What is Download Latest?
Download Latest checks your active Revit model for Pirros content (families and details) that has been updated on Pirros since you last downloaded it, and lets you bring the newest versions into your model with a single click.
Think of it as a "check for updates" button for everything Pirros-managed in your current file.
Where to find it
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.
In the Revit ribbon, click the Download dropdown on the Pirros tab, then choose Download Latest.
Pirros in Revit: click the Pirros button on the Pirros tab to open the panel, then open the Updates tab. The page is headed Download Latest, and it checks the active model as soon as you open it (as long as the model is linked to a Pirros Project and you have download permission).
How it works
When you click Download Latest, the plugin does the following:
Scans your model for Pirros-managed content:
Detail views, drafting views, sheets, legends, and schedules that were downloaded from Pirros
Families (loadable families, system families like walls and floors, model groups, and detail groups) that were downloaded from Pirros
Sends that inventory to Pirros to check whether anything has a newer version available. Content that belongs to a different project (for example, a family you pulled from a Typical project but the current model belongs to Project A) is checked too in Pirros in Revit and in newer versions of the classic plugin. Older classic plugin versions exclude it automatically.
Shows you one of two results:
If everything is up to date, you'll see a short confirmation dialog (You're all synced up!) and no further action is needed.
If updates are available, a dialog opens (Updates Available) listing the items that have newer versions on Pirros, along with when they were last synced and whether you've modified them locally.
Lets you choose what to update. Every item is listed with a checkbox so you can pick and choose what to bring in. Every item starts selected. You can select all, deselect all, or pick individual items.
Downloads and replaces the selected items when you click Replace. Progress is shown as each file downloads and loads into your model.
Confirms success with a summary of how many items were updated.
Steps 3–6 describe the classic plugin's windows. Pirros in Revit runs the same check on its Updates tab; see The Updates tab in Pirros in Revit below.
The update dialog — what you'll see
In the classic plugin's Download Latest window, for each item in the list:
Preview — a thumbnail; click it to preview the item
Detail / Family Name of the family or detail
Server Updated and Your Version — dates for the version on Pirros and the version in your model
Modified — shows Yes if you've changed the item in your model since downloading it, so you know those local edits will be overwritten if you update it
Action — for older content downloaded before version tracking was introduced (see "Legacy items" below)
Use the Show: filters (Details, Families) to choose what's listed. The footer shows how many items are selected. Click Replace to update them, or Cancel.
Family types — existing vs new
Families often have multiple types (for example, different sizes of the same furniture piece). When a family is updated on Pirros, sometimes new types have been added that don't exist in your model yet.
In the classic plugin:
Existing types — types already in your model will be replaced automatically with the latest version. No action needed.
New types — types that are on Pirros but not yet in your model are shown in an expandable panel. You can choose which new types (if any) to load alongside the replacement.
Pirros in Revit has no type choice on the Updates tab: an updated family is reloaded from Pirros as a whole, and its parameter values are overwritten.
System families (walls, floors, ceilings, etc.) and groups (model groups and detail groups) don't use type selection — they're loaded as-is.
Legacy items
Legacy items are Pirros content that was downloaded with an older version of the plugin, before version tracking was added. Because we don't know what version they're on, they appear in the update list even if they're actually current.
In the classic plugin, click a legacy item's Action to cycle through three choices:
▶ re-download — re-downloads the latest version from Pirros (same as any other update).
✓ as current — saves the current version info to your model without re-downloading. Use this if you know your copy is already up to date and you just want Download Latest to stop flagging it. Next time you run Download Latest, these items will only appear if a truly newer version is available.
✕ skip — does nothing with this item.
Mark all untracked as current sets every legacy item to ✓ as current at once.
In Pirros in Revit, a legacy item has a badge you click to cycle through Re-download, Mark current and Skip. Mark current saves the version info without downloading. Use Mark all legacy as current to choose that for every legacy item.
The Updates tab in Pirros in Revit
The Updates tab checks the active model when you open it, as long as the model is linked to a Pirros Project and you have download permission. Click Check for updates to check again.
While it checks you'll see Checking for updates…. If nothing is newer, you'll see Everything is up to date.
Otherwise each item with a newer version is listed with its name, its type and the date it was updated on Pirros. Every item starts selected. The checkbox at the top (… update(s) available) selects or clears them all.
Click Update n item(s) to start. There's no confirmation step. To stop, click Cancel download; the update stops after the current item.
When it finishes, the tab shows how many items were updated and how many failed, with a line for each item that failed.
Only the active model is checked. If you switch to another model between checking and updating, the update is refused (The active document changed since you checked). Check again, then update.
What an update does to your model in Pirros in Revit:
Drafting views and legends keep their view, but their content is replaced. Elements that are pinned or in a group stay.
On sheets, only the content Pirros placed is swapped. Your own views and annotations, the sheet number and revisions stay.
Schedules are deleted and imported again.
Families are reloaded and their parameter values are overwritten.
The Updates tab doesn't show whether you've changed an item locally, so check anything you've edited before you update it.
When to use Download Latest
After a teammate uploads an updated family or detail to Pirros and you need the new version in your model
When starting work on a model that's been sitting for a while, to make sure you're working with the latest content
Any time you want to verify your model has the most current Pirros-managed content
Things to keep in mind
Download Latest only looks at content already in your model. To pull in new families or details that aren't in your model yet, use the regular Download command (in Pirros in Revit, the Browse tab).
Local edits will be overwritten for any item you choose to update. If you've customized a family or detail in your model, check the Modified column (classic plugin) before updating. If you want to keep your local changes, don't select that item. Pirros in Revit doesn't flag local changes.
You need download permission. If your Pirros role doesn't include download permissions, you'll see a permission-denied message (You do not have permission to download details. Please contact your administrator to gain access to this feature.). Contact your administrator.
You need to be logged in and the model needs to be linked to a Pirros project. If either is missing, the classic plugin will walk you through getting set up first. Pirros in Revit shows Link a project to check for updates. with an Open Settings button.
Large models may take a few minutes to check and download. A progress window shows what's happening and can be cancelled at any time. In Pirros in Revit, click Cancel download; it stops after the current item.