 2008 Error cannot be ignored message test Figure 17 Error message dialog box 3 2 2 3 out elements ElementSet Whenever ExternalCommand Result Failed or ExternalCommand Result Canceled is returned and the parameter message is not empty an error or warning dialog box appears Additionally if any elements are added to the elements parameter these elements will be highlighted on screen It is a good practice to set the message parameter whenever the command fails whether or not elements are also returned The following code highlights pre selected walls Code Region 2 Add In ntegration public Autodesk Revit IE
268. sing its reference line then move the new column to a new location Revit 2008 API User Manual 96 Editing Elements Note This code only works in Revit Structure Code Region 11 Editing Elements Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Selection choices doc Selection ElementSet collection choices Elements Autodesk Revit Element currentComponent null foreach Autodesk Revit Element elem in collection currentComponent elem FamilyInstance column currentComponent as FamilyInstance if null column AnalyticalModelFrame analytical column AnalyticalModel as AnalyticalModelFrame Reference lineReference analytical Curve Reference doc Mirror currentComponent lineReference The selected element is changed after the Mirror operation foreach Autodesk Revit Elements FamilyInstance newColumn in choices Elements true signifies the column is new bool isMirror newColumn Mirrored Offset the new column XYZ translationVec new XYZ 10 20 30 newColumn Location Move ref translationVec Every Familylnstance has a Mirrored property It indicates whether a Familylnstance for example a column is mirrored In the previous example if the column Mirrored property returns true then you have a mirrored column Note In Revit the Mirror command mirrors a selected modeling component However in the Revit API i
269. sisX Y BasisY Y BasisZ Y Origin Y BasisX Z BasisY Z BasisZ Z Origin Z Applying the transformation to the point is as follows a XYZ _X BasisX X BasisY X BasisZ X Origin X YYY BasisX Y BasisY Y BasisZ Y Origin Y x wong BasisX Z_ BasisY Z BasisZ Z Origin Z a The Transform OfPoint method implements the previous function The following code is a sample of the same transformation process Code Region 7 Geometry public static XYZ TransformPoint XYZ point Transform transform double x point X double y point Y double z point Z transform basis of the old coordinate system in the new coordinate system XYZ b0 transform get_Basis 0 XYZ bl transform get_Basis 1 XYZ b2 transform get_Basis 2 XYZ origin transform Origin transform the origin of the old coordinate system in the new coordinate system double xTemp x b0 X y b1 X z b2 X origin X double yTemp x bO Y y b1 Y z b2 Y origin Y double zTemp x b0 Z y b1 Z z b2 Z origin Z return new XYZ xTemp yTemp zTemp The Geometry Transform class properties and methods are identified in the following sections 16 3 1 1 Identity Transform the Identity Revit 2008 API User Manual 208 Geometry 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 00 1 0 16 3 1 2 Reflection Reflect a specified plane Figure 159 Wall Reflection relationship As the previous picture shows one wall is mirrored by a
270. sition Revit 2008 API User Manual Geometry Property Name Usage MaxEnabled MinEnabled Defines whether the maximum minimum bound is active for a given dimension e Ifthe Enable property is false these two properties should also return false a If the crop view is turned on both 08 04 tw Y g MaxEnabled property and MinEnabled property return true If the crop view is turned off both OG o eit w Ys MaxEnabled property and MinEnabled property return false Do Not Crop View e This property indicates whether the view s crop box face can be used to clip the element s view e If BoundingBoxxXYZ is retrieved from the View3D SectionBox property the return value depends on whether the Section Box property is selected in the 3D view Properties dialog box If so all Enabled properties return true e If BoundingBoxXYZ is retrieved from the Element BoundingBox property all the Enabled properties are true Bounds Wrapper for the Max Min properties BoundEnabled Wrapper for the MaxEnabled MinEnabled properties Table 41 BoundingBoxXYZ properties The following code sample illustrates how to rotate BoundingBoxXYZ to modify the 3D view section box Code Region 10 Geometry View3D view3d GetView3D BoundingBoxXYZ box view3d SectionBox if false box Enabled MessageBox Show The section box for View3D isn t Enable return Create a rotat
271. t 12 1 3 Spot Dimensions Spot coordinates and spot elevations are represented by the SpotDimension class and are distinguished by category Like the permanent dimension spot dimensions are view specific The type and category for each spot dimension are listed in the following table Type Category Spot Coordinates OST_SpotCoordinates Spot Elevations OST_SpotElevations Table 27 Spot dimension Type and Category N 6 5 9 32 E 23 0 19 32 Figure 103 SpotCoordinates and SpotElevations The SpotDimension Location can be downcast to LocationPoint so that the point coordinate that the spot dimension points to is available from the LocationPoint Point property e SpotDimensions have no dimension curve so their Curve property always returns null e The SpotDimension References property returns one Reference representing the point or the edge referenced by the spot dimension e To control the text and tag display style modify the SpotDimension and SpotDimensionType Parameters 12 1 4 Comparison The following table compares different kinds of dimensions and constraints in the API Dimension or API Class Built nCategory Curve Reference View Location Constraint Permanent linear Dimension OST_Dimensions i gt Specific null Dimension dimension view 1 radial dimension angular dimension arc length dimension Revit 2008 API User Manual 147 Annotation Elements
272. t Sash Dimensions Height Default Sill Height Width Window Inset Rough width Rough Height Identity Data Keynote Model Manufacturer Type Comments URL Description Figure 151 Window material 15 3 3 CompoundStructureLayer Material You can get the CompoundStructureLayer object from HostObjAttributes For more details refer to the Host Elements and Opening chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 197 Material 15 3 4 Retrieve Element Materials The following diagram shows the workflow to retrieve Element Materials Wall Floors ceilings HostObject with Category OST_Ceilings and roofs HostObject with Category OST_Roofs have CompoundStructure Is HostObject with CompoundStructure Is FamilyInstance and Material parameter is in its FamilySymbol Get its FamilySymbol Find Elements included CompoundStructureLayer in the Element Material Find components included If null returns find Category in the Element and SubCategory corresponding to the CompoundStructureLayer Get an Element Get Material from Parameter if there is Parameter corresponds to the component Get Material from Category Material If the Parameter returns ElementlId with 1 value find corresponding Category and SubCategory to the component Figure 152 Get Element Material Workflow illustrates the following process e The workflow shows how to get the Elements Material object not Structural Enu
273. t 0 Get curve end point message Curve end point XYZToString curve get_EndPoint 1 MessageBox Show message Revit 9 5 2 Create Opening In the Revit API use the NewOpening method to create an opening in your project There are four method overloads you can use to create openings in different host elements Create a new Opening in a beam brace and column public Opening NewOpening Element famInstElement CurveArray profile eRefFace iFace Create a new Opening in a roof floor and ceiling public Opening NewOpening Element hostElement CurveArray profile bool bPerpendicularFace Revit 2008 API User Manual 113 Host Elements and Opening Create a new Opening Element public Opening NewOpening Level bottomLevel Level topLevel CurveArray profile Create an opening in a straight wall or arc wall public Opening NewOpening Wall ref XYZ pntStart ref XYZ pntEnd e Create an Opening in a Beam Brace or Column Use to create an opening in a family instance The Face parameter indicates the face on which the opening is placed e Create a Roof Floor or Ceiling Opening Use to create an opening in a roof floor or ceiling The bPerpendicularFace parameter indicates whether the opening is perpendicular to the face or vertical If the parameter is true the opening is perpendicular to the host element
274. t API each Element object has a Parameters property which is a collection of all the properties attached to the Element You can change the property values in the collection For example you can get the area of a room from the room object parameters additionally you can set the room number using the room object parameters The Parameter is another way to provide access to property information not exposed in the element object In general every element parameter has an associated parameter ID Parameter Ds are represented by the Elementid class For user created parameters the IDs correspond to real elements in the document However most parameters are built in and their IDs are constants stored in Elementi ds Parameter is a generic form of data storage in elements In the Revit API it is best to use the built in parameter ID to get the parameter Revit has a large number of built in parameters available using the Builtl nParameter enumerated type For more details see the Parameter Chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 73 Elements Essentials Revit 2008 API User Manual 74 Parameter 6 Parameter Revit provides a general mechanism for giving each element a set of parameters that you can edit Parameters are visible in the Element Properties dialog box This chapter describes how to get and use parameters using the Revit API In the Revit API Parameters are managed in the Element class by a complex mechanism and set of rule
275. t category of wall to it CategorySet myCategories app Create NewCategorySet use BuiltInCategory to get category of wall Revit 2008 API User Manual 240 Shared Parameter Category myCategory app ActiveDocument Settings Categories get_Item BuiltInCategory OST_Walls myCategories Insert myCategory Create an instance of InstanceBinding InstanceBinding instanceBinding app Create NewInstanceBinding myCategories Get the BingdingMap of current document BindingMap bindingMap app ActiveDocument ParameterBindings Bind the definitions to the document bool instanceBindOK bindingMap Insert myDefinition_ProductDate instanceBinding BuiltInParameterGroup PG_TEXT return instanceBindOK Revit 2008 API User Manual 241 Shared Parameter Revit 2008 API User Manual 242 Transaction 19 Transaction Transaction means enclosing multiple operations as one atomic operation The following rules apply to transactions e A transaction is successful if and only if all operations within the transaction execute successfully e Any operation that fails causes the entire transaction to be aborted e If atransaction is aborted all operations within that transaction are cancelled With few exceptions all changes in persistent data in the document are grouped into Transactions A Transaction corresponds to a single Undo action which is the main use of transactions in Revit
276. t is null The following example illustrates how to retrieve the existing Opening properties Code Region 2 Host Elements and Opening private void Getinfo_Opening Opening opening J fsa Get the information whether the opening has a rect boundary 1f the opening has a rect boundary get the geometry Revit 2008 API User Manual 112 Host Elements and Opening information from BoundaryRect property Otherwise get the geometry information from BoundaryCurves property if opening IsRectBoundary message nThe opening has a rect boundary An array contain two XYZ struct store the max and min coordinate of rectangular XYZArray boundaryRect opening BoundaryRect Get the coordinate value of the min coordinate point XYZ point opening BoundaryRect get_Item 0 message nMin coordinate point XYZToString point Get the coordinate value of the Max coordinate point point opening BoundaryRect get_Item 1 message nMax coordinate point XYZToString point else message nThe opening doesn t have a rect boundary Get curve number int curves opening BoundaryCurves Size message nCurve number is curves for int i 0 i lt curves i Autodesk Revit Geometry Curve curve opening BoundaryCurves get_Item i Get curve start point message nCurve start point XYZToString curve get_EndPoin
277. tations or Imported will therefore always result in a null or Nothing in VB For more details about the Element and Category classifications refer to the Elements Essentials chapter If an element has more than one component some of the Category Subcategories correspond to the components In the previous Object Styles dialog box the Windows Category and the Frame Mullion and Glass subcategories are mapped to components in the windows element In the following picture it seems the window symbol Glass Pane Material parameter is the only way to get the window pane Revit 2008 API User Manual 196 Material material However the value is By Category and the corresponding Parameter returns 1 as an invalid Elementi d In this case the pane s Material is not null and it depends on the Category OST_WindowsFrameMullionProjection s Material property which is a subcategory of the window s category OST_Windows If it returns null as well the pane s Material is determined by the parent cateogry OST_Windows For more details refer to the Walkthrough Get Materials of a Window section in this chapter Family Type Element Properties Fi y 05 05 3 Type Properties Family M_Fiked v Type 0406 x 0610mm v Type Parameters Construction wall Closure Construction Type Materials and Finishes Frame Exterior Material Sash Frame Interior Material Sash Glass Pane Material kBy Category g
278. te The diagram identifies the main geometry objects you can retrieve in the Instance class However it does not cover all situations Sometimes other geometry objects can be retrieved based on different elements in the Revit application Two samples are presented to explain the main usage 16 2 1 1 Sample 1 Get curves from an instance and perform the coordinate transformation Code Region 3 Geometry Autodesk Revit Geometry Instance instance GetInstance foreach GeometryObject instObj in instance SymbolGeometry Objects Curve curve instObj as Curve if null curve transfrom the curve to make it in the instance s coordinate space curve curve get_Transformed instance Transform the other works Note It is uncommon to find curves in an instance If you want to retrieve a curve in an instance edit a family to add a line 16 2 1 2 Sample 2 Get the solid information from an instance and perform the coordinate transformation Code Region 4 Geometry Autodesk Revit Geometry Instance instance GetInstance foreach GeometryObject instObj in instance SymbolGeometry Objects Solid solid instObj as Solid Revit 2008 API User Manual 204 Geometry if null solid 0 solid Faces Siz 0 solid Edges Size continue Transform instTransform instance Transform Get the faces and edges from solid and transform the f
279. tecture then extrudes the sketch between a start and an end point Query the Extrusion Form object for a generic form to use in family modeling and massing The Extrusion class has the following properties Property Description ExtrusionStart Returns the Extrusion Start point It is a Double type ExtrusionEnd Returns the Extrusion End point It is a Double type Sketch Returns the Extrusion Sketch It contains a sketch plane and some curves Table 32 Extrusion Properties The ExtrusionStart and ExtrusionEnd properties value is consistent with the parameters in the Revit UI The following pictures illustrate the corresponding parameters and the Extrusion result Revit 2008 API User Manual 157 Sketching Element Properties Family Type Type Parameters Control all elements of this type Parameter Value Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Oo Parameter ae i EE vats The value of ExtrusionEnd Constraints Extrusion End property is 20 0 eee i The value of ExtrusionStart property is 0 0 lt By Category gt Identity Data Subcategory Solid Woid Figure 114 Corresponding parameter Figure 115 Extrusion result 13 2 2 Revolution The Revolve command creates geometry that revolves around an axis You can use the revolve command to create door knobs or other knobs on furniture a dome roof or columns Query the Revolution Form object for a
280. ted in the last project phase Windows and doors face into a room Change the room by flipping the door or window facing For other kinds of instances such as beams and columns the Room is the room that has the same boundary as the instance The following code illustrates how to get the Room from the family instance It is necessary to check if the result is null or not Code Region 5 Revit Architecture Revit 2008 API User Manual 258 Revit Architecture Room room familyInstance Room room familyInstance FromRoom for door and window family only room familyInstance ToRoom for door and window family only if null room use the room 20 2Energy Data The gbXMLParamElem object represents the gbXML Parameters in the Revit project To view the parameters from the menu select Settings gt Project Information The Project Information dialog box appears Instance Parameters Control selected or to be created instance Energy Analysis Energy Data ee Other Project Issue Date Issue Date Project Status Project Status Type Properties Family System Family Energy Data v Type Energy Data v Type Parameters Fnerav Analvsis Building Type Postal Code Figure 211 gbXMLParamElem setting The gbXMLParamElem object is derived from the Element base object It is unique in each project similar to Projectl nformation Though gbXMLParamElem is a subclass o
281. texture exists In addition it does not create a new library if it does not exist Revit 2008 API User Manual 190 Material Material Library Library Folder Material _accurender Carpet Sclid Colors Blue Navy Medium Pile a _accurender 2 EJ Carpet E Loop Pie ES Solid Colors w Ceiling 1 27 Ceramic Tile EJ Concrete Name Beige Low Pile Beige Medium Pile Blue Navy Low Pile Blue Slate Low Pile Blue Slate Medium Pile Blue Steel Low Pile tH 17 Exterior E i Glass a Masonry Hy Metals 1 Ey Plastics Coral Medium Pile z Gold Low Pile w Roofing as EJ Site Gold Medium Pile i Gray Dark Low Pile E E Solid Colors Gray Dark Medium Pile E Stone Gray Light Low Pile a Wood Gray Light Medium Pile 5 E Wood Solid Gray Medium Low Pile ta ar2_accurend Gray Medium Medium Pile a revit Green Forest Low Pile w user Green Forest Medium Pile Green Olive Low Pile Green Olive Medium Pile Green Sea Low Pile Green Sea Medium Pile Linen Low Pile Linen Medium Pile Mi lt gt Figure 146 RenderLibrary and RenderName Blue Steel Medium Pile Brown Dark Low Pile Brown Dark Medium Pile Coral Low Pile The following sample shows how to use the Material RenderLibrary and RenderName properties Code Region 4 Material After executing the following code the material Render texture property is changed to _accurender Metals Steel Satin Plain You can vi
282. the Hello World project complete the following steps 1 Right click the project name in the Solution Explorer to display a context menu 2 From the context menu select Properties to open the Properties dialog box 3 In the Properties dialog box click the References tab A list of references and namespaces appears Revit 2008 API User Manual 285 Hello World for VB NET 4 Click the Add button to open the Add Reference dialog box In the Add Reference dialog box click the Browse tab Locate the folder where Revit is installed and click the RevitAPI dll For example the installed folder location might be C Program Files Revit Architecture 2008 Program RevitAPI dll 6 Click OK to add the reference and close the dialog box 29 VBSample Microsoft Visual Studio File Edit View Project Build Debug IncrediBuild Data Tools Test Window Community Help les duda gt EL gt Debug gt Any CPU B Designoption ILLES X Hello World Class1 vb Start Page X Solution Explorer Hello World El z BLABLA g Application eq Solution VBSample 1 project EE Hello World Compile Sa My Project Ya Classi vb Debug Reference Name Type Vers CopyLocal Path 4 C Program Files Autodesk Revit Building 10 Program RevitAPT dll References System l False Ci WINDOWS Microsoft NET Framework y2 0 50727 System dll System Data 4 False C WINDOWS Microsoft NET Framework y2 0 50727 System Data dll Pe System Windows Forms d Fa
283. thing because no host elements are created An example of an instance that is hosted in another host element is a window or a door In this case the Host property returns a wall in which the window or the door is located See the following picture Figure 85 Doors and windows hosted in a wall Note Some Familyl nstance objects do not have host elements such as Tables and other furniture However other subjects such as doors and windows must have host elements to be in the Revit project Revit 2008 API User Manual 125 Component Elements 10 3 2 2 Subcomponent and Supercomponent The SubComponent property returns the family instance auxiliary components Autodesk Revit ElementSet SubComponents get In the Table Dining Round w Chairs rfa example the chairs around the table are returned by the SubComponent property The difference between SubComponents and Family Components is as follows e SubComponents returns the current symbol components e Family Components returns the default symbol The SuperComponent property returns the family instance parent component In the Table Dining Round w Chairs example the family instance supercomponent for one chair is the table Autodesk Revit Element SuperComponent get 10 3 3 Other Properties The properties in this section are specific to Revit Architecture and Revit Structure They are covered thoroughly in their respective chapters
284. tify your application The default name for unnamed add ins is usually External Tool After confirming the ini file is configured correctly check the add in application code for an exception in the Execute method There are usually two exceptions 1 An exception occurs in Execute 2 An exterior object definition or declaration For example Command IExternalCommand A a new A line x public IExternalCommand Result Execute lia Class A Revit 2008 API User Manual 25 Getting Started Vl The following two exceptions clearly identify the problem e An error in line x e An exception is thrown in the Execute method Note Use try catch finally in the example entry method to investigate the problem If the previous solutions do not resolve the problem and the error appears when you compile the sample code the problem may be with the version of the RevitAPI used to compile the add in Delete the old RevitAPI reference and load a new one For more details refer to Add Reference 2 3 Walkthrough Add Hello World Menu In the Walkthrough Hello World section you learn how to create an add in application and invoke it in Revit You also learn to modify the Revit ini file to register the add in application as an external tool Another way to invoke the add in application in Revit is through a menu item 2 3 1 Create a New Project Complete the following steps to create a new
285. tion Top Minor Hook Type Top Minor Hook Orientation purple curve in Bottom Major Hook Type edit mode Bottom Major Hook Orientation gt Bottom Minor Hook Type Bottom Minor Hook Orientation Dimensions Figure 212 AreaReinforcementCurve in edit mode Currently there is no way to control the direction except by using the NewAreaReinforcement method the last XYZ direction input parameter public AreaReinforcement NewAreaReinforcement AreaReinforcementType areaReinforcementType Element host CurveArray curves XYZ direction Although the AreaReinforcement Curves property returns a set of AreaReinforcementCurves PathReinforcementCurves returns a ModelCurve Currently there is no way to flip the PathReinforcement except by using the NewPathReinforcement method the last input parameter public PathReinforcement NewPathReinforcement PathReinforcementType pathReinforcementType Element host CurveArray curves bool flip Revit 2008 API User Manual 263 Revit Structure All 4 lines are PathReinforcementCurye Figure 213 PathReinforcement PathReinforcementCurve in edit mode When using NewAreaReinforcement and NewPathReinforcement methods to create objects you must decide on which host Element face it will lay Currently AreaReinforcement and PathReinforcement are only created on the PlanarFace retrieved from the Wall or Floor object After removing the faces from the
286. tion and spot coordinate are represented by the SpotDimension class elements Code Region 1 Annotation Elements Dimension dimension GetDimension if int BuiltInCategory OST_Dimensions dimension Category Id Value it s a permanent dimension else if int BuiltInCategory OST_Constraints dimension Category Id Value it s a constraint elements 12 1 1 Permanent Dimensions There are four kinds of permanent dimensions The Builtl nCategory for all permanent dimensions is OST Dimensions Currently there is not an Linear dimension Radial dimension Angular dimension Arc length dimension Radial Dimension Angular Dimension 18 3 19 32 1676 Linear Dimension Figure 97 Permanent dimensions easy way to distinguish the four dimensions using the API Revit 2008 API User Manual Arc Length Dimension 144 Annotation Elements Note Temporary Dimensions are not accessible by the API because they are not persistent objects Except for radial dimension every dimension has one dimension line Dimension lines are available from the Dimension Curve property which is always unbound In other words the dimension line does not have a start point or end point Based on the previous picture e A Line object is returned for a linear dimension e An arc object is returned for a radial dimension or angular dimension e A radial dimension re
287. tion is D Sample In the Name field type HelloWorld as the project name Click OK Revit 2008 API User Manual 19 Getting Started Add New Project Project types Templates amp Visual C Yisual Studio installed templates ATL CLR E Windows Application General gl Windows Control Library A Console Application MFC Alcrystal Reports Application Device Application Smart Device Ga Excel Workbook Efl Outlook Add in Test Win32 My Templates S Other Languages Visual Basic Search Online Templates E Visual C E Visual J Other Project Types Test Projects A project for creating a C class library dll Name HelloWorld Location D Sample v Figure 2 Add New Project 2 2 2 Add References 1 To add the RevitAPI reference From the View menu select Solution Explorer if the Solution Explorer window is not open In the Solution Explorer right click References to display a context menu From the context menu click Add Reference The Add Reference dialog box appears Inthe Add Reference dialog box click the Browse tab Locate the folder where Revit is installed and click the RevitAPI dll For example the installed folder location is usually C Program Files Revit Architecture 2008 Program RevitAPI dll Click OK to select the dll and close the dialog box RevitAPI appears in the Solution Explorer reference tree 2 Add the System Windows Forms reference Int
288. to the Geometry Options section in this chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 221 Place and Locations 17 Place and Locations Every building has a unique place in the world because the Latitude and Longitude are unique In addition a building can have many locations in relation to other buildings The Revit API Site namespace uses certain classes to save the geographical location information for Revit projects Note Currently the Revit API does not expose the Site menu functions Only Site namespace provides functions corresponding to the menu options Setting gt Manage Place and Locations The following diagram displays project location and associated classes in the Site namespace APIObject DN Cities CitySet ActiveProjectLocation ProjectLocation ActiveDocument Document ProjectLocations 1 SiteLocation SiteLocation SiteLocation ProjectPosition ProjectPosition Longitude double SiteLocation SiteLocation Latitude double TimeZone double Elevation double Figure 175 Site related class diagram 17 1Place In the Revit API the SiteLocation class contains place information including Latitude Longitude and Time Zone This information identifies where the project is located in the world Revit 2008 API User Manual 223 Place and Locations Manage Place and Locations Locations Place i There is a single Place for each Revit project that defines where the project i
289. top menu Menultem popupMenu topMenultem Append MenuItem MenuType PopupMenu Hello Create three basic menus and a separator menu under the popup menu popupMenu Append Menultem MenuType BasicMenu Hello Sea Q D XHello d11 Hello HelloSea popupMenu Append Menultem MenuType SeparatorMenu popupMenu Append Menultem MenuType BasicMenu Hello Fish D Hello dll Hello HelloFish popupMenu Append Menultem MenuType BasicMenu Hello Shrimp D Hello dll Hello HelloShrimp Revit 2008 API User Manual 44 Add In Integration return IExternalApplication Result Succeeded 3 5 2 Create a New Toolbar In the following example create a new toolbar with several buttons A dialog box appears when you click the Command1 button EITE TERE E Plane HE OY TA FE e H amp Demolish O Command1 amp Command2 El a Press Drag 7 Basics Project1 Project br X Pe Modify Views all E Wall Floor Plans lLlamal 1 Figure 23 New toolbar with three buttons O Command M Command2 MM Basics Project1 Pro Modify 50 Views Namespace1 Class1 E wall Floor L g Door L Ari do Cita Figure 24 Dialog box triggered by the Command1 button This following method creates a toolbar and several toolbar items in different ways The imagePath parameter is the path to a toolbar bitmap graph and the dllPath par
290. tor Face FaceArray FaceArraylterator GeometryObject GeometryObjectArray GeometryObjectArraylterator Instance InstanceArray InstanceArraylterator Mesh MeshArray MeshArrayl terator Reference ReferenceArray ReferenceArraylterator Solid SolidArray SolidArraylterator UV UVArray UVArraylterator XYZ XYZArray XYZArraylterator Double value DoubleArray DoubleArraylterator Table 42 Collection Classes All of these classes use very similar methods and properties to do similar work For more details refer to the Collection chapter 16 5Example Retrieve Geometry Data from a Beam This section illustrates how to get solids and curves from a beam You can retrieve column and brace geometry data in a similar way APIObject GeometryObjectArray lEnumerable O Geometry GeometryObject s DA Geometry Transform 1 Geometry Element MaterialElement Objects SymbolGeometry Geometry Element Transform Geometry Transform get_Transformed Geometry Instance Figure 174 Beam geometry diagram Note If you want to get the beam and brace driving curve call the Familylnstance Location property where a LocationCurve is available The sample code is shown as follows Code Region 11 Geometry Get solids and curves from a beam in geomElem out curves out solids Revit 2008 API User Manual 219 Geometry public void GetCurvesFromABeam
291. tory within a building and you can create a level for each existing story or other building references Levels must be added in a section or elevation view Additionally you can create a new level using the Revit API The following code sample illustrates how to create a new level Code Region 2 Datum and Information Elements Level CreateLevel Document doc Revit 2008 API User Manual 136 Datum and Information Elements The elevation to apply to the new level double elevation 20 0 Begin to create a level Level level doc Create NewLevel elevation if null level throw new Exception Create a new level failed check whether the level name is unique and change the level nam string newName New level bool nameIsUnique true ElementIterator iter doc Elements iter Reset whil iter MoveNext Level temp iter Current as Level if null temp amp amp temp Name newName nameIsUnique false break if namelsUnique level Name newName return level Note After creating a new level Revit does not create the associated plan view for this level If necessary you can create it yourself For more information about how to create a plan view refer to the Views chapter 11 2 Grid Grids are represented by the Grid class which is derived from the Element class It contains
292. troduces Revit Annotation Elements including the following e Dimension e DetailCurve e IndependentTag e TextNote e AnnotationSymbol e and more gt APIObject AN SpotDimensionType AnnotationSymbol K gt AnnotationSymbolType IndependentTag Detsicarve K ponctaton Elements Pd Annotation Elements DetailNurbSpline TextElement KO TextElementType I DN TextNote KO TextNoteType gt A A A A A A A A ey Figure 96 Annotation Elements diagram e Dimensions are view specific elements that display sizes and distances in a project e Detail curves are created for detailed drawings They are visible only in the view in which they are drawn Often they are drawn over the model view e Tags are an annotation used to identify elements in a drawing Properties associated with a tag can appear in schedules e AnnotationSymbol has multiple leader options when loaded into a project For more information about Revit Element classification refer to the Elements Essentials chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 143 Annotation Elements 12 1Dimension and Constraint The Dimension class represents permanent dimensions and dimension related constraint elements The following code sample illustrates how to distinguish permanent dimensions from constraint Only non transient elements are accessible using the Revit API and temporary dimensions are transient Spot eleva
293. ts such as wall column and roof if the element is a room boundary the Room Bounding parameter BuiltlnParameter WALL_ATTR_ROOM_BOUNDING must be true as in the following picture Room Bounding Structural Structural Usage Non bearing Dimensions Figure 199 Room Bounding property The WALL_ATTR_ROOM_BOUNDING BuiltlnParameter is set through the Revit API Code Region 3 Revit Architecture Wall aWall GetWall Parameter parameter aWall get_Parameter BuiltInParameter WALL ATTR_ROOM_BOUNDING parameter Set 1 set Room Bounding to true parameter Set 0 set Room Bounding to false Notice how the roof forms the BoundarySegment for a room in the following pictures The first picture shows Level 3 in the elevation view The room is created in the Level 3 floor view The latter two pictures show the boundary of the room and the house in 3D view Figure 200 Room created in level 3 view Revit 2008 API User Manual 253 Revit Architecture D Figure 201 Room boundary formed by roof The area boundary can only be a ModelCurve with the category Area Boundary BuiltlnCategory OST_AreaSchemeLines while the boundary of the displayed room can be walls and other elements Figure 202 Wall end edge If the BoundarySegment corresponds to the curve between the room separation and wall as the previous picture shows e The Element property returns null e The Curve is not null 20 1 3 3 Boun
294. turns null Walls Basic Wall Generic 8 Reference Figure 98 Dimension references A dimension is created by selecting geometric references as the previous picture shows Geometric references are represented as a Reference class in the API The following dimension references are available from the References property For more information about Reference please see the Geometry Reference section in the Geometry chapter e Radial dimension One Reference object for the curve is returned e Angular and arc length dimensions Two Reference objects are returned e Linear dimensions Two or more Reference objects are returned In the following picture the linear dimension has five Reference objects Figure 99 Linear dimension references Dimension like other Annotation Elements is view specific It displays only in the view where it is added The View property returns the specific view 12 1 2 Constraint Elements Dimension objects with Category Constraints BuitInCategory OST_ Constraints represent two kinds of dimension related constraints e Linear and radial dimension constraints e Equality constraints In the following picture two kinds of locked constraints correspond to linear and radial dimension In the application they appear as padlocks with green dashed lines The green dashed line is Revit 2008 API User Manual 145 Annotation Elements available from the Dimension Curve property Both linear and
295. undations Expor C Structural Framing C Topography Parameter Data Views Name Group parameter under Wall Sweeps Other v jw zi Lal Windows Instance O Type Check All Check None C Show categories from all disciplines Discipline Type of Parameter C Hide un checked categories ll elemer hn tne lected teqgorie Figure 190 Parameter Properties dialog box Instance Binding The following code sample demonstrates how to add parameter definitions using a shared parameter file Parameter definitions are added in the following order 1 A shared parameter file is created 2 A definition group and a definition for all Walls instances is created 3 Definitions are bound to each wall instance parameter in the current document based on the wall category Code Region 6 SharedParameter Create the Instance_ProductDate parameter in definition file and add it to the wall type instance in current document public bool SetNewParameterTolnsanceWall Autodesk Revit Application app DefinitionFile myDefinitionFile create a new group in the shared parameters file DefinitionGroups myGroups myDefinitionFile Groups DefinitionGroup myGroup myGroups Create MyParameters1 create an instance definition in definition group MyParameters Definition myDefinition_ProductDate myGroup Definitions Create Instance_ProductDate ParameterType Text create a category set and inser
296. value set for these two is not None then you should look and see if there is a beam that is co linear and also has the value set to something other than None Also ask the user to make sure to select Cantilever Moment option rather than Moment Frame option Trace the connectivity back beyond the element approximately one or two elements Look at element release conditions Q How do I model a foundation with end overhangs under a wall A The wall foundation capability in Revit Structure does not support an overhang at its ends The best solution is to use the foundation slab feature in the GUI or API You can create them using the Autodesk Revit Create NewFloor methods For the STRUCTURAL_FLOOR_ANALYZES_AS you can use AA_Mat or AA_SlabOnGrade for foundation or AA_Slab if it is a floor Q When exporting a model containing groups to an external program the user receives the following error at the end of the export Changes to group Group 1 are allowed only in group edit mode Use the Edit Group command to make the change to all instances of the group You may use the Ungroup option to proceed with this change by ungrouping the changed group instances Revit 2008 API User Manual 283 FAQ A Currently the API does not permit changes to group members You can programmatically ungroup make the change regroup and then swap the other instances of the old group to the new group to get the same effect Revit 2008 API User Manual 284
297. ve check box to add a perspective view or leave it blank to add an orthographic view Click the drawing area to place the camera Select a point to specify the sight direction Y Perspective Scale Offset 5 6 From Level 1 vi Figure 134 Perspective check box Revit 2008 API User Manual 175 Views 14 2 1 Perspective View The following picture illustrates how a perspective view is created Back clippi plane Projectior plane Crop box Front clipping plane 3D model A Viewer an Target point J CropBox Max Z Ye A iss y Figure 135 Perspective projection e The straight projection rays pass through each point in the model and intersect the projection plane to form the projection contents e To facilitate the transformation from the world coordinate onto the view plane the viewing coordinate system is based on the viewer e Its origin represented by the View Origin property is the viewer position e The viewer s world coordinates are retrieved usng the View3D EyePosition property Therefore in 3D views View Origin is always equal to View3D EyePosition e As described the viewing coordinate system is determined as follows The X axis is determined by View RightDirection The Y axis is determined by View UpDirection The Z axis is determined by View ViewDirection e The view direction is from the target point to the viewer in the 3D space and from the screen to the
298. vectors and returns the result 16 3 1 13ScaleBasisAndOrigin Scales the basis vectors and the transformation origin returns the result 16 3 1 140fPoint Applies the transformation to the point The Origin property is used 16 3 1 150fVector Applies the transform to the vector The Origin property is not used 16 3 1 16AlmostEqual Compares two transformations AlmostEqual is consistent with the computation mechanism and accuracy in the Revit core code Additionally Equal and the operator are not implemented in the Transform class The API provides several shortcuts to complete geometry transformation The Transformed property in several geometry classes is used to do the work as shown in the following table Class Name Function Description Curve get_Transformed Transform transform Applies the specified transformation to a curve Instance get_Transformed Transform transform Transforms the instance Profile get_Transformed Transform transform Transforms the profile and returns the result Mesh get_Transformed Transform transform Transforms the mesh and returns the result Table 40 Transformed Methods Note The transformed method clones itself then returns the transformed cloned result 16 3 2 Geometry Reference The Reference class does not contain properties or methods However it is very useful in element creation Revit 2008 API User Manual 210 Geometry e Dimension creation requires references The refe
299. vit application memory rather than your application s memory 4 2 Document Functions Document stores the Revit Elements manages the data and updates multiple data views The Document class mainly provides the following functions 4 2 1 Settings Property The Settings property returns an object that provides access to general components within Revit projects For more details see the Settings section in this chapter 4 2 2 Place and Locations Each project has only one site location that identifies the physical project location on Earth There can be several project locations for one project Each location is an offset or rotation of the site location For more details see the Place and Locations chapter 4 2 3 Type Collections Document provides properties such as FloorTypes WallTypes and so on All properties return a collection object containing the corresponding types loaded into the project 4 2 4 View Management A project document can have multiple views The ActiveView property returns a View object representing the active view You can traverse all elements in the project to retrieve other views For more details see the Views chapter Revit 2008 API User Manual 49 Application and Document 4 2 5 Element Retrieval The Document object stores elements in the project Some properties enable you to retrieve elements from the Revit database e Retrieve all elements using the Elements property This property provides ac
300. vit ini Revit 2008 API User Manual 31 Add In Integration 3 2 1 Mechanism When no other commands or edit modes are active in Revit the registered external command is enabled When selected the command object is created and the Execute method is called Once this method returns back to Revit the command object is destroyed As a result data cannot persist in the object between command executions However you can use the Revit shared parameters mechanism to store data in the Revit project You can integrate External Commands into Revit There are two ways to trigger the commands e External Tools t1 Floor Plan Level 1 Site BYERS Settings Debug Window custom menu Help ExternalToolt bibdate ExternalTool2 Design Options gt ExternalTool3 ExternalTool4 Spelling dd ExternalTool5 2 Match MA HEAR Tape Measure Figure 12 External tools e Menu item n Level 1 tings Debug Window Bem GEN Help al h Menultemi A bs a nnne O amp Demolish gt E Menultem3 Ta Menultem4 Drag F Figure 13 Menul tems attached to the NewTopMenu Deas ax oso e E Plane EH OY TA ih bb BB H amp Demolish O Command Command2 MM 2 Press Drag F Project1 Project br X E Views all Floor Plans I anal 1 Basics R Modify E wal Figure 14 Menultems attached to the new toolbar The following diagram illustrates how the External Command is invoked Revit 2008
301. wColumn Reset the selected elements choices Elements newSelectedElementSet If you want to add one or more user specified Elements to the set use the PickOne and WindowSelect methods in the Selection class This allows the user to select one or more Elements using the cursor and then returns control to your application e The PickOne method adds one more Element to the set if the Element selected differs from the Elements already in the set e The WindowSelect method adds the selected Elements to the set if possible Code Region 4 Elements Essentials Document doc commandData Application ActiveDocument Selection choices doc Selection Pick one object from Revit bool hasPickOne choices PickOne j Choose objects from Revit bool hasPickSome choices WindowSelect The selected Elements and all Elements do not use the same collection class You must write two separate functions depending on whether all Elements or selected Elements are needed Revit 2008 API User Manual 68 Elements Essentials For more information about retrieving Elements from selected Elements and all Elements see the Walkthrough Retrieve Selected Elements and Walkthrough Retrieve All Elements sections in the Getting Started chapter 5 3 3 Other In addition to using the general way to access Elements the Revit API has properties in the Document class to get the specified Elements
302. wing steps 1 Get the ID of a SketchPlane by iterating Document Elements 2 Run Revit and from the menubar select Tools gt Element Ids gt Select by Id Enter the ID of a SketchPlane to try to display it by its ID A message dialog box appears with the message No good view could be found Every ModelCurve must lie in one SketchPlane In other words wherever you draw a ModelCurve either in the UI or by using the API a SketchPlane must exist Therefore at least one SketchPlane exists in a 2D view where a ModelCurve is drawn The 2D view contains the CeilingPlan FloorPlan and Elevation ViewTypes By default a SketchPlane is automatically created for all of these views The 2D view related SketchPlane Name returns the view name such as Level 1 or North Work Plane Current Work Plane Name Level Level 1 Specify a new Work Plane Level Level 1 O Pick a line and use the work plane it was sketched in Figure 110 Pick a Plane to identify a new Work Plane When you specify a new work plane you can select Pick a plane as illustrated in the previous picture After you pick a plane select a plane on a particular element such as a wall as the following picture shows In this case the SketchPlane Name property returns a string related to Revit 2008 API User Manual 154 Sketching that element For example in the following picture the SketchPlane Name property returns Generic 8 the same as the Wall Name prop
303. xternalCommand Result Execute Autodesk Revit ExternalCommandData commandData ref string message Autodesk Revit ElementSet elements message Please take attention on the highlighted Walls Autodesk Revit ElementSet elems commandData Application ActiveDocument Selection Elements foreach Autodesk Revit Element in elems Autodesk Revit Elements Wall1 wall e as Autodesk Revit Elements Wal1 if null wall elements Insert e return Autodesk Revit IExternalCommand Result Failed The following picture displays the result of the previous code Revit 2008 API User Manual 35 Add In Integration E Views all Revit Architecture 2008 Error cannot be ignored Please take attention on the highlighted Walls Legends E Schedules Quantitie CI Sheets all e je Families ce El Groups O Revit Links Figure 18 Error message dialog box and highlighted elements 3 2 2 4 Return The Return result indicates that the execution failed succeeded or is canceled by the user If it does not succeed Revit reverses changes made by the external command Member Name Description ExternalCommand Result Succeeded The external command completed successfully Revit keeps all changes made by the external command ExternalCommand Result Failed The external command failed to complete the task Revit reverses operations
304. y This property returns a BoundingBoxUV instance e The View OutLine Max property points to the upper right corner e The View OutLine Min property points to the lower left corner Like the crop box the crop region coordinates are based on the viewing coordinate system The following expressions are equal View CropBox Max X Y View OutLine Max X Y View CropBox Min X Y View OutLine Min X Y Since the size of an object s perspective projection varies inversely with the distance from that object to the center of the projection scale is meaningless for perspective views The perspective 3D view Scale property always returns zero Currently the API cannot create Perspective views Revit 2008 API User Manual 177 Views 14 2 2 Orthographic View Autodesk Revit Creation Document provides the NewView3D method to create an orthographic 3D view Figure 137 Parallel projection Orthographic views are generated using parallel projection rays by projecting the model onto a plane that is normal to the rays The viewing coordinate system is similar to the perspective view but the crop box is a parallelepiped with faces that are parallel or normal to the projection rays The View CropBox property points to two diagonal corners whose coordinates are based on the viewing coordinate system Window on view plane Figure 138 Scale the window on view plane to screen viewport Revit 2008 API User Manual 178 Views The mo
305. yle Visibility Halftone Detail Level Projection Cut Areas E Casework By Category By Category Ceilings By Category By Category Columns By Category By Category Curtain Panels By Category By Category Curtain Systems By Category By Category Curtain Wall Mullions By Category By Category Detail Items By Category i L Doors By Category By Category Electrical Equipment By Category Electrical Fixtures By Category Entourage By Category oOo Floors By Category By Category Furniture By Category Furniture Systems By Category Generic Models By Category By Category Lighting Fixtures By Category All None Invert Expand Al Override Host Layers I Cut Line Styles SASSER RS OOOO OOO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I Include categories from all disciplines in the list above Override Model Patterns Items marked By Category use this project s Model Obiect Styles feu ee Object Styles I Cut Pattern Color Surface Pattern Color Figure 37 Visibility by Category An element s category is determined by the Category ID e Category IDs are represented by the Elementid class e Imported Category IDs correspond to elements in the document e Most categories are built in and their IDs are constants stored in Elementl ds e Each built in category ID has a corresponding value in Builtl nCategory Enumeration They can be converted to corresponding BuiltlnCategory enumerated types
306. yticalModel can be downcast to an AnalyticalModelFloor Note Use the Transaction method to get the newly created Element s AnalyticalModel For example after you create a wall using the NewWall method the AnalyticalModel property returns null Using the Transaction method you can get both the AnalyticalModel and the wall geometry created by the API For more details refer to the Transaction chapter 21 2 2 RigidLink The AnalyticalModelFrame RigidLink property only works for StructuralBeam when it links to StructuralColumn The difference between the AnalyticalModelFrame properties Curve and Curves is that Curves includes Curve as well as the StructuralBeam RigidLink Curve if it is present Note You cannot create a rigid link directly since it is not an independent object You can create it using the manual command e StructuralColumn has the rigid link parameter STRUCTURAL_ANALYTICAL_RIGID_LINK with the ParameterType YesNo e If this parameter is set to 1 and the StructuralBeam is in the proper location relative to the StructuralColumn the rigid link is created automatically Revit 2008 API User Manual 271 Revit Structure Figure 219 RigidLink 21 2 3 SupportData SupportData provides information to support other Structural Elements The following examples illustrate how to use the SupportData property in different conditions 21 2 3 1 Floor and StructuralBeam SupportData When drawing a slab in sket

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