Pipeline Connect for Revit version 2024.1.0

Released – 8/23/2024

Enhancements

• All recent enhancements and fixes implemented for our Revit 2023 version are now available for Revit 2024. Please review our Revit 2023 release notes for more details on new capabilities.
• Upgrade Note: For our Pipeline Connect customers who also use LotSpec, please perform simultaneous upgrades to align the 24.1 versions.

Pipeline Connect for Revit version 2024.0

Released – 5/17/2023

Enhancements

• Pipeline Connect for Revit is now compatible with the new Revit 2024 platform.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.4.2

Released – 11/19/2024

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the delta comparison did not correctly display the option list after reopening the dialog during the Pipeline upload process.
• Fixed an issue with the delta comparison to ensure accurate results when key measure IDs span multiple Revit categories.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.4.1

Released – 8/7/2024

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where Local Delta Comparison results did not accurately reflect the subtraction of products located in the parent group but not in the child group.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.4.0

Released – 6/10/2024

Enhancements

• Pipeline Connect 23.4.0 has been updated to pair with LotSpec for Revit 23.4.0 cloud model workflow capability. Customers using the LotSpec for Revit product are advised to perform simultaneous upgrades.

Fixes

• Fixed an issue when modifying existing conditions for circumstances where the ‘Use Gross Area’ setting is untoggled to be handled accurately.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.3.4

Released – 3/11/2024

Fixes

• Fixed a reporting accuracy issue for local comparison results when a key measure is produced by multiple conditions across multiple Revit categories.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.3.3

Released – 1/19/2024

Fixes

• Revised Pipeline exports for locally run comparison groups to align with Pipeline data structure and processing needs. Additionally, a new validation check for comparison group setup will help users determine if a selected option for the comparison group is contained within the selected import configuration for LotSpec option sets.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.3.2

Released – 11/27/2023

Fixes

• Pipeline Connect has been republished to support minor changes made to LotSpec for Revit 23.3. Customers using LotSpec for Revit 23.3 are advised to upgrade Pipeline Connect to 23.3.2 to ensure proper compatibility with one another.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.3.1

Released – 9/29/2023

Fixes

• Fixed an issue when solving LotSpec option sets where if the project is not linked to a Pipeline asset, the project will fail to create the “pending” files and database if auto upload is turned off.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.3.0

Released – 9/18/2023

New Feature

Local Key Measure Comparison Processing

Key measure comparisons for LotSpec for Revit option sets can now be processed and reviewed locally within Revit which no longer requires Pipeline estimating to be part of this process. Processed comparisons will show only what is different as opposed to retaining redundant common quantities resulting in up to 80% data size reduction and will significantly streamline the file handling performance when working with Pipeline estimating. Locally created comparison groups are now stored within the project.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.2.1

Release Date – 5/15/2023

Fixes

• Revised the Pipeline asset linking process to fix an unintended error that was generated when attempting to link an asset without having LotSpec installed.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.2

Released – 5/8/2023

New Features

Multi-House Connected Workflow

A Multi-House Setup feature has been created to support API connected workflows where a single Revit project needs to drive material changes for multiple Pipeline houses with greater efficiently. This could be useful for organizational strategies where spec level or high impact divisional variations (like foundation types) are broken into multiple Pipeline houses but still related to a single plan.

Enhancements

• The room abbreviation mapping settings have been expanded to apply to all Revit categories that exist within a room and not just the room category itself.
• Additional pop-up dialogs have been added to each subsection of the House Material Files dialog to provide the user every opportunity to say ‘No’ to any automatic download behavior from Pipeline. Saying ‘Yes’ when working with large data sets may likely result in timeout related issues that can cause errors and sometimes even crashes.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.1

Released – 12/12/2022

Enhancements

• The Settings dialog now includes a ‘File Exports’ setting allowing users to enable or disable the creation of physical XML or Excel based material files when generating reports or solving with LotSpec. Physical files are only necessary when using older workflows that require a manual Pipeline import method. For the newer API connected workflow, physical files are no longer required and can therefore be disabled to keep project files and folders a bit more tidy.
• The existing ‘About’ button has been transformed into a ‘Resources’ button that now provides additional quick access to product education links and Simpson Strong-Tie building technology links. License information can now be found within the ‘Manage License’ selection at the top of the resources list.
• When working within the Pipeline comparison group dialog, the ‘Copy’ function will now include any sub-comparisons assigned to the row being copied rather than only the top level comparison.
• The location of the Pipeline pending upload database has been revised to be stored in the same folder as the project making it project specific rather than computer specific information. This will make it easier for users who generate option set material files using LotSpec Remote to retrieve this information afterwards and continue with Pipeline work locally. The new file will be called “Connect.Pending.Uploads.s3db” and will be created within the project folder automatically when not present.
• Pipeline Connect now works with LotSpec for Revit’s new ‘Include for material collection’ Option Set setting. When solving Option Sets with ‘Connect’ enabled, material files will only be created for Option Sets that are flagged with this new setting. Additionally, the Generate Comparison Groups feature will only use Option Sets that have been flagged with this new setting. Both applications require the 23.1 version or newer for this functionality.
• Pipeline Connect now enables LotSpec for Revit to import options directly from Pipeline with API connected workflow. Both applications require the 23.1 version or newer for this functionality.

Fixes

• Improved the stability of house material file management and reliability of pending file creation to better handle situations due to lose of internet connection or API service access while generating material files. Also added additional error messaging to better diagnose situations brought about by lose of internet or API access.
• Fixed comparison group generation to better handle issues when an Option ID equals zero or does not align with Pipeline and will now post a notification to the user when this happens stating which options will be skipped.
• The frequency that Pipeline Connect pings Pipeline for connected house or job data updates has been reduced to improve the response of some dialogs due to excessive data push or pull times.
• The Pipeline menu panel is now no longer available when Pipeline Connect is deactivated.

Pipeline Connect version 2023.0

Released – 6/6/2022

New

Hello “Pipeline Connect“

The X-RAY application has been renamed to “Pipeline Connect” in an effort to provide stronger single word clarity as to what this applications role and place is in our Pipeline ecosystem today. Built primarily to serve our Pipeline estimating platform, Pipeline Connect allows Autodesk® Revit® users to connect their projects and quantities to Pipeline assets to facilitate a more dynamic BIM sourced estimating workflow.

Over the past year, we’ve worked diligently to add features that will allow our Revit users to work more efficiently with Pipeline via a Pipeline connected workflow and with the addition of the following recent capabilities, hope you’ll agree that the name change makes sense.

• It is now possible to directly link a Revit project to a Pipeline site with API credentials
• House and Job material files can now be uploaded to Pipeline automatically eliminating the need for local file workflows
• Pipeline comparison groups for LotSpec Option Sets can now be built locally with greater efficiency
• Material files can be reviewed and validated with greater detail within the House Material Files dialog

With release 23.0 and beyond, the full product name will now be referred to as Pipeline Connect for Autodesk® Revit®. The functionality and resources available for this application for any supported version still remain the same, however you will notice some minor updates have occurred on our help site to accommodate the name change. The xray.support@strongtie.com email will continue to remain in service for some time however we are now directing our users to use pipeline.support@strongtie.com so that all Pipeline ecosystem products can be handled together.

Enhancements

• Pipeline Connect for Revit (Formerly X-RAY) has been upgraded to support the new Revit 2023 platform.

Pipeline X-RAY version 22.2.2

Released: 5/27/2022

Fixes

• Fixed the Pipeline material export formatting for the level parameter which previously was not allowing the level information to display properly after being imported into Pipeline.

Pipeline X-RAY version 22.2.1

Released: 4/27/2022

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the Room Abbreviation condition mapping did not get applied correctly when there was not a custom room abbreviation parameter applied to the project. Even though Connect continues to support the original custom parameter method, it is recommended to use the new condition mapping method and not to mix both methods at the same time.
• Fixed an issue where the Pipeline Alias condition mapping did not get applied correctly when a custom Pipeline parameter still existed within the project. Even though Connect continues to support the original custom parameter method, it is recommended to use the new condition mapping method and not to mix both methods at the same time.
• Fixed an issue where the Pipeline Alias feature incorrectly duplicated the KM ID value within the Description value.
• Fixed an issue which caused some room parameter information (Ex: Room Name) to no longer be processed in conditions for categories other than Rooms.

Pipeline X-RAY version 22.2

Released: 4/21/2022

New Features

Room Abbreviation Workflow Improvement

The room abbreviation methods employed today require custom parameters, key schedules, a full rework of information per new project and hundreds of conditions to support. To make this process more efficient and consistent, we’ve reworked the room abbreviation workflow and added a Rooms tab to the Condition Mapping settings so that room name and room abbreviation values can be registered within the Connect database as a single source of information for all projects. Conditions that rely on room abbreviation for key measure creation can now reference this information with the Connect Room Abbreviation tag which works similarly to the recently added Pipeline tag. This will reduce hundreds of room conditions down to one for area and a second for perimeter resulting in a smaller database which means easier maintenance of room related conditions and faster export processing times.

Automatic Comparison Group Building

The process of manually building Pipeline Comparison Groups with LotSpec Option Sets can be very time consuming, especially for larger projects. Because of this major time sink, we’ve introduced a new Generate Comparison Groups function within the Pipeline Comparison Groups dialog that attempts to automatically build your list of comparison groups when starting from scratch. This function uses predetermined rules and assumptions that can result in as high as 80% to 100% completion for most LotSpec Option Set organizational strategies and will save many users a significant amount of time per project. As tempting as it may be to fire and forget however, we always advocate an accuracy check for options and conditions prior to moving on.

Enhancements

• Added an Optioning System toggle to Connect Settings to specify LotSpec or RDO as the active option management method. This will affect which Reporting options become available within the Export dialog and simplify the choices the user has depending on Pipeline linked or unlinked states.
• Added the View Object Parameters function to the main menu for quicker access, but can still be found within the Condition Browser also.
• Added a Refresh button to the Pipeline Comparison Group Setup dialog so that if information within Pipeline changes while this dialog is open, the user has a method to manually refresh the open dialog with the latest Pipeline information.
• When opening the House Material Files dialog, users will now be asked if they wish to download all of the uploaded material files from Pipeline. This was originally automatically done the moment the dialog was opened and for larger data sets would often result in timing out the dialog which rendered it unusable.
• Within the House Material Files dialog, the Pending data and Uploaded data tabs have been reversed so that the Pending tab will be the active tab when first loading in. According to user feedback, the Pending tab appears to be used more frequently than the Uploaded tab and so this subtle adjustment will help prioritize the Pending information first.

Fixes

• Fixed the Condition Browser Preview functionality to show the correct results when previewing multiple selected conditions, and not all conditions.
• To support changes introduced in Pipeline 2021.2 related to site setup, the Port Number field within the Connect Settings dialog has been removed is no longer a requirement to access the Pipeline API. This will impact users who use a Pipeline connected workflow while pairing with the 2021.2 version of Pipeline or beyond.
• Reworked Connect’s Export behavior to only require Pipeline project parameters with values when not using a Pipeline connected workflow. This information is only needed when producing physical material files in earlier non-connected workflows.

Pipeline X-RAY version 22.1.1

Released: 3/7/2022

Fixes

• To support changes introduced in Pipeline 2021.2 related to site setup, the Port Number field within the Connect Settings dialog has been made Optional and is no longer a requirement to access the Pipeline API. This will only impact users who use a Pipeline connected workflow while pairing with the 2021.2 version of Pipeline or beyond.

Connected Workflow Startup

• To get started with a Pipeline connected workflow, please email pipeline.support@strongtie.com and request the credentials for Pipeline API access that is specific to your Pipeline site. These credentials will be for Connect Settings only and are not to be confused with a standard Pipeline user account where users access Pipeline through a web browser. These credentials can then be shared by all members of your Connect team.

Pipeline X-RAY version 22.1

Released: 12/3/2021

Enhancements

• Enhanced the Pipeline Value dialog for Condition Mapping by adding a Get all Types function to the right click menu which provides a bulk creation dialog for family Types found within the active project. This will greatly improve the speed and efficiency of the Pipeline Value creation process.
• Enhanced all Condition Mapping dialogs to give the user additional tools to Duplicate existing, Delete multiple entries at once, use Save & New when adding multiple entries, and use a ‘Select Element’ feature when adding or editing parameter aliases which will provide a list of parameters associated with the selected reference. These changes are aimed at improving the creation and management efficiency for all Condition Mapping dialogs.
• Performance improvements have been made to the Condition Browser Preview (up to 40%), the View Connect Items function (up to 50%) and the Export dialog (up to 10%). These results may vary depending on database size, database location (local versus network) and PC specifications.
• The Comparison Groups dialog can now support up to 5 levels of sub-comparisons when coupled with Pipeline 2021.2 or greater. This will allow users to build comparisons where all entries can be compared back to a single and common Base as opposed to the one level method used currently that results in multiple Base’s per elevation.
• When using a Pipeline connected workflow and using the Export dialog to report by Base, the Import type for Pipeline will be appropriately set to “No Modifications” so that this information can go directly to report in Pipeline without the need to go through a comparison group first.
• The Import Preview function within the House Material Files dialog will now also reveal any missing Options not found in Pipeline in addition to any missing Products.
• Enhanced the House Material Files dialog to allow users to delete multiple material files at once to add more efficiency to the management of this information.
• Added a check box toggle to the Level Alias settings to allow for the level parameter to also be reported as the Pipeline phase code in all exports. This will allow imported key measures to go directly into key measure phases per the level they occurred on and bypass the need for phase rules altogether which could simplify setup and maintenance Pipeline side. Consult your Pipeline Estimating team on whether or not to use this toggle depending on how your Pipeline rules have been setup.
• Removed the Initiate Comparisons button from the House Material Files dialog as the Pipeline connected workflow and feature sets are currently intended to limit Drafting teams to material uploads and quantity review. Activities related to plus/minus execution and house BOM updates are to remain within the domain of properly trained Pipeline users and will occur within Pipeline.
• When duplicating a condition within the condition browser, the values within the range group settings will now be maintained within the duplication resulting in less time spent redefining this information.
• When creating new conditions with the Add button and choosing to select a reference, the category field will now be populated according to the category of the selected reference resulting in one less field to manually define for that condition.
• When working in the Range Groups settings tab, It is now possible to perform a Find & Replace on values within the KM Display Value or Description Display Value columns which will improve the flexibility and efficiency of maintaining this information.

Upgrade Notes

• To fully support multilevel sub-comparison groups, customers must upgrade to Pipeline 2021.2 or newer.
• If using LotSpec for Revit and creating comparison groups within Pipeline Connect, customers must upgrade both LotSpec for Revit and Pipeline Connect to 2022.1 for this release specifically.

Pipeline X-RAY version 22.0

Released 7/16/2021

Enhancements

• Pipeline X-RAY is now available for the Autodesk Revit 2022 platform.
• Added error checking for Pipeline settings to look for leading and trailing spaces for the following fields: Pipeline Site, Port, and Username.
• The Email Support button within the About dialog will now direct users to pipeline.support@strongtie.com to centralize all communications related to products within the Pipeline ecosystem.
• API revised to update configuration information when passed from LotSpec to Connect during Option Set solves.

Fixes

• Fixed the displayed products and selected file configuration information within the House Material Files dialog when there is no configuration.

X-RAY version 2021.2

Release Date 6/4/2021

New Features

Condition Mapping

Condition Mapping provides Builders with greater flexibility when using existing Revit content information to produce specific Pipeline key measure names and provide better alignment where type or parameter naming has been inconsistent. Historical X-RAY development workflows relied heavily on modifying existing content to include key measure information within a custom Pipeline parameter. X-RAY can now look within to determine this needed information resulting in less manipulation of existing assets and providing a more streamlined approach to condition development.

Within the new Pipeline Value tab, users can create a list of existing element types organized per Revit category that will require a specific key measure or description value to be produced when a condition is met. These new values are created in the Key Measure ID and Description fields of a condition by using the new Pipeline value tag within those statements.

Within the new Type Alias tab, users can override type names for existing families with unexpected or undesirable naming conventions. This can help bypass the need to manually change these families across all existing projects or makes it possible to reuse existing conditions that already reference other type names.

Within the new Parameter Alias tab, users can override parameter names for existing families with unexpected or undesirable naming conventions. Similar to the Type Alias, this can also help bypass the need to manually change these families across all existing projects or makes it possible to reuse existing conditions that already reference other parameter names.

For existing X-RAY users, a condition database upgrade will be required to support this new functionality.

Rule Builders for the Edit Condition Dialog

New Rule Builder dialogs have been added for the Condition, Key Measure ID and Description fields to assist with syntax development and help to streamline the rule building process. String tools such as operators, functions, range expressions and X-RAY specific tags will now appear as clickable buttons with tool tips that describe their use and function bringing more help documentation directly to the user.

When adding a new condition or editing existing conditions with the new “Edit w/ Ref” button, the user will be prompted to select a Revit element for reference prior to launching the rule builder dialog. This will expose all of the selected elements property information within the Instance, Type, and Material parameter drop down menu’s making it easier to understand what can be used to build the rule. Buttons are available to add parameters and their values into the rule string for all information categories. Additionally, a list of Syntax examples is also now available for all 3 fields to provide practical ideas for how rules can be properly constructed when first getting started.

Learning Resource Additions

Video – Condition Mapping
Documentation – Pipeline Value Tab
Documentation – Type Alias Tab
Documentation – Parameter Alias Tab

Documentation – Condition Field
Documentation – Key Measure ID Field
Documentation – Description Field
Documentation – Quantity Field

Enhancements

• The Key Measure ID and Description fields have been enhanced to also utilize the new Pipeline Value tag, IF statements, Formulas and Roundup to create more dynamic results which can result in fewer conditions to manage and improved report generation performance.
• The House Material Files dialog has been enhanced to also work with local house material files that are pending upload to Pipeline. Pending material files can now be uploaded on demand to provide users more control so that unintentional information is not automatically uploaded to Pipeline. To fully support this offline workflow, a new Auto Upload to Pipeline setting has been added to the X-RAY Settings dialog to specify if directly uploading house material files upon LotSpec option set solve is preferred or not.
• The House Material Files dialog has been enhanced to include a Preview Files button for uploaded files that will show which products do not exist in Pipeline yet. The missing products information can be exported and provided to the estimator to approve and create the missing products within Pipeline.
• Added a new Initiate Comparisons button to the House Material Files dialog that functions exactly the same as the Pipeline “Generate Comparisons” function. This allows the X-RAY user to execute one additional step that creates processed files needed for the Pipeline report view from any selected material files and without being signed into a Pipeline site separately to do so.
• Enhanced the Comparison Group dialog to provide warnings if any comparison group configurations do not match the LotSpec option sets or are unassigned. The configuration field will now also display which option sets are already used to better understand what has not been used yet.
• Enhanced the Comparison Group dialog to include a Validate button that will check for duplicate comparison group information and flag the duplicate fields for closer inspection. The duplicate information flags can be clicked to remove them as the user reviews their comparison groups for intended or unintended duplication.
• Added the ability to export and import X-RAY settings for the following data sets: Units, Handing, Level Alias, Condition Groups, Range Groups, Quantity Formulas, and Condition Mapping. This will be particularly helpful for users who wish to reuse specific setup information that has already been accomplished elsewhere when setting up additional databases resulting in a savings of implementation time.

Fixes

• Addressed an issue where duplicate material files were being created at the same time when using Pipeline Export.

X-RAY version 2021.1

Release Date 2/19/2021

New Features

Pipeline Connection Framework

X-RAY now has a Pipeline connection framework that will allow users to specify Pipeline credentials within the Settings dialog to link active Revit projects to House or Job assets. Projects that are linked can benefit from automatic material file uploads when exporting from within X-RAY and when solving LotSpec Option Sets with the X-RAY toggle on. This new functionality must be paired with the Pipeline 2021.0 release or newer in order to be available. The existing workflow that creates local material files that are later manually imported into Pipeline can still be used in the absence of a Pipeline linked workflow.

To get started, please review our Project Requirements documentation for the new Linked Pipeline Workflow.

Comparison Groups Builder

In X-RAY 2021.1, Revit users who are most familiar with how the LotSpec Option Sets were assembled can now build Pipeline Comparison Groups locally using the same familiar tools that are available within Pipeline but without having to be in Pipeline to do so. Comparison Groups that are built locally will immediately become available within Pipeline and vice versa. This feature requires the active project to be linked to a Pipeline House asset and for LotSpec for Revit to be installed and available. The Comparison Groups dialog will use Options from the linked Pipeline environment and Option Sets from the active LotSpec project for the assembly process.

House Material File Reviewer

With the new House Material Files dialog, X-RAY users can review key material file information and delete older House material files that have been uploaded to the linked Pipeline environment without having to be in Pipeline to do so. This dialog also allows for localized key measure tracing by providing select, isolate, and reset capabilities that are similar to the condition browser preview. This feature also requires the active project to be linked to a Pipeline House asset.

View Connect Targeted Elements

With the new View X-RAY Items utility, users can quickly identify project elements that have been targeted by active conditions, inactive conditions, or are not being targeted by conditions at all.

Enhancements

• The About dialog has been revised to allow the user to Activate a license in addition to being able to Deactivate a license and also includes a new Purchase License link that will navigate the user to the Simpson Strong-Tie Builder/LBM Solutions Marketplace.
• The X-RAY application is now digitally signed and certified.
• The X-RAY License Activation Wizard now includes a “Request Trial License” button. This will provide a simple request form that will then automatically email the user a trial license key.
• X-RAY will now include the Revit Element ID values for quantities inside of Pipeline material files which will allow for visual trace back functionality when using the House Material Files dialog.

Fixes

• An issue was fixed where the addition of a condition group within the condition browser edit condition dialog was not being saved correctly.

X-RAY version 2021.0

Released 8/28/2020

Enhancements

• X-RAY is now available for Autodesk Revit 2021.