Using API without running REVIT instance possible?

[Anonymous]

Hi, my company is ADN partner und we're interested in incorporating the REVIT API in our client tools and server-based services because many of them are also using REVIT. This tools and services contain technical, 3D model and marketing data for example for furnitures and we would like to offer our customers a REVIT families export (rfa file) function, so they can work with their products inside REVIT.

But if I understand correctly, there is a major drawback with the API: Is it really correct that:

• The API requires two .dlls from the REVIT installation. Tha't not a problem so far but...
• The API also requires always an installation and running instance of REVIT to generate and save families as rfa files?
  This would be really be a drawback, because many of the client users entering the data are not always the same persons using REVIT in their company.
  And our server-based APIs are windows services. So using the API on our servers to generate rfa families on the fly would require to have REVIT installed and running an instance on the server?

Thanks in advance.

[jeremytammik · Accepted solution]

Dear Alex,

You are absolutely right, I'm afraid.

Here is some background information:

http://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2016/04/forge-devcon-spring-impermanence-and-bim-cloud.html...

Note that it points to a previous invitation to provide feedback:

What Can Revit on the Cloud Do For You?

Please get in touch and let us know your exact needs.

We are actively investigating possibilities right now.

Thank you!

Cheers,

jeremy