UPGRADE TO V8!!!!

[Shaun v Rooyen]

To ALL out there still using R7, stop being such WETS!!!!! I am tired of reading in these threads "cant do that, still in R7". Thats why there is V8. ALL those silly propblems you are struggling with are generally sorted out in V8. TO UPGRADE IS NOTHING. 6 Projects all over 90MB, no upgrade problems. In certain instances hassles with project issues no longer exist in the V8 version. So stop your moaning, and start upgrading!!!

[Mike Hardy-Brown]

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[glen.85659]

Hey there SVR.

What do u do if your client is not willing to upgrade?

[Shaun v Rooyen]

It's better than R7. So I don't see what the issue is!

[J. Grouchy]

Hey there SVR.

What do u do if your client is not willing to upgrade?

Why do people act as if upgrading means buying new software? If you have a license, upgrades are free...so there really is no logical reason for not upgrading.

[ejburrell67787]

Why do people act as if upgrading means buying new software? If you have a license, upgrades are free...so there really is no logical reason for not upgrading.
And it ain't like upgrading windows... which I fully understand why some people still use 98 or 2k....! ;-)

[J. Grouchy]

And it ain't like upgrading windows... which I fully understand why some people still use 98 or 2k....! ;-)

Well...Win 98...I'm not sure why someone would hang onto that one. Win2k was probably their most stable version ever and I would still have it on my home computer if it hadn't been stolen.

[Lashers]

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 . . . is .gr8!!

[dirk.cilliers]

After upgrading from 6 to 7, did not want to go back to 6. After upgrading from 7 to 8 did not want to go back to 7. Just do it Get 8! :)

[glen.85659]

It's better than R7. So I don't see what the issue is!

Hi Zeds.

You will be pleased to know i installed today and will soon be moving some projects to V8.0

[JamesVan]

An interesting counter-point being made by the Archicad folks (http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=6617) is that Revit is not backwards compatible. Would any of us want or need to save back to Revit 1.0?

Thoughts anyone?

[sbrown]

The only thing i've ever wanted to save back is a family. Occasionaly I'll create a family in a later version that would be useful in a projec that is in a previous version. I prefer not to upgrade projects unless there are specific fixes or functionality that will drastically improve the workflow. I will upgrade a milestones, ie, I won't upgrade the week before DD is due, but once its done, I'll upgrade and do the CD's in the next version.

[LRaiz]

An interesting counter-point being made by the Archicad folks (http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=6617) is that Revit is not backwards compatible. Would any of us want or need to save back to Revit 1.0?

Thoughts anyone?
Another interesting question would be how many users are willing to pay for the implementation of backward compatibility. Keep in mind that the price may not be in $$ but in decrease of improvements elsewhere since resources are to be shifted.

I do know that backward compatibility is a popular request, especially with people accustomed to dwg files. However allow me to make a general observation. Applications that are still being developed and improving rapidly usually do not provide backward compatibility. It is usually much later in an application life cycle when it matures considerably and accumulates a substantial number of users then market forces cause corporations to invest into development of backward compatibilities.

So, Autodesk is faced with resource allocation question. At what point Revit resources should start shifting from wooing more of dwg users to providing functionality for the sake of outdated Revit releases?

[Mark Vorstenbosch]

I'll be using R8 in the next week or 2.

[J. Grouchy]

Would any of us want or need to save back to Revit 1.0?

Thoughts anyone?

Even if Revit did devote resources to allowing for backward compatibility, I don't think anyone is asking to be able to go back THAT far. Even AutoCAD limits the 'distance' you can go. I don't have the latest releases, but I know in 2000 you can only save back as far as r14.

I think backwards compatibility is like many wishes for Revit users...we got used to certain abilities in AutoCAD that, if you think about it, we don't really need in Revit. I'm thinking specifically about things like the inch/foot debate and the editing dimensions debate.

[k.armstrong]

Backwards compatible -

if you have a licence and on subscription you are always on latest version - i would think the times you would need to go backwards in versions would be very very very few times - and then you need to ask do i really need to go backwards - why am i doing it - to issue something to a consultant - everyone should be pretty much on the same version around the same time - whay else - old projects - upgrafe them if you need to work on them - from my limited experience with Revit - i would much much prefer the effort is concentrated forwards. The improvements well outway the effort it would take to upgrade to latest version

ken

[trent59822]

Since we are talking about back wards compatibility. On occasion, I need to access projects I completed a while ago (Revit 4.1, which is about 3-4 years ago). These files tend to crash when trying to open them. We need to keep these documents as a permanent record. If we can't open the files, we have no record. Maybe I need to keep each successive version in case this happens. This is just something to consider

[LarryG]

As a general rule, we upgrade all users and all projects. After installing v7, we switched to network licensing. Now that we are upgrading to v8, it seems that we don't really have a choice to maintain projects in v7. When we configured the v8 network licenses, it killed the v7 network licenses. In order to make the transition, we reverted the network license server to v7, set all v8 installations to 30 day trial mode and will switch them to v8 network licenses after all upgrades are complete. It seems that as far as network license users are concerned, upgrading is all or nothing.

[Danny Polkinhorn]

As a general rule, we upgrade all users and all projects. After installing v7, we switched to network licensing. Now that we are upgrading to v8, it seems that we don't really have a choice to maintain projects in v7. When we configured the v8 network licenses, it killed the v7 network licenses. In order to make the transition, we reverted the network license server to v7, set all v8 installations to 30 day trial mode and will switch them to v8 network licenses after all upgrades are complete. It seems that as far as network license users are concerned, upgrading is all or nothing.
Larry,
This isn't correct. The network licensing allows for both 7 and 8 licenses at the same time (and earlier as well). There must have been some error in the configuration that caused the v7 licenses to not work. You should be able to happily coexist with both 7 and 8. The topic of this thread however, suggests that you shouldn't be using 7 even though you could.

HTH,

[phildebrandt]

I think an important point to make here is that at some point for reasons that may not be obvious right now, uou may have to save a project to a previous version or face many hours of redoing work. There's a reason most programs maintain backwards compatibility, the cost to the customer that doesn't have it can be huge.

The firm I work for is considering switching to Revit and this topic will definitely weigh against Revit.

I guess now that Revit now supports the structural engineering, Autodesk will need to consider this point. What happens if you structural consultant can't afford to upgrade Revit? Do you switch your firm back to the older Revit or try to find a new structural consultant?

[J. Grouchy]

What happens if you structural consultant can't afford to upgrade Revit? Do you switch your firm back to the older Revit or try to find a new structural consultant?

As long as you own a license, upgrades are free...so that should not be an issue.

I do worry about being able to open and work with previous project...particularly once they are numerous releases in the past. I don't want to have to have a copy of every release of Revit since we started using it...nor do I want to run across any problems in opening a release 5.1 file in release 12 and having it spring crazy on me. I hope the developers consider this with every release...

[Scott D Davis]

I guess now that Revit now supports the structural engineering, Autodesk will need to consider this point. What happens if you structural consultant can't afford to upgrade Revit? Do you switch your firm back to the older Revit or try to find a new structural consultant?Every Revit license is on Subscription. You are guaranteed upgrades on subscription. Your structrual consultant will also be on subscription. There should be no reason why all consultants and architects cannot remain on the same version. The subscription costs are 'peanuts' compared to the purchase price. Budget for the yearly subscription fee, and keep on upgrading!

[Damo]

I like to wait a few weeks to see if there are any serious bugs that might crash my system / corrupt the file. With Revit, as the developers hang around here and are very responsive and sensitive to bug reporting, updates appear very quickly. I waited just 2 weeks before committing to Revit 8.

However, with the OS it's a different story. With Windows XP I waited 6 months before upgrading the OS, and a few months before going to XP SP1, etc etc. Sometimes the Microsoft bug fixes causes other bugs!

[Scott D Davis]

The way the factory releases software is different starting with Revit 8.0. There is a Beta release, and after Beta has been checked for a while, then Revit gets officially released to the public via CD's and the Web download.

In 7.0 and lower, there was the "Web Release", followed a few weeks later by the CD release. The web release was in effect, a beta, and the CD was official.

Don't be worried any longer about upgrading right away.

[Damo]

I hear what you say Scott, but I prefer to be prudent and wait for a few weeks with Revit (and a few months with Microsoft), after all, there were a few problems with the first release of Revit 8.

[Wes Macaulay]

The subscription costs are 'peanuts' compared to the purchase price. Budget for the yearly subscription fee, and keep on upgrading!Subscription is about 1/5 the cost of the software, maybe a little less.

[Wes Macaulay]

I think an important point to make here is that at some point for reasons that may not be obvious right now, uou may have to save a project to a previous version or face many hours of redoing work. True. One of our clients has a Seattle office and they were NOT upgrading that office to 7 because of a project they had started. Vancouver had upgraded to 7, so the work done in 7 was essentially orphaned.

But this is the exception rather than the rule. Firms actively using Revit almost always upgrade when new versions come out. It's not like AutoCAD where upgrading doesn't really improve your bottom line. New features in each version of Revit are the carrot which lure users into the new release. And without exception, it's worked. ;-)

[richard.82786]

True. One of our clients has a Seattle office and they were NOT upgrading that office to 7 because of a project they had started. Vancouver had upgraded to 7, so the work done in 7 was essentially orphaned.

But this is the exception rather than the rule. Firms actively using Revit almost always upgrade when new versions come out. It's not like AutoCAD where upgrading doesn't really improve your bottom line. New features in each version of Revit are the carrot which lure users into the new release. And without exception, it's worked. ;-)

There is a reason why this is an exception. In checking with a reseller (as someone who is considering Revit), I was warned that the subscription is something that I would need to religiously maintain, or have to pay for a whole new license if it expired. So, if I choose to stay on Revit7 for more than a year, and don't pay for the subscription to upgrade to 8, I would have to buy a WHOLE NEW LICENSE, if I ever wanted to upgrade again.

Essentially signing up for an annual subscription for the rest of my career is something that has given me cold feet about jumping in. I am currently on ArchiCAD, and upgrades are optional. Usually you get a cheaper price if you upgrade from the latest version, but upgrading from earlier versions are only slightly more -- certainly not a whole new license cost. Further, I can sell my ArchiCAD license at any time, even years later -- even if not upgraded. If the Revit subscription expires, your initial investment cost has expired as well, it seems.

I would be interested to know if I was given accurate information from this Revit reseller.

[Wes Macaulay]

I would be interested to know if I was given accurate information from this Revit reseller.You really should get the latest information. I work for a reseller, and things changed recently - subscription is now not mandatory for Revit, if memory serves correct. Given the amount of sleep deprivation I deal with these days, you would be advised to get the goods from someone else!