Spring is here! Time for an update and spring cleaning. We’re releasing updates to the AVAIL Desktop (3.11) and AVAIL Browser for Revit (4.2).
We continue to focus on the goal of providing rich information related to content you’re managing in AVAIL for quick decision making and access. In this update to the AVAIL Desktop we worked on two major features, both interrelated. We’ve added native support for viewing PDF documents directly within the AVAIL Desktop interface. Now you can quickly view PDFs without having to open external software. This is a great way to view PDF documents of details, sheet sets, specifications and manuals; all without having to launch another PDF application.
We also shed a little love on the entire Properties Panel strategy. When you open the Properties Panel to view a PDF document you now have a one-click expansion option that will maximize the viewing panel. This is a great new feature not only for PDFs but also for improved viewing of Photos. You’ll also see a fresh new docked panel of icons on the far right providing quick access to Properties, Channel Details, Comments and Shared Users.
You asked for it, you got it! Those of you using AVAIL to manage your Revit content libraries will love the new Filters Panel feature in the AVAIL Browser for Revit. Mimicking the Filters Panel you see in the AVAIL Desktop, the new Filters Panel in the AVAIL Browser for Revit means you can use tag-based or text-based searching in Standalone Mode. Simply increase the width of your AVAIL Browser and the Filters Panel will automatically appear.
More details about this release are below. We hope to hear from you as you begin implementing these new features.
Randall Stevens, CEO
Major Enhancements to the Current Version of AVAIL
In the sections that follow is a brief summary of the major enhancements for the May Release of AVAIL Product Suite.
AVAIL Desktop v3.11
- View PDF in Properties Panel – Enables user to preview full PDF from inside the Properties Panel.
- View YouTube Video in Properties Panel – Enables user to watch a YouTube video in-line from inside the Properties Panel.
- Upgrade from .Net 4.5 to 4.6.2 – Required in order to support the chromium browser for PDF and YouTube support.
- OS 64-bit Support – AVAIL Desktop no longer is supporting 32-bit operating system installations.
- Re-positioned Display Controls – Moved controls above the Filters Panel to enable further user experience improvements.
- Side Panel Controls – Moved the ‘Properties’ and ‘More items’ buttons to a new bar on the right-hand side of the Content Browser
- Share Channels Button – Visible next to the Channel name at the top of the Content Browser.
- Filter Grouping for Indexing – Filters now have logical ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ associations between them to allow for more robust filtering of your content.
AVAIL Browser for Revit v4.2
- Revit 2020 Support – Revit 2020 add-in is now fully supported.
- Revit 2015 Support – Revit 2015 Support is now discontinued, v4.1 will be the last version to support Revit 2015.
- Tag-Based Filtering – The AVAIL Desktop Tag-Based filtering is now available when the AVAIL Browser add-in is widened.
- Channel Filtering – Support pinned, recent and all filter options along with ability to pin and unpin specific channels.
- Swappable Panel Support – Added functionality to swap content browser and properties panel depending on personal preference.
- Installer Upgrade – Added support for Autodesk-recommended certificate installation to remove ‘new add-in found’ warning.
AVAIL Release Notes
The following are the enhancements and fixes to the current released version of AVAIL Products. These enhancements apply to the AVAIL Desktop, AVAIL Browser for Revit and Stream Products unless otherwise noted.
AVAIL Desktop – Version 3.11
View PDF in Properties Panel – Enables user to preview a full PDF from inside the Properties Panel. After selecting a PDF in the Content Browser, you can then click expand the Image icon to preview the PDF.
View YouTube Video in Properties Panel – Enables user to watch a YouTube video in-line from inside the Properties Panel. Like the PDF preview above, you can now also view YouTube videos within the Properties Panel.
Re-positioned Display Controls – Moved to above Filters Panel to continue user experience improvement. This cleans up the top content search bar and leaves space for some additional search options in the future.
Side Panel Controls – Moved the ‘Properties’ and ‘More items’ buttons to Side Panel. This feature expanded Channel Details, Comments and Shared Users.
Share Channels Button – Is now visible next to the channel name at the top of the Content Browser. Similar to the icon controls, this was to help clean up the search area.
Filter Grouping for Indexing – Filters now have logical ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ associations between them to allow for more robust filtering of your content.
AVAIL Browser for Revit
Tag-Based Filtering – The Filters Panel that you are familiar with is now available in ‘Stand-Alone’ mode inside the Browser for Revit. This tag-based filtering is able to be seen when the browser panel is expanded to a minimum width.
Channel Filtering – Now supporting pinned, recent and all filter options along with ability to pin and unpin specific Channels. This provides each user the ability to highlight and list their favorite Channels right within the AVAIL browser add-in.
Swappable Panel Support – Added functionality to swap the Content Browser and Properties Panel. Once you open the Filters Panel, a button will be displayed to allow you to swap panel views based on your personal preference.
Fixed and Known Limitations
AVAIL Browser for Revit
• Fixed issue with delay of detection of connection with AVAIL Desktop
• Fixed issue with display of “Loading…” message when transitioning AVAIL Browser Panel from hidden to shown within Revit
• Addressed errors when detecting changes to active document in Project Mode
• Addressed errors when detecting view activation in Project Mode
• Fixed reference to dependent assembly System.Windows.Interactivity for Revit 2016-2018
• Fixed DPI scaling bug for Revit 2016 & 2017 for Hi-Res displays
• Fixed version conflict with shared dependency with Dynamo
• Fixed issue with broken Upgrade file command
