Family Browser Advanced Search

A few weeks ago we updated both Family Browser and Project Browser with an advanced search function that can search by family Name, Family Type, Parameter Type, Name and Value.

I have included below two YouTube video to show how easy this function is to use.

Project Browser - Views on sheets

Recently Steve Stafford of Revit OpEd and James Herndon from TheRevitBlog  has just recently blogged about different ways to show graphically views which are placed on sheets in the Revit Project Browser.

While these ways are a valid way of achieving that task we believe that with Kiwi Codes Project Browser we have a much more elegant and visual way of achieving this.

This YouTube video shows just how easy it is in KC Project Browser.

PROJECT BROWSER HOME PAGE

New Installers - Silent Parameter changes

 

You may have noticed in the latest build of our products that we are now using flash new installer software.

We have done this to be more Windows compliant and certainly helps with the Family/Project Browser deployment and uninstall etc.

One side effect that this has caused is the new Parameter values required to install our Apps Silently. Instead of the "/s" switch this has now changed to "/qn ALLUSERS=1" for example you would run "FamilyBrowser-1-10-15-1.exe /qn ALLUSERS=1" from DOS or a VB script at user login to install Family Browser silently for all users.

Email us if you have any questions regarding this.

Kiwi Codes - Sheet Counter Released

At last we have released an installer for Sheet Counter 2013 to our products page http://www.kiwicodes.com/products/24-sheet-counter.html

Sheet Counter is a simple automatic sheet counter for Revit 2013 which counts how many sheets are in the project and numbers the sheets ie sheet 23 of 97.

You can remove, exclude or add sheets and Sheet Counter will automatically renumber the sheets for you.

Family/Project Browser gets Advanced Search

We are very pleased to announce that new builds are now available for download from our website that includes a brand new "Advanced Search" engine.  The existing quick family name search remains but now we are able to search by any combination of:

• Family Category
• Family Name
• Family Type
• Parameter Name
• Parameter Type
• Parameter Value

The most fantastic part about the search is the real-time instant updates of complying families, shown graphically within the search tab.

For the latest downloads visit here:  Project Browser and Family Browser

Existing Customers - Looking for testers

Hi all.

We are looking for some existing customers of Family Browser or Project Browser to test a new feature next week.

If you are keen to kick some tyres and provide a little bit of feedback email me and I will let you know how to get the latest build.

Cheers
Phillip

Project Browser Spring Special

Well at last the days are beginning to lengthen out and warm up in the southern hemisphere.

As a special to celebrate the arrival of Spring here in the southern hemisphere we offering a 20% discount of Project Browser for orders under 10 licenses, and 25% on orders over 10.  This special runs until the 14th September 2012.  http://www.kiwicodes.com/specials/16-project-browser.html

So if you have been sitting on the fence or just upgraded your Revit version to 2013, make sure you don't miss out on the fantastic limited time deal. 

Family Browser - Most Recent Families

Another Enhancement/New Feature that has just been added to Family/Project Browser is a new "Recently Used Families" expander bar at the bottom of Family Browser above the search bar.

This expander replaces Revit Component Type Selector which also lists the most recently used families, but in a more convenient location.

Thanks Dave  Baldacchino do-u-revit.blogspot.com for this suggested feature.

Family Browser - Sub Folders in Tabs

Over the last two years we have had a few comments from people that, especially when creating tabs for Detail components that there ends up with allot of tabs. Even with careful organization of Groups this can still happen.

It has been suggested if we could have sub tabs within tabs to try and get another level of organization and flexibility in Family Browser.

Well your wishes have now come true in Family Browser 2013 with the ability to add sub folders to tabs. These are totally user customizable to as many levels deep that you require. They can also be cross referenced in more than one tab.

Check out this video below that explains how this is done.

Sometimes it's the little things that count.

We receive allot of feedback from our customers with features that they would like to see and enhancements to both Project Browser and Family Browser.  Sometimes these ideas are a simple thing for us to include.  Two of these requests have been added to the latest download of Project Browser.

1.       Pin/Unpin Graphic - We have always been able to pin open or unpin FB & PB by double clicking on the spine.  This has not been obvious to all so we have included a Pin icon for this.

2.       There have been a few requests to be able to reorder tabs within Project Browser, especially to get Family Tab which launches Family Browser down to the bottom.  You can now reorder the common tabs within Project Browser to whatever order you like.  At this stage you cannot custom order Query tabs.

To see this in action watch the video below.

Kiwi Codes Features in Latest AUGI World Magazine

Kiwi Codes Family Browser has a feature article by one  of our medium sized firms,  BECK Group (http://www.beckgroup.com) out of the USA in the latest AUGI World Magazine.  Thank you Aaron Maller for the wonderful article on how you have implemented Family Browser through out your company (5 sites) and the huge benefits that you are gaining from using Family Browser.

http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW201206Lr.pdf

Check out page number 38 for the article by Aaron.

Element Renumber for Revit 2013 Now Released

 

Well the wait is finally over for those of you waiting for Element Renumber.  I have now rebuilt it so it is now compatible with Revit 2013.  The trial download can be found on our new web page HERE.

Creating Family Type Icons

Over the past we year we have had a few enquiries about how to add icons to family types within Family Browser. This is most commonly asked when a family has totally different geometry per type within the family. Revit can’t do it and we can’t generate an image from the API for this. There has been a recent discussion over at RFO - Link Here, discussing this very topic.

Well the good news is that within Family Browser we can now do this. You will need to download the currunt release of Family Browser/Project Browser from our products page for this to work.

Below is a video showing just how simple this is.

We have a new home.

Finally KiwiCodes has a permanent home at www.kiwicodes.com.  Come over and visit, see all of our products, free trial downloads, tutorial videos, blog, plus so much more.  We look forward seeing you there. 

Categorize Exsiting Family Folders

Over the last year we have had a few requests from clients wanting a simple way of re-organizing their existing Family folder structure into folders based on the Family Category, ready to be used in Family Browser.
Well I have just inbuilt a function into Family/Project Browser that does just that. Please view the video below to see how easy this is. You will need to download the latest version of FB/PB for this to be available.

Kiwi Codes Promotional Video

At last it is here.  Now we only need to get our new web page finshed.

Enjoy :)

RTC Australia 2012

RTC Australia here we come.  Yep thats right, Kiwi Codes is attending.  Make sure you vist us at our exhibition booth #18, for a catch up to see what we have up our sleves for future releases.  See you there,  Phillip



KiwiCodes is spreading its wings

A lot of people might not know this but our countries national emblem, the Kiwi, does actually have wings, but they can't fly with them.

Unlike the Kiwi, Kiwi Codes is starting to spreads our wings globally. We already have thousands of customers based around the globe using Family Browser and now Project Browser, but up until now we have been based out of offices in New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia. 

The next step that we are starting to take is to create partnerships with selected resellers throughout the world who are keen to jump on board for a pretty exciting ride, especially with some of the plans we have for future releases. 

With that said we are very pleased to announce our first United States based reseller and support partner in "Cunningham Consulting".  Alex Cunningham says: 

I am very pleased to be the first support partner and reseller for Kiwi Codes Solutions LTD. Being an everyday Revit users I see where the weaknesses are in Revit and am so thankful for people like KiwiCodes for providing solutions that fill the gaps.  Partnering with KiwiCodes has been the easiest decision of my life. From Family Browser and now Project Browser, KiwiCodes offers amazing products for all Revit users at a unbelievable price. Honestly who wouldn't want to make every bodies life just a little easier. KiwiCodes does just that.

Alex can be contacted at "alex at kiwicodes.com" (replace "at" with "@").

Welcome aboard Alex.

Project/Family Browser 2013 Deployment Option

Following on from my last post regarding Deployments in Family Browser, we also added a new feature in Family Browser and Project Browser 2013.

Full Right Mouse Click Options

Up until now the end user has had full access to all right mouse click menus as shown here.

Now in the deployment options we have the choice of what right click menus should be available to the end user and this can be part of the company wide deployment.

User Compressed Right Mouse Click Options

The BIM manager can even change this on the fly to allow users more options and less options the next time they Right Mouse Click.


I have recorded a YouTube video which shows just how simple this is to set up.

Family Browser goes "Silent"

I have just added a new feature to both Family Browser 2012 & FB 2013 which now includes "Silent Installs" of Family Browser.  Silent installation combined with the existing BIM managers deployment options makes Family Browser easier than ever to deploy company wide.

A simple "/s" parameter removes all dialogues showing when running the setup exe as shown below.

I have added a new tutorial video showing how easy it is to setup Family Browser with Groups and tabs, Deployment options and installation. as shown below.

What are others saying about Project Browser?

Well the user comments are still flowing in about what a game changer Project Browser is in the project workflow of an everyday Revit session.

We have had so many comments like

"You have no idea how much this software helps my workflow!"  and

"You should sell this stuff to Autodesk! Genius. "

Don’t take our word for this. There are now a few blogs popping up around the internet with similar comments.  Mathew Miller (no not any relation of mine), has just written about his experience with Project Browser. Cruise over to his blog to read about it.  http://revittize.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/about-month-ago-i-about-kiwi-codes-new.html

Cheers Mathew

Friday Fix

Wow, what a huge week it has been since the release of Project Browser for Revit 2013.  We have had a lot of great comments and feedback about Project Browser.  There is real excitement out in the Revit community about it, and from the feedback it is something that users have long waited for Autodesk to do.

Is Project Browser perfect?  Of course not.  This is our first release of some pretty complex code that has a lot of interaction and checking to do between the API and the Revit Project.  Because of this there are some holes in places that need to be plugged up.  Because of this we intend to release  an update every Friday to provide for fixes and user requested enhancements.

To check if you have the current version of Project Browser installed it is as easy as right mouse clicking on a view in Project Browser, going to the “Options Menu”, clicking on the “About Tab” and then clicking on the “Check for Updates” button.

This will check our server and compare versions and then report if you have the current build and also a description of the changes made between builds.  You can simply then click on the URL link to download the current build without the need to go through the web registration process again.

Please keep the feedback rolling in as this is how we can improve Project Browser.  There are exciting times  ahead as we have some amazing feature requests already for version 2.  No other product on the market today offers tightly integrated Project and Family Management like what Project Browser delivers.

Project Browser for Revit 2013 now Released

We are very excited to announce the immediate release of Kiwi Codes Project Browser for Autodesk Revit 2013. 

Project Browser is the world’s first complete project and family management addin for Autodesk Revit 2013. 

Some of the features include:

• Tabs that separate common view types which minimizes the amount of scrolling through Project Browser especially on large projects.
• Totally customizable fonts, sizes and colors.
• Easily add custom folders. Drag and Drop views into these custom folders.
• Custom folders available for all view types including schedules, legends etc.
• Quick Filters to filter the Project Browser by common view parameters, phases and view templates.
• Family Browser built into Project Browser.
• Powerful search feature to find any View/Family in Project/Family in Library quickly
• Query Builder to build custom tabs and quick filters for reuse. These can be shared between other members of the project team.

  There are significant project saving achieved by the efficiency gained using Kiwi Codes Project Browser. 

A FREE 21 day trial is available from the “Download Trials” section of this web site.  

As a special for this release we are discounting $5 of every purchase made before 5th May 2012 by using this coupon code in the checkout area - BY77JC69GM 

To see Project Browser in action view the below video.

Enjoy.

Not long to wait



Family Browser 2013 now Available

We wish to advise that Family Browser 2013 for Autodesk Revit 2013 is now avaiable from the "Download Trials" section of this blog.

Some of the changes for this version are:

1. Drag and drop of families into Revit from Family Browser
2. Ability to choose the location of the deployment folder.
3. Ability to choose which "Right Mouse Click" options are avaiable to end users during deployment creation.
4. Horizontal tab layout option.

Enjoy.
Phillip

Project Browser 2013 - New Product Announcement

We are very pleased to announce the imminent arrival of Project Browser for Autodesk Revit 2013.

Project Browser borrows the hugely successful interface from Family Browser and extends that to provide complete Project and Family Management in the one application.

Some of the features include:

1.      Tabs that separate common view types which minimizes the amount of scrolling through Project Browser especially on large projects

2.      Totally customizable fonts, sizes and colors.

3.      Easily add custom folders.  Drag and Drop views into these custom folders. 

4.      Custom folders available for all view types including schedules, legends etc.

5.      Quick Filters to filter the Project Browser by common view parameters, phases and view templates.

6.      Family Browser built into Project Browser.

7.      Powerful search feature to find any View/Family in Project/Family in Library quickly

8.      Query Builder to build custom tabs and quick filters for reuse.  These can be shared between other members of the project team.

From customer user testing we have reports of significant time savings using Kiwi Codes Project Browser.

Actions speak louder than words so please view demonstration video here.

We intend on releasing Project Browser for Revit 2013 in Late April 2012.  Please visit this blog again to get latest details on features and pricing.

Revit 2013 - API Favourites

By now there would have been the press release from Autodesk regarding their 2013 software portfolios including Revit.  No doubt you are going to be reading a lot of blogs discussing the new features some good and some bad.  Personally as a Revit Architecture user I find nothing too much for me in Revit Architecture 2013 (as a designer), and certainly a lot of unfinished work still to be completed.

But in this post I want to talk about the Revit 2013 API new features which I think are absolutely fantastic and I bet you are going to see some pretty cool new applications come out directly because of these enhancements.  Some of my favourite features are:

1.       Modeless Dialogs (like Family Browser) are now fully supported with a new External Events Framework which we can now hook nicely into Revit Idling event.  This is absolutely awesome for an application like Family Browser.

2.       Drag & Drop support.  Finally supported natively within Revit.

3.       Replace implementation of Revit Commands – We can now intercept the command click and run our own command in place of the native Revit command.  Now I can hear you saying… “NOooooo…”  and I can understand that.  Now why would we want to do that?  Well say in a case of a large company that wants to keep tight control of their office family library.  When a user clicks on “Load Family” from the Revit UI it could open up family Browser for instance.  There are other situations I can see this being beneficial as well like opening and saving projects?  Since Autodesk have gone this far, I hope that the next step they take is allowing us to Run Revit commands natively from within Modeless Dialogs.  Hopefully Revit 2014?

4.       And now the HUGE one for me.  New View API.  We can now through code do pretty much what you can do in the UI with regards to creating and editing views.  This includes, Display Style, View Detail Level, View Range, all three duplicate methods, and also wait for it, Schedules.  Yes we can now create schedules, add fields and filters and sorting all through code.  Huge thumbs up for this to the API team.  There are a couple of missing pieces still to be filled in for instance, we can open and switch views but we cannot close open views, and we cannot make a dependant view independent like what you can through the UI.

There are many other enhancements to the Revit API like full support for stairs and railings etc, but these listed above are my favourites and have directly affected me on upgrading Family Browser to the 2013 version and also our brand new product that will be announced here in the next day or two.

Upcoming Events.

Where has the time gone. It has now been nearly 3 months since my last post.

We have been super busy here at Kiwi Codes preparing for an exciting few months ahead of us. Just some of the things that you are going to see shortly include:

1. New Brand/Logos for Kiwi Codes Solutions.
2. New website.
3. Kiwi Codes are attending RTC Australia on the 24th May this year and have a booth to show of our Revit applications.
4. And most exciting news of all is we are getting very close to announcing a brand new App for Revit. Currently we have our new application out for testing with selected Beta customers.

Keep an eye out on this blog for news and videos that will be posted very soon.