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Advanced information

The DAQS Assist is a plugin compatible with Revit versions 2021 to 2025. This plugin allows you to analyze your models based on specific rules.

Note

As of May 2024 we don't update the cloud based version of 2021. This is because of the fact that Autodesk does not support (and allow) Revit plugins for 2021 into their Autodesk Platform Services anymore.

Note

Revit 2021 support will end for the DAQS Assist by the end of this year (2024).

File and directory locations

There are 3 directory locations the DAQS Assist plugin uses:

  • Plugin location: where the actual plugin can be found.
  • User data: where user specific data is stored, like user settings for example.
  • Application logs: this is where the DAQS Assist plugin writes its log data.

Plugin location

There are 2 types of installers: SingleUser and MultiUser, which determines where the DAQS Assist plugin is installed:

  • SingleUser: This installs the plugin in the user's specific directory, by default the %AppData%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\[REVIT_VERSION]\Daqs.Assist\ directory. The plugin will only be available to the user who installed it. Other users on the same machine will not have access to the plugin.
  • MultiUser: This install the plugin in a common directory, by default the %ProgramData%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\[REVIT_VERSION]\Daqs.Assist\ directory. The plugin will be available to all users on the machine. Any user who logs into the machine will have access to the plugin.

AppSettings

The file appsettings.json in this directory holds the general config for the DAQS Assist plugin. For example:

{
  "DaqsAssistDownload": "https://daqs.io/DaqsAssist/Prod/",
  "DaqsBaseUrl": "https://portal.daqs.io",
  "DaqsApiPort": "",
  "DaqsApiBaseLocation": "api",
  "SuppressUpdateVersionNotification": false,
  "SendValidationSummary": true,
  "Serilog": {
    "OutputTemplate": "{Timestamp:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} [{Level:u3}] {Message:lj}{NewLine}{Exception}",
    "MinimumLogLevel": "Information",
    "MinimumLogLevelFile": "Information",
    "MinimumLogLevelDebug": "Error"
  },
  "ResultsOutput":{
    "Enabled": false,
    "Directory": "C:\\tmp\\Assist\\Results"
  }
}

Some settings that can be changed are:

  • SuppressUpdateVersionNotification: this controls if the "There is an update" message be shown or not. If true the message is suppressed and not shown.
  • Serilog.MinimumLogLevelFile: With this you can control the amount / type of log messages are logged. See Different Log Levels in Serilog
  • SendValidationSummary: setting this to false disables the logging of the validation summary.
  • ResultsOutput.Enabled and ResultsOutput.Directory: These settings allow the Assist to write debug data. When ResultsOutput.Enabled is set to true, the Assist stores several .json files in the specified directory. This data can be used to debug issues with your model. We may request that you send us these files when needed (note that this data is not automatically sent to us). By default no data is written, since the ResultsOutput.Enabled is set to false. The data files generated are:
    • Assist_AllData.json: Contains all the data of the model and validations (this file can be quite large).
    • Assist_MetaData.json: Contains the data needed for reporting.
    • Assist_ExtractionData.json: Holds data about the data extraction of the model.
    • Assist_ValidationsData.json: Holds data about the data validations.

Note

The data stored in the ResultsOutput.Directory will be overwritten every time an analysis is ran and when a report is generated.

User data location:

The directory where data is stored per user is: %UserProfile%\documents\DaqsAssist\. This directory -or the files within this directory- can safely be deleted.

This directory contains: - A file usersettings.json: The (config) data for the user. - A directory called BrowserTemp, containing temp files for the internal browser used by the DAQS Assist plugin and generated reports are stored here. This directory is created when the browser is first used withing the Assist. This directory can be deleted without effecting the application.

The usersettings.json file contains configuration data specific to each user's preferences and interactions within the DAQS Assist plugin. Here's what it stores:

  1. LastSelectedProjectId: This records the last selected project ID.
  2. ApplicationTheme: Users can choose between a Light or Dark theme for their interface, and this preference is saved for future sessions.
  3. Token and Email: After a successful login, an encrypted access token is stored in the usersettings.json file. This token ensures that users remain logged in and can access the plugin seamlessly without the need to log in repeatedly. Importantly, this token is securely encrypted and cannot be utilized outside of the DAQS Assist plugin environment. It also has a defined expiration period for security purposes.
  4. PageSize: This setting determines the number of items displayed per page within the plugin interface. Users can adjust this value to suit their preferences for data presentation.
  5. RulesStates: The plugin remembers the user's last selected set of active rules, facilitating continuity and efficiency in their workflow.

Application logs:

Log data of the DAQS Assist plugin can be found at: - %AppData%\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit YEAR\AddinsData\DAQS Assist YYYYMMDD.log

A new log file is created per day when using the DAQS Assist plugin application.

These logs can safely be deleted by the user.

The Ignore List

Starting from version 1.0.XX, items from the Validation list can be ignored. Ignored items will not appear in the list of issues, and they will be excluded from Dashboard data and reports.

Ignored items can also be "un-ignored." We track who ignored or un-ignored an item, when it happened, and why. This history is accessible within the Assist.

Overview

At times, a specific rule for an element may be too strict or irrelevant. These validation issues can be added to the Ignore List. This means the issue will:

  • No longer appear in the validation list.
  • Be excluded from reports.
  • Not contribute to the Dashboard visuals.

When an item is ignored, it will also be ignored for all users working on the same project and model.

Restrictions

To use the Ignore List feature, certain conditions must be met:

  • A subscription is required (this feature is unavailable in the free version of Assist).
  • The Revit model must be added to a Project in the DAQS Dashboard.
  • You must be working on the same model in Revit that is linked to the DAQS Dashboard project.
  • The correct project must be selected in the Revit Assist.

Setup / Checklist

  1. Ensure that your Revit model is added to a project in the DAQS Dashboard. alt text

  2. Open Revit and load the model from Autodesk Construction Cloud.

  3. Open the Assist, log in, and verify that the model is connected to the Dashboard. alt text

  4. Validate the model and use the Ignore functionality via the context menu (right-click on an item).

Note

Only users with a Dashboard license and the role of Administrator or BIM Manager can create a project and add a model.

Actions for the Ignore List

You can perform three main actions using the Ignore List feature:

  1. Ignore an item: Select a reason for ignoring the item and provide additional context if necessary.

    alt text alt text

  2. Un-ignore an item: Provide a reason for un-ignoring. This can only be done on items that are already ignored.

    alt text

  3. View Ignore History:: This shows details about who ignored or un-ignored an item, when it happened, and why.

    alt text

Note

You can select multiple validation issues at once and (un)ignore them in a single click.

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