Autodesk Loses Its F**king Mind

Just a quick one to get this out of my head.

So I was half asleep the other morning and overheard someone talking about the Autodesk University (AU) 2023 Keynote Speaker being Ryan Reynolds.

Now, I have nothing against Mr. Reynolds - his performance as Deadpool/Wade Wilson was absolutely hilarious - but what does an actor have to do with a software company like Autodesk?

While attempting to get to the bottom of this, I ran across this drug trip from earlier this year:

https://youtu.be/h2nrvx2ZrqQ?si=bYUxfzbNnpRntEur

In this short (apparently from the Oscars? IDGAF) we hear about a Hollywood visionary being hailed by various actors (and a voice-over) who goes by the name of 'Otto Descinski' (or 'Otto Desc' for short... get it? It sounds like Autodesk... Get it?)

Apparently this was an attempt by Autodesk to 'humanize' the company (while also humblegbragging about how their software is used in VFX (not sure what percentage if VFX is done with with Autodesk software, but Maya does seem to show up in a lot of VFX toolboxes).

My only hope is that their development team(s) had more on the ball than the bozo dumbfucks that shat out (and continue to drizzle diarrhea over) Revit. 

But back to Ryan Reynolds. Yes, his sarcastic wit makes for a great Deadpool (not to mention his commercials for Mint Mobile), but wtf?

I'm sure whatever wanktastic bunch of wanking wankers who actually attend AU's presentation will get to have a few laughs before they go back to wanking wanktastically.

It's just fucking weird.

Fuck Autodesk - that is all.

-Skullfuck

Next Time: Flip the script. 

2024 Shut The Fuckin' Door

Well damn!

I'm working yesterday and Revit 2024 magically starts loading on my machine. I wouldn't care, since my hard drive is massive, but it required a reboot, so I had to save out of everything, then get back into it.

So, now I have Revit 2018, 2022, AND 2024 - but as of now (and hopefully for all time) I don't actually have any Revit projects on deck. I overheard one of my younger co-workers telling someone over the phone that he had never used Revit, and it literally brought a tear to my eye how beautiful that statement was.

But enough of my sentimental bullshit, it's gonna be 2024 soon - so Autodesk had to spread their sizable buttcheeks, bend down, grunt, and spray yet another release of Revit diarrhea onto the faces of those willingly (or unwillingly) in the blast radius.

And you know what else that means? That's right - time to do a run down of 'Whats New' in the software that was already supposed to be perfect in every way, and how dare you suggest any different? All of these 'improvements' were obviously pre-existent, and Autodesk is just now deeming you worthless peons to be informed about them!

All right - get ready, because this is actually an extremely long list - skip to the end if you want to see the sad electrical improvements (honestly the only thing I would care about, were I actually using the software).

Here's a link if you are into that kind of thing:

https://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-C81929D7-02CB-4BF7-A637-9B98EC9EB38B

1) Export Fill Patterns

That's right kids! Now you can export drafting AND model patterns to a PAT file (whatever the fuck that is).

2) Simplify Topography (CI) 

This was a 'community idea' ("CI" from here on) - so that Autodesk can pretend to be listening to users (or at least those it has deemed sufficiently devout that they wouldn't ask for anything that might draw attention to the massive flaws still inherent to Revit).

So - this apparently allows the user to reduce the number of points used to generate toposolid elements (considering that I've never seen a Revitard give two fucks about the reality of the site the building they are modeling will sit on, I can't imagine this will affect many users).

3) Shape Editing: Split Line Enhancement

This just appears to be tweaks to a tool that allows you to take one element and break it in half to allow you to adjust each piece independently. I'm sure that comes up... sometimes?

4) Visual Styles in Type Preview

Literally just adds a button to let you change the visual style of the preview - for... reasons?

5) Automatic Tag Placement for Multi-Rebar Annotations

Speedin' up that annotatin' (because that's why Revit projects take forever to complete).

6) Intuitive Rebar Segment Length Editing

Let's you type rebar lengths directly in 2D/3D views... That's it. (I guess we're already padding this list out).

7) Split with Gap for Structural Framing and Columns

Okay - this is one that I could see people wanting. A regular split could result in difficulty selecting one element or the other (as the end points coincide). Plus, if you already know the gap width, you don't have to sit there and adjust both elements afterwards. 

8) Structural Section Shape Parameters in Tags

Well. I can die happy now. 

9) Trim or Extend Structural Analytical Members

I'll trim your Structural Analytical Member, motherfucker.

10) Split Structural Analytical Members

I'll split your... Oh never fucking mind.

11) Dynamo Updates 2.18

I spent a few minutes glancing at whatever the fuck this thing is - apparently it allows you to use BIM data to make graphs and shit (and users call themselves 'Dynamites', so that's retarded) It also apparently lets you use Python for data analysis, etc. what's amusing is - it doesn't seem to be an Autodesk product, so including it in this list is... um... NOT A REVIT UPDATE. 

12) Project Browser Navigation Enhancements

Apparently now you can hit ctrl+scroll to zoom the contents of the project broswer. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo.

13) Apply Area Rules is Remembered

(Pouring out some of my 40oz for Apply Area Rules) 

14) Change Text Alignments for Multiple Selected Elements (CI) 

That's cool, I guess. I'm used to just fixing one and matching properties to the rest.

15) Warnings for View Deletions in Workshard (sic) Models

What amused me (besides the misspelling of 'shared') was the fact that the heading for this item got cut off - not unlike how various elements like to disappear in Revit due to the sheer volume of view range settings (currently more numerous than the number of alternate dimensions - of which only three actually contain Revit as a thing).

16) Toposolids (CI) 

You heard earlier how you could reduce the number of points used to generate one? Well now they are a thing in Revit too!

17) Revit Dark Theme (CI) 

Okay - I'm 100% on board with this one. From day one, I was like 'how the fuck am I going to stare at this glaring white screen all day long (apparently one good way was to have Revit dicks in both of your eye sockets). Attempting to change my background to black would cause issues with black lines not showing up (because it wasn't smart enough to invert the colors). Oh - and you can have a dark theme too. Very goth. 

18) Align Surface Patterns (CI) 

Okay - another halfway decent idea. The closest I come to this is hatching, which often refuses to work the way I want it to (resulting in me *manually hatching* shit so I have absolute control over it. Credit where credit is due, I guess. 

19) Cut Geometry Enhancements (CI)

Lets you cut stuff - like your own wrists after you try to do a project in Revit.

20) Search in Project Browser (CI)

Just... Wow. 

21) Schedule Revision Clouds (CI) 

I'll give them credit for this one (assuming it actually works). Keeping track of what changes were made, when, why, and by who, can be a constant struggle.

22) Link Coordination Models (CI) 

Ah coordination - you know, that thing that happens when people stop expecting software to magically do their fucking job for them, and actually coordinate with other disciplines. 

23) Snap Points for Coordination Models (CI) 

Gotta have them snap points, I guess. (The padding continues - this could've been part of #22)

24) More Path Alignment Options for Free Form Rebar

Probably to facilitate these amorphous blobs that Autodesk likes to show on Revit splash-screens as if 99.9999% of users will ever do anything like that (except maybe while jerking themselves off). 

25) Bar Bending Details on Reinforcement Drawings (CI)

Someone's been spending a lot of time at the bar.

26) Bar Bending Details in Schedules (CI)

Again with the padding, Jesus H. Christ.

27) Custom Physical-Analytical Element Association

More wankery.

28)  Enhanced Analytical Loads

Wank wank wank. 

29) Detailed Results Report for Connection Automation Rules

Seriously, how did we ever build buildings before this thing came along? 

30) Flow and Pressure Calculations for MEP Fabrication Parts

Finally, something MEP related... Oh wait, morons think that the 'E' in MEP is just another aspect of mechanical design (which could explain why the Electrical Portion of Revit gets so little in the way of new features/improvement. 

31) Create Energy Analytical Model by Elements in a 3D view

All right! Energy! Oh wait... More MP wankery

32) Insight Tech Preview

Getting an early start on the carbon footprint of your building - not that the vast majority of customers give a flying fuck (especially if it involves extra cost on the front end). 

33) Cloud Model Collaboration Cache Management (CI)

Can't be a complete list of Revit updates without some mention of 'The Cloud' (The Cloud, of course, being the haze around a Revit developer's head after they exhale a hearty dose of crackpipe smoke). I guess I should just be happy they didn't start babbling about 'AI'. 

34) Textures Visual Style

Gotta make that massive waste of modeling time look pretty, now. 

35) Draw Order Improvements

Ah yes, Draw Order. The one thing that was holding Revit back all these years... 

36) Access Coordination Model Object Properties

More padding - see #22 and 23

37) Color Books Dialog

I swear I thought this said 'coloring books' the first time I read it, because thats definitely on the level of Revit developers. 

38) My Insights on Revit Home

We've determined you aren't Reviting enough...

Seriously - this is supposed to give you insights and suggestions on how to Revit better (begging the question of how much information about your projects Autodesk is tracking).

39) User Interface Modernization (CI) 

New. Fucking. Icons. 

That's it. New fucking icons.

40) New Sample Model and Project Templates

Oh, for fucks sake, people.

41) Revit to Twinmotion Enhancements

Another non-Autodesk product in a list of Revit updates - oh, but wait, now there's an 'auto sync' option in a drop-down menu. Just... Sad. 

42) Dynamo Player

A repeat of #11. Pad Pad Pad

43) Patterns and Colors for Structural Area Loads

You can't hear colors, but now you can visualize loads. 

44) Improved Steel Connection SDK Documentation

We gave you new API's for your SDK's now sit down and STFU. 

45) Run Solar Studies with Seconds (CI) 

They literally made it to where you can break your Solar Study down to the second. Sigh... 

46) Access Sun Settings from the Ribbon (CI) 

Great - another thing on the fucking ribbon. 

47) Sun Path in Perspective Views (CI)

Gotta get in as many entries as we can about Sun Path (did you know about Sun Path?)

48) Toggle Stirrup Orientation for Free Form Rebar Alignment

Giddy-up. Also should've been part of #24 (pad) 

49) Resize All Rows in Schedules Placed on Sheets

You mean like my spreadsheets have been able to do since the beginning of time? (Of course they aren't talking about panel schedules - although this might apply to lighting fixture schedules (although I wouldn't bet on it). 

50) Open Sheet Directly from Drawing Area

The padding.... It burns!!! 

51) Place Multiple Views and Schedules

It's like having molten metal poured right into my eyes! 

52) Additional Resizable Dialogs

What kind of loving god would allow this? 

53) Sort Project Parameters

Sorts Project Parameters ALPHABETICALLY YA'LL!!! HOLY FUCK!!! 

54) Scope Box Height Parameter

Set the height of a scope box AFTER IT'S PLACED!!! HALLE-FUCKING-LUJAH!!! 

55) Demand Loads and Demand Factors for Electrical Analytical Components

Wha..?!? Finally something for electrical?!? That's fucking crazy!!! Oh wait, this is only for determining preliminary loads. Just... Fuck Off.

56) Define Loads Sets for Non-Coincident loads 

Now this actually sounds like a new electrical feature, (albeit one that needed to be in the software from day one). It allows you to properly size panels/feeders properly - primarily related to HVAC load, i.e. electrical a/c if there is gas heat, or electric heat if there is no gas. 

57) MEP Fabrication Duct Stiffeners

Well, that's the end of electrical 'improvements'.

58) Network Based Calculations for Design Ductwork

Yep.

59) Maintain Annotation Orientation Added to Air Terminals

Wow.

And that's all folks! Yet another padded out list, insulting to electrical (although plumbing didn't even get a mention). All these structural improvements (the vast majority), despite the fact that structural was way further along even way back when my old firm adopted Revit. 

Honestly, after reading the descriptions (and even after doing additional research into them) I couldn't tell what some of these items were even fucking talking about. It's a rabbit hole that I'm not remotely interested in going down - but it's apparently what people who have managed to save just, like, so much time ya'll, by using Revit fill their days doing now (or, more likely, spend all their time wanking about instead of developing functional legible floor plans and details).

It's par for the course.

As always, fuck Revit, fuck Autodesk, fuck the Revit community (and their stupid requests), and if you don't like it - FUCK YOU.

Yours Truly,

-SKuLLFuCK

Next Time: Ryan Reynolds?

BIM Keeps On Slippin'

Hola Muchachos y Muchachas!

This mierda just keeps getting better.

So it took me a few days to get all of the software I needed on my machine - each package had to be requested and approved, then (theoretically) it would get installed. Some (like ACAD) worked flawlessly, while others required contacting my companies helpdesk, and having it pushed to my computer (after multiple requests failed).

Since ACAD was the only one I needed (and/or wanted) I wasn't worried that much, and I knew that eventually it would get worked out, I didn't let it bother me, and my patience (combined with a bit of coaxing on my part) was rewarded.

Now I have ACAD, ACAD Plant 3D, Microstation, Revit (both 2018 and 2022 since the piece of shit isn't backwards compatible), Acuity Visual, Adobe Acrobat, and Office 365. I also got an IP phone that runs on my desktop that is pretty cute (I can request a hardware phone, but honestly I don't really need one).

My new office makes extensive use of Teams (starting with my interview). I had never used it before, but it has already proven to be highly effective for communicating with co-workers (both in and out of the office), allows me to share my desktop with the engineer (or vice versa), meetings, and organizing projects.

They provided me with a high quality USB noise canceling headset (which makes a hardware phone redundant), and I was impressed how it automatically worked with the applications it was suited for (Teams/Phone), while my earbuds work for all other audio.

The companies Intranet seems to want to run on Edge (which I'm not a big fan of - but I can make it dedicated to that one task), and I installed Firefox (my favorite) and Chrome (just for good measure). I like having multiple browsers in case one decides to take a shit, or someone who didn't know how to test their website on the most common browsers results in HAVING to open their page in a specific one.

Anyway, I was confused when I went to find the Microstation software that I thought I would be using. Years ago one of my old firms had brought in a Bentley representative to show us their BIM electrical design solution - which I've talked about before. When I couldn't find it, I went looking in the Internet, and finally located it again.

They call it 'Promis.e', and in between when I was exposed to it and now, it doesn't appear to have taken off in any kind of noticeable way. A license for it was almost $4300, so I wasn't really inclined to request it (although there is a way for me to request software).

I was puzzling over what it was that projects with a Microstation deliverable would actually consist of - and after speaking to some of my co-workers, was pleased to find out that it didn't involve any kind of BIM, or 3D drawings of any kind, and would literally be the exact same as if the project were being done in ACAD.

One project that a younger designer had been working on, they were simply doing in ACAD with the eventual plan to dump them into Microstation when we were required to turn over our native files. The sheer number of fucks not given put a huge smile on my face.

When I look back on my experience with Revit, it makes me wonder why I didn't just let the retards suck their own dicks while I did whatever I wanted to (well, I did do that, but in retrospect I could've done it while pretending to be on board).

I had no (well, a few) problems populating shitty Revit models with 3D elements like lights, panels, etc. - but (as I've mentioned countless times) the next step was to dump everything into ACAD and doing it my way (cue Sinatra). 

On one occasion, I had a pain in the ass architect come crying because he found out that I was giving Revit the middle finger, and they gave me an ultimatum that I had one week to get to Reviting (the fear was that the client, who I can guarantee couldn't give two shits, would 'find out' that my drawings weren't Revit enough.

Instead, I came in for a few hours on a Saturday and dumped all my linework into Revit, made a few tweaks, and first thing Monday morning - handed him a fully 'Revitized' (as far as he was concerned) set of drawings (in glorious 2D .pdf).

I could've basically done this for every project, and nobody would've been the wiser, but I think it had a lot to do with an unwillingness to cave in the face of idiots telling me to waste my time jumping in the Revit nutsack grinder than anything else.

Fast forward to now. I realize 'holy shit - they just want to use Microstation as drafting software' and I decide to jump in with both feet and... Holy fuck, is Microstation an unintuitive p.o.s.

Combine this with a glaring lack of online resources for it (at least when compared to ACAD), and buddy - you are pretty much on your own... 

***BUT***

This company is willing to pay me a small fuckload of money to do this job, and Microstation is going to be a reality going forward, so I put my game face on.

Now, most software packages out of the box (ACAD included) are really not ready to go until you go through and configure them, so I figured I would start there. 

Apparently Microstation's default units is millimeters, but to be fair, ACAD's is 'absolute units' (but by simply typing 'units' and changing it to architectural, bang - you are in feet/inches for data entry, measurements, and dimensioning).

In Microstation, you have to go to several different (and disparate) places, and change several things that I don't think anyone would ever intuitively think to change. I managed to get it into standard units, but dimensions were displaying decimal instead of fractions. 

Some more scouring the Internet and trying various combinations of settings finally convinced it to display feet and inches, show ' for feet and " for inches (instead of ft and in) display fractions of an inch, stack those fractions, and set the tolerance (to prevent getting 365/2864ths etc.)

The one advantage of this clusterfuck operation was that it actually started familiarizing me with all of the different places where settings could be changed. With a few more adjustments I was ready to dive in and try to draw something.

I decided to try duplicating a schematic I was updating in ACAD - and despite a lot of stumbling around (mostly related to muscle memory), I was able to spit out an exact copy of a fairly complex detail.

I had to pat myself on the back for that, because (at least based on what I had read online) it generally takes months (with tutelage) for someone to get to where they can use Microstation - and, in fact, most mentioned that it would actually be better if you hadn't used ACAD.

Obviously those are generalizations, and I'm sure I have a lot more to learn before I would consider myself 'proficient', but I'd say within a month or two of using it, I could be cranking out drawings as (or nearly as) fast as I can in ACAD.

My first order of business, however, will be seeing if I can't bridge the gap between the two software packages. First - because of the project that I mentioned earlier that's going to require importing into Microstation, and second - because it might be good for future projects with a Microstation deliverable to simply be done in it to begin with. 

A few keyboard shortcut updates would probably bring Microstation a lot closer to ACAD's user-friendliness, but there may be things that it will dictate (I regularly got the feeling while using it, that the developers would look at how ACAD does something, and purposefully make it different, just for the sake of it not being how ACAD does it). 

I'm actually willing to be open to the idea that some of these differences may have actually represent improvements over how ACAD has traditionally done it (a common claim among Microstation afficionados - who, while some across a tad smug, don't even come close to the egotistical jackasses dubbing themselves 'Revit Gurus'). 

I read several testimonials to the effect of "omg, ya'll - I used to have to write lisp routines in ACAD to do things that are built into Microstation, it's so much faster that I'm actually done before I start!" (sarcasm my own), but even those weren't accompanied by the type of disdain I had heard expressed towards 'ACAD holdouts'.

Speaking of which, bitch - guess what's still around? That's right - ACAD.

It was supposed to go the way of the Dodo, but over a decade later, I wander into a random engineering office, and it's still the gold standard for people who have massive projects to get out on time and on (or under) budget.

In less than the two weeks I've been here, we've already won several more huge projects - on top of several that were already in the pipe and more just starting up. Only *one* of the existing projects has a Revit component (probably some idiot who got convinced by a Revit Dick Socket that it was the way to go).

Hopefully that's the last one. The death rattle of a useless clusterfuck of epic proportions.

As always, fuck Revit, fuck 'Revit Gurus' - you self-important, narcissistic, dick rags, and if you don't like it... FUCK YOU.

Sincesquarely,

-Skullfuck

Next Time: Another Year, Another List of Useless Bullshit. 

My God... It's Full Of CAD...

Yo!

Day three of the new gig - and it's fucking awesome so far!

I've been handed two projects to work on - and what do you know? I'm doing every goddamned bit of it in ACAD! 

Not doing an end run around the BIM-tards mind you - we're doing the design for these projects, and so we're going the most productive route that results in the most profit (with a side-effect being that our drawings don't look like unwashed assholes, and aren't riddled with errors as we desperately try to force p.o.s. software to do what we want it to).

I'm sure I'll eventually run up against a project that has BIM deliverables, but by putting the bare minimum of 3D elements into the model, and doing everything else the *right* way, I'll make sure to guarantee projects get completed on-time and on (or under) budget.

In the case of Microstation projects, I'll have the benefit of being able to use 'Visual' (the lighting program I've always used to design lighting) and have it populate the model with lights. In the case of Revit, it can literally go fuck itself, and I'll wrangle it as needed (and figure out 'workarounds' for everything else).

If I ever need to feel better about putting myself in the position where some Revit Dick Socket might fuck up my work flow (which kept threatening to raise its head at my previous job anyway) all I'll need to do is glance at my paycheck, and it shouldn't be a problem. 

I honestly do get the desire to have (and benefits of having) a 3D model of a project, but to reiterate for the millionth time - you are going to build the fucking thing in reality, and regardless of how much 'coordination' you try to do ahead of time, when you actually start building it, a lot of that careful planning is guaranteed to go straight to shit, resulting in the same scrambling to figure out solutions on the fly. 

THEN you get the added 'bonus' of having to try to integrate 'as-built' conditions into your model (generally based on some scribbled bullshit that various disciplines wrote on whatever piece of paper they had laying around) - which I'm sure some Revitard thought would be a way to make more money as they included 'as-built modeling' in their bid.

As I said, my co-workers all seem to have a negative view of the 'Revit-lution' and 'BIM' in general (even the younger generation), so I won't have to worry about being viewed as a 'hold out' (read: guy who just wants to get shit done some time this decade). 

I don't know how long I'll be at this job, but if this first couple of days is any indication, I'll be in it for the long run! 

In closing - Revit/Revitards can eat a bag of dicks.

-SkullFuck

Next Time: Rev-who? 

Movin' On Up!!!

Greetings Fucktards and Fucktardettes!

So, a few weeks ago, I get a call from one of these 'talent' places that I regularly get calls and emails from - mostly offering me jobs based on keyword matches between the job listing and my resume (whether or not they actually line up in reality).

Even the jobs that I am qualified for are generally in other places that I'm not interested in relocating to, require extensive travel, or are with sketchy companies that I'm not about to hitch my wagon to as they crash and burn.

The first job they offered me was not a complete mismatch, but was more of an industrial engineering type of position. I turned it down, but after a quick discussion of what I have been doing for the last two decades they informed me they may have something that would be a better fit.

I was surprised when they actually presented me with a position that was not only in my wheelhouse, but would also be a return to my electrical design roots. I didn't take it terribly seriously at first - but then they started talking numbers and it made my head snap up.

Fast forward a few days and they had me set up for a 'Teams' interview that was technically supposed to be a preliminary interview to see if they wanted me to come in person. I was still only taking it half-seriously, as I was very comfortable at my current job.

I've always loved interviewing for jobs when I already have a job, and that morning I had gone to work early, taken off to do a yoga class, then parked my car near my office - switching into a dress shirt, tie, and suit jacket (to look my best) - while wearing a pair of jeans and old vans below the camera view.

The interview went spectacularly well, with the engineer, his right hand man, and a representative from the 'talent' place sitting in. It was a light-hearted affair, mostly discussing projects (successes and failures), and with me asking how they keep their clients under control, avoid 'scope creep' etc.

I was impressed, and started taking them much more seriously (I had also done some research into the company, and was stunned by the range of projects that they worked on). Apparently I also impressed them, as they basically offered me the job that day, offering an on-site interview as a formality only.

They asked when I could start, so I told them I would probably do a two-week notice with my current employer. My head was spinning, because I had become quite comfortable in my current position (the downside, ironically, being that I had become maybe a little *too* comfortable at my current position).

The promise of a massive increase in pay was enticing, but I was worried about a consequent increase in stress, and I didn't want to end up back in the type of grind I had gotten into before. One notable difference being that this would be working for an engineering firm, and not for an engineer at an architectural firm.

I sat down and made a list of pros/cons of staying at my current job, and a list of pros/cons of taking the new job - and finally made the decision to take their offer. I knew my current job would make some attempt to keep me - and holy fuck, did they ever.

Their counter offer was *massive*, just barely less than what the new job was offering, but I knew that it would be the last raise I would see for a while, and I was having to twist their arm to get it - whereas the new job didn't even blink when I asked for the going rate for a senior designer (plus the possibility of overtime - AND since it is a contract to hire, I'll most likely get what they are paying the 'talent' company after the year contract is ended and I go to work directly for the new firm). 

I broke the news that I couldn't pass up this opportunity, hoping that I wasn't making a huge mistake, and worked my two-weeks, knocking out a handful of projects, and wrapping up pretty much everything, ending a nearly nine year run with that firm. 

There was a little snag with getting the new contract started, but I convinced them to reimburse me over the next few checks (giving me a few days to relax), and had my official first first day today. The environment is quite a bit different, going from a private office to an open layout - but it is very relaxed. The engineer is laid back, and my new co-workers all seem to be pretty chill.

They only have one project using Revit, and their attitude towards it is pretty much the same as mine (that it is slow as fuck and sucks ass). Most of their clients prefer Bentley Microstation (which can also be slow and might suck a bit). Fortunately it sounds like they try to do as little modeling as possible, and stick to schematics (meaning ACAD will still be a mainstay - even if we end up dumping linework into a BIM file).

The biggest difference going into this phase of my career, is that I will 1) Be getting paid enough to give a fuck, and 2) Not be getting the 'bait and switch' I got from the firm I worked for that decided one day that everyone's eye sockets would suddenly become Revit dick receptacles. 

We'll see how it goes. 

In the meantime, fuck Revit, fuck 'BIM', fuck the people who worked tirelessly to make it a requirement for projects that gain nothing from using it, and (as always) if you don't like it - FUCK YOU.

Sincerely, 

-The Kinder and Gentler Skullfuck (for now). 

Next Time: ACAD all the way down! 

ACAD 2014 - We Hardly Knew Ye...

Well, Fuck.

I got the phone call today letting me know that I could no longer use my stand-alone copy of ACAD 2014.

My company recently merged with another company, and it came time to renew our ACAD licenses (which I didn't have to use, because 'stand-alone').

I requested to be left the fuck alone, because I had what I consider to be pinnacle of ACAD, since nothing beneficial had been added in the interim (I think I've done at least one post regarding this), and the only things that had been changed were the equivalent of rearranging deck chairs (mostly trying to make it look like Autodesk's other shitty 'flagship' pieces of software).

 Unfortunately, I was told that ACAD 2014 was apparently vulnerable to some kind of RAM overflow exploit that hackers can use to cover their tracks (sounds highly implausible, and hasn't happened in the eight years I've been here, but hey).

This meant I had to install ACAD 2024!  Yay!

It looks like shit.

It runs like shit.

I noticed as I was tearfully uninstalling 2014, that the entire goddamned thing was less than 400MB (That's MEGABYTES), and 2024 is 3-1/2 GIG (for no perceptible reason other than 'why not make bloatware?')

I was impressed that it was able to import most (if not all) of my settings - and the one good thing I can say about Autodesk (or at least their Autocad Devs) is that they tend to make things forward/backward compatible as much as possible.

I had been having to rely on  'TrueView' to be able to convert newer .dwg files back to a version I could use on 2014, so that's no longer going to be an issue.

Fortunately I'm not up against any deadlines, so I will have some time to fiddle around with the settings to try to strip this baby down to the bare minimum, and (if at all possible) get it looking and running as much like 2014 as possible.

Of course, I will now be beholden to the license server always working properly to keep from being locked out of the goddamned software I need to do my job, and that sucks.  I've probably ranted at length before about how you no longer own software (which is bullshit) but apparently that's 'just the way it is' now (because people got down on their knees and sucked the dick of the subscription model).

I can foresee a day in the near future where I am up against a deadline on a massive project, only to come in to work and 'derp'.  Hopefully that day never comes, and color me cynical, but I don't have any trust whatsoever when it comes to people who aren't me, and don't have any skin in the game when it comes to me being able to do my fucking job.

I think that's been the through-line of this entire blog from the beginning.  Stop fucking with my ability to do my goddamned job.

Stop trying to redefine what my job entails - especially when you don't have the first clue what the fuck my job even is, and couldn't do it, even if I held a gun to your  head.

And even if you do know what my job is, and think you've found a better way to do it - you can tell me about it, and while I promise I will  try to assess it with an open mind, if I don't immediately see how it will improve my workflow, and get even a whiff of it hindering my ability to crank shit out - I'm going to tell you to go fuck yourself.

Again, if you think it's helping you - and you've got the work product to show it, then more power to you - but I implore you, for the sake of keeping all of the pieces of your face intact, I suggest you take my suggestion to fuck off to heart, and FUCK OFF.

Well, I'm off to see if I can't make some improvements - and curse at Autodesk if I find that they've hardcoded any retardation into this thing (not that I wasn't going to curse Autodesk anyways).

I guess I should just be happy it's not Revit... 

Because Fuck Revit, Fuck Autodesk, and (as always) if you don't like it - FUCK YOU.

-SkullFuck Rel. 2023 V5.24

 Next Time: Well Holy Shit Ya'll... 

Ayyyy!!! Aye!!!

 What The Fuck Ya''ll?

Well, I guess it's finally time for me to throw my hat in the ring regarding the latest oversold bunch of bullshit. 

 

Whether it's a sketchy chatbot that most people don't understand is just an algorithm that guesses the next most probable word based on other things that have been written, some weird pictures mashed together based on searches of disparate elements (that most people don't understand is just pixels getting changed until it matches the search terms) - the *slightly* more useful functions for assisting in programming or other complicated/time consuming tasks - or things that have been being developed for years - like protein folding, or machine learning - it's definitely the new buzzword that people literally can't shut the fuck up about.

 Some Quotes:

'Oh my God - it's evil and it's going to take over the world!' 

 -The same dumb-asses who scream this every time something new comes along.

 

'Oh my God - it's incredible, and it's going to change the way we do everything!!!' 

 -The same (but different set of) dumb-asses who scream this every time something new comes along.

 

The reality:

People are trying to make money.

 

Not by using AI to increase productivity, etc. mind you - but instead, by attempting to increase their stock prices by including 'AI' in their prospectuses (prospectii?), and scaring everyone into thinking that if they don't follow suit, that they will risk getting left in the proverbial 'dust'.

So, expect to see 'AI' show up in all kinds of places that it has no reason to exist, and has no actual practical application to (at least yet) - along with self-important people telling you that they don't know what the current state of AI is (without just telling you that they don't know what the current state of AI is).

Here is where I will include the obligatory statement reiterating the fact that AI is indeed a real thing, with a range of real-world applications - and will only improve as time goes by.

And here is where I will talk about the long storied history of people being convinced that the 'new shit' is far more advanced and capable than it actually is.  I have been listening to a number of people rave about how they use AI in all aspects of their jobs - giving lectures on how it can be implemented into their fields, and basically lining up to fellate our new robot overlords.

In many cases, they are (unsurprisingly) the same people who jumped directly on the Revit dick, which (instead of increasing productivity, improving coordination, or adding any demonstrable benefit) resulted in considerable wanking, and self-congratulation (as well as additional work, delays, etc.).  

It's not surprising, because these are the type of people who love to believe that they are on the 'bleeding edge of tech', but are actually just falling for the sales pitch.

More than a few people have pointed out the (glaring) similarities between the current AI wankery and the .com boom/bust - or the (continued) pyramid scheme of blockchain/bitcoin/NFT's (which relied heavily on hype over substance), as well as other stock 'bubbles' that are the result of everyone jumping on a bandwagon (often one that they don't actually understand), and buying their own bullshit.

So to conclude - CALM THE FUCK DOWN, get over yourself, and see where this all leads.  If you think you can make a career out of either using or hyping AI, then go for it - but don't be surprised when you find yourself surrounded by AI bros, all of whom thought they were the only ones who thought of it (while very few actually even understand the technology or its practical application).

 (Not written by an AI)

-SkullFuck

 Next Time: Vaya Con Dios ACAD 2014

2023 In The Place To Be

 Hola Muchachos y Muchachas!

So, I think I might've missed doing a review on 2022 Revit - I'm sure it was fucking useless, with any 'new features' either being a total joke, or just a list of buzzwords with no actual relation to anything that has actually been changed/added - so with no further ado... A list of 2023 'changes/additions that are either a total joke and/or a list of buzzwords with no actual relation to anything in reality.

(List from: What's New for MEP in Autodesk Revit 2023)

1) "New Analytical Workflow for Electrical Preliminary Design"

 This is it everyone!  They've finally done it!  What we've all been waiting for!

 Oh wait... this is literally complete bullshit!

"this new workflow provides a way for Revit to manage the key electrical loads and distribution information, without having to physically model any part of it"

Well, there we go... we can spend more time in Revit, not actually getting anything done.

Apparently they claim that they heard from 'designers' (read: fucktards) that 'the requirements for distribution systems are defined and iterated long before it is necessary or even desirable to create a physical model'

There is literally never a time when it is actually necessary or even remotely desirable to create a model, so this part is sort of correct.  While having the ability to front-load Revit with information about distribution sounds like it might be helpful, the reality is that this is just more masturbatory nonsense.

 

2)  'Major Pain Point Resolved for Mechanical and Electrical Designers'

Yay!  They finally acknowledged that Revit has some major issues that cause serious difficulty for anyone actually wanting to be produc... oh... no..  wait..  It's just some ways to incorporate 'phasing' into a project.

Apparently people were actually modeling elements that were going to be demolished (I mean, what the entire fuck) and then were having problems with the system no 'remembering' what system it was a part of.  

Out of all of the 'major pain' that Revit caused me back in the day, I can honestly say this never even occurred to me (mainly because I would never model something that is being demolished). 

 I do like that the note at the end ' this does NOT solve the larger problem of having independently computable states'  well... fuck you, I guess... 

 

3) 'Energy Analytical Model Improvements'

Yet another issue that I would constantly run into when the firm I used to work for would try to force me into using Revit was that  I needed the energy analytical model to be improved... no.. wait..  that's not it...

Oh yeah - I needed it to let me design electrical systems quickly without constantly getting in my way.  So (like everything else on this list) this does fuck all to address that.

4) 'Elevation Annotation Improvements'

And... we're already at the 'padding it out' part of the list.  Apparently, previously, 'the elevation of an element such as pipe or conduit was always reported relative to its reference level'.  Yes! This is what was constantly getting in the way of me being able to do anything resembling productive work in Revit!

I'm sure this was a pain in the ass for mechanical more-so than electrical, but just now, in 2023 getting around to making it to where you *couldn't* set dimension elevation to anything other than 'level' is just... a fucking stunning admission.

5) 'Other Improvements for Mechanical and Electrical Design Firms'

 That's right ladies and gents... we're into the 'other' category, where a few last items get glommed together because none of them are spectacular enough to justify their own category.

There are a few other items like 'mechanical modeling/fabrication' and a section on 'Platform Improvements' - but I can guarantee that the Revit experience today is *EXACTLY THE FUCK LIKE* the experience of Revit from eight years ago when I finally told them to fuck off and went on to a more productive and satisfying job that didn't require gargling the Revit cock for 10-12 hours a day to accomplish what I could do is 4 or less hours in Autocad, while not having to deal with hairline bone fracture levels of stress.

As I've said in previous reviews, a major overhaul that actually took the *real* major pains that Revit causes would require that Autodesk acknowledge that A) Their software is low-level garbage that requires a major overhaul to be even remotely useable, and B) Require that they actually spend even five or six seconds in a production environment to see what is ACTUALLY FUCKING NEEDED to do the job that Revit is ostensibly there to help you do.

 Instead, they have relied on input from Revit Cock Sockets, every one of whom I could design circles around, and produce ten times the *actually coordinated drawings* (because I actually coordinate with people - instead sitting blank-eyed and rotating my model around and around as if it will somehow magically become something other than an over-elaborate piece of trash that helps no-one, and will promptly be ignored the second 2d prints are issues (by anyone other than the sad sack motherfuckers that have to figure out how to make changes to the model when things get changed in the field).

They finish the whole thing off with what basically consists of an ad for 'Fabrication Data Manager', and to be honest, I don't even give enough of a fuck to try to figure out what the hell that even is.

 

As always - this is the sad state of affairs in Revitland, but you know what?  Fuck Autdoesk, Fuck Revit, Fuck every single Fucking Fuck using Revit, and if you don't like it... 

 

Fuck You.

 

-SkullFuck

 

Next time: 'One Does Not Simply Stop Talking About AI'

 

Macro-scopic

 WTF?

 Just thought I'd drop a quick one to complain about something other than Autodesk/Revit (refreshing - I know!)

 So... Microsoft.

 Fuck Microsoft. 

 I've had a long running visceral hatred for Microsoft, and their seeming inability to remove their collective heads from their collective asses on a number of fronts - but especially when it comes to their flagship O/S.

 But I didn't come here to tell you about that today.

 Today - it's Office 365.

 Fuck Office 365.

Specifically Excel, and even more specifically, the decision to block macros.

Theoretically, it should be as simple as allowing macros, either file by file, by publisher, etc. - but after fighting it for several hours the other day, the only way it would work was to dump the file I needed to open into a folder, and then add that folder to the 'Trust Center'.

Once I figured this out, I was immediately up against a problem with the glorified spreadsheet the manufacturer of the equipment that I specify - where they added a new option that promptly broke it

 Fuck the manufacturer of the equipment that I specify.

They regularly make changes to this glorified spreadsheet that break functionality, while adding questionable benefit (sound familiar? cough Revit cough).

In this case, the solution was incredibly simple, but even after contacting my rep, and him contacting his rep, nobody was able to explain what the solution was, but it was suddenly not running extremely important calculations that I needed to do projects and produce accurate bills of material.

Only after sitting down with one of our more intelligent salesmen and going through it line by line were we able to figure out what they had changed, and how to fix it.  I told  my rep about it, but amusingly never got any response - and I'm sure it's going to fuck other people who are under the gun, and make the mistake of using the most recent spreadsheet.

There will also be a fuckload of them up against the macro blocking - and it was one of my co-workers running up against it today that reminded me (and making me have to recall the steps I took to fix it).  I forwarded both the file and instructions of how to fix both problems to another one of our salesmen, but I'm probably going to have to make sure everyone at all of our branches that use it get this information as well.

The stated reason for the macro blocking (which apparently started last year, rolled back, then re-implemented again) was to 'to stop threat actors from abusing the feature to deliver malware via email attachments', which is great and all, but if it prevents me from (or requires me to scour the internet for a solution of how to) use files that I know the origin of, purposefully downloaded, and didn't even come from an e-mail (for fucks sake) then 'fuck  you' is the only proper response.

Apparently it has been effective, as 'threat actors' have been moving away from using macros to distribute malware - but (of course) it just means they've moved on to another way of accomplishing the same task, while leaving legitimate users attempting to access legitimate files to have to find workarounds when the 'official solution' doesn't fucking work.

C'est la vie I guess.

 But I don't have to like it - and everyone responsible (including 'threat actors') can go fuck themselves.

Sincerely,

-Skullfuck

 Next Time: I finally get around to reviewing Revit 2023 MEP bullshit.

The Slow Painful Death Of An Art

Greetings and Salutations from the land of Zero Revit,

I never get a chance to post here anymore, because it seems somewhat redundant to keep pointing out the same old shit, but the last two projects I have worked on were especially egregious examples of how far the mighty have fallen.

The first was actually someone else's project - a community center, which I was doing some revisions to due to the Electrical Engineer being a dumbass, and the Fire Marshall having to come back and point out his many (many) fuckups.

Some of my co-workers don't have the fucks to give to do the clean-up work that I do to drawings that we receive that were sharted out of the Revit Box, but due to my background, as well as an outsized sense of pride I take at the quality of my work, I find it necessary to at least make them less cringy to look at.

Sometimes I wish I could not care how shit my backgrounds look, and just do my job, but as I've said in the past, it sometimes helps me to become intimately familiar with the project to spend some time cleaning it up, and I often find items that need clarification so I can get those questions in at the beginning, rather than getting  halfway through the project, only to find out that it was poorly and/or unclearly designed (shocking, I know).

It also helps facilitate my workflow as, once I get to doing my actual job, I don't have to stop every five minutes to stare in disbelief at the absolute garbage people apparently considered 'good enough' to issue to the world with their names, and the names of their firms emblazoned upon the titleblocks of (often with misspelled and/or incorrect project names, address errors/omissions, and other comedy gold.

The community center I was working on was the epitome of Revit, with excruciating levels of detail all throughout - but my absolute favorite were the turnbuckles on the swimming lane marking ropes:

 

They contain nearly 700 lines (and there are 50 of them).  You can also see in that image, the drain system around the perimeter of the pool, and 'no diving' signs, all lovingly crafted in a way that turns into black blobs of nothing once you actually print them out.

 This project also includes a waterslide, that I'm sure looked fantastic in a 3D model, but ended up looking like unwashed assholes in 2D.  I had a similar one in an indoor waterpark I did recently, that was so fucking overwrought that it obscured tons of rather important information.

That underscores one of the other problems that I run into attempting to use 2D drawings exported from Revit - anything that (whether intentionally or accidentally, due to idiots who don't understand view range settings) obscures part of something below it, ends up wiping out whatever it obscured.

This will include structural elements, duct work, and other unrelated elements that make their way onto electrical drawings (my old forte, and the ones I still rely on to do my current designs) resulting in having to sometimes recreate entire sections of drawings after eliminating the offending elements.

Fortunately I'm pretty good at guessing what the fuck all of the countless lines upon lines upon lines are actually supposed to represent, which ones are surplus to needs, and which ones I can use to reproduce what should've just been shown clearly and concisely, but instead... Revit.

The second project I received, and am currently working on is a courthouse building, and while it may be devoid of swimming pools and water slides, the Revitards took great pride in using as many ridiculously elaborate families as they could put their hands on - just to make sure... of... something?

I present to you one that I've seen over and over (and have maybe even posted here before), what I like to call the 'Way The Fuck Too Much Information To Show How A Goddamned Window Goes Together'

For those keeping track, that's 365 lines (x2 for each window in the entire goddamned building), that basically disappears completely when you zoom out (or turns into a little black blob when printed). Interestingly, this family only appears on the second floor of the building, which means two different Revitards were most likely being employed to design one building, and they weren't talking to each other (also meaning they have at least two window families loaded into the model, causing bloat on the Revit end as well - OR the person doing the first floor knew how to set the family to not show unnecessary detail).

It was also evident that (at least) two people worked on it, as there is a courtroom on both the first and second floors - and while one is laid out correctly, the other one has tons of overlaps and other signs that the person either didn't know what they were doing, ran out of time near the end of the project, or just didn't give a shit.

All throughout there are walls jammed together in a haphazard manner, and other weirdness - but I was able to get it all cleaned up fairly quickly.  Then I had to start figuring out what the fuck the electrical engineer had actually designed.  This was made more difficult by his keynotes on every sheet being different (so from floor to floor the tags might mean different things).

In addition to this stupid shit, we had actually requested CAD files for this nearly a year ago - and for some reason the salesman responsible for it kept sending us CAD files for a different project.  We would inform him they were the wrong ones, we would wait a couple of months, then he would attempt to send the wrong ones again.

The problem being, that this gave them ample time to fuck with the project, so now the CAD files have little changes all throughout.  I just got done making a fairly exhaustive list of the changes (including, amusingly, that they managed to delete a door into a mechanical room, while also duplicating the same room number from the corridor outside this room).

At any rate, this has sadly become standard for nearly every single project I do these days.  The only reason it is tenable, is that I have the ability to use ACAD to process the complete and utter shit I am given into semi-comprehensible floor plans. 

I've bemoaned the lack of giving a fuck on many occasions, but these last few projects were just another reminder of how an industry that used to pride itself on producing clear, concise, accurate drawings, has just fallen into a pit of shit, driven almost entirely by Autodesk shilling Revit, and incompetent little cunts being brought in to try to make it generate anything remotely passable.

I never tire of saying fuck Revit, fuck Autodesk, fuck everyone generating garbage with it - and, as it has been since the beginning, and will be until the end... If you don't like it, then FUCK YOU.

Ecstatically Yours, 

-The Revit MEP Skullfuck

 Next Time: 'EXCEL-SIOR!!!'