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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

Who would use AVT?

AVT is for all project members that can benefit from model quality and data validation including Revit Users, BIM Managers, Project Managers, Consultants and Owners. AVT brings model checking and model validation to virtually any stakeholder.

Is AVT a program that I have to install?

AVT is a simple, web-based UI that serves as a front end for creating and managing tasks that run on the Forge Design Automation for Revit service. Because AVT is using Autodesk Platform Services (APS), the account administrator will need to enable the APS application against their Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360 Docs service. There are detailed instructions in the AVT Setup page.

Why release a cloud version of the Model Checker?

AVT enables all appropriate project stakeholders to have access to model checking even if they are not Revit users. AVT also provides model checking at scale without the need to download or localize files.

How do I get access to AVT?

If you have a subscription to the Autodesk Flex program, you will also receive an entitlement to AVT that you can assign in your Autodesk Account. If you are an Autodesk Enterprise Business Agreement (EBA) customer, AVT comes with your Autodesk Docs entitlement and can also be assigned to users in your Autodesk Account.

Can I control who uses the Autodesk Validation Tool?

Yes. AVT is fully integrated with Autodesk Identity and Autodesk Licensing so that the contract administrators have full access rights to control users of AVT. Administrators can open the manage.autodesk.com site, navigate to User Management, and assign access to AVT by granting access for “Validation Tool” to the appropriate user(s).

What is the token consumption for submitting a model for analysis?

The Autodesk® Validation Tool is a pay by result tool that consumes tokens from your existing Autodesk Flex, Token Flex, or Cloud Credit contract. The consumption model for AVT is simple: 1 token per successful model/check. For example, running an Autodesk Revit Best Practices check on a single model, that is 1 token.

Other Example scenarios:

  • If 5 models are selected and run as a batch, the consumption is 5 tokens.
  • If 2 models are scheduled to run every Friday evening, the consumption is 2 tokens each time the schedule run executes.
  • If you select an entire folder to run, the consumption will be equal to the number of Revit models that exist in that folder at the time the run executed.

Scheduled model tasks can be paused or stopped at any time and no additional tokens will be consumed.

What if the check fails to complete?

If the check fails to complete successfully the token is credited back.

Are there fractional charges for model analysis?**

No, consumption is always 1 token per model per run.

How many Tokens do I have?

The amount available displays in your Autodesk Account. Find Reporting under the Management tab.

Do my RVT files ever leave my region/geography?

AVT utilizes the Autodesk Automation API to review RVT files. Currently, the only Automation server is in the U.S. geography. For more information, visit the Autodesk Regional Offerings FAQ page.

What level of permissions does a user need to successfully run a model check?

Users need View+Download+Upload+Edit level permissions. This level is needed for a user to be able to write a model result back to a folder on Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360 Docs.

Do I have to create my own checksets to use the Autodesk Validation Tool?

No. AVT ships with 30 preconfigured checksets as part of the public library of checksets. The most popular checkset is the Revit Best Practices checkset that analyzes the model for 96 factors that impact model performance. The Best Practices checkset is an excellent starting point for all AVT users.

Can I use my Autodesk Model Checker for Revit checksets with the Autodesk Validation Tool?

Yes, the checksets used in AVT are fully compatible with the checksets for the Autodesk Model Checker for Revit. This tool can be downloaded from your Autodesk Account.

How do I create or modify a checkset?

The Autodesk Model Checker Configurator is available through your Autodesk Account and can be used to create and modify checksets for both AVT and the Autodesk Model Checker for Revit. The tool has pre-formatted checks to get started, or users can modify any of our publicly available checksets.

Model Checker Configurator

What version of the model is checked?

AVT only runs on the most recently published versions of your RVT files in Docs. It does not run on your most recently "sync to central" models or your latest models in BIM Collaborate Pro. Once you Publish the models from Revit and/or BIM Collaborate Pro, the RVT file will be updated in Docs and that model is what AVT will run on.

What if the Revit model is open when a check runs?

AVT has no impact on the model. To run a model check, the service makes a copy of the model, runs the check against the copy, then deletes the copy once the check is complete. With this workflow, AVT does not modify the model in any way, and users won’t see any performance changes while the check is running.

Will it check linked models?

No, AVT does not automatically check linked models - they will need to be added to the model task deliberately. This is an intentional workflow, so a user only checks the models selected at any given time.

How do I get help making my own checks and checksets?

You can install and use the Model Checker Configurator to do this. For more information, visit the Model Checker Configurator help page.

Why is my Excel report export file is missing data/why is some of the data truncated?

Excel has a known character per cell limit of 32,767. In extremely rare cases, parameter or other information exported from the AVT Task to an Excel report has resulted in data longer than the limit. In these cases, the data is truncated in Excel. Review the Revit model directly for actual values.

Why does my report never complete?

Some checks are known to run longer than other checks. On particularly large models, this may cause AVT to time out and not complete the check. It is recommended to disable these checks for AVT runs or troubleshoot using the desktop Model Checker for Revit to identify the specific check.

  • Largest Family Pre-Built Check
  • Duplicate elements checks

In addition, very large or problematic models may cause AVT to time out. It is recommended to review and clean up these models in Revit on the desktop and test time to run your checkset using the desktop Model Checker for Revit

Can I edit a Task or review reports that another user made directly in AVT?

Tasks and uploaded checksets are tied to the user account that created and uploaded them. There is no way for a user to review or modify AVT tasks or checksets created by a different users.

Why can't I change the models or checkset when I edit a task?

Editing an existing Task does not allow the modification of that Task's selected models or checksets. This is to maintain data fidelity between runs. There will be a consistency of sources and checks for any Report generate from an individual Task. Users can duplicate a Task to start from an existing Task with similar settings but needing to change models or checksets.

Why is my Excel report not being created/exported/saved properly?

Microsoft Excel has a limitation with regards to the amount of data it can hold. It is approximately one million rows of data. A report that consolidates the results of many models could reach this limit. AVT may not be able to successfully report this error and will simply not create the Excel export. If you suspect your Excel file may be over the row limit, reduce the number of models included in the report and try again.

Why do the checks for Survey Point and Project Base Point in the Best Practices checksets always fail when run from the Public Library in AVT?

When the checks are run directly from the Public Library in AVT, they fail because the default values for the coordinates are 0. They need to be modified for the specific coordinates that are applicable to your project. Open the checkset from the Model Checker Configurator and save a copy. Then edit the default values in the checks to the desired coordinates for validation. The values have to be copied from the “AsDouble” value found by using the Revit Lookup add-in, instead of the “AsValueString” value, which is the coordinate value that is visible from the properties in Revit.

This article explains how to find and copy the “AsDouble” values.

Once the default coordinate values have been updated, save the custom checkset and upload to the task in AVT.

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