Save Options

Whenever you perform a SaveAs there are options that can customize the new file to be created.  Some of these are old friends yet there was a new one added in 2010.  Below I will summarize each and how you might use them.

To get to these click the "Options..." button in any Save As dialog

Maximum backups

This setting specifies the maximum number of backup files - the 000n extensions that start to litter your project directory.  If you find you keep deleting these or have a superior backup system you may wish to set this lower to save space and time.  By default 3 files are saved for non-workshared projects and 20 for workshared projects.

Make this a Central File after save (Worksharing only)

Use this command to create a new central file and enable all the other options below.

Compact File

This reduces file sizes when saving workset-enabled files. Revit writes elements to the existing files in a way that increases the speed of the save yet can cause files to grow in size. This option rewrites the entire file during the save removing all unneeded information.  This is something you may wish to do as periodic maintenance or just check when you make a new central file.  It does cause the SaveAs to take longer than it would otherwise but makes a smaller file.

Open workset default (new for 2010)

For some time there has been an option to limit the worksets opened in the Open dialog.  The options are "All", "Editable", "Last Viewed", or "Specify".  The last pops up a dialog that allows you to choose the worksets to open.  Once this is done you could use "Last Viewed" for the same effect.

The default pre-2010 was "Last Viewed".  Customer research showed that many project managers encouraged their teams to choose "Specify" as "Last viewed" was variable . Like making a wrong turn in downtown Boston accidentally opening additional worksets often carries a time penalty yet the onus was on the team members.

In lieu of changing the hard coded default this new option now allows the central file to force a default that the local team members will get yet can override if they wish.  If you want your team members to choose "Specify" then make this the default.  If the project is small you can set it to "All" and change it later to something else as the project develops.  The control is now in the central file and with the team leaders who may best understand the implications.

Preview

Specifies the preview image used on the recent file page, Open dialogs and OS Thumbnails.  You may wish to choose a specific recognizable view or a view that loads quickly.  The default is the last active view.

Comments with additional tips or experience regarding the usage of these settings are welcome.

Happy New Year!

_erik

Comments

[Alex Schreyer]

Hi Eric,

how about adding "Save as version 2009/2008/2007...". This has been a frustration of mine since I teach in an academic computer lab which only gets updated once a year (over summer).

For the last years, it has happened occasionally that the ADI license came in after our update cycle, which forced us to run an older version. Students can download the newer versions and as a result, they can't bring their homework into the lab.

Is there any explanation why Revit hasn't gotten this functionality? Is the file format so non-modular that maintaining old exporters is such a hassle for you guys?

Cheers,
Alex

[archshrk]

"Preview...You may wish to choose...a view that loads quickly"

Does this really matter if its a preview view? Does it open with that view, too?

[Erik]

It only opens with the view in the file if you set it so it is determined by the last 'Active view' The loading quickly then is not really a condition so I struck this from the post. Thanks for catching this.

[Erik]

Alex,

Back saving is a popular request and I sympathize as I also have to remind students about this. They can download a more recent student version than what is in the lab. I don't know the specifics but there is effort to support objects that didn't exist in the earlier releases. I will log the request here and capture your specifics.

[Dave B]

Erik, an option that I would love to see a lot more than setting a default option is an option to FORCE the active workset for a project. Sometimes the last person to save to Central sets the active workset to the incorrect one (ex: "Site", where site dwgs or site Revit projects are placed) and next morning a lot of new elements end up on the wrong workset if the team doesn't realize that the Active workset has been changed (note: we put most elements on workset "Modeling Elements". We don't break a project into a lot of worksets to minimize management and since RAM is no longer an issue with the size of our projects).

[Erik]

Dave,

I can see the value in that. I'll log this as a request. I assume you mean force the default active workset ...or do you desire to prevent placing elements on other worksets altogether?

[Tim Waldock]

What I would like to see is the ability to choose a specific view for the file to always save & open with. The Save As option for this would operate just like choosing a preview view. The end result would benefit users 3-fold:
1. The file would always open to a specified view which could be a project info drafting view - for alerting project team members to standards or new things happening in the project file.
2. The save/synchronise process could be dramatically speeded up on very large projects if a quick drafting view is chosen.
3. The file open process could be speeded up on very large projects if a drafting view is chosen.

[TRC]

I would like to wholeheartedly echo Tim's comment above.
The ability to set a thumbnail preview is nice, but doesn’t do very much to increase productivity. If we could specify that a file always opens in a specific view – and it seems that most firms are already MANUALLY doing this with a simple drafting view – then it would help increase Revit speed and reduce annoyance.
(1) It would speed up file opening on those times when users forget to set our open/close/save drafting view as the last viewed. (which is annoying while you are waiting for a view to fully load when you don’t need that particular view)
(2) It would save the time and effort of locating and opening our open/close/save drafting view whenever we close a file. Yes, it is simple and easy to do this, but it’s also annoying, and disappointing, that when using such a sophisticated program like Revit I still need to perform tedious tasks like this.

thanks,