Plugins for MEP

[machycekF254L]

Hello everyone. 

Do you have any tips on Revit plugins (free or paid doesn't matter) for MEP design in Revit? 

It starts to be painful sometimes, especially in plumbing (generating sections etc.). Primary for faster modeling, editing and if possible calculations. 

Thanks in advance.

[npsconsultingllc]

There are a ton of plug-ins but its best to figure things out using native revit commands. The problem with Plug-ins is that even if you find a good one, then its going to go out of date and most times with Revit, if a plug-in isnt updated for the next version then you can't use it. Even if you can use it, then it can cause errors.

Most of the plug ins I have are for scheduling, parameters, etc. 

Some FYI Info: 

• Specifically with plumbing, I find its fastest to figure out how to do EVERYTHING possible in 2D. Switching back and forth with 3 views tiled is time consuming and you're going to get hung up trying to align things in 3D but the best way to do so is in 2D view.
• Use the "Connect into" and auto routing solutions where you can, and modify it. Specially the connect into command is extremely useful with plumbing.
• Model everything at two different elevations, and then go back and adjust the elevations at the end.
• Find good families with connectors only (ie. CW,HW,Waste). Do not use actual plumbing fixtures to model plumbing - especially the native Revit ones. 

The only plug-ins I use are DiRoots One (For Parameters, scheduling, etc), RF Tools (For the same thing), and some tools from CTC Software. 

Good Luck

[evan_grady]

I agree with the DiRoots it does offer a lot of potential things you are looking for and it is free. I also recommend for some of the move tedious task there are a lot of Dynamo software created to help. So, the dynamo plugin is also one of the most versatile but does require more work than your more paid counterparts. I use dynamo for a lot of various processes because it uses python blocks and other function blocks to interact with the backend of Revit to do what you need to do.

[npsconsultingllc]

Is Dynamo useful though if you dont know anything about computer programming? I know its a graphical programming software but after fiddling around with it for a while I realized pretty quickly I need to close it out before I broke something. 

With that said, I've heard using ChatGPT combined with Dynamo is a very powerful combination, even for the people that dont know programming.

[HVAC-Novice]

Probably helps if you tell what type of design you need help with. Are you doing all 3 (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing)? Good topic, I'm definitely looking for useful tools as well.

For lighting I use elumtool plugin and highly recommend it. Not free, but you get much more than you pay for. They do provide an updated version within a week of a new Revit release. 

I haven't used it, but for electrical there is DesignMaster.

I so far haven't found something that enhances Plumbing or HVAC design beyond the functionality that is native to Revit. 

[evan_grady]

@npsconsultingllc I found dynamo pretty useful. With the addition of using ChatGPT it is easy to pick up as well. You can create a lot of interactable graphical interfaces that can help you organize different commands or options you may want to add. There is also a lot of resources out there for dynamo compared to some of the other plugins. 

[craigjonnson]

Microdesk free tools is certainly the one to go for in all things piping. The create section from pipe or duct, even fabrication items is such a time saver as it cuts only what you selected. You dont have to trim the levels or view depth. The pipe any connect works for all Revit items. Then you have the full set of tools that are great in 3D for aligning sloped services.  

Check it out. Microdesk Accelerator | Revit | Autodesk App Store

[machycekF254L]

Small update: I found program called MagiCAD. It has modules for Piping, Ventilation and Electrical. So far, we look only for piping module. It has some solid functions so we will see. Should have trial version for few weeks to test.
I didn't find anything else. For example Victaulic has his own but it works only for their portfolio. 

[craigjonnson]

Victaulic works for piping, doesnt have to be Victaulic to use its tools. It comes with a 30 day trial but make sure you work through the youtube help videos to get you up and running. Anything else you need im happy to assist.

Definitely try microdesk tools.