BIM Project Workflow Guide for Revit
Choose your discipline, whether you work alone or with a team, and where your models live, and get the Revit workflow step by step: from agreeing the basics and linking the architect to levels, worksets, views and sheets. Before you link a model you received, check its version with the Revit version checker.
Architecture, structure, MEP and BIM coordinationLocal, network server or cloudLink positioning explainedConsumed, Shared and live cloud linksPrintable checklist
I work in , and our models live . Other disciplines’ models .
Revit Cloud Worksharing and the Design Collaboration module. Needs Forma Design Collaboration, called BIM Collaborate Pro until March 2026.
36 steps in 8 phases for your setup. 0 done.
Agree the basics
- What to do
- Before anyone models, agree in writing who models what, the file and view names, the Revit version, who owns the coordinates, levels and grids, and how often models are shared.
- Why
- Every later step depends on these decisions. Changing them halfway through means relinking, renaming and rebuilding views for every team.
- Common mistake
- Starting to model to save time and agreeing the rules later. The first coordination meeting then turns into a clean-up.
- Tip
- Even a one-page beats none. If your client asks for ISO 19650, the BEP answers their information requirements (EIR).
- What to do
- Agree the exact Revit release and update for the project (for example 2026 with the latest update) and check every file you receive before you open or link it.
- Why
- A model saved in a newer release can’t be opened or linked in an older one. On the cloud it is stricter: after a model is workshared, its project is visible only to the Revit release it was shared from, and cloud models can only be linked to models shared with the same release.
- Common mistake
- One person upgrades a model mid-project. The file is silently upgraded on save and colleagues on the older release can no longer open or link it.
- Tip
- Look up release and update numbers on Revit build numbers and check which version a received file was saved in with the Revit version checker, without opening it.
- What to do
- Fix the file name of every model (for example project, originator, volume, level, type, role and number in the ISO 19650 style) and the naming of views, sheets and worksets.
- Why
- Links store file names and paths. Renaming a model later breaks every link to it, and clear names let everyone find the right model and view.
- Common mistake
- Renaming a file after others have linked it, or sending files called Final_v3_new.rvt.
- Tip
- Build compliant names with the ISO 19650 file naming tool.
- What to do
- Decide who sets the (usually the architect or a site model), where the goes (for example grid A/1 at ground floor level), the values and the angle to true north. Write them in the BEP.
- Why
- Shared coordinates are what make models from different teams land in the same place, and what puts your Navisworks and IFC exports on the real site.
- Common mistake
- Every team chooses its own origin. Models land metres apart and nobody notices until the first clash test.
- Tip
- Keep the building close to the and carry the real-world values in the shared coordinates, not by moving the geometry kilometres away.
- What to do
- Create the model from your office template or the Revit template for your discipline, so units, view templates, filters, line styles and families are ready.
- Where in Revit
- File then New then Project
- Why
- The template decides units, view types, system types and graphics. Fixing a model started from the wrong template takes far longer than starting again.
- Common mistake
- Starting from None or from another discipline’s template, then finding that view disciplines, system types or schedules are missing.
- Tip
- Check units straight away in Manage › Settings › Project Units.
Create or upload the model
- What to do
- Open the model, choose Collaborate, select In the cloud and click OK, then pick your team’s folder under Project Files and click Initiate. If the model already has links, migrate the linked models to the cloud as well.
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Manage Collaboration then Collaborate then In the cloud
- Why
- Only a cloud workshared model can be published, packaged and shared in Design Collaboration, and edited by several people at once.
- Common mistake
- Uploading the .rvt in the browser or dropping it in Desktop Connector instead. That makes a file copy, not a cloud workshared model.
- Tip
- This needs a Forma Design Collaboration (formerly BIM Collaborate Pro) licence with Revit Cloud Worksharing assigned. If Revit reports that the cloud entitlement is not found, ask your admin to assign it in your Autodesk Account.
- What to do
- Each team member opens the model from Revit Home (or the Open dialog’s Autodesk Docs location). Revit keeps a local cache for you, so there is no local file to create.
- Why
- Opening the live cloud model is the only way to synchronize your work. A downloaded .rvt is a dead copy.
- Common mistake
- Downloading the model from the browser or the connected drive and working in it. Nothing you do there reaches the team.
- Tip
- The sync indicator in the Revit status bar shows whether the model is available for sync. If someone else is synchronizing, use Reload Latest to pick up their changes.
Coordinates and links
- What to do
- In a site or floor plan, open Visibility/Graphics, expand Site on the Model Categories tab and turn on Internal Origin, Project Base Point and Survey Point.
- Where in Revit
- View then Graphics then Visibility/Graphics
- Why
- You can’t control what you can’t see. These three points decide where your model lands in every link and export.
- Common mistake
- Dragging the survey point or project base point by accident while it is visible. Pin them once they are placed.
- Tip
- The shortcut for Visibility/Graphics is VG. Revit warns when geometry is more than 32 km (20 miles) from the , so keep the building near it.
- What to do
- Link the site survey drawing with Insert › Link CAD and use Acquire Coordinates on it, or use Specify Coordinates at Point on a known point (for example grid A/1) and type the agreed north, east, elevation and angle to true north. Then place the project base point at the agreed point.
- Where in Revit
- Manage then Project Location then Coordinates then Acquire CoordinatesManage then Project Location then Coordinates then Specify Coordinates at Point
- Why
- This gives your model the project’s . Every other team then acquires them from you, so all models line up and exports land on the real site.
- Common mistake
- Moving the whole building to the survey position instead of acquiring coordinates. The geometry ends up kilometres from the internal origin and graphics and accuracy suffer.
- Tip
- Check the result with Manage › Project Location › Coordinates › Report Shared Coordinates on a grid intersection, and write the values in the BEP.
- What to do
- In Design Collaboration you can link another team’s model from your team’s Consumed folder (you consume their packages), from their Shared folder (updates whenever they share), or live from their team folder (their latest synchronized work). Agree one method per pair of teams.
- Why
- The method decides when the other team’s changes appear in your views: when you choose, when they share, or continuously.
- Common mistake
- Mixing methods: some people link from Consumed, others live, so the team looks at different versions of the same model.
- Tip
- Live linking needs you in their Design Collaboration team folder with at least View only, plus View + Download on the folder in the Files tool.
- What to do
- When the structural and MEP teams share packages, consume them and link each model from your Consumed folder with Positioning set to Auto - By Shared Coordinates.
- Where in Revit
- Insert then Link then Link Revit
- Why
- The consultants acquired your coordinates, so By Shared Coordinates lands their models exactly on yours, even if their internal origins differ.
- Common mistake
- Linking a consultant model before they have acquired your coordinates. It lands at its own origin, possibly far away, and someone moves it by hand.
- Tip
- If a model lands in the wrong place, ask the author to acquire coordinates from your model rather than moving their link in your file.
- What to do
- Select each link instance and pin it.
- Where in Revit
- Modify then Modify then Pin
- Why
- A pinned link can’t be dragged or nudged by accident when you select elements in a busy view.
- Common mistake
- Moving a link a few millimetres while editing nearby elements, then chasing coordination errors for weeks.
- Tip
- The shortcut is PN. Pin levels, grids and the project base point too.
Levels and grids
- What to do
- Draw levels in an elevation or section and grids in a plan, named as agreed. Keep only the levels people need: storeys, plus a few key ones such as roof or foundation.
- Where in Revit
- Architecture then Datum then LevelArchitecture then Datum then Grid
- Why
- Everyone else copies these. Clean names and few levels make every linked model and every view list easier to use.
- Common mistake
- Adding a level for every slab offset or ceiling height. Use the element offsets for those instead.
- Tip
- Put levels and grids on the Shared Levels and Grids workset, and untick Make Plan View for helper levels that don’t need plans.
- What to do
- If the BEP gives the grids to the structural engineer, link their model and use Copy/Monitor on the grids (or Monitor to pair your existing grids with theirs).
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Coordinate then Copy/Monitor then Select Link
- Why
- One owner per grid line. Monitoring tells you when the owner moves one, instead of two sets of grids drifting apart.
- Common mistake
- Both teams drawing and editing their own grids. Drawings from the two teams no longer agree.
- Tip
- Skip this step if you own the grids.
Worksets and teamwork
- What to do
- Open Worksets and create a short list that matches how the team splits the work, for example Shell and core, Interiors, Site and Furniture.
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Manage Collaboration then Worksets
- Why
- let you close parts of the model you don’t need, so it opens faster, and show who is working where.
- Common mistake
- Using worksets as layers to control graphics. Use view templates and filters for graphics, and worksets for splitting work and loading.
- Tip
- Rename the default Workset1 and keep the Shared Levels and Grids workset for levels, grids and reference planes.
- What to do
- Create one workset per link (for example Link ARC, Link STR) and set the Workset property of each link instance and type to it.
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Manage Collaboration then Worksets
- Why
- Anyone can close a link’s workset to work faster without unloading the link for the whole team, and you can open the model with heavy links closed.
- Common mistake
- Leaving links on Workset1, so the only way to hide a heavy link is to unload it, which may affect everyone.
- Tip
- When you open the model, use the Worksets option in the Open dialog to choose which worksets open.
- What to do
- Synchronize with Central every hour or so and before you close the model. In Synchronize with Central, keep the options to relinquish your worksets and borrowed elements ticked.
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Synchronize then Synchronize with Central
- Why
- Synchronizing sends your changes and picks up everyone else’s. Relinquishing frees the elements you edited so others can change them.
- Common mistake
- Closing Revit without synchronizing or relinquishing. Colleagues are then blocked from editing what you touched until you come back.
- Tip
- The sync indicator in the status bar shows when the cloud model is busy. Relinquish All Mine on the Synchronize panel frees everything without a full sync.
Views
- What to do
- Create or pick a browser organization that sorts views the way your team thinks, for example by a view purpose parameter (Working, Coordination, Sheet) and then by view type.
- Where in Revit
- View then Windows then User Interface then Browser Organization
- Why
- In a model with hundreds of views you find the right one quickly, and nobody prints a working view by mistake.
- Common mistake
- Everyone duplicating views called Copy of Level 1 with no rule for where they go.
- Tip
- Add a text project parameter for view purpose and fill it from the view templates.
- What to do
- Create a view template for each kind of view (working plan, sheet plan, ceiling plan, section, 3D coordination) and assign it in each view’s View Template property.
- Where in Revit
- View then Graphics then View Templates then Manage View Templates
- Why
- Change a template once and every view that uses it updates, so all your drawings look the same.
- Common mistake
- Overriding graphics view by view. Forty plans then look slightly different and nobody knows why.
- Tip
- Untick a parameter in the template’s Include column (for example View Range or Scope Box) when it must be set per view.
- What to do
- Draw a scope box around each building or plan zone, then set the Scope Box property of plans, and of levels and grids, to it.
- Where in Revit
- View then Create then Scope Box
- Why
- Crop regions and datum extents match on every level, and when the building grows you resize one box instead of forty crops.
- Common mistake
- Adjusting crop regions by hand on each plan; they never quite match from level to level.
- Tip
- Name scope boxes by zone (Zone A, Zone B) so dependent views and sheet sets follow the same split.
- What to do
- In Visibility/Graphics, open the Revit Links tab and set each link’s Display Settings: By Host View (the link follows your view’s settings), By Linked View (it shows as a chosen view in the linked model), or Custom (you choose categories and filters for the link).
- Where in Revit
- View then Graphics then Visibility/Graphics then Revit Links
- Why
- The background model should read clearly without hiding your own work, and set once in the view template it is the same on every plan.
- Common mistake
- Hiding linked categories one view at a time, or picking By Linked View and having your drawings change whenever the other team edits their view.
- Tip
- Revit view templates can store link overrides, but halftone set per link instance may still need checking view by view.
- What to do
- Create floor plans and reflected ceiling plans per level, the building sections and elevations, and duplicate working views as dependents or copies for sheets, each with its view template.
- Where in Revit
- View then Create then Plan Views then Floor PlanView then Create then Section
- Why
- Separate working and sheet views let you model freely without messing up the drawings that get issued.
- Common mistake
- Modelling in the views that are placed on sheets, then issuing drawings with temporary hides and overrides.
- Tip
- Ceiling plans are what MEP teams look at for lights and diffusers: keep ceilings modelled at the right height.
Model and coordinate
- What to do
- Model the building to the stage agreed in the BEP, place rooms with names and numbers, and keep ceilings at their real heights.
- Why
- Consultants depend on your rooms, ceilings and openings: MEP teams build spaces from your rooms and set services against your ceiling heights.
- Common mistake
- Drawing ceilings or shafts as lines instead of model elements. The consultants then can’t see them in their links.
- Tip
- Keep Room Bounding on for walls that really separate rooms, so rooms and the MEP spaces built from them are correct.
- What to do
- Synchronize, then publish the latest version so it appears in your team space: from Design Collaboration with Publish latest, or let the team set a publishing schedule.
- Why
- Synchronizing saves to the cloud; publishing is what makes a version visible in the and available for packages and viewers.
- Common mistake
- Publishing without synchronizing first, so the published version misses your latest work.
- Tip
- Use Publish Settings in Revit to choose which views and sheets are published with the model.
- What to do
- In Design Collaboration, click Create package, add the models, sets and documents, save the draft, check it, then click Share.
- Why
- A freezes a checked version of your deliverables, so other teams work against something you stand behind, not your half-finished work.
- Common mistake
- Sharing a package that nobody checked, or sharing only when someone asks. Other teams then design against stale or broken models.
- Tip
- Reuse on a previously shared package starts a new one with the latest versions of the same contents.
- What to do
- On the Design Collaboration timeline, click the other team’s new package, review it (and the changes), then click Consume. Links to your Consumed folder pick up the consumed version.
- Why
- is the moment you decide to accept their changes. Until then your links stay on the version you last accepted.
- Common mistake
- Never consuming, so the team designs for weeks against an old architectural model, or consuming without looking at what changed.
- Tip
- Packages that are still empty circles on the timeline are shared but not yet consumed by your team.
- What to do
- After a link updates, open Coordination Review for that link and deal with each change: accept it, reject it, or modify your element to match.
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Coordinate then Coordination Review then Select Link
- Why
- It lists every monitored level, grid or fixture that moved in the other model, so you react to changes instead of discovering them on site.
- Common mistake
- Ignoring the warning that a linked instance needs Coordination Review until the list has hundreds of items.
- Tip
- Add a comment when you reject a change so the other team knows why.
- What to do
- Run Interference Check between your categories and the link for quick checks, and take part in the project’s clash process (Navisworks or the cloud Model Coordination tool) for the full set.
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Coordinate then Interference Check then Run Interference Check
- Why
- Fixing a clash in the model costs minutes; fixing it on site costs days.
- Common mistake
- Running clash tests on everything at once and getting thousands of results nobody reads.
- Tip
- Test one pair of systems at a time (for example ducts against beams) with agreed tolerances.
- What to do
- Review warnings regularly, purge unused families and types before issues, and audit the model now and then when opening it.
- Where in Revit
- Manage then Inquiry then WarningsManage then Settings then Purge Unused
- Why
- Warnings and unused content slow the model down and can hide real problems such as duplicate elements or overlapping rooms.
- Common mistake
- Letting warnings pile up into the thousands, so nobody notices the ones that matter.
- Tip
- Audit is a check box in the Open dialog. Agree with the team when to do it, as everyone should synchronize first.
Sheets and issue
- What to do
- Load your titleblock family and fill in Project Information (client, project name, number, address and status).
- Where in Revit
- Insert then Load from Library then Load FamilyManage then Settings then Project Information
- Why
- Titleblocks read project information automatically, so you fill it in once and every sheet updates.
- Common mistake
- Typing project details as text on each sheet; they never all get updated.
- Tip
- Use the same titleblock family in every discipline model so a combined set looks like one set.
- What to do
- Create sheets, number and name them as agreed, and drag the sheet views onto them. Use a sheet list schedule to check numbering.
- Where in Revit
- View then Sheet Composition then Sheet
- Why
- Consistent numbers let everyone find drawings and keep the drawing register right.
- Common mistake
- Trying to place the same plan on two sheets. A model view can sit on only one sheet, so duplicate the view (or use a dependent view) instead.
- Tip
- Use a guide grid (View › Sheet Composition › Guide Grid) so views sit in the same place on every sheet.
- What to do
- Add each issue in the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog, draw revision clouds around changes and assign them to the revision. The titleblock’s revision schedule fills itself.
- Where in Revit
- View then Sheet Composition then RevisionsAnnotate then Detail then Revision Cloud
- Why
- Revisions in Revit stay in step with the clouds and the sheets, so the drawing register is always right.
- Common mistake
- Typing revision letters into the titleblock by hand; the register and the sheets soon disagree.
- Tip
- Choose numbering per project or per sheet once, at the start, in the same dialog.
- What to do
- Export PDFs from Revit, choose Selected views/sheets, save the selection as a named set, and set the file naming rule from sheet parameters.
- Where in Revit
- File then Export then PDF
- Why
- A saved set and a naming rule give the same set and the same file names every issue.
- Common mistake
- Printing sheet by sheet and renaming PDFs by hand, which drops sheets and breaks the naming convention.
- Tip
- Build the PDF names with the ISO 19650 file naming tool.
- What to do
- In Publish Settings, add the sheet set for the issue so the sheets publish with the model, then publish.
- Where in Revit
- Collaborate then Publish Settings
- Why
- Clients, contractors and reviewers can then view and mark up the sheets in the browser without Revit.
- Common mistake
- Publishing every view in the model. Only publish what outside stakeholders should see.
- Tip
- Share a package with the sheets as the formal record of what was issued.
- What to do
- Export the agreed 3D view to NWC for Navisworks and to IFC when the BEP asks for it, using shared coordinates in the export settings.
- Where in Revit
- File then Export then NWCFile then Export then IFC
- Why
- Exports on shared coordinates line up with every other team’s exports, so clash tests and viewers need no manual moving.
- Common mistake
- Exporting on internal coordinates while others use shared ones; the models appear apart in Navisworks.
- Tip
- File › Export › NWC appears after the free Navisworks NWC exporter is installed. Name exports with the ISO 19650 pattern.
- What to do
- Keep the shared package for each issue and download the issued PDF set into an archive folder with its revision and date.
- Why
- When someone asks what was issued on a date, you can show exactly that, not the current model.
- Common mistake
- Relying on the live model as the record. It keeps changing after the issue.
- Tip
- Forma Data Management keeps file versions, but a named package or archive folder is easier to find later.
0 of 36 steps done
Ticks are saved in this browser only. Steps you tick here are also marked done on the workflow route.
How a linked model lands
Insert › Link Revit asks for a Positioning option. Pick one to see where the linked model lands in your model.
Auto - Internal Origin to Internal Origin Lands aligned
The link’s internal origin is placed on yours, so the building lands exactly where it was modelled relative to its origin. Your model is empty, so that is where you want it.
Use it for: The first link into a new consultant model, before you acquire coordinates from it. Also fine when every model was started from the same template around the same internal origin.
Avoid it for: When the incoming geometry is more than 32 km (20 miles) from its origin.
- Internal origin. The fixed 0,0,0 of every Revit model. It can’t move. Keep the building within 32 km (20 miles) of it.
- Project base point. A point you place on the building, often grid A/1, to measure project coordinates from. Revit uses it for linking only with the base point to base point option, and only for the first placement.
- Survey point. Ties the model to the real world, such as a site benchmark. It is the origin of the shared coordinates.
- Shared coordinates. One coordinate system for all models. Set it once (Acquire Coordinates or Specify Coordinates at Point), share it with every team, then link By Shared Coordinates.
Option names as they appear in the Link Revit dialog of Revit 2020 and later. The Revit help and older releases call the first one Auto - Origin to Origin.
Where a cloud link comes from: Consumed, Shared or live
In Design Collaboration a team publishes its model, packages it and shares it. You then link from one of three places. Pick one to see its path.
Consumed folder Most control
They publish, put the models in a package and share it. Your team reviews the package and clicks Consume, which places it in your team’s Consumed folder. Your links point there, so they change only when you consume a newer package.
Good: You decide when their changes reach your model, and each package is a checked, frozen deliverable.
Watch out: Someone must review and consume packages regularly, or you work against an old model.
All three methods use cloud workshared models and the Design Collaboration module, which need Forma Design Collaboration (called BIM Collaborate Pro until March 2026). With Forma Data Management (formerly Autodesk Docs) and Desktop Connector alone you only have files in folders: you link a file from the connected drive and reload it when the owner uploads a new copy.
Common mistakes in architecture workflows
- Changing level heights or grid positions without telling the consultants who monitor them.
- Moving the building to the survey position instead of acquiring coordinates.
- Leaving rooms unplaced or unnamed, so MEP spaces have nothing to follow.
- Drawing ceilings, shafts or openings as lines that consultants can’t see in a link.
- Starting to model before the Revit version, names and coordinates are agreed.
- Upgrading one model to a newer Revit release in the middle of a project.
- Moving a link by hand to make it line up instead of fixing the coordinates in the source model.
- Overriding graphics view by view instead of using view templates and filters.
- Letting warnings pile up until nobody reads them.
Glossary
- Internal origin
- The fixed 0,0,0 point of a Revit model’s own coordinate system. It can’t be moved. Keep the building within 32 km (20 miles) of it.
- Project base point
- A point you place on the building, often a grid intersection, that defines the project coordinate system used for spot coordinates and as an optional link placement point.
- Survey point
- The point that ties the model to a real-world reference such as a site benchmark. It is the origin of the shared coordinate system.
- Copy/Monitor
- A Revit tool that copies levels, grids and selected elements from a link and keeps watching them, so you are told when the original changes.
- Coordination Review
- The Revit dialog that lists changes to monitored elements in a link, so you can accept, reject or match them.
- Workset
- A named collection of elements in a workshared model. Worksets can be closed to lighten the model and help the team split the work.
- Central model
- The master file of a file-based workshared model on a network. Everyone works in a local copy and synchronizes with it.
- Local model
- Your own working copy of a central model. You work in it and synchronize your changes to the central.
- Revit Cloud Worksharing
- Worksharing where the central model lives in the cloud instead of on a server. Part of Forma Design Collaboration (formerly BIM Collaborate Pro).
- Team space
- A team’s area in Design Collaboration, showing its published models and the packages it shares and consumes.
- Package
- A frozen bundle of a team’s published models, sheets and documents that it shares with other teams in Design Collaboration.
- Consume
- Accepting another team’s shared package into your team space. Links to your Consumed folder then use that version.
- Live link
- A link straight to another team’s cloud model in their team folder. It shows their latest synchronized work when you open or reload.
- BEP
- BIM execution plan: the agreed document that says who models what, how files are named and shared, and which standards apply.
- View template
- A saved set of view properties (graphics, view range, filters and more) applied to many views at once.
- Scope box
- A 3D box that controls the crop of views and the extents of levels and grids, so many views share one extent.
- NWC
- The Navisworks cache file Revit exports for clash detection and model review.
- Forma
- Autodesk’s name since March 2026 for what was Autodesk Construction Cloud. Autodesk Docs is now Forma Data Management and BIM Collaborate Pro is now Forma Design Collaboration.
- Desktop Connector
- An Autodesk app that shows a cloud project as a drive in File Explorer and syncs files to it. It does not lock files and can’t host central models.
Sources
Menu paths and behaviour were checked against these Autodesk help pages (Revit 2024 to 2026 and Design Collaboration) and Autodesk’s March 2026 product renaming.
- Revit 2026 Help: Positioning for Imports and Links
- Revit 2026 Help: Coordinate systems overview (Project Location tools)
- Revit Help: Acquire Coordinates
- Revit Help: Best Practices, Project Base Point and Survey Point (32 km limit)
- Revit Help: About the Internal Origin
- Revit 2026 Help: Upload a Workshared Model to Autodesk Docs (Revit Cloud Worksharing)
- Revit 2026 Help: Workflow, Revit Cloud Worksharing
- Revit 2026 Help: Publish Cloud Models
- Revit Help: Cloud Models (entitlements)
- Revit 2026 Help: Autodesk Docs connected drive and Revit models (Desktop Connector)
- Design Collaboration Help: Share Revit Models (Consumed folder, Shared folder, live linking)
- Design Collaboration Help: Packages
- Autodesk Support: Linked cloud Revit files show outdated model
- Revit 2025 Help: Specify Coordination Settings
- Revit 2025 Help: Copy Fixtures for Monitoring
- Revit Help: Copy Elements for Monitoring
- Revit Help: Review Warnings for Monitored Elements (Coordination Review)
- Revit 2025 Help: Use Custom Settings to Display Linked Models
- Revit 2025 Help: Entitlement to Collaborate in the Cloud Not Found
- Autodesk Community: Autodesk Construction Cloud is now Autodesk Forma
- Eagle Point: Autodesk Construction Cloud rebrands to Autodesk Forma (product name mapping)
- NV5 BIM team: Revit link positioning options (Internal Origin wording)
Setting up a Revit project? Start with ready-made, coordinated Revit families.
Browse Revit familiesA guide to a typical workflow, not a standard. Your BEP, client requirements and office standards come first. Revit menu names can change between releases.
Get your Revit workflow in three steps
Fill in the sentence
Pick your discipline, whether you work alone or with a team in one model, where the files live (your PC, an office server, cloud worksharing or Desktop Connector) and whether other disciplines’ models will be linked.
Follow the route
The guide lists only the steps for your setup, in order. Open a step to see what to do, the Revit menu path, why it matters, the usual mistake and a tip.
Tick the checklist
Mark steps as done, then copy, download as CSV or print the checklist for your project. Share the exact workflow with your team through its link.
Which link positioning option to use
When you use Insert › Link Revit, the Positioning option decides where the linked model lands. Revit 2020 and later name the options as below; the Revit help and older releases call the first one Auto – Origin to Origin.
| Option | Where the link lands | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Auto – Internal Origin to Internal Origin | Its internal origin on yours | The first link into a new, empty consultant model, before you acquire coordinates |
| Auto – By Shared Coordinates | By the shared survey coordinates | Every link once coordinates are shared: the most reliable option between teams |
| Auto – Project Base Point to Project Base Point | Its project base point on yours, first placement only | Base points were placed on the same agreed point, for example grid A/1 |
| Auto – Center to Center | Geometry centre on geometry centre | Only a quick look at an unknown model; never exact |
| Manual – Origin or Manual – Center | Where you click | Rarely; not for coordinated projects |
Revit warns when geometry is more than 32 km (20 miles) from the internal origin. Keep the building near it and carry the real-world position in the shared coordinates. Source: Autodesk Revit 2026 Help, Positioning for Imports and Links.
Consumed, Shared or live: where a cloud link comes from
In Design Collaboration a team publishes its cloud workshared model, puts it in a package and shares it. Other teams then link it in one of three ways.
| Method | You link from | Your link updates |
|---|---|---|
| Consumed folder | Project Files › your team › Consumed › their team | When you consume a newer package |
| Shared folder | Project Files › Shared › their team | Each time they share a package |
| Live link | Project Files › their team folder | With their latest synchronized work, when you open or reload |
All three need Revit Cloud Worksharing and the Design Collaboration module, part of Forma Design Collaboration (called BIM Collaborate Pro until Autodesk renamed Autodesk Construction Cloud to Forma in March 2026). With Forma Data Management (formerly Autodesk Docs) and Desktop Connector alone you have synced files only: you can link a Revit file from the connected drive, but you can’t host a workshared central model there.
Sources: Autodesk Design Collaboration Help, Share Revit Models and Packages; Revit 2026 Help, Revit Cloud Worksharing and Desktop Connector topics.
Revit BIM workflow questions
Use Auto – Internal Origin to Internal Origin (called Origin to Origin in the Revit help) for the first link into a new, empty model, such as an MEP model linking the architect. Then run Manage › Project Location › Coordinates › Acquire Coordinates on that link. From then on, link every model with Auto – By Shared Coordinates, which Autodesk describes as the most reliable option for models from different sources. Avoid Center to Center for coordinated work: it is never exact.
The internal origin is the fixed 0,0,0 of a Revit model and can’t be moved. The project base point is a point you place on the building, often a grid intersection, that defines the project coordinates. The survey point ties the model to the real world, such as a site benchmark, and is the origin of the shared coordinates. Keep the building within 32 km (20 miles) of the internal origin and use shared coordinates for the real-world position.
Copy/Monitor (Collaborate › Coordinate › Copy/Monitor › Select Link) copies levels, grids and some elements from a linked model into yours and keeps watching them. When the other team moves a level or grid, Revit flags it in Coordination Review so you can accept the change, reject it or adjust your model. MEP teams can also copy fixtures with Coordination Settings and Batch Copy, mapping the architect’s types to their own MEP families.
Sharing a package puts a frozen copy of a team’s published models in their Shared folder, where other teams can preview it. Consuming it copies that package into your own team’s Consumed folder. If your Revit links point to the Consumed folder, they only change when you consume a newer package; if they point to the other team’s Shared folder, they move with every new shared package; a live link to their team folder shows their latest synchronized work.
For several people working in one model in the cloud (Revit Cloud Worksharing), packages and Design Collaboration, yes. Since March 2026 the product is called Forma Design Collaboration. With Forma Data Management (formerly Autodesk Docs) and Desktop Connector alone you can store and link Revit files, but the connected drive doesn’t lock files and can’t host a workshared central model, so give each file one owner or keep the central on an office server.
Worksets let several people work in one workshared model and let you close parts you don’t need so the model opens faster. Keep them few and based on how the work is split, for example shell and core, interiors and site for architecture, or ductwork, pipework and equipment for HVAC, plus one workset per linked model. Use view templates and filters, not worksets, to control graphics.
Keep working with Mahelak tools
Need a custom tool, Dynamo script or Revit family?
Tell us about your project and we will send you a quote before any work starts.