UPDATE: The eTool Revit plugin is now available for download from the official Autodesk app store! Link available below.

eTool have developed a new Revit Plugin to enable linking a Revit Model with an eToolLCD design. This simplifies the materials takeoff process for your eToolLCD modelling. Import and sync project components to understand key impact areas early on and test different design strategies to improve project performance.

Download Revit Plugin
(Autodesk App Store)

(updated 25 July 2022)

System requirements:

• Autodesk Revit Program
• Autodesk Account
• eToolLCD Revit Plugin
• eToolLCD Account

Launching process:

1. Download and install the free eToolLCD Revit Plugin from the Autodesk App Store (available for Revit 2017 – 2023)
2. Launch Revit and open a project
3. Locate the eTooLCD Plugin at eTool tab and login to eToolLCD
4. Link a Revit model with a model in eToolLCD
5. Update eToolLCD to send components from Revit to eToolLCD
6. After the Revit file is loaded in eToolLCD, click edit to match the components with eToolLCD templates. In case the template doesn´t exactly match or is not available, the user can finish the process and update it afterwards.
7. The process is finished and the project components and quantities are now available in eToolLCD.

The unique eToolLCD template system will allow users to work from early concept Revit models when only preliminary geometry is available, and will also help accurately calculate transportation distances, installation processes and other parameters only available in the eToolLCD templates.

Carefully review the LCA scope after matching Revit project components with eToolLCD templates, confirming for example that the imported model has all structural elements and also the architectural items like facades, glazing, roof. If importing multiple Revit models, double check the LCA scope doesn’t have any duplicates. Additional functionality is being design to increase interoperability so please stay tuned.

---

Troubleshooting

Uninstalling the Plugin

In the event that the eTool plugin needs to be uninstalled, please follow these steps:

1. Close any version of Revit that may be running
2. On your computer, navigate to Settings > Apps & Features > Add or Remove Programs
3. Select your version of the plugin, eToolLCD Plugin or eTool.Revit 20XX Vx.x and select Uninstall

Older Versions of Revit

If you are having trouble with previous versions of Revit, or the eTool tab not appearing, please go through the following steps:

1. Following the steps listed above, please uninstall your current version of the eTool plugin
2. Ensure you have downloaded the latest version of the plug-in, and extract / run the installer
3. Reinstall / Install the plug-in from the installer

The plugin should work with all new Revit versions after and including 2017; however, Autodesk may be slow to update the necessary configuration on the plugin store for new versions of Revit (e.g. 2022 / 2023) or some older versions (e.g. 2017). If your version of Revit isn’t listed before downloading the plugin, this can be corrected manually after installing the plugin from the Autodesk store, by closing Revit & navigating to:

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\eTool eToolLCD Plugin.bundle\

Within this directory there is a file named: PackageContents.xml (you may or may not see the .xml extension, depending on your system settings).

1. Close Revit
2. Make a back-up copy of your original PackageContents.xml file in the event of an error
3. Download (right-click, “Save Link As…”) this version, which enables the plugin for Revit 2017-2023: PackageContents.xml
4. Replace the original PackageContents.xml with the new copy.
5. Restart Revit, navigate to a design, and confirm that the eTool Plugin Tab is now present.

In the event that the Autodesk version of the plugin fails to install, particularly for older Revit versions, you can access our standalone installers below (Please ensure that Revit is not running during the installation / uninstallation process):

• eToolLCD Revit Plugin Standalone V6.0 (2017 – 2021, does not include 2022 / 2023),
• eToolLCD Revit Plugin 2022 Standalone V6.0
• eToolLCD Revit Plugin 2023 Standalone V6.0

Support

If the plug-in still doesn’t show up after following these steps, please get in touch with us via lcdsupport@etoolglobal.com

Some users have reported issues with particular browsers automatically blocking zipped installer files. If you have any issues downloading the standalone installer, try an alternative browser (e.g. Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer). If the issue persists, please get in touch with us.

---

Version History

Features for v6.1:

• Added support for Revit 2022 & Revit 2023.

Features for v6.0:

• Better error recovery – In the event of an internal Revit error during design analysis, the plugin should recover better & proceed where analysis left off.
• Better error information for users – If there were any parsing issues, clients will be notified regarding the extent, and an internal error log updated.
• Logon token timeout issue corrected
• API Changes
• Minor bug fixes

Features for v5.1:

• Contextual help – If a user presses “F1” over the eTool tab in Revit it will bring them to the support site.
• Digital signing – it now correctly identifies “eTool PTY LTD” as the publisher when installing & running, rather than “Unknown”
• Bug fixes – Previously, a badly behaving Revit element could stop the whole upload process to eTool if it couldn’t be parsed, this should be corrected.

Features for v5.0:

• Better error logging to identify issues – Plugin automatically relays useful information to help diagnose problems (error code, Revit Version, Plugin Version, etc)
• Better link behaviour – Some previously un-clickable URLs now can be copied or open directly in the user’s browser
• Deprecation warning – If our API changes, the plugin will be automatically disabled and users will be prompted to update, rather than allowing old plugin versions to potentially operate in an unsafe manner
• Network connection / eTool site availability check on start-up
• Minor bug fixes

Features for v4.0:

• Bundle for the Autodesk store

Features for v3.0:

• Improved performance of very large Revit models

Features for v2.0:

• Add progress messages to “Update Design” process

Features for v1.0:

• Log into eToolLCD from within Revit
• Link designs between Revit and eToolLCD
• Export components from Revit Model to eToolLCD
• Match Revit components with eToolLCD library templates in eToolLCD

---

Related posts:

Revit Integration – Detailed Explanation

Importing Design Options from Revit

eToolLCD Integration with Revit Updates

Exporting schedules from Revit

Aggregating Data for Import

Does eToolLCD integrate with 3D CAD packages or BIM?