Sharing Inventor 2021 data to earlier versions of Revit rfa

For manufacturers working with customers in construction it’s often a requirement to provide product models in a BIM compatible format, usually a Revit format. With Autodesk Inventor 2021 we have the capability to work with Revit data and to share this data directly from the Inventor BIM Content Environment

When exporting we can save out to the rfa format, but there is no option to select which Revit version we are saving from.

This can cause problems if your client is using an earlier Autodesk Revit version to you.

However there is a method you can follow to setup your system to be able to export out up to three version earlier than your current version.

In this blog article we will provide you the required setup steps and an iLogic rule that will allow you to access this undocumented feature. 

Installation Requirements

1. Install the matching Inventor legacy version. This can be up to three versions behind latest release so currently 2018.
2. Install the latest Inventor version, currently 2021.
3. Obtain the latest version of Navisworks media. Copy RFATranslator.Translate.RevitServerLegacy.exe from Navisworks install files to legacy Inventor version Revit interoperability folder.

e.g. copy from Autodesk_Navisworks_Manage_2021_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm\x64\NAVMAN\Autodesk\Ldr\IVS\Bin

to 

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\Revit Interoperability for Inventor 2018\Rx\

4. You can Install the Revit legacy version to check your exported models and also to gain access to the Revit templates. If you don’t have a Revit license you can run it in view only mode. If you need to make any post export modifications you will require a Revit license to make any changes to the exported file in Revit.

 

iLogic Rule

You will require an iLogic rule to access the custom export functionality.

Create the following as an external rule.

 

Dim oBIMComp As BIMComponent

Dim selectedTemplate As String

Dim targetFile As String

 

oBIMComp = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.ComponentDefinition.BIMComponent

 

Dim templateFileDlg As Inventor.FileDialog = Nothing

InventorVb.Application.CreateFileDialog(tFileDlg)

templateFileDlg.DialogTitle() = "Select Template for Export"

templateFileDlg.Filter = "Revit Family Template (*.rft)|*.rft"

templateFileDlg.InitialDirectory = "C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2018\Family Templates\English"

templateFileDlg.CancelError = True

On Error Resume Next

templateFileDlg.ShowOpen()

If Err.Number <> 0 Then

        Return

        ElseIf templateFileDlg.FileName <> "" Then

        selectedTemplate = templateFileDlg.FileName

End If 

Dim oNameValueMap As NameValueMap

oNameValueMap = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap

oNameValueMap.Add("CustomRevitFamilyTemplate", selectedTemplate)

oNameValueMap.Add("RevitFileVersion", "Legacy")

 

Dim oFileDlg As Inventor.FileDialog = Nothing

InventorVb.Application.CreateFileDialog(oFileDlg)

oFileDlg.Filter = "Revit Family Files (*.rfa)|*.rfa"

oFileDlg.InitialDirectory = ThisDoc.Path

oFileDlg.CancelError = True

'On Error Resume Next

oFileDlg.ShowSave()

If Err.Number <> 0 Then

        Return

        ElseIf oFileDlg.FileName <> "" Then

        targetFile = oFileDlg.FileName

End If

oBIMComp.ExportBuildingComponentWithOptions(targetFile, oNameValueMap)

MessageBox.Show("Export to " & targetFile & " finished.", "RFA Export Rule Complete")

There is more to BIM though than just the model itself. If you need to know more about BIM as a manufacturer and what’s required, please contact us by emailing info@symetri.co.uk.  We also have on-demand webinars focused around illogic, along with training courses and services to enable you to boost your productivity.