FormIt + Revit

What's New With FormIt + Revit

All New for 2022

• • Launch FormIt directly from Revit with the new 3D Sketch button on Revit's Massing & Site tab.
  • Design in FormIt and send your sketch back to Revit using the Send To Revit button in FormIt when launched from the 3D Sketch button.
  • Import a FormIt model into Revit using the Import CAD button in Revit’s Insert tab (more reliable and up to 30x faster than the former Import FormIt to RVT button).
  • No need to download a separate Add-In for FormIt capabilities.

Revit 2021.1 Improvements

• Improved edge visibility consistency: Smoothed/hidden edges in FormIt remain hidden in Revit.
• Improved material orientation consistency: Materials with custom scale/rotation overrides on FormIt faces will maintain those overrides in Revit.
• Fixed several cases where converting FormIt geometry from Revit would fail or cause Revit to hang.

Materials Change + Supported Versions

• FormIt 2021 features a performance improvement around Materials that causes a breaking change for the Revit Add-In:
• FormIt Groups now share Material texture data, drastically reducing FormIt file sizes and improving performance. 
• We've made the necessary changes to keep Materials working in the Revit Add-In, only for Revit 2020 and newer.
• Converting FormIt 2021 files in Revit 2019 or older will result in loss of Material data, so we highly recommend upgrading to Revit 2020 or newer.

 

Getting Started with FormIt + Revit

 

Intuitive 3D Sketching Directly From Revit

If you're working in both early stage and detailed design, you can quickly iterate and explore designs smoothly between FormIt and Revit.

• • Push contextual geometry from Revit to FormIt with one click.
  • Design and model in FormIt and send your design back to the same Revit project while in the same session.
  • Reference a FormIt model in Revit using the Import CAD tool and continue with visualization and detailing in Revit.

3D Sketch and Send to Revit for Design Iteration

Suggested Workflows

• • Define an interior portion of the Revit model using a Section Box, then click the 3D Sketch button to open FormIt and explore interior layouts or bespoke design features.
    Send the new design to Revit with one click.
  • Start with an urban context already modeled in Revit and click the 3D Sketch button to bring the surrounding context into FormIt as snappable references. Send the new design to Revit with one click.
  • Open an existing Revit building model and use the 3D Sketch button to launch FormIt. Model a few designs for a new addition, putting each design on a different FormIt Layer.
    Select the elements you want from your designs and send each design to Revit using the Send to Revit button. In Revit, you can explore these designs as separate design options.

Using the Tools

• • The 3D Sketch button + Send To Revit workflow is available to subscribers of the Autodesk Architecture, Engineering, & Construction (AEC) Collection and to customers with specific types of access. It is not available through Revit LT. Learn more about the AEC Collection here.
  • When you launch Revit 2022.0, there is a new button on the Massing & Site tab called 3D Sketch. The button is available from 3D views only; it will appear disabled in 2D views in Revit.
  • Ensure that you are signed into Revit with your Autodesk credentials. Launching the 3D Sketch button may prompt you to sign into your Autodesk account again. This is to check that you have the correct entitlements.
  • If FormIt 2022.0 is not installed (or there is a pre-2022.0 FormIt version installed), FormIt will not launch and you will be prompted to download the correct version of FormIt.
  • Click on the 3D Sketch button to launch FormIt. Choose to bring all visible objects or just selected objects into FormIt. Choosing to bring only selected objects is helpful if the Revit model
    is large and the design will reference only a portion of the Revit model. Additionally, use a Section Box in Revit to isolate an interior area of the Revit model to bring into FormIt.
    
    
    
  • When FormIt launches, the included Revit geometry will display on its own layer in FormIt. The layer is called “Revit Context” and is locked by default.
  • Model in FormIt by adding forms or applying levels, materials, content, and more.
  • Transfer the FormIt geometry into Revit using the Send to Revit button on FormIt’s ribbon.
    • Choose to include all visible FormIt geometry (with the exception of any geometry on the Revit Context layer) or include only selected objects.
    • Choosing Selected only is helpful if you want to send only a portion of the new design into Revit.
            
        
  • FormIt levels, layers, and materials will transfer to Revit along with the geometry.
    • You can view the FormIt materials in Revit's Materials dialog box by filtering the list by “FormIt.”
      You can find FormIt layers in a Revit view through the import tab of Visibility Graphics. This is a great way to show different FormIt design options in Revit.
  • See the FormIt Primer for a FormIt-Revit workflow tutorial.

 

Importing FormIt Models: Design collaboration between FormIt and Revit

Suggested Workflows

• • Share the FormIt model with a colleague, who can then import the FormIt model into their Revit project for reference, visualization, and detailing.
  • Import the FormIt model directly into a Revit Design Option to further explore and compare designs. Since FormIt layers come into Revit through the import workflow,
    the Revit user can control which FormIt layers are visible in which Revit Design Option.
  • Import the FormIt model into a Mass-category family (then load it into a Revit project) to take advantage of Levels, Mass Floors, and By Face tools and apply Revit system families
    to FormIt geometry.

Using the Tools

• • Specify a FormIt file to import into the current Revit project. Open Revit’s Import CAD tool. Choose .AXM from the list of available
    file types. Browse to an .AXM file and click Open.
  • FormIt materials transfer to Revit and display in Revit’s materials dialog box. Filter the list for FormIt materials.
    • Materials that were scaled or rotated in FormIt retain the correct scale and rotation in Revit.
  • Levels from FormIt transfer to Revit.
    • Click the “Import FormIt Levels” button in the Import CAD dialog box.
  • Hidden edges of curved/faceted geometry in FormIt come into Revit with hidden edges.
    • Known Issue: the silhouette edges also appear hidden in Hidden Line view in Revit.
  • The FormIt origin point and the Revit base point are used for reliable placement of imported FormIt objects.
  • FormIt geometry imported into Revit will come in with all FormIt Layers.
    • The FormIt Layers are accessible from the Visibility Graphics > Imported Categories tab. Here the user will see a list of FormIt layers and can turn them on and off with the checkboxes.
  • Revit's "By Face” tools (also known as Building Maker tools) can generate Revit elements from FormIt geometry
    • This requires the FormIt geometry to be imported into a Mass Family or Generic Model family first, then loaded into the project environment.
  • FormIt geometry comes in as one import instance.
    • To import a FormIt model as separate imports, isolate parts of the model in FormIt, and import each part as a separate .AXM file.
  • Learn more in Revit's documentation.
    
    

Working with Revit Levels and FormIt Imports

• • When importing FormIt geometry into Revit, the resulting objects may be at an unexpected elevation due to Revit levels.
    • In elevation/plan views, imported FormIt geometry will appear in Revit at the current level.
    • In 3D views, imported FormIt geometry will default to the lowest level, which may be below grade.
    • If your geometry appears at an unexpected height in Revit, select the imported object, and adjust the Base Level to the appropriate level in Revit.

 

Converting Revit Families

• Revit families convert to FormIt content using the Convert RFA to FormIt button on Revit's Add-Ins tab, making it efficient to reuse existing Revit content in the context of FormIt.
• Specify a folder of RFA files which will be converted to FormIt files and output to a folder of your choice.
• This is a great way to reuse all of the Revit content you already have. Just convert the content to FormIt and point FormIt’s content library to the folder containing the converted files. Then from the Content Library Palette, click a thumbnail preview and place it in the model.
  
  

 

Preparing SketchUp files for Revit

• Use FormIt for Windows to open or import SketchUp content
• Optionally use the built-in diagnostics and repair tools to fix geometry so it's solid better for downstream operations
• Save the FormIt file and import it using Import CAD or Send to Revit workflows outlined above

 

 

Transitioning from the FormIt Converter Add-In

FormIt + Revit 2022 and newer offer built-in synergy with no extra download required.

With these changes, the Add-In begins a transition. Learn how previous workflows have changed.

 

A New Way to Import AXM Files

Replacing the Import FormIt to RVT button in the Add-In is the ability to import FormIt (.AXM) files via the Import CAD tool in Revit's Insert tab. 

In addition to being up to 30x faster, you'll find this workflow is generally more reliable, too. Along with this, some behaviors have changed:

Geometry on Import

• • FormIt geometry imports as one import instance. FormIt categories no longer become Revit categories. We're working to address this in a future update.
    • FormIt categories are currently used only for Energy Analysis. 
  • You no longer have to break up the model into smaller pieces - try sending an entire FormIt model at once!
  • To import a FormIt model as separate imports, isolate parts of the model in FormIt and import each part as a separate .AXM file.

Materials on Import

• • FormIt materials transfer better than ever to Revit and can be sorted in the Materials dialog.
    
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Post-Import Workflows

• • For workflows involving Mass Floors and By Face (Building Maker) tools, first import the FormIt model into a Revit Mass or Generic Model family, then load it into the project environment.
  • Additionally, take advantage of a more fluid working by accessing the new 3D sketching environment for early stage design directly from Revit!

 

Changes to Revit Families

Continue to use Revit family content in FormIt by using the Convert RFA to FormIt button on Revit’s Add-Ins tab; there is no change to this workflow.

The Reload Families button has been removed as we work to provide a better experience.

Important Notes

Known Issues

• • When importing FormIt geometry to Revit, the resulting objects may appear at an unexpected elevation.
    • See Importing FormIt Models in the Getting Started section for more information and a workaround.
  • When launching FormIt from the 3D Sketch button in an empty Revit project, selecting the "Launch FormIt with all visible Revit objects" option will result in an error.
    
    • To work around this, choose the "Launch FormIt with selected Revit objects" option instead.
    • This will be fixed in a future release.
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Get Support

• • Need help with FormIt + Revit? Let us know on the forums.

 

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, FormIt, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.