New in Revit 2016 R2

Learn about new features and enhancements in the Revit 2016 R2 release of the software.

Attention: These features are available only to students and to Autodesk Maintenance and Desktop Subscription customers for Revit 2016 software releases.

Multi-Disciplinary Enhancements

• Global parameters: Global parameters bring the power of parametric families into the project environment to better capture design intent. You can create global parameters that are specific to a single project file but that are not assigned to categories. Use global parameters to drive the value of a dimension or a constraint, associate to an element instance property to drive its value, or report the value of a dimension, so the value can be used in the equations of other global parameters. See Global Parameters.
• Cancel print/export: When you print or export multiple views and sheets, click Cancel to cancel the entire operation. In earlier releases, the Cancel button allowed you to cancel only one view or sheet at a time. Now the Cancel button cancels the print jobs or export operations of all selected views and sheets.
• Performance:
  • Occlusion culling: To improve performance and reduce the amount of time required to open views, the Graphics tab of the Options dialog offers a new setting: Draw visible elements only. This setting is enabled by default. Performance improvements are most noticeable for 3D views that contain many obscured elements. See Options Dialog: Graphics Tab.
  • Export to DWF/DWFx: To significantly reduce processing time when exporting views/sheets to multiple DWF or DWFx files, the software now uses several RevitWorker processes. See About Performance When Exporting Multiple Files to DWF.
  • Color fills: To improve performance, color fills are completed as a background process so you can continue working in the model while the views update. See Color Schemes.
  • Background processes: To see a list of the Revit processes that are running in the background, use the status bar.
  • Object Styles: In the Object Styles dialog, you can now select and delete multiple subcategories at once. Press and hold the Ctrl key or Shift key while selecting subcategories, and click Delete. See Object Styles.
• Family Editor:
  • Family visibility preview: In the Family Editor, you can view improved representations of family geometry with respect to levels of detail, visibility parameter settings, and view type. Create, test and edit the geometry of a family without having to repeatedly load it into a project. See Preview Family Geometry in the Family Editor.
  • Filter voids and solids: You can specifically isolate void and solid geometry when using the Filter tool in the Family Editor. See Select Elements Using a Filter.
• Revisions: Additional information is available for revisions to make it easier to see exactly how the revision number will be generated, and to select revisions to include in a revision schedule.
  • Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog: When Numbering is set to Per Project, a new Revision Number column displays the actual revision number that will be generated based on the Sequence, Numbering scheme, and Numbering options. This column does not display if Numbering is set to Per Sheet. See About Numbering for Revisions.
  • Revisions on Sheet dialog: A Revision column now displays the revision sequence information along with the revision description. A new Date column displays the revision date. See Specify the Revisions to Include in a Revision Schedule.
• Revit links: These changes improve workflow and productivity when using Revit links in the host model.
  • A new positioning option, Auto - Project Base Point to Project Base Point, is available when inserting Revit links. This option positions the linked file using the model's Project Base Point as the insertion point, and aligns it to the Project Base Point in the host model. See Import and Link Options.
  • Two options are available to reposition a Revit link after it has been inserted: Reposition to Project Base Point, and Reposition to Internal Origin. See Reposition a Revit Link.
  • When you are working in a local copy of a workshared model, the Unload command offers 2 options:
    • UnloadFor all users: The Revit link is unloaded for all users in the model (existing behavior).
    • UnloadFor me: The Revit link is unloaded for the current user only. This command works like a permanent override and remains set for the current user for that RVT link until it is cleared. This option allows you to unload and keep Revit links unloaded for portions of the model you aren't working on without affecting other team members. Unloading Revit links may also increase performance and memory usage.

      To clear the override, right-click the link name in the Project Browser, and click UnloadClear my override.

    See Tools to Manage Links and Project Browser (scroll to see the Revit Links table).

• Worksharing: When you are opening a workshared model and you select the Detach from Central option, the default name of the open model is now the original model name with "_detached" appended (instead of a blank file name). When saving the model, you can specify a name or use the default. See Open Workshared Files Independent of the Central Model.
• View range: The View Range dialog has been improved to provide visual descriptions of view range terminology, making it easier for you to set the view range. See Modify the View Range.
• Underlay: The Underlay properties have been improved to more clearly define what they do. A new grouping in the Properties palette, Underlay, contains the properties used to set an underlay range. The Underlay parameter is renamed to Range: Base Level. A new read-only parameter Range: Top Level displays the next level above the Range: Base Level. The options for Underlay Orientation are changed from Reflected Ceiling Plan to Look Up, and from Plan to Look Down. See View Properties.
• Filters dialog: The Filters dialog has been improved to make it easier to find specific filters in the list. Filters are listed alphabetically and sorted in a tree structure with headings for rule-based and selection-based filters. See Create a Category-Based Filter.
• Reference plane names: You can name reference planes directly in the drawing area. In the drawing area, click on the text label for a reference plane to define or change its name. See Name Reference Planes.

Architectural Enhancements

• Perspective views: Additional modeling capabilities are now available in perspective views. See Work in a Perspective View.
  • Modify panel (Copy)
  • Clipboard panelPaste drop-down (Paste from Clipboard), and any available tool from the drop-down
• Spot slope: You can now place a spot slope annotation in a linked model. See Add a Spot Slope Dimension.
• Wall joins:
  • When placing walls, you can allow or disallow wall joins with the Join Status option. See Place a Wall.
  • You can select multiple wall joins and change the configuration of all selected joins to Butt, Miter, or Square Off. See Change the Configuration of a Wall Join.
• Railings: When you edit the Type properties of a railing, you can now use the Preview pane of the dialog to view your changes. See Preview Family Types.
• Autodesk Raytracer rendering: Define a custom render quality to specify light and material accuracy, and render duration options. See Define a Custom Render Quality (Raytracer).
• Energy Analysis:
  • Advanced thermal zoning: Revit now offers automatic thermal zoning that uses advanced algorithms, resulting in more accurate energy simulations without additional modeling. See About Automatic Thermal Zoning.
  • On the ribbon, the Enable Energy Model tool has been renamed to Create Energy Model. Use this tool to create the energy analytical model and display it within the context of Revit. (When an energy model exists, the tool changes to Delete Energy Model .) See Create or Delete the Energy Model.
  • The accuracy and appearance of analytical surfaces has been improved. Edges are less pixilated, and surfaces are more accurate and less faceted. As a result, the energy analytical model is more accurate, looks better, and generates a smaller XML file. See About Viewing an Energy Model Based on Building Elements.

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineering Enhancements

• Fabrication: The following changes help to improve workflow and productivity for fabrication detailing tasks.
  • Insert part: You can place a tee, valve, damper, or in-line equipment into a straight duct or pipe segment. See About Fabrication Part Placement Tools.
  • Connect as tap: You can connect a duct fabrication part fitting to a rectangular main using the same behavior as a tap. See About Fabrication Part Placement Tools.
  • Rotation tools: To improve ease of use, you can use ribbon commands and in-canvas controls to rotate fabrication parts. See About Fabrication Layout Editing Tools.
  • Show service: To make it easier to select a service in the MEP Fabrication Parts palette, Show Service sets the palette to the selected model element's service. See Show Service.
• Electrical settings: You can specify a default rating to use for creating circuits in a model. See About General Electrical Settings.
• Assigning a distribution system: If there is only one distribution system applicable to an equipment instance, the distribution system is now assigned automatically. See Select a Distribution System.