.rvt to formit

[jlivingston]

I am looking for a way to export .rvt file to formit. It appears the revit-formit addin only works for revit family(rfa). In the past we have done space planning in the revit file and then exported to CAD for further design in sketchup. Is there a way to directly export revit(rvt) to formit yet?

[tvollaro]

The best way to get data out of an RVT into FormIt is to export from Revit to SAT and then import the SAT into FormIt. Right now, you must use either the Windows client or iOS version (via A360) to bring SAT into FormIt. Hope this helps.

[jlivingston]

Thanks for the quick reply...

I am having some trouble importing SAT files, it appears I can import stl, but not SAT, am I missing something here?

[tvollaro]

How are you accessing FormIt? The Web version cannot import SAT (because of technical and legal licensing issues.) However, the Windows client (downloadable here - requires a Pro subscription, but can also run on a 30 day trial) or the iOS iPad version can also import SAT files - as long as they reside in your A360 Drive.

[Tobias_Hathorn · Accepted solution]

Hi JLivingston - The best way to open SAT is on the Windows version. You can export geometry from Revit as an .SAT - then Open SAT in FormIt - simple.

Best practice recommendation is to only export what you need from Revit as the SAT can get heavy pretty quickly. So turn off non essential categories in the view - and hide non essential elements in that view too.

If you have furniture elements or other family based content you want to bring into FormIt from Revit - then use our FormIt converter! This is more efficient than SAT. 

http://formit360.autodesk.com/blog/formit-converter/

Thanks and let us know if you have other questions we can help with - Thanks for posting on the forum!

Tobias

[valentinempae]

I see the possibilities that FormIt can have but I don't see how it has an advantage to Sketchup. Is there a way to make this process simpler, so that it makes sense to use FormIt over sketchup? And how is it any different or a better method? Right now, SketchUp is heavily used and easily understood by the design team at my firm and the suggested process doesn't seem to give FormIt any advantage over using SketchUp which is already well known.

Your help is greatly appreciated,

Mausharie

[tvollaro]

Mausharie,

Thank you for the question. There are a number of aspects of FormIt that make it work better within a BIM/Revit workflow. Objects, Levels, location data etc. can transfer with more fidelity than SketchUp. Keep in mind, SKP files can be opened in the Windows app with layers, components, groups, and materials intact. FormIt works directly with Insight, allowing you to analyze massing models for energy usage early on in the design process.  FormIt can also work directly with Dynamo web workspaces - allowing you to flex computationally driven geometry. 

Even without the BIM worfklow, FormIt works in a web browser and mobile clients (iPad and Android) making it easier to work on the go.

I hope this helps.

[valentinempae]

Hi, thank you for your response. The levels would be useful, but unfortunately most of the features you are describing do not facilitate the want and need for a quick "sketch like" process for conceptual design. The SketchUp models are not needed for energy studies as we can do that with our Revit model, and location data is done through SketchUp. We can use the Revit model for the energy studies. Working on the go is not a huge selling point with the way we have our server set up.

Is there anything more that make it work in conjunction with Revit? For example, when a simple mass that represents a "wall" in Formit, moves or changes shape, Revit is informed that the associated geometry recognizes a change much like a workset notification: "Approve, Show, Expand, Review." That would be a seller as it would help facilitate a conversation between the designers and those drafting the project. Our desire is to easily incorporate conceptual drawings that are integrated and can grow with the Revit model until the design has stopped flexing in CD's.

Ultimately, I would like the team to move to Formit in that the rebuilding and lack of true smart correspondence between the SketchUp to Revit translation is eliminated. Unfortunately, I cannot justify moving a whole team to a product that only minimally improves the process with levels when their knowledge in SketchUp is extensive and the process is not improved or changed whether they use SketchUp or Formit.

Is what I'm describing achievable, in the works, or even a thought to accomplish?

Thanks much,

Mausharie

[Gormanry]

Well said Mausharie.

I feel the same. It's been a year or so since your post. I'm curious did you make the transition? Stay with Sketchup?

[Gormanry]

Well said Mausharie.

I feel the same. It's been a year or so since your post. I'm curious did you make the transition? Stay with Sketchup?

[valentinempae]

Hi, it's good to know we're not the only one in this struggle. No we have not made the move; I have played around with it for my own exploration, but I must work with my team in mind. If I were to move to FormIt, I would be increasing complexity by adding a tool that no one else knows how to use; very ineffective for collaboration, lol
We work as designers by day and have a family life by night. All members of my team would need to devote themselves to learning a new program that did not resolve the complications we have with SketchUp, with the knowledge that simply learning FormIt will take time away from projects and their families. SketchUp also has a vast "warehouse" of plugins and extensions that make modeling in that type of space more effective. To be fair, FormIt just got started, so it is not as robust as SketchUp, and I think it has possibilities, but at this moment there are several efficiencies that are lost. My team values the ease of right brain design development leveraging left brain technology.
So, I would rather offer FormIt as an investment when the it has resolved our greatest issue, fluid movement back and forth between the FormIt design and the Revit CD model. As of right now, we would still need to import/export/re-link/reload/etc. a separate file, so there is no incentive to invest project or personal time to learn FormIt. With that in mind, there is no need to push the team at this time, thus, we have chosen to wait.

[tareed]

I've been working with Form It for over three weeks and there seems to be nothing but issues.  Today's issue is Form It crashing, not creating geometry and crashing. Multiple issues with saving to A360.  I found that its not as intuitive as Sketchup. Maybe because i have used Sketchup for so long.  Been viewing all the help videos and trying to get things to work and its just not happening as quickly as it should. I have yet to complete a model that i could even export to Revit to conduct daylight analysis and feel that would be another time sucking step in learning. 

I want to import a plan, extrude walls, assign materials, and move onto other programs and Formit is not is just not as quick as Sketchup at this point. I have learned multiple programs over the years by just beating on them for a period and Form it, as simple as it should be(needs to be) is frustrating. 

[josh.goldstein]

Todd,

Can you please elaborate on how you're getting FormIt to crash and "not create geometry"? None of that should be happening.

You should be able to do exactly what you're aiming for (import plan, extrude walls, assign materials) in no time. I'm happy to set up a call and show you, if you're interested.

Otherwise, we'd like to know more about the issues you're encountering (how to reproduce them, etc) so we can address them if possible.

Regards,

[tareed]

To whom it may concern.



The issue with crashing.



Using an installed version of Formit on Windows 64 bit.



Bring in DWG file. Ungroup the file to separate layers. Create new layer
called floor. Use rectangle tool. Click last point, Form it is not
responding and it crashes.



In regards to doing a call that would be great, maybe i'm missing something.
Use this address.





Todd A. Reed

Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C



Energy Opportunities

A 7group Company

1200 East Camping Area Rd.

Wellsville, PA 17365

T-717-292-2636

F-727-292-0585

reed@sevengroup.com

[josh.goldstein]

Thanks Todd, I'll reach out directly. 

From your description, it sounds like a performance issue with imported DWGs. Certainly some complex DWGs can cause performance degradation, especially if you're modifying the DWG linework directly (like adding a rectangle). One thing to try is drawing new geometry outside the DWG group, so it's not intersecting with the complex linework.

Note that if FormIt is not responding, that's not necessarily a crash, but a hang due to processing a large amount of data. The good news is that we have a solution to the DWG performance issue, which will give you a performance boost of many magnitudes, so this shouldn't be a problem in the near future when we release the next major version.

Thanks,

[jlivingston]

I still find it disappointing that you cannot directly link Formit to Revit so you have the updated Formit model in Revit.

As it still stands (2 years after my post) Formit requires exporting geometry to SAT or CAD and then linking or importing to Revit.

This is no different than the process we use in Sketch-up which is why we have not continued with Formit.

I would love it if Autodesk would finally open up the conduit and allow revit models and formit models to host live links within eachothers models.

[pieter5]

I agree with the need of a better Revit to Formit workflow. We should be able to keep materials etc.

We have created a Formit Idea for this: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/formit-ideas/bidirectional-integration-with-revit/idi-p/7165640

If you feel like this is something you'd like to see, please add your vote. 

[josh.goldstein]

Thanks everyone for the comments on this. We're aware of the need for this functionality, and are looking into possible solutions.

[pieter5]

Great news!

It might be interesting to talk to the 3ds max developers about their experiences. They build a direct Revit link into max.

It has its challenges but for the most part it works great. It directly links to a Revit view (so in Revit we can use section boxes, view templates, phase filters and manual hiding etc to prepare a view). It supports materials and has an update feature. 

I think you could build on that workflow by providing a 'merge' feature where a Revit object would be excluded from the link and converted to Brep for editing in Formit.  On the next refresh of the base model that object would then be ignored.