Revit Automation, .NET 10 and IDS Reliability
Edition: 21 September 2026 · Category: BIM News
This archived article adapts the original English publication package. Dates, previews and planned availability below refer to the edition date; confirm current product status before acting.
The edition’s main signal: Autodesk scheduled the Revit Automation engine to move to Revit 2026.5 and .NET 10 on September 21. This is more than a version-number change. For BIM teams running Revit AppBundles in the cloud, the execution environment changes, so the key question is not only whether the code compiles, but whether the full production workflow still produces the expected result. At the time this briefing was prepared, I did not find a separate Autodesk notice confirming that the migration had already completed, so this written briefing treats September 21 as the officially scheduled migration date.
Scheduled runtime migration
Autodesk Platform Services stated that the Revit Automation Engine for Revit 2026 will be upgraded to Revit 2026.5 and its runtime will move to .NET 10. Autodesk also states that, for security reasons, it does not plan to keep the earlier Revit or .NET runtime as a long-term alternative. Most AppBundles are expected to continue working without changes, but that expectation is not a guarantee for every dependency stack.
Audit the full dependency stack
Dependencies are the highest-risk area. Test not only your own Revit API code, but also third-party .NET libraries, native DLLs, file import and export modules, path and configuration logic, and authentication components. Autodesk recommended local validation with Revit Desktop 2026.5 before the production migration. A robust production check should use a known reference RVT and compare element counts, parameter values, generated file sizes, and logs against an approved baseline.
Test outputs, not only completion
A WorkItem reaching a completed state does not prove that the business result is correct. An automation can finish technically while producing a different IFC, PDF, report, or data package. BIM managers should maintain a deterministic smoke test: the same reference model, the same AppBundle, explicit expected outputs, and automated difference detection. The first production runs after a platform migration should be treated as a controlled deployment, not normal background processing.
IDS survey: value and inconsistent checking
buildingSMART published the results of its IDS community survey today. The survey collected 186 completed responses. Seventy-three percent of respondents reported practical or expert IDS knowledge, while 58 percent had used IDS on real projects. IDS 1.0 received an average score of 6.7 out of 10, with a median of 7. Experienced and frequent users rated it more positively than people who had only heard about IDS.
The most important operational message is that users value IDS for automated IFC checking, human and machine readability, and its open, software-independent approach. But the survey also identified a practical interoperability problem: the same IDS file can produce different checking results in different tools. Having an IDS file is therefore not, by itself, proof of consistent quality control. The checker implementation and version also need to be validated.
IDS development priorities
The priorities for IDS 1.1 are becoming clear. Seventy-six percent of respondents considered better symmetry between applicability and requirements important. Seventy-four percent supported better alignment with LOIN, and more than half rated that point as very important. Up to 70 percent supported improved documentation, while 68 percent supported an IDS API. There is also strong demand for richer IFC relationship support. The design challenge is clear: expand IDS capability without losing the simplicity that users already value.
Certification demand and checker validation
One hundred thirty-one of 186 respondents, or 70 percent, want some form of IDS software certification. Fifty-nine percent expressed interest in authoring certification and 59 percent in checking certification, while 48 percent want both. The practical value is not the badge itself. It is the possibility of reducing interpretation differences between software implementations. For critical contractual checks, a BIM manager should consider validating the same IDS rule set in at least two independent checkers before relying on it as an acceptance gate.
Agentic Assistant remains a preview direction
Autodesk’s September 21 communication provided more detail on the next generation of Autodesk Assistant shown at AU 2026. The agentic direction includes Personal Pulse, Assistant Spaces, and Assistant Builder. The goal is to move beyond isolated question answering toward an assistant that understands project context, helps identify what needs attention, connects information across workflows, and allows organizations to bring their own agents and tools into the Autodesk environment. Autodesk says broader rollout of these next-generation capabilities is planned from 2027. For now, treat this as product direction and preview, not as a generally available production capability.
Connected Client coordinate controls
Autodesk is also extending the Forma Connected Client strategy. Civil 3D was announced as the next Forma Connected Client, beginning with a Tech Preview focused on reference-based interoperability between Civil 3D, Forma, and Revit, plus a unified geolocation approach. For BIM and infrastructure teams, the strategic issue is not another connector. It is reducing coordination risk when building and infrastructure models interpret project location differently.
Daily analysis.
Today’s stories share one theme: reliability matters more than feature count. With Revit Automation, teams need evidence that automation still behaves deterministically in the new runtime. With IDS, teams need evidence that the same rule is interpreted consistently across software. With agentic AI, teams need to distinguish preview claims from production capability and maintain human control. And across Revit, Civil 3D, and Forma, teams need evidence that shared project context really preserves coordinates and references.
A practical BIM-manager action list for this week: First, run a reference Revit Automation AppBundle test against Revit 2026.5 and audit dependencies. Second, execute your most important IDS file in at least two checkers and document differences. Third, keep any agentic AI pilot read-only or human-approved. Fourth, if your projects combine Revit and Civil 3D, define a coordinate-control test case before adopting new Connected Client workflows.
Original edition sources
- https://aps.autodesk.com/blog/revit-automation-engine-upgrading-revit-20265-and-net-10-september-21-2026 - https://www.buildingsmart.org/ids-survey-results-2026/ - https://blogs.autodesk.com/presse-center-deutschland/2026/09/21/autodesk-stellt-neuen-ki-assistenten-fur-design-und-engineering-vor-der-gebaude-infrastruktur-und-fertigungsprozesse-plant-ausgestattet-mit-intelligentem-verstandnis-fur-die-physische-welt/ - https://www.autodesk.com/blogs/aec/2026/09/15/civil-3d-the-next-forma-connected-client/
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