Open BIM 360 Models through the Open Buttons/Menus

[Darin_HDR]

Why oh why did Autodesk take away our ability to open BIM 360 models by clicking on the Open buttons? Please give us that functionality back. I feel like there must of been some sort of internal conversation like:

"You know, people are having a hard time noticing the BIM 360 icon on the left bar of the open menu when they need to select it in order to find their BIM 360 files".

"Oh yeah, but what do you think we should do about it"

"Let's teach them they shouldn't complain or we will make things more difficult."

"Ha, ha but really what should we do? You couldn't make things more difficult."

"Well for starters, I could make it so that when you selected the Open button you didn't have access to the BIM 360 files any more. I mean that would really screw with people."

"That totally would, but then how would people open their files?"

"I would make it so that the only place you can get access to them is on the home screen. If they had a file open, they would have to know about the home button that looks like a menu icon, not a home icon (that was me too), and click on that. Even when they get to the home screen though, I would make it so that if they selected the open button they still wouldn't get access to their BIM 360 files. No, they would have to notice below that, below the Recent Files button is the BIM 360 button. Only there would they be able to get access to BIM 360."

"Ha, ha, that would be hilarious. That would really mess with a bunch of people. But you wouldn't dare do something that mean, would you?"

"Watch me."

[CFNBen]

You can open B360 files through the Open dialog... I do it daily.

[Darin_HDR]

@CFNBen that's awesome. After your comment I did some hunting and sure enough, under My Computer (because BIM 360 is hosted on My Computer), right there it is under Devices and Drives, (because yes BIM 360 it totally a device or a drive on My Computer), there it is.

This next part of snarkyness is directed at Autodesk, not you @CFNBen, thank you for your comment and help, it is appreciated.

I feel like such an idiot for not thinking to look on My Computer, under Devices and Drives for a cloud hosted model. I would like to alter this idea to move BIM 360 link out from "My Computer" (since it is not on My Computer, it is on Autodesk's computer) and back to the left hand bar where it was easily distinguishable with the large BIM 360 icon.  Now that I know where to find it I don't care about this any more but I am sure other and new users would appreciate it.

That said, each time I go to My Computer to access a cloud based model I will think about how screwed up Autodesk is. I am pretty sure that conversation I dreamt up still took place to some degree. Oh those people who are laughing at us because they hid cloud access to a model under "My Computer". You really got me guys. Way to go. You wasted a bunch of my time by doing something that was absolutely unnecessary. You won this round.

[CFNBen]

Glad I could help! Sorry I wasn't more helpful and actually told/showed you where it was! 🙈

I think the reason it sits in the 'Devices and Drives' section of 'My Computer' is because it is essentially a cloud drive.

I guess I would not be opposed to having it sit in the same space as each type of OneDrive (Personal, Business, Sharepoint Site) which sit above the 'This PC' section in my Windows Explorer.

[Darin_HDR]

@CFNBen are you actually able to open the cloud models for collaboration through here? I tried it after I responded and am not able to. I get this message.

It actually then takes me back to the Home menu to be able to open it. So I would say you can't open cloud based models through the open menu. At least not if you want to collaborate with them. Let me know if your experience is different.

[GlynnisVP]

Hi @Darin_HDR  and @CFNBen  - I just wanted to confirm that there is a big difference between those two methods, as you suspect Darin. I would not advocate the My Computer pathing for the reasons you state - the published file is a very different critter. I suspect this is the reason for the Home page thinking. The Home page leads to the 'live cloud model' instead of the published model.

Regardless, your post made me smile. I've often felt the same way.

[CFNBen]

Yep I think they changed it from Revit 2020 or 2021 - it works fine in the older versions but maybe that's what your initial comment was about! 

Ah well! Carry on guys - seems silly to not go through the open dialog as well as the home page - I quite like the home page to be honest but don't understand why my list of projects in Revit 2021 isn't showing up in the sidebar and I have to go to the drop down at the top just to get to them?