Beta testers needed for RevPac 1.0

[Byron Blattel]

RevPac is a new productivity add-in for Revit 2010 (all flavors).

The initial release contains several major UI enhancements for Revit:

View Bar - a dockable view/document switching toolbar with lots of features and highly configurable.

User Toolbars - that's right, build your own using any command on the Ribbon. Build your own toolbars and hide the Ribbon for maximum screen real estate. Import/export toolbars so you can share with other users.

'Next' Toolbar - a toolbar that automatically displays the tools you have used before in the current context.

For more information, support email, and the time-limited beta download go to:

http://www.cadwerx.net/?Path=RevPac

Looking forward to your feedback,
Byron Blattel
CADwerx - CAD & BIM Power Tools

[mbalsom]

Been running for 60sec's,love it !!! I will now migrate to 2010.

[rmejia]

I'm getting an:
Error 1001. No compatible Revit installation found!

Using Revit 2010 x64, Vista x64

[Chad Smith]

Very good. Autodesk should be taking note of what they should be aiming for.

[Byron Blattel]

I'm getting an:
Error 1001. No compatible Revit installation found!

Using Revit 2010 x64, Vista x64

I just verified this. I need to look at the 64 bit installer, looks like Windows is pointing it to the wrong registry section...

Looks like 64 bit support is broken for the time being.

[anthonyf]

Wow, this is cool,
But crashed revit 2010x64 when opening a project with linked rvt models..

[anthonyf]

I'm getting an:
Error 1001. No compatible Revit installation found!

Using Revit 2010 x64, Vista x64

Yeah i had the same error, ( I think) I copied my revit.ini file into the following directory
C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\Globe Link for Autodesk Revit 2010\Program

then just copied it back to the origional location

Cheers

[m20roxxers]

Ribbon view bar needs to be able to be minimised, way too much space also undockable would be the bext enhancement for it. Best yet I would prefer hidden I would like to think most people have most of those commands linked to shortcut keys. But having this open on a seperate ribbon is too much. Maybe include as another toolbar type feature on the UI like the other 2 but with expandable buttons. I don't like that I can't shut this off without closing down my project. or getting it off the screen or remove the buttons even though the option displays. I would not use this feature often if at all.

Context toolbar is more confusing I would call it previous usage toolbar, great idea very confusing name

Common tools is by far the most useful small unobtrusive and many options awesome.

Great stuff all in all, cleanup the view properties toolbar and I'm all good and can minimise my ribbon.

[Byron Blattel]

Ribbon view bar needs to be able to be minimised, way too much space also undockable would be the bext enhancement for it. Best yet I would prefer hidden I would like to think most people have most of those commands linked to shortcut keys. But having this open on a seperate ribbon is too much. Maybe include as another toolbar type feature on the UI like the other 2 but with expandable buttons. I don't like that I can't shut this off without closing down my project. or getting it off the screen or remove the buttons even though the option displays. I would not use this feature often if at all.

Context toolbar is more confusing I would call it previous usage toolbar, great idea very confusing name

Common tools is by far the most useful small unobtrusive and many options awesome.

Great stuff all in all, cleanup the view properties toolbar and I'm all good and can minimise my ribbon.

Thanks for the feedback.

I agree the View Bar needs to be able to be hidden/minimized. That's easy, getting it to be there is the hard part Are you thinking of something more like the AutoCAD tool palettes with an Auto-hide option or having it collapse with the rest of the Ribbon (when docked RibbonRight)?

The dock option of RibbonRight is the default because it's wasted space and the View Bar will take whatever is left over. When docked RibbonBottom or to one of the view sides it is sizable (within limits). Also, did you see that the document and all it's opened views can be collapsed? The thinking is that when you have multiple files open (like a couple families and a project) you're only working in one at a time and you'd collapse the ones you don't want to think about. My experience with DocBar is that there really are 2 basic kinds of users, those that want some visual way to tell what they have open (usually architects, like myself) and those that don't (and don't want to give up any screen real estate for that purpose). The View Bar is oriented towards the former.

The term 'Context' comes from the Ribbon contextual tabs which are contextual in that they are populated with commands for the current context (selected elements, active command, etc.). You can also turn off the toolbar titles (they're on by default so that new users know what they are).

Did you create any user toolbars? You can create a new tool bar by right clicking on any Ribbon button and choosing 'Add to new Revpac toolbar'.

Good feedback, thanks.

[m20roxxers]

Minimisation and being able to completely hide it would make me happy.
My issue was when I want to minimise the Revit default ribbon the revpac one cannot be minimised with it, I would envision programing all my toolbars into the drawing error and have no need for the default ribbon whatsoever. While it can be shrunk it's not much and docking other places reduces real estate even more. Ribbon right was a great idea for placement but no minimising with the standard just reduces functionality. I use dual screens so also a floating option would be great and I would probably leave it open if that were possible.
I was simply think of a complete turn-off of the function if you would like. Similar to the visible switches in the common and context

I see the idea behind it and understand where it would be valuable, but for me this is not something thats important I have all this controlled via keyboard shortcuts

The context toolbar I felt is a record of top level options you select and grows as you use them, great idea but the "common tools" are far more able to be contextual. Contextual to me in terms of revit is activating sub level commands of tools, therefore I attempted to try to add them to this and it caused a little frustration till I understand it was a recorder of previous used commands. I think a different name suggesting it's function will take away from that issue. It's only minor.

Yes I created custom toolbars and also created custom context toolbars all worked really great and very impressed. Also having different options in different contexts is really really cool if this was what Autodesk had done in the beginning for the 2010 interface.....
Don't know how much leverage you can get but placing these running from the right side as well as the left (ie top left, top right, top mid, mid left, mid right, btm left, btm, mid, btm right) would allow users to place them on the other side therefore creating greater flexibility in segregating commands into function groups. That is my only gripe though this is by far the bext part about it. I would like to see in management an easier way of defining which items come up in which contexts maybe a list of tick boxes next to each context allowing users to quickly turn these on or off which items they would like to see it in, had a little trouble juggling my first 2 and swapping them from different contexts in a quick test of manipulation and setup especially from a CAD manager point of view)

Only 2 bugs I have been exposed to so far.
First was when installing I had to dump my Revit.ini file into my worksharing for monitor folder or the install cancelled, not sure why it was looking for it there but it came up, however it still wrote all relevant info my proper .ini file.

Also my ground floor view in my template would not show any toolbars but all other views would, when I shuffled back and forth a few times the toolbars expanded from the drawing area to the extents of the application window a simple shut down project and opened up solved this however.

Hope this helps.