Problems with linked Revit 2013 files and 3Dstudio 2013

[Rob_J_]

I am using 2013 Design Suite for Revit and 3DStudio.

Why is it that every time I need to refresh/reload my linked Revit file into 3dstudio it fails to connect to Revit and reports the the file may be missing or corrupt?  I must close out 3Dstudio, restart it, and only then will it allow me to refresh/reload the Revit file.  If I make a change to my Revit project and have to refresh it in 3Dstudio again, I must repeat the shut down process.  It is annoying to say the least and very time consuming.

Thanks for any help.

[Rob_J_]

Updated all software to current service packs and patches.  Still the issue persist.  More often so than not.

[stephengabriel]

Where is the Revit file stored?  On your network or your local HD?  What are you linking to, a Revit file or an FBX export of the Revit file?

[Rob_J_]

The Central Reivt file is located on a networked file server.  3Dstudio links directly to that .rvt file because the import process has been simplified so that there is no .fbx file to link to.

[stephengabriel]

Yes, 3ds Max can directly link to a Revit file but the reality of it is I do not ever recommend it.  Even in 2014 there are problems with Max's ability to open Revit files directly.  Secondly, I don't recommend that you use file linking across a network, especially if dynamic IP addressing is being used.  All it takes is a subtle change in the storage location and your link is basically broken and this could result from anything ranging from hitting a server cluster to your SAN.  That having been said, you might want to try a few things.

First, export as FBX to your local drive and test the file linking.  If this succeeds, it will confirm that there is not a geometry issue, which there is almost guarenteed not to be.

Second, check the Revit file out as a local file and save to your local drive.  Test this for file linking to see if it works.  If this works without an issue then you have a network problem and that is beyond my ability to help you with through the forums.

If both tests work but you still can't get it to work by direct linking to the Revit file then you will either have to put up with it or change the way you are working.  In truth, 2013 was the first iteration of the direct Revit import and it is very far from perfect so  you may need to change your work methodology until the problems are resolved.  I wouldn't hold your breath on a fix for this as more emphasis is placed on developing additional functionality in later releases.

I hope I'm not sounding down trodden on the issue but it is what it is and we still need to be able to get our work done.

[Rob_J_]

I am going to try the local Revit file option first.  I have already redirected the link to the local file and have reloaded it several times without getting the error of not being able to link to the file.  I will continue with this option and report back in a few days (or less) if the issue should happen again.  

[stephengabriel]

Thanks for the update and do keep everyone here posted!

[Rob_J_]

Changing from a network server located central revit file to a local machine/local copy revit file did not solve the issue.  I am currently awaiting a remote log in session from autodesk tech support.

[Laurent.Pallares]

Hi Rob,

here is a link that could be helpfull:

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n79_why_filelinking_certain_small_revit_files_result_in_ve...

Best regards.

[PROH]

Hi Laurent.

Since FBX now handles instanced objects, I'm just wondering if this still is a problem in Revit<->3dsMax, and if so, why?

Best Regards

[Rob_J_]

Thank you, for your time looking into this.  I appreciate the info about file simplification and reduction.  I already implement many of those suggestions to help reduce files size and complexity.  I look forward to the response from the engineering staff.  I understand the “combine” features for the import presets will help with file size and some of the issue, however I will have to see which method works best for me as far as material application and overrides in 3dstudio are concerned.  As it stands now, not combining objects is my best option, until I get a chance to test the other methods.