Set Up Revit Worksharing On Smart Cache

This article provides a detailed walkthrough on how you can configure Smart Cache for Revit Worksharing. Autodesk Revit is a BIM application widely used in the AEC industry. Revit’s Worksharing capability allows multiple users to work within a central model, lock families and elements within the model and synchronize users’ changes with the central model. 

With Smart Cache version 4.0, you can map a Windows native drive letter from your laptop or workstation to the Smart Cache and collaborate with other users on the workshared Revit models hosted on Egnyte Smart Cache.

What’s Supported with Smart Cache and Revit Worksharing

• All Revit users need to be located within a physical office location to collaborate on a central model. Revit Worksharing on Smart Cache is not supported for remote users who are connected to Egnyte cloud
• Revit users need to open their Revit models through a Windows network drive letter to the Smart Cache device. In other words, users cannot open the Revit model through the Desktop App drive letter
• Smart Cache will enforce the Global File Lock on the central model when users synchronize their local models with a central model. Users should not directly open the central model while other users are working within their corresponding local models.
• Smart Cache can be configured either for Revit Worksharing or for Desktop App collaboration. You cannot configure both the modes on a single device.
• Revit Workshare Monitoring is not currently supported when you enable Revit worksharing on Smart Cache
• Revit Worksharing on Smart Cache works only in the caching mode. In other words, you cannot select folders for synchronization with Smart Cache and Revit Worksharing.

Set Up Revit Worksharing on Smart Cache

1. Download Egnyte Smart Cache and follow the instructions in the Product Guide to deploy Smart Cache on VMWare ESXi or on Windows Server.
   
   

   Important: Ensure that you have configured Smart Cache for Windows native drive letter access as outlined in the Product Guide. If you configure Smart Cache for Desktop App collaboration, you will not be able to perform Revit Worksharing and you will need to re-deploy the Smart Cache VM.

2. From a user’s laptop, open Windows Explorer, right-click on This PC and click on Map Network Drive.
   
3. Select a drive letter for Revit Worksharing. Enter the UNC path to the destination folder in the format “\\<IP_Address_Of_Smart_Cache>\scache\Shared\...”. Click Connect using different credentials.
   
   
4. Enter the Active Directory user credentials.
   
   

   The Active Directory username needs to be identical to the cloud user name. In the screenshot below, user “dsmith” is the same user in the Active Directory and on Egnyte.

   
   
   
5. Open Revit application. Click on Open under Models. Browse to the desired central model on Egnyte. If the Revit central model is not on Egnyte, browse to the location of the central model.
   
6. Ensure that Detach from Central is selected before you open the central model. This is a mandatory step to ensure that Revit re-paths the central model with the Smart Cache drive letter.
   
7. Click on Detach and Preserve Worksets in order to preserve the workset information.
   
   
8. Click on Save to save the newly detached model. Navigate to the Smart Cache drive letter in the Save As dialog box and save the detached model.
   
9. Close the detached model. From the Revit application, click on Open and browse to the Smart Cache location where you saved the detached model. Make sure that Create New Local is selected before you open the model.
   
10. You have now opened the Revit local model. You can edit this model and synchronize with the central model hosted on the Smart Cache device.
11. Other Revit users will also have to map a network drive letter identical to the path chosen in Step 4 in order to open the local model for their Revit central models.