★ User Guide
User Guide · Revit Add-in

CAD Layer Exporter

CAD Layer Exporter turns a Revit model into a clean, fully-layered DXF that opens in AutoCAD organised exactly the way you set it up. Capture elements from views or filter rules, assign each group its own layer, colour and draw order — the result is a tidy CAD file your team can keep working in.

CAD Layer Exporter · Motion-Site Tools
Demo video · drop file here
How it works

Five steps,
start to DXF

Each step has its own walkthrough. Click a step's number or title to collapse it, and use the navigator on the right to jump between sections.

Layers by Revit Views

Capture a layer from a Revit view

Turn any open Revit view into an export layer. The exporter reads the active view and captures everything visible in it, so the drawing you see on screen is exactly what lands on the layer.

  1. 1 Double-check the export view. In the Project Browser, make sure the view you want is active — here, Level 2 Architecture. Whatever is current becomes the layer's source.
  2. 2 Open the VIEW LAYERS tab, type a layer name (for example L02 Arch Background), and click Add Layer.
  3. 3 The layer drops into the Layer List tagged VIEW, with its source view and live element count — 1,152 elements from Level 2 Architecture.
  4. 4 Optionally hit Save as Preset to keep the layer and its captured view for future sessions.
Tip · Need only part of the view? Use Revit's Temporary Hide/Isolate first — the exporter captures just the isolated elements.
Step 1 Capture from active view · double-click to expand
Layers by Selected Filters

Build a layer from filter rules

Instead of a whole view, target elements by their parameters. Write rules with AND/OR logic — just like Revit's native filter editor — and the exporter pulls every matching element in the active view onto one layer.

  1. 1 Double-check the export view, then open the LAYERS BY FILTERS tab and click Open Filter Builder.
  2. 2 Name the layer, add a rule — for example System Abbreviation Contains SA — and hit Identify to preview the match count (470 elements).
  3. 3 Click Add & Run Rule to create the layer, then Save as Preset to reuse the filter in future sessions.
  4. 4 Use Isolate in the Layer List to check the result in the active view and catch any elements that slipped in.
  5. 5 Caught extras? Click Edit Filter, add an exclusion rule (System Abbreviation Does Not Contain SAN), and Identify again to confirm the tighter count (459 elements).
Tip · Identify reports the live match count before you commit, so you can dial the rules in until only the right elements remain.
Step 2 Filter by parameter rules · double-click to expand
Import / Export & Configurations

Share filters & save your setup

Once your layers look right, make them reusable. Share filter presets with the team, then save the whole layer arrangement as a configuration you can reload for a one-click DXF export next time.

  1. Share Filters
  2. 1 Export your saved presets to a Filter Presets.json file — hand it to teammates so everyone works from the same filter set.
  3. 2 Import a colleague's .json to load their presets locally in seconds.
  4. Save & Refine a Configuration
  5. 3 Save Current stores all layers — names, colours, order, and source views — as a named configuration for quick reuse.
  6. 4 Save As… spins a new configuration off an existing one (e.g. L02 CAD Export → L03 CAD Export) so you don't rebuild from scratch.
  7. 5 Double-click a layer name in the list to rename it inline.
  8. 6 Click a layer's Source View to pick the correct view from the list — or select several layers with Ctrl+Shift and set the source view for all of them at once.
Tip · A saved configuration plus shared presets means the next floor's export is a load-and-go — no rebuilding rules or recolouring layers.
Step 3 Share presets & save configurations · double-click to expand
Presets & Config

Save the configuration

Click Save to store the whole layer setup with the project. Next time you export, reload it in one click — no need to rebuild layers from scratch. Share the library with the team as a single file.

STEP 4
step-4 · save + load config
Output

Export to DXF

Click Export, choose a destination, and the add-in writes a layered .dxf. Choose Merged for one file with all layers, or Per-layer for separate files. Open in AutoCAD — every group is on its own named, coloured layer.

STEP 5
step-5 · export → opens in AutoCAD
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