Automation in Revit: Advanced Techniques

Part 1: Advanced Automation in Revit

In this part, we'll go deeper into advanced Revit automation. You will understand the potential of automation in complex tasks and learn about the role of user interfaces in automation.

Advanced Revit Automation Techniques

• The Role of User Interfaces in Automation
• Hands-on Exercise: Creating a Dynamo script that uses Dynamo Player

Data output to the user

• Different approaches in data output inside of Revit or externally
• Hands-on Exercise: Output data for user review

Part 2: Advanced Dynamo and Families

This section will focus on Dynamo's capabilities for handling families and complex tasks and creating intelligent custom families for automation.

Intelligent Custom Families

• Creating Parametric Families for Automation
• Hands-on Exercise: Creating a Parametric Family for Automation

Advanced Automation with Dynamo

• Working with Complex Dynamo Scripts
• Dynamically Controlling Families with Dynamo
• Hands-on Exercise: Automating a Complex Task Using Dynamo

Part 3: Data Exchange and Debugging

Part three focuses on data exchange and debugging. This day introduces integrating various data sources, automating data exchange tasks, and advanced techniques to debug scripts.

Advanced Data Exchange

• Integrating Various Data Sources with Revit
• Automating Data Exchange Tasks using Tools like Dynamo and Python
• Hands-on Exercise: Integrating Multiple External Data Sources with Revit

Advanced Debugging Techniques

• Debugging Complex Automation Scripts
• Hands-on Exercise: Debugging a Complex Automation Script

Part 4: Best Practices and Case Studies

This section focuses on the best practices and case studies of Revit automation in production workflows. We will learn how to implement automation projects and study several examples of successful Revit automation projects.

Best Practices for Revit Automation in Production Workflows

• Understanding and Implementing Automation in Production Workflows
• Case Studies Demonstrating Revit Automation in Action
• Hands-on Project: Implementing an Automation Project Based on a Case Study

Part 5: Final Project

The final project focuses on a comprehensive project where you will design and automate a layout for a high-rise building's core and services, integrating all the learnings from the training.

Automated High-Rise Building Core Layout and Services Design

• Starting up a Revit project
• Scope box creation
• View template creation
• Sheet creation
• Element creation
• Element modification
• Data import and export
• Reviewing the revit file
• Documenting the workflow and presenting the project

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Creating a Dynamo script that uses Dynamo Player

You need a user interface to run scripts quicker and let non-dynamo users run your scripts. A user interface gives you the ability to change script inputs without opening the script itself. This project investigates how to give your users more choices and customizability in running your scripts.

Output data for user review

Not only can you have input in Dynamo player, but you can also give your user information by running the script. This is something we look at in this project. We also go into depth about other types of output, like CSV and DWG.

Creating a Parametric Family for Automation

We create a family that is ready for automation purposes, with parameters connected to the resulting shape of the family so that Dynamo can interact not only with parameter data and the position of the object but also with the shape of it.

Automating a Complex Task Using Dynamo

To try out our new family, we create a Dynamo script that chooses a size of a family instance depending on external factors and elements. Our script checks parameters depending on external values and looks at the placement of the resulting family instances.

Integrating Multiple External Data Sources with Revit

This project focuses on communicating with multiple sources and Revit, creating a complex script that makes Revit a focal point of data from different parts of our project and business.

Debugging a Complex Automation Script

We have, at this point, gone through many different scripts. It’s time to look at what can go wrong and how we can fix it. You already have some ideas from the Essentials training, but this time we dig a bit deeper and look at more complex issues. Including:

• Investigate error messages
• Identify the first occurrence of error
• Run script step-by-step
• Check outcomes of nodes
• Check data types of outputs compared to expected inputs
• Examine list depth and indices
• Isolate custom code and test it independently
• Revit and Dynamo versions

Implementing an Automation Project Based on a Case Study

We look at how one might take inspiration from a case study and implement it in your own project. This is to connect to your real-life scenario of not knowing where to start but knowing the goal. Together we walk through a project where you have been tasked with automating a critical and time-consuming step.  

Automated High-rise building core layout and services design

For the final project, we combine our learned skills from the previous days and the Essential training to script:

• Starting up a Revit project
• Scope box creation
• View template creation
• Sheet creation
• Element creation
• Element modification
• Data import and export
• Reviewing the revit file
• Documenting the workflow and presenting the project

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