Cesar Escalante
This article was updated on April 3rd 2025 to reflect recent improvements to the integration.
How to Load Forma data into Revit and Update Forma projects with Revit changes
Picture this: You have sketched an epic design in Forma. Now, you are itching to amp up the details in BIM and send your conceptual design into the world of Revit, and if you make some snazzy changes in Revit, you can send those updates back to Forma. Sweet, right?
Forma offers a fantastic feature for those looking to scale up their conceptual proposal to the next level. With the updated Forma Add-in for Revit, you can turn a Forma proposal into a Revit project. And if you make further updates, you can easily send them back to Forma for more analysis and validation.
Key Features
The add-in provides two different directions of data synchronization:
- Forma to Revit Transfer: ‘Send to Revit’ the content of a Forma proposal. Then, from a Revit project, you can load from Forma the geometric content of a proposal. At present, you can only send a Forma proposal to Revit once. Subsequent modifications made in Forma will not auto-update in Revit unless you are starting a new Revit project.
- Revit to Forma Updates: ‘Update a proposal’ in Forma with content edited in Revit, refining your design iteratively. You can update a Forma proposal multiple times.
Getting Started
- Grab that Add-in! Got Revit versions 2022.1 or later? Download the Forma Add-In for Revit from the Autodesk Store, or just hop into Forma, open the Extensions menu on the side bar, and download the Revit add-in. Follow the prompts, and you are on your way.
- Make the Connection: Back in Forma, pick your proposal, and simply click ‘Send to Revit’ in the three-dot menu for the proposal of your interest. Thinking of going back and forth between the two? Duplicate your Forma design and send that twin over to Revit.
- Revit’s Welcome Party: Kickstart Revit, make a new project, and hit ‘Load Proposal’ in the Massing and Site tab. Choose your translation option, and boom! Your Forma masterpiece is now vibing in Revit, full of walls, topography, roofs, levels, and more.
- Revit’s Return Gifts to Forma: Once you modify, delete, or add elements to this Revit project, you will have multiple opportunities to update your proposal in Forma. Hit the ‘Update Proposal’ button under the Massing & Site tab and refresh the Forma URL project (F5).
Integration Updates – April 2025
Since its introduction, the integration between Autodesk Forma and Revit has seen several incremental updates, enhancing workflows and fostering better project collaboration. Key improvements include:
- Workflow Enhancements: The Forma Plugin for Revit now maintains active synchronization even after linked Forma elements are deleted, enabling iterative edits without disruption. Additionally, Forma’s geometry processing capacity has been increased, allowing more complex Revit models to be transferred seamlessly.
- Forma Board Integration with Autodesk Docs: The interactive digital whiteboard, Forma Board, now integrates directly with Autodesk Docs. Users can pin Revit sheets from published models onto the board for visualization, annotation, and review. This feature supports adding individual or multiple sheets organized by discipline with a single click, enhancing collaboration and streamlining design reviews.
- Project Organization Update: Projects in Forma have transitioned to a Sites hierarchy for better organization and cross-platform consistency. This change prepares for deeper integration with the Autodesk Construction Cloud. We will explain this in greater detail in a forthcoming blog post.
These updates aim to improve design workflows, foster collaboration, and streamline early-stage project planning across Autodesk’s platforms.
Current Conversions
The current conversions available to Revit elements are:
| Forma Element | Converted Revit Element |
| Line Buildings | Walls, Floors, and Roofs |
| Basic Buildings | Mass families with mass floors or Generic Models |
| Houses | Generic Models |
| Vegetation | Generic Models |
| Site Limits | Model Lines and/or Toposolid subdivisions (*) |
| Zones | Not supported |
| Constraints | Generic Models |
| Roads | Model Lines and/or Toposolid subdivisions (*) |
| Railroads | Not supported |
| Generic Volumes | Generic Models |
| Generic Surfaces | Not supported |
| Generic Lines | Not supported |
| 3D Sketch elements in the Building layer | Conceptual Mass Family instances or Generic Models |
| 3D Sketch elements in the Generic layer | Conceptual Mass Family instances or Generic Models |
| Ordered buildings | Generic Models |
| Ordered property boundaries | Model Lines and/or Toposolid subdivisions |
| Parking (on floors, not from extensions) | Revit Parking Families |
| 3D Elements from imports or extensions | Generic Models |
| 2D Elements from imports or extensions | Not supported |
Advanced scenarios
- When moving your Forma proposal to Revit, Forma’s like, “I got the map!”! Forma’s geolocation settings will supersede any existing location configurations in Revit. Forma uses the site UTM coordinate system that aligns with the Revit project base point, ensuring an accurate match.
- To avoid overwriting existing georeferenced systems in Revit, bring your Forma proposal into a new project and link to the existing site.
- The Forma translation does not support Revit Design Options. Accept the primary option before loading a Forma proposal.
- Before updating a Forma proposal, keep things simple in Revit. Adding too much detail may slow things down when you’re working in Forma. Create a dedicated view and apply view graphic overrides to keep the level of detail to the minimum necessary (eg, exclude railings, interior furniture, equipment, etc.).
Known Limitations
Integration often presents challenges, and we are diligently working behind the scenes to refine this workflow. To ensure transparency, we want to highlight several limitations currently under our focus:
- Incompatibility with the FormIt Converter for certain 3D Sketch elements.
- Multiple loads from Forma to Revit are not supported.
- Mesh updates imported from Revit into Forma offer limited editability.
- Linked Revit data is not updated to Forma
- TestFit parking elements are not yet transferable.
Dive in!
Merging the best of Forma and Revit is a groundbreaking workflow for designers. This integration not only simplifies workflows but also unlocks a world of opportunities for iterative informed design and analysis. Interested in learning more? Join Forma’s Community Forum, where you can connect with us and engage a vibrant community of users who exchange ideas and help shape the future of Forma!