To preserve live section callouts and reference bubbles when downloading Details from Pirros into Revit, you need to download the related Details together. This article explains how view references work, what is supported, and how to avoid broken references.
What Pirros Supports
Pirros supports importing and maintaining live references from section references and callouts. When you download Details that contain these references, the reference bubbles come in live — meaning they link to the referenced views in your Revit Project.
How to Keep References Alive
The key rule: download the "parent" and "child" Details together in one batch.
If a Detail has a section callout that references another Detail, both Details must be downloaded in the same stage-for-download batch. You can do this by:
Staging both Details from the search page, or
Adding all related Details to a Stash and staging the Stash for download at once
Classic plugin (v3.x): the rule above applies. If the child Detail is already in your model from an earlier Pirros download, downloading the parent on its own also brings its bubbles in live.
Pirros in Revit (v4.x, docked panel): section and callout bubbles are recreated when you insert a sheet together with its Details, and when you update Details from the Updates tab of the Pirros panel. Details you insert without their sheet — one at a time, several at once, or a whole stash — come in without the bubbles that link them. To keep references, insert the whole sheet (see Best Practice: Download the Entire Sheet below).
Which plugin do you have? Look at the Pirros tab in the Revit ribbon. A single Pirros button that opens a docked panel with Browse, Updates, Sync and Settings tabs means you have Pirros in Revit. Separate Sync, Download, Settings, Pirros and Live Link buttons mean you have the classic plugin. Don't go by the version number alone: on Revit 2020–2023 the classic plugin can show a 4.x version number.
What Happens When References Break
Scenario | Result |
Download parent and child together with their sheet | Reference bubbles are live and clickable with correct sheet and Detail numbers |
Download parent and child together, without the sheet | Reference bubbles appear but look blank or inactive -- the linked sheet number does not exist in the model |
Download only the parent or only the child | Reference bubbles disappear and the linked Detail is not brought in |
This table describes downloads with the classic plugin. For Pirros in Revit, see How to Keep References Alive above.
Best Practice: Download the Entire Sheet
To preserve full reference functionality:
1. On the Details page, apply the Detail Type filter and select Sheets.
The Detail Type filter on the right panel with "Sheets" selected.
2. Find the sheet that contains the Details you need. Click the sheet card.
3. Click Open Full Detail to open the sheet page. You see a large view of the sheet with all individual Details listed on the right side.
The sheet Detail page showing the full sheet preview and a list of individual Details on the right.
4. Insert the sheet. This downloads the sheet and all its Details together, preserving all reference connections.
After downloading, section callouts and reference bubbles appear in Revit with their original sheet and Detail numbers preserved.
On the website, the button reads Insert when Pirros sees Revit connected with a model open. Otherwise it reads Stage for Download, and you bring the staged items in from Revit: in Pirros in Revit, click Download under Staged for download on the Stashes tab of the panel's Browse tab; in the classic plugin, click Download → Download on the Pirros ribbon tab.
In Pirros in Revit you can also insert the sheet from the panel: find it on the Browse tab and click Insert.
Alternative: Use a Stash for Referenced Details
Classic plugin only: in Pirros in Revit, Details inserted from a stash without their sheet come in without their bubbles. Insert the sheet instead.
If you do not need the full sheet, you can still preserve references by grouping the parent and child Details:
1. Find the Detail that has references (look for the references indicator on the detail page).
A detail page showing the References section with linked details listed.
2. Create a User Stash and add all referenced Details to it.
A Stash containing a parent Detail and its referenced child Details.
3. Insert from the Stash to download all details in one batch.
The stash page with the Insert button highlighted.
FAQ
Q: How do I know if a Detail has references?
A: Open the full Detail page. The References section lists any section callouts or view references linked to that Detail.
Q: Can I fix broken references after downloading?
A: If you downloaded Details separately and references are broken, download the missing linked Details. In some cases, you may need to re-download all related Details together in one batch.
Q: Does this apply to all view types?
A: Reference preservation applies to section references and callouts. Other reference types (elevation tags, grid references) are not currently managed by Pirros.
Q: What if I download a Detail and the reference bubble shows but is blank?
A: This means the referenced Detail was downloaded but the parent sheet was not. The reference ID is live in the system, but the sheet number does not exist in the model. Download the sheet to resolve this.
Q: Do I need to download the sheet every time?
A: Not always. If you download the parent and child Details together, the references are technically live. Downloading the sheet ensures the sheet numbers in the reference bubbles display correctly.