RAC 2010 - some explanation and request for your views

[ws]

You can't say they aren't trying ;)

The insightful (and suggestive) insidethefactory blog has an interesting post today on the UI development and the contextual tabs - and asks for further views...
http://tinyurl.com/o5bwog

[Phil Read]

Had the factory maintained the Classic UI, customers would not have been faced with such an either/or decision to upgrade to 2010 or maintain 2009 until the redesigned UI finally settles down.

From the tone of the article, it sounds like they're willing to admit they still have a lot of homework to do. But this makes their decision not to maintain the Classic UI even more unfortunate.

Perhaps someone could add a poll asking whether or not the factory should maintain the classic UI until the new UI is resolved?

[ws]

FWIW I guess like many ordinary users I was prepared to give the UI a chance - it didn't look so bad.. you could see there was some logic in the way icons were grouped etc...
always prepared to give something a chance etc..

but having now got 2010 stable and doing real work, using the UI intensively and having learnt the locations of most commands, I cannot help but agree with the many users who see it as a backward step. There is something about the new UI which is disorientating and not conducive to a good workflow.

The logical layout etc etc may help your typical novice Word user (I include myself in this) who only dips into the commands of their product but I would guess most of us use Revit very intensively and the old UI for all its unglamorous look was very effective.

Learning more keyboard shortcuts is the short term answer for me.
Long term none of this has done Revit any favours - unless someone has a focus group to prove otherwise :roll:

[narlee]

I must admit to being a curmudgeon and complainer, when it comes to the new ribbons on MS products and on Revit. But, I must also admit that, having cleared my mind and given the new Revit UI a shot, I can see some great things about it. Nonetheless, I agree that, like in MS products, Revit not including a parallel old-UI is foolish for such a critical transition. For me, their little text guide doesn't cut it - much prefer that website some ingenuitive lad set up that has the interactive "where's my command." MS has one on a website for their products; would have loved if Revit could at least integrated same.

Regarding WS's comment, I don't know yet for me, but see his point about it being appropriate for novices. And the initial customization efforts look promising, as novices can get lost in the (sometimes over?) abundance of features.

Given the comments about pdf issues and everything else, I've been reluctant to use Revit 2010 in production mode, tho I want to. Are we still beta-testing Revit 2010 or waiting for the Web Update? Anyone know? I don't seem to be having the problems others have experienced.

[ws]

It's probably tempting fate but I keep pushing Revit 2010 by working faster, opening more views and since changing to the FX 3800 graphics card it has all been perfect.

There will be areas I have not reached yet but at the moment it is working fine for me.

[Andrew Dobson]

I agree, Revit 2010 does make you work harder and certainly move your mouse around more.

I know where everything is in 2009, and now know where most things are in 2010, and it is definitely quicker to get things done using the old UI.

I found the same thing with Word 2007. It may make some commands more obvious for novices, but in time you know where things are, and the ribbon just slows you down by making you move your mouse around more.

It was never the interface that was difficult to teach people in 2009, it was the cultural change of using BIM instead of CAD.

[cphubb]

One word Keyboardshortcuts

(Well really two)

[trombe]

One word Keyboardshortcuts

(Well really two)

Yip, I too have been a moaner about 2010 !! and still I am not happy with some things and am prepared to spend some time to clear my head about what things I like and dislike about the ribbon, and then to posit a view to that web site blog. It is the least I can do to help things when I have been and stil am, a detractor of a lot of the ribbon.

That said, I am warming to the package in an overall sense and am now keen to se the stability thing sorted out as fast as possible because as some have noted, once you acknowledge its not going away and try to get on with it, you make that cerebral transition.....(or is that you become subsumed ?, a chartered user !!!!) and then it becomes easier to not go back because man, I just don't have the RAM for both UI's !


So yeah, keyboard shortcuts are the way, the truth and the light,
amen.
trombe
(quite the irreligious one).

[tomnewsom]

So yeah, keyboard shortcuts are the way, the truth and the light,
amen.
trombe
(quite the irreligious one).

Testify!

So it really irks me that Finish and Cancel (sketch, floor, boundary line etc) STILL can't have keyboard shortcuts!

[Andrew Dobson]

One word Keyboardshortcuts

(Well really two)

This is a workaround, not a solution. I use keyboard shortcuts a lot, but its not an excuse for the UI being slower than 2009

[BomberAIA]

I agree the ribbon is slower. The old UI was easier to use and to find commands. I can't believe they changed it and screwed up Revit.

[ws]

Yes, it is slower than the old UI but bothering me much more is a growing feeling that I am not enjoying using Revit as I used to.

There was obviously more to the old UI than I realised.

[Wagurto]

I saw some where in this site that there is a way to get back the old UI? am I right?
is that possible?

[Chad Smith]

Not possible. Although some users have had some glitches which have exposed some of the old UI, suggesting to some level that it might still be intact.

[BomberAIA]

When I used Revit 1-2009, I would think to myself how well Revit's UI was designed. Now Autodesk has screwed it up and it affects my "bottom line," profit & productivity.

[Mike_Maloney]

Having only "played" with 2010 briefly at home, I too found that I had too many clicks to do the same thing as in 2009. One thing I REALLY, REALLY miss from the ADT/ACA days is the Ricght Click/Context Menu for even the most Basic Editing Cmds...........Seems to me that if they (Adesk) had put some more thought into this area, some of the initial problems of the new UI could have been 'overlooked' until they sorted things out. That being said, I really believe that ADESK needs to REALLY, REALLY think about incorporating the RC menu's SOON.

Mike Maloney

[cphubb]

Testify!

So it really irks me that Finish and Cancel (sketch, floor, boundary line etc) STILL can't have keyboard shortcuts!

Tom

Have you tried the close snap? By default it's SZ. Does not fully complete the loop but snaps back to the start point. Single click and closed.

I know it's not your actual request but we started using it and it speeds the process of sketching

[ws]

and now Erik would like screenshots of your QAT setups
http://insidethefactory.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/05/quick-access-toolbar.html#comments

[Andrew Dobson]

I just added back most of the items from the 2009 toolbar.

I use keyboard shortcuts for most of these, but added them all so that I kind of know where things are again.

[ws]

I like it 8)

if you have to have a QAT then I guess that is what to do with it...

I'm sure Erik would like to see that one