SMART BROWSER - BIMLINKattachments.aga-cad.com/attachments/1301/Smart+Browser+Free+t… · • Find Revit® families stored externally on your computer or company server by family

SMART BROWSER

THE FASTEST WAY TO QUICKLY & EASILY

BROWSE AND FIND REVIT FAMILIES

Smart Browser

Smart Browser Free add-on makes it incredibly easy to locate

Revit® families in external Revit content libraries on designer's

computer or on company server.

Smart Browser Free is a family content browser that creates an independent

environment making Revit families from libraries easily and quickly accessible and

placing them into your project. Revit families are listed in a "Dynamic Tree View"

where they can be grouped by original folders, categories, insertion types or unit

systems.

Smart Browser Working with Families

• Find Revit® families stored externally on your computer or company server by family name, family type,

parameter name, or parameter value.

• Review Revit family types and parameters containing values prior to insertion.

• Find and Drag-and-Drop elements into the project.

• Review all Revit families in 2D and 3D views (using the Autodesk Design Review plug-in) before inserting them

into the project.

• Filter Revit families by original folders, categories, insertion types, or unit systems.

Project Family Browser: review Revit families that are inside your current project.

Smart Browser Frequently Asked Questions

• How to find Revit family files stored on your computer or company server in a fast and easy way?

• How to review searched family type, parameters and 2D / 3D views before loading the family into Revit project?

• How to quickly find Revit families by family name, family type, parameter name, or parameter value?

• How to filter Revit families by original folders, categories, insertion types, or unit systems?

SMART BROWSER

Configuration

Smart Browser Browser Options

Before working with Smart Family Browser you

need to configure the software by accessing

“Browser Options”.


Add new family folder from your computer or server – locate the folder with your Revit library files.

Start – creates an XML file which uploads families from the computer or server to the browser. During the new XML file creation the

extension opens every family from the library, reads all its information (types, parameter names, parameter values, category, host type, etc.)

and creates a picture (PNG) and 3D (DWFX) files (if selected in configuration).

Creating XML file can take a considerable amount of time ( .5 hours to 24 or 36 hours), which depends on the size of the library. It is

recommended to use a fast computer to create the initial XML file. You can batch process folders by selecting individual folders or sub-

folders and then adding more folders later.


Older file formats – the XML file generation opens every file, so this will cause Revit to convert old families to the current version of Revit as

the family is opened. This does take time. The XML creation process does not save the families, so they will remain in the older format. Prior

to the creation of the XML database it is recommended to use Revit update utility to batch process the updating of all families to the current

release.

Create 3D DWFX - select DWFX files if they are necessary in the browser for 3D viewing. Please note that this can significantly increase the

time it take to create the database.


Browser Data Storage Location – browse the folder where XML file and the library database will be stored. This can be placed onto a

network server for easy access by multiple users. Please use UNC pathing to point to the server and folder (i.e. //server1/revit/library). Make

sure that the UNC path can be resolved via IP ping. This may require modification of HOSTS file.

Select Existing – selects existing XML file if it was created before with previous Smart Browser versions.

Make Backup – makes backup file of current XML file.

Delete – deletes current XML file.

One XML file can have several

locations to different libraries.

Smart Browser Browser Options – when your library is on network

If your library is used by your whole company and it is located on a

server, you don’t need to create XML files for each computer.

You have to make the first XML file with a full path to your library through

the network. Please use UNC pathing to point to the server and folder

(i.e. //server1/revit/library).

Next, it is required to change the path on every computer to point to the

XML file on the network.


Family thumbnail and 3D DWFX file location – select

the folder where PNG and DWFX files will be stored.

These can be placed onto a network server for easy

access by multiple users.


Synchronize – updates the library if there were any changes made to the families. Running this will

cause all indexed Revit family files to be checked and re-indexed into the database if they have been

modified since the last synchronization.

Create 3D DWFX – makes DWFX files for 3D viewing if those are not created yet.

Delete Backups – during synchronization process deletes backup files.

Smart Browser will

automatically show if the

library was modified. Now

user can know when XML file

should be updated.

Smart Browser SubCategories’ Data Load Configuration

Default list of subcategories is created according to ANZRS (Australian and New

Zealand Revit Standards). It can be found and modified under SubCategories’

Data Load Configuration:

You can modify the file with subcategories and predefine not

only a subcategory name, but also line weight, line color and

material anytime.

SMART BROWSER

Family Browser

Smart Browser Smart Family Browser

Smart Family Browser – opens the external

predefined family browser.

Smart Family Browser works independently

from the Revit® project, therefore it is not

necessary to close the Smart Browser dialog

when the user works within his projects.


Browser shows all family types, parameter names, parameter groups,

parameter values, formulas, parameter types and units when an element

is selected.

File Location – shows location of the selected family.

Open Folder – opens a folder where the selected family is stored.

Edit Family – activates editing mode for selected family.


If parameter values are displayed in grey color, it means that those values are

type values and will affect all types in the project.

If parameter values are displayed in white color it means that those values are

instance values and will affect every instance family in the project.

If parameter names are displayed in blue color it means that those

parameters are shared and user will be able to use them in schedules and

tags if needed.


Families are conveniently grouped together in a tree

where user can filter them by configurable criterions.

Criterions can be selected by opening “Browser

Organization” with the button at the top of the tree.

If “Category” and “Host Type” are selected, elements in

the tree can be expanded into and filtered by these

criteria.


Search by - searches for families by family

name, family type, parameter name,

parameter value, Price or Version.

“Search by” works on selected

group in the family tree. If

“Search in all Catalogs” is ticked,

then the search will be made

through all families that are in the

browser database.


With right-click you can change visual representation of families. If “Details” are

selected, you can see Revit version the family was saved in last time.

Smart Browser Smart Family Browser – Preview 3D DWFX

Preview 3D DWFX – Turns on a separate DWFX dialog and shows the

selected element.

Before using the browser Autodesk® Design Review software must be

installed.

User can use all Autodesk Design Review features: view, mark up, print,

measure in 2D and 3D drawings.

http://usa.autodesk.com/design-review/






To insert the element to the project, use

drag-and-drop functionality. Element will

be loaded by default with the first type.

Load Type – loads family with the

selected type only.

Load Family – loads the family with all

its types.

Smart Browser Project Family Browser

Project Family Browser – opens the browser with families from

current project. Convenient dialog allows you to filter/search elements

and using drag-and-drop put them to the model.

Filter by – filters elements by family name or type name.

Open Family – goes to selected family’s editing mode.

Browser works like external application, so you don’t need to close it.

Smart Browser Project Family Browser

Project Family Browser allows you to transfer families from one project

to another. Projects have to be open in one Revit. With drag-and-drop

you can select family from project 1 and place it to project 2.

SMART BROWSER

Create/Modify

Smart Browser Create SubCategory

Smart Browser Free has a feature to load

subcategories from the predefined file to your

Revit families.

You just have to open Revit family and click on

“Create Subcategory” .

Opened Revit

Furniture family →


Criterions, by which Family Categories are grouped, can be defined in

“Configure Grouping”.

Opened Revit



When “Show All Categories” option is ticked, you can see all categories

grouped by configuration set in “Configure Grouping”.

When “Show All Categories” option is unticked, you see only the

category of opened family and grouped by configuration set in “Configure

Grouping”.

Opened Revit



When Categories are grouped by desired

criterions, required SubCategories can be

selected.

Opened Revit



Result:

Opened Revit


Smart Browser Benefits

• Time Saving. Smart Browser Free reduces the amount of time spent searching through your families by 50% or

more allowing you to create more projects and earn more money in less time.

• Easy to Use. No special training necessary.

• There’s no money to invest. There are no fees for the Smart Browser license and no charges for upgrades,

etc., as the plug-in is created, endorsed and sponsored by AGA CAD Ltd.

AGA CAD, UAB

Documents

SMART BROWSER - BIMLINKattachments.aga-cad.com/attachments/1301/Smart+Browser+Free+t… · • Find Revit® families stored externally on your computer or company server by family