Earlier, we announced the rollout plan for the general availability of the AEC Data Model API.
We are pleased to inform you that AEC Data Model API is now available to all customers who have access to Autodesk Docs in the US and EU regions.
In this blog, we'll point to available technical resources to help you get started with the AEC Data Model API.
Prerequisite
As of July 2024, AEC Data Model is supported for models with the following conditions:
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A model is created using Revit 2024 and 2025
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A model is hosted in Autodesk Docs in US and EU regions. (Australia region is NOT supported)
By default, AEC Data Model data is not generated. To turn on the feature, your Account Admin needs to activate it in [Account Admin] module; i.e., [Settings] >> [AEC Data Model] >> click on [Activate] button. The button will become [Active] (see the image below).
The process is described in Onboarding to AEC Data Model.
Once the AEC Data Model feature is activated for your account, whenever you upload a Revit model under [Files] tool, the generation of AEC Data Model data is automatically triggered.
The diagram below illustrates the workflow of the AEC Data Model generation process:
Here are additional notes regarding AEC Data Model generation:
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The Data Model generation is triggered for files uploaded after the AEC Data Model is activated. There is no effect on the files that existed in Docs before the activation.
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Once activated, the AEC Data Model is in effect for the entire account. There is no control, for example, per project and per model.
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There is no UI to deactivate Data Model generation. (If you would like to deactivate the generation, please contact the support.)
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There is no additional cost associated with the use of AEC Data Model and its API.
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The generation of the Data Model may take some time depending on the size of the model. (Similar to Model Derivate translation or viewable generation). You can access the data model through the API ONLY after the generation job has been completed.
Once the AEC Data Model is fully generated, you can start querying the data with the API.
Getting Started with the API
If you want to jump start with the API, we recommend you follow the following steps:
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Read API Essentials: API Constructs section under Developer’s Guide. This will help you familiarize yourself with the terminology used in the AEC Data Model.
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Read About the AEC Data Model Explorer page section. Explorer is an excellent tool to learn and experiment with AEC Data Model API. We use the Explorer in the Step-by-Step Tutorials
Then, go through the following three sections under “Step-by-Step Tutorials”:
- Before You Begin: Go through the prerequisites to use the AEC Data Model Explorer
- Getting Started: First steps with the API. You will learn how to query hubs, projects, elementgroups, and so on...
- Working with Advanced Queries: Advanced queries. You will learn how to use various filters and references available in the API.
Documentation
You can find additional details in the documentation.
AEC Data Model uses GraphQL as query language over HTTP. If you are new to GraphGL, you may also want to read this section:
As GraphQL differs from the REST APIs, here are a few sections that might be worth pointing to as additional reading:
- Filtering Options: Includes examples of filters that you can use in queries.
- Pagination: Information about the default and maximum limits. An example of cursor-based pagination.
- AEC Data Model Service Rate Limits: The limits that are applied when using AEC Data Model API.
Code Samples on GitHub
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us through our APS support channel.