ETL: Extract and Parse Revit Model Data to Structured Excel

Convert a Revit model to Excel and parse it into structured items ready for downstream ETL. This minimal template runs a local RvtExporter.exe, checks success, derives the expected *_rvt.xlsx filename, reads it from disk, and parses it to data items in n8n.

What it does

1. Setup: define path_to_revit_converter and revit_file.
2. Run converter: execute RvtExporter.exe "<converter>" "<revit_file>" (writes *_rvt.xlsx next to the RVT).
3. Check success: branch on converter error output.
4. Read Excel: compute <revit_file> → *_rvt.xlsx and read it from disk.
5. Parse: convert the workbook into structured items (rows → items).

Prerequisites

• Windows host (local executable and filesystem paths).
• DDC Revit toolkit installed: C:\\DDC_Converter_Revit\\datadrivenlibs\\RvtExporter.exe.
• A local .rvt you can read; the converter will write *_rvt.xlsx next to it.

How to use

1. Import this JSON into n8n.
2. Open “Setup – Define file paths” and set:
   • path_to_revit_converter: C:\\DDC_Converter_Revit\\datadrivenlibs\\RvtExporter.exe
   • revit_file: e.g., C:\\Sample_Projects\\your_project.rvt
3. Run Manual Trigger.
4. On success, the flow will read *_rvt.xlsx and emit parsed items.

Outputs

• On disk: <YourProject>_rvt.xlsx (created by the converter).
• In n8n: parsed rows as items, ready for Transform/Load phases.

Notes & tips

• If your converter writes the Excel to a different folder/file name, update the “Success – Create Excel filename” node to point to the actual path.
• Ensure write permissions in the project folder and avoid non-ASCII characters in paths when possible.
• This template is purposefully minimal (Extract-only). Chain it with your own Transform/Load steps.

Categories

Data Extraction · Files & Storage · ETL · CAD/BIM

Tags

cad-bim, revit, ifc, dwg, extract, xlsx, etl

Author

DataDrivenConstruction.io [email protected]

Consulting and Training

We work with leading construction, engineering, consulting agencies and technology firms around the world to help them implement open data principles, automate CAD/BIM processing and build robust ETL pipelines.

If you would like to test this solution with your own data, or are interested in adapting the workflow to real project tasks, feel free to contact us.

Docs & Issues:
Full Readme on GitHub