Revit to Web 3D

Revit to Web 3D

Turns the model open in Revit into one web page that anybody can open in Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari, with no internet, no plug-in and no account. The 3D model with its materials and textures, the views, sheets and schedules you choose, and the viewer itself all travel inside that one file. Email it, put it on a USB stick or a shared drive, or place it on a website. Your model is never changed: the export works in a temporary view that Revit throws away afterwards.

When to use it

• A client review where the client has no Revit: send one file they can orbit, cut open and walk through on a laptop, a tablet or a phone.
• A consultant who needs to check a detail: sheets open with every viewport clickable, schedules open as tables they can search and sort.
• A design review in the office: shaded with edges, every parameter on click, every drawing included.
• A shadow study for a planning meeting: the real sun at the project's location, any date and time, played across the day.
• A family you want to show off: every type in one page, with a switch to flip between them.

How to use

1. Open Revit to Web 3D from BimCode's plugin list inside Revit, with the project or family open. The header shows the model's name and how many views it has.
2. Tick the views to include in the list on the left: 3D views, cameras, plans, sections, elevations, drafting views, legends, sheets and schedules. Picking a sheet? Press Add the views placed on the chosen sheets so its viewports can be clicked open.
3. Choose what goes in the 3D model: the whole model, what one 3D view shows, or only what you selected in Revit. Linked models and rooms can come too, and categories can be left out one by one.
4. Leave the other settings alone the first time. The defaults suit most models. Smart check at the top reads your choices against the model, estimates the file size, and offers one-click fixes.
5. Give the page a title, choose where to save it with Save as, and press Export. A progress bar follows each step; Revit is busy while it reads the model, which can take a minute on a large project.
6. The page opens in your browser when it is ready. Send the file as it is.

What goes into the page

• 3D views and cameras open in live 3D with their own camera, section box, visible elements and visual style.
• Plans, ceiling plans, sections and elevations open cut in live 3D exactly where Revit cuts them, and optionally as the printed drawing with its tags and dimensions. A switch at the top of the page flips between the two.
• Drafting views and legends open as their drawing.
• Sheets open as the full sheet with every viewport clickable, and can also go in as a PDF.
• Schedules open as real tables to search, sort and download for Excel.

What the people you send it to can do

Orbit, pan and zoom; switch between nine visual styles, from Realistic to Hidden line with Revit's own fill patterns to a pencil Sketch; trim the model with a section box or a section plane; measure distances, angles and areas; walk through at eye level; switch categories, levels and linked models on and off; search and colour the model by any value; save viewpoints and play them as a tour; drop pins with notes; study the sun and shadows; and save a picture of any view.

Good to know

• Your branding. Under More settings, add your practice's logo, accent colour, name and website, or choose minimal controls for a page that sits inside a website or runs on a kiosk screen.
• Password. Also under More settings. With a password the whole file is encrypted and opens only for someone who types it. The password is never saved, not even in your presets.
• Privacy. Whoever has the file sees everything you put in it, including element information. Choose None under Element information when sending it outside the team.
• File size. Keep Share repeated families on, use Light curve smoothness and smaller textures for email, and leave out categories nobody needs to see. The Small file for email preset is a good start.
• Presets. Save your settings under a name, share them with the office as a file, or start from a built-in preset: client presentation, design review, shadow study, concept sketch and more.
• A texture shows as plain colour when Revit cannot find its image on this computer; the material's colour is used instead.
• A view has no drawing when Revit refuses to print it; its 3D cut is still there.