It would be nice if we could just get our hands on it. There is no sign of it in my subscription box. I check 3 or 4 times a day. Are we supposed to get a notification e-mail first?
Printable View
It would be nice if we could just get our hands on it. There is no sign of it in my subscription box. I check 3 or 4 times a day. Are we supposed to get a notification e-mail first?
I called a few releases in the past as bad, but after a few weeks of 2010 use now, I can say that this is the most disappointing release to date.
This is for two reasons; The Ribbon UI, and the lack of user requested features.
I'm all for a new UI, but the Ribbon just doesn't work well with the intended workflows of Revit. But since Autodesk decided to run with it anyway, they did a very poorly thought out implementation of it. Some of my concerns are;
For me, this UI is a huge step backwards in productivity. Autodesk are going to have to do some significant changes to it to make it better, so I wonder if it's worth learning at this stage, only to re-learn it at 2011. They would have been better to defer this implementation of the Ribbon until 2011 when they had most of the workflow issues sorted out, or at least provide a classic mode for just one release. They made some bad choices here and users will suffer for it, and I'm guessing so will Autodesk and sale/upgrades.
- The all to common report that the Panels shift around depending on which content Tab you are on. This is just down right irritating.
- There is definitely an increase in mouse clicks and travel, which reduces UI performance.
- Can't turn Tabs and Panels off like you can with the Design Bar, and other Autodesk ribbon-fied applications.
- The Ribbon has a bluriness to it. Causes a headache and eye strain after a short period of use.
- The Ribbon is slow at regenerating when switching between commands and when changing Tabs.
- Inconsistent tool drop-down behaviour. Three to be exact. You have to know exactly where to press on the tool to get more tools.
- Tool icons are dull and seemingly blend into the background and makes it harder to differentiate between tools. For a UI that is constantly changing and demands our attention with every tool or option, the icons should be vivid and stand out from each other.
- The Ribbon uses more screen space than the Design Bar. But I can't do anything about this, refer next point.
- And lastly my personal pet peeve, Revit is more or less useless when the Ribbon is minimised, due to key tools/options such as the Type Selector (which you use all the time) being rolled up in the minimised Ribbon.
The lack of user requested features is another downer. I know it is on the wishlist, but it certainly doesn't rank nearly as high as say better Text tools, which everyone would have benefited from.
They could have thrown in a handful of smaller everyday wishlist items to round it out a bit. This just sounds like a logical thing to do.
So between not needing the new massing tools and a not so functional UI, but a new semi-useful slope tool, I have practically no motivation to upgrade to this release. Grading: F
I just wish I had the power to suspend Subscription renewals until Autodesk start addressing some of our (AUGI) top wishlist items. I wonder if Autodesk would start taking note if more users did the same. :roll:
thanks chad, i agree with your insights, though as you have said, it is pretty hard to not upgrade when on a subscription cycle... especially when revit is non campatible with previous releases...
Agree with Chad and disagree with Mark (with regard to necessity of upgrading).
We'll be staying with 2009 for the foreseeable future. The use of 2010 in production with be reviewed on a per-project basis. So long as there is no compelling business value to upgrade, we won't and we'll work with our design and delivery partners to do the same.
-Phil
Never plot rasterized images? Plotting is now cached, in Revit so plotting images in Revit 2010 is WAY faster. (I don't have percentages or numbers to back that up, but I've heard large images that took an hour to spool before are now done spooling in 5 minutes.) Never had confusion with local file creation? This is now more transparent in Revit 2010 with tools that automatically create local files from Central files. Never need to work with consultants using Civil 3D? ADSK file format and new tools for Project Base Point and Survey point make the workflow much simpler in 2010. Don't have the need for easier acces to more content? Manufacturers using Inventor can now create ADSK files that open as Revit families with connectors. Revit 2009 is "fast enough"? Revit 2010 is showing much better speed when navigating views, especially 3D views with shadows, with the new Direct3D hardware acceleration support. Not doing any energy analysis? Improvements to gmXML in Revit 2010 allow you to preview the gbXML data before you export, to verify the integrity of the data. No more exporting to gbXML only to find out you forgot to turn Volume Calculation on, or had other errors in the model.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Read
Just a couple of things to consider...
While it's good that printing speeds have improved to assist with printing views with shadows on and 3D, I personally would have prefered to see better printing with these views, in being printed as vector so that there is better performance in DWF's. I swear I have been asking for this to be improved for about 5 years now. :shock:Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Davis
Never had any issues here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Davis
Nope.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Davis
Nope. Typically any content provided online is fairly useless and needs changing to suit in-house standards anyway. The lack of Australian content is also an issue. The fact that Autodesk have introduced connectors suggests that they aren't taking our concerns that Architecture needs the modeling tools from Structure and MEP seriously and are continuing in pushing their own agenda while failing to listen to the customer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Davis
The speeds are slightly better, but are they enough to counteract the decrese in performance in using the Ribbon. I don't think so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Davis
Nope.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Davis
So for us, this release is still very lacklustre.
Agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by cliff collins
We don't carry the "baggage" from earlier releases. Although we've have them since V4.1, mostly they sat in a box on the shelf. 2009 was the first version we used in anger and 2010 just seems so much better. I remember the screams when Softimage went from 3D to XSI ( and now owned by Autodesk ) and the interface changes. I remember the world was about to then to! Just relax and go for the ride.
Robert
Never plot rasterized images? Plotting is now cached, in Revit so plotting images in Revit 2010 is WAY faster. (I don't have percentages or numbers to back that up, but I've heard large images that took an hour to spool before are now done spooling in 5 minutes.)
Large images that take an hour to spool are an anomaly. An if it took an hour, now it takes 5 minutes = 12x improvement for something done 1/50th of a week.
Never had confusion with local file creation? This is now more transparent in Revit 2010 with tools that automatically create local files from Central files.
Local file creation is not an issue for a user with moderate experience. Seems ADSK is concentrating on creating tools for new users as a marketing ploy.
Never need to work with consultants using Civil 3D? ADSK file format and new tools for Project Base Point and Survey point make the workflow much simpler in 2010.
C3D remains a risk adverse attempt to catch up to a competitors product (Bentley Inroads) rather than attempt to create a better way. Get more than one beer into an ADSK high level sales or technical person and you know they're not drinking their own Koolaid on this. C3D is a dog's breakfast. Put meaningful site tools in Revit. Then start scoping a meaningful, integrated Civil tool on top of the Revit platform.
Don't have the need for easier acces to more content? Manufacturers using Inventor can now create ADSK files that open as Revit families with connectors.
Interesting. Not compelling enough to upgrade. Perhaps the families can be saved to work in 2009? /s
Revit 2009 is "fast enough"? Revit 2010 is showing much better speed when navigating views, especially 3D views with shadows, with the new Direct3D hardware acceleration support.
The speed of 2009 and 2010 is not meaningfully significant. And by some accounts meaningfully adverse.
Not doing any energy analysis? Improvements to gmXML in Revit 2010 allow you to preview the gbXML data before you export, to verify the integrity of the data. No more exporting to gbXML only to find out you forgot to turn Volume Calculation on, or had other errors in the model.
More functionality that will effect subset of users subset of the time.
Overall - all of these enhancements could have been done without a redesign of the UI as a ribbon that is:
1. Fundamentally flawed and will require further modification.
2. Great (maybe) for spread sheets - but they're horrible for 3D.
3. Interesting for New User - but horrible for experienced user that requires a persistent, stable set of tools.
4. Lacking any transition strategy which would have minimized disruption to business.
5. Reeking of corporate 'function follows form' mandate.
Overall? All of the potential business benefits from this release are completely overwhelmed by the imposition of a radical GUI redesign - a feature that was without request or merit by experienced end users.
In conclusion? If Autodesk keeps telling their customers they're wrong for long enough they'll cease being customers at their earliest opportunity.
I wasn't saying you were wrong, just pointing out that there is more to this release than just UI and modeling tools.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Read
I have never met a civil ngr using civil 3d or a surveyor and the new coordinate tools actually make many of the civil dwgs we get not linkable at all into revit. So instead of fixing the issue with large projects this release makes it harder for us to do them seamlessly with our consultants using legacy cad systems.