Offline Mode for Revit cloudmodels in ACC

[jw.vanasselt]

Context:
Recently, a disruption in the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) environment caused users to lose access to their Revit models, making it impossible to continue working locally. This highlighted the need for a fallback mechanism to ensure continuity during cloud outages.

Proposal:
Introduce an Offline Mode within the Autodesk Construction Cloud platform working with cloud models. The system should:

1. Default to Cloud Connection:
   Users work with a live connection to the cloud, ensuring real-time collaboration and data synchronization.

2. Automatic Detection of Connectivity Issues:
   If a disruption or outage is detected, the system should notify the user and offer the option to switch to offline mode.

3. Local Work Continuation:
   In offline mode, users can continue working on their Revit cloud models locally without interruption.

4. Seamless Re-Synchronization:
   Once the cloud connection is restored, the system should prompt the user to publish or synchronize the locally saved changes back to the cloud, ensuring data integrity and version control.

Benefits:

• Minimizes downtime during cloud outages.
• Improves user experience and trust in the platform.
• Supports uninterrupted workflows in critical construction phases.

[PAUL_HARGREAVES_WWL]

Its a great idea, but I'm not sure if its possible as the model in the cloud determines who has ownership of each element, ensuring that two people don't try to work on the same elements, causing conflict issues during syncing when the connection is restored. 

However, in the event of ACC disruption, could the person who opened the model first become the temporary element controller until issues are resolved? this would allow the central model to continue to communicate with all models to make sure that element selection conflicts don't arise. 

Over to the ACC team!

[jw.vanasselt]

@PAUL_HARGREAVES_WWL

We had the same question, maybe there is an option to work with merge option like Github does?
That's also up to the ACC team ! 😀

[Chad-Smith]

Sounds like an opportunity for Revit Server to act as a fail-over tool.

It would still come with local infrastructure setup and costs, but better than nothing.

[PAUL_HARGREAVES_WWL]

Would there not be a number of issues using Revit Server as a fall back?

• It would have to be brought out of retirement. 
• It requires a local server, so inter office and not from any location
• It would need to be in continual communication with ACC to mirror the active data only to switch over in the event of an issue.