AutoCAD Tip: AutoCAD–Revit Handoff: Shared Coordinates and DWG Export Standards

Seamless AutoCAD–Revit exchange starts with clean geometry, predictable coordinates, and agreed export rules.

Agree on coordinates first

• Ask the Revit team to establish Shared Coordinates and publish them to all models. In Revit, DWG links should use “By Shared Coordinates,” not “Origin to Origin.”
• In AutoCAD, set INSUNITS to match Revit’s project units (typically millimeters or feet). Confirm UNITS precision and angle type.
• Keep your model near 0,0,0. Use BASE set to 0,0,0 and avoid large far‑from‑origin offsets that can degrade both platforms.
• If needed, create a named UCS that matches “Project North” and document it for the Revit team.

Prepare DWGs for Revit linking

• Clean aggressively: AUDIT > -PURGE (All, Regapps) > OVERKILL. Consider WBLOCK to write a minimal handoff file.
• ByLayer is king: Colors, linetypes, and lineweights should be ByLayer to allow Revit Visibility/Graphics control.
• Flatten if the file is 2D deliverable: FLATTEN and remove Z-elevation noise; avoid tiny gaps with FILLET radius 0.
• Kill bloat: Remove unused annotation scales, proxy objects, point clouds, and embedded images that Revit won’t need.
• External references: Bind or ETRANSMIT to deliver a single, portable package with relative paths.

Layer mapping that Revit understands

• Ask the BIM team for (or provide) a DWG export mapping file (e.g., NCS-based). Revit’s ExportLayers.txt dictates the layer names you’ll receive.
• Standardize your layer names to the agreed mapping. Layer States in AutoCAD make quick work of switching between “design” and “export” layers.

Requesting DWG exports from Revit (for AutoCAD use)

• Request “Export Views on Sheets” for documentation, and a “Coordination” 3D or plan view for modeling references.
• Ask for “Rooms/Areas as polylines” and “Text/Dimensions as text” (not exploded) to maintain editability in AutoCAD.
• Color “Index” and lineweights per mapping produce the most predictable plotted output in AutoCAD (CTB workflows).

Bringing Revit DWGs into AutoCAD cleanly

• Use XREF with overlay, not attach, to avoid nested clutter. Keep paths relative for portability.
• Place Revit exports on locked reference layers. Use LAYFRZ or viewport layer overrides to control visibility per sheet.
• If heavy, run -SCALELISTEDIT (Reset) and purge annotation scales; then -PURGE and OVERKILL again.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Exploding Revit exports in AutoCAD—this removes structure; edit on your own layers instead.
• Mixed units—verify with a known dimension check block after every handoff.
• Huge hatch patterns and dense linestyles—simplify before sending to reduce Revit view slowdowns.

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