# Troubleshooting Manual

This is not a tutorial — it's where you fix things

Want to learn a feature or watch it demoed → go to Tutorials (opens new window) (Season 3 · 12 episodes / 164 features — search a feature name and jump straight to that moment in the video)
What this manual covers: won't install, won't run, errors, freezes, wrong output, lost data

# Step one: check in this order

Most "the plugin does nothing" cases are solved in the first three steps. Go in order — don't skip.

Test first: is it a family-upgrade freeze? If Revit hangs the moment you open a tool that loads families by default, read IME compatibility first
Test first: run the same command in Revit's default architectural template
Core check: use the elimination method — disable other third-party add-ins and check for add-in conflicts
Check for updates: make sure the plugin is current, then report the problem to the developer (how to report it so it's actually useful)
Last resort: repair the installation → reinstall Revit

The iron rule

Change one thing at a time, then test immediately. Change three at once and you won't know which one fixed it.

What you're seeing	Go to
Won't install, or the plugin isn't in Revit after installing	Install · Not Loading
Unauthorized / license lapsed / switching computers	Activation & License
The plugin is there, but commands do nothing, buttons are grey, Revit freezes	Commands Not Working
Library opens slowly, downloads hang, textures lost, family edits won't stick	Family Library
Framing lands in the wrong place, missing members, generation fails	Framing
Surface floors / roofs / threshold stones won't generate	Surface Finish
Dimensions scrambled, sizes wiped, material tags won't refresh	Annotation · Sheets
Material replacement does nothing, textures won't display	Material · Rendering
Model gets slow as it grows, generation takes forever	Slowness · Performance
Catfish Cloud won't connect, sync fails	Catfish Cloud
Looking up built-in parameters, values or naming rules	Parameters & Lists

Provide the things below and it's usually diagnosed in one round; a bare "the plugin is broken" takes several back-and-forths.

Revit version (2018 / 2020 / 2021 … 2027 — the specific year)
Plugin version (see it under Family Library → About or in the standalone desktop window)
Steps to reproduce (which command, which step it failed at)
A screenshot of the error, or the exact Revit message
Whether it happens in one project/template or in every project
Diagnostic log: the plugin can produce a diagnostic log — turn it on, reproduce the problem once, then send the log directory — see Activation & License → Diagnostic log