What You Will Need to Get Started

  • A working understanding of Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit Structure or Autodesk Revit MEP 2011
  • An installation of an Autodesk Revit-based product, including the Software Development Kit
  • MS Visual Studio 2008 or MS Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition, or a full installation of Microsoft Visual Studio. If you plan to start with VSTA, you do not need to install any of these.
  • Some experience in a .NET based development language (Autodesk Revit API examples are provided in C# and Visual Basic.NET.)
  • 2 days of free time

Understanding Autodesk Revit

All Autodesk Revit-based products are Parametric Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools. Such a tool can be looked at as a CAD program that is used to build a 3D model rather than a set of individual drawing files. Autodesk Revit modeling is accomplished with real-world elements like columns, walls, doors and windows. The user can create views of the model, including plans, sections and callouts. All these views are directly generated from the 3D physical model so changes made in one view will automatically propagate through all other views. This process virtually eliminates the need to update multiple drawings and details when a change is made in the model.

The Autodesk Revit API is designed to reflect the same user interaction paradigms as the program’s Graphical User Interface. Therefore, the first step to understanding the API is to learn how to use the program. If you are an Autodesk Revit novice, we suggest you first start by going through the Tutorials which you can access through the program’s Help menu. You may also find it helpful to take a Training class from your local Autodesk reseller. This will help you quickly get up to speed with the program

Autodesk Resources:

Select = Autodesk Revit Building

Then Select = Autodesk Revit API

External Resources:

Installation of the Autodesk Revit API

The Autodesk Revit API is automatically installed with the default installation of the Autodesk Revit based product.

The Autodesk Revit API Software Development Kit is installed from the Tools and Utilities section of the Autodesk Revit installation DVD.

Development Requirements

The Autodesk Revit API requires the Microsoft .NET Framework v3.5.  To edit and debug your API applications, you need an interactive development environment such as Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 or one of the MS Visual Studio Express Editions for C# or Visual Basic.NET.  When developing with the Autodesk Revit API, ensure that your project references two DLLs: RevitAPI.dll and RevitAPIUI.dll contained in the Autodesk Revit Program directory.

Some programming skills are required to effectively use the API. If you are a beginner in programming, we strongly advise you to learn Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and one of the compatible languages like C# or Visual Basic.NET. There are many good books and classes to get you started.

Resources:

Online resources

Books:

  • Code Complete, Second Edition, by Steve McConnell
  • Software Project Survival Guide, by Steve McConnell