Tool

Purge unused

Technical name: elimina_inutilizzati

Modelling › Modify

Writes the model

Lists and, with your approval in Revit, deletes from the model unused families, types, materials and other elements, as Revit's "Purge Unused" does (Revit 2024 or later).

What it does

Cleans the model of the elements nobody uses (unused families and types, materials, styles, view templates…), with the same list as Revit's "Purge Unused" command. It can be limited to some categories.

  • Preview (the default): reports the document, how many unused elements there are, the count by category and the first ones in the list (50 by default, up to 500). Deletes nothing.
  • Purge: with anteprima: false and conferma: true BIMit asks for your approval in Revit and, if you approve, deletes the listed elements.

BIMit tries to delete them all together; if Revit refuses some, it deletes them one by one and at the end lists those Revit did not delete (in use by something the list does not see). It is a single pass: what becomes unused afterwards (for example the materials of a family just deleted) is left for the next time.

How it works

  1. Your AI calls the tool as a preview and tells you how many unused elements there are and of which categories.
  2. If you want to go ahead, your AI calls it again with anteprima: false and conferma: true. A window opens in Revit saying how many elements would be deleted, from which document and of which categories. To approve, tick "I have read the request: I approve this action only" and choose "Approve"; "Deny" does nothing.
  3. Meanwhile your AI follows the request with Job status. If you approve, BIMit deletes in a single Revit operation and your AI gets how many elements were deleted, by category, and any that were not.

It is a risky tool: with BIMit's "Confirm risky actions" option on (it is on by default), the apps that support it ask for your permission at every call.

Example requests

  • "How many unused elements are there in the model? Give me them by category, without deleting anything."
  • "Purge the door and window families that aren't used."
  • "Do a full purge of unused elements: I'll approve it in Revit."

What changes and how to undo

Deletes the listed unused elements from the model. Everything happens in a single Revit operation, which shows in the Undo list with BIMit's name and "elimina inutilizzati": one Ctrl+Z in Revit brings them all back. The preview changes nothing; if you deny the approval, nothing is deleted. If the unused elements are gone in the meantime, BIMit says so and deletes nothing.

Limits

  • Needs Revit 2024 or later (it uses Revit's list of unused elements). In earlier versions the tool says so: use Revit's "Purge Unused".
  • Needs the AI level "Write" (the default), which you choose with the "Level" button on the BIMit tab.
  • Needs an open, editable project in Revit, with no other operation in progress.
  • The purge always asks for your approval in Revit, whatever the number of elements. It only skips the approval in the background Revit instances BIMit uses to open other models, which work on detached copies or new files.
  • One pass per call: to delete what becomes unused afterwards, run it again.
  • Every change to the model can be undone with Ctrl+Z in Revit; team actions ask for confirmation in Revit.

Parameters

ParameterMeaning
categorieOnly these categories (Revit name, OST_… or English name, like "Walls"); empty: all.
anteprimatrue (default): lists without deleting.
confermatrue with anteprima: false: deletes, after your approval in Revit.
limiteHow many elements to list at most (default 50, at most 500).

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