Revit® Structure Worksets 101:

Worksharing Monitor
Jamie Richardson – Ericksen Roed and Associates, Inc.

SE104-2
Worksets are enabled in Revit Structure when the project needs to be shared with multiple team
members. And once enabled, users can check out individual elements or an entire Workset. All
members of the design team can view these elements or Worksets in read-only mode, which
prevents conflicts in the project. Team members adding and changing elements in Worksets can
save their work to a personal location and publish work to a central file so others can see their
latest changes. With the Reload Latest function, users can also update their local files at any time
to view new changes. A better understanding of the process will help in the planning and
execution of worksharing in a project environment.

The Worksharing Monitor for Revit facilitates the use of Revit software in a worksharing
environment, in which multiple people work on one project.

About the Speaker:

Jamie is an Associate & CAD Manager at Ericksen Roed & Associates, a 64+ person structural engineering
firm based in Saint Paul, MN. Jamie joined ER&A in 1996 and completely modernized its AutoCAD
customization. Jamie has overseen the rollout of several versions of AutoCAD as well as REVIT Structure.
This is his second year speaking at Autodesk University.

[email protected]

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our
existing or new products and services. These statements are not intended to be a
promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely
reflect our current plans, which may change. Purchasing decisions should not be made
based upon reliance on these statements.

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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

The Worksharing Monitor for Revit 2008 facilitates the use of Revit software in a worksharing
environment, in which multiple people work on one project. For workshared projects, the Worksharing
Monitor answers questions like the following:

• Who is currently working on this project?

• Is my local copy of the project up to date?
• When will my Save to Central operation finish?
• Has my request to borrow elements been granted?
• Are any issues interfering with my work on a Revit project?
• Who is currently saving; who is attempting to save?
• Can I save now? Why am I keyed?
• Do I need to reload latest?
• Who changed the central file in the past X days?
• Do I need to take any action on an editing request?
• Revit is acting slowly, is it because of the low virtual memory?
• How long has it been since I last Saved to Central?

NOTE: The Worksharing Monitor is not useful for standalone Revit projects, which do not use
worksharing to divide the work for a project among several people.

The Worksharing Monitor works with all Revit products, including Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, and
Revit Structure. If you are working on one or more workshared Revit projects, install the Worksharing
Monitor on your computer. When you open a workshared project in the Revit software, also start the
Worksharing Monitor. (Using the Worksharing Monitor with worksharing projects is not required, but it is
strongly recommended.)

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Once installed, you can start the Worksharing Monitor in any of the following ways:

• From the Windows desktop, double-click the Worksharing Monitor icon.

• From the Windows desktop, click Start menu--Programs--Autodesk--Worksharing Monitor for
Revit 2008.
• From a Revit session, click Tools menu--External Tools--Worksharing Monitor.

The main window of the Worksharing Monitor is organized into 3 panes:

• Central File Access pane shows information about project files in which you are currently
working, and identifies other users who are also working on those projects.
• Editing Requests pane shows information about requests that you have issued, asking others
for permission to work on part of a project. It also shows requests that others have sent to you,
asking for your permission to work on a part of a project that you currently control.
• Notifications pane displays warnings and notices, providing information about issues that may
interfere with your work on a Revit project.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Desktop Alerts

You can configure the Worksharing Monitor to display desktop alerts when certain issues arise related to
Revit workshared projects. A desktop alert is a message that displays near the Windows system tray. To
specify the desktop alerts that you want to see, use the Options dialog.

NOTE: When the Worksharing Monitor window is active, desktop alerts do not display, because the same
information displays in the window.

Setting Options

Use options to specify how you receive information about events related to your current Revit project. You
can specify the following:

• Whether the Worksharing Monitor window always stays on top of other application windows. This
option makes sure that you see new information as it becomes available.
• Whether desktop alerts display near the Windows system tray to inform you of events as they
occur. Use options to indicate whether you want to receive alerts regarding central file access,
editing requests, and notifications.

To specify options for the Worksharing Monitor, click on the toolbar.

General Options

Use options on the General tab to specify the following:

• Whether the Worksharing Monitor window always stays on top of other application windows. This
option makes sure that you see new information as it becomes available.
• If you use desktop alerts (specified on the other tabs), how long they display on the Windows
desktop.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Options for Central File access

Select an option to indicate that you want to receive desktop alerts about central file issues. Clear an
option to avoid receiving these desktop alerts.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Options for Editing Request

Select an option to indicate that you want to receive desktop alerts when someone sends you an editing
request, or when one of your editing requests is granted or denied. Clear an option to avoid receiving
these desktop alerts.

Options for Notifications

Select an option to indicate that you want to receive desktop alerts when the Worksharing Monitor issues
a notification or a problem is resolved. Clear an option to avoid receiving these desktop alerts.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Monitoring Access to Project Files

The Worksharing Monitor tracks and displays file access information for the Revit workshared projects
that you currently have open.

Viewing Access to the Central File and Local Files

To determine who is currently working on a project on which you are also working, check the Central File
Access pane. For each workshared project that you have open in the Revit software, the Worksharing
Monitor displays a corresponding tab in this pane. Click a tab to access information about that project.

The tab displays one line for each project user. Your information line is highlighted. If you are working
with a local copy of the project file, the top of the tab indicates how long ago you saved changes to the
central file. Red text indicates that someone is working in the central file.

Check the Action column to see what other users are doing in the project:

• Working in Local: The user is working in a local copy of the project file.
• Opening Central File: The user is opening the central file to work in it directly.
• Working in Central: The user is working directly in the central file for the project.
• Saving to Central: The user is saving changes to the central file.
• Reloading Latest: The user is updating the local copy of the project file with the most recent
version of the central file.

A user name displayed in gray indicates that the user is working in the project but is not currently using
the Worksharing Monitor. As a result, this user is not able to receive information about editing requests
through the Worksharing Monitor. If you want to borrow elements from this user, you must contact the
user directly, rather than relying on the Worksharing Monitor to do so.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Viewing the Central File History

The Central File Access pane displays only current activities related to a project. To see the recent history
(up to 5 days) of central file access for the project, use the following procedure.

To view the Central File Access history

1. In the Central File Access pane, click the tab for the desired project.
2. Click (History) in the upper-right corner of the pane.
3. In the History dialog, for Show me up to, indicate the number of days of history to view.

The History dialog displays information about each action involving the central file for the Revit
project. If a central file access operation failed, click for information about the failure.

To export history to a file

1. In the History dialog, click Export history shown.

2. In the Export dialog, navigate to the desired folder, specify a file name, and click Save.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Checking for Updates to the Central File

When you are working with a local copy of a project file, check the corresponding tab of the Central File
Access pane to see whether the central file has been updated by others. If other users have changed the
central file, the icon displays next to the local file name. Move the cursor over the icon to see a
tooltip indicating who has updated the central file.

When you use File menu -- Reload Latest in the Revit session to bring your local copy of the project file
up to date with the central file, the icon disappears from the project tab on the Central File Access
pane of the Worksharing Monitor.

If desired, you can configure an option to receive a desktop alert whenever someone updates the central
file.

Saving changes to the Central File

In a Revit session, you use File menu -- Save to Central to save local changes to the project’s central file.
The Central File Access pane of the Worksharing Monitor displays the progress of a Save to Central
operation, which involves several distinct steps. These steps are tracked in the Step/Time Remaining
column.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

A Save to Central operation involves the following steps:

1. Querying Changes: Determines whether the central file has changed since the local file was last
updated.
2. Updating Local File: Updates the local copy of the project file to match the most recent version
of the central file (if the central file changed after the local file was last updated).
3. Saving Changes to Central: Saves changes made in the local copy of the project file to the
central file.
4. Saving Local File (optional): Saves changes to the local copy of the file, if this option is selected
by the user when initiating a Save to Central operation.

If the Step/Time Remaining column displays Waiting , the Save to Central operation is on hold
because it is blocked by other concurrent actions involving central file access.

Delays when Saving to Central

A Save to Central operation consists of 3 main steps: Querying Changes, Updating Local File, and
Saving Changes to Central. A Reload Latest operation consists of 2 steps: Querying Changes and
Updating Local File.

When multiple users try to access a project’s central file at the same time, their operations may cause
delays for each other. For example, if a user tries to access a central file (for example, to Reload Latest)
while another user’s Saving Changes to Central step is in progress, the Reload Latest operation must
wait until the Saving Changes to Central step is complete before proceeding.

If several users initiate Save to Central operations around the same time, the Revit software interleaves
the Save to Central steps for each user as much as possible. However, there is no guaranteed order of
completion, such as first-come, first-served. In some cases, for example, the first user to start a Save to
Central operation may be the last to finish. In addition, after one user’s Save to Central operation is
completed, the other concurrent Save to Central operations must restart. The Revit software manages
this process automatically.

Such delays can disrupt your workflow. If activities of other users will interfere with your access to the
central file, the Worksharing Monitor issues a notification (Expected delay during your central file
accesses). The Central File Access pane shows information about who is accessing a central file. In
these cases, you may want to cancel your operation and do it later.

The following table shows how you may be delayed if you and your colleague (Sam) initiate Save to
Central operations at the same time. The table shows how you are affected by Sam. Sam is affected by
you in a similar way. If more users are involved, more time and waiting are required to complete all Save
to Central operations.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

NOTE: The Revit software automatically manages the Save to Central process for multiple users. In
general, you do not need to restart a Save to Central operation manually if it does not complete right
away.

If a Save to Central Fails

A Save to Central operation may fail for several reasons, including the following:

• There is a design conflict between the central file and a local copy of the file, and the Revit
software cannot reconcile the differences.
• The Save to Central operation requires elements that are owned by another user.
• The central file is read-only, missing, or corrupt.
• The backup folder for the central file is missing.

In such cases, the Revit software cannot perform the step of Saving Changes to the Central File. This
causes the Save to Central operation to fail. Use the following procedure to learn more about the failure.

To learn more about a failed Save to Central

1. In the Central File Access pane of the Worksharing Monitor, click the tab for the project.
2. Click (History).
3. In the Central File Access History dialog, locate the line identifying the Save to Central failure.
4. Click .

The Worksharing Monitor displays information about the failure.

If the Revit software is unable to reconcile differences between the central file and a local copy of the file,
try the following procedure.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

To resolve a design conflict

1. Create a new local copy of the central file.

2. Copy and paste the changes from your old local file to the new local file.
3. Save changes (in the new local file) to the central file.
4. Discard the old local copy that contains the design conflict.
5. Contact customer support so they can investigate the underlying problem and resolve it in a
future software release.

Editing Request

When working on a Revit project, you can edit an element without checking out worksets using element
borrowing. If another user has control over the workset or element, you make a request to borrow the
element. You cannot edit it until the request has been granted and you have loaded the other user’s
changes to it. You can use the Worksharing Monitor to track editing requests.

Pending Request

The Editing Requests pane lists the following:

• Requests that you have made to other users to borrow elements that they currently control
• Requests from other users to you for access to elements that you currently control

When a request is granted, denied, or retracted, its information moves to the Editing Requests history. If a
request is sent to multiple recipients, it displays on the Editing Requests pane as long as it has not been
fully granted and none of the recipients has denied it.

NOTE: To receive a desktop alert when your editing request is granted or denied, or when someone is
sending a request to you, set options for editing requests.

For each pending request, the Editing Requests pane shows the sender, recipient, status, related Revit
project file, and time when the request was initially sent.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

If a user name is listed in gray, that user is not currently using the Worksharing Monitor or does not have
the requested project file open. As a result, the Worksharing Monitor cannot notify the user of pending
requests. You must use another method to contact the user about the request. The Worksharing Monitor
issues a notification when it cannot contact a user about an editing request.

The Status column shows the following:

• Request for a single recipient:

o Pending: The request is waiting for a response.
o Redirected, pending: The request was redirected to another user.
• Request for multiple recipients:
o Granted by: Recipients who have granted the request.
o Waiting for responses: Recipients who have not responded to the request.
o Redirected to: Recipients to whom the request was redirected and who have not
responded.

Granted, Denied, and Retracted Requests

To see a list of requests that have been granted, denied, or retracted, click (History) in the upper-right
corner of the Editing Requests pane.

The Editing Request History dialog can display up to 5 days of information about editing requests.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Notifications

To inform you of issues that may interfere with your work in Revit, the Worksharing Monitor sends
notifications. For example, the Worksharing Monitor can send notifications of low virtual memory, a slow
network, delays for central file access, and so on.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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 Revit® Structure Worksets 101 – Worksharing Monitor

Monitoring System Performance

Your work in a Revit project can be affected by the availability of system resources, such as physical
memory, virtual memory, CPU load, and disk space. You can use the System Performance Monitor to
monitor these resources. If a resource reaches a predefined threshold, the Worksharing Monitor issues a
notification.

To start the System Performance Monitor, click on the Worksharing Monitor toolbar.

To keep the System Performance Monitor window on top of other applications, select Keep System
Performance on top. If you click outside the window to make it inactive, the window becomes smaller and
semi-transparent. Click in the window to make it active again. The window expands to its full size.

To adjust the transparency of the window, select Keep System Performance on top, and change the
value for Window transparency. A higher value results in a more transparent window. You can enter a
value between 0 and 80. The default is 30%.

Autodesk Confidential Information

We may make statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not
intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change.
Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements.
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