Revit Collaboration: Importing, Exporting, & Geo-coordination

Did you know that, if you’re a landscape designer or architect using Vectorworks Landmark, you can collaborate with Revit-based teams? Vectorworks supports importing and exporting Revit files in a way that keeps your work in-house and your workflows the best in class.

Continue reading to explore some of the key considerations for working with Revit users when you’re designing with Vectorworks Landmark.

Though collaborating across software lines may seem like a barrier for multi-disciplinary projects, bringing a Revit file into Vectorworks Landmark is straightforward. 

Once imported, Revit objects are treated like native Vectorworks objects and you can define how Revit entities are translated during the import process. For example, Revit topography becomes a Vectorworks site model, a building pad becomes a hardscape object, and a family instance imports as a symbol. Textures and texture mapping are supported too, preserving key visual and material information for accurate design context.

Vectorworks Landmark also lets you send out modeled objects that Revit receives as General Models. You can export geometry and associated object data to the RVT format via the Vectorworks Cloud, making it easier to collaborate with architects and consultants.

While the exported RVT file won’t carry as much embedded data as an IFC file, it’s still reliable for design coordination. That said, if you’re exchanging rich data, IFC remains the smarter, more robust option for interoperability, especially if you’re participating in a building information modeling (BIM) process.

It’s worth noting that you have the option to export to a variety of versions of Revit, giving you the flexibility to work with architects even if they’re using older versions of the program.

A readily solved challenge in cross-platform collaboration is aligning file origins and geolocation. Architects often place their building at the origin (0,0), which can conflict with geospatial data from civil engineers or site plans.

In Vectorworks Landmark, you can geolocate your file to match a civil or survey file, which could be in DWG format, while maintaining alignment with the Revit file. The base point from Revit can be used as a Survey Point in Vectorworks, allowing for accurate geo-coordination between platforms. Here’s how it works:

Example: Setting Origin Points for Accurate Geo-coordination

Let’s say you want to import a survey file in the DWG format. You do so by using the Import Single DXF/DWG command under the Import menu. This will create a new design layer containing all of the georeferenced DWG geometry.

Then, in the GIS Toolset, you’d activate the Survey Point tool, then click on a grid intersection. In the Survey Point Coordinates Setup dialog, you’d select the preferred coordinate system, and the geographical coordinates will be automatically specified for you. Ensure that the Align Survey Point with Internal Origin box is checked, then click OK. Lastly, via Tools > Origin > User Origin, you’d make sure to specify the relative position of the User Origin to the Project Origin by checking the Set User Origin to Match Georeferencing Coordinate System box.

Now, your project file will be aligned with real-world coordinates — and by defining the relative position of the User Origin to the Project Origin, you can ensure that the geocoordination aligns with a Revit architect’s building, even if their origin point is (0,0).

Learn more about origin points and coordinating files in this article.

There are lots of different software programs out there that professionals use to do their work — that’s why it’s crucial that you’re able to work with as many of these different applications as possible. Beyond Revit, Vectorworks Landmark can work with a variety of choices in the industry, like SketchUp, Rhino, and more.