EVOLVE Mechanical 8.2.2

Updated 6 days ago by Adam Heon

Resources

• Downloads
• Feedback and Ideas
• Support
• Foresite
• Known Limitations/Bugs
• EVOLVE User Forum

Compatibility

• Autodesk® Revit® 2022.1.8
• Autodesk® Revit® 2023.1.6
• Autodesk® Revit® 2024.3.1
• Autodesk® Revit® 2025.4

Summary

EVOLVE 8.2 Release notes:

Upgrade Notices

Configuration setting incompatibilities

Some feature's project configurations may not be compatible with previous versions. To prevent compatibility issues, all project members should be on the same version.

🎉New:

• Custom Launch Pane tool
  • Create your own toolbox of buttons for quick access anytime. Any button in Revit can be added including those from Revit, EVOLVE, and other plugins
• Add ability to customize ribbon panels
  • Manage the EVOLVE ribbon your way, this feature supports large buttons with text and multiple tabs in the ribbon
• Quick Tools to Extend a Run
• Add Create MAJ option to Pre-Fab Manager
• Add ITM support to Connect and Insert Offset
• Add option to disable Mechanical Properties
• Move Straight feature
• Move/Extend and Align Quick Tools
• Add halftone and transparent options to Renumber selection
• Align Run Intersection tool
• Video links for Quick Tools
  • Look for the film icon shown below in features for quick access to feature videos. Coming to more features soon!

    

• Additional video tooltips
  • Hover the mouse over a button to see a quick GIF of what that button does. Coming to more features soon!
• Add CSV File, Serialized Data Table as External Data Table Source
• Copy Data Table tool
• View Local Usage Stats tool
• Add 'eVolveDocument' as PowerShell variable

👍Improvements:

• Add Size By option for individual ITM Hanger Placement rules
• Option to disable auto-rebuild Spool Sheets after edit
• Add option to ignore vertical for Points Along Run placement method in Create Points
• Add help message on family conflict error, Fix notice messages
• Notify users to reopen models opened while not licensed
• Update button text on Library Configuration UI
• Additional Fields in Reports for Data Tables

🔧Changes

• Reorganize settings dropdown into separate dialog
  • Improves experience for users with smaller resolutions
• Remove Clash Detection (Legacy) tool
• Add shortcut to EVOLVE University

💪Stability

• Fix rotation of created Location views
• Fix Connect offset slope error
• Fix Connect Offset allowing you to pick invalid elements to connect
• Fix Multi-Trim showing incorrect error
• Fix error when closing Revit without first opening a model
• Fix Create Points error when attempting to place on host
• Remove hardcoded product name from Spool Configuration display text
• Fix issue where internal Data Table cache clears incorrectly
• Hide product's Modify Panel when product is inactive

📂Content Updates

🎉New:

• Added new RFA pipe types with associated pipe fittings (100+) to the eM system families file:
  • Carbon Steel Butt Weld STD
  • Ductile Iron Grooved ASTM A53
  • Forged Steel Socket Weld Sch 80 3000
  • Forged Steel Socket Weld Sch 160 6000
  • Forged Steel Threaded Sch 40 3000
  • Malleable Iron Threaded 150 Black
  • Malleable Iron Threaded 150 Galvanized
  • PVC Sch 40
  • Wrot Copper K Press CTS
• Added product data files for each new pipe type and associated fittings.
• Added (4) new Revit schedules to the eM project template file and eM schedules file:
  • eM_RFA Descriptions - Pipe Fittings
  • eM_RFA Descriptions – Pipes
  • eM_RFA Properties - Pipe Fittings
  • eM_RFA Properties – Pipes
• Added eVolve_PartConnectionType, eVolve_PartSizeText, eM_Item Number and eM_PipeSpecification to the eM Shared Parameters file.
• Added new Revit tag families for RFA Pipes:
  • §  Elevation
  • §  Length
  • §  MultiTag
  • §  Number
  • §  Pipe Size
  • §  Slope
• Added a new tag family for RFA Pipe Fittings:
  • Fitting Size
• Added new tag family entries to the eM family browser files.
• Added a new parameter sync rule to the eM Default Configurations batch file to generate part descriptions for pipe fittings.
• Added the Length parameter sync rule to the eM Parameter Sync System Rules file.
• Added RFA Pipes and RFA Pipe Fittings entries to the eM Annotation Configuration file.
• Added RFA Pipes and RFA Pipe Fittings entries to the eM Renumber Configuration file.
• Added the Length parameter sync rule to the eM Parameter Sync System Rules file.
• Added new Shared Parameter Group "Evolve Tools".
• Added new text Shared Parameters: --- Evolve Tools ---, eVolve_Colorizer, eVolve_Data_Profile, eVolve_Parameter_Sync, eVolve_Renumbering, & eVolve_Feature.

👍Improvements:

• Added additional nested layout points on opposing face of eV_SV_AutoSleeve_Rectangle family.
• Added additional layout points at the ends of the eM_SV_AutoSleeve_Round family.
• Added visibility parameters to control inclusion of new layout points in both sleeve families. These parameters are off by default to maintain legacy behavior.
• Relocated layout parameters to Construction from Constraints in the sleeve families.
• Updated sleeve families to v2.
• Added eM title blocks to the eM family browser.
• Relocated layout points in the Housekeeping pad family to Construction from Constraints.
• Updated the housekeeping pad family to v2.
• Added new Parameter Sync rule to the eM Default Configurations batch file to generate a part description for the housekeeping pad family.

💪Stability

• Removed existing RFA pipe types from the eM system families file.
• Removed existing entries in the eM system types xml file.
• Fixed an issue related to the Fabrication Pipework Elevation Tag entry in the eM Annotation Configuration file.
• Removed the Chilled Water pipe type from the eM project template.
• Renamed the Standard pipe type in the eM project template to Default.
• Removed all pipe fittings from the eM project template file.
• Fixed an issue with the nested layout points in mechanical equipment families.
• Relocated layout point parameters in mechanical equipment families to Construction from Constraints.
• Updated affected mechanical equipment families to v2.
• Various schedule fixes in the eM project template file and eM schedules file:
  • Fixed an issue related to filtering in the BOM and Cut List schedules.
  • Updated sorting method for BOM schedule.
  • Renamed BOM and Cut list Schedules to eV_BOM and eV_Cut List.
  • Corrected appearance settings on various eM schedules to match eVolve standards.
  • Updated organization and naming of various eM schedules.
• Upgraded families in \Mechanical\Resources\Families from Revit 2021 to Revit 2022.

🧠Technical Notes

Configuration setting incompatibilities

Some feature's project configurations may not be compatible with previous versions. To prevent compatibility issues, all project members should be on the same version.

API Notices

• New API methods
• API signature changes
• Removed API methods

Known Technical Issues

Compatibility issue with other addins

Our product uses DevExpress 23.2.6 for it's UI components. Any other Revit addin (regardless of vendor) installed on the client also using DevExpress but on a different version may cause crashes and/or unpredictable behavior with our product and/or the other addin. When this is the case, the user must either uninstall the other addin or contact the vendor to issue a new release with updated DevExpress references.

External communication

Access to the following must be allowed and unfiltered on all client machines:

• api.evolvemep.com
• app.pendo.io

Revit Project Units

Unit precision

Content and/or default configurations shipped with the product use measurements of a set precision level. Revit projects must use (at a minimum) this precision level otherwise content and/or configurations may produce errors, incorrect results, or behave unpredictably.

Length units must be set to a precision of at least:

• 1/32" in imperial
• 0.0001 m in metric

Rounding

Configuration data will be saved against the precision level at the time of save, regardless of the precision level of the previous value.

For example, assume a configuration value is currently set to 2 1/32" and the current precision level is 1/16". When the user opens the configuration form, the value will show as 2 1/16". Upon the user clicking OK or Apply, the value will be saved as 2 1/16" even if the user did not explicitly update this particular value. The value will remain 2 1/16" even after the precision level is changed to 1/32", however at this point the user can update and save the configuration value as 2 1/32".

Duplicate Custom Properties

When multiple custom properties with the same name are present, only the first one will be editable in the eVolve Properties grid. Additionally, the respective eM_ property with the same name will have the data type of this first entry.

In the event there is a duplicate name with a different data type this can cause issues if it is not fixed across all models (where the first property by the name is the same data type for all). These situations will need to be addressed manually.

Licensing

When a license is disabled, the following automatic processes will not run which can cause the elements they update to become "stale" and/or lead to data issues:

• Data protection prompts and integrity enforcement on elements with a Pre-Fab Package (eV_PackageId) assigned
• Spool Modeling
  • Modification: updates association of parts merged into/added to/removed from a spool
    • Prompt to add parts cut into or added on to the end of an existing spool
    • Prompt to update sheets when a spool is modified
    • Prompt to renumber when a spool is modified
  • Deletion: disassociates parts, deletes generated spool sheets
  • Change monitoring: assists in monitoring spools on the document
    • If this is re-enabled in a session where spools have been modified then this must be rebuilt by either closing/reopening the model or by opening Prefab Manager.
      Failure to do so can cause incorrect behavior with the execution and/or detection of spooling events.
  • Reset on Copy: when a spool is created via a copy from existing, associations of the "source" spool (packages, status, etc.) are removed from the new spool
  • Assignment to Locations based on part assignments
• Properties
  • Fabrication Part properties sync with Revit parameters
  • Carry over values
• Working with Family Hangers may fail or produce incorrect results
• Automatic control of product specific View Template parameters
• Parameter Sync
• Workset Manager
• Macro Automation
• Gauge Manager
• Colorizer
• Part Encoder
• Automatic Point Status updating
• Automatic Renumber

Default Configurations

Default feature configurations (what is applied when a feature is first used within a model) is applied in the following order (first match wins):

1. Configuration exists within the model (i.e. the project template the model was created with contains configuration information)
2. Default configuration is defined within Network Default Configuration of Workstation Settings
3. Default configuration exists in the local machine's user profile folder for the product the feature was opened under
4. Factory defaults are used

Localization

On startup, our product will set the Revit process' localization/culture according to the language settings configured. If the auto detect setting (which is the default) is used the culture will be set to the language which Revit was launched in.

Examples:

• Auto detect is set and Revit is launched in English. The culture will be set to "en-US".
• Auto detect is set and Revit is launched in French. The culture will be set to "fr-FR".
• French is set as the language and Revit is launched in English. The culture will be set "en-US".

When the environment is in a hybrid setup where all of the following localizations are not consistent: Windows, Revit, and eVolve - the following inconsistencies can occur:

• Some dialog messages may display in a different language
• Numeric formatting may be inconsistent
  • For example, if Revit Project Units define numbers using the #,###.## format and the culture is set to use French, some numeric values may appear as # ###,##
  • Certain input fields may require for data to be entered in the format of either the Project Units or the culture

Number Formatting

The following are supported number formats for decimal values. If the settings below are not used, some features may not work as expected.

• 123,456,789.00 when running in the English language
• 123.456.789,00 when running in the French language

Revit Limitations

In Revit versions prior to 2023, eVolve Properties, Mechanical Properties, and Compare Data may not update when selecting similar elements. To refresh the data displayed in this situation, click on a empty space within the view to clear the grid and then select the target element.

Misc

• Some features which utilize background processes and data caches may not work correctly until a project is saved with a unique RVT file name.
• If a Revit Workset referenced in a Workset Manager rule is deleted then Workset Manager configuration must be addressed immediately, otherwise elements may continue to be assigned to the deleted Workset.
• A licensed version of Microsoft Excel must be installed on the local machine for some import/export functionality to work.
• Background processes required for successful operation of the product are flagged as optional within Revit. If Revit fails to load them for any reason, the user will not be notified.
• The PowerShell version used for the execution of scripts depends upon the host Revit version:
  • Revit 2025+ uses 7.4.2
  • Prior versions use 5.1
• Some file operations may not work as expected when using either a network path, mapped folder location, or a directory which utilizes Windows symbolic or junction links. When this is encountered, it is recommended to use a local user path (such as the user's desktop) to perform the operation.
• Due to Revit's internal workings, Revit should be set to open on your primary monitor. When Revit is initially opened on a monitor other than the system's primary, unexpected/unpredictable behavior can occur with the initialization methods.

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