Troubleshooting
Fixes for common problems with the web app and the Revit add-in.
Work in progress
If your problem is not here, contact us and include your Revit version and what you expected to happen.
The add-in does not appear in Revit
Check these in order:
- Look on the Add-Ins tab. The add-in puts an OceanBIM panel with a FamilyManager button on Revit's Add-Ins tab, not on a tab of its own.
- Was your Revit year installed? The installer only adds the add-in for the Revit years ticked on its Select Revit versions page, and a release only covers the years listed under Works with on the releases page. Run the installer again and tick your year.
- Was Revit open? The installer asks you to close Revit and will not go on while it is running. If you started Revit again while it was installing, run the installer once more with Revit closed.
- Restart Revit. The add-in loads when Revit starts.
- Look for its folder. For Revit 2026 it should exist at
%AppData%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\OceanBIM.Revit2026.bundle(the number is your Revit year). If it is missing, the install did not complete for that year. - Repair. Run the same installer again and choose to repair the installation, with Revit closed.
If it is still missing, contact us with your Revit version and the installer's version number.
The sign-in link expired
Sign-in requests from Revit expire, and each one can be used once. Start the sign-in again from Revit to get a new one.
An upload fails or is marked as a duplicate
Start with the message the app shows. These are the usual ones:
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Only .rfa files are supported | A file that is not a Revit family was dropped. Other files are skipped. | Upload the .rfa file itself, exported from Revit. |
| Not a valid Revit family file (in Check before upload) | The file is empty or damaged. | Save the family again from Revit and upload the new file. |
| Up to 100 families at a time, or a folder more than 5 levels deep | One upload to My families is limited. | Upload in smaller batches, or flatten the folder. In a workspace the limit is 200 files. |
| Naming rule: Blocks upload | The name does not follow your naming pattern. | Rename the file on your computer, then add it again. See Naming pattern. |
| A file-size, category or Revit-version message | The file breaks your file rules. | Fix the family, or change the rule if it is wrong. See File rules. |
| Storage quota exceeded | Your storage is full. | Free space or change plan. See Plans and storage. |
| Retry upload next to a file | The upload failed, for example the connection dropped, or you cancelled it. | Choose Retry upload. |
Duplicates
A family counts as a duplicate when one with the same name is already in the library. In My families, Check before upload asks what to do with each one:
- New version adds the file as the next version of the family you have.
- New family uploads it as a separate family with the same name. Nothing in the library changes.
- Skip leaves it out.
When you upload into a workspace, a family that already exists is uploaded as a new version of it and keeps its current folder. If you did not mean to add another copy, choose Skip, or make sure the file has a different name.
If the check is not asking about duplicates at all, switch it on under Family settings, Check before upload. See Check before upload.
I cannot see a workspace or a family
Check these in order:
- The invitation was not accepted. Someone only gets access after they accept, using the same email address they were invited with, within 7 days. Ask the workspace admin to resend it. See Invite collaborators.
- Their role is too low. A Read role can look but not change; a project needs its own role as well as the workspace role. See Workspaces and roles.
- The version is waiting for approval. A new family or version from someone who cannot approve is invisible to everyone else until it is approved. Look under the workspace's Sync requests. See Approve changes.
- It is in Trash. Open Trash and choose Restore. Items are kept for 30 days.
- A shared family cannot be downloaded. A share with Read access allows viewing only. Ask the sender for Write access. See Share with people.