Opening Old Revit Files - Implications for Archiving

[pashley]

I found an example Revit file on an old Autodesk "gallery" page, a completely documented library project. I downloaded it but after several error messages, it won't open.

My concern is how this affects archiving of Revit projects. I have ten-year-old AutoCAD R13 files that I can open. Some must be recovered but they nevertheless do open.

Since Revit upgrades do not support backwards compatibility and it seems they may also not always support forward compatibility, an inability to open an old Revit file, even if uncommon, has huge implications for Revit's use for facilities management and just plain record-keeping.

Has Autodesk considered how this issue can be resolved? Are we supposed to upgrade all active and inactive files with every new version of Revit? Alarge AE firm would find this a bit difficult to do.

We're just making the decision to move to Revit but this issue has me worried.
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[Overconstrained]

Did you try opening the file with the "audit" box checked?

[jeffh]

I found an example Revit file on an old Autodesk "gallery" page, a completely documented library project. I downloaded it but after several error messages, it won't open.

My concern is how this affects archiving of Revit projects. I have ten-year-old AutoCAD R13 files that I can open. Some must be recovered but they nevertheless do open.

Since Revit upgrades do not support backwards compatibility and it seems they may also not always support forward compatibility, an inability to open an old Revit file, even if uncommon, has huge implications for Revit's use for facilities management and just plain record-keeping.

Has Autodesk considered how this issue can be resolved? Are we supposed to upgrade all active and inactive files with every new version of Revit? Alarge AE firm would find this a bit difficult to do.

We're just making the decision to move to Revit but this issue has me worried.
.

I have only seen this issue once before with an older Revit file not being able to be upgraded. When I came across the problem I was able to "baby step" it up a couple of versions at a time. Our product support team has access to much older (more than 3 releases ago) versions of Revit and can probably get files upgraded if you ever run into difficulty.



That being said, I think this problem is exceedingly rare.

[ajayholland]

By coincidence I just found and opened two Revit projects from 2002. Version 3.1 or 4.0; pre-Autodesk. These were not fully documented, but both files opened without a hitch.

Going on nine years working in Revit. I do not see the "huge implications". There is no issue to be resolved. What may or may not happen ten years in the future should not affect your decision now. Just do it.

~AJH

[UpNorth]

I have a copy of the same library that you are talking about (I think) - approx. 2002 and version 4.5 or 5. It did not open directly the first time. But wuth DFC and Audit checked I was able to get in.

However, it would be huge if we could not access these files 10 years from now...