Revit Cloud Workshared model's file size is larger than expected after publishing to BIM 360 or ACC

Autodesk Support

Nov 21, 2024

Products and versions covered

Issue:

  • After publishing a Revit Cloud Workshared model to BIM 360 or Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), the file size is larger than expected. The file size may even change drastically between two different publishes.
  • Large size of the models may result in slow performance in Revit while opening or syncing the models.

Causes:

The file size in BIM 360 or ACC is bigger than the size of the individual RVT model when the following applies:

  • The file is a host file that contains links to other models.
  • The latest (synced) versions of the linked models were not published before the host model was published.
  • Therefore, the file has been published as a zipped package of the host with all linked files to provide a consistent data set.

Note:

  • The file size shows the aggregate total for the ZIP file.
  • This can be confirmed by downloading the host file using "Download Source File": It is downloaded as a ZIP file.
  • The status of the files and the size will also be kept once the models are shared and consumed in Design Collaboration.

Click here for a detailed explanation: Why an RVT model is (sometimes) downloaded as ZIP from BIM 360.

Solution:

Disregard Size Listed in Cloud Project

Since the size listed is for the composite file (ZIP) and not the actual model size, the size listed in BIM 360 or ACC cannot be used to identify the individual model size.


Publish Links to Display RVT Size

If you need to have the right size listed for models in the cloud project, use the following steps to remove the composite file state:

  1. Make sure that no project members are working on the linked files (to avoid changes during this process).
  2. Publish the latest (synced) versions of all linked files to BIM 360 or ACC.
  3. Open the host model, synchronize, and then publish the latest version of the host to the cloud.

Desktop Connector

If Revit cloud models are linked using Desktop Connector and the link is in a composite state, Desktop Connector cannot parse the ZIP file. Errors (corruption, failure to open document, ...) can occur. In this situation, use the option to clear the composite state of the model, or switch to linking through the External Resource.

See the following article for more information on Difference between External Resource and Desktop Connector, when linking cloud models in Revit.

Simplify the project structure

While having a complex project structure, with multiple nested links, consider flattening the structure to reduce the number of nested links. A lower number of links makes it easier to keep all of them published regularly and keep the size of the project reasonable. 

Products:

Revit Product Family; Revit Cloud Worksharing; BIM 360; Construction Cloud;

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