Power*Tools

for Windows
™

AutoDesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange

Reference Manual
Electrical Engineering Analysis Software
for Windows
Copyright © 2018, SKM Systems Analysis, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Autodesk Revit-SKM
Data Exchange Users
Guide

The Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange module provides a convenient and accurate way for
electrical engineers to import electrical data and connections from Revit into SKM projects. Various
complex analyses using SKM’s calculation engine can then be conducted on the imported Revit
project. The results are saved in the SKM project and can be exported back to the Revit project.
This is a very useful tool for electrical engineers planning, designing, maintaining and operating a
complex electrical distribution system.

Autodesk Revit is a building information modeling (BIM) software that enables architects,
engineers, designers, and contractors to plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and
infrastructure. The buildings, structures, and its components are created in 3D and 2D, and access
building information from the model’s database. Revit is designed to meet specific needs of
electrical engineers by automating work processes, complying with corporate or project standards
and manipulating electrical data throughout the plant and project life cycle.

SKM software provides powerful calculation engine to conduct various complex analyses of
electrical power systems including load flow analysis, fault analysis, harmonic analysis, transient
stability analysis, cable ampacity calculation, arc flash calculation, reliability evaluation, protective
device coordination, and more.

Both software packages work complimentary to each other by supporting each other’s strengths.
The diagram shown below illustrates the data flow process.

The Data Exchange User Interface allows control on which data fields can be exchanged between
the software packages.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTODESK REVIT-SKM DATA EXCHANGE USERS GUIDE

1.1 Activating and Starting Data Exchange 1-3

1.2 Adding SKM Plug-in Tool to Revit 1-4
1.3 Importing Revit Project into SKM Project 1-6
1.4 Exporting SKM Project into Revit 1-10
1.5 Methodology 1-12
1.6 Unsupported Components 1-18
Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1-3

1.1 Activating and Starting Data Exchange

The Autodesk Revit-SKM interface requires the purchase of the Data Exchange module. Contact
SKM Sales at sales@skm.com or 1-800-500-4SKM for pricing information on this module.

Once the Data Exchange module is activated, it can be accessed through the Project menu > Export
and Import, depending on whether you want to Export to Revit or Import from Revit.

To get started, an SKM project must be opened for the Export and Import selection to be active.
Then select Project menu > Export or Import as shown below.

Note: Only the Base project can be used for import and export when the project has multiple
scenarios.
1.2 Adding SKM Plugin to Revit
The SKM plugin tool is needed to be added to Revit’s Add-ins to facilitate import/export
functionality. Here are the following steps to add the plugin:

1. Go to the bin folder of the installed location of PTW (eg. C:\PTW32\bin) and run Revit-
PTW_PluginApp.exe.

If Revit is installed on a different machine from PTW, copy the following files to a
dedicated location where Revit is installed (eg. C:\PTW32\Revit Plugin) and run the add-in
application from there:

• Revit-PTW_PluginApp.exe

• Revit-PTW_Plugin.dll

2. Click the Install/Update Plugin button and close once the process is succesful.

3. Open Revit and the program will prompt to load the SKM Revit plugin. Select Always
Load.

Note: If an error prompt appears indicating that Revit cannot run the external application
“SKM Revit Plugin”, go to the properties of the Revit-PTW_Plugin.dll and click
Unblock. Then install the SKM plugin again.
Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1-5

4. The SKM plugin tool is now added to Revit under the Add-Ins tab.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• The SKM plugin has been tested to work with Revit 2017, 2018, and 2019, but may work
with earlier Revit versions as well.

• The plugin requires .Net Framework 4.5.

• To remove the SKM plugin from Revit, run the Revit-PTW_PluginApp and click the
Remove Plugin button. Close the application when finished.

As an alternative, search for the Addin file SKMSystemsAnalysisPlugin.Addin and rename

the file extension to *.AddOff.

This file is typically in the user’s app data folder:

(eg. C:\Users\localadmin\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2017)
1.3 Importing Revit Project into SKM Project
Importing a Revit project to an SKM Project consists of two steps:

• From Revit: Export to a PTWRVT file using the SKM plugin.

• From PTW: Import the PTWRVT file into PTW.

The PTWRVT file is a common file format which Revit and SKM PTW will be utilizing to import
and export electrical data between the two programs.

I. Export Revit to PTWRVT file:

1. Open the Revit project, then go to Add-Ins tab, select the SKM Power*Tools and click
on Export to SKM Power*Tools option.

2. An overview of the Electrical data will be displayed. Click Export to proceed.

3. Enter a file name for the PTWRVT file and Save to any location in the save window.
Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1-7

II. Import PTWRVT file into a PTW project:

Users can import a PTWRVT file to a new empty PTW project or to an existing (*)
project.

1. Create a new blank project in PTW (or open an existing one) then manually copy the
PTWRVT file to the project’s folder.

2. Go to Project->Import in the new PTW project to open the import window.

3. Select the Revit File option then Browse and select the copied PTWRVT file to
import. The path to the file will be displayed in the Import window. Then click Import
to proceed. Note: Use the default Datablock format “All Input and Output Data” only.
4. An overview of the electrical data from Revit will be displayed.

For existing projects, Use the Update column marker to allow Revit data
to overwrite existing PTW data in an existing PTW project. Uncheck the
marker to exclude a parameter. Importing Revit to new PTW project
should have all parameters marked with X. Use the dropdown button to
select the circuit to view.

Click OK to continue.

5. Upon successful import, click OK then Close to finish.

Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1-9

6. The electrical components and circuits are now in the PTW project.

Note that a oneline drawing is not automatically generated and needs to be created
using the imported Revit components in the PTW project. Use the Existing and
Expand commands in the oneline to generate the drawing. Refer to the PTW
Userguide for further details on creating oneline drawings.

The wire size imported from Revit may show in 3 values for it includes the phase,
neutral, and ground sizes. The cable also does not have impedance data, thus users
will need to assign libraries for the cables and select the proper size in order to run the
studies.

(*) The existing project will have to be previously imported from the Revit file
(PTWRVT) of the same Revit project, in which the new PTWRVT file is exported
from. Importing PTWRVT is intended to update the electrical data of the existing
project.
1.4 Exporting SKM Project into Revit
After updating the PTW project (from an imported from a Revit file), users can export it back to
Revit.

Exporting the updated SKM project to a REVIT Project has two major processes:

• From PTW: Export to a PTWRVT file.

• From Revit: Import the PTWRVT file using the SKM plugin.

The PTWRVT file is a common file format that Revit and SKM PTW will be utilizing to import and
export electrical data between the two programs.

I. Export the updated PTW project into a PTWRVT file:

Note: Users can only export a PTW project that was previously imported from a Revit
file.

1. Open the updated PTW project.

2. Go to Project->Export to open the export window.

3. Select the Revit File option then Browse and select the previously imported PTWRVT
file to export. The path to the file will be displayed in the Export window. Then click
Export to proceed.

Note: Use the default Datablock format “All Input and Output Data” only
Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1 - 11

4. Upon successful export, click OK then Close to finish.

5. Copy the updated PTWRVT file to the Revit machine. The updated Revit file is now
ready to be imported in Revit.

II. Import the PTWRVT file to Revit:

1. Open the same Revit project from which the SKM project was imported from, then go
to Add-Ins tab, select the SKM Power*Tools and click on Import from SKM
Power*Tools option.

2. Select and open the updated PTWRVT file that was copied over from PTW export.
The electrical data has now been updated in Revit.
1.5 Methodology

The Data Exchange process starts with a Revit project. Use the SKM plugin tool in Revit to export
the electrical data of the Revit project to a Revit-SKM data file. The format of the file is *.ptwrvt
and can then be used to import to a new PTW project.

The Revit electrical components that can be exported to PTW are of “Power” system types only.
Check the System Browser in Revit below to view the power components that can be exported to
PTW.

Also, refer to the parameter list table in this section for specific parameters that are imported and
exported in the Revit-SKM Data Exchange.

There are no power sources imported to PTW, thus the user will have to manually create the power
source in the PTW project. Also, cables will need to be manually assigned to a library for its
impedance.

After making changes in PTW and running studies (Demand Load, Load Flow, Short-Circuit, and
Arc Flash), the updated project can now be exported to the Revit-SKM data file. Now, the Revit-
SKM data file can be imported back to the Revit project to obtain the updated input data and study
results.
Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1 - 13

Note that the PTW parameters imported to Revit is a separate data from the actual data of the
elements in Revit. The exported data parameters from PTW will be under the “Other” category of
the circuit’s properties. When new electrical circuit or data are created in Revit, the user can import
it back to the same PTW project and update its parameters.

Sample PTW parameters imported into Revit:

Naming Convention

Switchboards, distribution boards, panelboards, and switchgears are represented as a bus component
in PTW and will have the same Revit name. The cable name will assume its connected bus name +
the circuit name. The load bus is automatically generated having the panel name + circuit name +
suffix “B” as its name. The load name in PTW will have the panel name + circuit name + suffix “L”.
The actual load name from Revit will be saved as a description in the load component.

In the example above, the panel board PP-1 has 6 circuits. Circuit “1” has a load named as “OFFICE
101”. When the circuit is exported in PTW, it will be represented as follows:

PP-1-1-B

PP-1-1-L
Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1 - 15

Import/Export Parameter List

I. Parameters imported from Revit:

Revit electrical system consists of circuits from panels and with connected elements. Aside for
the circuit connection, the Revit-SKM Data Exchange can import the following electrical
parameters from Revit:

Name Parameter Type

Name (Panel, Circuit, Text

load, etc.)

System Nom. Voltage Number

Phase Text

Wire Size Text

Wire Type Text

# of Runs Integer

Length Number

Load Rating Number

II. Parameters Exported from PTW:

Name Parameter Type

Cable Name Text

SystemNominalVoltage Number

InService YesNo

Phase Text

CableSize Text

NeutralSize Text

QtyPerPhase Integer

Length Number
Manufacturer Text

ConductorType Text

#/Conductors Integer

Description Text

DuctMaterial Text

InsulationType Text

InsulationClass Text

Conductor Desc Text

Installation Text

AmpacityDescription Text

VoltageRating Number

CircularMils Integer

Rpos Number

Rzero Number

Xpos Number

Xzero Number

Temperature Ambient Number

Design Ampacity Integer

DeratingFactor Number

RacewaySize Text

RacewayType Text

B/2 pos Number

B/2 zero Number

Ampacity Number

RatedLoad Number
Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange Users Guide 1 - 17

Name Parameter Type

RatedLoadUnit Text

RatedLoadPF Number

RatedLoadLeadOrLag Text

LoadRatedVoltage Number

MaxVoltage (pu) Number

InitSymRMS 3P Number

InitSymRMS 3P Angle Number

InitSymRMS LL Number

InitSymRMS LL Angle Number

InitSymRMS LLG Number

InitSymRMS LLG Angle Number

InitSymRMS SLG Number

InitSymRMS SLG Angle Number

LF Current Number

LF Current Angle Number

LF kVA Number

LF kVAR Number

LF kW Number

LF PF Number

AF_IncidentEnergy

AF_PPE_Description

AF_PPE_Level

AF_WorkingDistance
1.6 Unsupported Components
The following components are currently not supported by the Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange:

• Transformers (modeled as a Bus)

• Generators
• Motors (modeled as non-motor loads)
• Utilities (No Utility source in Revit)
• Protection Devices
• Switches
• Instrumentation
• DC systems
• Transmission Lines
• User-created BIMs

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Please contact us at support@skm.com to request adding additional Revit equipment mappings.

Send your Revit project and specify in detail which elements or parameters you would like to
import to PTW.

This is the end of the reference manual for the Autodesk Revit-SKM Data Exchange module.