This morning I gave Autodesk Application Manager (AAM) another chance by removing it and installing it again. It reports a number of things requiring my attention; A360, Navisworks, Revit 2016 Extensions and AutoCAD OSNAP support. That's a bit more encouraging, it seems to be awake at least. In the past it just stopped caring about updates and didn't seem to find any despite Luke telling me otherwise on his blog.
The Revit Clinic has since provided a post with information regarding 2015 and 2016 updates.
I noticed that Revit 2016 now has Service Pack 1 installed. After a year of Release Updates we are now returning to language of old with Service Pack. Okay...
In a comment for yesterday's post Phillip asks why isn't there one update application that installs the necessary features based on what is installed...for each Revit version? Good question! They must be able to figure out what is installed and hopefully they know what is needed, better than me trying to figure it out from the information they aren't putting on the website at least.
Luke also followed up his previous posts with another regarding Revit 2016 Extensions (he's observed they are now being deployed via AAM), Space Naming Utility (now generically "version-less" wrapped up and delivered at Autodesk Exchange Apps). I'm still not sure where to expect to find Worksharing Monitor or the Collaboration for Revit (C4R) 2016.
After installing the 2015 update I find C4R is broken, it triggers the usual message that only a programmer's mother can love.
I'm glad that AAM seems to be working now but it is soooo slooooowwww installing updates. The Navis updates just report "installing" with no indication for the degree of progress while some of the others do. Consistent inconsistency. The updates for Navis and ReCap put fresh icons on my desktop where there were none. It's not hard to delete them but its rude to put something on the desktop that wasn't there prior to the update.
Grumpy but not as grumpy as yesterday...
Showing posts with label Release Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Release Update. Show all posts
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Saturday, February 07, 2015
Revit 2015 MEP - Calculations and Performance
When Revit 2015 Update Release 3 became available a new MEP setting became available for Pipe and Duct Systems called Performance Mode. If you examine the Type Properties of a Piping system (or Duct) you'll find this additional setting.
The help documentation (link below) offers up this table to break down which system classification calculations are made available to us and which are able to take advantage of this new Performance choice.
This is intended to improve performance when working/editing large MEP system networks. For each system type we choose to assign this Performance setting to, Revit's system propagation is disabled on every system assigned to that system type. The Calculations parameter can be included in schedules, which can make it easier to toggle on and off. Keep in mind, if the file is opened in a previous build (not Update Release 3 or newer) then the parameter may/will not display correctly.
At first glance it doesn't seem much different from choosing None because to restore system propagation we have to change the setting back to use a calculation method, other than Performance or None. My initial expectation was that None would shut down calculations entirely and Performance would permit some calculations but do so in a way that would improve my experience or perception of performance, Revit's responsiveness as I work.
As I've learned from the developers, despite carrying a name that suggests to me otherwise, under the hood, using None does NOT tell Revit to completely ignore everything related to the connected network. This new Performance setting DOES allow Revit to completely ignore any system (as far as calculation propagation is concerned) that is assigned to the Performance setting.
As I understand them, the two choices are a trade off between accepting slower performance for each and every model (our) interaction (by choosing None) or having a quicker response (from Revit) for each model interaction, choosing instead to endure a longer wait after turning back on calculations (using Performance). Perhaps in a future release we'll just see None eliminated or replaced by Performance? At the very least I think the naming is a bit misleading.
A side effect of using this setting is that duct/pipe sizing and the System Inspector will not work on systems that are assigned to it either.
You can READ the Help Documentation HERE.
The help documentation (link below) offers up this table to break down which system classification calculations are made available to us and which are able to take advantage of this new Performance choice.
This is intended to improve performance when working/editing large MEP system networks. For each system type we choose to assign this Performance setting to, Revit's system propagation is disabled on every system assigned to that system type. The Calculations parameter can be included in schedules, which can make it easier to toggle on and off. Keep in mind, if the file is opened in a previous build (not Update Release 3 or newer) then the parameter may/will not display correctly.
At first glance it doesn't seem much different from choosing None because to restore system propagation we have to change the setting back to use a calculation method, other than Performance or None. My initial expectation was that None would shut down calculations entirely and Performance would permit some calculations but do so in a way that would improve my experience or perception of performance, Revit's responsiveness as I work.
As I've learned from the developers, despite carrying a name that suggests to me otherwise, under the hood, using None does NOT tell Revit to completely ignore everything related to the connected network. This new Performance setting DOES allow Revit to completely ignore any system (as far as calculation propagation is concerned) that is assigned to the Performance setting.
As I understand them, the two choices are a trade off between accepting slower performance for each and every model (our) interaction (by choosing None) or having a quicker response (from Revit) for each model interaction, choosing instead to endure a longer wait after turning back on calculations (using Performance). Perhaps in a future release we'll just see None eliminated or replaced by Performance? At the very least I think the naming is a bit misleading.
A side effect of using this setting is that duct/pipe sizing and the System Inspector will not work on systems that are assigned to it either.
You can READ the Help Documentation HERE.
Sunday, February 01, 2015
Revit 2015 Update Release 6 is Available
Luke at What Revit Wants must have bugs hiding at Autodesk. They don't even seem to know at Autodesk's own site, but he does.
Regardless, Luke knows and I've downloaded and installed it already. Thanks!
CLICK ME to read his blog post!
Regardless, Luke knows and I've downloaded and installed it already. Thanks!
CLICK ME to read his blog post!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Revit 2015 R2 - Background Color
Continuing in the theme of filling long standing wishes, it is now possible to choose your own background color instead just using Invert Background to use a black background. Years ago I did attempt to live with a black background but found that I preferred the white background after a short transition. I find trying to use a black background quite disorienting now.
Regardless lots of users have a preference for something other than white. In particular, for some people, staring at a white screen all day bothers their eyes. Adjusting their monitor's brightness and contrast only goes so far to mitigate their discomfort. Now they/we can choose nearly any color we'd like to use instead of white, via the Graphics page of the Options dialog.
It is a bit quirky depending on what is visible in the view. You'll have to experiment some to find both a color you really like and can live with how information is presented in different views with it in play. Here's what I call Word Perfect background with some rooms using a color fill (well I remember a blue background in Word Perfect).
And this is casual attempt to mimic "butter" tracing paper background.
I'm probably going to stick with a white background but I'm sure there are many users who will enjoying having a little more control over what they stare at for 8+ hours a day.
Regardless lots of users have a preference for something other than white. In particular, for some people, staring at a white screen all day bothers their eyes. Adjusting their monitor's brightness and contrast only goes so far to mitigate their discomfort. Now they/we can choose nearly any color we'd like to use instead of white, via the Graphics page of the Options dialog.
It is a bit quirky depending on what is visible in the view. You'll have to experiment some to find both a color you really like and can live with how information is presented in different views with it in play. Here's what I call Word Perfect background with some rooms using a color fill (well I remember a blue background in Word Perfect).
And this is casual attempt to mimic "butter" tracing paper background.
I'm probably going to stick with a white background but I'm sure there are many users who will enjoying having a little more control over what they stare at for 8+ hours a day.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Revit 2015 R2 - Default Setting for Import Positioning
This is a welcome change, one many users have been asking for a long time.
The default positioning setting is now Auto - Origin to Origin, pause for the sound of applause (and comments like "finally") in offices around the globe...
If you change the default setting, the option you select for Positioning becomes the default instead for your current Revit session. Revit will also remember a different setting for Revit models and CAD files. For example, this will make it easier to use Auto-Origin to Origin for Revit models and Auto - Center to Center for CAD files.
Glad to see this subtle but heavily wished for change.
The default positioning setting is now Auto - Origin to Origin, pause for the sound of applause (and comments like "finally") in offices around the globe...
If you change the default setting, the option you select for Positioning becomes the default instead for your current Revit session. Revit will also remember a different setting for Revit models and CAD files. For example, this will make it easier to use Auto-Origin to Origin for Revit models and Auto - Center to Center for CAD files.
Glad to see this subtle but heavily wished for change.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Revit 2015 R2 - Upgrading File Warning
Harry pointed out in his blog post the other day that the latest update now provides a warning to let us know when we are opening an older file that must be upgraded first. It gives us an opportunity to cancel the process. As you are well aware, we've always had to wait for that to finish before we could close the file, WITHOUT saving, and then open the correct version of Revit, and begin again.
I complained about this in my own blog post and Harry was good enough to respond with a solution via his Boost Your BIM site and his excellent Udemy Revit Programming class.
However, unlike Harry's solution, which stops Revit in its tracks until I provide a response to the warning, Autodesk chose to let Revit keep opening the file. The dialog stays on screen until the file finishes opening. When we are opening a project file that's probably okay-ish.
Opening a family file, not so much. They will usually open too fast to make it of any use (ironic that is a complaint of sorts). I tried it on a couple families prior to writing this (and the reason I'm writing now) and I saw the dialog exactly long enough for me to grasp what it was saying and it was gone...too late to click Cancel Upgrade.
Unless I'm poised to click the button as soon as I start to open a file I'm likely to miss it. Sadly it is a bit too much like Whack a mole, the bugger's gone before my mallet gets there.
Trying to get a screen capture of that dialog was fun. I ended up opening an older project instead so it would be open longer. It seemed so easy to me, just make it do what Harry's did...
I complained about this in my own blog post and Harry was good enough to respond with a solution via his Boost Your BIM site and his excellent Udemy Revit Programming class.
However, unlike Harry's solution, which stops Revit in its tracks until I provide a response to the warning, Autodesk chose to let Revit keep opening the file. The dialog stays on screen until the file finishes opening. When we are opening a project file that's probably okay-ish.
Opening a family file, not so much. They will usually open too fast to make it of any use (ironic that is a complaint of sorts). I tried it on a couple families prior to writing this (and the reason I'm writing now) and I saw the dialog exactly long enough for me to grasp what it was saying and it was gone...too late to click Cancel Upgrade.
Unless I'm poised to click the button as soon as I start to open a file I'm likely to miss it. Sadly it is a bit too much like Whack a mole, the bugger's gone before my mallet gets there.
Trying to get a screen capture of that dialog was fun. I ended up opening an older project instead so it would be open longer. It seemed so easy to me, just make it do what Harry's did...
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Revit 2015 R2 - MEP Circuit Sequence and Recently Used Panel
New Feature - Circuit Sequence
Somewhat related to yesterday's new electrical feature there is also a new Electrical Setting called Circuit Sequence. There are three choices: Numerical, Group by Phase and Odd then Even (a common request, to fill one side of the panel and then the other).
This helps determine how the next circuit that gets created is assigned to slots in a panel. Subtle but an important addition.
New Feature - Most Recently Used Panel
When we create a new circuit Revit now offers a list of panels on the ribbon, on the System Tools panel. It remembers the Most Recently Used Panel so creating a new circuit and assigning to a panel can be as little as two clicks. One click to select the electrical element and another to click on Power. As long as the correct panel is display in the drop down list box you can move on to another task. As you can see my favorite electrical panel is in the list already.
Subtle stuff makes me grin!
Somewhat related to yesterday's new electrical feature there is also a new Electrical Setting called Circuit Sequence. There are three choices: Numerical, Group by Phase and Odd then Even (a common request, to fill one side of the panel and then the other).
This helps determine how the next circuit that gets created is assigned to slots in a panel. Subtle but an important addition.
New Feature - Most Recently Used Panel
When we create a new circuit Revit now offers a list of panels on the ribbon, on the System Tools panel. It remembers the Most Recently Used Panel so creating a new circuit and assigning to a panel can be as little as two clicks. One click to select the electrical element and another to click on Power. As long as the correct panel is display in the drop down list box you can move on to another task. As you can see my favorite electrical panel is in the list already.
Subtle stuff makes me grin!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Revit 2015 R2 - MEP Move To for Circuits
Here's a subtle one for Revit mEp users, a new button shows up in Panel Schedules when you select a circuit.
Move To begins by selecting a circuit. You can choose another eligible slot in the schedule. You'll see the "No You Can't" icon at your cursor when you hover over ineligible locations in the schedule.
Revit will highlight eligible slots in the schedule by turning the cells green. If your schedule has a fixed number of slots and they are all filled up you'll have to reconsider the panel loads. You also need to move circuits up or down to create an open location. The Move To feature doesn't shift existing circuits around, it just moves a circuit a bit easier than using up or down when a slot exists for it to move to.
Move To begins by selecting a circuit. You can choose another eligible slot in the schedule. You'll see the "No You Can't" icon at your cursor when you hover over ineligible locations in the schedule.
Revit will highlight eligible slots in the schedule by turning the cells green. If your schedule has a fixed number of slots and they are all filled up you'll have to reconsider the panel loads. You also need to move circuits up or down to create an open location. The Move To feature doesn't shift existing circuits around, it just moves a circuit a bit easier than using up or down when a slot exists for it to move to.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Echo David Light - Autodesk Revit 2015 R2 Info
This is an echo of what I read on David Light's blog this morning. He's working with Autodesk now and it clarifies which version of the latest release you need to use according to the type of licensing you are using, thanks David!
David writes:
David writes:
I got some useful information from our Enterprise Support team which I want to share. Its certainly worth being aware of this….
Please Note: You have to choose from either 2015 R2 or 2015 UR4 as they cannot be installed alongside each other. If Revit 2015 has not been registered , then you will not be presented with either update.
- Autodesk are pleased to announce new Update releases for Revit 2015.The following files will be available for download via the Autodesk Application manager: 2015 R2 (includes UR4 and the latest Hotfix) - Subscription Advantage Pack customers
- 2015 UR4 for regular customers where the license registration is not tied to a subscription contract
By 6pm EST, September 19th:
- Revit 2015 R2 w/ ENU docs - is available via the Subscription Center under downloads
- Revit 2015 UR4 w/ ENU docs - will be available for download via AKN (.com). All remaining languages for download via Application Manager, documents in Subscription Center and AKN, will be published within the following week.”
Revit 2015 R2 - Reference Other View
For many years now we've been able to use a concept called Reference Other View when we create sections, elevations, callouts and drafting views. We used to take advantage of it via the Options Bar, while creating those kinds of views. It's been moved up to the ribbon which seems to be another nail in the coffin for the poor old Options Bar, we knew thee well...
If you look closely you'll find you can create a New Drafting View, the default choice in brackets. This is an interesting subtle enhancement, for example:
This is all subtle but a bigger deal (though still subtle) is Searching the list. Did you notice the search criteria field at the top of the list in each of the earlier images? Enter your some of your desired view's name criteria and you'll find the view you want to reference quicker!
Oh, if you attempt to create a new view and then find the Reference Other View option is checked and you can't remove the check you are probably in a Drafting View. We can't create a live view based on a drafting view so it makes sense but it can be a bit confusing at first.
If you look closely you'll find you can create a New Drafting View, the default choice in brackets. This is an interesting subtle enhancement, for example:
- Click Section
- Choose Detail Section
- Check Reference Other View
- Select New Drafting View
- Place your section view annotation
- A new drafting view appears in the Project Browser
This is all subtle but a bigger deal (though still subtle) is Searching the list. Did you notice the search criteria field at the top of the list in each of the earlier images? Enter your some of your desired view's name criteria and you'll find the view you want to reference quicker!
Oh, if you attempt to create a new view and then find the Reference Other View option is checked and you can't remove the check you are probably in a Drafting View. We can't create a live view based on a drafting view so it makes sense but it can be a bit confusing at first.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Revit 2015 R2 - Data Row
In August of 2013 I wrote to complain about the placement of the Data Row button to create a new room, area, space or sheet in a schedule. I'm happy to write that they listened to me (and everyone else). The latest update release for 2015 has dedicated a little bit of ribbon real estate to a Insert Data Row button on its own. Fewer clicks for click counters to click (or count)!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Revit 2015 Supplementary Update
A quick heads up...Autodesk released Revit 2015 R2 today.
From an Autodesk email:
You can read the announcement on In the Fold.
Read the What's New in 2015 R2 documentation.
From an Autodesk email:
Autodesk Revit 2015 R2 includes more than 30 user-requested features that add powerful capabilities, enhance software performance and improve user productivity for architects, MEP and structural engineers. Fully compatible with the existing Revit 2015 releases, R2 does not have a file format change and installs without disrupting ongoing work in Revit 2015.
Other key features include:
- Increased Productivity: Multiple enhancements in R2 improve modeling and work productivity
- Increased Overall Power: With new features, R2 enables you to do more
- Increased Performance: R2 meets requests for faster software performance to make work easier
You can read the announcement on In the Fold.
Read the What's New in 2015 R2 documentation.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Revit 2014 Web Update 2
Revit tells me there is a new update available. At first when I clicked on the link it reported web update 1. Well I checked again and it seems to be working now. Here are some links so you don't have to wait to get told via Revit communication center (especially if it is off for you).
Revit 2014 Update 2 Links
Revit 2014 (Onebox)
Revit Architecture 2014
Revit Structure 2014
Revit MEP 2014
Revit 2014 Update 2 Links
Revit 2014 (Onebox)
Revit Architecture 2014
Revit Structure 2014
Revit MEP 2014
Thursday, September 05, 2013
Revit 2014 Update Release 1
An update for Revit 2014 became available recently. It has been blogged and tweeted many times already but I chose to echo it now because I've encountered questions about it a few times this week. This applies to all Revit versions, Architecture, Structure, MEP and Revit (aka "one-box"...all Revit disciplines in a single Revit install). These are update links for each version:
Revit Architecture 2014
Revit Structure 2014
Revit MEP 2014
Revit 2014 (one-box, only available as part of BDS)
Revit Architecture 2014
Revit Structure 2014
Revit MEP 2014
Revit 2014 (one-box, only available as part of BDS)
Monday, June 10, 2013
Autodesk Revit 2013 Does Get an Update
Last Friday I asked if Revit 2013 was going to get an update. It may have just been aggressive timing on my part but when I was looking there wasn't. A little bit later a reader provided a link, via a comment, to the Design Suite location for the web release update. Over the weekend I received an email letting me know that it is also listed under the Revit "pile" of versions too.
So the short answer is YES, Revit 2013 does get an update too!
So the short answer is YES, Revit 2013 does get an update too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)