Moving non Revit files to Revit Server

[Silleke]

I am just wondering if there is a Command-line tool or API to copy any file type (e.g. drawing.dwg) from a local drive or File Server to a specified Revit Server destination path location. I want to keep all my project files in one location and that is a directory in the Revit Server. External party is here involved and that's why saving a linked cad files in our office file server will posed a problem.

[robert.manna]

Revit Server specifically does not support the storage or caching of non *.RVT files. The only *.RVT files supported are files that have had worksharing enabled.

[Silleke]

Robert, thanks for your reply.
Would it be nice if the factory will consider this option in the next RS version, i.e. (a user ability to store AutoCAD drawing files in Revit server used as a linked cad file)?

[robert.manna]

The original, original, original scope document had non Rvt files as a possibility. Technical challenges and effort to just make RS work for Revit itself removed that "wish" from scope very early on for understandable reasons. I don't expect that to change and in fact with Autodesk marketing Vault in the AEC space now if anything in the long term I expect closer tie-up/integration with Vault such that you can use Revit Server for your Revit models and Vault would be there to manage all the other documents associated with the project and may help to manage Revit Server too. Complete speculation here on my part, I'm not foreshadowing any type of "inside knowledge".

[Bimmer]

Revit Server specifically does not support the storage or caching of non *.RVT files. The only *.RVT files supported are files that have had worksharing enabled.

Furthermore, the .rvt file (worksharing enabled) MUST be converted to Revit Server format. It cannot simplet be copied into the Revit Server location. Therefore, if you have consultant files updates every week or every two weeks, you have to convert the central files you received into your Revit Server files in order for the caching to work. Practical? I may be wrong, but I may have overlooked the documentation about this requirement.

Having a worksharing enabled rvt file in a Revit Server directory does not mean that it will be cached.

[robert.manna]

Furthermore, the .rvt file (worksharing enabled) MUST be converted to Revit Server format. It cannot simplet be copied into the Revit Server location.
Correct, not only must worksharing be enabled, you need to do a "Save As" via Revit to create the file in the Revit Server infrastructure. I guess this concept has been taken for granted by myself and maybe others.


Therefore, if you have consultant files updates every week or every two weeks, you have to convert the central files you received into your Revit Server files in order for the caching to work. Practical? I may be wrong, but I may have overlooked the documentation about this requirement.

Also correct, our teams typically receive structural files from outside consultants. In which case it is the Lead Modeler's job to delete the existing file, and open the new file and "Save As" a little more work yes, but the savings for us via Revit Server make it well worth it. I imagine in the future with further development of the "Etransmit" technology for Revit that it would be possible to automate the process of creating a new file in RS, not to mention in the long term I expect firms to be able to collaborate directly and easily with Revit Server between secure WANs/LANs.

[TroyGates]

A little late to the discussion, but I wanted to add something that we do before adding linked files to the Revit Server. We open the linked model detached, then we delete all sheets, schedules, legends, and non-plan views that we will use for linking. Then we purge everything.

I have found that we can reduce the linked model size by 30% - 50% on average. It takes a few minutes to do, but saves many people time when opening the project.

[luke.s.johnson]

Robert, thanks for your reply.
Would it be nice if the factory will consider this option in the next RS version, i.e. (a user ability to store AutoCAD drawing files in Revit server used as a linked cad file)?

We create RVT files with DWGs as Imports and use these with the By Linked View as a pseudo-link. At least this way, the data is still on Revit Server and the DWG import can be "replaced" to be updated.

Also - you could use eStorage to embed any file data directly into an RVT stored on Revit Server:
http://whatrevitwants.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/revit-estorage-time-to-add-some.html