New in Revit 2012

• Insert an Autodesk-indexed point cloud file (.pcg) or convert a non-indexed file automatically. See Using Point Cloud Files in a Revit Project.
• Once linked, the cloud integrates seamlessly with Revit concepts like Section Box and Manage Links.
• Revit can extract planar references from the cloud data, making it easy to place elements (such as walls) using the cloud as a reference.

Revit supports virtual construction modeling workflows in 2 key areas:

• Parts. Divide model elements into discrete parts that can be independently scheduled, tagged, filtered, and exported. Parts can be divided into smaller parts, and they are automatically updated to reflect any changes to the element from which they are derived. Modifying a part has no effect on the original element.
• Assemblies. Select any number of element instances or groups to create an assembly. Assemblies constitute a distinct category of Revit elements. They can be edited, tagged, scheduled, and filtered. After creating an assembly, you can select an instance and generate one or more types of detail views, having them automatically placed on a sheet if desired.

• Autodesk Revit 2012 has been certified "Citrix-Ready." See Setting Up Citrix-Ready Autodesk Revit 2012.

• Rotate tool. To relocate the center of rotation, drag or click the Center of Rotation control, press the Spacebar, or click Center of Rotation: Place on the Options Bar. See Rotating Elements.
• Type Selector. To maximize space in the Drawing Area, you can add the Type Selector to the Modify tab on the ribbon. See Properties Palette.
• Keyboard shortcuts. Export all commands, even if they do not have shortcuts assigned, to a local xml file. You can edit the local xml file to assign shortcuts to commands, and then import them back into Revit. See Keyboard Shortcuts.

• Improved selection and pre-selection effects. By default, a selected element displays as a semi-transparent blue color. You can change these colors, and control the use of semi-transparent from the Options dialog. Also, as the cursor hovers over an element, before it is selected, the same semi-transparent blue color displays along with a halo effect around the edges. See Use and Manage Views.
• Improved grips. Grips and controls now display with smooth edges, and are easier to see. Temporary dimensions now display in a blue color rather than black.
• Improved tessellation of small objects. Small family components, such as screws and pipe fittings, as well as DWG imports, display with high clarity.
• More flexible visual style combinations. You can now create visual styles such as Realistic with Edges, Consistent Colors with Shadows, Consistent Colors with Ambient Occlusion, and Hidden Line with Ambient Occlusion. The Ambient Occlusion effect now prints.
• Graphic display options. An improved Graphics Display Options dialog now has 5 categories from which you can set visual display options: Model, Shadow, Lighting, Sun and Shadow Intensity, and Background. You can also save the settings as a view template.
• Edges in visual styles. To turn edges on (default) and off for the Shaded and Realistic visual styles, use a checkbox in the Graphics Display Options dialog.
• Ghost surfaces. Use this new option in the Graphics Display Options dialog to see elements that are obstructed by a wall or a pipe, for example. You can select Ghost Surfaces as a view override, a category override, or an element override.
• Improved graphic card error messaging. If graphic card issues arise between your computer's video card and Revit, a message displays in the Graphics tab of the Options dialog, explaining what the issue is and how it can be resolved.
• Display styles for analysis add-in applications. You can concurrently display multiple calculated results in 4 possible display styles: colored gradients, markers, diagrams, and vectors. These multiple analysis tools are also available to the Revit API. See Display Styles for Analysis Add-In Applications. The functionality of legends has been enhanced to improve documentation and meet the needs of all 4 display styles.

• Use the Paint and Remove Paint tools in 3D perspective views. You can select faces in 3D views to apply or remove paint.
• The Paint tool opens the Materials browser for modeless selection. See Applying Materials to Elements.
• Materials applied by the Paint tool to the faces of elements are distinguished from those applied as the property of an element. You can schedule materials applied as paint.
• Share user property set libraries with Revit and other Autodesk applications.
• Multiple materials can reference the same appearance or structural property sets.

The following enhancements improve workflows for large interdisciplinary teams.

Worksharing

Revit Server

Linked Models

Copy/Monitor

• Cutting geometry with solids. You can use solid forms to cut other solids as with voids. When you use a solid, you remove the overlapping area, and the abutting solids remain. This capability is available in conceptual massing and for family instances of all categories in the project modeling environment. See Cutting Geometry with Solids.
• Surface Subregions. A surface can host subregions that have their own properties. You can assign a material to a subregion or extrude its profile into a solid or void form to change the topography of the surface. This capability is available in both conceptual massing and in-place families in the project modeling environments. See Splitting Faces.
• Workplane Viewer. Use the Workplane Viewer to modify work plane dependent elements of a conceptual model. This tool is useful for editing profiles in forms, sweeps, and swept blends. This is available in both the conceptual massing environment, all families, and project modeling environment. See Editing with the Workplane Viewer.
• Formula-driven component types. Parameters created to drive component types in families can be generated by conditional formulas. These parameters may also be applied for panelization of divided surfaces. Formula-driven component types can be used in pattern families, adaptive component templates, conceptual massing environment, and all other Revit families.
• Rounding function in formulas. You can round integers in a formula to a whole number. New functions include round, roundup, and rounddown.
• Hosted point parameter. The Hosted Point parameter can be assigned a measurement type to segment length, normalized segment length, chord length and angle for circle, in addition to normalized or non-normalized curve parameter for points hosted on curves and edges. Once the measurement type is determined, you can specify the beginning or end of the line from which the selected hosted point location is measured. This is available in both the conceptual massing environment and in-place families in the project modeling environment. It is also available in the generic model adaptive and curtain panel by pattern component templates.
• Placement of adaptive components in a project. Adaptive components can be placed in the project environment, no longer requiring to be contained in a massing family. Adaptive points and shape handles are also available in the project environment and maintain the same behaviors when placed in the conceptual massing environment.

Use a new, resizable, tabbed dialog to manage setups for improved fidelity when exporting Revit projects to DWG and DXF formats for use in CAD applications, or publishing the exported files to Buzzsaw.

• Improved layer mapping lets you easily add prefixes and suffixes to layer names to build the layer structure you need.
• Use new mapping functionality for lines, patterns, and fonts.
• Export setups preserve settings for future use.

• Save all loaded families to a folder. See Saving Loaded Families.
• Export family types from the current family to a text file. See Exporting Family Types.
• Import family types from a text file into the current family. See Importing Family Types.

• Dimensions can have 2 types of leaders: Arc and Line. See Permanent Dimension Type Properties.
• For arc leaders, there are 2 options for the Show Leader When Text Moves parameter: show the leader when text moves beyond the witness line, and show the leader when text moves away from its origin. See Moving Dimension Line Text.
• Line leaders can be placed inline or above the text by using the Text Location parameter. See Permanent Dimension Type Properties.
• Line leaders can display with a shoulder by specifying a shoulder length parameter. See Permanent Dimension Type Properties.
• A new Leader Tick Mark parameter allows arc and line leaders to display an arrow on the dimension side. See Permanent Dimension Type Properties.
• You can control the visibility of a dimension leader at the segment level: select By Element, Always On, or Always Off. See Controlling the Visibility of a Dimension Segment Leader.
• You can specify a global alternative to the EQ label for equal dimension segments. See Changing the Default Equality Text Label.
• You can override the individual dimension segment value or equality label with custom text. See Overriding a Permanent Dimension Value or Equality Text Label.

• You can lock a 3D view and tag elements in the view. See Tagging in 3D Views.
• See also information about tagging in linked models (above).

• Journal files reside in the following location:
  • Windows XP: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\<product name and release>\Journals
  • Windows Vista or Windows 7: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\<product name and release>\Journals

See Journal Files.

For subscription customers who use the Conceptual Energy Analysis feature, the latest updates for Energy Analysis reports and features are automatically installed while Revit is running. Updates for Conceptual Energy Analysis are checked when a user selects Analyze Mass Model or Results & Compare on the Analyze tab of the ribbon.

• For online users, WikiHelp provides access to the full Autodesk-provided Help content, and lets you rate, comment on, and contribute content (articles, images, videos) to share with your peers.
• For offline users, a locally stored copy of the Help content is provided in a browser window, providing seamless access to user assistance.

You can change settings to specify whether you want to use WikiHelp or the locally stored Help, and your preferred web browser for viewing the Help. See Online Help.

• Purge Unused improvements. The Purge Unused tool now includes unused import categories and object styles.
• Multi-threaded element loading. Loading elements into memory is now multi-threaded, thereby reducing view open times when elements are displayed for the first time in the session.
• Parallel silhouette computation. Multi-threading is enabled for the following:
  • Computation of silhouette edge graphics, which is the outline of a curved surface, in perspective 3D views. This improvement is engaged when opening views, changing view properties, and navigating the view. Its effects are more noticeable as the number and complexity of curved surfaces increases.
  • Computing the graphical representation of model elements. This improvement is engaged when opening views and changing view properties. Its effects are more noticeable as the number and complexity of model elements increases.