Slow Operation....

[Anonymous]

Is anyone else frustrated with MEP Revit performance and the answers they are getting from Autodesk? I see lots of problems posted but nobody is venting.

We are at the end (approx. 90% complete) of our first Revit project. The linked Architecture and Structural models (a 5 story building) are 120 MB & 15 MB, respectively. Our MEP model is 50 MB. Every Revit Computer in our office is a Pentium D, 3.0 GHz, 4 Gig memory, with 512 MB video card. These machines are not slouches. However, opening the model takes 5-10 minutes and saving to the central file takes up to 20 minutes. Besides that, even when we are working everything is slow. No matter what operation we are performing it goes like this: click and wait……click and wait…… etc. Everything is very SLOOOOOOW!

This project has taken about 5 times the man-hours that it would in 2-D CAD. We can’t afford to keep using this software. Are we the only ones?

[Anonymous]

central file on a server? user files on local machines? what is your
server OS, hdw spec, and network pipe? linux? dual Xeon? gigabit?
are users unloading worksets they don't need?
linked dwg files will slow you down as well.

there are many ways to help performance - i think 2008 is faster but the
jury is still out for me.

--
Brian Earsley
www.arete3.com
18645 South West Creek Drive
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477
708.342.1250 x.225
wrote in message news:5551062@discussion.autodesk.com...
Is anyone else frustrated with MEP Revit performance and the answers they
are getting from Autodesk? I see lots of problems posted but nobody is
venting.

We are at the end (approx. 90% complete) of our first Revit project. The
linked Architecture and Structural models (a 5 story building) are 120 MB &
15 MB, respectively. Our MEP model is 50 MB. Every Revit Computer in our
office is a Pentium D, 3.0 GHz, 4 Gig memory, with 512 MB video card. These
machines are not slouches. However, opening the model takes 5-10 minutes
and saving to the central file takes up to 20 minutes. Besides that, even
when we are working everything is slow. No matter what operation we are
performing it goes like this: click and wait..click and wait.. etc.
Everything is very SLOOOOOOW!

This project has taken about 5 times the man-hours that it would in 2-D CAD.
We can't afford to keep using this software. Are we the only ones?

[Anonymous]

"click and wait..click and wait.. etc."

Same thing here. Simply stretching a piece of duct is taking about 30 seconds at times. Some things seem slower than others. I bet I spend a good hour or more a day just waiting for Revit to catch up to me.

5-Story Office Building/Parking Garage...
MEP Model: 31MB
Architectural Model: 91MB
Structural Model: 35MB

We are running Dual Pentium D 3.4GHz processors with 3.25 GB RAM, Windows XP

[Anonymous]

Jayspot,

You are now the first MEP firm we've found working on a project that is a comparable size (so far we've only looked locally). How far through design are you? Are you also waiting 5-10 minutes for your project to open and up to 20 minutes to save to the central file? And do you know any other MEP firms working in Revit yet?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Central file is on server with user files on local machines. Server OS is Novell, Speed of network is Gigabit. Our server is 6 years old. Could server speed be our weak link?

Our office manager is out today, so I'll have to wait until Monday to get you hardwair info. What do you mean by "network pipe"?

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Funny..... at first I thought we were working on the same project!

We are submitting 75% CD's on this project next week. Open time takes about 3-4 minutes at the most. Saving to Central isn't taking as nearly as long as yours are. I can deal with the save and open times, it's the performance while working in the model that is frustrating.

We only know of one other MEP firm in the area (Kansas City, MO) that is working in Revit and that is because they are a such consultant of ours. We decided purchase Revit because some of the local architects are starting to use it and figured it'd be in our best interest to get ahead of game. I enjoy using Revit except for the slow performance and unpredictable results I get.

Where are you located?

[Anonymous]

Houston, TX. Are you still planning to use it on upcoming projects? We were scheduled to use it again on 3 other projects but the Architects and Owners are not requiring it now that they've heard and witnessed our issues.

How new is your server and what are its specs? We think that may be the reason for slow opening and saving times, but we're not convinced yet.

[Anonymous]

"network pipe" = connection between local machine and server. (Ethernet
cable (typically CAT5e or Cat 6 for gigabit), switches or hubs, and NIC on
both server and workstation.

"Could server speed be our weak link?"
possible for slow 'save to central'. depends on server resources available
and if your actually getting gigabit speeds. linux server OS is the most
stable (SuSe is good) and demands minimal server resources. Autodesk does
not support this type of OS yet but it works the best if configured
properly. they'll catch up some day:)

the workstations should be solid and fast (configured to minimize
unnecessary hardware demand from the OS and other apps).

even with the best systems and network config. Revit performance can be very
slow if the models were not built correctly with performance in mind.

--
Brian Earsley
www.arete3.com
18645 South West Creek Drive
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477
708.342.1250 x.225
wrote in message news:5551305@discussion.autodesk.com...
Central file is on server with user files on local machines. Server OS is
Novell, Speed of network is Gigabit. Our server is 6 years old. Could
server speed be our weak link?

Our office manager is out today, so I'll have to wait until Monday to get
you hardwair info. What do you mean by "network pipe"?

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

We originally planned to solely use Revit and stop using AutoCAD starting in February, but I think it was soon realized that would not be a smart move. We do plan to use it on other upcoming projects, but that will depend on how quickly the program improves from its current state.

[Anonymous]

How can a Revit model be "built correctly with performance in mind"? Is that something we can control as the MEP consultant, or does that start with the Architect and thier model?

You know much more than the average Joe about the groundwork behind Revit. How do you know this info? Are you an Architect, Engineer, Autodesk employee?

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Jayspot, send me an email with your contact information. I have a lot of other questions about your Revit experience.

millican@eceng.com

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Revit is not supported on Novell.
We had speed isssues wityh a past version of Revit on Novell being very
show. We moved the projects to a Windows server and the problems went
away....

wrote in message news:5551305@discussion.autodesk.com...
Central file is on server with user files on local machines. Server OS is
Novell, Speed of network is Gigabit. Our server is 6 years old. Could
server speed be our weak link?

Our office manager is out today, so I'll have to wait until Monday to get
you hardwair info. What do you mean by "network pipe"?

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

"How can a Revit model be "built correctly with performance in mind"?"
this is not an exact science and varies between different firm's needs and
as new releases come out. prior to the 2008 releases we model most building
elements. the items we do not model are elements that do not need to be
identified in either a schedule and/or more than one place/view (ie. grout,
screws, etc.) and avoid modeling anything curved unless it is necessary and
then it may get its own workset or alternate component/style type. typical
worksets might be superstructure, foundation, interior, furniture, canopy,
plumbing, exterior, site, mechanical, electrical. worksets not needed by
the user can be unloaded. for larger projects (multiple buildings), campus
RVT files are created and link individual building central files. when the
model gets far enough along it can be purged. there are other methodologies
as well.

"Is that something we can control as the MEP consultant, or does that start
with the Architect and thier model?"
as an MEP consultant you can only really control the MEP model. the
architect controls their building model. the structural engineer controls
their structural model. Project management skills become very important
when managing different models at different stages of a project. Only load
what you need when you need it. this has always been the case in the CAD
world as well.

"How do you know this info? Are you an Architect, Engineer, Autodesk
employee?"
Lots of reading, practice, asking questions, and helping others. my mother
taught me to believe i can do anything and to do my best:) don't be afraid
to try new ideas.

during the day i am a project manager for an architectural firm.

glad to help
--
Brian Earsley
www.arete3.com
18645 South West Creek Drive
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477
708.342.1250 x.225
wrote in message news:5551404@discussion.autodesk.com...
How can a Revit model be "built correctly with performance in mind"? Is
that something we can control as the MEP consultant, or does that start with
the Architect and thier model?

You know much more than the average Joe about the groundwork behind Revit.
How do you know this info? Are you an Architect, Engineer, Autodesk
employee?

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Are you working in hidden line views? I know from experience that both hidden line and shading with edges are very slow for large models in Revit Systems. Wireframe or even regular shading no edges worked best for me.

[Anonymous]

I am working in Wireframe. I can't complain about the navigating tools (zoom, pan, etc.) because the work fine as long as I'm not in Hidden Line view.

I appreciate your response.

[Anonymous]

We just installed a new Windows Server on 4/20/07 and have not seen any difference in performance. Apparently Novell is not the problem (which surprised us and our local support/retailers). New Server specs are as follows: (2) Intel 1.6 core duo cpu (Intel's latest processor) runs like a 3.4gig zeon.

Any thoughts?

[KyleB_Autodesk]

Elliot,
Have you contacted our Autodesk Support team regarding this issue? Sounds like they could be of some help here in troubleshooting the performance issues you're having.

Kyle B

[Anonymous]

We have contacted Autodesk Support numerous times. We have done everything they have suggested so far and nothing has improved performance yet.

[KyleB_Autodesk]

Well I'm sure they're trying hard to figure out the problem, does this problem reproduce in other projects or just this one? Did our support team reproduce the problem on their end?

Kyle B