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Local Models Not Shown on Home Page

BY: Heath White | SR. MFG Support Specialist

Issue:
Users working in Revit 2019.1 and up (2019.2, 2020, 2021, etc.) report that they do not see their local models listed on the home page under “Recent Files”. Instead, they only see the corresponding central model and are prompted to create a new local model anytime they select the central model.

Causes:
This behavior is functioning as designed.

Solution:
Beginning with the 2019.1 update, users are seeing a newly designed home page that produces a more consistent workflow when collaborating on a workshared project, whether the project is on BIM 360 or the user’s local network. In both cases, a new local model is created each time the central model is selected, so that users do not inadvertently modify the central model.

This designed workflow on the Revit home page is in line with the best practice of creating a new local model when returning to work on a workshared project. Doing so will minimize the issues that occur when a local model and central model become out of sync, leading to data loss.

Additional references:

Revit Worksharing Performance

Revit – What’s New 2019.1 (Official Autodesk Blog)

Autodesk KB Article - Unexpected Generation of Local Models

 

BIM 360 - Keys to Getting a "Seat at the Table"

One of the more common issues that our AEC customers encounter is a user being unable to access BIM 360 project files in Revit.  While there are a number of potential causes for this behavior, we have found that most of these cases are a result of the user missing at least one of the following four (4) key requirements:

1. A BIM 360 Design license
   
   
2. Revit Update/Hotfix
   
   
3. An accepted BIM 360 project invitation
   
   
4. Permission to folder

You might compare these fundamental requirements to the legs that support a table as illustrated below.  When one of these legs is missing, access to BIM 360 from Revit, represented by the table top, isn't supported and will fail.  Of course, the table itself needs a supporting surface such as a floor.  In this analogy the floor represents Autodesk's Cloud Services.  If there is a service outage, most, if not all customers will be unable to access BIM 360.

Since the purpose of this article is to help customers do some initial troubleshooting by checking that each of the four "legs" are in place, let's assume that Autodesk's Cloud Services are "Fully Functional".  (Service status can be checked at health.autodesk.com).

 

So if you or another person at your company cannot access BIM 360 projects in Revit, start by making sure you can answer "Yes" to these fundamental questions:

1. Does the user have a BIM 360 Design License assigned?
   • This license is assigned by an Admin or Software Coordinator in the Autodesk Account (manage.autodesk.com).
   • See the steps here for a user to check his/her entitlement.
     
     
2. Does the user have the latest Revit update/hotfix installed?
   • Autodesk released Security Hotfixes for several versions of Revit.  These updates are critical for Revit to connect to BIM 360 Cloud Worksharing.
   • It is always best practice to install all available updates for the version of Revit being used.  You can see available updates by version here:  https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/downloads
     
     
3. Has the user received and accepted the BIM 360 project email invitation by clicking on the "Go to your project" link?
   • Note:  clicking on this link changes a user's project membership from "pending" to "active"
     
     
     
4. Are the user's permissions to the BIM 360 project folder(s) containing Revit files set to a minimum of View + Upload + Download + Edit?
   • User permissions are assigned in the Document Management module by a Project Admin.  If they are not set to the level noted above, the user will not be able to initiate a cloud workshared model to the folder or open/sync a cloud workshared model.
   • See:  Folder Permissions

As stated at the outset, there are several other possible causes that could prevent a user from accessing BIM 360 projects in Revit (i.e. anti-virus/firewall settings; incorrect workflow), but you may find in most cases that once you ensure these four critical "legs" are in place, your team members will have a "seat at the table" and successfully access BIM 360 projects in Revit.

 

 

How to Switch Currently Installed Autodesk Multi-User Seats to Single-User Seats

By: Jeff Lotan | Sr. Tech Support Specialist

Purpose: Switch your currently installed Autodesk Software over from a Multi-User (a.k.a. Network) installation to a Single-User (a.k.a. Named User) license installation.

There are a few steps to this process, and each one must be done to ensure a smooth transition on the user’s machines:

1. You need to add Users and assign software licenses to each user in the Autodesk account/manage website so they can obtain a license and use the software.

Single-User licensing is much different than even the old Standalone licensing. The Contract Manager, Software Coordinator, Primary Admin or Secondary Admin must add the users into the Autodesk Management portal and then assign the product(s) to the user.

Contract Managers (and Primary/Secondary Admins)
Add users into the User Management section and assign users a license. See the Additional Links section at the end on how to change admin roles. This link will provide detailed instructions on how to invite users and assign users under User Management. https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/assign-single-user-products-in-autodesk-account.html

Important Note: All Named-user licenses are activated and tied to the user’s Autodesk Account, which is tied to the user's email address and the password they have selected. You cannot use the same email address for multiple users, so each user must have a unique email address.

2. Users must then verify the product(s) assigned to them are visible in “All Products and Services."

Once the User is assigned, have the user go to https://manage.autodesk.com and log in with their email address and use their existing password. Normally, the user will get an email from Autodesk (if it's a new account), and they will need to complete the account creation steps in the link that Autodesk sends. Once in their account, have them verify they can see the assigned software before trying to run and “sign in”.

3. Change the client machines existing software over from Multi-User/Network to Single-User licenses.

There are two possible Multi-User license workflows on the client machines that need their
licensing changed:

a. You downloaded the individual software components and installed each software package separately. This will be the easiest to change over.

i. Launch each Autodesk program installed that needs to be changed to a Single-User license.

ii. In the upper right corner click the dropdown and select “Manage License”.

iii. Then Click on “Change License Type” (in blue)

 

iiii. Once clicked you should be presented with one of the following screens. Select “Sign In” or Single User to launch the licensing sign in and have them enter their email address and Autodesk Password to re-activate the software as a Named User. Depending on the version you are changing the dialogs may be different, just follow the prompts.

or

b. You installed your software from a Suite download (i.e. Building Design Suite Premium).
You have two options:

i. Uninstall, reboot, and install from a non-suite download. On each machine with the older Suites, you will need to uninstall each base product that is being replaced. Review this blog and look at the bonus section at the end.
ii. Get one machine up and running using uninstall/reinstall and then use our blog to reinstall the products taken off, and reactivate using the sign in process outlined above. This step is REQUIRED since the product keys for the software are fixed in the ProductInformation.pit file and cannot be changed after activation. You must uninstall the products, so you can go back through the activation and put in the correct product key when re-activating, or see next step.

If you do not want to uninstall and reinstall everything on each machine, there is another option.

If you feel the need to update your current installs to the new Subscription, here is the process to follow:

1. Install the Collection Software on a machine that does not have the Suite already installed. Generally, Install the same products you have installed already as part of the Suite.
   a. You MUST install and activate each product and product year you are replacing in the Suite
   b. If you do not install and activate all products and all years, then you will have to uninstall and
   re-install the products you missed
       i. For example, if you miss AutoCAD 2017, and try to run it after you replace the ProductInformation.pit file, it will fail to run and give you an error.
2. Activate the Software with the License from the Collection on that machine
3. Look for ProductInformation.pit file that is created in this folder: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\AdLM.
4. Make a copy the ProductInformation.pit file and save it to a location you can access later
   (USB stick or Network Drive)
5. Go to a machine that currently has the old Suite installed and navigate to the folder:
   C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\AdLM
6. Rename Old License Machine ProductInformation.pit file (so you have it available to restore easily
   in case new .pit file does not work).
7. Copy the saved ProductInformation.pit file from Step 4 into this directory
8. Open Autodesk Product and follow the activation screen and input the new Serial number
   and Product Key

Please note: the process below will only work for 2018 and newer Suites, any 2016 and older suites will have to be uninstalled and reinstalled, due to the fact that Licensing information was encrypted and stored on the machine at the time of installation. If the suite product key was used to install the applications, the stored key would not allow for a Collections activation. The only solution is to uninstall and reinstall the products.

Assign Single-user Products in Autodesk Account

Only Contract Managers and Primary/Secondary Admins can manage single-user product users.

Note: To change the Contract Manager or Primary/Secondary Admins see https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/how-to-change-the-contract-manager-primarysecondary-admins-and-software-coordinator.html

The Autodesk Account website is where you add/remove users, assign them single-user software licenses and cloud services. In order to be able to activate and download their software, assign users a license seat under User Management. See https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/autodesk-download-manager-and-download-now-method.html on how to download software.

The following will walk you through how to add users, assign them software by user or product and how to delete users.

User Management

Single-user products are managed in the New View under User Management:

New View: where you manage single-user subscriptions and assign users a license to give them access to their software downloads, cloud services and activation.

Classic View: See https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/assign-multi-user-products-in-autodesk-account-.html on how to assign multi-user licenses.

 

Add Users

Note: Adding users does not automatically give them access to software. See the ‘Single-User licenses: Assign products and services to users’ section below.

1. Sign in to Autodesk Account
2. In the left panel go to User Management > By User.
3. Select the Invite Users icon at the top right. If using Teams, choose a team in list before adding a user to it.

Note: For more information on Teams see https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/manage-users-in-teams-in-autodesk-account.html.

4. Enter the user's first name, last name, and email address.
5. To add multiple users select the ‘Switch to multiples invites’ button:

6. Click Send Invite. The user's status displays as pending until they accept the invitation.

Note: Users will receive a confirmation email from Autodesk. If they do not accept the invitation within 7 days, resend the invite.

Add users in Autodesk Account:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/user-management/add-users

Single-User licenses: Assign products and services to users

Assign By User
1. Sign in to your Autodesk Account at manage.autodesk.com.
2. In the left panel go to User Management > By User.
3. Next to Team: select the team where the single-user subscription is in:

4. Select the user in the list to view available products.
5. Select the Assign button beside the product license to assign:

6. Select each product and service to assign to the user. The number of available seats displays next to each product.

Note: The user will receive an email notification from Autodesk that the product is assigned and available for download. They have 7 days to accept, if they do not accept within that period resend the invite.

Assign Products By User:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/user-management/assign-products-user

Assign By Product

1. Sign in to your Autodesk Account at manage.autodesk.com.
2. In the left panel go to User Management > By Product.
3. Next to Team: select the team name where the single-user subscription is in:

4. Select a product to see how many seats are available.
5. Click Assign users:

6. Enter in the user’s email address or paste a name and email address. Click Assign to assign all the product items or Customize to assign individual items:

7. To remove products from a user click the Unassign button:

Assign users by Product:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/user-management/assign-users-to-products

Remove Users

To delete users that no longer work for the company:
Note: This does not delete the user’s account but removes their software license access.

1. In the left panel go to User Management > By User.
2. Select the trash icon next to the user’s contact information:

3. In the confirmation window click on Delete.

Assign Multi-user Products in Autodesk Account

Only Contract Managers or Software Coordinators can manage multi-user product users.
The Autodesk Account website is where you add users and assign them cloud services.

Note: To change the Contract Manager or Software Coordinator see https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/how-to-change-the-contract-manager-primarysecondary-admins-and-software-coordinator.html

Multi-user seat assignment does not give users access to download software or to the network licenses.

• To set up the network license manager:
https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/download-and-install-autodesk-network-license-manager-lmtools-or-flexlm.html
• To generate a license file:
https://blogs.rand.com/support/2020/06/get-an-autodesk-license-file.html
• To download software:
Use the AVA-Autodesk Virtual Agent or download software as the Contract Manager or Software Coordinator.

User Management-Classic View

In Autodesk Account’s Classic User Management, you can only assign Cloud services to multi-user licenses.
• Sign into Autodesk Account.
• In the left panel go to User Management > Classic User Management.

Add Users

1. To add a user click on the +Add button under the All Users list:

2. Fill in the user’s email, first and last name and click Save & Continue.
3. To add multiple users select the Bulk Add option.
4. Enter in a list of users separated by a semi-colon and click Save & Continue.

Note: If the user does not accept the the invitation email within 90 days, resend the invitation.

Classic User Management-Add users:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/classic-user-management/add-users-classic-um

Assign services to users

Note: Each multi-user license allows you to assign cloud services to three users.

1. Find the user in the list.
2. Select Edit Access by the user’s name.

3. Put a check mark beside the Assign box at the top right to assign all services or assign individual services from the list.

Classic User Management-Assign product and services to users:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/classic-user-management/assign-products-to-users-um

Remove users

To delete users that no longer work for the company:
1. First remove any products, services or benefits assigned to the user by clicking Edit Access and removing any Assign check marks then clicking Save.
2. Click on the X by their name to delete them:

3. If there is no X button the user is a Contract Manager or Software Coordinator.
4. 4. See the link on how to change a Contract Manager or Software Coordinator prior to deleting them.

Create Color-Contrasting Rows in a Revit 2021 Schedule

By: Roger Weires | Applications Expert 

Issue:
A Revit schedule is so large it is hard to tell what row you are on.

Causes:
The Revit schedules before 2021 only had black and white rows.

Solution:
With Revit 2021 it can change the row color.

1. Open a schedule.
2. In the “Properties” pallet, go to “Other”, go to “Appearance”, Click “Edit..”.
3. Click on the “Appearance” tab.

Slanted Walls in Revit 2021

By: Roger Weires | Applications Expert 

Issue:

Unable to place a slanted wall

Causes:

Before Revit 2021 walls had to stay vertical

Solution:

1. Place a wall
2. Select the wall
3. In the "Properties" pallet, under "Constraints," look for "Cross-Section" in the left column, then select "Slanted" from the right column
4. In "Angle From Vertical," type in the desired angle

Revit: How to Move a Portion of a Split Cropped Region

By: Jeremy M. Smith | Sr. Technical Support Specialist - AEC

Issue:
A Revit user wants to move one portion of a split cropped region independently of the other, so they can move them closer/further apart but is unable to do so.

Causes:
When a cropped region is split (vertically or horizontally) as shown below, a Revit user does not select the right grip/control when attempting to move one portion independently.

This is often because the control, as represented by this symbol can be difficult to see in the view, especially if it is obscured by elements in the model.

Solution:
The Revit user needs to hover over the control until they see the hint “Move view region”, or temporarily hide elements in the view to locate and select it. This will allow the user to move one portion of the split region closer or further away from the other.

 

Workflow For Publishing From Revit to BIM 360

By: Roger Weires | Applications Expert 

Issue:
The None- Revit User (BIM 360 User Only) is not seeing the newest model.

Causes:
The Revit Users are not publishing the model to BIM 360.

Solution:
Setup BIM 360 to do regular publishings see the link below.
http://help.autodesk.com/view/BIM360D/ENU/?guid=BIM360D_Design_Collaboration_to_schedule_regular_publishing_of_a_package_html