Print sheets from multiple Revit Documents

Developers
, ,
1

Hello forum! I’ve got another tough one for you.

Situation: I have a HUGE mall project 2000+ sheets spread accross 8 models. Sheets related to the model’s content reside on that model ( Exterior in the enveloppe file, lvl2 plans in the lvl2 file, etc). It was dedided that way to make it easier for the 25+ people modeling in them.

Problem: Printing the thing. Opening 8 models to print individually and later combine in acrobat seem like a bit of waste.

Solution: Well scripting, of course, but I am stumped. See my Graph and test files, attached. The whole thing is a speghetti but the essence is: Point to a directory where some rvt file reside and point a directory where the future PDFs will spawn. choose wich file you want to use, extract the sheets, sort them however the user see fit, then, print them individually.

That last part is bugging me.

See, using the “Print PDF from directory (multiple formats)” from @Konrad_K_Sobon ( in wich I hardcoded the input of a list of document and a list of list of views; Everything is fine as long as the file I am feeding in the node ARE NOT LINKED TOGUETHER. Otherwise, it works for the first file, but refuses to touch the others because they are “linked”. It cries about not being able to open transactions in linked file or anything related to closing the document. Even though I explicitly opened them in background individually as detached at the start of the graph.

My Question: How do I fix this, my files obvioulsy have to be linked together and all my effort at closing any documents in the python script are met with a “you can’t, it’s linked”.

halp meh pls I’am so close I can taste it

DEPENDENCIES:
Genius Loci 2018.6.18
Rhythm 2018.6.7
Clockwork 1.0.2
ArchiLab 2018.0.8

1- run the script from the Print_Boi.rvt
2- Point where the Sheet_boi are located
3- Select the three files
4- click on the “Manual option” at the end of the 4th box
5- select the sheets you want
6- experience my problem

Print_Boi.rvt (336 KB)
Print_Unopened_Files.dyn (510.5 KB)
https://we.tl/41MaNjGGJh

2

@slepagetrudeau

Maybe open 3 sessions of revit, oh, and some buy extra memory :slight_smile:

3

another possible, but geeky

open detached, print, close without saving, open next
i know there are node that can close and save families when opened in sequence, the might be a node that can do the same with projects
And there is @Andreas_Dieckmann’s nodes Dynamo Automation i believe

4

I tried to go the hardcoded way step by step of:
Open model A detached
Print model A
Close model A without saving
Feed a passthrough for order of operarion
A 5 sec sleep for good measure
Open model B detached
Print model B

Even with all that jazz, he thinks model B is a linked file, wont start transacrions or close it. Model A, however prints and close just fine.

Ill look at what dynamo automation can do and come back to you.

5

Hi Simon,

I do not currently have access to Revit 2018 or 2019 and can not test your Revit files, but the likely solution is to unload the links in file A without saving to avoid transaction problems.

I did this kind of workflow for IFC view exports in linked files with success.

6

I have another thought

Make a new empty model, link in model A, print
Change model A for model B, print
.
.
.

7

There is a $50 software to batch print from multiple models. Its called RTV Tools. It has all the functionality you need.

2 Likes
8

Welp, sometime the best way is to let professionals do the work. I tried it, and it indeed does exactly what I tried to do, with great multiple filters on multiple files.

For 50$, it easily outweight any developpement time on my end.

The important is the knowledge and friendship made along the way!

1 Like