Planting F/X Notice! Drawing Uses Instance Parameters (Opening a Project in Revit®)
Issue
You saw the following message when opening a Revit project:
Planting F/X Notice: Instance Parameter Notice
Planting F/X Notice! Drawing Uses Instance Parameters
The file has Planting F/X's legacy instance parameter. We're unable to automatically convert it! To see the documentation page on how to switch this model to the new type parameters, click the Help button. To continue using instance parameters, click OK.
You may have seen the message after either:
- Updating to the latest version of our Planting F/X Plugin for Revit, or
- Installing the latest version of our Planting F/X Plugin for Revit to get the planting tools into Revit 2025
You previously used the Land F/X tools in this file (possibly before upgrading it to 2025).
Upgrading your model from instance to type parameters is optional. All Planting F/X tools will continue to work with plants using instance parameters for the time being, although his capability may be phased out in the future. This dialog is just a notice allowing you to keep track of which files you've upgraded and which you haven't. The only way to prevent this notice from appearing is to upgrade the model.
Cause
With Planting F/X version 2.0, we updated to type parameters in all our plants. Our F/X Planting Plugin is moving fast, and we decided we needed to get this change out sooner but without impacting existing projects unless needed. Upgrading an existing project that used instance parameters on plants would need to be a manual process as a result, but we will continue to support those old instance parameter projects for a reasonable time. This message will pop up every time you open the file with instance parameters, as the benefits of type parameters will make it worth that effort to upgrade your project, rather than holding a project as instance parameters forever.
Important Note: Read Before Upgrading!
We were able to support Toposolid subdivisions with instance parameters but were not able to with type parameters because Revit 2024 and 2025 do not currently support a separate type for a subdivision.
Revit also doesn't allow us to have Type and instance parameters of the same name in the same drawing, which is why you'll need to follow the steps below to remove the old instance parameters. As a result, the current version cannot place groundcovers on a toposolid subdivision. If your design relies on doing so, you'll need to choose to either
- Not change the file from instance to type parameters, or
- Plan to divide your subdivisions into separate toposolids
Toposolid subdivision type parameters are now supported in Revit version 2026 and newer.
Solution
Step 1 (if desired): View the LAFX parameters in use.
At this point, you can choose to click More info to view a list of the LAFX parameters currently in use in your file.
You'll now see a list showing which LAFX parameters are still instance parameters in your drawing, in case there's a mix of type and instance.
Step 2: Address the error.
To address the error message, you can choose to:
- Click OK to continue using instance parameters, or
- Complete the following steps to upgrade an instance parameter Planting F/X file to type parameters.
How to upgrade an instance parameter Planting F/X file to use type parameters:
2A. In Revit, use our 3D Connection tool to export trees and shrubs to the cloud. Take a screenshot or have a PDF handy of your plan beforehand to help you on the final step of re-labeling all plants.
If your Project Base Point is in a different location from your Internal Origin Point in Revit, you'll see a message informing you of this fact. If so, here's what to do.
Note that step 2A is for backup only, and is not required for the solution. If you encounter an error informing you that no plants were exported, the drawing may have become stuck between type and instance parameters and the plants can't be recognized anymore. Just note that the following steps can still fix the issue without this backup.
2B. Select the Project Parameters option from the Manage ribbon, and delete all LAFX parameters (yes, one at a time – Revit doesn't allow multiple deletions at once).
Tip: keep your mouse on the Delete icon, and just press Enter when the confirmation window pops up. It goes fast. Make sure not to delete Material!
2C. Save the Revit model, close Revit, and reopen the model.
2D. Open the Plant Manager and place a dummy of each species in your drawing. After placing the dummy, you can delete it. Do the same with groundcovers on a dummy floor.
These steps should trigger the plugin to reload the parameters as type parameters instead of instance parameters. Placing the dummies triggers Planting F/X to load the data into those type parameters for each plant.
Existing labels should update, and no plants should return a Not a plant error message anymore.
Still seeing the Not a plant error message? If so, you might have forgotten to save, close, and reopen this drawing as directed above.
2E. At this point, you may need to re-place some groundcovers, as the type name might have changed in a previous update.
For small plans, this process will take 30 minutes or less. Mid-size plans (larger commercial lots, parks, etc.) will take 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Large sites with thousands of plants, if all labeled, might take 30 minutes to 3 hours. The longest task is re-labeling, which is actually still quick as opposed to tagging without Planting F/X. If you haven't labeled anything yet, the process should take less then 30 minutes no matter how many plants are in your plan – most likely less than 10 minutes.
Schedules should update automatically, as they're already looking for the same shared parameter names. They will see the parameter names whether they're Instance or Type.
If you see any issues with the plant data carrying over, edit the species from the Plant Manager and click OK, while in the drawing with the plants placed, which will cause the parameters to re-update with the plant data.
If you have any issues with this process, please submit a technical support ticket.
All new projects will use LAFX type parameters if no LAFX instance parameters are present.
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Contact
- Land F/X
Our software tailors AutoCAD®, Revit®, SketchUp®, and Rhino® to the needs of landscape architects, irrigation designers, and other professionals. We automate your most tedious tasks and ensure accuracy, giving you more time to design.