Revit - Arkio

Importing models from and to Revit requires a Pro or Enterprise license. You can learn more about our paid licenses on our website and can start a free trial from Arkio to try this feature. The latest Revit, Rhino and Sketchup plugins are included with our Windows installer which can be found on our download page.

Our Revit plugin allows you to export Revit models to Arkio and import them back with all your markups and geometry as native Revit elements. Revit 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 are currently supported. 

Revit to Arkio locally

To export your models from Revit you open a model's 3D view with all the elements visible you want to export and press the Local Export button. This will show a dialog to select your level of detail. The default settings should be fine. If you are optimizing your models for less powerful devices like a smartphone or Quest we recommend hiding heavy categories in your view, using a smaller section box, and pushing the LOD slider lower.

After the model has been exported locally it's directly available to load in Arkio on your PC and it can be shared with other Arkio devices using an Arkio meeting.

Revit to Arkio via cloud

You can also upload your 3D view directly to Arkio Cloud to access your file on all devices that joined the same cloud group. This allows you to distribute your models directly to Quest and other devices without needing a PC or starting an Arkio meeting.

To export to the cloud you first need to join the same cloud group with your Revit plugin and devices. You can then export the active 3D view similar to a local export. Your exported cloud files will automatically be downloaded on all devices that joined the same cloud group from where you can load the files in your Arkio scene. 

Loading model in Arkio

Local exports using our plugin will automatically save your prepared files in \Documents\Arkio\Import When you start Arkio on the same PC, the latest available models can be placed in the scene from the create>import drawer. Your imported files will also automatically appear here on the devices that joined the same Arkio cloud group as your Revit plugin cloud uploads

Models will be loaded in Arkio based on Revit's Origin and Project North so the map feature can be used to load any surrounding buildings. When you load a Revit model in the scene the default modeling axis is changed to the Revits project North so objects you add in Arkio will align to your Revit model.

You can load Revit and other imported models to Arkio in two ways

Locked at origin - to place the model on its original coordinated as a locked non-movable reference

Place as object - to place the model freely as a movable Arkio props

If the Revit model has geometry modeled under the origin the terrain can be cut away by cutting a void shape in the Arkio table. Making the void slightly bigger than the model should enable teleporting and modeling on the underground geometry. If your Revit model is floating in the air or far away from the center it means your Revit origin is far from your model. There are two ways to work around this:

• You can fix your Revit coordinates by linking your Revit project in a new empty Revit file. Move your linked model closer to your origin and to the ground level and export that model to Arkio.
• You can place the model as an object and position it manually, this will however result in a no longer aligned scene when you bring your Arkio designs back to Revit.

BIM data

The Arkio Revit plugin exports all the available BIM data for objects. This includes the built-in Revit parameters like Level, Family Name, Phase and Workset and any custom added parameters of families (both shared/non-shared, Type and Instance parameters).

Updating a Revit model in Arkio

When a change is made in Revit you can overwrite your model with a new version by exporting the same project and view name. When the new version of the model is available a yellow update icon will show above the model in the Arkio scene. Clicking this icon with your VR laser or mouse will update that model with the new version. Arkio will keep the old versions of your imported models so you can always revert back when needed. You can access the older version of your imported models under the date dropdown in your import panel.

Arkio to Revit

To export your active scene back to Revit you can use the export to Revit button in the scene viewer. 

You can export via the Arkio Cloud or locally using the cloud toggle on the top of your export panel. In Revit, you can download the latest cloud files and import them using the Local Import command. If you exported on your local PC you will find the .arkiorvt files in \Documents\Arkio\Export\Revit.

Category - Arkio shapes can be loaded to Revit as Generic Models or Masses. The biggest difference is that Generic Models will load individual Arkio shapes with all materials and program information attached. When importing as Mass, Arkio's solid geometry will be combined into solid mass families that can be used with Revit massing gross calculations and generating floors and facades from mass shapes.

Materials -  you can choose between loading the Arkio paint materials to Revit using the assigned program colors or the model can be loaded without materials (white)

Delete previous import - When there are already Arkio components loaded in the Revit project and you want to load in a new proposal you can decide to delete all the previously Arkio elements to avoid duplicated Arkio geometry.

Managing your Arkio imports - If you want more control over your import you can best activate a Workset or Design option in Revit before you load Arkio imports. This will make it easier to organize and filter the Arkio-created geometry and to the imports comply with your company's Revit standards.

Working with the imported Revit geometry

All Arkio geometry will be converted to volumetric Revit geometry that can be used as a 3D design reference. Imported models placed in Arkio will be loaded as instanced Revit families and types that can be updated or changed to other families in your projects. The 3D map buildings and sketches will also be loaded to Revit so they can be used for design communication.

Arkio props will be exported as native Revit families with the corresponding position and rotation. These families are compatible with Enscape and can be customized or replaced once loaded into your projects.

BIM data

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

Known issues/limitations:

• Try to keep your geometry below 450K polygons to avoid performance loss and crashes when working with mobile devices like the Meta Quest.
• We added a short guide to help clean and prepare your models for usage on less powerful devices.
  
• If you experience issues loading your exported models in Arkio try to open the glTF exported file in Windows 3D viewer, Blender to see what geometry might be causing the issue.
• Sometimes failed imported models affect the loading of other files in Arkio. Cleaning your temporary ResourceCache files can solve most issues.