Formwork Plugin 2026: Custom Colors and Revit 2026 Support

BIMStudio's Formwork plugin has been available on the Autodesk App Store since February 2022, providing Revit users with automated formwork area calculation for structural concrete elements. Version 1.0.4, released in January 2026, brings two highly requested features — custom parameter names and custom formwork colors — along with certified support for Revit 2026.

This article covers the current feature set, version history, and what these updates mean for teams using the plugin in production.

What the Formwork plugin does

Before covering the updates, a quick overview for readers new to the plugin.

The Formwork plugin calculates the formwork contact area for structural concrete elements in Revit — beams, columns, slabs, and walls. Unlike Revit's built-in surface area parameter, the plugin correctly identifies and excludes embedded faces (where one element intersects another) and writes the net formwork area back to each element as a Revit parameter.

This makes formwork quantities schedulable, exportable, and model-bound — no external spreadsheets required.

What's new in version 1.0.4 (January 2026)

Custom parameter name

Previous versions wrote formwork area to a fixed shared parameter. Version 1.0.4 lets you specify the parameter name in the plugin dialog before running a calculation.

This matters for real projects:

Office standards — many firms have a shared parameter template that all projects use. The custom name option means the formwork area value lands in exactly the right parameter in your firm's template, not a separate one that must be mapped later.
Multi-discipline coordination — if your cost estimation team expects formwork area in a parameter named QS_FormworkSurface, you can configure the plugin to use that name directly.
Avoiding parameter conflicts — projects sometimes accumulate multiple "area" parameters over time. Custom naming prevents the plugin from creating a duplicate or ambiguous field.

Custom formwork color

The Formwork plugin renders a visual overlay on structural elements to show which faces were identified as formwork surfaces. In version 1.0.4, you can choose the color of this overlay in the plugin settings.

This feature addresses a common complaint: the default formwork visualization color conflicts with other color overrides applied to the model (such as color-by-parameter views from BIMStudio's Color by Parameter plugin). Custom color lets you pick a visualization shade that is distinct from your existing view templates.

Revit 2026 support

Version 1.0.4 is certified for Autodesk Revit 2026. The plugin now supports the full Revit version range from 2021 through 2026:

Revit Version	Supported
Revit 2021	Yes
Revit 2022	Yes
Revit 2023	Yes
Revit 2024	Yes
Revit 2025	Yes
Revit 2026	Yes (new in v1.0.4)

Version history

Version	Release Date	Key Changes
1.0.1	2022-02-12	Initial release — formwork area calculation for beams, columns, slabs, walls
1.0.2	2023	Improved embedded face detection algorithm
1.0.3	2024	Performance improvements for large models; linked model enhancements
1.0.4	2026-01-23	Custom parameter name; custom formwork color; Revit 2026 support

Core features (all versions)

For context, here are the foundational capabilities that have been part of the plugin since its initial release:

Formwork area calculation

The plugin computes the net formwork contact area for each element in the selected categories. The calculation uses Revit's solid geometry API to identify exposed faces and subtract embedded regions where elements intersect.

Visual formwork rendering

Processed elements display a color overlay on the faces identified as formwork surfaces. This visualization helps quality-check the calculation — you can immediately see if a face was incorrectly included or excluded and investigate the model geometry.

Face selection control

The plugin dialog lets you configure which face types to include in the calculation. For non-standard structural elements, this gives you control over what counts as a formwork surface.

Batch processing

The plugin processes all elements in the selected categories in a single operation. No manual element selection required.

Properties panel integration

Calculated formwork area appears in the Revit Properties panel under Identity Data when you click any processed element. This gives you an instant readout for individual elements without opening a schedule.

Linked model support

The plugin processes Revit linked models alongside the active model, enabling formwork QTO in federated BIM workflows without merging files.

How v1.0.4 changes the production workflow

Scenario: firm-wide shared parameter template

A structural engineering firm uses a shared parameter file with over 200 parameters, maintained centrally and applied to all projects. With v1.0.3, the plugin added a parameter called FormworkArea — which conflicted with an existing parameter of the same name used for a different purpose.

With v1.0.4, the firm's BIM manager configures the plugin to write to BST_FormworkContactArea — the name that matches their shared parameter template — and the conflict disappears. New projects set up from the template automatically have the correct parameter target.

For questions about the update or to report any issues, contact the BIMStudio team at [email protected] or visit bimstudio.com.vn.