OPEN A PROJECT REVIT FILE

WARNINGS with EXPLANATIONS

In Revit there is a single CENTRAL project file. The Central file lives on the server.

e.g. RH01_DOC_DD_stage 1.rvt

Everyone working on the project has their own LOCAL file that synchronises with the Central file. Local files live on each user's computer hard disk, on drive C in a folder called !revitLOCAL.

The file name of a Local file is the Central file's name with the user's name as a suffix.

e.g. RH01_DOC_DD_stage 1_antony mcphee.rvt

Changes made to a user's Local file do not appear in the Central file until that user Synchronizes with Central.

Conversely, any changes to the Central file made by others will not appear until a user either Synchronizes with Central, or explicitly Reloads Latest.

Because of this, if your Local file has not been refreshed recently, it will be quite out of date. And if it is really out of date (a week or more), it may corrupt the Central file when you try and sychronise it (Synchronize with Central).

For this reason ALWAYS FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW TO CREATE A NEW LOCAL.

Do NOT just open your local file.

There is a new version of Revit every year. Revit is not backwardly compatible, you can not open a Revit 2015 project with Revit 2014.

If you open a Revit 2014 project with Revit 2015 it will automatically update the project to Revit 2015. If you then save it YOU WILL CAUSE UNTOLD HAVOC.

ALWAYS USE THE CORRECT VERSION OF REVIT TO OPEN A PROJECT

If you don't know ask some-one. If there is no-one to ask use the oldest version of Revit you have on your computer (Revit will tell you if the project uses a newer version of Revit)

If you do open a project with the wrong version QUIT without saving.

STEPS TO CREATE A NEW LOCAL FILE

Start the Revit version the project is using from your desktop icon.

You may need to highlight icons to read hidden parts of text.

Click on Open on the front page.

Do NOT click on the shortcut image of your project. It will open the Local file. We don't want that!

A window will open, Browse to the Project Central file you want to open.

(you may need to ask some-one where it is and what it is called).

DO NOT DOUBLE CLICK ON THE FILE.

Just highlight the file, then look down at the bottom of the dialog box and make sure Create New Local is ticked.

If it is, hit the Open button.

Next, depending on certain settings, a dialog window may appear listing Worksets.

If a Workset has No in the Opened column it will not be loaded and so will not be visible. In the example below linked Building B and Building C are not opened so will not be visible.

If you know you want to see them highlight the row and hit Open button. Conversely, if you don't want to see them highlight the row and hit Close button (this can speed up using Revit).

If you are unsure, just leave it as is. Worksets can be opened later within Revit.

If you have created a Local file before a warning diaolg will appear asking if you want to overwrite the existing Local.

Say yes.

Sometimes a further dialog box will appear saying some links are unresolved.

Just say OK and continue. Tell some-one else fix it.

Done! Project is Open.