Autodesk Revit Reader Parameters

Read

Use this parameter to filter the features that will be read:

  • All Elements: All elements will be read.
  • Exterior Shell Only: Only elements that belong to the exterior shell of the model will be read.

Read Geometry As

Use this parameter to change the geometry mode that the reader will use to represent features:

  • Surfaces – This mode will represent features as 3D surfaces. Not all elements can be represented this way.
  • Wireframes – This mode will represent all features as wireframes. Those that cannot be represented as surfaces will be broken down into an aggregate of lines.
  • Floor Plans  – This mode will represent features as a 2D floor plan. Which floor plan view is represented is dependent on the value of the Views to Read parameter.
  • Non-Spatial – This mode will output all features with null geometry, while still placing attributes on the correct features. This will result in a significant speed increase for the reader.

Geometry Detail Level

Use this parameter to choose the detail level that the reader will use when creating geometry for features:

  • Respect Original View Setting – This mode will cause the reader to use the Detail Level setting from the view that it is currently reading.
  • Fine – This mode will cause the reader to read features with a detail level of Fine.
  • Medium – This mode will cause the reader to read features with a detail level of Medium.
  • Coarse – This mode will cause the reader to read features with a detail level of Coarse.

Note: These details levels correspond to the setting Detail Level on Revit views. Some features require a Detail Level of Fine to be represented as surfaces by FME.

Revit Coordinate System to Read

  • If set to Project, the reader will read data in the coordinate system defined by the Revit file's Project Base Point. It will also read in the file's defined Project Units.
  • If set to Georeferenced, the reader will give precedence to an Esri product coordinate system over any native Revit coordinate system. If it cannot find an Esri or native Revit georeferenced coordinate system, the reader will read data in the coordinate system defined by the Revit file’s Survey Point. It will also read in the file’s defined Project Units.

Floor Plan Render Mode

Use this parameter to decide which mode the reader should use to read floor plan views. It is only active when the Read Geometry As parameter is set to Floor Plans.

  • Hidden Line – This mode will perform occlusion on features and remove those that would be hidden by others. (This is similar behavior to the “Hidden Lines” setting in the Revit program.)
  • Wireframes – This parameter will not perform occlusion on features. As a result, all features in the floor plan view will be output. This mode may have faster performance than Hidden Line. This is the preferred option if walls display gaps where they are intersected with plumbing and electrical features. See Autodesk Revit Troubleshooting for more information.

Esri *.prj and *.wld/wld3 Files

FME will search the folder of the dataset for a file with the same name as your dataset but with a projection file (.prj) extension. If it cannot find a file with that name, it will then look for the file esri_cad.prj within the dataset folder. If either of those files exists, FME will use the coordinate system information contained within to geolocate the Revit file.

If a .prj file is found, FME will also search the folder of the dataset for a file with the same name as your dataset, but with a world file extension (.wld or .wld3). If it cannot find a file with that name, it will then look for the file esri_cad.wld/esri_cad.wld3 within the dataset folder. If either of those files exists, FME will use the information in the file to translate the coordinates of the features in the dataset to their new geospatial coordinates.

If no .wld/.wld3 file is found, the translation will continue using the georeferencing information found in the .prj file, while reading coordinates in the coordinate system defined by the Revit file’s Survey Point. The reader will also use the file’s defined Project Units.

If the files cannot be found, then the translation will continue, using the coordinate information found in the dataset, without performing any additional transformation.

For more information on creating .prj and .wld/.wld3 files in ArcGIS Pro, please refer to the ArcGIS help page: 3D georeferencing Revit model.

Native Revit Georeferenced Coordinate System

If FME does not find an Esri .prj file, it will instead look for georeferenced coordinate system information in the Revit dataset. In order for the dataset to be properly georeferenced, the Revit file needs to be linked to a DWG coordinate system within Autodesk Revit.

If FME finds georeferencing data in the Revit dataset, it will generate a local AZMED projected coordinate system to georeference the dataset. The reader will also set the coordinate system name found in the Revit file along with the Survey Point’s latitude and longitude on the SurveyPoint feature.

Use this parameter to filter which Revit views you wish to read from the file. The reader will read all elements from a selected view, obeying that view's visibility settings by category.

Which views you are able to select is dependent on the value of the Read Geometry As parameter:

  • If you selected Surfaces or Wireframes, you will be able to choose from all 3D Views in the file.
  • If you selected Floor Plans, you will be able to choose from all Floor Plan Views in the file.
  • If no view is specified, in Surfaces or Wireframes mode, a 3D view will be chosen as default. In Floor Plans mode, all Floor Plan Views will be read, with a string attribute applied to each feature titled FloorPlanView, containing the feature’s corresponding view.

Use Search Envelope

Using the minimum and maximum x and y parameters, define a bounding box that will be used to filter the input features. Only features that intersect with the bounding box are returned.

If all four coordinates of the search envelope are specified as 0, the search envelope will be disabled.

When selected, this parameter removes any portions of imported features being read that are outside the Search Envelope.

The example below illustrates the results of the Search Envelope when Clip to Search Envelope is not selected (set to No) and when it is selected (set to Yes).

  • No: Any features that cross the search envelope boundary will be read, including the portion that lies outside of the boundary.
  • Yes: Any features that cross the search envelope boundary will be clipped at the boundary, and only the portion that lies inside the boundary will be read. The underlying function for the Clip to Search Envelope function is an intersection; however, when Clip to Search Envelope is selected, a clipping operation is also performed in addition to the intersection.

Additional Attributes to Expose

Use this parameter to expose Format Attributes in Workbench when you create a workspace:

  • In a dynamic scenario, it means these attributes can be passed to the output dataset at runtime.
  • In a non-dynamic scenario, this parameter allows you to expose additional attributes on multiple feature types. Click the browse button to view the available format attributes (which are different for each format) for the reader.