Planting F/X Notice! Drawing Uses Instance Parameters (Opening a Project in Revit®)
Issue
You saw the following message when opening a Revit project:
Planting F/X Notice! Drawing Uses Instance Parameters
You may have seen the message after either:
- Updating to the latest version of our Planting F/X Plugin for Revit, or
- Installed the latest version of our Planting F/X Plugin for Revit in order to get the planting tools into Revit 2025
You previously used the Land F/X tools in this file (possibly before upgrading it to 2025).
Cause
With Planting F/X version 2.0, we updated to Type Parameters in all our plants. Our F/X Planting Plugin is moving fast, and we decided we needed to get this change out sooner but without impacting existing projects unless needed. Upgrading an existing project that used Instance Parameters on plants would need to be a manual process as a result, but we will continue to support those old instance parameter projects for a reasonable time. This message will pop up every time you open the file with Instance Parameters, as the benefits of Type Parameters will make it worth that effort to upgrade your project, rather than holding a project as Instance Parameters forever.
Important Note: Read Before Upgrading!
We were able to support Toposolid subdivisions with Instance Parameters but were not able to with Type Parameters because Revit 2024 and 2025 do not currently support a separate type for a subdivision.
Revit also doesn't allow us to have Type and Instance Parameters of the same name in the same drawing, which is why you'll need to follow the steps below to remove the old Instance Parameters. As a result, the current version cannot place groundcovers on a toposolid subdivision. If your design relies on doing so, you'll need to choose to either
- Not change the file from instance to Type Parameters, or
- Plan to divide your subdivisions into separate toposolids
Adding types to toposolid subdivisions is on Revit's Public Roadmap, and we expect to be able to support them with groundcovers again soon! Keep an eye out for this update.
Solution
Complete the following steps to upgrade an Instance Parameter Planting F/X file to Type Parameters.
1. In Revit, use our 3D Connection tool to export trees and shrubs to the cloud. Take a screenshot or have a PDF handy of your plan beforehand to help you on the final step of re-labeling all plants.
2. Select the Project Parameters option from the Manage ribbon, and delete all LAFX parameters (yes, one at a time – Revit doesn't allow multiple deletions at once).
Tip: keep your mouse on the Delete icon, and just press Enter when the confirmation window pops up. It goes fast. Make sure not to delete Material!
3. Use our Import tool, and Land F/X will import the families again. You might need to re-host some families to the correct floor or toposolid, depending on the overlaps. Plants fall from the top.
4. At this point, you'll need to re-place any groundcovers. Just look at the hatch in the manager and on the floor or toposolid. (See the note above about the issue with toposolid subdivisions and Type Parameters.)
5. You'll also need to re-label everything.
Tip: Use our Highlight tool right away. The highlight goes away as you label plants, helping guide you.
For small plans, this process will take 30 minutes or less. Mid-size plans (larger commercial lots, parks, etc.) will take 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Large sites with thousands of plants, if all labeled, might take 30 minutes to 3 hours. The longest task is re-labeling, which is actually still quick as opposed to tagging without Planting F/X. If you haven't labeled anything yet, the process should take less then 30 minutes no matter how many plants are in your plan – most likely less than 10 minutes.
Schedules should update automatically, as they're already looking for the same shared parameter names. They will see the parameter names whether they're Instance or Type.
If you see any issues with the plant data carrying over, edit the species from the Plant Manager and click OK, while in the drawing with the plants placed, which will cause the parameters to re-update with the plant data.
If you have any issues with this process, please submit a technical support ticket.
All new projects will use LAFX Type Parameters if no LAFX Instance Parameters are present.
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Contact
- Land F/X
Our software tailors AutoCAD® to the needs of landscape architects, irrigation designers, and other professionals. We automate your most tedious tasks and ensure accuracy, giving you more time to design.