Revit - Arkio

Importing models from and to Revit requires a Pro or Enterprise license. You can learn more about our paid features and start a free trial to try this.

Revit 2018-2026 are currently supported, allowing the export of large Revit models to Arkio and back. Our Revit plugins are included with Arkio's Windows Installer, available on our download page.

Revit to Arkio

To export models from Revit using the Arkio Windows plugin, open Revit in a 3D view with the elements you want to export visible. Then, press the AddIns > Export button. This will display a dialog to select your export settings, such as the level of detail. The default settings should be good for most cases. You can click OK to confirm.

After a model has been exported from the plugins, it will open Arkio and process the file. From here, you can inspect and place the model on your desktop device from the Create > Import tab.

Synchronize imports with other Arkio devices

If you wish to synchronize newly imported files across multiple Arkio devices, such as your PC, Meta Quest, and iPad, you can link your PC and other devices to the same Arkio Cloud group from Create > Imports > Cloud. After linking, new imports will automatically be shared with all linked devices.

You can also share your scenes, including all placed imports, using a live meeting or via an Arkio Cloud URL

Placing models in Arkio

From the import panel, you can click on the filename of your import to open the placement sub-menu, where you can preview your model and select model placement options like the size, orientation and version.

You can click anywhere in the scene to place an instance of the model. Or select "Place at origin" to place the model pinned in the current or a new scene following its origin. Models placed at the origin can be aligned with other loaded models, enabling a round trip between your design tools when exporting Arkio-added geometry back to your existing tool.

You can export multiple 3D views from Revit to Arkio for more control over your layers and object placement in Arkio. Individual model instances can be added as movable elements in Arkio by clicking anywhere in the scene with the import preview open.

Model location and orientation

Revit's origin and Project North will be used for placement. From that placement, you can use the map feature to load a site around your design and enable more precise sun studies for your project. Arkio's default axis will align with Revit's project North, so placed objects in Arkio will align with your imported model.

If the Revit model has geometry under the 0 level (origin), the green table terrain can be cut away using Arkio's modeling tools. Making the void bigger than the loaded model enables teleporting and modeling on your underground geometry.

If your model is far from the center or floating, it means it is far from its origin. It's best to keep your geometry close to the origin in 3D tools to prevent model inaccuracies. You can address this in two ways:

• Place the model manually by clicking in the Arkio scene and pinning it. This will not export your added Arkio geometry to the exact coordinates for round-trip back to your original design tool

• You can adjust your model coordinates by linking your Revit project to a new file. Move your linked model closer to the intended origin point and then export it to Arkio from that file.

Layers and BIM data

Your Revit-exported files contain layer information in Arkio, mapped to the Revit Categories available in your project. If you like to have more customized control over your Layers in Arkio, for example, to present your design options, you can create several 3D views with view settings that contain the geometry you want to control in Arkio separately.

You can export multiple Revit models and 3D views into a single Arkio scene (and models from other supported design tools), and align them at the origin to gain additional control over layers in your scene, as you can control the visibility of all loaded files separately.

For Revit files, you can prepare 3D views for different Section Box fragments, Design options, Worksets, Linked files or other 3D view settings. To control more precisely which parts of the design are shown during your collaboration.

The Arkio Revit plugin exports all the available BIM data for objects. The panel can be opened from the Review panel > BIM data tab, and hovering over the Revit-imported elements with the laser/mouse/touch.

The BIM data includes built-in Revit parameters like Level, Family Name, Phase, and Workset and any custom-added parameters of families (shared/non-shared, Type, and Instance parameters)

Updating a Revit model in Arkio

You can update an existing imported model by overwriting your Arkio import files with the same name. In Revit, this can be achieved by re-running the export from the same filename and 3D view name. Arkio will then recognize and process the new version, displaying a green arrow above the model to indicate that a new version is available. You can click this arrow to replace the older file in the scene with the new version on the current coordinates.

Arkio will retain the older versions of your imported models, allowing you to also revert to a previous version by selecting the desired date in your menu and clicking "Update".

Arkio to Revit

Arkio scenes can be exported by opening your File browser and selecting the desired export format. Our Revit exporter converts your Arkio geometry to solid geometry and families, which can be exported to other solid CAD formats via Revit's exporters in DWG, IFC, and SAT.

You can export your scene locally or via Arkio Cloud by toggling the cloud toggle at the top of your export panel. Depending on your device, you can then directly import or download the latest cloud files using the AddIn>Import command in Arkio's Revit plugin. You can find your local exported files in \Documents\Arkio\Export\Revit.

Import settings

Arkio shapes can be loaded into Revit into 3 categories:

Generic Model families - All glued Arkio solid shapes will be combined in generic model families

Mass families - All glued Arkio solid shapes will be combined into massing families

Generic direct shapes - Arkio solid geometry will be individually loaded as generic model direct shapes.

Arkio geometry will be converted to native 3D solid shapes with assigned materials. When importing as a generic model or a mass family, Arkio's geometry will be combined into that family type. These families will be named Arkio_GM_01 or Arkio_Mass_01, corresponding to their unique family, so that Arkio families can be easily sorted and filtered. Generic direct shapes will also load properties, such as program information.

When importing as Revit mass families, you can use Revit massing features for gross calculations and generate floors and facades from Arkio's designed mass shapes.

Arkio props and custom imports

All Arkio geometry will be converted into Revit families that can be used as custom design elements or as temporary 3D design references. Arkio-built-in props, such as people, cars, trees, and furniture, have corresponding optimized native Revit families that are loaded into your project for you to manage.

Custom-imported models placed in Arkio will also be loaded as instanced Revit families, which can be updated to other families within your project. Even your 3D map buildings and sketches will be loaded into Revit, allowing them to be used for site creation, coordination, or model reviews of your project.

All Arkio props will be exported as native Revit families, complete with their respective positions and rotations. These families are also compatible with Enscape and other rendering tools and can be customized or replaced once loaded into your projects.

Imported materials

You can also set how you like to import your Arkio materials to Revit.

Main materials - Imports all Arkio-painted materials and textures assigned to solid shapes. The geometry and materials of any custom-placed, imported 3D objects in the Arkio scene will also be converted to Revit materials to retain their appearance once loaded back into Revit.

All white - Arkio native and custom imported materials will be ignored, and all objects will be imported as the default white material instead.

Other import settings

Delete previous import - When there are already Arkio components loaded in your Revit project, you can decide to delete all the previously loaded Arkio elements to avoid duplicated Arkio geometry.

To gain additional control over your Arkio imports to Revit, you can best activate a Workset or Design option in Revit before you start the Arkio imports command. This will make it easier to organize your Arkio-generated geometry and ensure that the imported geometry complies with your company's Revit standards.

BIM program data

Program data from Arkio gets imported as property fields when importing as Generic direct shapes. Using a filter and a Generic Model, the Area outcomes of Arkio can be easily translated to Revit schedules.

Troubleshooting

• Avoid issues and long processing by exporting only the geometry you need, using a smaller section box, and hiding unnecessary categories. See tips to optimize your geometry on this page

• Sometimes, failing imports affect other files from loading in Arkio. Clearing your temporary resources often resolves most issues.

• If you have models that don't load well in Arkio, we'd love to review the file to improve Arkio’s importer. You can contact us at support@arkio.is