batch updating families to new version, how are you doing it?

[Jason_S]

Is everyone buying the app for $99 in the exchange store or open/save each one as needed?

Wish the batch file Autodesk gave out with 2015 still worked for 2017.

Thanks

[luciana.sampaio]

Hi there! Is there any batch file for upgrading .rvt files instead of .rfa?

I´ve tried to rename rfa in rvt files inside the .bat file but it did'nt work! 

When I've drag the .txt files at revit icon, it give me an error msg "file not find" and "enter interactive mode?"? And nothing happens now on....

I want to update old projetcts that have multiple files each!

Thanks for you help!

[L.Maas · Accepted solution]

Correct. It is trying to find family files.

Attached modified bat and text files that should work for projects. 

Important: Make sure that you take the necessary precautions before using these files. Create the necessary backups and first work on test files.

[Anonymous]

does this work with central models? I have about 25 models in a directory that I need to batch detach / upgrade.

[luciana.sampaio]

Hi Louis! 

Worked fine, thank you a lot!!! 

Just for registration: the linked projects (.rvt) kept poiting to the not converted files! A sugestion I can make is that your batch file could keep the same file name instead of putting "_converted" at the end of the converted file! This way, we'd have nothing to adjust later!

Imagine when you have hundred of projects to convert!!!!

Thanks you a lot!

Luciana

[L.Maas]

I am not using it myself anymore. Integrated the functionality in an add-in we use.

Further it would create some complications. It would mean that something had to be done with the original files (e.g. renaming, moving overwriting).

This could be further complicated if other people have those files open. 

In such cases I just use a renaming tool.

[BDMackey]

The problem with a renaming tool is if a Central file is renamed Revit will then see this as a local file and it will have to be renamed again.  If the file being upgraded can have all of the worksets not opened (in the open options dialog) then it will not upgrade the linked files.  I don't think that can be done with a journal script as the worksets would all have to have the exact same names.

[TBruntz1]

Do these work with Revit 2018? Thank you for this post!  It has been very helpful.

[Jason_S]

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@Anonymous.Bruntz wrote:

Do these work with Revit 2018? Thank you for this post!  It has been very helpful.

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Yes it does.  I used the same files to upgrade mine.

Works really really nicely. 

[Anonymous]

I am trying to upgrade a 2017 Family Library to 2018 but cannot seem to get it to work. I'm trying to follow these steps;

1. Copy Upgrade_RFA.txt and Upgrade_RFA.bat into the root directory of the library that you want to upgrade.
2. Run the Upgrade_RFA.bat to create the file list to upgrade, famlist_rfa.txt.
3. To launch the utility, from the library directory, drag Upgrade_RFA.txt onto the Revit icon on your desktop.
4. After upgrading, delete all backup files from the library

Maybe I am not doing something correctly in step 2, because when I double-click to run the "Upgrade_RFA.bat" file it does not create a "famlist_rfa.txt" file anywhere that I can see. Then when I drag and drop the "Upgrade_RFI_2016" onto the Revit 2018 icon it gives me an Journal Error that says;

   "The journal file could not be run to completion..." then it basically forces me to "Enter Interactive Mode".

Any ideas on what I am doing wrong?

[BDMackey]

If you don’t see a file generated when running the .bat then yes the journal file won’t work. If you are running it on a server try copying a few files to the local machine too see if it works. I have seen IT have a set up to not run batch files.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the quick reply. I just tried copying a few files to my local drive and it does the exact same thing, when I double-click the "Upgrade_RFA.bat" file it simply opens it an nothing seems to happen.

[TBruntz1]

This did work for me while upgrading 2014 and 2016 families to Revit 2018.  Just note that if you have a lot of files it will take hours to do.  Still oh-so worth it though! Thanks!

[Jason_S]

When I run the bat file on my local or server I get a file named.  famlist_rfa.txt

Once that appears I drag the Upgrade_RFA.txt from that same folder the famlist_rfa.txt file sits to the desktop icon.

Revit will then launch and start upgrading and saving the families.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm, wonder what I am doing wrong then? When you run the batch file, are you doing anything other than double-clicking it in order for it to create the "famlist_rfa.txt"? It wouldn't matter that I am upgrading family content from 2017 to 2018, would it?

[Jason_S]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hmmm, wonder what I am doing wrong then? When you run the batch file, are you doing anything other than double-clicking it in order for it to create the "famlist_rfa.txt"? It wouldn't matter that I am upgrading family content from 2017 to 2018, would it?

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Shouldn't matter that you are going from 2017 to 2018.  I used this same tool for that a couple months ago.

I am copying both the txt file and the bat file into the folder with the families.

Note I don't do all in one shot.  I break them down into the categories and do them one at a time (the categories).  Some categories have subfolders and they get upgraded also.

Have you tried just one category?

[Anonymous]

I was originally trying to place it in the root folder for the entire library, but based on your suggestion just copied them into our "Division 03" family folder, and then also tried copying them directly into the "03 00 Concrete" folder...both times when I run the batch file it does the same thing and just opens and sits there. Just to be sure, you are just downloading both files and then double-clicking the batch file, correct? Someone in an earlier post said something about removing the ".txt" extension from the batch file, but I'm not seeing how I can even do that...could that be the issue?

[Jason_S]

I am not changing the txt extension, that stays the same.  I run the bat file and drag the Upgrade_RFA_2016.txt file.  I failed at typing the 2016 in my last post.

[BDMackey]

It sounds as though your .bat file extension has been set up opening with notepad instead of running. Try right clicking on the file and select “run”

[BDMackey]

FYI to everyone out there.  Last month Kyle with Autodesk pointed me to this page where it discusses upgrading C4R projects.  The big takeaway from the article is that the eTransmit tool inside of Revit 2018 will allow you to point to a folder instead of just single files.  This way you can upgrade an entire folder of .rvt to 2018.  I have used it and it works pretty well, a user will still have to open all the files and save them as a central (same way any etransmitted .rvt file) but makes it easier than having to open multiple files to and wait to upgrade

[loboarch]

Just to add on here, Alex page has created a Dynamo script that will upgrade files from one version to another. You can get it here:

https://www.revitforum.org/dynamo-bim/36261-bulk-upgrade-families.html#post193521