So you could not get a Revit file what do you do now? Not all is lost, fortunately, there is a universal file type called IFC, it’s like a DWG just a lot smarter. What to do when you can’t get, or open a Revit file. Or the Designer does not want to be liable for items placed that are not in their scope of works or area of expertise… a big shout out to all of the Attornies right now, thanks for ruining it for everyone…. Or, more likely, the Revit author does not feel comfortable sharing a Revit file with you & just so you know they are not being difficult, in many cases, there is either a lot of IP in their Revit Family ( A family is like a dynamic component in Sketchup ) that they rightfully own, that is too valuable to share.

My guess is you may not own a current version of Revit and just so you know you can’t back save Revit files like you can in SketchUp so the wrong file is useless unless you have the same version… grumble grumble. So you asked for the original Revit file and got a big fat NO, or you could not open the file, here is why. Example video: Import IFC file from Revit for further Detailing and Estimating. Now for the job to progress we all need efficiency in our workflow and we all need to put bread on the table regardless of what 3D software we choose so here is what I know about getting Revit into Sketchup. Personally find that Revit “hollow shells” models and the information I need as a builder is simply not there so I detail in Sketchup, yet, many simply want to use the Revit file for photorealistic rendering or cannot afford the cost of Revit, no matter the reason the show must go on. So you like the way Sketchup enables you to view a model yet your colleagues, associates, designers or engineers have not seen the light and they Use Revit or Archicad. I get it, in fact, I started with Revit but I just love the freedom of Sketchup so I forced myself to figure out the best way to get my work done quickly and I am happy to share what I have learned.

Revit to sketchup