Revit to Advance Steel Export Investigating the SMLX File

When you export an SMLX file you may inspect the file to see what is contained in the export. This is important if you want to verify the name under which the file was exported.

First, the file needs to be extracted to its component parts. I discovered that 7-Zip is a good freeware application that can perform that task. You can download 7-Zip here.

Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++
Open 7-Zip, browse to the required folder (in this case I exported the file to the Desktop Connector Synced file) and then open the SMLX file.
Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++

This extracts the files that are contained in the SMLX file. Browse to the contents folder.

Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++

You can open the XML file to peruse it. I use Nopepad++, freeware with which one can open XML files for editing. Install the XML Add-ins. Right mouse click on the file to open, then browse to Notepad++ to open the file.

Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++

After opening the file, use Pretty Print to structure the code.

Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++

You can see how the lipped channel is named in the Revit file.

Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++

The XML file does not use the exact same name, but it is recognizable. If any custom mapping is to be made in the future, it is critical to take note of this name, as it is what will appear in the mapping. Otherwise, you will not be able to identify the members accurately.

Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++

I suggest recording them in an Excel spreadsheet for future reference.  

Autodesk, Revit, Advance Steel, Export, XMLX, 7-Zip, Notepad++

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