Revit 2017 - My 3 Favorite new Features

As I have stated in the last few releases Autodesk's move to a subscription model makes the "release" of the latest version of Revit less of an event.  For those of you who aren't updating your Revit software throughout the year there have been two releases of Revit 2016 since it launched.  Each release added new features.  So, always make sure you are up to date!

That being said, Revit 2017 is here and comes equipped with some welcomed new features!  Before I talk about all the good stuff the designer in me has to talk about the new "R" logo... I don't get it?  I know Auotdesk updates their product line logos every so often and makes it a uniform design (ie, Autocad's "A", 3DS Max's "M") but this go around is even stranger than the last for me.  What do you think?

Okay, enough on the logo... Now, onto the new features!!  Continue reading to see my top three new features and entire feature lists....

The Revit Kid's Top 3 New Features:

1. Depth Cueing

Those of you who have followed me over the years and who have purchased Volume 1 of the BIM After Dark series know how much time I have spent making Revit look good (or "sexy").  Let's face it, if you simply modeled a building in Revit using all default settings, placed elevations on sheets, and printed without any tweaking, the drawings would not look good. This opens the door for those who decide not to use Revit to say "Revit drawings look bad".  Anyways, Autodesk finally added the ability to modify line weights based on distance.  WOOHOO!

For those of you not excited about this new feature you either could care less about how your elevations look or you haven't been responsible for making your elevations look as good as they do...  For a reminder of the "old way" to get the same effect illustrated in the video below check out this video tutorial from BIM After Dark -Volume 1... Looks like it's time for me to modify Volume 1... ;)

Here is a short video demonstration from the Autodesk Help website... I can't wait to show you all what can be done with this new feature!

**Edit** Tim does a great job evaluating this new feature here...

2. Hosted Railings

You can now host your railings to the top faces of floors, slabs, slab edges, walls, and roofs.  Everything, such as balusters, will adjust accordingly.  All you have to do is select your host when sketching a railing... 

The main reason this is number two on my top-three is simple: emails.  I cannot tell you how many emails I have received in the last seven years asking why a railing can't be hosted to "X"...  Well, now you can host your railings to a few more categories!  

3. Text Editor

Finally, Autodesk has decided to bring the text editor within Revit up to the standards of this century.  Well, the have "started" to do so.  I hope it will continue to improve from here...   Either way, it is a welcome modification.

This is for all of us who have sat there putting together a set of construction documents and throwing our computer mouse across the room because your beautifully typed list lost its formatting when you clicked off of the text tool... You know what I am talking about... We've all been there... It is about time!

The Rest of the New Features:

Now that you have seen my personal Top 3 list... There are plenty of new features in all disciplines that will make your personal Top 3.  Instead of just relisting them all here there are a few great sources already out there that break everything down:

The Autodesk Help File with all of the Revit 2017 new features and videos...

Steve Stafford's great post breaking down the list...

BIM Thoughts podcast which includes Paul Aubin and Steve Stafford talking about all of the new features...