Revit 7.0 Render export Viz via Plugin

[Jit]

Hi All

Just read the 7 preview guide and yes it does mention that we can export to viz "via plugin", this must mean streamlined workflow.

Can the guys at the factory have some input about the plugin please.

thanks in advance

[Andre Baros]

I would assume that the plug-in will need to be on the Viz/Max end of things, just like the old plug-ins for AutoCAD and Desktop. Revit will export, but when will Max import?

[hand471037]

yes, I've only seen it said that it will work with Viz- will it work with Max too?

[Les Therrien]

Of course this comes available now that I've let my Viz subscription run out! Oh well, I never really used it anyways.
I am guessing this connectivity is a prelude to some type of built in Viz Render.

[SkiSouth]

Note that its still not a direct link as in Accurender, you have to export to dwg then into viz. The plugin just will probably pick up the material definitions from the Revit out. Still its better than redefining the materials. It'll be interesting to see how it handles normals, uvw mapping etc...

[tatlin]

Can the guys at the factory have some input about the plugin please.

See my reply at news://discussion.autodesk.com/autodesk.revit

[GuyR]

And unless the XML data in V7 has changed it won't included any camera information.

Guy

[beegee]

See my reply at news://discussion.autodesk.com/autodesk.revit

Cut and pasted here for reference.

Revit has exported AccuRender xdata for quite some time. This allows you to
simply export from Revit to dwg/dxf and then render using AccuRender for
Autocad. Materials, etc will be applied already to the acad geometry.

Revit 6.0 and above export additional, seperate xdata that is not AccuRender
specific. This information basically allows you to 'reconstitute' revit
objects after they've been exported to dwg/dxf. You can do some interesting
things with the info that is exported, ranging from visualization to linking
with revit object data (ODBC export).

Think about the case of a Revit wall - when you export from a 3d view, you
get 6 polyface meshes (one for each side of the wall). When you export from
a 2d plan view, you get 2d lines and hatch in the dwg. For better or for
worse these are lightweight, basic autocad entities - no object enablers for
revit. So what if you want to do interesting stuff with what was a
'higher-level' object in Revit but is now a set of lines, arcs and circles?

In both of these cases, the autocad entities now have additional xdata that
describe the revit object they came from. By collecting and sorting through
this information you can build other interesting behaviors (like linking the
acad geometry to a database, 3rd party app or rendering application).

The per-entity xdata Revit writes out is as follows (detailed info is
available via ADN):

- Revit Element ID - an invarient, unique ID (kind of like entity handles
in acad)
- Category - Top-level element classification (wall, roof, window, floor,
etc)
- Subcategory - Second-level element classification (frame vs glass in a
window)
- Type - Part of Revit's object heirarchy of Family : Type : Instance
(Window Double Hung : 36"x48")
- Material - the Revit/Accurender material assigned to the geometry

Revit also writes out Material definitions using the same XML schema as ADT
/ VIZRender and VIZ2005. The _basic_ material definition is translated and
written into the dwg.

So, using the entity xdata and the material definitions, the "Autodesk VIZ
2005 Revit Update" does some interesting things...<g>

We hope you'll like it.

matt jezyk
autodesk revit

[sbrown]

So does it share a common material library? Lets say you make an accurender material with a procedural "bumb" does that exact material get ported to VIZ? What if we want to use VIZ materials??

Can't wait to see how this works.

[Arnel Aguel]

I just hope that it can now do dynamic link from the revit model to viz model.
As of version 6.1 it is a disaster everytime you update your model in revit most of your material assignment in viz are gone and you have to reapply it again and again for every update.
Just hoping it is already fixed in 7 and very curious what this plug-in is all about.