The Revit Bait And Switch

This probably won't be the first time that I've griped about the disregard for standards that the Revit hive-mind displays.

Obviously there is a whole world of design where you are allowed to go all crazy-go-nuts with dimensions, angles, creative ways to waste space, etc. - however even those designers with relaxed limitations on budget and scope can't just toss everything out the window (through the screened facade and into the intentionally exposed exterior structural members).

In the meantime, most projects have to get built on a reasonable schedule and budget (even if they start off with dreams of huge glass skylights and massive cantilevered verandas).  This requires the use of at least a handful of standards that most architects (but few Revitards) understand as the key to a successful design.

This brings me to the point of today's rant - when most projects come in, someone (usually a Revitard) is told to slap together a model based on some vague criteria, so they fill in the holes with assumptions, and try to put together something passable. 

The next step is for that model to be foisted onto someone else (a Revitard/Architect Lackey) - who may or may not have been previously aware that the project even existed, and who is now responsible for figuring out where the design criteria/scope, intent of the architect, and standard building practices were adhered to, and where they went off into space.

This isn't about limitations on design - but the second you start down that road, there needs to be a mutual awareness between everyone involved (most importantly the person with the purse-strings) that we are now deviating from what you are going to get for the $/s.f. cost that you probably based your budget on.

What I'm talking about is someone being handed a project, and basically told 'look - we helped you out by having someone who may or may not know what they are doing (or care) make a Revit model'.  This renders any argument that spending half the budget to model an existing shell building (for example) just so that you can design a tenant finish is a waste of time/money, because it's already been wasted.

Then (usually only after substantial completion of the design) it occurs to someone to take some measurements of the existing tenant space, only to find out that 'holy fuck - we've been basing everything off of an arbitrary set of dimensions that someone made up off the top of their head when they started the model'.



If it's an office space, or other simple project, no big fucking deal - if it's a restaurant, laboratory, or industrial space with specific requirements for space, clearance, connections, etc. - then it's a big fucking deal.  That's the promise of Revit though - everything will get coordinated.  The problem is that if everything is fucking wrong, then everything gets coordinated fucking wrong (a classic example of garbage in/garbage out).

Then there are the things that get completely overlooked - since  MEP doesn't get brought on board until Revitards/Retarditects already dicked around for weeks/months tweaking the design only to find out that (usually because they are inexperienced at design - but especially because they are paying more attention to Reviting than to designing) they haven't planned any room for electrical panels, water service entrances, sprinkler risers, water heaters, ductwork, HVAC units,

And that's before they start having to tweak it endlessly because a real Architect finally put their eyes on a set of hastily assembled drawings with pathetic presentation graphics, and noticed that the design did not take into account various code requirements, requiring considerable rework. 

As I said last time, it's a good thing they love Revit, because they'll get to use it to try to beat the bastardized model into something that can actually go through the permitting process, be approved, built, inspected, and occupied (and the owner finally stops fucking with it). Again - kudos to the fuckheads attempting to make (and in some cases succeeding at making) submission of a Revit model one of the requirements do just that.

Because now you get to live out your dream - of dragging everyone down into hell with you...

A Post-Revit World

Fuck the sad piece of shit that is Revit.

Fuck it's inability to do anything except for waste time, money, mental effort, and fuck up project schedules.

Nothing is more infuriating than watching someone - be they architect, architect lackey, engineer, or designer go into a project all gung-ho about doing them some revitin', and the next thing you know, someones hair is on fire for it (and/or another project that is languishing in a similar hell).

They aren't done, and don't have a chance of being done.  Fuck, they aren't even to a point where 'done' is a real thing yet - they still have so much to do, and it is all going to be done 'the Revit way' (as opposed to the right way.

The look of suffering in the eyes of the lackeys and designers would break your heart if they didn't already want to make you break their faces for having already willingly spent countless hours in Revit, only to find out that now they need to finish on a schedule that is has been cut in half (or more).

Fortunately for the ones that claim to love Revit, they'll get to love it all weekend.

Fuck 'em.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

I ran across a very astute statement in a comment section earlier:

"It is my belief that any Contractor, Architect, or Engineer that says anything positive about Revit is trying to get work. Anyone who stands up and says Revit is no-good is looked upon as a weaker designer. Weaker designers get less work. So everyone perpetuates the lie (emphasis mine) that Revit is a useful design/documentation tool. Revit is a miserable program."

The only upside of what he says here is that we continue to prove that the Revit line is bullshit, because we keep picking up projects that people attempted to do in Revit, missed deadlines, and we now turn around in record time in ACAD.

We know when we're being bullshitted - and this 'Charles River Software' just ain't cutting it.  Even Autodesk knows it - which is why Revit will be going away soon.  They've been up against the limits of what this piece of shit cannibalized 3rd party software is capable of for a long time now.

Who knows?  Maybe its replacement will actually be the software that Revit always promised it would be - kind of like Microsoft releasing Windows 7 to bring Vista users (who remembered XP) down off the ledge (only to be put them back up there by pooping out Windows 8).

I can foresee the post-Revit world - to the new system...

Designed from the ground up with a focus on being fast , reliable, and intuitive - and not just some slapped together clusterfuck that wouldn't have made it out of beta testing at any respectable software company.

There will, of course, be a few sad, pathetic hold-outs who don't want to stop using Revit in exchange for the new, obviously superior system - but fortunately most already demonstrated their willingness to jump on a bandwagon before, so they will change again.

The grumbling of both Revit users (soon to be ex-Revit users), and ACAD holdouts (soon to be ex-ACAD holdouts) will soon be quelled, and the two will finally have something to rejoice about - BUT ONLY IF AUTODESK IS WILLING TO GET THEIR FUCKING HEADS OUT OF THEIR ASSES, AND GET TO WORK.

And they aren't going to to do that unless someone demands it - so WE HAVE TO DEMAND IT.

We have to demand an END TO REVIT - sooner rather than later.

Kneel Before ACAD

You are not fucking worthy.

 

Now I Am Become Death - The Destroyer Of Revit.

I am terrible time, the destroyer of all Revit in all worlds, engaged to destroy all Revit in this world; of those heroic Designers presently situated in the opposing army, even without you none will be spared.

Therefore arise for battle, O Designers.  You will gain fame by conquering the enemy and enjoy a flourishing kingdom - all these warriors have been slain already by Me due to previous design, you are merely the instrument.

Cold Dead Revit Eyes

I could barely contain my amusement at an e-mail I received the other day from our #1 BIM idiot having to do with new state standards.

The makers and users of Revit (and other packages) had already been successful in convincing various federal and state agencies to start requiring projects to be modeled - and now they get to reap the reward of having those agencies take off on their own and develop standards that everyone has to comply with.  This was mostly the work of self-important assholes who really thought they were being awesome by working with these agencies to develop these standards - forgetting that once you get any kind of government bureaucracy started, it will soon run out of control.

Some of the more hilarious items include requirements for 'as built' BIMs (yes - they pluralize BIM, thinking it means 'Building Information Models' when it would actually make it 'Building Information Modelings').  Imagine how much fun it would be for a firm that has already taken a beating on a project because they can no longer just 'BIMwash' or fake stuff in 3D, and have to fully utilize every aspect of the software (whether it is functional, or makes any sense to do so) - and now they get to spend even more time and money tweaking that model (and for engineers - their systems) to create a set of 'as built' drawings that (other than the hardcopies themselves) will probably never be seen again.

I've mentioned before the hilarity that will be coming soon (if it hasn't already started) wherein a set of Revit drawings that is more than 3 years old will no longer have an option to open without going through what can be an extremely long and drawn out conversion process to the newest version (with mixed results).  None of the people who are asking for these models understand that fact (nor do the vast majority even have licenses for the software that would be necessary to open them in the first place).

Even more hilarious is that when/if they tried to hand these archived models off to another firm to do renovations/additions - that new firm probably won't use them for anything but a go-by as they develop their own model from the ground up (nobody is going to trust a model that came from some other firm - not even Revit idiots).  And to add an extra level of irony - within a few years, software will have changed to the point where these archived models would be of little to no use to begin with.

With any luck - we won't even be using Revit anymore.  It's taken a lot of tightly closed eyes, fingers in ears, and people going 'lalalala I can't hear you' to get Revit to the point where it is currently at, and people are becoming more aware on a daily basis of how far removed from reality the average Revit user really is.  It's already eaten into profits, and caused massive amounts of undue stress and frustration - now with this latest list of requirements, there is a very good chance it could drag to a standstill (or drag us backwards as we lose money on every single project).

Reading over the list gives a very interesting look into the minds of the people involved - they are full of 'buzz words' but tap-dance around the subject of why any of this is necessary, or how they really think it will benefit anyone.  Obviously they have any number of defenders who (again) think it's really awesome that this is happening, but it's only because those people are too stupid to see the freight train coming at them.

As always - Fuck Revit, fuck it's users, defenders and apologists, fuck bureaucracies - and if you don't like it - fuck off and eat a dick!  (Hell, eat two while you are at it).