As you probably know by now, Dynamo for Revit 2.6 is automatically installed in Autodesk Revit 2021.1 as an internal add-in. So how is it making life better for AEC professionals? From the outset, the focus of the update was on customer empowerment, i.e., providing more visual clarity to the workspace, adding improved documentation and user help, and offering significant performance gains.
Mission accomplished.
Although there are a wide array of new enhancements and improvements, we’ll use this blog to focus on the ones we consider to be the most impactful for the architects, engineers, and construction pros who rely on Revit.
Enabled default ports italicized
Previously, default ports stayed in standard font whether they required a data input or provided a default value. But now, when they are enabled, the default ports display in italics. It may seem like a little thing at first glance, but for overall organization and making an application more intuitive, it’s a big plus.
Line numbers
Line numbers have been enabled so they automatically populate inside of each CodeBlockNode. If you prefer the old method, you can easily disable feature. Again, in terms or workspace organization, this is a surefire winner.
Renaming Nodes
The rename tag has been added for all nodes manually renamed by the user. The original name node is retained and added to the node description tooltip. This means you can rename your nodes when necessary without having to include a notation to help you remember what the renamed node does. It’s very hard to argue with that.
Documentation Browser Extension
The new documentation browser extension is inside the sidebar panel and will eventually become the home for all Dynamo documentation. This new functionality features the thirty most common error messages along with detailed help and recommended resolutions. This is kind of like having your own tech support at the ready to solve common issues. If you can easily resolve an error message without an exhaustive Google search or a phone call, that’s genuine progress—and customer service.
PolyCurve Performance
While PolyCurve performance has improved overall, substantial performance improvements (up to 100x) have been made for PolyCurve intersection. This speaks for itself (and a 100x performance increase is rarely a bad thing).
Dynamo 2.6 also offers improved performance/memory, and that, along with the enhancements listed here and a good many others, will go a long way in improving your Revit workflow. Another key to improving your workflow is relying on a workstation purpose-built for it. Consult with a BOXX Revit performance specialist at 877.877.BOXX or visit our Revit Solutions page to configure a workstation, like our APEXX S3, that will optimize Dynamo 2.6 and accelerate Revit like never before.
*Updating Revit doesn’t affect the previous Dynamo versions installed in the previous Revit release.