Opening the Lines of Communication Between Revit - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Opening the Lines of Communication Between Revit

®

and Third-Party Applications

David Rushforth, PE, LEED AP BD+C

Senior Electrical Engineer, R.G. Vanderweil Engineers

david@rushforth.orgSlide2

Presentation Expectations

Have questions?Please save them for after the presentation or send me an e-mailExperience LevelTopics are advancedExplanations are geared toward non-programmersDatabase communication onlyRevit API experience is (partially) assumed

GoalShare “the power of the possible”WARNINGThe following content was prepared by an engineer, NOT a programmer. The samples of code shown may contain disturbing examples of poor programming practices and represent only one of many ways to accomplish the desired objective.Slide3

About the Presenter

Electrical Engineer at R.G. Vanderweil EngineersNative to Las VegasBS Electrical Engineering, BYUMS Electrical Engineering, UNLVSlide4

Presentation Outline

Communication OverviewLines of CommunicationsText Based (Csv, Txt, XML, Ini, Dat)Microsoft Access

®SQLMicrosoft Excel®Autodesk AutoCAD®

Other Applications

Autodesk Revit

®

Another Approach: Microsoft Access® As Hub

Ideas For Further DevelopmentSlide5

Communication Overview

Autodesk AutoCAD

®

Microsoft Excel

®

SQL

Microsoft Access

®

Text

SKM Power Tools

Autodesk Revit

®Slide6

Lines of Communication: Text BasedSlide7

Lines of Communication: Text Based

Write New File (Example formats: Csv, Txt, XML, Ini, Dat)

Dim writefilename As String

writefilename

= "C:\[your path here]"

Dim

fs

As New

FileStream

(

writefilename

,

FileMode.Create

,

FileAccess.Write

)

Dim s As New StreamWriter(

fs) s.WriteLine("Stuff")

s.Close()Read/Write/Edit existing File Data Code Dim

FilePath As String FilePath

= " C:\[your path here]" Dim text As Array Dim lines As New List(Of String) text =

System.IO.File.ReadAllLines(FilePath)

lines.AddRange(text) Dim n As Integer

For n = 0 To lines.Count

- 1

‘[read, store, insert, or make decisions based on lines(n) ]

Next n

Color Key

Variable declarations

Supporting code

Read

WriteSlide8

Lines of Communication: Microsoft Access®Slide9

Lines of Communication: Microsoft Access®

Connect to database file for direct manipulationDim strAccessFile As String

= "C:\Temp\MyDatabase.accdb"Dim mAccessApplication

As New

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Access.Application

mAccessApplication.OpenCurrentDatabase

(

strAccessFile

)

Dim

myEmployeesRecords

As

dao.Recordset

Dim

TableName

As String

= "Employees"

myEmployeesRecords = mAccessApplication.CurrentDb.OpenRecordset("SELECT * FROM " & TableName

)myEmployeesRecords.MoveFirst()Dim readFirstName

As StringreadFirstName = myEmployeesRecords.Fields

("FirstName").ValuemyEmployeesRecords.Edit

()myEmployeesRecords.Fields("FirstName").Value = "David"

myEmployeesRecords.Fields("LastName").Value = "Rushforth"

myEmployeesRecords.Update()

mAccessApplication.Quit

(Option:=

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Access.AcQuitOption.acQuitSaveNone

)

mAccessApplication

= Nothing

For 64-bit compatibility

Copy dao360.dll to Revit “Program” folder

Color Key

Variable declarations

Supporting code

Read

WriteSlide10

Lines of Communication: SQLSlide11

Lines of Communication: SQL

Connect to database file for direct manipulationDim StrConnectionString As StringStrConnectionString

= "Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=C:\Temp\TestDatabase.mdf;Integrated Security=True;User

Instance=True“

Dim

mySqlConnection

As New

SqlConnection

(

StrConnectionString

)

Dim

mySqlCommand

As New

SqlCommand

mySqlConnection.Open

()

mySqlCommand.Connection =

mySqlConnectionDim TableName

As String = "Employees“mySqlCommand.CommandText = "SELECT * FROM " & TableName

mySqlCommand.CommandText = "UPDATE " &

TableName & " SET FirstName='EditedFirstName',LastName

='EditedLastName' WHERE (NameID= 1234)“

mySqlCommand.CommandText = "SELECT * FROM " & TableName & " WHERE (

FirstName='FirstName1')“

mySqlCommand.ExecuteNonQuery

()

‘RUN THIS AFTER EACH .

CommandText

Dim

mySqlDataReader

As

SqlDataReader

mySqlDataReader

=

mySqlCommand.ExecuteReader

While

mySqlDataReader.Read

() 'While Data is Present

MsgBox

(

mySqlDataReader

("

FirstName

") & ", " &

mySqlDataReader

("LastName"))End WhilemySqlDataReader.Close()mySqlConnection.Close()

Color Key

Variable declarations

Supporting code

Read

WriteSlide12

Lines of Communication: Microsoft Excel®Slide13

Lines of Communication: Microsoft Excel®

Connect to Excel file for direct manipulationDim strXlsFile As StringstrXlsFile

= "C:\Temp\test.xls"Dim mExcelApplication

As New

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.Application

Dim

mExcelWorkbook

As

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.Workbook

=

mExcelApplication.Workbooks.Open

(

strXlsFile

)

Dim

mExcelWorksheet As

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.Worksheet = mExcelWorkbook.Worksheets(1)

Dim readValue As StringreadValue =

mExcelWorksheet.Range("A1").ValuemExcelWorksheet.Range

("A2").Value = “New Value"mExcelWorkbook.Windows(1).Visible = TruemExcelWorkbook.Save

()mExcelWorkbook = NothingmExcelApplication.Quit()

mExcelApplication = Nothing

Color Key

Variable declarations

Supporting code

Read

WriteSlide14

Lines of Communication: Autodesk AutoCAD®Slide15

Lines of Communication: Autodesk AutoCAD®

DXF FilesText based file formatCan be written or editedScriptsAuto-run script on open AutoCADcadpath =

myApplicationFilePath & " /b " & ScriptNameDim ACADProcessID As Integer

ACADProcessID

= Shell(

cadpath

,

vbMaximizedFocus

)

LISP

Load a LISP routine during a script

s.WriteLine

("(load ""MyLispFilename.lsp"")")Slide16

Lines of Communication: Other ApplicationsSlide17

Lines of Communication: Other Applications

Identify ways of:Getting Data OutReports (txt, xls)Export optionsGetting Data InImport options

Proprietary extensions (e.g. .xyz) may be text basedSlide18

Lines of Communication: Autodesk Revit

®

.

addins

or Revit.ini

Ribbon.dll

Set References (RevitAPI.dll, etc.)

Create Ribbon Toolbar

Create Button1

-When pressed access class in RibbonCommands.dll

Create Button2

-…

References (Revit API)

RevitAPI.dll, RevitAPIUI.dll

Load

dll

on startup

Set References (RevitAPI.dll, etc.)

Class

PowerSuite

-Gather

Param

info

-Open Power Suite

-Transfer Info

Class

SetPowerSuiteParams

-Set changed parameters

Class

ParameterXfmr

-Sort Project Elements

-Sort Selected Elements

-Open form

Class …

RibbonCommands.dll

AHKSlide19

Lines of Communication: Autodesk Revit®

Getting Data OutRead ParametersGetting Data InImport from textConnect to Database or TableExcel to DXFLink CAD drawings

Set ParametersLoad FamiliesCreate objectsAutomating the InterfaceAutoHotkey

(AHK) ScriptsSlide20

Another Approach: Microsoft Access® As Hub

Work flowSend data from Revit to Access® databaseAccess® stores and controls the flow of information between Revit and third party applications

BenefitsPerform advanced lookups and calculationsReview and change design outside of RevitCan send changes back to RevitSame interface for Revit and Non-Revit projectsSlide21

Integrated Program Example

Autodesk AutoCAD

®

Microsoft Excel

®

SKM Power Tools

Text

Autodesk Revit

®

Microsoft Access

®Slide22

Ideas For Further Development

Write custom reports from RevitWrite errors or standards deviations to journalsExport room dimensionsAutomate print settingsCreate sheets, objects, or families from stored dataExtract specific family types from projectCreate a keynote databaseAutomate riser diagrams

Create room or space schedules with error reportingSlide23

THANK YOU!

If you liked it…Fill out the online class survey.If this will help you in your work…Send me an email and let me know how it helped.If you have questions…Ask now or send me an

e-mail later.david@rushforth.orgSlide24

Autodesk [and other] are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or 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. © 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.