Can't Get Project Browser Back-PERIOD

[Anonymous]

We are under a HUGE deadline and somehow we are having a glitch with out Project Browser. I am the BIM manager here at my consulting engineering firm. I have been using revit for A LONG TIME. Well there is no project browser whenever you open the project, If i go to View-> User interface. Project Browser is still checked, but it is no where to be found. If i try to click on it to un-check it. It will not do anything, yet all the other options will. I have tried literally everything. I have "Audited" the file and try all the troubleshooting options over and over again. I have converted it from 2011 to 2012( of course keeping each file seperate) to see if i can fix the problem in that version. No luck. Then i also converted the project to 2013 to see if i could fix it there. NO LUCK again. I have spent countless hours and can not fix this what so ever. I understand it may be something with the central file. Maybe corrupt or having a glitch, but there should be a way to resolve this without having to go back and pull out a central file from before it dissappeared.

I need to fix this ASAP. We have all the updates/patches for Revit as well. I am running out of options. I have looked through your troubleshooting as well.

If you need any additional information, let me know and I will provide it. I have loads of experience, and this is the first problem that I can't fix and it is very frustrating and about to cost me LOTS OF MONEY!

P.S.- Sorry for the very unorganized description. In a huge hurry and rush, so I just spat the unorganized information out.

If you know how to fix this and don't feel like typing it or explaining it on here. Please send me a PM and I will give you my work number and we can discuss it over the phone. I know how to fix anything else and all the work arounds to using MEP and will return the favor. THANK YOU!

[Garrett_hardy]

Casey,

When you say its from a "Template". Is it from a Master template that you have set-up or is it from an Out of the box Template? If it is a Master template, Then is this an isolated issue ( i know you mentioned it wasn't an isolated case)? Is this the first time the issue has arisen. If it's a Master Template, Was it a new template created in 2014. Or was it a template from older versions that was just upgraded?

It has been awhile since I have dealt with this specific issue and I never saw it again. So I am just trying to get some information and discuss back and forth. To try and narrow down where the problem might have come from. Do you have your Revit 2014 updated with the current patch? The one thing that I wonder if comes into play here is the Net package format with upgrade. Like when you install 2014 Revit on your machines and if you go back and use Revit 2011 or 2012. Since 2014 came in with NET 4.5, now older versions are corrupted until you patch them to work with new NET. If you don't update, Then you will get command function ribbons that wont appear until you cycle through the ribbon size adjustment. So I wonder if you are using a Template that came from 2012-2013 originally and then was upgraded to 2014. If the NET corruption could play into this. I might be way off though.

So I would invesitagte my families that I have in the template to see if there is any corruptions coming from there. I would try making a new Project Template in 2014 from scratch. Just give it the same properties and setting as you would have in your original template. You can transfer all your Detail views and schedules from the old template and just leave the families out of it initally. Then make a few new "dummy projects" to see if you can recreate the issue and build the template in that manner.

Thank you,

Garrett Hardy

[casquatch]

Garrett,

This is the company template, I believe it was started from a 2014 template. I am checking into that (I typically create the MEP template, someone else does arch/struct). Also, .net 4.5 is installed and all previous versions have the hot fixes applied as well. So the 2013/12 upgrading issues shouldn't have been a problem.

I believe the user imported (yes, imported) cad into the new project to draw their walls, etc for the new project. I advised them to link the next time, so I guess we could see if that's what caused the issue.

Other than that, I don't believe they put any new families into the project. So if we see it happening again, I will start weeding the template down to see what the culprit could be. I'll keep you posted on that.

Otherwise I'm still unsure as to why it could happen. I guess we'll just have to see how things go this time and on any other newer 2014 projects. We have just rolled out 2014, so this is one of the first ones.

Thanks!
Casey

[Garrett_hardy]

Well I am glad you were able to find a temporary work around. Definitely keep me posted. I figured this issue was dead and squashed with updated software versions since I have not seen it in a couple years. But knowing that it is a potential problem. I will stay on my toes and keep myself educated on this issue. I am a MEP BIM manager as well. We only deal with MEP here ( thank god). Well it doesn't seem likely that an "Import" of CAD would cause the issue. But I have seen crazier things happen. 

Everytime I have tried to recreate this issue it never worked. Not once, So it always puzzles me where the issue is coming from. I really hope it isn't a sync error or something. I will talk to a few of my MOD friends from other forums and see what they have to say as well.

But keep me updated if you see it again. You might want to get in contact with Autodesk support directly. I know I sent them my central file that the issue happened on. They were blown away at what was happening and said they were working hard to implement a fix and reverse engineer the issue. So since it has happened again. It might be a good idea. Possibly let them do the work to decipher the model and see where the issue is coming from or what caused it.

[casquatch]

So far I don't believe the problem has re-surfaced. I didn't really think it could be from the CAD import either, but like you said, crazier things have happened.

If I do see it again, I will keep the file and send it on to Adesk. It would be nice to know how to avoid it in the future.

Thanks!
Casey

[s_ams]

I just encountered the same issue, using Revit Architecture 2014. The browser shows blank in a single project, and will not show at all after I've closed it and tried to open it again. I've done an audit and gone through several backups to get back to an older functional version. I'll be losing a lot of work if I have to start from one of those backups.

Has anybody found a solution to this? Thanks,

[CoreyDaun]

I strongly urge you to open a Support Case with Autodesk Support, which can be done under the Subscription Center on Autodesk's main website. This may very well be a problem in which a solution is beyond the capability of end users.

[casquatch]

Actually, I haven't seen it on another 2014 project since I posted. I agree with Corey, send the file to AutoDesk if you are on subscription. The more info they have the better equipped they are to solve the issue.

I would verify that you have the latest updates to 2014 installed.

Sorry I can't be of much help!

Casey

[Anonymous]

You can send it to Autodesk. But what I encountered was a corrupt file and I was not able to recover it and they told me the same thing. Luckily I was able to recover another copy with only 8-10 hours of missing work instead of losing the 300+ hours spent on the project. Our server backs-up everything every so often and was able to get the copy off there before it resaved over it. You can also see if you have any backup copies inside the Revit files ( Backup) folder that comes with it. Open the File and go to the "collaboration" tab and then find the "Restore Backup" button and see if you can get anything out of that. Make a copy of the file of course and the file needs to be in the location of its backup folder and still named the same thing as when it made its backup. Sorry if this reply looks weird. I am doing it through an email.

[s_ams]

Unfortunately, we are not on subscription.

I do however have a PDF of the corrupted model, and made another PDF of the older functional model. I then used BlueBeam to do a comparison/overlay. At least I can graphically see what's different between the two of them and make those changes again.