How can we help?

Model import guidelines for Revit and Revit LT

Avatar
Lumion Support Center
  • Updated
Follow

 

1. Install the Lumion plug-in for Revit

1.1: Please follow the instructions below to download and install the plug-in for your version of Lumion and Revit:

Download Link: Download Lumion LiveSync for Revit

Revit LT: See section 4 below.

 

2. Method A: LiveSync export

2.1: With Lumion LiveSync for Revit and Lumion 8.3 and newer, you can immediately set up a live, real-time visualization of your Revit 2015-2019 model:

If you are using an older version of Lumion, please see Method B below.

 

3. Method B: Lumion .DAE file export

3.1: Export a .DAE file from Revit as a Lumion Collada file (.DAE) using the Lumion LiveSync for Revit Export button in the palette. Then import the .DAE file in Lumion:

3.2: Select the desired export options:

Insertion Point:

  • In Revit, you can mark the Base Point and Survey Point in your project. The Lumion exporter settings let you define one of those as the Insertion Point in Lumion.
  • If you choose Base point as insertion point, then 'project North' is taken into account.
  • If you choose Survey point as insertion point, then 'true North' is taken into account.

Surface smoothing:

  • This slider lets you define how detailed rounded/curvy surfaces should be.
  • Setting it to the maximum value can have a serious impact on performance and render speeds in Lumion.

Skip interior details: If you select this option then these Revit Categories are not exported:

  • Casework
  • Communication Devices
  • Data Devices
  • Duct Terminal
  • Electrical Equipment
  • Electrical Fixtures
  • Fire Alarm Devices
  • Furniture
  • Furniture Systems
  • Generic Model
  • Lighting Devices
  • Lighting Fixtures
  • Mechanical Equipment
  • Model Text
  • Nurse Call Devices
  • Plumbing Fixtures
  • Security Devices
  • Specialty Equipment
  • Telephone Devices

Unicode Support:

  • This tickbox is only required for legacy naming conventions and should normally never be ticked.

Collect textures:

  • If ticked, all of the textures that are used by the Revit model will be placed in a folder in the same location as the .DAE file. This tickbox should remain ticked if you need to import the .DAE file on a different computer.

 

4. Importing models from Revit LT

4.1: Please export your Revit LT model to .DWG format, install the DWG plug-in for Lumion and then import the .DWG file in Lumion:

  • Revit LT 2018 and Lumion 8.0 or newer: Please install DWGToLumionBridge2018 and export to .DWG 2018 file format.
  • Revit LT 2017 and Lumion 6.5 or 7.x: Please install DWGToLumionBridge2017 and export to .DWG 2013 file format.

Knowledge Base: Install the DWG plug-in for Lumion

Please note that textures are not transferred correctly from Revit LT to Lumion due to Autodesk limitations in the exported .DWG file.

Please also ensure that during export you selected the option Export all properties BYLAYER, and create new layers for overrides. See the video tutorial below:

 

5. Tips & Troubleshooting

5.1: Why can't you see the model after importing and placing it in your Scene?

  • Make sure that your Revit model is placed near the Base Point or Survey Point (see section 3.2 above) before importing it in Lumion.

5.2: Why can't you assign a Lumion material to individual surfaces?

  • Lumion will always combine surfaces that use the same material in Revit. If you want to assign a Lumion material to a specific surface, you must assign a unique material to that surface in Revit before importing the model.

5.3: What does the Geometry Optimization setting do in older versions of the plug-in?

  • Before the plugin exports an object from Revit it needs to tessellate it (divide the model in to triangles). But the default built-in Revit tessellator has a problem with thin, long objects (railings, frames etc). It generates too many triangles. If you turn on Geometry Optimization then, only for the given object categories, the exporter tries to tessellate it differently to get optimal smoothing with minimal triangles, instead of the built-in tessellator. However, occasionally there is a drawback; sometimes texture mapping coordinates are incorrect. It's better to avoid this option, unless your Scene generates too large a .DAE file (after reducing it using lower Surface Smoothing/Smoothing Accuracy settings).

5.4: Can you export a Family model (.RFA file)?

  • No, the Lumion exporter cannot export a single .RFA file (Family) and will result in an error ("Object reference not set to an instance of an object"). This is a technical constraint.
  • To solve the problem, make sure that the .RFA model is placed in an .RVT project file.

5.5: What do you do if your Lumion Materials go missing after re-importing a model?

5.6: How do you replace imported objects with Library objects?

  

See also:

Knowledge Base: How does LiveSync 3 work with existing imported models in Lumion Scenes?

Video Tutorial: LiveSync for Revit: Model synchronization

Video Tutorial: LiveSync for Revit: Camera synchronization

Video Tutorial: LiveSync for Revit: Materials synchronization

Related articles