Worksharing, Worksets, and Central File Collaboration

What Is Worksharing?

When a Revit project grows large enough that more than one person needs to work on it at the same time, you enable Worksharing. Worksharing divides the model into named subsets called worksets, and it creates a Central Model — a single authoritative copy of the project stored on a shared network location. Each team member works in a Local Copy of that Central Model, saved to their own workstation. Changes flow back and forth between local copies and the Central Model through a process called Synchronize with Central (SWC).

Without Worksharing, only one user can have the model open for editing at a time. With Worksharing, a structural engineer, an interior designer, and a mechanical coordinator can all edit simultaneously — as long as they are working in different worksets or on elements they have properly borrowed.

Key Concepts: Central Model and Local Copies

The Central Model lives on a server or mapped network drive that every team member can reach. You never edit the Central Model directly. Instead, each user opens a Local Copy, which Revit creates automatically the first time you open the Central Model from your machine. The Local Copy is stored on your workstation's hard drive or a personal network folder.

Before you start editing, confirm that your workstation can reliably reach the shared network folder. A dropped network connection mid-session can corrupt the Local Copy or cause a failed synchronization. Save your Local Copy frequently with Save (Ctrl+S), and synchronize with Central on a schedule your team agrees on — commonly every 30 to 60 minutes, or after completing a logical chunk of work.

Enabling Worksharing

Worksharing is not on by default. To enable it:

1. Open the project in Revit.

2. Go to the Collaborate tab on the ribbon.

3. Click Worksets. Revit will prompt you to enable Worksharing.

4. Click OK. Revit automatically creates two default worksets — Shared Levels and Grids and Workset1.

5. Rename or add worksets as needed for your project.

6. Use File → Save As → Project and save to the shared network folder; this makes the file the Central Model. Check "Make this the Central Model" when prompted.

From this point forward, team members open the Central Model from the network location and Revit guides them to create their own Local Copy.

Creating and Assigning Worksets

Worksets should reflect the major disciplines or building areas your team divides work by. For a typical building project you might create: Site, Shell (structure and exterior envelope), Interiors (partitions, finishes, interior doors), and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems).

To create a new workset, open the Worksets dialog (Collaborate tab → Worksets), click New, type the name, and click OK. You can set any workset as the Active Workset using the drop-down in the Worksets dialog or the toolbar. New elements you place will automatically belong to the Active Workset, so always confirm which workset is active before you start placing or editing elements.

To assign an existing element to a different workset, select the element and change the Workset parameter in its Properties palette.

Borrowing Elements and Editing Requests

Revit uses an element ownership model. When you select and edit an element, you are borrowing it from the Central Model. While you have it borrowed, no one else can edit it. This prevents two users from making conflicting changes to the same wall or door simultaneously.

If a teammate has borrowed an element you need, you can submit an Editing Request. The request appears in their Editing Requests dialog. They can then Grant the request (Revit relinquishes the element on their side) or Deny it. You can monitor pending requests from the Collaborate tab → Editing Requests.

Synchronize with Central

Synchronizing pushes your Local Copy's changes to the Central Model and pulls in changes your teammates have synchronized. To synchronize:

1. Collaborate tab → Synchronize with Central.

2. In the SWC dialog, choose which worksets to relinquish after syncing (common practice: relinquish all you are not actively editing).

3. Add a sync comment if your team uses them.

4. Click OK.

Revit merges the changes, flags any conflicts, and updates your Local Copy with the latest Central Model state.

Resolving an Ownership Conflict

A conflict occurs when two users have borrowed the same element — typically because one user borrowed it before the other synchronized. The workflow to resolve it:

1. The user who needs the element submits an Editing Request.

2. The user who currently owns the element sees the request in their Editing Requests dialog.

3. The owning user chooses Grant — Revit relinquishes the element for them automatically during the next SWC, or immediately if they synchronize now.

4. Once relinquished and synced, the requesting user borrows the element and makes their edits.

5. Document each conflict and resolution in the lab journal: note which element, who owned it, how it was resolved, and the time.

Workstation and Network Safety Points

Always follow your site's lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures when performing any hardware maintenance on a file server or network switch — those tasks are for qualified IT or facilities staff only. For your daily CAD work, the relevant safety habits are:

• Log off or lock your workstation when you step away; an unattended open Local Copy can block teammates from borrowing elements.
• Save and synchronize before shutting down. An unsaved Local Copy means your work is not in the Central Model and teammates cannot see it.
• Keep network cables seated and wireless connections stable; a lost connection during SWC can cause file corruption requiring recovery from backup.
• Follow ergonomic guidelines for workstation setup — monitor height, chair position, and keyboard placement — to prevent repetitive-strain injuries during long drafting sessions.