As architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) projects across the globe grow more complex and collaborative, the need for seamless, bidirectional data exchange has never been greater. Design and construction teams often rely on a mix of tools, including Revit, Rhino, Inventor, Tekla, and Power BI, to carry out their tasks, making smooth coordination across platforms essential for success.
In response to this growing demand, Autodesk is excited to announce the general availability of the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector, effective May 2025. After a successful public beta, the connector is now fully supported and production-ready, delivering powerful capabilities to enhance Revit workflows.
In this article, you will learn how the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector enables flexible data exchanges in Revit, streamlines cross-platform collaboration, reduces manual effort, and supports BI-driven insights.
What is the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector?
The Autodesk Data Exchange Connector is a powerful tool that simplifies data sharing between Revit and other popular design and business applications. Instead of exchanging entire Revit models, which can be large, complex, and prone to version issues, teams can use the connector to share only the data they need. This can be filtered by discipline, workset, category, view, or project phase.
What makes this connector stand out is its two-way (bidirectional) functionality. Revit users can send data to other platforms and bring updated information back into Revit, without changing or damaging the original model. This enables flexible and safe collaboration across various tools and teams.
This collaborative flexibility is only possible because the connector works seamlessly across a wide range of platforms and software versions, each playing a unique role in the project workflow.
Compatible Platforms for Seamless Data Exchange
The connector supports data exchange between Revit and several widely used tools in the AEC industry, including:
- Rhino: For freeform design and conceptual modelling
- Inventor: For mechanical design and fabrication details
- Dynamo: For automation and computational design
- Tekla: For detailed structural modelling
- Power BI: For real-time data analysis and reporting
- AutoCAD: For 2D drafting and legacy files
To fully unfold the benefits of bidirectional data exchange, it’s important to understand which platforms the connector supports and how it bridges workflows across different disciplines.
Bridging Multidisciplinary Workflows
The Autodesk Data Exchange Connector enables teams to work together more smoothly by facilitating direct data sharing between these platforms. Architects, structural engineers, MEPF designers, BIM managers, and even clients can collaborate using the tools they are most comfortable with, without risking model accuracy or slowing down the process.
Instead of dealing with time-consuming exports or outdated files, teams get a central, reliable way to keep project data flowing. The Autodesk Data Exchange Connector plays a key role in supporting efficient, coordinated, and modern multidisciplinary workflows.
Building on its role in streamlining multidisciplinary collaboration, the latest May 2025 update introduces powerful features that further enhance coordination, accuracy, and ease of use.
Key Features of the Autodesk May 2025 Update
The May 2025 update of the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector introduces several enhancements that simplify coordination, documentation, and collaboration, particularly for teams working across various tools and disciplines. These new features help Revit users work faster, reduce errors, and stay connected with other popular design and business platforms. Have a look at these features:
Smoother Cross-Platform Coordination
This update improves the way Revit shares data with other tools like Rhino, Inventor, Tekla, Dynamo, and Power BI. With real-time, two-way data exchange, teams can coordinate without needing to convert files or worry about software compatibility. It simplifies collaboration between architects, engineers, and other stakeholders.
Precise Element Placement
A key new feature is flexible positioning, which allows users to place exchanged elements exactly where they need to be in Revit. This ensures everything lines up correctly across architectural, structural, and MEP models, saving time and reducing costly mistakes caused by misalignment.
Grouping for Better Organisation
The connector now lets you group exchanged elements in Revit. This makes it easier to organise and manage model components, track changes, and enhance communication across teams, particularly on large and complex projects.
Easy Reference Updates
If a design changes in tools like Tekla, Inventor, or Rhino, the connector allows you to quickly update the reference in Revit without re-importing the entire model. This keeps your model current and prevents you from working with outdated or incorrect information.
Improved Documentation Workflow
The update also enhances how exchanged data works within Revit’s documentation tools:
- Dimensions and tags are preserved when data is refreshed, so there’s less rework.
- Exchanged data can be used as reference geometry in your drawings, keeping documentation clean and consistent without importing full models.
- You can apply filters, view templates, and annotation styles to exchanged elements so they match your project standards.
Together, these updates make the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector an even more powerful tool for today’s Revit workflows, helping teams stay coordinated, document efficiently, and manage project data across different software platforms with ease.
With these enhancements in place, the connector now supports a wider range of workflows, enabling teams to work seamlessly across disciplines and software, thereby improving overall project coordination and delivery.
Also read: Revit Tutorial: Elevation Views, Levels, and Spot Elevations Guide,
Supported Workflows Enabled by the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector
The Autodesk Data Exchange Connector provides a flexible solution for Revit users to share and manage project data more effectively, particularly in complex, multidisciplinary environments. It gives teams more control over what data is shared, how it’s used, and how it flows between different software platforms.
Creating Custom Data Exchanges
Users can create tailored Data Exchanges (DX) from Revit models by filtering data based on:
- Design disciplines like architecture, structure, or MEPF
- Worksets or specific element categories
- Project phases, such as schematic design or construction documentation
- View filters or selected 3D views
This targeted approach ensures that collaborators only receive the information they need, resulting in smaller file sizes and more focused and efficient coordination.
Exporting DX Data to Other Tools
Once the DX is set up, it can be exported to tools like Inventor, Tekla, Rhino, or AutoCAD. This allows specialists to continue their work, whether it’s detailed modelling, fabrication planning, or coordination, within their preferred software, without compromising data accuracy.
Bringing Updated Data Back into Revit
Any changes made in these external tools can be brought back into Revit using updated DX files. This keeps the Revit model in sync with new structural details, fabrication inputs, or design updates, without overwriting the original model or creating conflicts.
Revit as the Coordination Hub
The connector turns Revit into a central hub for project coordination. Teams can bring in updated data from different sources and disciplines into one environment, reducing back-and-forth file exchanges and improving overall workflow consistency.
By enabling these smarter, more connected workflows, the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector helps teams collaborate better, reduce errors, and keep projects moving forward, making Revit an even stronger tool for coordinated design and documentation.
Ready to simplify your projects and achieve the benefits?
BIM ASSOCIATES is your one-stop BIM Solution provider for Revit Architectural and Structural Solutions. We coordinate with your team to develop, record, and streamline the BIM Revit Model, along with the sheets, smart Bill of Quantities, Bill of Materials, and clash coordination.
Beyond improved coordination and documentation, the connector also opens up new possibilities for leveraging project data through business intelligence tools, turning complex models into actionable insights.
Powering Data-Driven Decisions Through BI Integration
The Autodesk Data Exchange Connector does more than just support design coordination; it also links Revit with Power BI, one of the most widely used business intelligence tools. This integration enables teams to transform model data into clear, actionable insights, empowering everyone to make smarter, faster decisions.
This powerful link between Revit and Power BI opens the door for teams to visualise and interact with project data like never before, making complex information easier to understand and act upon.
Sharing Revit Model Data with Power BI
Using the connector, important Revit data, like element parameters, quantities, and project metadata, can be shared directly with Power BI. Once in Power BI, this data can be turned into interactive dashboards that update in real time. This gives teams a clearer view of what’s happening in a project, supporting better planning and management.
How BI Integration Helps Teams?
The connection between Revit and Power BI empowers project teams with tailored dashboards and analytics that improve quality control, track project progress, and facilitate clear communication among all stakeholders. Let’s look at the key ways BI integration supports smarter project management:
QA/QC Dashboards for Model Quality
BIM coordinators and quality managers can use Power BI to track things like room areas, fire ratings, door counts, and parameter completeness. These dashboards make it easy to identify missing data or any items that don’t meet standards, helping to catch issues early and maintain quality across projects.
4D Project Tracking
By combining Revit data with scheduling and asset data from Autodesk Build, teams can visualise progress in 4D (3D plus time). This helps them track construction timelines, manage resources, and spot any delays before they become bigger problems.
Dashboards for Stakeholders
Custom dashboards can be built for different stakeholders, filtered by discipline, project phase, or location. This makes it easy for architects, engineers, contractors, or clients to see only the data that matters to them, improving communication and speeding up decision-making.
By bridging BIM data with powerful business intelligence tools, the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector enables teams to transition from static models to dynamic, data-driven workflows, thereby enhancing project control, accountability, and overall success.
This seamless integration not only enhances how data is shared but also underscores the broader benefits of bidirectional exchange, paving the way for enhanced collaboration, accuracy, and efficiency in Revit workflows.
Benefits of Bidirectional Data Exchange in Revit
The Autodesk Data Exchange Connector’s bidirectional exchange capability delivers game-changing benefits for Revit users, streamlining workflows, improving accuracy, and enhancing collaboration across disciplines. It helps in:
Seamless Collaboration Across Tools and Versions
The connector enables seamless data exchange between different Revit versions and other key platforms, including Rhino, Inventor, Tekla, and Dynamo. This cross-platform compatibility breaks down silos, allowing stakeholders, regardless of their software preference or version, to stay connected and contribute effectively throughout the project lifecycle.
Automation Reduces Manual Work and Errors
By automating updates and ensuring precise spatial alignment, the connector eliminates the need for repetitive manual tasks. This not only saves valuable time but also reduces the risk of human error, resulting in more dependable models and fewer costly rework efforts.
Enhanced Multidisciplinary Coordination
Targeted data sharing between architectural, structural, and MEP teams supports better coordination of complex systems. Model subsets can be exchanged with intent, helping teams:
- Detect and resolve clashes early
- Preserve design intent
- Coordinate more effectively across disciplines
Consistent and High-Quality Documentation
The connector retains essential documentation elements, such as dimensions, tags, and view templates, enabling teams to utilise native Revit tools on exchanged data. This helps maintain documentation consistency across revisions and enhances the clarity of deliverables.
Transparent, Data-Driven Insights via BI Tools
When integrated with Power BI, model data becomes instantly more actionable. Teams can build interactive dashboards that provide:
- Real-time model analytics
- Early warnings on quality issues
- Discipline- or phase-specific project insights
This added transparency supports proactive project management and informed decision-making.
Together, these capabilities make bidirectional data exchange a cornerstone of modern BIM workflows, empowering Revit users to deliver projects with greater precision, collaboration, and control.
Conclusion
The May 2025 update represents a significant advancement in bidirectional data exchange for Revit workflows. With enhanced capabilities for seamless, accurate, and flexible data sharing across Revit versions and other leading design and business applications, the Autodesk Data Exchange Connector is reshaping how project teams collaborate and coordinate.
This update strengthens cross-disciplinary integration, connecting architecture, structure, and MEP workflows while also tying in documentation and business intelligence processes. The result is a more connected and efficient project environment, where models stay consistent, current, and aligned from concept through completion.
Are you looking for BIM solutions?
BIM ASSOCIATES is your one-stop BIM Solution provider for the Architecture and Structure discipline. Their solutions help clients with better decision-making, cost-saving, efficient construction planning, and green earth initiatives.
You might also like: A Guide to Creating a Structural Revit Model in Design Development.
FAQs
- What is Autodesk Data Exchange?
Autodesk Data Exchange is a powerful interoperability tool that allows users to share subsets of data bidirectionally between Revit and other design or business applications such as Rhino, Inventor, Tekla, Dynamo, and Power BI.
- What is Revit in relation to BIM?
Revit is BIM software that creates BIM models/files (usually saved as .rvt), which are rich, data-integrated building models used across disciplines.
- Who uses Revit?
Revit is used by architects, structural engineers, MEP engineers, contractors, and BIM managers for designing, modelling, coordinating, and documenting building projects.
