Host Architecture

Host Support

RevitDevTool is a development platform for .NET-based CAD/BIM applications. Features are implemented in shared DevTools.* libraries and reused across hosts. Currently supports Revit and AutoCAD-family — the architecture is designed for any .NET-capable host (Tekla, Bentley, Rhino, etc.).

Feature Availability

Feature	Revit	AutoCAD Family
Dockable tool UI	Yes	Yes
Python 3.13 scripts	Yes	Yes
PEP 723 + Pixi dependencies	Yes	Yes
VSCode Python debugging	Yes	Yes
.NET add-in execution	Yes	Yes
C# / F# scripts	Yes	Yes
IronPython (pyRevit runtime)	Yes	Yes
Logging panel	Yes	Yes
MCP (standalone server)	Yes	Yes
MCP (in-host tools)	Yes	Yes
PyTest bridge	Yes	Yes
Document bridge (IDocumentBridge)	Yes	Yes
Startup dialog resolver	Yes	Yes
Geometry visualization	Yes (DirectContext3D)	N/A
Geometry trace interception	Yes	N/A
Command Browser	Yes	Not yet

Host API Differences

Concept	Revit	AutoCAD
App entry point	__revit__ builtin (UIApplication)	Static Application class
Active document	UIApp.ActiveUIDocument.Document	Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument
Transactions	Transaction(doc, name)	db.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()
Document lock	Not required	doc.LockDocument()
Element collection	FilteredElementCollector	Transaction.GetObject() with OIDs
State attribute	sys.__devtool__	sys.__devtool__
Named Pipe	Revit_{year}_{pid}	{Product}_{year}_{pid}

AutoCAD Family Verticals

The AcadDevTool add-in loads in all AutoCAD-family products:

Vertical	Product ID	Pipe Prefix
AutoCAD	01	AutoCad
Civil 3D	03	Civil3D
Architecture	04	Product-specific
MEP	05	Product-specific
Electrical	06	Product-specific
Mechanical	12	Product-specific
Map 3D	14	Product-specific
Plant 3D	16	Plant3D

Practical Rule

If a page says "Revit API", "DirectContext3D", or "Revit command", assume that behavior is Revit-only. For execution, logging, MCP, and testing workflows, all hosts follow the same platform model.

Learn More

• Revit Features
• AutoCAD Features
• Civil 3D Features