Revit Question
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I know very little about Revit.
We're trying to play with Revit and we're working an architect who has made a revit model of a site, including our landscape area (mostly seatwalls and walkways with a little turf and planter area). I was hoping to get their revit model to play with and tweak, maybe adjust heights of seatwalls and stuff.
Can they just send me their revit files? Or do they have to export to dwg, because that is what they seem to have done. I am wanting to open these in Revit (which we have). Is there some reason that they couldn't just send me the revit files? Does revit work like that?
Chris
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Only Revit will open Revit files.
It is also version sensitive and once a file is opened and saved it can't 'revert' to an earlier version [unlike a SKP].
It exports in various formats - including DWG and DXF.
That can be imported into a SKP, but such files are often full of superfluous geometry and dozens of individual repetitive block-inserts [aka components] that should have been made as multiple instances of the same object, had any Revit programmer had two brain cells to rub together
You can import DWG files into Revit.
However, it seems overly convoluted that a Revit model's originator is supplying you with a DWG version, that you are then trying to reinsert into your own Revit model !
Perhaps he doesn't wish to share the whole model for 'copyright' reasons ?? -
A wise tiny suggestion also is "editing" "family" properties, befor exporting as dwg, etc.... . i.e. reducing "wall" "layers" to less possible (a.k.a structure layer) so that the result be "clean" enough for importing to SU
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Chris,
There is no technical reason for them not to provide you with a "copy" of their Revit file in Revit (.rvt) format. Even if they operate in a workshared environment where multiple users access the central file - they can use the option to "save a detached copy" to create a copy of the central file for you.
If they are a Subscription member - there is a really nice utility that is essentially the same as the old "pack-and-go" Autocad utility. It will create a copy (detached if it is a central file) of the .rvt file and also gathers any linked files (acad or revit) and images into a seperate folder.
As Tig noted - Revit is version specific and you can't go back. So being on the same version as consultants or firms you work with is important.
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Excellent, all good information. The client sent me an ftp login to d/l a bunch of dwg files. But I was able to dig around the project folder and find their revit files. So I went ahead and downloaded them. I've got them in revit, but when I open them, it tells me its converting them. "This is a one time upgrade process" your file is being upgraded to the latest file version, etc etc.
So that must mean they have an older version than I do, so I won't be able to interact well with them right? If I make changes, they can't easily incorporate it into their model?
Let's say I do give up on this revit thing. What is most useful for them: should I take their dwgs and import them into SU and give them an SU model back? Or should I convert the SU model back to dwg for them? Or should I use their revit model to export my own dwgs so I make sure to get what I want? (not that I even know how to do that at this point).
Chris
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You are right, your copy of revit was upgrading an older version. And yes they won't be able to use what you change. As far as what is best for them that is really up to them. It also depends on who is doing the final drawings. If you are producing the construction documents for the landscape then they only need to modify their model in those areas to match. I would just ask them which is the best. Personally I would probably prefer a SKP to import then modify my Revit model to match.
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