Revit 2009 recent file window or copy file from central?

[Richard Lopez]

Now that Revit 2009 has a recent file window.. Is it still recommend to copy your central file to a local computer every time you open you're project. Or can you now use the recent file window to open you project on your local computer then save to central?

[patricks]

I have always just opened the local file on my machine, since we started using worksets in version 7. I only make a new local copy if something major happens to the central file, or if I do something like install a Revit service pack. Then I will open and save the central file, and then save a new local copy.

[david.kingham]

I would recoomend to still create a new local each time, otherwise you have to reload latest everytime you open the local which takes longer than creating a new local and it could create problems of incompatiblity with the central file. Any reason you wouldn't use the script that DaveB and myself created?

[ron.sanpedro]

I would recoomend to still create a new local each time, otherwise you have to reload latest everytime you open the local which takes longer than creating a new local and it could create problems of incompatiblity with the central file. Any reason you wouldn't use the script that DaveB and myself created?

One place where new locals each time is a pain is when you regularly open with limited worksets. Because the loaded worksets list is part of the local, you have to redefine what worksets to open again with every new local. Kind of a pain when you have a lot of worksets, and limited loaded worksets is a pretty good way to speed things up.

That said, we generally do an Audit & Compress on the Central files every Friday, and new Locals on Monday, or after an emergency audit. This seems to be a good compromise between regular audits and new locals, and yet not overdoing it. On centrals smaller than 50Mb we might go to every other week for Audit and new Locals. And if you are working in a number of different local files, you will see those in your recent files list, so that feature is still useful.
Also, I would recommend copying the central to make a local, rather than opening it. If you copy then the server never puts a file lock on the central. If you open and save, the server does put the lock on there, and doesn't always release it immediately, and while the lock is there the file is read only to everyone else and no one can STC. Also, by not opening Central directly, you don't have the Central file show up in your recently used list. And if all new Locals keep using the same name, then the Recently Used list keeps working, even as the actual local files are replaced.

best,
Gordon