Hola Fuckfaces,
So I had stopped all work on a project a while back because the client refused to stop fucking around with the design (the one that required us to use Bluebeam to review .pdfs), but had a request to go ahead and waste yet more time to issue a 'complete' set based on the current iteration of their plans - which I agreed to do, because they had at least nailed down how some of it was going to need to be circuited to handle 'secure' areas (and 'super-secure' areas within those 'secure' areas).
They had *finally* provided some CAD files a few weeks ago - which I had been requesting since day one, and which would've taken them thirty seconds to export (but would also be an admission that they are still spinning in circles and changing things on the fly). These CAD files turned out to be Architectural plans from June (and were probably exported for someone else's use, because I'm not privy to anything).
I started to clean them up, and almost immediately noticed that, based on the most up-to-date .pdf (which we only have access to the most current version of at any given time (see also 'not wanting to admit how much they keep changing this goddamned thing), that they had... (bum bum BUMMMM) continued to make floor plan changes in the interim. Unsurprising, I know - but this was what made me stop working on it the first time.
I remember cleaning up the original floor plans (converted .pdfs that were total garbage) and then trying to play 'catch-up' by updating the floor plans every time I would see an updated .pdf show up - before finally throwing my hands up because how the fuck can I keep up with constant modifications to a design that are going to require me to scour every new set of plans for what they did and didn't change?
The minute I thought I had a complete set of drawings to move forward with, it would turn out that as I was updating my plans, they were busy making the next set of changes. The salesman is fucking useless, because he's playing their game - while trying to figure out a way to charge them for changes (which should be a no-brainer, because they refuse to stop changing things).
I, on the other hand, am fucking done playing their game - because it's *painfully* obvious that the Revit mentality has thoroughly infected all of the people involved in this project. I'm sure they would love nothing more than if I were forced to remotely access their model and work in Revit as well - which, while it would give me access to every change they made in real-time, doesn't change the fact that their inability to get to a substantial level of completion would require me to keep reworking and reworking my design - but now in Revit instead of CAD, which would open a massive can of worms.
Even when I was working at a firm where I was on the same network as the other Revitards, it would regularly shit itself, requiring everyone to run around and find who had the most complete non-corrupted Revit model, make it the central model, and have everyone switch to using it (then figure out how hard it had fucked them). I can't imagine being in a remote office, accessing Revit via the Internet, and that not being 10 or even 20 times more of a clusterfuck, as I would have to be in constant contact with these idiots to make sure they aren't fucking me directly into a black hole (even moreso than they are already doing).
I've got the project sitting open right now, staring at it, with no idea of how to procede - and this is even before I start doing my actual job - which should not (but generally does) involve fixing floor plans to make them even remotely passable. I've contacted one guy (the one who finally showed me where to access CAD files), who I will probably not hear back from, and/or will probably not actually provide any help. I could contact other people involved in the project, but the e-mails would most likely be made entirely of the word 'fuck', and threats to exhume their dead grandparent's corpses for the purposes of rape.
It's just... completely retarded at this point. I've bitched endlessly to this salesman, to the owner, and anyone else who will listen, and it's pointless. Usually I can get mad about a project, and use that anger to propel me forward - knowing full well that any 'progress' I make will undoubtedly be rendered moot by things completely out of my control (but which will also undoubtedly result in more work for me). In this case, it's just making me want to put my thumbs in the eyes of the people responsible, and push until I feel the atrophied remains of their brains.
Of course, since they've all gone down the Revit circle-jerk hole, actually identifying who is to blame becomes considerably more difficult. I'm sure they've got teams of Revitards (most of whom, based on how shitty their drawings look) probably couldn't join two walls together if you put a gun to their heads) who shoulder much of the blame - because changes that are being fed to them take weeks instead of days to filter down through.
There are also their bosses, who almost certainly don't understand Revit, or what it has done to a once thriving and productive industry. It's a buzz word to them - something they can sell to clients who don't understand it either - but who will be pissed off when their projects languish in modelling hell rather than getting completed correctly and quickly.
There are the clients themselves, who (especially in this case) are driving a lot of the changes - with no idea of how that trickles down to everyone involved (up to and including me) instead of getting a plan together and waiting until they've worked out at least *some* of the bugs before everyone high-dives into the shallow end of the pool.
I'm fucking lost, and I'm fucking done. The rest of this day is probably shot - unless I can somehow motivate myself to finish putting together a set of plans (goddamned backgrounds for fucks sake) which will involve having to manually modify the drawings. It's do-able, but damned if I don't find myself back, exactly where I was months ago - already WAAAAY over budget for my time (because the guy who originally sold it, and who is no longer with us) had zero idea of how much of a clusterfuck it would turn into - and no closer to the goal of sawing off even a half-ass version of it so we can figure out how to proceed.
It's mind numbing - and I can't help but blame Revit for at least part of it. The mindset if nothing else.
Fuck Revit. Fuck this client. Fuck the engineers and architects involved in this project. Fuck their Revitards. Fuck Autodesk for dumping this bullshit on the world....
Oh - and if you don't like it and/or are (in any fashion) willfully using, or forcing anyone else to use Revit... I've got three words for you: EAT A DICK.
-Skullfuck
Update: The guy actually got back to me, agreed that 'yes - these 2d plans are woefully out of date'. He got them to export new ones, but no sooner than I tried to start downloading them, he sent another e-mail to inform me that they were updating them again. I waited for a little while - saw one update, noticed they had neglected to export the lowest floor - contacted the guy to let him know - and *now* he might be able to get me, not just architectural floor plans - but the actual design drawings showing locations of all of the devices I need to circuit. I'm not holding my breath, but I might actually be able to get something out by the end of the year.)
Next Time: The Competition
