Revit: Proper Process for Upgrading Your Models

The most important thing to keep in mind when upgrading your existing models is that you should always upgrade incrementally.  If you have a 2013 project that needs to be upgraded to a 2015 project you will need to upgrade to 2014 and then to 2015.  I suggest this process because I have seen too many issues with files that do not follow this rule.

Step 1:  Creating a Current version maintenance file locally

1.    Have all users synchronize and save to central, make sure all worksets are relinquished, close the local files.

2.    Have one user Open the Central file in the current version of Revit. 

From the Open dialog box, clear the check box Create New Local, place a check in the boxes for Detach from Central and Audit (select Yes to Audit Warning) 

3.    You will see the Detach Model from Central dialog box, select Detach and Preserve worksets

4. In Revit, go to the application menu
and click on Save as, Project and name as needed and save the file locally.
    a.  By locally I mean on your workstation or network drive.
5. After the file is properly saved, I recommend that you do the following:
    a. Review and resolve warnings
    b. Purge unused
    c. Verify items are on the correct worksets
    d. Delete unnecessary views
    e. Verify cad files are linked rather than inserted
6. Since you will need to also upgrade the links I recommend that you unload them until they are all cleaned up. After the files are all upgraded you will then need to go into each model and reload from for the correct link path.
7. Synchronize and modify settings
    a. Check everything that can be checked including compact. You can add a comment if you like; this shows up in History under comments.
8. Close the model.

Step 2:  Upgrading the Model Locally (Repeat as needed to desired version)

Start the next release of Revit. 

1. Open the file we just saved with Audit and Detach from Central selected.
2. Detach and Preserve worksets as before.
3. Save as locally again (put in a 201# folder or append the name with the version)
4. The model should already be cleaned up, but if you want to be very thorough I would recommend that you also save the families out as this release of families in a folder for the model and check the file size of the saved families to make sure there aren’t any that are really large…this generally indicates a problem with the family which could cause problems later. 
1. The process of bringing them back in is rather painful so that step is optional since it requires accepting each one as they come in.

 Step 3:  Saving the Upgraded File to the Network

Now that all of the maintenance is done you can simply do a save as up to the network location for each model, and then "reload from" on the links from the new path.

1. Open the 2015 file based file and do a save as to the project location
2. Synchronize and modify settings
3. Check everything that can be checked including compact.  You can add a comment if you like; this shows up in History under comments.
4. Close the project

Local File Creation:  This Step is CRITICAL: 

Before having users create new local files: Make sure all users delete or archive/rename their old local files and their back up folder if the file has the same name as it did in the previous release!

One final note:

All users should be on the same update of the software (preferably the current one)