Saving Revit file Back To A Previous Version

[BlueRocco]

How do I save my new 2014 version of a model I'm workiong on to an ealier vertion, or even save it as a 2012 vesion? I've looked eveywhere and I can't find an answer to this problem I just found. I am just trying out the program in 2014 and want to finish out on a version I'm familiar with. How do I save it back to an erlier version? 

[constantin.stroescu]

there is no such a possibility....People accustomed with AutoCAD find this as a big missing.,, but Revit is changing  and improves continuosly and it is not possible to come back to older versions..

[davidwilliamedwards]

I would hope that someday the .adsk format or even IFC would allow this.

[rosskirby · Accepted solution]

Revit files are not natively capable of being saved down.  You can export to IFC, then re-import into a previous version.  WARNING: You will lose some information in the translation.  It is not a perfect system, and it is not intended to be.  The inability to save down in Revit is a very well-known and longstanding issue, which is why you get the warning message when you upgrade a file.

Why can't you "finish it out" in 2014?  Do you have consultants who are on a previous version?  There's not that much that's different in 2014...

[BlueRocco]

I had no idea, it would be a problem. I have an earlier version on my
laptop, I cannot install the latest due to space problems and I wanted to
work on the project in the living room while I was watching T.V. I guess
I'll have to wait till I go back to the office to finish it, Or start again
with an earlier version. Doesn't matter to me, I charge the same for either.
Too bad Revit is such a bogus program. Maybe I'll just do it in Sketchup. At
least that works! I actually think it is going to kick Autodesk's proverbial
****! It costs much less and does everything that Revit does and much easier.
I can really see it taking over! Check it out, you will love it!



Thanks,



Micheal Kingsley

208-362-1767



http://cdsidaho.com

[rosskirby]

I will have to respectfully disagree, Michael.  I am thoroughly familiar with SketchUp, and it is nowhere near as capable as Revit, but to each his own.  If you can work more efficiently in SketchUp, then by all means, please do so.

Good luck to you.

[davidwilliamedwards]

Sketchup totally lacks the "I" in BIM...

[BlueRocco]

Actually, it doesn't. You can place intelligence in any component within
Sketchup. And you can create components that are singularly hosted as well.
There is a lot there that most people aren't aware of. Scheduling and tags
etcetera are all there. In fact from what I've seen in the last few versions
of Revit, some of the stuff looks like it was backward engineered from
Sketchup. Looks, I'm not saying it was. I'm not trying to start a war, it's
just that the things you like in Revit, I've found in Sketchup. Some of them
easier, some harder to find and use.



I'll close this conversation here, I don't want to get too far off topic.



Thanks for the info on Backward Compatibility for Revit!



Thanks,



Micheal Kingsley

[BlueRocco]

The same to you. Thanks for the info.



Thanks,



Micheal Kingsley

208-362-1767



http://cdsidaho.com

[davidwilliamedwards]

Thanks - I've used SU since day one and about everyday since - thanks for the info...

Revit being basically a database, I'm sure trying to go back to a previous version would be very difficult.

[biosfixguy]

This is a case you may have:

Arch company using Revit version 2014, and Mech company only bought version 2012, Sprinkler and Elec company may bought some other version.

So what, all of lower version users are forced to UPGRADE !!!

And this may happen again and again in future!

[lasis]

@biosfixguy : you nailed the real reason for NOT allowing to save in previous version - Autodesk wants to maximise it's income by forcing people to "upgrade" till death. In long term this strategy will turn against the company that grew on AutoCAD.... with full backwards compatibility. Revit will not repeat this....

[louisa]

I dont understand why autodesk will not allow older version compatability. I am guessing money. so everyone has to buy the newest version but this is BS. I have clients from version 12 and up. I draw a "family" in a later version and I have to redraw it in a earlier version because autodesk does not want to fix the issue. some of my familys are complex so a waste of my time. if you dont want to save the files at least be able to save the familys. and that IFC export is crap.

[BlueRocco]

Money, Money, Money, Money!  Autodesk has YOUR best interests at Heart! Money, Money, Money, Money! Autodesk. See us at 1 Market PLace in San Fransico!!  Money, Money, Money, Money!!!!!!

Set it all up in Sketchup and you will SAVE!!!

[Arkctic]

We are thinking of using Revit, but after finding out about having to upgrade everytime has made us think twice.

[Arkctic]

It would be fine if updates were not charged.

[BlueRocco]

Try SketchUp. Not only does it go back and forth from one release to the other, It is BIM capable, and if you send the $95.00 USD you get upgrades for free. 

JUST SO YOU KNOW, I GET NOTHING FROM SKETCHUP, BUT A FANTASTIC, COMPATABLE PROGRAM THAT WORKS!!!!! With a TON of folks that love it to support it. Check out basecamps on youtube. Everyone pitches in to make it better. You could even make a living just drawing pictures that are beautiful!!!

[erikabo43]

is there a way to insert file from revit 2013 or 2014 to 2016? 

[David_W_Koch]

---

@erikabo43 wrote:

is there a way to insert file from revit 2013 or 2014 to 2016? 

---

Welcome to the community!

Not sure what you mean by "insert".  Older version files can be opened by newer versions, but they will be upgraded to the newer file format and, if saved, will no longer be able to be opened by the older version.

While you may be able to link an older version file in a newer version project, you will probably want to upgrade the older file to the new version (or upgrade a copy of the file to the new version, if you need to be able to open the old file in the older version, too), in order to avoid the time it takes Revit to upgrade the linked file every time you open the project.

[randall.temple]

You folks don't seem to appreciate the difficulty of maintaining backward compatibility in a database-driven program like Revit, or the bloat that AutoCAD carries to maintain that compatibility.  Just maintanining customizations to be compatible with multiple versions of ACAD can be a real PITA, and that's not even touching the database.

Maybe I'm spoiled being on subscription, but the only problem I have with forward-only compatibilty is with sharing standard details (and families).  A detail updated in 2015 isn't available to a late-stage project still in 2014.  Makes mainatining the library a little challenging.  I have yet to try it, but I doubt an IFC transfer will include the drafting views.  Maybe I'm mistaken.

As much as I loath ACAD imports into Revit, I could try a DWG export and re-import.  Since it originates in Revit, it might not carry all the extra ACAD junk.

R