FormIt + Revit

What's New With FormIt + Revit

We have big plans for FormIt and Revit, but in the meantime, we're making small improvements to the current system.

Revit Add-In Improvements

• We've reorganized the Revit Add-In interface to better reveal the most commonly-used tools. 
• We've reduced the install size by over 80%.

Materials Change + Supported Versions

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

Getting Started with FormIt + Revit

The FormIt Add-In for Revit

• The Revit Add-In is included with an installation of Revit.
• However, we do make updates after Revit ships, so download the latest version of the Add-In for supported Revit versions here.
  
  
  
  In the Revit Add-Ins tab, find the FormIt Add-In which has the following features:
• Import FormIt to RVT
• Specify a FormIt file to import into the current Revit project.
• Convert RFA to FormIt
• Specify a folder of RFA files which will be converted to FormIt files, output to a folder of your choice.
• Reload Families
• If you placed RFA content in a FormIt file that has been converted to Revit, you can replace FormIt's RFA approximation with the true RFA files by pointing to the folder where the RFA files exist.
  
  

How Objects Translate

• FormIt Groups become Revit Mass Families by default, which support Wall by Face, Curtain System by Face, and Roof by Face.
• FormIt Levels become Revit Levels and support Floor by Face, and Floor Plan view creation.
• FormIt materials become Revit materials when using Revit 2018 and later.
  
  

Groups to Families

• Groups in FormIt become Revit Families, and can be set to a variety of non-hosted Revit Family Categories.
• Change the category of a Group in FormIt by editing the Group, and choosing a Category in the Properties panel:
  
  
  
  
• Mass vs. Generic
• Two commonly-used categories when working with FormIt + Revit, but have unique characteristics.
• Generic Models can be recategorized and nested in other Family categories, but Masses cannot.
• FormIt Groups can also be imported into the Revit Family editor to create RFA of any family category with materials.
• Revit Families can be exported to FormIt, and then later converted back to the original Revit Family.

Iteration between FormIt and Revit

• The Import FormIt to Revit command adds FormIt models into an existing Revit project, so you can update often.
• The FormIt origin point and the Revit base point are used for reliable placement of imported FormIt objects.
• The Group Name in FormIt is remembered upon Revit Import for use with Revit Filters.
• Revit System Families can be exported to FormIt using SAT export options.

Preparing SketchUp files for Revit

• SketchUp files often have geometry fidelity issues that will cause issues when converting to Revit.
• Using FormIt for Windows, you can open or import SketchUp files and then use built-in diagnostics and repair tools to fix SketchUp geometry so it's solid and ready for Revit.
• Save the FormIt file and use the Revit Add-In feature "Convert FormIt to RVT" to conver the geometry into your current Revit project.
  
  

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.