New Autodesk Revit 2017.1 Update Gets Dynamo Player & More

Dynamo Player is the big new feature in the latest update to Autodesk Revit, version 2017.1. The company’s example video shows how to link Dynamo Player to a folder holding Dynamo scripts—the first step in working with the new feature.

The video continues to illustrate something quite simple, like using a Dynamo script to change the font type across all title blocks to match an office standard. The orientation of this addition to Revit suggests the company wants to offer common-sense tasks as an onboarding process for learning how to script more powerful applications in Dynamo.

Other Updates in Revit 2017.1

Revit 2017.1 brings support for 4k monitors which will no doubt make many users happy, particularly those who have invested in such displays and those on Apple’s 5k iMac machines running Revit in Boot Camp or in virtualized Windows environments.

01 – This view shows a Dynamo script changing a title block text item throughout the project using Dynamo Player, a new feature in version 2017.1. Image: screenshot of Autodesk video.

Also new in Revit 2017.1 is the ability to import 3D model geometry data with high usefulness and fidelity. But most importantly with this new feature is that imported 3d geometry (aka: importing 3D Shapes) can take on intelligence. Examples include:

• Rhinoceros® 3DM files — extremely popular with architecture firms doing advanced shapes and cutting edge designs, Rhino files can now come into Revit and adopt behaviors assigned to Revit categories (support for import into Projects and Families)
• SAT® files (the format of ACIS, a 3D modeling technology by Dassault Systèmes, Spatial Corporation) — again this geometry can adopt behaviors assigned to Revit categories.

Interestingly, SAT support is limited to version 7.0 or earlier. This means software apps like the latest form-Z, which create SAT files using SAT 7.0 or later, will require workarounds.

There are many other updates listed in Revit 2017.1 and you can read about them all at this page here on Autodesk’s website. An other interesting new feature is the ability to model now in ‘perspective’ views. One can now add, modify, or move building elements without needing to switch to an orthogonal view.

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