Which plugin do you have? In Revit, click the Pirros tab, then Settings, then About. 4.x means Pirros in Revit (docked panel). 3.x or lower means the classic plugin. Follow the matching section below. See Pirros in Revit vs the Classic Plugin for the differences.
How Pirros knows what's out of date
Pirros doesn't match content by view name or family name. It matches by Pirros ID and version ID. Every time an admin syncs a change, that item gets a new version. So Pirros can tell exactly how many versions behind your copy is, and it updates the item in place instead of adding a duplicate.
Admins publish new versions by syncing. See Sync Content from Revit to Pirros.
Everyone else pulls those versions into their models using the steps below.
Items you can't edit, such as typical details, can be requested from an admin. See Request Typical Detail Versions from Administrators.
What's the same in both versions
Updates match by Pirros ID, so they update in place.
Updating also works as an audit check. Run it before you submit or finalize a model, and anything updated elsewhere that your model doesn't have yet comes down.
Email notifications go to people who need to download an update. The person who synced it doesn't get one. Don't rely on the email: the update tool shows every pending update regardless.
Option A: Pirros in Revit (v4.x, docked panel)
Open your model in Revit and click the Pirros tab to open the panel.
Open the Updates tab. When your firm's library has a newer version of a detail or family that's in your model, it appears here.
Review what changed.
Pull in the latest version. [VERIFY: whether you can select individual items or pull all at once, and what confirmation the panel shows.]
Families that arrive from a different Revit year are upgraded and published for your version. New family types are added in place instead of reloading the whole family.
Option B: Classic plugin (v3.x)
Open your model in Revit and click the Pirros tab.
Click Download → Download Latest.
Pirros lists what's out of date and replaces the existing content with the latest version, matched by Pirros ID.
Repeat in each building model if you work with several, such as a campus project.
Side by side
| Pirros in Revit (v4.x) | Classic plugin (v3.x) |
Where | Updates tab in the panel | Download Latest |
What you see | A list of newer versions, with what changed | A list of out-of-date items |
How it matches | Pirros ID and version ID | Pirros ID and version ID |
Use as an audit | Check the Updates tab before submissions | Run Download Latest before submissions |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I updated an item and ended up with a duplicate that has a number after the name. What happened?
A: The two items have different or missing Pirros IDs, so Pirros couldn't treat them as the same content. Keep the item with the correct, shared Pirros ID and delete the other. Don't try to copy IDs between items by hand.
Q: Can I merge duplicates on the Pirros website?
A: No. In Revit, re-link instances to the correct item, then delete the extras.
Q: Why didn't I get an email about the update?
A: The person who synced a change doesn't receive the notification, and only people who need to download it do. Check the update tool instead.
Q: How often should I check for updates?
A: At least before every submission or major milestone.