Importing from VisualAnalysis to Revit

A VisualAnalysis project can be imported into a Revit project to bring over changes made to a previously exported model (see Exporting from Revit to VisualAnalysis) or to import new objects into a Revit project.

The VARevitLink makes use of Revit’s Analytical Model when importing the VisualAnalysis model. No changes to Revit's Physical Model will occur. Please consult the Revit documentation for managing the Analytical Model if you have questions about this.

In order to achieve the best possible results, it is strongly recommended that any and all Family Symbols that you expect to be matched from the VisualAnalysis model are loaded into the Revit project before you initiate an import. The VARevitLink does not load new Families or modify existing Families within the Revit project. If a Revit Family instance cannot be matched to a VA object, the item will be skipped during import.

Figure 4 - Informational Import Message

Ensuring the names of the member cross-section and material match in both the VisualAnalysis and Revit project before importing the .vap file will often times yield the best results.

When importing a VisualAnalysis project into Revit, the model geometry is used to match existing analytical elements and VA objects together. If the model geometry changes between the Export and Import process, the members will not be matched properly and may be re-imported into the Revit project as new objects. For this reason, it is imperative that the geometry of the Revit analytical model is well established if you plan to bring member changes back into Revit after performing an analysis within VisualAnalysis. The utmost care should be taken to ensure you have a good analytical model defined within Revit if the hope is to link the Revit and VA models together.

The VA objects imported to Revit are limited in order to retain the validity of the Revit model.

For VA member elements, the following Revit Analytical Model information will be modified based on changes to the VA members:
- Structural Role (Beam, Column, Member)
- Structural Section
- Cross-Section Rotation
- Material
For VA area elements, the following Revit Analytical Model information will be modified based on changes to the VA areas: (Revit floors and walls) only the Revit WallType or FloorType will be changed. If the area material or thickness was modified in VA, this change will be made in the Revit Floor/Wall material and thickness.
- Structural Role (Floor, Wall, Panel)
  - Structural Role = Floor when the area normal vector (local z-axis) is parallel to the vertical axis (Global Z)
  - Structural Role = Wall when the area normal vector (local z-axis) aligned with a horizontal plane (Global XY)
  - Structural Role = Panel when the area normal does not meet the criteria for Floor or Wall
- Thickness
- Material
- Openings

The Import Options shown below will provide information about the VA model you are importing and the current Revit model, as shown below. Additionally, you will be able to select whether you would like to Import Members and/or Areas, as well as setting the default Symbols and Types for VA members based on their framing type (Beams, Columns, and Braces).

Figure 5 - Import Options

After the Import is complete, a summary of the operation will be displayed, similar to the one shown in Figure 5.

Figure 6 - Typical Import Summary

Suggest work flow

If you would like to "Round Trip" your project (e.g. model in Revit, analyze in VisualAnalysis, merge results back to Revit), the work flow outlined below should set you up for the Export - Import process.

Create an Analytical Model within the Revit project.
Export the Revit project to a VisualAnalysis model using the Export feature.
Work within VisualAnalysis to add loads, provide support (boundary conditions), analyze, and design the model. Once finished, save the project.
Import the VisualAnalysis model into the Revit project to synchronize any changes.