Save back to 6.0 (or 5.1, etc.)

[Dean Camlin]

So now we have several different flavors of our favorite architectural modeler floating about: 6.1, for those who like to keep on the cutting edge; 6.0, for those who have subscribed to Autodesk Revit Series; and 5.1, for those (like me) who are teaching using an educational license.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had the ability to save our Revit files to a specific version so we could share between them? I know it would make my life simpler. I could complete some work using my stand-alone version of 6.1, hand it off to my drafter who's using ARS, and email an example design to school to show my students.

[Scott D Davis]

Would be nice to go back at least one major release. 6 to 5, or 5 to 4....anyone still using 4?

[nrenfro]

I have been so pleased with how the Revit team has managed to make the upgrades transparent in that using the new features is so natural. Their is not an issue with learning curves, as it has been very seamless. I think it is the responsibility of Autodesk to bring all of these varied packages up at the same time. Are they all not subscription. That's one of the pitches I got about the subscription -small easy to digest upgrades that minimize training time-. Revit is developing fast, to to fuss with downward compatibility would be a distraction. IMHO

[PeterJ]

As soon as you find your co-consultants working with Revit and asking for copies of your model file, or wishing to access it via worksets and ftp then I think you will find this an issue Nathaniel.

Backwards compatibility is an issue. How it should be addressed is a toughy call as each release has been offering greater functionality, not just improved interface to static tools.

[bclarch]

I agree with the need but also see that it might be inherently difficult. As more consultants start using Revit we will begin to see more compatibility issues. Even firms on subscription won't always upgrade immediately. Upgrade decisions are based on things like workflow, how many projects are underway with the current release, how many jobs are in the pipeline, when will the IT guy be able to find time in his/her schedule, etc. etc. etc. It is easy to see how a firm could find itself out of synch with one or more of it's consultants.

The difficulty arises because of the intelligence built into the families. It's not like Acad which just came out with different ways to draw lines more quickly. Eliminating new features in a backwards save could cause unforseen changes in the model which could be problematic. I guess that's why the programmers get the big bucks.

[Cathy Hadley]

From my experiences so far with firms and the update issues.

I think the network deployment has to be made more automated, before large firms will be able to keep up on the latest and greatest.

I get a lot of IT guys who just wince at the mention of the latest build or new upgrade.

But personally, I vote for always keeping on the latest version, tho, realistically I doubt this will happen

[dandare1231893]

An interesting question is: what should an older version of Revit do with an object of a newer version. Say you have a project with design options made in 6.0 and save it to 5.0, what should happen with those options. Options did not exist in 5.0 yet.

Essentially this means that Revit would need to strip some 'intelligence' from it's models when you save backwards. How much 'intelligence' should there be left when saving back? Would we be happy with just a 'blob' of geometry that can be used for referencing and annotating in an older version?

I'd really be interested to see what the community thinks about that.

[gregcashen]

In that particular example, I think saving the primary option would be the ticket.

[FK]

I think I will speak for the entire team if I cringe at the thought. Well, cringing is not speaking, but you know what I mean. We all hate writing upgrades. Upgrades of upgrades border on black magic. And you want downgrades with that?

Well, maybe several years down the line when (if) things really settle down we'll be able to do this. But not now, not at this rate, please.

[christopher.zoog51272]

I think I will speak for the entire team if I cringe at the thought. Well, cringing is not speaking, but you know what I mean. We all hate writing upgrades. Upgrades of upgrades border on black magic. And you want downgrades with that?

I with you on that FK, I really don't think we need a "save as revit version X". Everyone is on subscription, almost everyone has acess to the lastest release at the same time, compatibility should be a non-issue, just upgrade. If you are a larger firm, hold off until you are ready, then do it all at once. If you can't download the lastest cool family sombody posted, oh well, just upgrade.

Well, maybe several years down the line when (if) things really settle down we'll be able to do this. But not now, not at this rate, please.

when will things ever settle down....really...

i feel the team's efforts are best spent elsewhere.

Z.