Users can collaborate on Revit projects from different offices using the Morro Data CacheDrives in conjunction with Remote Collaboration for Revit. Remote Collaboration for Revit is available as an add-on for CloudNAS Business and Enterprise service plans using an Activation Key. It is included in the CloudNAS Design Collaboration service plan.
Requirements:
- CacheDrives G80 or higher
- CloudNAS Business, Enterprise or Design Collaboration plan
- Recommend S3 for cloud storage
Configure the Morro Data system to support using Revit in a multi-office or multi-site environment.
Manage Shares
Remote Team Collaboration for Revit is enabled on a Morro Data share in MCM > File Systems > click share > Advanced > RTC.
Once the option is enabled, the share will be configured to prioritize Revit project-related network traffic for remote file sync and locking.
Manage CacheDrives
Requirements for the CacheDrives:
- Enable prefetch for the Revit share.
- Set up the hostname.
Enable Prefetch
Prefetch enables CacheDrives to remain synchronized with all file data rather than just the metadata stub files. Enable prefetch for the Share on the CacheDrives in the Device detail panel "Gateway Permissions" window.
Click "Save" to complete the process
Set Up the Hostname
Revit requires that mapped drives use the same UNC path. There are three ways to setup the your environment to use the same UNC path on the CacheDrives.
- Hostname in LAN - CacheDrive Advanced Option that sets the CacheDrive to broadcast under a specified hostname.
- DFS - In Active DIrectory, use DFS to set the global namespace for the CacheDrive shares so they use the same hostname.
- hosts file on client - Modify the hosts file to map the IP address of the CacheDrive to the desired hostname.
Hostname in LAN
Use the Advanced Device Options section of the Device detail panel to set the Hostname in LAN. Hostname in LAN should only be set when CacheDrives are on different networks. Having multiple servers on the same network with the same hostname will create problems. For more information on Hostname in LAN, refer to the article: Edit Gateway - Advanced.
DFS - Distributed File System
As part of Active Directory, use DFS to set the global namespace for the shares. This works well in environments with Active Directory and multiple offices with integrated networks such as SD-WANs or VPNs.
Hosts file on Client PC
Modify the hosts file located at:
- On Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
- On Mac and Linux: /etc/hosts
Add a line for the IP address of the CacheDrive and the hostname. The hosts file should be used if there are multiple CacheDrives on the same network (including multiple offices using VPN).
Once the hostname is set up, map the share as a network drive with the same drive letter.
How to use Revit Collaboration with Morro Data
The follow section describes how to set up a project in Revit for multi-user collaboration with two or more CacheDrives. The performance will vary depending on your network conditions, project size, and CacheDrive capabilities.
Step 1: Create the Revit Project
Open Revit and create a project.
Make some changes to the project.
Step 2. Save the Revit Project
Click Save and choose a folder in the mapped network drive (R: Drive from the sample above).
Step 3: Save the Project as a Central Model
Create a central model so that the project can be synchronized from two locations.
- In Revit, select the Collaborate Tab.
- Click Collaborate.
- In the Collaborate window choose "Within your network".
- Click Save.
- In the Save File as Central Model window, click Yes.
- Close the file to complete the Central Model creation. [important]
Step 4: Create Local Files
To collaborate in Revit, a local file has to be created first. To create a local file:
- Open the Revit project from the CacheDrive (R: Drive in this example).
- Select the project (.rvt file).
- Select "Create New Local".
- Click Open.
Files will be saved to a default location specified in the Revit Options window
Step 5: Collaborate in Revit
Open the local copy of the project. Make changes to the file and click "Synchronize with Central".
The file will save and synchronize with all the CacheDrives with access to the share.
From another PC with the same project open, click "Synchronize with Central". The project should update with the changes from the other location.
Working with Locks
When working on an element in Revit, the program will lock the element so that other users cannot modify the element in use.
To request access to a locked element, users can request a lock to the element.
Once the request is made, the project will prompt the user with the locked element to Grant permission to the requesting user. Click Grant to release the lock to the other user.
Performance Tips
For the best Revit performance when using a CacheDrive, we recommend the following:
- Disable Workshare Monitoring, which creates a lot of signaling traffic across the collaborating sites.
- Reduce the worksharing update frequency to every 30 seconds or less frequently, or use manual updates only.
For more information on these Revit options, see the "Recommended Revit Configuration for Performance" section in the Best Practices Guide - RTC for Design: