BIM Blog

How to Restore Lost Elements Using Revit® Backup Files or Copies

Last time, I explained how to transfer views, family types, elements, etc. between different Revit® projects. This time I would like to show how to restore lost elements using Revit backup files or copies.

Imagine you’re working on a big project, and you notice that some Revit® elements that had been modeled a few hours or even days ago are missing. That might happen on workshared projects when team members don’t own worksets, and everybody can edit anything. So, sometimes someone might accidentally delete someone else’s elements.

To transfer the missing elements, you need to find a backup file where the elements are still in their place, or a local copy of the project that wasn’t synchronized with the central file for some time (and has the missing elements in it).

Now you have to open both projects in Revit. The best way to transfer elements is in plan views, so activate in both projects same-level plan views. Mark the elements in the project where they are still in their place (you can use right click and Select All Instances >Visible in View or just select all and filter the required elements).

Transferring Views, Family Types, Elements, Etc. Between Different Revit® Projects

Autodesk® Revit® can save a lot of time when you’re working on large projects or multiple similar projects. What you want to use here are Revit project templates.

Revit users can save system families (walls, floors, etc.), component families (doors, windows, furniture, etc.), sheets, schedules, annotations, graphics, and so on to their project templates. This can save a lot of time when starting a new project because you skip over the creation of schedules or importing needed families. Each project is different, however, and we can’t create a template that will suit all projects. Even if we create a few templates to choose from for a new project, the chosen template won’t fit it 100%.

There are even situations when, for example, schedules from multiple different projects have to be used in a new project. Also, sometimes beginners forget to use the required project template and have problems transferring their work to a project template. There is a partial solution for that using Revit project linking, binding it afterward, but losing annotations, detail items, views, etc., but that’s a topic for another post.

First of all, let’s see how the system family types, annotations, tags, view templates, etc. can be transferred between projects (those are just types, not designed elements of the project).

AGACAD Advances | 2023 No. 1

The ‘I’ in BIM is the item of interest in the latest installment of our newsletter AGACAD Advances for AEC professionals.

But there’s more besides, like client stories and upcoming webinars. Plus, our Global BIM Survey continues.

Classification: The key to getting more out of BIM [WEBINAR]

So, let’s say you made the transition from designing in 2D to 3D some time ago. You and your team have become confident in using BIM workflows. Check.

But, are you using BIM to its full potential? The time, effort, and financial resources invested into implementing BIM demand that you get as much as possible out of it.

BIM data classification is precisely where you can get more out of BIM. In fact, it’s the key to unlocking its full value. That’s because BIM data classification makes data easier to understand, ensuring accurate and timely budgeting, planning, building, and management of a given asset.

Wood/Metal Framing for Revit: The Most Significant Enhancements of 2021/2022 (Pt. 2)

As promised, here’s Part 2 of our Annual Framing Summary covering updates and improvements that were implemented for our Wood Framing and Metal Framing BIM software for Autodesk® Revit®.

While Part 1 covered new products, sample projects, and tutorials, this second installment will get into the nitty-gritty of new features that were released from the tail-end of 2021 and during 2022, including client requests that benefit lots of users.

8 Ways Architects Can Optimize the Drawing & Documentation Workflow in Revit

Architects know how important it is and how time-consuming it can be to generate accurate project drawings in Revit. To some degree or another, reworking drawings is always necessary, things like dimensions, tags, and other data, in order to end up with high-quality documents.

In this article, you’ll see how our Smart Documentation plugin for Revit can help architects optimize their workflow.

New version of Smart Browser Revit plugin: Create your Revit family library in 3 easy steps

We’d like to introduce the latest updates made to our Smart Browser plugin for Revit. In brief, the UI has been reworked to make creating Revit family libraries more straightforward. And, there’s a new feature that lets you see at a glance if families have recently been added or updated when family browsing.

10 Ways Structural Engineers Can Improve Project Documentation Quality & Save Time in Revit

BIM practitioners are always on the lookout for ways to consolidate workflows and put out accurate project deliverables faster.

We’ve tried to make it easier for you to accomplish that with our Smart Documentation plugin for Revit®.

Deltec Homes upgrades its innovative panel work

This US creator of hurricane-resistant circular timber homes greatly enhanced its panel design processes with the help of AGACAD wood framing tools for Revit® and related training and support, speeding its fuller transition to BIM.

Client Profile

Deltec Homes is a design and prefabrication company based in Asheville, North Carolina, known for uniquely durable and energy-efficient timber houses. Founded in 1968 and certified as environmentally friendly, it has customers in all 50 US states and around the world, from the Caribbean to Australia, especially in places where heavy wind and storms are common.

Business Need

Deltec Homes promotes ingenuity in building design, seeking maximally simple ways to address life’s complex challenges. The company is famous for its distinctive hurricane-resistant round homes, which combine panoramic views of nature with protection from its harsher moments. It also boasts two “Housing Innovation Awards” from the US Department of Energy for zero energy houses.

Updating Metal Framed Models & Documentation Automatically in Revit [WEBINAR]

It’s time to kick off AGACAD’s 2023 webinar season!

Our first webinar of the year will be about how to automate light-gauge steel design in Revit using the Metal Framing solution. Specifically, how to deal with mid-project model changes.

When changes are made to the framing design, they affect many elements in your model. And not only the framing elements, but also the shop drawings and BIM data associated with them.

But, what if you need to make changes after having invested hours of work into framing design, element numbering, and shop drawings? Can you still get drawings and schedules done on time?