Fedex Just Delivered Revit 8.1

[Scott Hopkins]

Yes it is true! I have the 8.1 disk sitting on my desk ready to install. It should arrive out in the provinces in a day or two...:mrgreen:

[BillyGrey]

Dang, I'm only 200 miles south/east of you Scott.
I wonder how long till the truck gets here...

[Paul Monsef]

The truck is heading south!! Mine was waiting for me Monday AM... ;)

[anthony.67953]

It sure seems like a waste of good money, when we can download the program. If we want a hard copy we could just ask. Does someone at Autodesk own FedEx a favor?

[JohnASB]

What is the build on the CD?

[iru69]

What is the build on the CD?
My CD has 20050804_0100 - the same as I downloaded off the web last Friday morning.

[JohnASB]

Thanks. That's what I downloaded last week.

[Wes Macaulay]

Could someone check the help file version they got when they downloaded 8.1? On mine it's the help file from 8.0! :screwy:

[iru69]

Could someone check the help file version they got when they downloaded 8.1?
Well, I did get the 8.1 help file when I downloaded... but I should point out that I downloaded all the cab files manually from the download site and unzipped them (I did this so the web install wouldn't tie up Revit for half an hour while it downloaded a couple hundred megabytes)... so it's possible that the web install did something different.

[Scott D Davis]

Anything downloaded from the web at this point is unofficial, and there may have been things not ready yet, like the help file.

[BomberAIA]

I downloaded 8.1 after i got an e-mail that said it was available. Everything is fine and I even got it authorize right away.

[rhys]

I downloaded 8.1 after i got an e-mail that said it was available. Everything is fine and I even got it authorize right away.
Must be the secret web address for US users only.

[mwenta]

If you are able to download 8.1 from Autodesk; I would sure be interested in finding that secret location. I have been looking everyday for the past week and have found nothing from Autodesk. I have even gone so far as to ask Tatjanna and have gotten no definite date as to when it will be released. I've been running the Beta version for about two months now and love it, but it would sure be nice to get the rest of the company on board. If anyone knows where I can get an OFFICIAL copy, please let me know.

[rhys]

Haven't you heard this release is for users in Florida only.

[jbalding48677]

Haven't you heard this release is for users in Florida only.
Too damn funny to ignore. Thanks for giving me my morning chuckle Rhys :!: :!: :!:

As for this thread and the others floating around, we go through this every time there is a release. I have to say that 8.0 is a great release and I am happy to use it until 8.1 comes out. I find that if you just forget about the pending release it is here before you know it. (just like summer vacation when you were in school)

[mwenta]

Just seems odd that the CD shipped before you were able to download it! Isn't it usually the other way around? We're just so proactive here that we didn't want to miss the party. Looks to me like the party hasn't officially started yet. I'm just a little skeptical as to where people are getting theirs. Heck, we didn't even get the typical thank you from the Beta developement team letting us know that we were done! I feel like the ugly prom date that doesn't get a call the next day.

[Wes Macaulay]

Well, the customer ship of Revit CDs was slated for mid August, and that's happening. I get the impression that the complexities of releasing 8.1 across all the international boundaries is the big challenge at present.

You're still the hot prom date, Mike :razz:

[funkman]

Well I spoke with my reseller based in Sydney yesterday and he has said that Autodesk Australia are still trying to get 8.1 for us even though there is no confirmation that we will even get it at all. It sounds like there is something going on behind the scenes. I questioned then why are we all paying for the hefty subscription to which he could not reply. They are trying to organise it and hopefully will come here soon...

[Scott D Davis]

Rest assured, I have heard that there will be some method for all those outside the North America/Latin America region (called AMER GEO by Autodesk) to get Revit 8.1. Stay in touch with your reseller and they will have infomation soon.

Also, remember that Revit is the ONLY Autodesk "design" software available via download. (excludes DWF, etc.) If we, the users, hope to keep it that way, we MUST be patient with the process. Complaining about the download or availability of it only adds fuel to the fire of those at Autodesk that would rather have Revit be available via CD only...like the rest.

The best thing we can all do at this point is be as supportive as possible for the hard work the Revit team is putting forth. They are on OUR side, and trying to make these things happen. Other internal Autodesk actions beyond the control of the Revit team are the source of some issues at this point. Issues are being resolved. Patience, understanding, and support for the software we are so passionate about, and the Team that makes it all happen, are what we need most.

[jbalding48677]

Also, remember that Revit is the ONLY Autodesk "design" software available via download. (excludes DWF, etc.) If we, the users, hope to keep it that way, we MUST be patient with the process. Complaining about the download or availability of it only adds fuel to the fire of those at Autodesk that would rather have Revit be available via CD only...like the rest.


Very good point Scott





The best thing we can all do at this point is be as supportive as possible for the hard work the Revit team is putting forth. They are on OUR side, and trying to make these things happen. Other internal Autodesk actions beyond the control of the Revit team are the source of some issues at this point. Issues are being resolved. Patience, understanding, and support for the software we are so passionate about, and the Team that makes it all happen, are what we need most.
Right on target again Mr. Davis.

[DaveP]

Autodesk that would rather have Revit be available via CD only...like the rest.Hold on a sec, there, Scott.
I think you have to get ADT BS (Bloated Software) on a DVD now, don't you?

[Scott D Davis]

ok, so most all Autodesk software comes on a disc, whether it be a CD or DVD....

[Wes Macaulay]

Here, here, Scott.

How Revit is developed and distributed is why it is so successful, and part of the reason the Revit culture (quick response to problems, new builds posted often) is such a hit. But it's also totally at variance with Autodesk's methods for developing its other products. If the web download creates too many hassles, it's not great motivation for them to keep it up.

The web availability of Revit is simply brilliant. Anyone can download it and try it... the accessibility and grass-roots feel of Revit cannot be matched by other software in its class.

[sohocad]

Wes, don't know how many lic. you have but it is a real pain for us when you have to deploy a large network upgrade and present to a large firm what is new. It take time for some people to catch up with the new tool but worst is that this is happening 2 times a year...

ps. plus getting a stupid lic file from autodesk everytime you have a updated release....

[Wes Macaulay]

Agreed - network licensing is no fun. Since we have 300 seats of Revit out there - probably more now that I think of it - I get to hear upgrade flak all the time :mrgreen:

Revit upgrades are generally a piece of cake. New features are usually transparent and don't affect workflow. If people don't know, it won't hurt them, though they may kill you later when they see a new feature they didn't know about ;-)

Network licensing is a beast with which many firms have trouble. They may have the wrong version of LMTools, or they don't know how to create a LIC file, etc., etc. And the Autodesk documentation is a labyrinth of verbiage that does little to give someone a grasp of how it all works.

[Scott D Davis]

There is a way (and I'm not an IT guy so I dont know all the Tech Terms!) after building the Network deployment, to run a scheduled task on every computer in your office that will install Revit. Our IT department is working on setting this up for our 8.1 install. The network deployment package goes on a network drive. A scheduled task is created via a log-in script that runs every time someone logs into a machine on our network. First, it looks for the EXE in the 8.1 folder. If it's there, it skips installation. If not, it sets the permissions to Admin, then runs the MSI off the network. Upon completion, it resets permissions back to the user level, and logs in the user.

Log in takes a bit longer (we dont install content..its on the network) but when the user gets in, the Revit 8.1 icon awaits, and they are ready to go. This is perhaps the fastest way to push Revit out to many users. Best thing, once you do it once, it only takes a second to change the script and build the new deployment upon the next version.

[sohocad]

I normally setup script to run the network deployment..that is the easy part, what I have a real pain about is that if you got 3D Studio Viz, Revit and especially AutoCAD - it is big load to deploy over many stations, and with AutoCAD, I have debug all my VBs, Lisp and menu to make sure it all work. I do not see that we can get rid of AutoCAD in the near future and now working with API in Revit it will be another thing on my plate....that life!

[mwenta]

YeeHahh, It's finally here!!! Iwonder if they are going to stop posting it on the web first like they've done in the past. Hope they continue to put it on the web first. I agree 100% wth Scott, I think they have excellent support and are always looking ahead to improve it. Reinstalling may be a pain, but to me it's worth it.

[LRaiz]

The web availability of Revit is simply brilliant. Anyone can download it and try it... the accessibility and grass-roots feel of Revit cannot be matched by other software in its class.Even though marketing advantages of web download are still important, in my opinion they pale in comparison with other advantages. Web download is a key process that Revit Technology Corporartion established more than 5 years ago in order to combine fast pace of software development with an ability to quickly react to customer issues, provide updated builds and thus increase overall quality and customer satisfaction. I suspect that without web download the company would be forced to produce only half of releases in the same amount of time and thus slow down the pace of innovation.



There is a way (and I'm not an IT guy so I dont know all the Tech Terms!) after building the Network deployment, to run a scheduled task on every computer in your office that will install Revit. Our IT department is working on setting this up for our 8.1 install. The network deployment package goes on a network drive. A scheduled task is created via a log-in script that runs every time someone logs into a machine on our network. First, it looks for the EXE in the 8.1 folder. If it's there, it skips installation. If not, it sets the permissions to Admin, then runs the MSI off the network. Upon completion, it resets permissions back to the user level, and logs in the user.
I suspect that your IT guys are looking to implement group policy options for network installation of Revit releases. They can definitely do that and IT often likes to take matter into their own hands to such a degree that users don't need (and are not trusted) to do any part of the installation procedure. However if your users can be trusted to do a single click on an installation shortcut then Revit installer provides such an opportunity. I want to make sure that people are aware of this practical solution:
1) Install Revit on one computer including installation of family libraries on the server.
2) During installation direct Revit Setup program to prepare network deployment.
3) As result of this installation you will get network deployment msi file that is capable of installing Revit in a uniform fashion on any number of computers. Keep this msi file on your server.
4) Email to all users that a new release/build of Revit is available and include a shortcut to deployment msi into your email. Instruct users to click on the shortcut to start installation. No additional user action would be required.

[Mr Spot]

Other than updating there revit.ini file with there previous customised file locations.
Replacing there Keyboard Shorcuts.txt file with the customised version.
Replacing Ar_city.uni file with the office customised city list.
Replacing SHX fontmap.txt with the office customised conversions...

[Matt Brennan]

Anything downloaded from the web at this point is unofficial, and there may have been things not ready yet, like the help file.

Plus I have seen bad builds released on line causing frustrated clients. I find the cds more reliable than the download.

There’s my 2 cents….

[Wes Macaulay]

Anything downloaded from the web at this point is unofficial, and there may have been things not ready yet, like the help file.Actually it was the beta help file which didn't get overwritten when I installed the non-beta build...

[Scott D Davis]

4) Email to all users that a new release/build of Revit is available and include a shortcut to deployment msi into your email. Instruct users to click on the shortcut to start installation. No additional user action would be required.
Leonid, the user must have local Admin rights to their machine in order for this to work, correct? In my firm, no one has the rights to install software. At one time, we did. Everyone took advantage and downloaded almost anything for installation. We had to restrict rights just to make sure our firm remained legal....

[dnilsson]

Other than updating there revit.ini file with there previous customised file locations.
Replacing there Keyboard Shorcuts.txt file with the customised version.
Replacing Ar_city.uni file with the office customised city list.
Replacing SHX fontmap.txt with the office customised conversions...

Part of our login script copies these files for each user to a network directory every time they login as a backup precaution. I have been doing the "manual" network installation LRaiz described above, but I think I'll look into modifying the script to install automatically and then copy these files back in from the network. It's amazing just how hard it can be to get 40 people to click on a single link.

Edit: Actually the network install handles updating the .ini file for you, so it's just the other three left to deal with.

[bclarch]

Just received our CD. I would recommend that everyone read the "Known Issues" PDF that is included on the CD. If you don't, you might end up wasting time trying to fix things that are "unfixable". Some of it is just "pain in the a**" stuff but other things might have a greater impact.

Moderators, maybe you can check with Autodesk to see if you can post a copy in the "Known Issues" forum.

[Wes Macaulay]

A lot of these issues fix pre-8.1 problems -- much of this document simply tells you how to make sure the fixes happen.

[Mr Spot]

Part of our login script copies these files for each user to a network directory every time they login as a backup precaution. I have been doing the "manual" network installation LRaiz described above, but I think I'll look into modifying the script to install automatically and then copy these files back in from the network. It's amazing just how hard it can be to get 40 people to click on a single link.

Edit: Actually the network install handles updating the .ini file for you, so it's just the other three left to deal with.
Yeah i did have it setup on a login script for a while, people prefer the freedom of having there own keyboard shortcuts. I suppose yes i could create a specific login script for each user login... ah we'll see.