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Geometry Visualization

Geometry visualization is currently supported only on Revit through the DirectContext3D API. RevitDevTool can display recognized geometry temporarily in the active Revit 3D view; AutoCAD-family hosts support the logging outputs, but not this visualization path.

How the flow works​

Geometry visualization is part of the normal trace pipeline. There is no special visualization command, export format, or model-element workaround:

  1. Your add-in or script writes a value through System.Diagnostics.Trace.
  2. The registered trace listeners receive the value.
  3. On Revit, RevitDevTool recognizes supported geometry objects and renders them through DirectContext3D.
  4. The same trace event can continue to the configured Log Output targets.

The value must reach the listener as an object. Writing only a formatted string produces a normal log entry, not geometry.

C#, F#, and .NET add-ins​

Use the object overload of Trace.Write or Trace.WriteLine:

using Autodesk.Revit.DB;
using System.Diagnostics;

GeometryObject geometry = element.get_Geometry(new Options()).FirstOrDefault();
if (geometry is not null)
    Trace.WriteLine(geometry); // object overload: log + visualize

The same flow applies to F# and compiled .NET add-ins. Keep the geometry object intact; do not interpolate it into a string first:

Trace.WriteLine(solid);                 // visualizes a Solid
Trace.WriteLine($"Solid: {solid}");     // text log only

Python and IronPython​

Both Trace and the normal RevitDevTool print() flow can visualize geometry. For a single argument, RevitDevTool keeps the raw Python/.NET object when forwarding print() to the trace listeners:

from System.Diagnostics import Trace

print(curve)                  # visualizes the curve
print(solid)                  # visualizes the solid
print(point)                  # visualizes the point

# The explicit .NET API is equivalent:
Trace.WriteLine(curve)

Use print() for ordinary messages as well:

print("Room analysis started")       # normal log output
print("Curve:", curve)              # message + geometry; default separator

The object must not be converted to text before it is passed to print() or Trace. These forms produce text only:

print(f"Curve: {curve}")            # text only
print(str(curve))                   # text only
print(curve, sep=" | ")             # text only

For a Python script executed by RevitDevTool, the flow is:

print(geometry)
    -> RevitDevTool Python print bridge
    -> System.Diagnostics.Trace
    -> registered TraceListeners
    -> Revit geometry display + configured log outputs

The registered listeners handle the event in the normal trace pipeline. RevitDevTool renders recognized geometry transiently; the model is not modified and no model element is created.

Supported geometry​

  • Curves: Line, Arc, Ellipse, NurbSpline, CurveLoop, and PolyLine
  • Faces: planar and analytical Revit faces
  • Solid objects and their edges/faces
  • Mesh objects
  • XYZ points
  • BoundingBoxXYZ

Collections of supported geometry can also be traced when each item is supported.

Requirements and behavior​

  • Revit must have an active 3D view.
  • The Trace Log listener must be enabled.
  • The minimum Log Level must allow the entry through.
  • Geometry is transient and exists only for the current session.
  • Use Clear Geometry in the Trace panel to remove displayed objects.

Examples​