Can't uncheck Make this a Central Model after save

[Darin_HDR]

Working in Revit 2020.

I have a BIM 360 cloud model I am trying to just save a backup locally before I make a bunch of changes to the model (yes I know BIM 360 saves a bunch of these files automatically). However, when I go to Save As and select Options, the box for 'Make this a Central Model after save' is checked and greyed out so I cannot uncheck it. I want to just save a non-collaborative version of the model as a backup. Why won't Revit let me do this here?

I know there are other ways to do this so I'm not looking for a work around. I just want to understand why Revit is making this option unavailable to me in this particular menu in this particular circumstance. 

Thanks,

Darin 

[TripleM-Dev.net]

Hi @Darin_HDR ,

If it's only for Backup, why not just download the Central from the BIM360 (if published that is in the WIP and/or SHARED folder.)

Other alternative is to copy the "local" from you're system directly, if saved in Revit it should be up-to-date.

It's located in the user folder under:

<username>\appdata\local\Autodesk\Revit\<revit version>\CollaborationCache\<project guid>\

Inhere there are several other GUID folders with project files, also GUID names, these can be opened as detached models.

Find out which GUID corresponds to which model (if multiple models), the GUID is always identical unless the Central is recreated on BIM360.

- Michel

[Darin_HDR]

@TripleM-Dev.net first let me say thank you for responding. Next let me say I like to be snarky so please don't take this as a direct attack or me not being thankful you took the time to respond. 

However, if you read my post you would see that I was not looking for a work around, I am fully aware of how to save a file and then strip it from being collaborative or how to Google where BIM 360 saves it's local files that you then have to look to see which is the last saved because they all have non-sensical names. I can do that just fine. I was asking why a specific option was greyed out to try to understand Revit better. I mean, sure I can do all the stuff you suggested . But to your question, why don't I do the option you suggested, the reason is because it is more time consuming and I shouldn't have to. I am trying to figure out why Revit doesn't allow this, not how to do it another way.

Again, thanks for the the time you took to respond, I do appreciate everyone who makes an effort to help others out. You rock! 

[TripleM-Dev.net]

Hi,

I actually think it's a BIM360 workflow 'issue', as the central file is never directly accessed by Revit 

(Central File > BIM360 > Revit)

The actual central file is somewhere hidden on the BIM360 platform, and Revit (and thus the user) never actually has direct access to it, and so you can't detach from the Central itself, bu you can from the local as it would be on a local network.

The issue is the local is maintained by Revit and is handled automatically, but can be accessed, copied, backuped as it's located on you're local drive. etc.

At least thats what i got from working with BIM360, don't know about the latest version of BIM360 and might change with future versions of BIM360 and/or Revit.

- Michel

[Darin_HDR · Accepted solution]

You got me thinking and here is my breakdown and thoughts.

Non work shared model

                Make this a Central Model after save, Option – unchecked & greyed out

Local cloud shared model:

                Make this a Central Model after save, Option – checked & greyed out.

Local server shared model:

                Make this a Central Model after save, Option – unchecked & not greyed out.

Work shared central model on the server:

                Make this a Central Model after save, Option – unchecked & not greyed out.

The option to “Make this a Central Model after save” is not actually an option to break work sharing, it is an option to either save a work shared model as a local to the central model or to create a new central model. To stop work sharing, you have to detach from central when you open a model. Since you are saving a cloud shared model to another location that BIM360 does not save files (and you can’t break work sharing when saving) it has to be a central model when saved locally. Hence why it is checked and greyed out.

Hope this makes sense and thanks for helping me understand this.

[willRYAZC]

Resurrecting an old thread. I am having this same issue, even outside of BIM 360. I open my local file through Revit, check "Detach From Central", then try to do a Save As and it forces the detached local to become a Central model when saved. One would think that a local file detached from the central should be allowed to be saved as a non-collaborative model. Am I missing something?

[Darin_HDR]

@willRYAZCI have found that when detaching a local model from central, it will ask you if you want to keep or discard work sets.

If you keep work sets the detached model becomes a new central model.

If you discard work sets the detached model becomes truly detached and now a non-collaborative model.

[RSomppi]

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@willRYAZC wrote:

Am I missing something?

---

If it has worksets, it has to be a central model.

If it has no worksets, it cannot be a central model.

[Darin_HDR]

@willRYAZC pretty much. I think it makes sense if you think about it. 

If you are detaching it from central, it is becomeing it's own thing. If you keep worksets, you would only do that if it is going to be a collaborative model (no worksets in a non-collaborative model). Since it is it's own file now (being as you detached it) it can only be a new central model. 

If you detach from central and discard worksets, Revit then gives you the option whether you want it to be a new central or not. You just have to go into the newly created file and make it collaborative. Revit just doesn't give you the option right when you open the file and detach, you have to first save it and then make it a new central model.

[Fabio.CarvalhoDB9P4]

Detached from Central Model, Open it. "Save As" back to back. then you get the opinion to make a central model or not.