While there is so much debate about the introduction of the Ribbon interface in the 2010 versions of the Autodesk applications, I thought that I’d highlight the fact that there is a useful new item in each of the ‘Help’ menus that should ease the transitional headache somewhat.

It is titled simply, ‘Where is my command?’ and is available in each of the AutoCAD and Revit platform-based solutions.

This actually lets you navigate to the required function in the help navigation bar using the same route that you would have taken in the old user interface.  In the list you will see the menu and Design Bar headings from the previous versions and when you select these you will receive a handy reference to where these are now located.

Although I don’t use this a lot now, as I’ve persevered to adapt to the new interface and am now getting used to it; I must admit that I found it a great help on a number of occasions when I just couldn’t find some of the less commonly used tools (especially those on the Ribbon flyouts that you can’t see).  It will certainly come in handy for those of you who are making the transition and want to avoid a lot of unnecessary exploration!

Although this is the first attempt at changing the Revit interface since it’s inception, I for one am fairly happy with this effort; and  although there are some notable frustrations with certain aspects of the way it works, I’d safely say that the benefits easily outweigh the annoyances.  I know that there has been a lot of debate over the lack of a ‘classic’ mode but I have to say that I am somewhat relieved that this has been left alone and that they can concentrate on developing a single interface that can meet the demands of both existing and new users effectively.

With the AutoCAD solutions, most of the old methods are still available but I would recommend that the Ribbon be used wherever possible as there are a number of benefits to be had.

For those of you lucky enough to be using Autodesk Inventor, you will have access to a more interactive ‘Command Locator’ facility, that allows you to select any command or function from the previous version:

Then it will provide a visual indication of exactly where the selected tool can be found in the new interface: