Rushforth Tools for Revit: Tools List

A collection of time-saving tools that have saved hundreds of users thousands of hours by automating tasks and simplifying workflows. Below are some of the included tools:

PARAMETER TRANSFORMER

The Parameter Transformer is the tool that generates more comments and praise by users than any other tool in the collection. The fascinating thing is that I have people constantly showing me ways they are using the tool that I had not even thought of.

User quotes:

“It comes with a bunch of other stuff, but as a customer I would pay $200 just for the excel link. Your tool is going to take a process that currently takes 4 days worth of a professional’s time and reduce it to less than 4 hours.”

-Aryn Bergman, Facebook

"This tool has raised you to super-hero status around here!"

-Bryce Wilson, Student, Northeastern University

“First, it’s a filtering tool that’s much more powerful than Revit’s, which is limited to just category. This allows you go 'grab' any objects and modify any parameter within those objects. Second, when modifying parameters, you can point it to an Excel file. Think of it like VLookup for Revit: It looks up a value in one column and returns a value in the same row of another column. It could be hugely beneficial to your work flow. I use it extensively for doing loads, passing information freely back and forth between Revit and Excel. Check it out, post haste!”

-Phil Cunningham, Glumac International

Features include:

● Filter elements based on parameter values

● Set parameters of multiple elements of multiple families at the same time

● Find/replace values in parameters

● Auto number parameter values

● Automate creation of project shared parameters

● Use Excel to display and set element data including properties such as rotation, location, and element type

Check out the demo video at www.davidrushforth.com/RushForthProjects

PROJECT FOLDER

Quickly open a windows explorer window in the central file location.

RAYTRACE MOVE DOWN

This tool allows you to have selected objects automatically move downward (like gravity) to the nearest surface using a programming function known as Raytrace (shoot a ‘ray’ in a 3D vector direction and return all elements encountered by the ‘ray’).

You can select whether to use the geometry in the current file or a linked file.

This is useful for placing elements on sloped roofs or site topography where you have to spend time placing elements in plan view, then adjusting their 3D location (e.g. lightning protection terminals).

RAYTRACE MOVE CLOSEST WALL

There are times when linked model updates change wall locations leaving elements floating in the current model. Depending on the element hosting properties, you may be required to move or rehost individual elements one item at a time.

This tool allows you to select multiple elements along multiple walls and have them snap to the closest wall.

RAYTRACE ELEMENT CREATOR

This tool will allow you to select any family type in the project and automatically place instances of it on the walls, ceilings, and floors of multiple spaces in the chosen directions (up, down, left, right, ceiling, floor) or around the space perimeters at specified spacing

This will be performed for all selected spaces, or for all spaces if none are selected. Used with the Parameter Transformer you could perform functions like ‘for each space with conference in the name, create a certain element on the ceiling’

RAYTRACE ELEMENT COPY: WINDOWS

This is a tool that is primarily used by energy modelers that at times find it convenient to approximate geometries contained in an architectural model, but this application could easily be expanded to help other disciplines. After approximating wall locations, energy modelers may replace the architect’s windows with custom windows that have appropriate parameters and information for energy modeling purposes. This tool can read the length and width information as well as the window location from the linked model and find the closest wall in the current model to copy the window to.

OPEN CAD LINK

In Revit, it is sometimes useful to have linked AutoCAD diagrams or drawings, but to edit them, you need to find the correct file in the project folder and open it in AutoCAD.

This tool allows you to select the linked AutoCAD file in the Revit interface then click the button to automatically open the file in AutoCAD for editing.

REMOVE FROM CIRCUIT

Allows you to select multiple items from multiple circuits and remove them all at once. This is much faster than clicking the item, then “Electrical Circuits”, then “Edit Circuit”, then “Remove from Circuit”, then on each device, then wait, then click, then wait... then “Finish Editing Circuit”, then start the next circuit.

MERGE/MOVE CIRCUITS

Allows you to select multiple items from multiple circuits and merge them onto one of the circuits of your choice. MUCH faster than the slow circuit editor (see above description).

This program also allows you to select a new panel for all selected circuits. This is useful when adding a panel or separating circuiting by area. It can also be used to quickly circuit areas for the first time.

SPARE RATING/RENAME

Revit defaults Spare circuits to use lower case and to not have a breaker rating.

This tool will change the text to upper case and set the default of all unassigned (and optionally assigned) breaker ratings to 20 A.

CREATE HOME RUNS

Create a home run for each circuit on the sheet

Creates the home run on the closest element to the feeding panel

FREE MOVE

This utility allows you to move one or multiple elements whether they are hosted or not

When a wall moves or gets deleted in a linked model, it can leave several devices orphaned which have to be re-hosted one at a time. This alternative will allow you to select all the elements and move them to the wall all at once.

TAG LIGHT FIXTURE

Creating and then adjusting the location of multiple tags on a single fixture can be time consuming. Then multiply that by hundreds or thousands of fixtures; oh, and the fact that if you try to copy and paste, you can run into difficulties getting them to paste and associate correctly with the new fixture. Then account for the fact that orientation/angle affect the placement as well.

This tool will allow you to place tags on all selected lighting fixtures (or you can select the fixtures one by one) and will automatically place and adjust the and orientation of the tags based on fixture placement and orientation.

ELECTRICAL FIXTURE CIRCUIT TAGGER

When tagging multiple elements with their circuit number, you are required to adjust the tag location for each element, and that adjustment is different for elements that are oriented in different directions.

This tool places a circuit number tag on electrical fixtures (e.g. receptacles) and takes into account view scale and element rotation.

There are options to change the horizontal and vertical offset of the tag (for tagging elements of various sizes)

SHEET AND VIEW CREATOR

This tool automatically creates a view and sheet list in Excel based on the number of levels in your building

It allows you to edit the excel list to change names, numbers, view templates, etc.

It creates all the views and/or sheets listed in the Excel file and applies the listed view templates

Custom templates can be saved for specific project types, clients, or other variations

SPACE AND ZONE TOOLS

Automatically create spaces for an entire building using one of two methods:

● Create one space per room or space in a linked model. This will copy all the linked rooms (including name, number and height) and place them as spaces.

● Create spaces automatically for all levels. This will find all void spaces in the model and create a space with a generic name for each of the found voids.

For energy modelers:

● Create one zone per space for export to certain analysis applications

● Pulls numbers from space numbers and Zone Type from an editable Zone Type parameter. These can be updated and refreshed by the tool before and after zone creation.