Development of Revit Plugin for OBO Betterman

About our client

OBO Bettermann is an international manufacturer of electrical installation systems, surge protection systems and infrastructure solutions for the construction industry. The company operates globally, supplying its products to the European, Asian and American markets. The client wanted to create a dedicated plugin for Autodesk Revit, as the previous solutions did not provide architects with a convenient mechanism for using the systems.

The main problems faced by our client:

Inefficient Revit Families

Families (RFAs) were built in a suboptimal way, with a large number of complex formulas and dependencies. Changing one parameter caused the need to recalculate many others, which significantly slowed down the work in Revit. In practice, even simple changes made by the architect could last minutes.

Lack of library scalability

Due to the type of products sold, OBO has many different combinations of products. In the previous solution, each possible combination of systems was saved as a separate file. This led to a huge number of files and the inability to effectively manage the library. Maintaining and updating such an approach has been virtually impossible.

No product configurator

The previous plugin worked only as a BIM file viewer, without advanced product selection and filtering logic and without additional configuration improvements. In addition, each system variation was presented as a separate element, making choosing the right combination unintuitive and problematic — users had to browse through thousands of product tiles.

Dependence on an external plugin provider

Every change — even a minor one — required OBO to contact an external company. Adding a new product or editing data took a few days or more. The lack of self-reliance significantly slowed development and increased the cost of maintaining the solution.

No linkage of system parameters

Changing one parameter (e.g. cable route width) did not automatically update other product properties. In practice, this meant manual data matching and the risk of errors. The system did not reflect the actual product logic.

Creating a BOM manually

Bill of Materials (BOMs) were prepared by hand by the sales department. The process was time-consuming and prone to errors. In addition, each document required adaptation to company standards and branding.

In response to the client's problems and challenges, we implemented

Revit Plugin

We have created a dedicated plugin for Revit which integrates directly with the manufacturer's BIM library. The user can select products through an intuitive interface (language, country, parameters). The plugin filters the data and allows you to insert the corresponding element directly into the model.

Automatic configuration of systems

When drawing cable routes, the plugin automatically selects and inserts the appropriate elements, such as connectors or tees. The system works contextually, eliminating the need for manual component matching. Such automation significantly speeds up the work of the designer.

Parametric Product Models

Instead of thousands of variants, we created flexible, parametric families. Changing a single parameter automatically updates all related properties (e.g. description, classifications). Thanks to this, one model can represent many products.

Optimizing RFA Families

We have restructured the structure of families, eliminating unnecessary formulas and dependencies. Models have become lighter and much faster in operation. Things that previously lasted minutes were shortened to fractions of a second.

Central configuration logic and clients independence

Instead of storing all combinations as separate files, we implemented configurator logic that dynamically generates the correct product variant based on the selected parameters. The solution gives OBO independence — employees can manage and configure data on their own, without the support of an external provider.

Automatic BOM generation

The plugin automatically creates material lists directly in Revit. Thanks to this improvement, it is possible for the designer to automatically generate PDF from Revit. The documents comply with company standards and contain the required data and branding, therefore the sales department does not have to engage in the creation of the BOM each time.