Metric to imperial revit 2011

[eminsoy1]

Hi, I downloaded the student version of REVIT ARCHITECTURE 2011 to my WINDOWS 7 ENTERPRISE (both of them windows7 and revit is 64bit). Tho I downloaded the metric template. Now i have to get the imperial template for my project. How can i do this? can somebody explain it to me step by step. Because I can't even find file where templates are located. It says its in RAC 2011 but i dont even have a file starting with "programdata" in my "c:\" file. And after I get the zip file for imperial template how or where do i extract\download it? thank you so much

[kathryn.langan · Accepted solution]

You can obtain the Imperial Templates and Library files from here: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=14973523. The two files you're looking for are NAImperial.cab for the Imperial Families and NAImperialTempl.cab for the Imperial Templates. You can save these files to your desktop and then extract them like .zip files.

You'll want to extract the files to one of the following locations, depending on your Operating System:

Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\RAC 2011

Windows 7/Vista:

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RAC 2011

If you have Windows 7 or Vista and you don't see the ProgramData folder, try doing the following:

1. Open the Control Panel and go to Folder Options.
2. Select the View tab.
3. Under Advanced Settings, go to Files and Folders > Hidden files and folders, and choose Show hidden files and folders.

Please let us know if this helps!

[eminsoy1]

That solution probably does work with anyone who doesn't have the imperial template. But I just figured it by opening a new project and then selecting defaultUScanada template which solved my problem of accessing brick over cmu wall type for now. But if there is something more that needs the imperial template for families or what not I will address to this solution. Thank very much for your time and everything. Sorry for the disturbance but I hope others could benefit from this. Thank you again.

[jpfernandesengineering]

on a related issue I have managed to obtain two imperial files from the link on that has been sent for the NAimperial CAB and imperial CAB file. I have a windows 7 computer. I have opened the zip file seen all the documents i.e families catagories. (toilets windows  doors) 

the problem i have and cannot fathom is when i transfer it to the revit location.

or rather from my desk top or my downloaded file I manually have tried to copy aand paste the file. I have directly statd in the download to bu in my user/ revit2010/ templates location.

the location has to be correct as far as I can see for the fact that when i open a new project the templates are the cab files of NAimperial and the Imperial. i also have a canada metric templatecab.

I get an error that either the file cannot be read

the other is cannot locate CAb file. in that format

I have restated the properties format unblocked anything. indicated to open with revit 2010

if you or any one outhere understands where the problem lies please add to this its frustrating

[jpfernandesengineering]

You can obtain the Imperial Templates and Library files from here: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=14973523. The two files you're looking for are NAImperial.cab for the Imperial Families and NAImperialTempl.cab for the Imperial Templates. You can save these files to your desktop and then extract them like .zip files.

You'll want to extract the files to one of the following locations, depending on your Operating System:

Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\RAC 2011

Windows 7/Vista:

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RAC 2011

If you have Windows 7 or Vista and you don't see the ProgramData folder, try doing the following:

1. Open the Control Panel and go to Folder Options.
2. Select the View tab.
3. Under Advanced Settings, go to Files and Folders > Hidden files and folders, and choose Show hidden files and folders.

Please let us know if this helps!

well I have manged all this but i have the folowing problem Ihave manually and directly got the files onto my computer in the revit program section.

to explain I have the files downloaded. I can open the zipped file with windows explorar on my desk top and in my default download folder. all the text and graphic files are there ( doors (table etc) with a right click option to extract each one or copy

i however see nothing when i open it in revit. I have a windows / Revit 2010 version. I have my imperial CAB files located in the templates section. This should be correct since I can open a new project and find the imperail file CAb available for selection when i select browse for the desired template.

I click open or double click select the imperial cab file.

I t will not open it shows a error cannot open inthis format. every CAB file i have tried imperial or metric will not open.

i have altered the properties to open in revit will not open.

i haver tried to open the direct from the desktop. it opens revit but not the template withh an error.

i have no block onthem even in the properties i have switched it off to check

I am having difficulty in thinkinkig how to open these CAB files. downçloaded achieved but they donot open

[kathryn.langan]

Since Revit files are not backwards compatible, you will need to download the 2010 versions of the templates, which are available here.

Please let us know if you have better luck with these! 

[jpfernandesengineering]

The fyle type . CAb is said not to be supported when I open the cab file I downloaded from the site.

I have tried Canada and NAimperial 189 mb files

i cannot open it directly from widows either.

i can however open any .trte file from the original Revit 201 download.

the .cab will not open

[kathryn.langan]

Are you attempting to open the CAB file directly through Revit?

The CAB file is like a ZIP file - it contains many files that need to be extracted from it. If you double click on the CAB file in Windows it should start the extraction. Is this what you are doing?

[jpfernandesengineering]

Hi

just to check cause the reply is for Revit 2011 Autodesk could only give meRevit 2010 The 2011 they gave doesn`t allow subscription for Europe the 201 version allowed me to study in Europe.

That aside I have used both site links from Autodesk technical supprt technician and was successful in the downloads of the CAb file extentions.

In my case I got the imperial files.

Now the problem that persits is the .CAB file format. I can easily open any .rte file (i.e the original download files)

"*note the original download process for revit 2010 on my subscription didnot have a additional template add on section as described by my tutor before licencing is activated."

Thats a bit of the background so I have done some experimenting and I tried two methods to open the CAB file types

Method 1 is when i open Revit I start a new project the dialogue box appears. I am prompted now to chose a template file

The original .RTe CAnadaus and others I can open (select open and a metric template opens to work on)

Howevever CAB files i have a CANADA I have a NAimperial and Imperial file all open to a blank dialogue box. double click and error message is C://program data/Autodesk/RAC2010//NAimperialtemp.../Naimperial template file not found

erro is the same when I placed it in the metric templates i.e C://Programdata/Autodesk/RAC2010/metrictemplates/NAimperialtemp/NAimperialtempl file not found. when I selct open

this brought me to me second approach.

I have studied and worked with Inventor and solid works which I remember I was told to save projects and keep the together or otherwise major confusion occurs. so my first train of thought was that REVIT was having a location problem

I.e the file was downloaded but revit didnot know where to look. but everything mathces with other peoples recomendations and Autodesks file locations path. And as described the file apears when I open the dialogue box.

Therefore my second approach was to A not  specify where the file was downloaded to and let it come it my downloaded file folder automatically. i then tried opening it from there. i moved it to the desktop and tried opening it from there. I then tried to move it into the revit specified file location as described by Autodesk location and my tutor.

This way allowed me using windows7 (my operating system) to open the compressed file this showed me now not an empty file but on filled with graphic and accompnying progamtext files.

but when attempting to open it direct it gives this message after it opens revit the message appears. failed to open document

I tried the same thing but with a .rte file Revit opens up (i.e no previous revit program was running and searched for the file through my computer and c drive untill i find the programdata autodesk and Rac 2010 folder and the program file)

click on this

A new project opens in Revit to start working on.

I then thought lets try open these files with m windows7 capability to open compressed files. I tried the NAImperial right click select open with windows explorer. and there you see the files, e.g A307 bolt slide A307 Bolt head A8.5X11 Vertical)

I then thought lets look at the properties of the file i opened the property of the CAB file (righ click properties)

initially on the top it was to open with windows explorer. I changed it to Revit and thought yay must work.

no same error. I then thought to look if any security was blocking it.

my final thought is maybe i have to open NA imperial in windows explorar copy paste every file to a file in RAC2010 under program data then select all the files and pt them into a simple folder. this is a guess but my worry is the folowing

will that mess up my existing templates. second will revit now to open an entire template?

Thing is when working with revit on my projects I hvae been asked to download additional families and in revit itself i can go  to revit autodesk site and get additional family items not in the original download. e.g a office desk or meeting table with executive chairs or chandelier lights. no problem a new family is downloaded. i can alter exiting itmes and save them as new.

The thing i want with Imperial is the specific units and some specific items like wall types for my project for my tutor.

So i have yet to try extracting each item but where must they go. cause each item is a file.

The problem is if i extract each graphic item seperatly I still need to join them all up again and revit needs to know it must open an entire template working in impeial units. If i extract each graphical item i will open that item only or be prompted to choose.

The alternative is how to convert this .CAb file to .rte file because the for sure it will open

[kathryn.langan]

Thank you for the reply. A .cab file it not the same thing as any Revit file - it is like a .zip file in that it contains Revit files. In order to access those files, you have to extract them out of the .cab file. I have created a video to help illustrate this process. In the video, I install the 2011 Imperial Library: Installing the Imperial Library in Revit 2011.

Please let me know if the video helps.

[jpfernandesengineering]

thankyou for the video.

However I am still with the same problem I cannot open a template of an imperial file.

I have extracted all the files and I have a folder for imperial in the riaght location in programdata autodesk RAC. but now that it is uncompressed I do not have atemplate to select i have all the small files so I can open each small file. (either the system crashes when i do this. or stalls or i open the partfile showing the design.

I still need to open te entire template. I have no means of doing this.

This is what i mean abot the CAB file needs to be converted to rte for revit to understand.

what your video shows is winzip ability to extract files and put it into a select folder. (windows 7 has this facility as well.

so I have done this but my result as i stated previously is just a folder and inthat folder are the various sub headings.

now what I do not know is how to convert this folder into a template ie rte file so that revit opens it and ihave all features to work from.

I amhoping someone out there does cause now i have a folder but not a template that can be opened (i.e thousands of individual bits all over well inside that folder)

to conclude my aim is to open from the browser new project and imperal file that opens a new project to work in and that new projects behaves with functions in imperial units. i.e I select wall i can choose wall type they are in inches andf eet i choose dimensioning it automatically goes in inches. choose a window its the imperial unit type.

this is what I am frustrated with. all I have done now is convert or unzip the CAb file. problem one was cab file cannot open either inthat dialogue in your video you had it to open with winzip. that was my original message untill i changed properies to open with revit. now that I have gone through the winzip unzip procedure all thathas changed is I have a folder uncompressed showing all the sub components but no program to specifically open an imperial template.

so there has to be a way of getting the template as a single entity to start a new project. this is where I am still unable to progress.

[jpfernandesengineering]

thanks for the video do not know if you recieved my previous full explanation

but no I am still unable to open an imperial template file.

all i have done is uncompress on to a folder.

a simple folder is not a program o document o format that REvit understands. I can open the individual components or revit crashes.

I have nothing now in terms of a template to open.

some how I need to get all this info in the form of an rte file that way I can open a new project and work in imperial units and everything works with imperial like i do with the metric.

[kathryn.langan]

I'm sorry that we still haven't worked this out yet. A cab file cannot be changed to a Revit template file because it is not a template. The example that I showed in the video was the NAImperial.cab file, which contains the Imperial Library content. The NAImperialTempl.cab file is the cab file that contains the Imperial Templates. The process of obtaining that data is the same, you need to extract the .rte files out of the NAImperialTempl.cab file.

Does this help?

[jpfernandesengineering]

No still no use i have extracted the NAIMPERIAL template.

I have all the files in the library but nothing to open an imperial template so i cannot start a new project

[jpfernandesengineering]

Do you know of anyone one or perhaps yourself that has a link to the Autodesk website for the CAb file additions.

specifically the old REvit 2010 version

I have yesterday gone throught he whole process again of clearing all downloads. and re downloading and unzipping the file and placing them in Programdata,autodesk rac2010 imperial template folder. I have downloaded into both the NAimperialtempl and NAimperial. I have them both in the same location.

i have all the data now extracted. certain files open but others crash. I remember being told and read of the upgrade problem

if i have the components for 2011 the this must be causing the crash.

Otherwise it looks like I amy have to request a new licence perhaps

first I would like totry and see if there are any revit 2010 cab versions still available I rember some technician sending me a linkabout a month ago

[kathryn.langan]

The 2010 downloads are located here.

[jpfernandesengineering]

yes it works thank you very very much

I did not use win zip how ever

(For anyone having trouble this is what I did from this point

also read previous explanations from Autodesk technician support)

what i did was specify the location I required in Rac2010 new where the files were located.( prior to this downloaded the imperial library and the template Cba files both NAimperial to my imported files folder. ) I then  created a new folder for imperial in Rac2010 above metric folder location is C:/Programdata/autodesk/RAC2010/imperialtemplates/imperial 2010

I then used winows explorare or in other words my windows 7 operating system. I chose open with windows explorer

select all the files the select extract.

your propmted again to choose where the files are extracted to. choose the same file path as stated previously

then its a manual process of selecting which files are saved and which are rejected save all of them initially takes 15 minutes

close all windows

open revit 2010 choose new project  go to imperial folder then imperial 201 0 select your template and bingo yoyu got imperial units

to check close it all down go to where you selcted the folders and open the template from there. I.e default or construction default you get an imperial template. there is a default message to appear saying this is a one time up grade

okay Ithink thats it for anyone one else with trouble Just check again with the date of these CAB downloads and your system. Check another ZIP extrator other than winZip or check where your files are extracted too. CAb are Zip files

I.e get location of extracted files right. and files must be compatible with operating sytem and your region of work.

MAny thanks continuing with my studies

[kathryn.langan]

Thanks for the update; I am glad to hear you have everything working now.