Upgrading Your Custom Revit MEP Library from 2010 to 2011 Format

Because some architects might be early adopters to 2011, and some architects might wait until the first service pack is released before upgrading their projects to 2011, engineers will find themselves working with architects using different versions of Revit.  Because Revit is not backwards compatible, engineers will have to run multiple versions of Revit MEP to match each architect that they are working with.

The history of this issue is that everybody working on a Revit project must be using the same version of Revit.  Architecture, Structural and MEP must all be the same.  If one team is using an newer version, the other teams who are using an older format won't be able to read the newer format.  The new format has new tools, new objects, and new settings that older versions don't understand, and weren't written to automatically know what new objects would be coming out in the future.  Now if one team is using an older version, the other teams will be able to open an older version, and upgrade that project to the newest version, but the team using the older version won't be able to open the new format version of the other team members.

So now that we understand why we have to install multiple versions of Revit MEP on our workstations, we will also need to have multiple versions of Revit Libraries on our server.  The 2011 directory, obviously will have the newest contect, and that content can only be used for 2011 projects.  That content cannot be used for 2010 projects.  So any 2010 project must use content from a 2010 content directory.  Any custom 2010 content can be copied, and the copies can then be upgraded and added to the 2011 directory.


To Use the Content Batch Upgrade Utility:

1. Copy Upgrade_RFA.txt and Upgrade_RFA.bat into the root directory of the library that you want to upgrade.
2. Run the Upgrade_RFA.bat to create the file list to upgrade, famlist_rfa.txt.
3. To launch the utility, from the library directory, drag Upgrade_RFA.txt onto the Revit icon on your desktop.
4. After upgrading, delete all backup files from the library.

Make sure all of your .rfa files are not read-only and delete all backup files from the library. If a particular family fails to upgrade properly, the utility will stop.  If this occurs, open famlist_rfa.txt in Microsoft Notepad, and remove all previously upgraded families and the failed family from the list. Save famlist_rfa.txt, and re-run the utility.

IFC Import to Revit MEP

Revit MEP provides Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) import based on the latest International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) IFC 2x3 data exchange standard. (If you import a file that uses an earlier standard [IFC 2x or 2x2], Revit MEP supports the format and imports it properly.)

When you import an IFC file, Revit MEP creates a new file based on the default template.

You can load your own IFC class mapping files and override the categories and subcategories for imported IFC objects.

Make sure you import the geometric data needed for the Revit MEP capability that you plan to use.

To import an IFC file:

1. Click File menu => Import/Link => IFC.
2. In the Import dialog, navigate to the IFC file to import.
3. Select the IFC file, and click Open.

Revit MEP creates a new file based on the default template.

Revit IFC Export to AutoCAD MEP

You can export Revit MEP building modeling information to the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file format.

About the IFC File Format

The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file format was developed by the International Alliance of Interoperability (IAI). IFC provides an interoperability solution between different software applications. The format has established, international standards to import and export building objects and their properties.

IFC improves communication, productivity, delivery time, and quality throughout the life cycle of a building. It reduces the loss of information during transmission from one application to another, with established standards for common objects in the building industry.

Revit MEP and IFC

Revit MEP provides IFC import and fully certified export based on the latest IAI IFC2x2 data exchange standard. When you export a Revit MEP building information model to IFC format, the information can be used directly by other building specialists, such as structural and building services engineers.

For example, building information models developed with Revit MEP are saved to the RVT file format. You can export the building model using the IFC format to an IFC-certified application that does not use the RVT file format. The drawing can be opened and worked on in the non-native application. Similarly, in Revit MEP you can import an IFC file, create a RVT file, and work on the building model in Revit MEP.

IFC uses architecturally meaningful containers to describe real-world building objects. Those containers include parameters that have meaningful values. Many standard Revit MEP elements have corresponding IFC containers. These do not require any specific user action to export them. (For example, Revit walls export as IFCwalls.)

To see how to import this IFC file into AutoCAD MEP, see my blog at www.autocadmep.blogspot.com

Exporting Autodesk Building Systems Designs to Revit Systems

The first step in linking an Autodesk Building Systems MEP design to a Revit Systems project is to use the Export to AutoCAD functionality included within Building Systems. This feature saves all design data as AutoCAD entities (such as lines, circles, arcs, and blocks), which can then be read and understood by Revit Systems.

Creating a Design with both 2D and 3D Views

Autodesk Building Systems, through its use of intelligent objects, automatically creates 2D and 3D representations of the MEP designs which can be viewed by other AutoCAD-based applications, as well as Revit Structure. Use the following steps to create an Autodesk Building Systems drawing with both a 2D and 3D display for use in Revit Systems:

1. With the MEP design open in Building Systems, create a new layout and then two viewports.
2. In one of the viewports, set the view to Plan. Use the built-in display configurations of Building Systems to set the view to either 1-Line or 2-Line.
3. Set the second viewport to an Isometric view.
4. With the layout page still current, use the Export to AutoCAD feature.

Use the Export to AutoCAD feature in Autodesk Building Systems to export an MEP design for use in Revit Systems. Note the Export to AutoCAD feature exports all linework/objects in the Building Systems drawing, regardless where the linework/objects reside. Therefore, before using the Export to AutoCAD feature, detach the external reference of any structural floor plan. This will enable only the Building Systems data to be exported.

The exported file contains two block representations in model space; one in 2D and the other in 3D. These blocks represent the Display Configuration Views that were currently active in each viewport of the layout prior to export. Furthermore, each block representation is on its own layer (named for the layout viewport) as well. When linking this file into Revit, users can control the appearance of the floor plan and 3D views by working with the visibility of these layers. The exported file contains the 2D and 3D representation of the MEP design in model space.