They Broke Their Own Cloud Space in Revit 2022

Way back in Revit 2015, Autodesk gave us a really nice enhancement:

• Ability to use all the sketch line drawing tools to quickly create Revision Clouds.

 

Prior to v2015 we had to laboriously draw each arc of the cloud as a segment (2 clicks:  for start and end of the arc) - the longer the segment, the larger the arc radius.  For those who never experienced it, that was a really tedious workflow.

I remember from Beta testing that we requested for the Rectangle to be the default drawing tool (it was not initially - I think the original default was either the line or circle.  Luckily we asked for that request before the code was finished so it was quickly implemented.

One of the other little features they added was the ability to reverse the direction of the cloud using the space bar - as it was being drawn:

 

This allowed the user to create a reverse or inside-out cloud - it may look ugly but it has a very specific use:  To indicate "Hold" on part of the drawing or model.

They Broke it in 2022

I am not sure if it happened in v2022 or 2022.1, but the spacebar trick no longer works for placing rectangular reverse clouds.   Aaaargh.

It still works for circles and both polygon types.

That means you could use a 4 sided polygon to get a square cloud - but the chances of needing that shape are slim.  The only other option is to use the line tool and create a rectangle by drawing the 4 sides in an anti-clockwise direction.

The good news is that it is still waaaay better than the old method pre-v2015.

Let's hope that Autodesk fix this in the next update?

Thanks to Frank Crisp of Koichi Takada Architects in Sydney for pointing this out to me.

Upgrading to Revit 2022 and Windows 10

Way back in 2016 I posted about my dislike of Windows 10 (not to mention 8 and 8.1 which I thought were diabolical).  I resisted upgrading from Windows 7 for several more years - even after Microsoft ceased support for that version.  Many IT Managers around the world followed the same strategy until official support stopped - whereupon they were forced to move to Windows 10.

My reasons for disliking Windows 10 were nothing to do with "resisting change" - after all I have been an avid beta tester of Revit for many years, and usually installed new versions within hours of release (well, maybe not for use on live projects . . . , as that might be considered foolhardy).  I had genuine reasons for criticising Windows 10 - which I won't describe here, as it is now past history.

Revit 2022 on Windows 7

This year, Autodesk forced the issue:

Not only did Autodesk cease to support Windows 7 but they actively prevented me from installing Revit 2022.

Well, I knew it was going to happen some day - in fact I was surprised to be able to keep Windows 7 running for so many years.

Time to bite the bullet and upgrade.  In the end, I decided that it was also time for a new laptop - and it would be simpler to buy a new Windows 10 computer to install and run Revit 2022 and later versions.

For the record, I still don't like Windows 10 even after becoming quite accustomed to it over the months.   Perhaps I should skip it and upgrade to Windows 11, now that Autodesk support running Revit on 11 . . . . . . ?

Surely Windows 11 has to be better than 10?  Hmmm, Microsoft do not have a good record on consistently improving their software over the years - although they have made a number of improvements , with occasional good milestone versions:

• Windows 3 was a huge improvement on MsDos -  oops, should I be admitting to remembering that transition?
• There were several different versions for home users and networks of varying degrees of success and confusion . . . (95, 98, 2000, NT etc)
  
• Windows 7 finally brought them all together in one solid version.
• And then Microsoft started trying to make Windows more like hand-held device operating systems - and we have a half-baked mongrel OS that is neither a serious work platform nor a simple user-friendly UI.

Oh well, I lost the battle - but it was fun while it lasted.