Categories, not Modeling Tools

So, IF we reinvent hosting, I'd say that we can then make some serious changes in how categories are assigned...

Rather than have it assigned by the modeling tool chosen as if there is some inherent relationship between the two, have it be chosen either prior to selecting a modeling tool or after the modeling operation is completed (and allow no choice to be made). 

I would imagine two different ribbon panels for these two different workflows. One would look much like what we've got today (minus architectural columns because if you uncheck "structural" in a regular column, guess what, it is architectural!, and some of the other redundant tools in there). Then, in the draw wall mode you basically get a bunch of modeling options in the ribbon just like you do now when you enter sketch mode - line, ellipse, circle, spline, etc... - except this time you get path (should support 3D paths), profile, face, panelized, etc... Pick one and your drawing mode changes appropriately, and it should default to whatever you used last probably. Same thing for floors, ceilings, roofs, etc... You set the category and then choose the modeling tool that best fits your intent. Alternatively, there should be a tab that gives you the layered construction, panelized construction, swept construction (railings anyone?) tools and when you finish the category is basically unset (a real reason for a generic model category) and it can be set later. This effectively gets rid of a lot of redundant tools like Curtain Wall / Curtain System.

The point here is that we can choose smart modeling tools that allow us to achieve both peak efficiency and modeling accuracy, AND have the end result be in the correct category...

This is crucial to achieving data consistency downstream.

The separation of categories from geometric tools also allows us to potentially change the category and the modeling independently. So, if we switch from a panelized wall to a layered one, instead of deleting it we can just change it and retain both the element ID and any wall meta-data already stored in that wall at the instance level. Or, we could realize this is no longer a roof but a ceiling, and we can switch the category and get all the ceiling meta data parameters without loosing the Element ID or the geometry we created. And, since we reinvented hosting and removed it from the category realm, we can do all this without loosing hosting associations.

Ahhhh, Nirvana...