Cannot create deployment Revit 2021

[nguyenndSQN7Y]

Hi guys,

I am trying to create a deployment for Revit to be installed through SCCM. I just downloaded Revit 2021 and it came with 6 different files, I ran the executable to combine those into an installation file with setup.exe. I then run the Setup.exe to try to create deployment as I have done with AutoCAD, Inventor and Architecture. But, after running Setup.exe, it does not give me the option to create deployment, all I could do is a normal install as if I was going to install into that one particular machine. Have you guys seen run into anything like this with Revit 2021? or know a way to create deployment for Revit 2021?

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Nhan

[mrogalski]

Local install fails I'll try CC cleaner after AutoDesk uninstall tool and MicrosoftProgram_Install_and_Uninstall.meta.diagcab since the normal "clean uninstall" steps aren't working. I think I'm working against a sticky registry setting here and just need to weed it out

[huotger]

mrogalski,

Custom Application Settings: If you have created a customized version of the Revit.ini file you can use it within your installation of the software.

Note: Before following this procedure, read About the Revit.ini File for Installation.

1. In the Custom Revit.ini file name field, specify the file name of your custom Revit.ini

2. Once the deployment image is downloaded to your local environment, add the custom file to the deploy image within the "image" folder.

For example: A Revit deployment with name Revit2021-custom and a location of C:\deploy the custom file would be copied to C:\deploy\Revit2021-custom\image\.

During installation the custom file will be used as the default Revit.ini.

[mrogalski]

Thanks I missed the copy the file into the image folder step will try again.

@huotger the link you posted is dead to the outside world.

Also is this the User ini file or the deployment/installation ini? I guess thats not explicitly stated in the wizard

EDIT: I opened the xml file and discovered its for the deployment. 

[huotger]

mrogalski,

We are referring to the Revit.ini file which at install time will be generated and placed on the workstation under, C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2021\UserDataCache.  This Revit.ini is the base file for the version created for each user of the workstation which runs Revit 2021, which can be found at: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit 2021.

The general workflow for many Revit versions has been to install Revit, configure paths and user interface as desired.  Then used the customized Revit.ini within a deployment image to be the starting configuration from any installation based upon the deployment image.  This concept has not changed with the deployment tool within Autodesk Accounts.  The biggest difference is that the custom revit.ini file is not directly added into the deployment image.

I hope this all helps.

[mrogalski]

Great that's the one I used as it defines the working directories. In my vernacular I call it the "user ini", since the

installer creates it's own, that defines the installation sequencing, I call that the "installer ini"

So I'm done with this and have decided this release is just to bugged to deploy reliably. If my team needs it I'll attempt to install the workstation installer (which seems to work as long as no other Revit 2021 installations have been applied to the PC) on a one at a time basis as needed. 

I will also let my team know they should just keep using Revit 2020, and to not upgrade models or advocate the use of Revit 2021 for any jobs. Rather, wait for the 2022 release that seems to be in the works already in the hope that these deployment issues will be resolved in the next release.

[dprimm]

This is a really interesting thread to read, that I stumbled across today. I ran into issues with the new ODIS Installer for Maya 2020 (.0  .1  .2 and .3), when trying to deploy Maya 2020 to multiple workstations using a Required Task Sequence in MS EndPoint (SCCM). Deployment was about 50% successful, with the installer getting stuck at the ODIS installer part, and the ODIS Logs not helpful. Ultimately I just created a hack with a script to install the pre-requisites of Maya 2020 and then the 5 individual parts. It took weeks to go through all of this, where the "old" installer, there were never any issues. I'll try the new ODIS Installer method for Revit 2021.1 with MS End Point, but I feel as though I'll have to go back to the "old" installer for Revit 2021.0. 3ds Max 2021 is the same, using the new ODIS Installer.

Regards, Darren 

Autodesk Admin at Swinburne Uni, deploying to multiple computer labs, Windows and Mac.

[Rusty_Gesner]

And Autodesk calls it "improved installation services" LOL. 

 7 months have passed and the online spagetti-threaded documentation is STILL a mess. 

If you need another good laugh, after the pain of reading through the above 5-page thread and then go to 
https://blogs.autodesk.com/revit/2020/07/22/faster-deployment-experience-for-revit-2021-1/

which says "The Autodesk® Revit® 2021.1 release features a new end-to-end modern deployment experience for administrators that significantly improves the speed and reliability of your product installations." 

UM, but what about all the hours all of the above contributors have wasted figuring this all out. 

[walkermacy]

That vaunted "speed and reliability" is targeted at individuals who download and install for themselves, one time (or maybe two) and don't need any kind of customizations, because apparently those are the majority of people who bit@#ed loudly enough to be taken into consideration. The rest of us, who need to deploy to multiple computers, possibly with customizations rolled out at deployment time and don't want a complete multi-gigabyte installer to download from the internet for each and every computer (and then likely sit on the workstation hard drive taking up a bunch of space), were probably content enough with the old system that we rarely complained about it, so our desire to have Autodesk leave well enough alone and keep the old system intact (even if alongside the new one) was not factored into their plans, apparently.

Besides, if we system admins have to waste loads of time trying to do what we could have done quickly and easily if they had just left things as they were, it's certainly not Autodesk's problem. That's how all these big companies think now. The individual home user is the only one who really matters to them anymore.

[walkermacy]

Hey Autodesk, if you want to "modernize" something, how about updating the Download Manager so it uses the newer open/save dialog, one that allows you to paste in an entire path instead of having to manually. select. each. individual. folder. in. a. long. ass. tree to choose a path that isn't on the C: drive, for those of us who use network deployment locations on secondary data arrays instead of saving giant installer files to our server C: drives? Or easier still, change it so the downloader save window itself allows pasting a different path. You know, the kind of thing that's a total UI design standard in Windows and has been for a couple of decades now.

[danny.polkinhorn]

Hi @walkermacy,

You don't need to download a multi-gigabyte deployment image from the internet for each and every computer.  You create offline deployment images and deploy those within your network, just like before.  The only thing that happens online is the configuration of the deployment.

For downloads, you can also use Browser Download which today solves many of the issues that Download Manager was intended to solve when it was built, like parallel downloads and recovering from failures (rarely).

I would also comment that we build installation tools for individual users and for very large corporations, all our customers.  We cannot focus solely on one segment, and all are very important.

[rolf_reinert]

Hi Danny

You write in your post:

You don't need to download a multi-gigabyte deployment image from the internet for each and every computer. You create offline deployment images and deploy those within your network, just like before. The only thing that happens online is the configuration of the deployment.

I have tried to create a deployment for Revit 2022 using the new method. I configured the deployment in my Autodesk account and downloaded the EXE file. When I run this 12 MB EXE file to download the data, I always get an error message after some time and finally have to cancel the download. Also an installation package for "local instalation" for Revit 2022 was aborted with this error message. A package with several programs (ACAD, Inventor, Navisworks, etc. without Revit) for local installation (no deployment), which I also created, worked without problems.

Is there any documentation on how I can create such an offline deployment for the 2022 versions? As I understand you, this should also be possible for the 2022 versions. I can only do configuration in the account and download this 12 MB EXE file. This exe file then starts the download.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[huotger]

hello  rolf.reinert,

Sorry you are experience an error while the deployment image is being download to your local environment.  Could you log a support case with Autodesk Support?  Our support team would be able to collect the needed information and log files to understand why the failure is occurring.

I hope this helps.

[rolf_reinert]

Thank you for the feedback. My actual question relates to Danny Polkinhorn's statement in message 90.

He writes:

You don't need to download a multi-gigabyte deployment image from the internet for each and every computer. You create offline deployment images and deploy those within your network, just like before. The only thing that happens online is the configuration of the deployment.

But i think deployments for the new products 2022 can only be created via the Autodesk account. And then you have to download the data for the Employment from the Autodesk server. But Danny writes that you don't have to download the data, you can create the employment offline as before.

My question now is:

Is there a workaround on how I can create an employment of 2022 products offline?

[huotger]

rolf.reinert,

As Danny mentioned, the configuration of a product deployment is only available online.  There is no offline deployment configuration tool.  Once the online configuration is to your liking a small executable is generated containing the details of the products and any customizations.  When ran this executable will generate the deployment image within your local environment, downloading only the required packages.  Once the deployment image generation completes it functions similar to the traditional deployment image from past releases. A singe deployment image can be used to install products to multiple workstations.

[mrogalski]

2022 seems to have the same issues as 2021 did, I'll start a fresh thread so the inter

 

net will have a place to go..

[mmermel]

Here's what I can tell you:

Once I understood the process it was very simple.

>From my account I created an installation for a single computer (mine) so I could create my custom Revit INI file. The actual executable file I had to download was about 12mb. Running that file then controlled which Revit components were downloaded to my computer (13gb). This is similar to the previous process of creating a local installation for customization. I didn't have to use my local installation to create a deployment to install on my server. I didn't have to manually figure out which extensions, updates, or other files I had to add to my deployment, and in which order. That is handled in the account. The process was faster than any previous setup download I've experienced. It still seems like a lot just to create a custom INI file.

Once I had my custom INI file set aside I did a clean uninstall of Revit 2022 from my computer.

Back in my Autodesk account I created a Deployment installation file. Just remember for the custom INI file to include the .INI portion of the filename when you fill out that part of the configuration information.

I had already created the deployment location on my server. I did find I had to do that as a subfolder to the location because the deployment will not create a folder based on the deployment name. In other words:

\\server4\archives did not work

\\server4\archives\deploymentfolder did work



I downloaded the executable for my deployment. Again, roughly 12mb. Running that downloaded the 13gb worth of files right to my server location.

All that was left was to put my custom Revit.INI file into the deployment's IMAGE folder and start my installs.



Side Note: In the past I could never get the custom INI to pick up the right username for the project path or pointclouds. Perhaps it is because we use a sub-folder in My Documents for the project path. Working with Autodesk Support I now modify those lines of my INI file as follows:



ProjectPath=%USERPROFILE%\Documents\_REVIT PROJECTS



RootPathForPointClouds=%USERPROFILE%\Documents\_REVIT PROJECTS\PointClouds



Works perfectly.





Mitch

[danny.polkinhorn]

@rolf_reinert, once you create the local deployment on your local network/computer from the online configuration, you can take that deployment image offline.  It is completely self-contained and will install without an Internet connection.

[mrogalski]

@mmermel  One of the issues I have is not being able to point the support paths to a mapped drive, example: 

RootPathForPointClouds=T:\REVIT2021PROJECTS\PointClouds

As well as families, templates etc.

[mmermel]

Really?  The instructions don't make that clear at all.  They tell you to use the Installation version for a single machine, and the deployment version for distribution.  

[huotger]

mrogalski,

Can you review this article to see if it helps your scenario:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Do-not...