Session 2.4
Revit Add-ins: When is too many too much?
Synopsis:
Whilst Revit add-ins can save us a lot of time and allow us to do much more that what’s included in the basic Revit package, when there are too many installed, they can start bringing up some issues. This session will explore all these problems and present what strategies Jasmax is putting in place to minimize them with the help of data collected from users’ machines.
Learning Objectives:
1. Issues faced when having too many Revit plugins installed
2. Strategies to reduce the impact of too many add-ins on Revit users
3. How to collect data on plugins usage to help inform these strategies
Body:
We can all agree that Revit has become an essential tool for most, if not all, professionals across the AEC industry – from engineers to architects, contractors, etc. However, it is also true that this BIM platform comes with some limitations, and it lacks the ability to complete various tasks in a more time- efficient and automated way.
Luckily, Revit can be modified using all sorts of Revit add-ins, from either the Autodesk App Store or various third-party sites. These add-ins, also called add-ons or plugins, allow us to do much more than what’s included in the basic Revit package: they can help streamline processes, save time and resources, experience better collaboration between teams and departments, and tailor the Revit experience to specific needs.
In short, Revit add-ins make our life so much easier. But do they really come with just advantages and no drawbacks at all? Or are there things that we, as BIM Leads or BIM Managers, should be aware of?
Jasmax is an architectural company with over 150 Revit users, and we currently use 13 Revit plugins. 3 of these 13 add-ins are only installed on a limited number of machines, while the rest are available to all users.
The list of plugins and the requests for new plugins are constantly growing, as new add-ins with new functionalities become available on the market and Revit users are eager to access these new tools. However, the longer the list of plugins gets, the more we’ve started encountering issues, such as:
• Longer times when opening Revit
• Longer troubleshooting and testing when rolling out new plugins to the practice
• Confusion amongst Revit users, who are either unaware or forget about the tools
Consequently, we started questioning whether we need all these add-ins and whether we are providing enough training and support to the teams for them to understand how to use them. While the plugins have the potential to save people time and increase their productivity, Revit users don’t seem to be taking full advantage of them and the support team is finding it increasingly time-consuming when dealing with troubleshooting, testing, or training.
In this session, we will provide an overview of how we are addressing all these issues and collecting data on Revit plugin usage to help us make more informed decisions. This includes, but is not limited to:
• The use of automatic data collection from BIM Beats and Orkestra to see what plugins (and tools within the plugins) people are using the most
• Looking at the ability to easily enable/disable add-ins as required to reduce the opening time in Revit and help with troubleshooting
• Creating an easy-to-read guide or map for all the add-ins and their tools