Revit 2012 underwhelming....I can't get excited

.

The blogger webcast was held very, very late last night in the UK, and like Dave Baldacchino of Do you Revit? I’m taking the view that plenty of Bloggers will all ready have posted about the event, especially those that have the Lois Lane complex and need a scoop or have Revit in their DNA ;0)

David Light over at his Revit blog, as always has produced such a concise review that it’s very rare that others meet his article standard (that’s another fiver you owe me Dave)

Dave Baldacchine & David Light talk about the split between users:-

David Baldacchine saying  “there will be those that are very excited and those that are bummed. In past years, I’ve almost always been in the first camp and couldn’t understand what the rest were fussing about. However this year, I am feeling a bit disappointed about the quantity of improvements for the Architectural field.”

David Light summarising “Will Revit 2012 keep the die-hard Revit user who wants long standing items like better text tools, improved typography and site, stairs etc….happy???? hmmmmm probably not! But I would have to argue that whilst some of the improvements to big ticket modelling items have yet to appear, there is still plenty in this feature rich release to make most users content.

But a word of warning Mr Autodesk; some of these long standing requests really do need to be addressed over the next 1 to 2 releases. I see users fighting with some of the trickier tools on a day to day basis and I feel their pain. However, I have a pragmatic view on much of this now as I have come to realize that there is no utopia and Rome really wasn’t built in a day. As the Guinness Ad says, good things come to those that wait. Nevertheless, improving model quality and construction assembly by providing flexible, easy to use software tools most be the end game. Without this, there will always be an excuse by some diehards that this “BIM thing” is just not worth doing."

Like Dave Baldacchine I’m in the “feeling a bit disappointed about the quantity of improvements” Actually more in the very pissed–off, rather than the bit disappointed if I’m truthful

IMHO this year has been more about the bigger users with Bells and Whistles and not Basic fixes for all users.

Because of the NDA I can’t tell you how I’ve come to these figures yet, but one way of measuring the real improvements in Revit Structure gives me a split of:-

 58 Architecture and the All Products common platform
   5 Structure which equates to about 4%
 56 MEP

112

Should Autodesk be spending time improving MEP, yes but not at the expense of the other platforms.

Whist I applaud the improvements in the Analytical Modelling and Tools, we and many other Structural Users don’t round trip the Analytical Model backwards and Forwards like Autodesk seem to think we do. Hell, there are projects were we don’t connect the Analytical and the Revit Model for a variety of reasons.

Detailing and producing useable RC Details and UK/ Europe Bar Bending Schedules within Revit is currently a joke, It’s a 3D Toy that many Structural Engineering companies are not using, again for a variety of reasons

Dave Baldacchine  “My feeling is that it’s quite light this year. That doesn’t mean however, that you won’t be thrilled with the new improvements, especially if you’re in the Engineering and Construction disciplines.”

Nope Dave…… Definitely not thrilled