.NET Connections are custom connections created with the Advance Steel .NET API.
Connections, are complex elements used in general to automate construction based on input elements, a set of predefined rules, and user modifiable parameters. The connection consists of the input elements as well as newly created dependent elements. All individual elements in the connection, including their properties, represent a connection object and are visually displayed as a gray box in Advance Steel.
- ensure the construction is as correct as possible
- help the engineer avoid mistakes
- save time by automatically propagating changes throughout the model
For more information on connections in Advance Steel, see About Connections
Custom connections can be created with .NET by implementing the IRule interface. The methods to be implemented in IRule determine what types of elements can be input for the connection, what properties can be modified for the connection, and define the rules that control how the connection is created or modified.
Once custom Advance Steel connections have been defined by implementing the IRule interface in a .NET project, they can be made available in Revit (2017 and later).
There is a COM dll for creating connections as well, and regardless of the API chosen (COM or .NET), the resultant connection objects behave identically. Connections created by third parties via either of these APIs are also identical to the connections shipped as standard with Advance Steel.
The Joints Walkthrough demonstrates how to place an instance of a connection using the UserAutoConstructionObject class. The following sections describe how to implement new custom .NET Connection which can be placed in an Advance Steel model as well as made available in Revit.