From Model to Dashboard: Revit and Power BI Templates That Work
Create and distribute Frame-powered dashboards in Microsoft Power BI for every project model.
Frame Team
Practical Autodesk and Revit Power BI Templates for Streamlined BIM Dashboards
Creating Power BI dashboards for BIM projects often takes more time than it should. Between preparing the data, designing visuals, and maintaining consistency across reports, many project teams struggle to build dashboards that are both informative and easy to use.
That’s where Autodesk and Revit Power BI templates come in. Templates help standardize visuals, reduce setup time, and ensure data from BIM models is communicated clearly. In this article, we’ll explore how templates can streamline report creation, how Frame is redefining BIM reporting with ready-to-use designs, and what kinds of dashboards you can create for real-world projects.
Are There Templates for Power BI?
Yes, Power BI offers templates that make report creation faster and more consistent. However, BIM-specific templates are hard to find, which is one of the main reasons we created Frame.
Most available Power BI templates on the web are designed for business analytics, sales, or finance dashboards. In the BIM world, every project comes with unique datasets, Revit parameters, and custom workflows, so a specialized approach is needed. Frame bridges that gap by offering pre-built Power BI templates tailored for Autodesk and Revit users, allowing teams to visualize and share insights with minimal setup.
Can You Connect a Project to Power BI?
Absolutely. Power BI can connect to almost any data source, including Autodesk data. The most common solutions today include Autodesk Data Exchange, VCAD, Speckle, and our own tool, Frame.
With Frame, you can directly connect Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) models or local Revit files to Power BI. The process is simple: your BIM model’s metadata is extracted, cleaned, and structured automatically into a ready-to-use dataset, so you can jump straight into report building.
Learn how Frame enhances Power BI with BIM integration
What Is a .pbit File?
A .pbit file is a Power BI template file. It contains the report structure, visuals, page layouts, themes, and data model, without storing the actual data. This makes it perfect for reuse across projects.
Frame uses the .pbit format for all its templates, allowing users to easily duplicate and adapt dashboards for different models, clients, or disciplines without rebuilding from scratch.
Dashboard Example: Power BI for BIM
A Power BI dashboard built for Revit and Autodesk data typically includes:
- A model viewer connected to BIM elements
- KPIs and summaries for quantities, costs, or model health
- Interactive filters to isolate disciplines, levels, or issues
- Dynamic visuals like charts, tables, and 3D embeds
Link Revit Models to Power BI
Revit models can be linked to Power BI by exporting model metadata into a compatible dataset. This can be done manually through Revit exports or automatically through connectors like Frame, which pulls the data directly from your BIM files and Autodesk Construction Cloud.
Frame simplifies the process by including both the data connection and the ready-made report templates in one platform.
Template Design: How We Create Them
Every Frame template starts with a simple principle: clarity drives communication. A dashboard is only successful when it helps someone understand a complex project in seconds.
Our design philosophy focuses on three main ideas:
- Purposeful communication - Every visual must answer a real question or support a project decision.
- Minimalism with meaning - We remove unnecessary visuals and highlight only the metrics that matter. This makes reports lighter, faster, and easier to read.
- Ready for customization - Each template is flexible enough to adapt to any project or client requirement without breaking its structure.
We dedicate time to ensure that each page layout and interaction feels natural, even for non-technical users. From color rules to filter placement, every design choice aims to make insights intuitive.
All our templates are powered by clean, pre-structured datasets extracted directly from your BIM models. This ensures every Power BI report accurately represents model data, without manual cleanup or complex transformations.
Frame’s Current Power BI Templates
Frame offers a growing library of Autodesk and Revit Power BI templates designed to address different stages of the project lifecycle. Each template is optimized for usability, fast deployment, and clarity.
Here’s a look at our current lineup:
1. Starter Template
A foundational template for RVT, IFC, and NWD files to analyze model performance. Track element counts, model size, categories, and health indicators to ensure your models remain optimized and maintainable.
2. Quantities Template
Perfect for teams needing to visualize quantities, materials, and elements by category or parameter. Ideal for cost estimation, takeoffs, and procurement workflows.
3. Clash Management Template
Designed for NWD files, this template helps teams visualize, group, and filter clashes by severity, trade, or location, directly linked to your model elements.
4. File Versioning Template
Monitors and compares Revit model versions across time. Quickly identify updates, changes in elements, and revisions to ensure quality control in design coordination.
5. ACC Issues Template
Built for Autodesk Construction Cloud users, this template brings issue tracking and resolution metrics directly into Power BI, combining model and issue data for better accountability.
Each of these templates is available within Frame, ready to connect to your local or ACC-hosted models, and built with flexibility in mind, so your team can focus on insights, not setup.
Autodesk Connector for Power BI: Current Template Choices
If you’re exploring Autodesk and Revit Power BI templates, you’ll find a few existing options such as Autodesk Data Exchange, VCAD, and Speckle. Each has its benefits, but they also come with limitations:
- Autodesk Data Exchange – Great for ACC users, but lacks pre-made templates or optimized datasets.
- VCAD – Reliable and clean data, but the UI feels dated and pricing can be restrictive.
- Speckle – Offers flexibility and self-hosting, but models must leave the Autodesk cloud, which many organizations avoid.
Why We Recommend Frame
Frame was designed to simplify this landscape. We offer:
- A wide range of templates to choose from
- Integration with both ACC and local models
- Exclusive ACC templates like the Issues Dashboard
- Clash management, file versioning, and quantities templates
- A custom viewer inside Power BI for interactive model exploration
We’re continuously expanding our template library and plan to allow users to upload and share their own templates, creating a collaborative ecosystem of BIM reporting tools.
Can Power BI Connect to Excel?
Yes, and that’s one of Power BI’s greatest strengths. It can connect to a wide range of sources, from simple Excel spreadsheets to complex databases and web APIs.
With Frame, this connection becomes even more powerful. You can bring your BIM model directly into Excel, edit properties, add new data, and then sync everything back to Power BI. This means teams can continue working in familiar tools while maintaining a single source of truth across their dashboards.
👉 Learn more about Frame’s Excel-BIM integration
Summary
Using Autodesk and Revit Power BI templates is the fastest way to create insightful, consistent BIM dashboards. With clean datasets, pre-built visuals, and intuitive design, you can focus on decisions instead of setup.
Frame takes this concept further by offering a growing library of BIM-ready Power BI templates, each crafted to deliver clarity, speed, and flexibility.
Conclusion
Templates are more than shortcuts; they’re the foundation of consistent data communication. When combined with tools like Revit, Autodesk Construction Cloud, and Power BI, they unlock the true value of your project data.
While traditional connectors offer partial solutions, Frame provides an all-in-one approach: diverse templates, optimized datasets, ACC and local integration, and a seamless user experience from model to dashboard.
If you’re ready to transform the way you create reports, Frame’s Autodesk and Revit Power BI templates are the smartest way to start.