Desktop Connector is a nifty file management solution that connects the cloud seamlessly to your desktop, allowing you to easily organize 2D and 3D data in your architecture and engineering design projects.
What does this mean for you? Here’s a quick rundown:
- With Desktop Connector, you can now open, save, move, rename, and delete files from your cloud-based BIM 360 Team hubs directly from your desktop or desktop application.
- If you are part of more than one hub in BIM 360 Design or BIM 360 Team (if still using C4R workflows), each of them will appear on your desktop with the standard disk and file tree structure of Windows® Explorer or macOS® Finder. You can access hubs in Explorer or Finder just like any other folder on your machine.
- To use Desktop Connector in the next generation BIM 360 platform, you will need to also install the BIM 360 plug-in (download here)
- Team coordination just got a big boost. The file structure of your virtual drive (BIM 360 Design or BIM 360 Team) from hub level all the way down to individual files is now mirrored on your desktop as well as your team members’ desktops. If they have permission to view these files, your teams can now easily access them too.
- Wish you could drag and drop to the cloud, even when offline? Now you can! Manage files in your cloud-based hub just like you would on your computer, all from your desktop. Drag-and-drop, copy to the cloud, you can do it all.
- Start by downloading the latest version of Desktop Connector to seamlessly manage your projects.
Collaboration for Revit user? We made it a lot easier on you!
This update is useful to your BIM workflow, especially if you use BIM 360 Design, Revit 2018, and BIM 360 Team. You no longer have to use additional or external syncing solutions (like Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box) to make cloud project data available to all team members. Working with an extended team co-creating and managing large amounts of project data becomes so much easier.
Once you’ve installed Desktop Connector, you can easily edit, view, and manage your non-cloud workshared or non-Revit project data from the team’s workstations.
Here are some additional benefits to your BIM 360 Design process:
- Link cloud workshared Revit Models to DWG files in the same BIM 360 Design Project
- Easily link cloud workshared Revit Models to other common data files like keynotes or Uniformat files
- Link to non-cloud workshared Revit Models from external consultants in the same project. You can regularly update these by simply uploading a new version to BIM 360 Design.
For more information on Desktop Connector when using Revit 2018.2, click here.
Check out Adam’s quick walkthrough in BIM 360 Team with C4R below:
Connect your cloud and desktop experience
As a desktop service, Desktop Connector integrates your cloud data source (i.e. your project files in BIM 360 Design) with your desktop folder and file structure by replicating them in a connected drive (or, a local folder that mirrors the structure of files).
Any changes you or your team members make to project data from a desktop application will be automatically synced back to the cloud in BIM 360 Team, no uploads or downloads required.
Unlike other sync solutions, all project files are not proactively synced to each team member’s workstation—locally and in the cloud. This sets BIM 360 apart from other cloud storage solutions—saving your local storage and reduces bandwidth consumption. Only the data that you and your team are actively working on is synced to team members’ workstations.
FAQs
1. Who can use Desktop Connector in BIM 360 Design?
If you are a BIM 360 Design or BIM 360 Team subscriber, start syncing your files today. This feature is unfortunately only available to subscribers (paying users).
2. Which Operating Systems are supported in this update?
For Operating Systems, Desktop Connector supports Windows® 7, 8.1, and 10. It also supports macOS® Capitan 10.11 and Sierra 10.12. To see more details about software compatibility and how desktop connector works, click here.
3. Can I work offline?
“Work offline” mode is currently available on Windows® platforms. A file is cached locally and available to edit if you opened it on a connected drive or hub in the last 72 hours. Please click here to read more about the rules and guidelines for working offline with Desktop Connector.
Here’s a short video to walk you through the brief setup steps. Once you complete installation, right-click on the Desktop Connector icon and sign in with your Autodesk credentials.
To get started, download Autodesk Desktop Connector from the profile menu in BIM 360 Team or directly from here.
