CAD2BIM Documentation
Convert 2D CAD linework into native, parametric Revit structural elements.
CAD2BIM turns an imported DWG into real, editable Revit geometry -- columns, slabs, beams, and grids -- instead of manually tracing over a linked CAD reference. It's built for the early structural-modeling phase, when you'd otherwise spend hours redrawing a consultant's drawing before you can start engineering.
Installation
1. Download the installer from your BIM Hive account's Downloads page. 2. Run it, agree to the terms, click Next, then Install. 3. Open Revit -- the plugin adds a BIM Hive tab to the ribbon. 4. The first time you launch it, enter your license key when prompted (find it anytime on your account's Licenses page).
How to Use
1. Open the Revit project where you want to model. 2. Go to the BIM Hive tab and launch CAD2BIM. 3. In the CAD File Import Options, browse to your DWG and set the units and base point. 4. Map each CAD layer to its target element: slabs, columns, beams, and grids. 5. Run the conversion to create the native Revit elements. 6. Review the generated columns, slabs, beams, and grids in the model.
Getting a Clean Conversion
The output is only as accurate as the layer mapping and the import setup, so get both right before you run the conversion: confirm the DWG's units match your project, set the base point so the geometry lands where you expect, and map each CAD layer to the element type it actually represents. Everything CAD2BIM creates is native, parametric Revit geometry, so it schedules, tags, and edits like anything else you modeled by hand.