Extend the Functionality of Revit with Dynamo BIM

We all know that Revit is a great product but we have also all had times when we found certain issues are difficult to do in Revit. It would be great if we were able to extend Revit functionality without the skills of a programmer.

Now we can with a plugin called Dynamo BIM.

What is Dynamo BIM

Dynamo BIM is a visual programming language that is easy to learn. You don’t need to know the complication of a traditional programming language such as C# or VB.

With Dynamo BIM you have functions or nodes as they are known, you drag and drop the nodes onto the screen and connect the nodes together with objects caleed wires. The screen shot above shows a program that extracts parameter information and exports the parameter data directly into Excel.

How it works

When you install dynamo BIM you will see Dynamo BIM under the Addins tab

When you start Dynamo it opens in a separate window.

On the left you have a library of nodes. You drag the node from the library into the window on the right.

In the example above I have dragged out nodes to allow me to add points to Revit using coordinates. Something you can’t do in basic Revit. If I was to do this using the Revit API (Revit programming Interface) it would involve a huge amount of programming code.

Who should use Dynamo BIM

Every BIM manager or Revit power user should get involved in using Dynamo BIM with Revit. It allows you to

• extend the functionality (as seen in the small example above)

• Automate repetitive tasks

Using Dynamo BIM allows you to get more out of Revit and improve your companies productivity.

How do I get started with Dynamo BIM

The Dynamo BIM extension can be downloaded from the dynamo BIM site

http://www.dynamobim.org/

 Siscín run Dynamo BIM workshops around Ireland and the UK.  If you would like to find out more  please contact us at info@siscin.ie

If you have any questions on anything in this blog or any other blog please feel free to contact me at dan@siscin.ie.

Dan Deery is the managing director of Siscín. Dan has over 20 years in the construction industry and has been using BIM since the mid 90’s. He also worked as a programmer for a CAD software company. Siscín  specialise in BIM Consultany. training & visualisation and animation for the Infrastructure, Engineering, Construction, Facilities and Architectural industries. Check out our Website www.siscin.ie