Use a custom export process to export 3D views from a Revit document.
The Revit API provides a set of classes that make it possible to export 3D views via a custom export context. These classes provide access to the rendering output pipeline through which Revit sends the graphical 3D representation of a model to an output device. In the case of a custom export, the "device" is represented by a context object that could be any kind of a device. A file would be the most common case.
An implementation of a custom exporter provides a context and invokes rendering of a model, upon which Revit starts processing the model and sends graphic data out via methods of the context. The data describes the model exactly as it would have appeared in Revit when the model is rendered. The data includes all geometry and material properties.
The CustomExporter class allows exporting 3D views via a custom export context. The Export() method of this class triggers the standard rendering process in Revit, but instead of displaying the result on screen or printer, the output is channeled through the given custom context that handles processing the geometric as well as non-geometric information.
An instance of the IExportContext class is passed in as a parameter of the CustomExporter constructor. The methods of this interface are then called as the entities of the model are exported.
Although it is possible to create classes derived from the IExportContext class, it is preferred to use one of its derived classes: IPhotoRenderContext or IModelExportContext. When using an IPhotoRenderContext to perform a custom export, Revit will traverse the model and output the model's geometry as if processing the Render command invoked via the UI. Only elements that have actual geometry and are suitable to appear in a rendered view will be processed and output.
The IModelExportContext should be used for processing elements in the view in the same manner that Revit processes them in 3D views. This context supports additional elements including model curves and text as shown in the 3D views.
RenderNode is the base class for all output nodes in a model-exporting process. A node can be either geometric (such as an element or light) or non-geometric (such as material). Some types of nodes are container nodes, which include other render nodes.
The CameraInfo class describes information about projection mapping of a 3D view to a rendered image. An instance of this class can be obtained via a property of ViewNode. If it is null, an orthographic view should be assumed.