Dynamo has full access to the Revit API so it’s a good alternative to writing macros or add-ins.ĭynamo is open-source so you can download it for for free. You link the nodes together in the Dynamo editor to create the structure of your graph. Instead of writing code, you use nodes to graphically construct your program (or graph in Dyno-speak). Don’t have access to the library? Sign up for email updates and get access to all the ArchSmarter Revit macros.ĭynamo is a visual programming tool for Revit. I’m working on a macro version of Jeremy’s parameter exporter which I’ll make available in the ArchSmarter Revit Macro library. Jeremy Tammick over at The Builder Coder wrote a great post back in 2012 on writing your own parameter exporter.’ If you want to get your hands dirty and write some code, it’s fairly easy to write a macro to import and export data to Excel.
They’re not free but both come packed full of features that you’ll find essential if you’re doing some heavy Revit to Excel work. Both these options allow you to export data out to Excel and import data. Two good ones for working with Excel are Ideate BIMLink and Exceler8. I’ve written about Revit add-ins in a previous post. Click the Revit button then click the “Export” from the list.
To export the data, first make the schedule your active view. There’s no link between Revit and Excel so any changes you make in Excel will need to be updated manually in Revit. Keep in mind that this is a one-way export. Things like room schedules and drawing lists are great for this method. This method works great if the data is straightforward and can be captured in a schedule. The easiest way to get data out of your model is to create a Revit schedule then export it directly to Excel. Here are the 4 ways you can link Revit to Excel: With a two-way link, you can edit your model directly from Excel.
Other methods create a true two-way link between Revit and Excel. Some methods are strictly a one-way export. The best method depends on the type of data you’re working with and what you’re ultimately going to do with that data. There are four different ways you can link Revit to Excel. So what’s the easiest way to link Revit and Excel? 4 Ways to Link Revit to Excel The trick is getting that data out of the model and into a format you can use. Given the data-centric nature of BIM, Excel is a great tool for maximizing the value of your BIM data. I figure in a given week, I probably use Excel almost as much as I use Revit. I’ve written a lot about it here on ArchSmarter. Sounds pretty cool, right? Working with Excel It’s even possible to edit your Revit model directly from Excel. Basically, I wish schedules worked more like Excel.įortunately, it’s easy to link your Revit data to Excel. I wish I could add more advanced formulas. I wish I could drag a number down and it would increment at each cell. I wish I could easily copy a value to multiple cells. However, I wish schedule views worked better. It’s a lot faster than clicking each of the room objects in the model. Since this was going to be a working schedule and wouldn’t appear on a sheet, I set it up to show only the data that was changing. I find it a lot easier to work in a tabular format for this type of task so I created a room schedule in Revit. It’s not an exciting task but it had to get done so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.
I’d been putting this off for a few days.
The room numbers and departments were shifting around and I needed to update all the rooms to reflect the new organization. A couple of weeks ago, I was reorganizing all the rooms in my Revit model.