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? 

[randall.temple]

I like SketchUp.  It's a fun tool -- light, intuitive, and capable of amazing results from such a simple toolset.  But it's a bicycle next to Revit's bulldozer.

If you're issuing CDs from SketchUp and LayOut, you're working way too hard.

R

[BlueRocco]

AutoCAD has been around for a very long time... I have no idea where you come up with bloat. The backward compatibility has always been there either in the program or as a secondary program that you can use. I think that is what most folks are looking for. It really makes no difference to AutoCAD or even Revit if they could come up with a secondary program to use instead of forcing people with older versions to constantly upgrade.

I see in the AutoCAD News that they have indeed FIXED the backward compatibility for all new users that buy into the AutoCAD system, simply by forcing all users to constantly update using their new rental system. You simply get no choice, you HAVE TO rent the program, you cannot get a perpetual license, So all the argueing is moot unless you maintain your perpetual license that you bought before they close the door. And I do see a lot of the older companies just sitting on what they have until the very last minute. This isn't to benifit any customer, it is simply the way AutoCAD does business. Get the most out of the suckers before they figure it out! It has been that way every since it went public. Happily, after 26 years using their products, I no longer have to deal with them, I plan on retiring before they can suck anymore money out of me!

Micheal

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@randall.temple wrote:

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

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[BlueRocco]

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@randall.temple wrote:

I like SketchUp.  It's a fun tool -- light, intuitive, and capable of amazing results from such a simple toolset.  But it's a bicycle next to Revit's bulldozer.

If you're issuing CDs from SketchUp and LayOut, you're working way too hard.

R

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Obviously you haven't used SketchUp very much. Try checking out one of their basecamps on youtube. It is a lot like what AutoCAD was before Autodesk bought Revit. You do realize that revit is NOT in any way AutoCAD right? It is just another example of Autodesk buying up the compitition before they can actually get a chance to compete.

I love AutoCAD and I love Sketchup and I use them both to the best of their ability. SketchUp has a great community of folks that want to be involved in their program. Try doing that with Revit. Not going to happen. I truly believe that ShetchUp is better, easier, and more available for input than anything AutoDesk has. I used to be one of the contributers to AutoCAD. It was fun as well as informative. With Revit... This is it, suck it up and suffer, you can't change it or the minds of the people developing it. This backward compatability is just one example of it.

Go check out One Market Place in San Fransico, that is where all your money goes, then ....  

Come over to the Light.... Try SketchUp, you will love it when you take a little time to see all the advantages.....

Micheal

[randall.temple]

I know that Revit is not at all like AutoCAD.  That's what's so great about it.  AutoCAD is an archaic dinosaur that tries to function like Revit, and fails.  And yes, Revit would probably be better today if Autodesk had stayed out of it.  And yes, their new sales model sucks, and when it bites them, they'll reinvent it again in a couple years.  But it is what it is.  Do you also refuse to join the rest of the world on Winodws because Microsoft is the bullying behemoth that it is?

I've used SketchUp quite a bit.  As I said, it's a fun and versitile tool, but I'm not going to publish CDs for a 150 unit building from it.  People complain about consultants wanting files in older Revit formats.  I don't know any who would prefer to get a SketchUp cartoon.  Now, if your projects are tens of square feet, and all the systems are design-build working from plots, maybe it's fine.

R

[BlueRocco]

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@randall.temple wrote:

I know that Revit is not at all like AutoCAD.  That's what's so great about it.  AutoCAD is an archaic dinosaur that tries to function like Revit, and fails.  And yes, Revit would probably be better today if Autodesk had stayed out of it.  And yes, their new sales model sucks, and when it bites them, they'll reinvent it again in a couple years.  But it is what it is.  Do you also refuse to join the rest of the world on Winodws because Microsoft is the bullying behemoth that it is?

I've used SketchUp quite a bit.  As I said, it's a fun and versitile tool, but I'm not going to publish CDs for a 150 unit building from it.  People complain about consultants wanting files in older Revit formats.  I don't know any who would prefer to get a SketchUp cartoon.  Now, if your projects are tens of square feet, and all the systems are design-build working from plots, maybe it's fine.

R

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So, How long have you been using Revit? Did you get to try out the first version? It sucked a lot worse than anything else out there. I've used it and I do use it when clients insist. However I can and do put out 150 room building and much bigger with AuoCAD Architect. I did have a hand in developing it, so I know it does a lot of things easier and better than Revit, even now. I can Render with the best of them with it, And I have full control of what I need to display with it, no trying to make sure my "view" is set right, or fight with how my walls look or join.

However when a Client comes in with a new project and wants to see my ideas for it, I can put something together with SketchUp in a few minutes and render it into... NOT a cartoon, BUT a fully rendered photo realistic building. That is something very few people can do with Revit. I know they can do it too, because I have seen the Autodesk Reps do it, but not whithout a few Oops, I didn't mean to do that moments. I drive a monster PC I admit, but building the thing was a great way to know just how fast and useful a computer can be.  Oh, and my files are not gigabits in size either. Not for the Apartment Complexes, or the real time modeling of three dimentional objects.

Really, take some time go look at the BaseCamp Youtube videos and you will see just how eazy and photorealistic, you can be with the right extensions, or ruby scripts you write yourself, when you use SketchUp, It is a behemoth in the way of visualization. People write games and use the photorealizm provided by SketchUp to drive them. You can make people, cars, you name it and at more than half the cost and manpower of Autodesk products. Check out what they are doing in Europe with all the Trimble tools. You will be surprized. America isn't the tech driver it used to be, Germany, Japan, France, England and even Israel are doing more with less, than we are. 

Micheal

[BlueRocco]

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@BlueRocco wrote:

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@randall.temple wrote:

I know that Revit is not at all like AutoCAD.  That's what's so great about it.  AutoCAD is an archaic dinosaur that tries to function like Revit, and fails.  And yes, Revit would probably be better today if Autodesk had stayed out of it.  And yes, their new sales model sucks, and when it bites them, they'll reinvent it again in a couple years.  But it is what it is.  Do you also refuse to join the rest of the world on Winodws because Microsoft is the bullying behemoth that it is?

I've used SketchUp quite a bit.  As I said, it's a fun and versitile tool, but I'm not going to publish CDs for a 150 unit building from it.  People complain about consultants wanting files in older Revit formats.  I don't know any who would prefer to get a SketchUp cartoon.  Now, if your projects are tens of square feet, and all the systems are design-build working from plots, maybe it's fine.

R

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So, How long have you been using Revit? Did you get to try out the first version? It sucked a lot worse than anything else out there. I've used it and I do use it when clients insist. However I can and do put out 150 room building and much bigger with AuoCAD Architect. I did have a hand in developing it, so I know it does a lot of things easier and better than Revit, even now. I can Render with the best of them with it, And I have full control of what I need to display with it, no trying to make sure my "view" is set right, or fight with how my walls look or join.

However when a Client comes in with a new project and wants to see my ideas for it, I can put something together with SketchUp in a few minutes and render it into... NOT a cartoon, BUT a fully rendered photo realistic building. That is something very few people can do with Revit. I know they can do it too, because I have seen the Autodesk Reps do it, but not whithout a few Oops, I didn't mean to do that moments. I drive a monster PC I admit, but building the thing was a great way to know just how fast and useful a computer can be.  Oh, and my files are not gigabits in size either. Not for the Apartment Complexes, or the real time modeling of three dimentional objects.

Really, take some time go look at the BaseCamp Youtube videos and you will see just how eazy and photorealistic, you can be with the right extensions, or ruby scripts you write yourself, when you use SketchUp, It is a behemoth in the way of visualization. People write games and use the photorealizm provided by SketchUp to drive them. You can make people, cars, you name it and at more than half the cost and manpower of Autodesk products. Check out what they are doing in Europe with all the Trimble tools. You will be surprized. America isn't the tech driver it used to be, Germany, Japan, France, England and even Israel are doing more with less, than we are. 

Micheal

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Oh, and Yes! I did refuse to use windows until I could use it with AutoCad, I was still programing in C and Basic when I finally crossed over to Windows 3.11.  Even then it sucked. I was used the Windows X for Unix, and the DOS version did not work right because af the stupid DOS kerrel translation they used all the way up to Windows nt.

Micheal

[randall.temple]

So , you're doing presentation graphics in SketchUp. OK, that's what it's for. But it's not comparable to Revit if you then need to use ACAD for CDs. You know, I don't go onto machinists' forums and tell them how my old file is better than all their expensive machine tools. "But I should know, because I've been using it since files were invented. And when I pair it with my hacksaw, I can make anything better than those fancy, overpriced machines!" I'm not knocking the humble file. It has its uses, and sometimes it's the best tool for the job. Frequently, it's not. To everyone, my apologies for feeding the troll. R

[BlueRocco]

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@randall.temple wrote:
So , you're doing presentation graphics in SketchUp. OK, that's what it's for. But it's not comparable to Revit if you then need to use ACAD for CDs. You know, I don't go onto machinists' forums and tell them how my old file is better than all their expensive machine tools. "But I should know, because I've been using it since files were invented. And when I pair it with my hacksaw, I can make anything better than those fancy, overpriced machines!" I'm not knocking the humble file. It has its uses, and sometimes it's the best tool for the job. Frequently, it's not. To everyone, my apologies for feeding the troll. R

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Just because I use two programs instead of a single program doesn't make it bad. I just do not like to have my designs restricted by trying to use software that doesn't work for that function. I am offering a solution not trolling. What a machinist's forum and an old file has to do with Designing stuctures, I just don't understand.  

Like I said. Just take a look before you dismiss it. I can tell when a set of plans or CD's has been done in Revit. They all look pretty much the same. You cannot say that about the documents done in AutoCAD and Sketchup. Try rushing together a presentation in Revit right off the ground and you will see why SketchUp is such a great tool. It is a great tool for those of us with an open mind to design and function, instead of the boring boxes and shed roofed structures I've seen come out of Revit. I guess you just use the tools that fit your capabilities.

[BlueRocco]

Oh, And you CAN back save any files made in pretty any version of either of those programs as well as many other design programs that are out there. I do believe that was the juxt of the matter to begin with, wasn't it? If you want to make this about Trolling, I'm sure there is a spot on facebook somewhere for you. So how long HAVE you been using Revit?

[louisa]

you all need to get off Sketch up, fine it might be a great program but some people do not have an option to change programs. Autodesk need to get off the turd and get the program to work properly and be able to back save. Minimum back save the Familys. I am so tired of haveing to redraw stuff.

[BlueRocco]

Maybe you should find a firm with a better understanding of software, or, try to enjoy redrawing and see it you can do it different ways. I tried a lot of different ways and it has helped me understand the program better. At least you get paid for your time right? I own my own business so I don't get paid for it, That is why I've changed my focus, I tried for 5 or 6 years to make it profitable. Most of the Architects I've spoken to admit they are losing money every time they have to upgrade, so I have offered them different ways to complete their projects. I've seen some of them even shift back to AutoCAD 14 as a solid way to work with all their consultants..

[louisa]

it is not my firm I have an issue with it is all the other firms that I have to work with. I am a designer and they want everyone using the same program and when they are a million dollar client you do what they want. autodesk just need to fix the problem. if they want to keep taking money form clients then so be it, but sooner or later people will start walking. all I ask is to be able to back save familys. and No i dont get paid to goof around in a program to "make it work" I ont get a 40 hour week and have tight deadlines. so there is no extra time unless I do it on my own.

[BlueRocco]

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@Louisa wrote:

it is not my firm I have an issue with it is all the other firms that I have to work with. I am a designer and they want everyone using the same program and when they are a million dollar client you do what they want. autodesk just need to fix the problem. if they want to keep taking money form clients then so be it, but sooner or later people will start walking. all I ask is to be able to back save familys. and No i dont get paid to goof around in a program to "make it work" I ont get a 40 hour week and have tight deadlines. so there is no extra time unless I do it on my own.

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Well, Pretty soon, all your consultants will HAVE to keep up with you if they want to use Revit. Either that or they will NOT buy into the rental program thing and you will be stuck forever redrawing families that can work in their particular version of Revit. Maybe someone else will come up with a way to reverse engineer the thing and make a program that will do the job. Pretty obvious Autdesk will not. I too have kept up with the latest versions whatever they are because my clients are also on a subsciption program with their Autodesk products. I have to keep three or four versions back just to work with the peoplke I work with and each version has it's own set of families. Talk about BLOAT in a program. I have a huge set of solid state hard drives just so I can keep all those versions running and their families. Now with thier new way of doing buiness I will not be able to do that unless I want to pay through the nose.

[mabizelabhekikhaya]

Its not possible to do such on REVIT

[SirakD]

Hi Mic

I definitely disagree to your comparison sketch-up vs Revit. The technical aspect of Revit is way advanced architecturally even it is improving structural conditions. Their is more you can do with Revit ,even though the process seems like a maze, it provides efficient data for many technical and design formation. 

I hope you give chance for Revit...

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@BlueRocco wrote:
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

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[BlueRocco]

Hi SirakD -

I agree Revit is a great Structural program. I have seen a lot of Structural Companies jump on board and once they work out most of the problems they can do great stuff with it. BUT they are not Architects or Designers. They take the designs that are already done and work on them. The development of an Idea, is much easier in almost any other program. I still use AutoCAD, and SketchUp for design Idea Development. Why, because I don't have all the constraints that Revit puts on you to use the program. Sure you can use Families to aid in development, but there you are using another program within Revit to aid in development. I can point out every single building Commercial or Residential that had Revit as it's base development program. It's easy, they are BOXES! Some have different levels, some have a single sloped roof, or maybe several singe slopes working at different levels. I can tell you if Frank Loyd Wright had to use nothing but Revit as a design tool. He would not be recognized as well as he is today. Sure there are Airport and Train Stations that have been designed with Revit that are weird wacky shapes or even whole glass structures that are organically designed, But again, they use the Family designer or they are designed by people that simply start out with some organic shape, then cut it into boxes so Revit can handle it. 

Have you tried SketchUp? Have you looked at any of the bootcamps that are on youtube? There are a ton of extensions for SketchUp that will make it do everything Revit can do and more! Also it IS backwardly compatible, and BIM ready! You just have to have; less training than Revit, and perhaps an idea of what is going on in the background. Things Autodesk is afraid to cut loose with, for fear that some enterprising person, will figure out what is going on and expose them for the sharks that they are!  A little codework goes a long way! And this from an over 60 year old man!

Good luck with Revit. Maybe someday people will see how much fun and useful SketchUp is and drop Autodesk all together!

Micheal

@SirakD wrote:

Hi Mic

I definitely disagree to your comparison sketch-up vs Revit. The technical aspect of Revit is way advanced architecturally even it is improving structural conditions. Their is more you can do with Revit ,even though the process seems like a maze, it provides efficient data for many technical and design formation. 

I hope you give chance for Revit...

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@BlueRocco wrote:
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

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[taiwoakindele81]

Good Day Everybody,

Am a user of revit 2017. When i export revit to IFC file and open in revit 2015 through link IFC, it fails to Load. please can some help on how to make it Loado revit 2015. thank

[jen.levitt]

Revit and Sketch Up are 2 vary different programs. I agree with you that Sketch Up is much easier to use, and learn, but there are a lot of features in Revit that Sketch Up cannot do... its like comparing apples and oranges. Sketch up is a great modeler, and I primarily use it to create models which I plan on rendering. Revit on the other hand, is great for working drawings and simulations. If you want to do energy simulations and stuff like that Revit is what you need.

I agree, there are some flaws to Revit (specifically the fact that you cannot down save!) but its here to stay, at least in the architecture industry...

Good Luck!

[daniel.berindeanu]

why dont you draw them in older version and then just upgrade?

[mpwuzhere]

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@daniel.berindeanu wrote:

why dont you draw them in older version and then just upgrade?

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Why are you asking the question to a post from 2+ years ago?