What’s New for Architects in Revit 2022, Part 2 of 3: Interoperability and Data Exchange

Revit 2022 has been released, and there are so many updates for architects that we decided to introduce them in three installments. In Part 1, we showcased features for Modeling, Documentation, and Production. In part 2, let’s talk about Interoperability and Data Exchange.

Revit 2022 supports better interoperability at every stage of design, with McNeel® Rhinoceros and FormIt Pro for early-stage design, IFC and openBIM® workflows for project teams developing their designs, and Revit to Inventor interoperability for design to fabrication. 

New FormIt Capabilities 

This release adds capabilities to FormIt Pro, Autodesk’s conceptual design tool. FormIt AXM is now a supported CAD file format, meaning you can directly import FormIt files into your Revit projects. You can also create roundtrip workflows between FormIt and Revit—starting with Revit’s “3D Sketch” feature, which sends Revit content to FormIt Pro for further design exploration, and then returning to Revit using FormIt Pro’s “Send to Revit” feature.  

With this functionality, you can now bring an existing Revit model into FormIt Pro to serve as a context model, and continue your design exploration using the fluid, intuitive modeling capabilities of FormIt. Even better, use FormIt Pro’s integration with Dynamo and expand your design exploration using computational design tools.  

Then, when you’re ready, you can move the FormIt model back into Revit and begin more detailed documentation work, creating a new, smooth workflow between early and later design phases. 

Toggle back and forth between FormIt Pro and Revit for projects where you’re working on an existing building that’s getting a partial retrofit, like a new hotel lobby in an existing building, or for experimenting with different versions of a new curtain wall design, for example. 

Linking Rhino Files into Revit 

At Autodesk, we know that Rhino plays a significant role in early-stage design for many firms. That’s why two years ago, we introduced the ability to import Rhino 3DM files, and we’ve continued to work on improving this popular workflow between the two programs. 

With Revit 2022, you can link in Rhino files that update when reloaded or when the project is reopened, instead of having to manually import a static Rhino model every time the file changes. 

Link Rhino is ideal for early-stage design, where complex geometry and computational workflows are used to define signature forms and design directions. Support for a more fluid and efficient workflow between Rhino and Revit is a key time-saving feature in Revit 2022.  

What’s more, it’s possible to host your Rhino files in Autodesk Docs, so that everyone on the team can access the latest version. 

IFC4 and openBIM® Workflows 

As a founding member of buildingSMART, Autodesk is dedicated to open data standards for the AEC industry. That’s why we’re proud that Revit 2022 achieved IFC4 export certification for architecture and structure.  

This capability makes Revit the first software to support the exporting of IFC4 reference views for multiple disciplines, enabling project teams to collaborate more effectively across disciplines and software platforms. 

Other enhancements to the IFC4 format include performance benefits, such as IFC links opening faster in Revit and exporting a model segment cropped by a 3D section box to IFC. More improvements are on the roadmap, including MEP export certification. 

Enhanced Interoperability with Inventor 

Another exciting update bridges the gap between the design and manufacturing phases of a project. Improved interoperability between Revit and Inventor helps to accelerate this convergence. 

Last year, Autodesk introduced the ability to link a Revit file into Inventor. This release closes the loop; Inventor can now export assemblies as RVT files, enabling them to be linked directly into Revit. 

This functionality is perfect for projects with complex machinery—like a factory or a baggage handling system at an airport, where a detailed level of manufactured components is required, but where the system also needs to be incorporated and coordinated within a broader project scope. 

By bringing in the Inventor file, you can schedule and document all components, see required clearances around equipment, and note clashes or model conflicts. But fear not: “we included tools in Inventor that will simplify geometry so that it won’t overwhelm the Revit file upon import,” notes Senior Product Manager for Revit, Harlan Brumm. 

Natively Export to PDF 

This release also brings a long-awaited update by enabling users to export to PDFs in Revit without third-party PDF tools. 

“The ability to take any sheet or view—whether 2D or 3D—and push it out natively to PDF from Revit is probably the longest standing request we’ve addressed in this release,” says Senior Building Technical Marketing Manager Aaron Vorwerk. 

Thanks to lots of work behind the scenes in Revit’s API (Application Programming Interface), exporting to PDF now works right out of the box. 

This enhancement expands on the ability to import and link PDFs, a feature released in Revit 2021, ultimately providing a complete PDF workflow in Revit. 

Additionally, you’ll find that the PDF export feature can automatically detect the selected sheet size(s), such that a single exported PDF can contain multiple sheet sizes—avoiding cumbersome workarounds with multiple printings and recombining of sheets. 

You’ll also be able to create naming tools based on project parameters for quick and easy file naming, as well as improved performance through faster exports—critical when you’re working on projects large and small. 

Revit Is for You 

These updates and many more in Revit 2022 reflect Autodesk’s belief in interoperability and ease of working across platforms and project teams, from design to production to construction. 

“It’s important to acknowledge,” says Harlan Brumm, “that Revit is part of a whole ecosystem of tools that architects, and others use to design, document, and construct better buildings.” 

Find out what other features Revit 2022 offers architects for Modeling, Documentation, and Production (Part 1), as well as Productivity and Ease of Use (Part 3). 

To see more video highlights from Revit 2022, check out the official Autodesk Revit 2022 What’s New Playlist and subscribe to Autodesk Building Solutions.