AutodeskRevitBuilding8 (1) 1tutorials

AUTODESK ®
REVIT BUILDING
8.1
Metric Tutorial
August 2005
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Contents
Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts ............................................................................................... 1

Understanding the Basics ................................................................................................................................. 2
Navigating the Revit Building User Interface ............................................................................................. 4
Chapter 2 Creating Your First Building Model .................................................................................. 11

Creating Your First Building Model ............................................................................................................... 12
Creating and Modifying the Exterior Walls of the West Wing ................................................................ 12
Adding the Interior Walls of the West Wing ............................................................................................ 24
Dimensioning the Building Model ........................................................................................................... 32
Adding Doors and Windows ..................................................................................................................... 41
Adding Floors and Floor Openings ........................................................................................................... 58
Adding a Roof and Ceiling ........................................................................................................................ 74
Adding Multi-Level Stairs .......................................................................................................................... 80
Creating the East Wing and Passageway .................................................................................................. 87
Scheduling the Building Model .............................................................................................................. 100
Rendering the Building Model ................................................................................................................ 104
Documenting the Building Model .......................................................................................................... 106
Chapter 3 Modifying Project and System Settings .......................................................................... 113

Modifying System Settings ........................................................................................................................... 114
Modifying General System Options ........................................................................................................ 114
Specifying File Locations ......................................................................................................................... 115
Specifying Spelling Options .................................................................................................................... 117
Modifying Snap Settings ......................................................................................................................... 118
Modifying Project Settings ........................................................................................................................... 120
Creating and Applying Materials ............................................................................................................ 120
Creating and Applying Fill Patterns ........................................................................................................ 123
Controlling Object Styles ........................................................................................................................ 125
Modifying Line Patterns and Styles ........................................................................................................ 128
Modifying Annotations ........................................................................................................................... 131
Specifying Units of Measurement, Temporary Dimensions, and Detail Level Options ........................ 133
Modifying Project Browser Organization ............................................................................................... 134
Creating an Office Template ........................................................................................................................ 136
Choosing the Base Template ................................................................................................................... 137
Modifying Project Settings ...................................................................................................................... 137
Loading and Modifying Families and Groups ........................................................................................ 142
Modifying Views and View Templates ................................................................................................... 144
Modifying Render Scene Settings ........................................................................................................... 147
Modifying Import/Export Settings .......................................................................................................... 148
Setting up Shared and Project Parameters .............................................................................................. 149
Creating Named Print Settings ............................................................................................................... 151
Chapter 4 Ceilings ............................................................................................................................... 153
Creating Ceilings .......................................................................................................................................... 154
Creating Automatic Ceilings ................................................................................................................... 154
Creating Compound Ceilings ................................................................................................................. 156
Chapter 5 Openings ............................................................................................................................ 159
Cutting Roof Openings ................................................................................................................................ 160
Cutting a Dormer Opening in a Roof ..................................................................................................... 160
Creating a Perpendicular Roof Opening ................................................................................................. 164
Contents | i
Creating a Vertical Roof Opening ........................................................................................................... 167
Creating Openings in Floors and Ceilings ................................................................................................... 170
Cutting an Opening in a Floor ............................................................................................................... 170
Cutting an Opening in a Ceiling ............................................................................................................ 173
Cutting an Opening Using the Shaft Tool .............................................................................................. 174
Chapter 6 Railings ............................................................................................................................... 177
Creating Railings .......................................................................................................................................... 178
Creating the Railing Layout .................................................................................................................... 178
Adjusting Railing Parameters .................................................................................................................. 180
Chapter 7 Roofs ................................................................................................................................... 185
Creating Roofs .............................................................................................................................................. 186
Creating an Extruded Roof ...................................................................................................................... 186
Creating a Gable Roof from a Footprint ................................................................................................. 190
Creating a Roof with a Vertical Penetration from a Footprint ............................................................... 192
Creating a Hip Roof from a Footprint .................................................................................................... 194
Creating a Shed Roof from a Footprint ................................................................................................... 197
Adding Slope Arrows to a Shed Roof ...................................................................................................... 199
Aligning Roof Eaves ................................................................................................................................ 201
Creating a Mansard Roof ........................................................................................................................ 202
Creating Fascia, Gutters, and Soffits ............................................................................................................ 204
Creating Roof Fascia ................................................................................................................................ 204
Creating Gutters ...................................................................................................................................... 205
Creating Soffits ........................................................................................................................................ 206
Chapter 8 Stairs .................................................................................................................................. 209
Creating Stairs .............................................................................................................................................. 210
Creating the Main Lobby Stair Run ........................................................................................................ 210
Modifying the Main Lobby Stair Run ..................................................................................................... 215
Creating the Second Floor Lobby Side Stairs .......................................................................................... 221
Creating the Level 2 Landing Railings .................................................................................................... 224
Creating the Emergency Exit Stair Run .................................................................................................. 231
Creating a Semi-circular Exterior Stair Run ............................................................................................ 236
Working with the Stair Calculator .......................................................................................................... 241
Chapter 9 Walls .................................................................................................................................. 247
Creating Walls .............................................................................................................................................. 248
Sketching Walls ....................................................................................................................................... 248
Working with Compound Walls ............................................................................................................ 258
Working with Vertically Compound Walls ............................................................................................ 266
Joining Walls to Floors ............................................................................................................................ 276
Working with Foundation Walls ............................................................................................................ 278
Working with Wall Wraps ...................................................................................................................... 281
Assigning Wall Bottom and Top Attachments ....................................................................................... 283
Chapter 10 Curtain Systems ................................................................................................................ 287

Flat Curtain System ...................................................................................................................................... 288
Creating an Entrance .............................................................................................................................. 288
Adding Mullions to the Curtain System ................................................................................................ 296
Curved Curtain System ................................................................................................................................ 299
Adding a Curved Curtain System .......................................................................................................... 299
Adding a Custom Curtain Panel ............................................................................................................. 301
Adding Mullions to the Curved Curtain Panel ...................................................................................... 304
Additional Curtain Systems ......................................................................................................................... 307
Sloped Glazings ...................................................................................................................................... 307
Storefront System ................................................................................................................................... 308
Curtain System by Lines ........................................................................................................................ 311
Chapter 11 Creating Drawings ............................................................................................................ 315

Creating Drawing Sheets in a Project ........................................................................................................... 316
Creating a Drawing Sheet ....................................................................................................................... 316
Adding a Sheet to the Project .................................................................................................................. 323
Modifying the Building Model from a Sheet .......................................................................................... 324
ii | Contents
Creating New Views to Add to Sheets ..................................................................................................... 326
Using Legends .............................................................................................................................................. 333
Creating a Symbol Legend ...................................................................................................................... 333
Creating a Wall Type Legend .................................................................................................................. 335
Using a Legend View to Match Types ..................................................................................................... 337
Using Revision Tracking ............................................................................................................................... 339
Setting Up a Revision Table .................................................................................................................... 339
Sketching Revision Clouds ...................................................................................................................... 340
Tagging Revision Clouds ......................................................................................................................... 341
Working with Revisions .......................................................................................................................... 342
Chapter 12 Detailing ............................................................................................................................. 345
Creating a Detail from a Building Model ..................................................................................................... 346
Creating a Callout View .......................................................................................................................... 346
Detailing the View .................................................................................................................................. 350
Adding Detail Lines ................................................................................................................................. 356
Adding a Vapor Barrier and Insulation ................................................................................................... 359
Adding Break Lines ................................................................................................................................. 360
Adding Text Notes ................................................................................................................................... 363
Changing Component Order and Visibility Settings in Detail Views ......................................................... 364
Changing Detail Component Order in a Detail View ............................................................................ 364
Changing Visibility Settings in a Detail View ........................................................................................ 366
Creating a Drafted Detail ............................................................................................................................. 369
Creating a Drafting View ........................................................................................................................ 369
Creating a Detail in the Drafting View ................................................................................................... 369
Importing a Detail into a Drafting View ................................................................................................. 376
Creating a Reference Callout .................................................................................................................. 379
Chapter 13 Scheduling ......................................................................................................................... 381
Creating Type and Instance Schedules ........................................................................................................ 382
Creating a Window Schedule .................................................................................................................. 382
Defining Schedules and Color Diagrams ..................................................................................................... 385
Creating a Room Schedule ...................................................................................................................... 385
Creating a Room Color Diagram ............................................................................................................ 394
Scheduling Uniformat Assembly Codes ....................................................................................................... 396
Scheduling Uniformat Assembly Codes and Descriptions ..................................................................... 396
Scheduling Shared Parameters ..................................................................................................................... 401
Creating a Multi-Category Schedule ....................................................................................................... 401
Using Formulas and Filters in Schedules ...................................................................................................... 406
Creating a Level-Based Door Schedule with a Filter ............................................................................... 406
Creating a Wall Schedule with Filters and a Formula ............................................................................ 408
Scheduling Project Parameters ..................................................................................................................... 409
Creating a Room Schedule with Project Parameters ............................................................................... 410
Exporting Project Information with ODBC ................................................................................................. 411
Exporting Schedule Information to Microsoft Access ............................................................................ 411
Chapter 14 Annotating and Dimensioning ......................................................................................... 413

Setting the Base Elevation of a Project ......................................................................................................... 414
Setting the Base Elevation of a House ..................................................................................................... 414
Dimensioning ............................................................................................................................................... 416
Creating Dimensions .............................................................................................................................. 417
Controlling Witness Line Location ........................................................................................................ 422
Modifying Dimension Properties ............................................................................................................ 425
Working with Alignments and Constraints ........................................................................................... 426
Creating Automatic Linear Wall Dimensions ......................................................................................... 432
Annotating ................................................................................................................................................... 434
Creating Angular Dimensions ................................................................................................................. 434
Sequentially Tagging Rooms ................................................................................................................... 435
Tagging Doors and Windows .................................................................................................................. 437
Chapter 15 Viewing .............................................................................................................................. 441
Viewing a Building Model ............................................................................................................................ 442
Exploring the Building Model ................................................................................................................ 442
Creating a Perspective View with a Camera ........................................................................................... 445
Contents | iii
Creating a Section View .......................................................................................................................... 451
Creating Elevation Views ........................................................................................................................ 453
Controlling Fill Pattern Colors ..................................................................................................................... 455
Controlling the Fill Pattern Color of a Material ..................................................................................... 455
Setting the Coarse Scale Fill Pattern Color for a Wall Type ................................................................... 457
Creating a View Plan Region ........................................................................................................................ 459
Creating a Plan Region in a Floor Plan ................................................................................................... 459
Chapter 16 Rendering Views and Creating Walkthroughs .............................................................. 463

Rendering an Exterior View ......................................................................................................................... 464
Applying Materials and Textures to the Building Model ....................................................................... 464
Adding Trees to the Site .......................................................................................................................... 468
Creating a Perspective View .................................................................................................................... 470
Selecting a Scene and Rendering the View ............................................................................................. 473
Rendering an Interior View .......................................................................................................................... 476
Adding RPC People ................................................................................................................................. 476
Creating the Interior Perspective View ................................................................................................... 478
Creating a New Render Scene ................................................................................................................. 481
Defining Daylights and Rendering the View .......................................................................................... 482
Creating and Recording Walkthroughs ....................................................................................................... 484
Creating a Walkthrough ......................................................................................................................... 484
Changing the Walkthrough Path and Camera Position ........................................................................ 487
Recording the Walkthrough ................................................................................................................... 489
Chapter 17 Presentation Views ........................................................................................................... 491

Adding a Floor Plan View to the Analytique ............................................................................................... 492
Preparing a Floor Plan for the Analytique .............................................................................................. 492
Using Advanced Model Graphics ............................................................................................................ 494
Adding the Floor Plan to a Sheet ............................................................................................................ 496
Adding an Elevation View to the Analytique .............................................................................................. 499
Preparing the Elevation View for the Analytique ................................................................................... 500
Adding a Presentation Elevation View to the Presentation Sheet .......................................................... 502
Adding Section Views to the Analytique ..................................................................................................... 504
Preparing a Section View for the Analytique .......................................................................................... 505
Adding Shadows and Silhouettes to a Section View ............................................................................... 509
Adding the Presentation Section to the Analytique ............................................................................... 510
Working with a Presentation View Template ......................................................................................... 514
Working in a Callout Analytique ............................................................................................................ 517
Creating 3D Cutaways with Section Boxes .................................................................................................. 524
Creating Cutaway Isometric Views ......................................................................................................... 525
Creating Cutaway Perspective Views ...................................................................................................... 531
Annotating the Analytique ..................................................................................................................... 536
Chapter 18 About Families and the Family Editor ........................................................................... 539

Using Families and the Family Editor .......................................................................................................... 540
Introduction to Families ......................................................................................................................... 540
Introduction to the Family Editor .......................................................................................................... 542
Chapter 19 Creating Components in the Family Editor .................................................................. 545

Creating a Door Family ................................................................................................................................ 546
Drawing the Door Plan View Components ............................................................................................ 546
Creating the Door Leaf Solid Geometry ................................................................................................. 550
Assigning Materials to the Door Components ....................................................................................... 553
Defining New Door Types ....................................................................................................................... 556
Creating a Window Family .......................................................................................................................... 558
Specifying the New Window Parameters ................................................................................................ 559
Creating the Window Frame Solid Geometry ........................................................................................ 560
Creating the Window Sash Solid Geometry ........................................................................................... 566
Creating the Window Glass Solid Geometry .......................................................................................... 569
Creating the Window Mullion Solid Geometry ..................................................................................... 574
Assigning Materials to the Window Components ................................................................................. 584
Defining New Window Types ................................................................................................................. 587
Creating a Furniture Family ......................................................................................................................... 591
Specifying the New Rolltop Desk Parameters ......................................................................................... 592
iv | Contents
Creating the Desktop Solid Geometry .................................................................................................... 597
Creating the Desk Drawer Base Solid Geometry ..................................................................................... 600
Creating the Rolltop Solid Geometry ..................................................................................................... 609
Creating the Drawers Solid Geometry .................................................................................................... 614
Defining New Furniture Types ................................................................................................................ 617
Creating a Baluster Family ........................................................................................................................... 619
Drawing a Baluster .................................................................................................................................. 619
Assigning the New Baluster to a Stair Run .............................................................................................. 621
Creating Profile Families .............................................................................................................................. 623
Drawing a Sweep Profile .......................................................................................................................... 623
Drawing a Rail Profile ............................................................................................................................. 624
Drawing a Stair Nosing Profile ................................................................................................................ 624
Drawing a Reveal Profile ......................................................................................................................... 625
Drawing a Host Sweep Profile ................................................................................................................. 626
Applying a Sweep Profile to a 2D Path ................................................................................................... 627
Applying a Host Sweep Profile to Walls .................................................................................................. 629
Creating a Room Tag .................................................................................................................................... 631
Specifying Room Tag Parameters ............................................................................................................ 631
Creating an Annotation Symbol .................................................................................................................. 633
Creating a Custom North Arrow Annotation Symbol ............................................................................ 633
Adding the New North Arrow to a Project ............................................................................................. 636
Creating a Titleblock Family ........................................................................................................................ 636
Drawing Linework for a Titleblock Sheet ............................................................................................... 637
Adding Graphics and Text to a Titleblock .............................................................................................. 640
Adding the Titleblock to a New Project .................................................................................................. 649
Creating In-Place Families ............................................................................................................................ 650
Creating the Dome Roof In-Place Family ............................................................................................... 651
Creating the Concave Floor In-Place Family .......................................................................................... 658
Chapter 20 Parametric Component Design Techniques ................................................................. 661

Planning a Parametric Component Family .................................................................................................. 662
Determining Component Needs ............................................................................................................. 662
Selecting the Family Template ................................................................................................................ 663
Creating the Component Skeleton .............................................................................................................. 665
Adding Reference Planes ......................................................................................................................... 666
Adding Dimensions and Constraints ...................................................................................................... 671
Creating New Length Parameters ........................................................................................................... 674
Flexing the Component Model ............................................................................................................... 678
Adding Solid Geometry ................................................................................................................................ 680
Creating Solid Extrusions ........................................................................................................................ 680
Adding Constraints to the Solid Geometry ............................................................................................ 682
Creating Additional Solid Geometry ...................................................................................................... 685
Testing the Family in a Project ..................................................................................................................... 693
Loading a Family into a Project .............................................................................................................. 693
Testing a Family Instance in a Project .................................................................................................... 694
Working with Nested Subcomponents ........................................................................................................ 697
Adding a Nested Component ................................................................................................................. 698
Creating Formula-controlled Parameters ................................................................................................ 702
Arraying Nested Subcomponents ............................................................................................................ 706
Reloading a Family into a Project ........................................................................................................... 711
Applying Subcategories, Materials, and Parameters ..................................................................................... 712
Creating and Applying Subcategories ..................................................................................................... 713
Creating Material Parameters .................................................................................................................. 717
Controlling Component Visibility ............................................................................................................... 719
Assigning Detail Level and View Controls .............................................................................................. 719
Creating Component Types ......................................................................................................................... 722
Creating Multiple Component Types ..................................................................................................... 722
Creating Conditional Formulas .............................................................................................................. 723
Chapter 21 Area Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 725

Using Area Analysis Tools ............................................................................................................................ 726
Creating Area Schemes and Plans ........................................................................................................... 726
Creating Area Schedules and Color Fill Area Plans ................................................................................. 732
Contents | v
Chapter 22 Massing ............................................................................................................................... 735
Using Massing Tools ..................................................................................................................................... 736
Adding Massing Elements to a Building Model ...................................................................................... 736
Using Massing Tools to Cut Geometry from the Building Model .......................................................... 741
Using Mass Family Files in a Project ........................................................................................................... 743
Creating New Mass Family Types .......................................................................................................... 743
Loading and Placing New Mass Families ................................................................................................ 744
Joining Mass Elements ............................................................................................................................ 747
Using Mass Elements with Design Options ................................................................................................. 750
Mass Elements in Design Options .......................................................................................................... 750
Creating Building Components from Mass Elements ................................................................................. 752
Creating Walls by Picking Faces ............................................................................................................. 753
Creating Floors by Picking Faces ............................................................................................................. 755
Creating Roofs by Picking Faces .............................................................................................................. 759
Creating Curtain Systems ...................................................................................................................... 761
Editing Elements Created from Massings ............................................................................................... 763
Controlling Mass/Shell Visibility ............................................................................................................ 768
Chapter 23 Site ..................................................................................................................................... 771
Using Site Tools ............................................................................................................................................ 772
Creating a Toposurface ........................................................................................................................... 772
Adding Property Lines ............................................................................................................................. 777
Modifying Contour Visibility and Site Settings ...................................................................................... 781
Creating Topographic Subregions ........................................................................................................... 783
Grading the Toposurface ......................................................................................................................... 788
Adding a Building Pad ............................................................................................................................ 793
Adding Site Components ........................................................................................................................ 795
Tagging Site and Parking Components .................................................................................................. 798
Creating Parking Space Schedules ........................................................................................................... 799
Chapter 24 Grouping ............................................................................................................................ 801
Creating Groups ........................................................................................................................................... 802
Creating a Group ..................................................................................................................................... 802
Placing a Group ....................................................................................................................................... 803
Modifying a Group .................................................................................................................................. 804
Creating Nested Groups ............................................................................................................................... 805
Creating a Nested Group ......................................................................................................................... 806
Modifying a Nested Group ...................................................................................................................... 807
Working with Groups .................................................................................................................................. 809
Duplicating a Group ............................................................................................................................... 809
Creating a Detail Group .......................................................................................................................... 812
Using Attached Detail Groups ................................................................................................................ 813
Saving and Loading Groups .................................................................................................................... 815
Automatically Creating a Group ............................................................................................................. 816
Chapter 25 Structural .......................................................................................................................... 819
Adding Structural Walls ............................................................................................................................... 820
Importing a DWG for Use as an Underlay .............................................................................................. 820
Sketching Structural Walls ...................................................................................................................... 821
Dimensioning and Modifying Walls ...................................................................................................... 830
Adding Structural Columns and Beams ....................................................................................................... 833
Adding Structural Columns .................................................................................................................... 834
Adding Structural Beams and Girders ..................................................................................................... 838
Adding Joists and Purlins ........................................................................................................................ 848
Copying Level 1 Structure to Upper Levels .................................................................................................. 854
Defining New Levels ............................................................................................................................... 855
Duplicating the Existing Design ............................................................................................................. 856
Adding Braces in a Framing Elevation ......................................................................................................... 858
Creating a Framing Elevation ................................................................................................................. 858
Adding Structural Braces ......................................................................................................................... 860
Chapter 26 Sharing Projects ................................................................................................................ 865

Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 866
vi | Contents
Using Worksharing in a Project ................................................................................................................... 866
Understanding Worksharing Fundamentals .......................................................................................... 866
Enabling Worksharing and Setting Up Worksets ................................................................................... 869
Working Individually with Worksets ..................................................................................................... 873
Using Worksets with Multiple Users ....................................................................................................... 876
Borrowing Elements from the Worksets of Other Users ......................................................................... 881
Chapter 27 Creating Multiple Design Options .................................................................................. 885

Creating Multiple Design Options in a Project ............................................................................................ 886
Creating the Structural Design Options ................................................................................................. 886
Creating the Roof System Design Options ............................................................................................. 896
Managing Design Options ...................................................................................................................... 903
Chapter 28 Project Phasing ................................................................................................................. 909

Using Phasing ............................................................................................................................................... 910
Phasing Your Model ................................................................................................................................ 910
Using Phase-Specific Room Tags ............................................................................................................. 915
Chapter 29 Linking Building Models and Sharing Coordinates ....................................................... 919

Linking Building Models .............................................................................................................................. 920
Linking Building Models from Different Project Files ............................................................................ 920
Repositioning Linked Building Models ................................................................................................... 928
Controlling Linked Building Model Visibility ........................................................................................ 931
Managing Linked Building Models ......................................................................................................... 933
Sharing Coordinates Between Building Models ........................................................................................... 935
Acquiring and Publishing Coordinates ................................................................................................... 935
Relocating a Project with Shared Coordinates ........................................................................................ 937
Scheduling Components of Linked Files ................................................................................................ 941
Working with a Linked Building Model ................................................................................................. 943
Managing Shared Locations .................................................................................................................... 944
Contents | vii
viii | Contents
Understanding the Concepts
1
In this tutorial, you learn the fundamental concepts of Revit Building. You learn how Revit Building works,
the terms used when working with the product, and how to navigate the user interface.
In the lesson that follows, you learn many of the important features in Revit Building that contribute to a
user-friendly design environment, enhanced productivity, and faster construction documents. You begin with
the fundamental concepts that Revit Building is built upon. You learn the terminology, the hierarchy of
elements, and how to navigate the user interface.
1
Understanding the Basics
In this lesson, you learn what Revit Building is and how its parametric change engine benefits you and your work.
What is Autodesk Revit Building?

The Revit Building platform for building information modeling is a design and documentation system that supports
the design, drawings, and schedules required for a building project. Building information modeling (BIM) delivers
information about project design, scope, quantities, and phases when you need it.
In the Revit Building model, every drawing sheet, 2D and 3D view, and schedule is a presentation of information
from the same underlying building model database. As you work in drawing and schedule views, Revit Building
collects information about the building project and coordinates this information across all other representations
of the project. The Revit Building parametric change engine automatically coordinates changes made anywhere—in
model views, drawing sheets, schedules, sections, and plans.
What is meant by parametric?

The term parametric refers to the relationships among all elements of the model that enable the coordination and
change management that Revit Building provides. These relationships are created either automatically by the
software or by you as you work. In mathematics and mechanical CAD, the numbers or characteristics that define
these kinds of relationships are called parameters; hence, the operation of the software is parametric. This concept
is important because it is this capability that delivers the fundamental coordination and productivity benefits of
Revit Building: Change anything at any time anywhere in the project, and Revit Building coordinates that change
through the entire project.
The following are examples of these element relationships:
■ The outside of a door frame is a fixed dimension on the hinge side from a perpendicular partition. If you move
the partition, the door retains this relationship to the partition.
■ Windows or pilasters are spaced equally across a given elevation. If the length of the elevation is changed, the
relationship of equal spacing is maintained. In this case, the parameter is not a number but a proportional
characteristic.
■ The edge of a floor or roof is related to the exterior wall such that when the exterior wall is moved, the floor
or roof remains connected. In this case, the parameter is one of association or connection.
How does Autodesk Revit Building keep things updated?

A fundamental characteristic of a building information modeling application is the ability to coordinate changes
and maintain consistency at all times. You do not have to intervene to update drawings or links. When you change
something, Revit Building immediately determines what is affected by the change and reflects that change to any
affected elements.
Revit Building uses two key concepts that make it especially powerful and easy to use. The first is the capturing of
relationships while the designer works. The second is its approach to propagating building changes. The result of
these concepts is software that works like you do, without requiring entry of data that is unimportant to your
design.
Element behavior in a parametric modeler

Revit Building uses five software element classes: host, component, annotation, view, and datum. This
implementation provides flexibility for designers. Revit Building elements are designed to be created and modified
by you directly; programming is not required. If you can draw, you can define new parametric elements in Revit
Building.
Hosts include walls, floors, roofs, and ceilings. Components include windows, doors, and furniture. Annotations
are 2D, view-specific elements that help you produce your documentation. Views are dynamic representations of
the model and are always up-to-date. Datums are reference elements that help you put your building together.
In Revit Building, the elements determine their behavior largely from their context in the building. The context
is determined by how you draw the component and the constraint relationships that are established with other
components. Often, you do nothing to establish these relationships; they are implied by what you do and how
you draw. In other cases, you can explicitly control them, by locking a dimension or aligning two walls, for example.
Understanding Autodesk Revit Building terms

Most of the terms used to identify objects in Revit Building are common, industry-standard terms familiar to most
architects. However, there are some terms that are unique to Revit Building, and understanding them is crucial to
understanding the software. This section defines the basic terms used in Revit Building.
The first term you need to know is "project." In Revit Building, the project is the single database of information for
your design—the building information model. The project file contains all the information for your building design,
2 | Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts

from geometry to construction data. This information includes components used to design the model, views of
the project, and drawings of the design. By using a single project file, Revit Building makes it easy for you to alter
your design and have changes reflected in all associated areas (plan views, elevation views, section views, schedules,
and so forth). Having only one file to track also makes it easier to manage the project.
Another important term to understand is "level". Levels are infinite horizontal planes that act as a reference for
level-hosted elements, such as roofs, floors, and ceilings. Most often, you use levels to define a vertical height or
story within a building. You create a level for each known story or other needed reference of the building; for
example, first floor, top of wall, or bottom of foundation. To place levels, you must be in a section or elevation
view.
Level 2 work plane cutting through the 3D view with the corresponding floor plan tiled next to it.
When creating your project, you add Revit Building parametric building elements to the design. All elements are
considered categories. Revit Building classifies elements by model component elements and annotation elements.
A model component element, such as a door, desk, or roof, represents the actual 3D geometry of the building. An
annotation building element, such as a door tag, elevation symbol, or room tag, helps document the model.
Families are classes of elements in a category that group elements with a common set of parameters (properties),
identical use, and similar graphical representation. Different elements in a family may have different values for
some or all properties, but the set of properties—their names and meaning—is the same. For example, six-panel
colonial doors could be considered one family, although the doors that compose the family come in different sizes
and materials. Most families are component family files, which means you can load them into your project and
create them from family templates. You can determine the set of properties and the graphical representation of
the family. Other families are called system families. These families, which include walls, dimensions, ceilings,
roofs, floors, and levels, are not available for loading or creating as separate files. Revit Building predefines the set
of properties and the graphical representation of system families. You can use the predefined types to generate new
types that belong to this family within the project. For example, the behavior of a wall is predefined in the system;
however, you can create different types of walls with different compositions. System families can be transferred
between projects.
Each family can have different types. A type can be a specific size of a family, such as a A0 title block or a 910 x
2110 door. A type can also be a style, such as default aligned or default angular style for dimensions. A family can
have several types. For example, a table could come in several different sizes. Each different size would be a new
type within the same family. Instances are the actual items that are placed in the project and have specific locations
in the building (model instances) or on a drawing sheet (annotation instances).
Understanding the Basics | 3

Autodesk Revit Building terms
Navigating the Revit Building User Interface

One of the advantages of Revit Building is its ease of use, specifically its clear user interface. The Revit Building
window is arranged to make navigation easy. Even the toolbar buttons are labeled, making it easy to understand
what each button represents. Revit Building uses standard Microsoft® Windows® conventions. If you have used
any other product that follows these conventions, learning Revit Building is much easier.
In the following illustration, the user interface is labeled. In the steps that follow, you navigate and become familiar
with the user interface.
Start a new project
1 On the Standard toolbar, click .

This creates a new project based on the default template.

The Title Bar
2 Place your cursor at the top of the user interface and notice the Title Bar contains the name of the project and
the view that is currently open.
By default, new projects are numbered consecutively until saved with a new name. In addition, the Level 1
floor plan view is the default open view.
TIP The view opened and the view names are dependent on the template that the project is based on.
The Menu Bar
3 On the View menu, click Zoom.
The Menu Bar across the top of the window includes standard menu names such as File, Edit, and View. You
can choose commands by placing the cursor over the menu name and clicking. You then click the command
name to run the command. Many of the commands also have shortcut keys to speed up the design process.
These shortcut keys are listed next to the command on the menu.
TIP For example, the shortcut key for Zoom To Fit is ZX.
While working in the drawing area, you simply type the required keystrokes to run the command. Another
timesaving tool for selecting commands is to place the cursor in the drawing area and right-click. A context
menu appears with a list of all available commands. The context menu changes depending on the function
you are performing and what is currently selected.
The Toolbar
4 On the Window menu, click Toolbar.
There are six toolbars across the top of the window just beneath the Menu Bar. The buttons on the toolbar
represent some of the more common commands. You can control the visibility of the six toolbars and turn
the toolbar text labels on or off within the Window ➤ Toolbar menu. You can use the toolbar grips to resize
and move each toolbar.
The Options Bar
5 On the Modelling menu, click Wall.

Notice the bar beneath the toolbars contains wall design options.

The Options Bar is context-sensitive and varies depending on the tool or selected component.
6 On the Modelling menu, click Door.
Notice the design options available on the Options Bar are now applicable to doors. On the left side of the
Options Bar, notice a door type is specified.
The Type Selector
7 The drop-down list on the left side of the Options Bar is called the Type Selector. Select the drop-down list to
view the list of doors.
The Type Selector is a context-sensitive drop-down list. If you select the Door tool, the Type Selector displays
a list of doors available within the project. The list of components in the Type Selector is identical to the
components listed in the Families branch of the Project Browser under the respective category.
8 On the Modelling menu, click Wall.

9 In the Type Selector, notice the list of walls that are available.
You use the Type Selector in two ways. First, you can select a component type before you add it to the building
model. For example, if you intend to add a door, the door type active in the Type Selector is the door type that
is added when you insert it into the building model. You can also use the Type Selector to change a component
type after it has been added to the building model. Within the drawing area, you can select any component
and then change the type from the Type Selector.
The Design Bar
10 On the Window menu, click Design Bars.

The Show Design Bars dialog box is displayed.
The Design Bar is located on the left side of the interface, immediately below the Type Selector. There are 10
tabs in the Design Bar, containing buttons grouped by function. You can control which tabs display by selecting
them in the Show Design Bars dialog box.
11 Click OK.
Each tab contains frequently used commands that are also available from the menu.
■ Basics tab—includes commands for creating most basic building model components.
■ View tab—commands for creating different views in the project
■ Modelling tab—all the commands to create model elements
■ Drafting tab—commands for both adding annotation symbols and creating the sheet details for the project
construction documents
■ Rendering tab—commands for creating rendered 3D images
■ Site tab—commands for adding site components and producing site plans
■ Massing tab—commands for executing conceptual massing commands
■ Area Analysis tab—commands for making area schemes and plans
■ Structural tab—commands for adding structural components to your project
■ Construction tab—includes commands for creating construction industry information
To access the commands within a tab, click the tab, and the respective commands are displayed on the Design
Bar.
TIP You can turn the visibility of each tab on and off by right-clicking on the Design Bar and selecting the tab from
the context menu.

The Project Browser
12 To the right of the Design Bar is the Project Browser. In the Project Browser, select Views (all).
You can use the Project Browser to quickly manage the views, schedules, sheets, reports, families, and groups
of your current project. You can right-click in the browser to add, delete, and rename views, families, and
groups. The browser is conveniently organized by view type (floor plans, elevations, 3D), family category
(doors, walls, windows), and group name. You can expand or compress the browser list by clicking the + or -
sign next to the name. To open a view, double-click the name. You can also drag and drop from the browser
into the drawing area, making it easy to add a family or group to the project or add a view to a sheet. The
browser is also dockable, so you can position it wherever you want by dragging the Project Browser title bar
to a new location.
13 In the Type Selector, scroll through the sorting options available for the Project Browser.

14 On the Settings menu, click Browser Organization.
You can create and modify Project Browser organization schemes for both views and sheets. After you create
a browser organization scheme, you can instantly change the sorting within the Project Browser by selecting
the scheme in the Type Selector.
15 In the Browser Organization dialog box, click Cancel.
The Status Bar
16 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Wall.

The cursor is displayed as a pencil.
17 Place your cursor near the center of the drawing area. Do not click.

In the bottom left corner of the window, notice the Status Bar provides information regarding what you should
do next. In this case, it tells you to "Click to enter wall start point."
TIP The tooltip that displays is identical to the note in the status bar.
18 On the Design Bar, click Modify.

You can turn the Status Bar visibility on or off from the Window menu. The Status Bar also provides information,
in conjunction with Tooltips, regarding selected components within a view. When you place the cursor over
a component, it highlights and the status bar displays the component name.
TIP When attempting to select a specific component in a crowded or detailed view, use the Tab key to alternate
between nearby components.
19 Place the cursor over the elevation symbol arrow on the left side of the drawing area.
The elevation symbol consists of two parts, the main symbol and the elevation directional arrows. Make sure
you place the cursor over the arrow portion of the symbol. It highlights when the cursor is over it.
In the Status Bar, notice that the name of the preselected component is Views: Elevation: West.
20 Press TAB, and notice that the preselected component switches to the main elevation symbol, Elevations:
Elevation: Elevation 5.
When attempting to select a specific component in a complex or crowded view, you can use the Status Bar
and the Tab key to toggle between components and select the desired component.
Autodesk Revit Building Help
21 On the Help menu, click Autodesk Revit Help.

Help is available online at all times during a Revit Building session. You can use this tri-pane, HTML help
window to search for information and quickly display it to read or print. There are several tools that help you
find information. You can select a topic on the Contents tab, find a keyword on the Index tab, search for all
instances of a word or phrase on the Search tab, or save commonly used pages on the Favorites tab.
Context-sensitive help is also available to provide instant help on any menu command.
You can access Help in the following ways:
■ Dialog Boxes: Dialog boxes include Help buttons. Click the Help button, and the topic specific to the
dialog box opens. If there is no Help button displayed, press F1 to get help on that dialog box.
■ Windows: From any window, press F1 to get the topic associated with the window.
■ Toolbar: From the Toolbar, click , and then click on a specific menu command or command button
for Help. You can also press SHIFT+F1. Be sure to have the Standard toolbar displayed.
■ Tool Tips: To see Tool Tips, rest the cursor over the Toolbar button until the Tool Tip displays.
TIP You can control the level of Tool Tip assistance from the Settings ➤ Options menu.
22 Close the Revit Building Help window.

Creating Your First Building
Model
2
This tutorial is designed to familiarize you with the basic concepts and methods of creating a building model
using Autodesk Revit Building. While creating your first building information model, you learn about the
Revit Building parametric capabilities and ease of use. As you make design changes throughout this tutorial,
all views and schedules instantly update. This tutorial is designed to teach concepts as well as methods. Because
the design process in Revit Building is extremely flexible, you can normally use various means to accomplish
identical tasks. For training purposes, this tutorial uses a diversity of methods whenever possible. Therefore,
the design process might differ in a real-world scenario.
The building model you create consists of an east wing and a west wing joined by a curtain wall passageway.
For learning purposes, you create the shell of the west wing - including all windows, doors, stairs, floors, and
a roof - mirror it to create the east wing, and then add the passageway between them.
If you have not already done so, review the tutorial, Understanding the Concepts, before proceeding further.
You should understand the user interface, common terms, and fundamental concepts before creating your
first building model.
11
Creating Your First Building Model
In this lesson, you begin with a project file based on a simple template to which you add several new levels. You
then sketch the exterior and interior walls of the west wing. As you design the walls, you create, modify, and apply
new wall types. After adding dimensions, you add and modify doors and windows. You then add sketched
components such as floors, ceilings, stairs, and a roof. Using the mirror tool, you use the west wing to create the
east wing, and then add the passageway between them. Finally, you render the model and document the project
by adding schedules and views to sheets.
Creating and Modifying the Exterior Walls of the West Wing

In this exercise, you sketch the exterior walls of the west wing. After sketching the walls, you create a new wall
type with multiple wall sweeps and reveals. You then apply the new wall type to the existing walls.
Dataset
■ On the File menu, click Open.
■ In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click the Training Files icon.
■ Open m_First_Project.rvt located in the Metric folder.
NOTE The dataset for this tutorial was created using the default template. Minor modifications have been made
for training purposes.
Add new levels

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Elevations, and double-click North.
Notice that Level 1 and Level 2 are already defined. You can add and modify levels at any time during the
design process. When you create walls, you can assign the wall height to a level or a specific value. If you sketch
the walls with the top constraint specifying a height, you can, at a later time, reassign the top constraint to a
specific level. In this exercise, you define the levels first so that you can set the top constraint when you first
create the walls.
2 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Level.
12 | Chapter 2 Creating Your First Building Model

3 On the Options Bar,
■ Select .
This allows you to create a new level by picking an existing line and applying an offset.
■ Enter 4000 mm for Offset.
■ Verify that Make Plan View is selected
4 Move the cursor over Level 2 and notice the prospective new level displays above it.
5 Click Level 2 to create level 3 at the designated offset above it.
In this view, notice the following:

■ There is a control titled 3D that displays at the ends of the datum. With the 3D designation, the datum is
in model extent mode. This means that if you drag the control to resize the datum extent, it changes the
extent of that datum in all other parallel views, provided those datums also have the 3D model extent
control. If you click the 3D control, it toggles to 2D. This means that changes to the extents are applied
only to the active view.
■ The left and right extents of the new level are aligned and locked to the levels below. This means that if
you move the extents of one level line, the extents of the other level lines adopt the same change.
■ In the Project Browser, notice that a floor plan and ceiling plan have been created for Level 3.
6 Click Level 3 to add Level 4.
7 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Modify.

When you click Modify, it terminates the command in progress. You can also use the ESC key to accomplish
this.
8 Select Level 4.
When you select Level 4, the level name and height value displays with the color blue; this indicates that you
can select and edit the values.
9 Click directly on the Level 4 text.
Creating Your First Building Model | 13

TIP You may need to zoom in to accomplish this. You can use the zoom tools located on the View menu, right-click
in the drawing area and use the zoom tools on the context menu, use the tool on the toolbar, or scroll the
wheel on your mouse.
10 Enter Roof and press ENTER.

11 Click Yes to rename corresponding views.
12 In the Project Browser, notice that the name of the Level 4 floor plan is changed to Roof.
TIP The Level 4 ceiling plan view has also been renamed to Roof.
Sketch the exterior walls
13 This building model consists of an east wing, a west wing, and a curtain glass passageway connecting the two
wings. Theoretically, you could begin the model by simply sketching the exterior walls and then continuing
the design process from that point. In such a case, the floor plan would resemble the following illustration.
However, because the east wing is a mirror image of the west wing, you can take advantage of the parametric
capabilities of Revit Building by designing the majority of the west wing, mirroring it to create the east wing,
and then designing the passageway to connect the two. This process reduces the amount of repetitive work
and ensures consistency between each wing. In the steps that follow, you create the exterior walls of only the
west wing.
14 In the Project Browser under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1.
In this view, there are four elevation symbols, which define the East, West, North, and South elevation views.

15 Move the cursor over the left elevation symbol and then over the elevation arrow. Do not click the symbol.
The name of the elevation view is displayed in a tooltip or in the status bar at the bottom of the drawing
window.
16 In the drawing area, click the Elevation: West symbol. Make sure you click the arrow and not the round part
of the symbol.
A solid line with two drag handles displays on the West elevation symbol. The drag handles control the left
and right clip planes of the elevation view.
NOTE The far clip plane for the East, West, North, and South elevation views are inactive. This means that each
view is infinite. You can activate the far clip plane in the element properties dialog box of each respective view. For
training purposes, do not turn on the far clip planes at this time.
TIP You can turn off the visibility of the elevation symbols by using the Visibility/Graphics command found on the
View menu. Later in this tutorial, you use this command to modify the view.

18 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall: Exterior - Brick on CMU.

19 In the Options Bar, specify the following options:
■ Specify Roof for Height.
■ Verify that Wall Centerline is selected for Loc Line.
■ Select the drawing tool, .
20 Sketch the rectangle by clicking the upper left corner to specify the rectangle starting point. Move the cursor
down and to the right until the rectangle is 12,000 mm wide and 24,000 mm long, and click to complete the
rectangle, as shown.
Because the west wing is later mirrored to the right, make sure you sketch the rectangle just to the right of the
west elevation symbol.
TIP If necessary, select the four walls by dragging a selection box around them, and use the directional arrows on
your keyboard to move them into position as shown above.

22 Select the left, vertical wall of the rectangle.
The selected wall is red, and flip arrows display on the exterior face of the wall. By clicking the arrows, you
can flip the wall orientation. Also notice the dimension that displays. This is a temporary dimension. Temporary
dimensions are primarily sketching aids. You can click the temporary dimension value and modify it.
TIP From the Settings ➤ Temporary Dimensions menu, you can control the default witness line location for temporary
dimensions and save the settings to the project.
23 Click the arrows once to set the exterior face of the wall on the inside of the rectangle. Click the arrows a
second time to return the exterior face to the outside of the rectangle.
24 On the View toolbar, click .

25 Select the 24000 mm wall on the right.
Notice that temporary dimensions also display in 3D views. In addition, notice the shape handles (arrows) on
top and bottom of the wall; you can use these handles to modify the height or depth of the wall. The blue
dots at the base of the wall are drag handles that allow you to modify the length of the wall.
26 Drag the wall to the right as shown and release the mouse button when the width of the rectangle is
approximately double the original size.
27 Click the temporary dimension value and reset the rectangle width to 12000 mm.
TIP When entering a value, you do not need to type the metric suffix. For example, you can enter 12000 and press
ENTER. You do not need to enter 12000 mm.

28 Right-click in the empty space of the drawing area and, click Zoom in Region.
29 Draw a region around the corner, as shown.
The brick surface pattern displays. Notice the wall remains selected.
31 On the View Control Bar located at the bottom-left corner of the frame, click the Model Graphics Style control,
and click Shading with Edges.
Notice the material settings, including the brick surface pattern displays.
32 On the keyboard, enter ZF. This is the shortcut key for Zoom to Fit.
Notice that the brick surface pattern becomes solid fill after you zoom to fit. When a surface pattern becomes
too dense, it is displayed as solid fill.
33 On the View Control Bar, click the Model Graphics Style control, and click Hidden Line.

Create and apply new wall type
34 Select the 24000 mm wall on the right as shown.
35 On the Options Bar, click .

The Element Properties dialog box displays the parameters of the selected component. The lower half of the
dialog box contains the instance parameters, which control the selected component or components. If you
change an instance parameter, it has no effect on components that are not selected. For example, if you changed
the Top Offset of the wall, only the wall that you selected would change.
In the upper half of the dialog box, you can see the list of type parameters, which control all components of
the same type. Although you can scroll through the list of type parameters, you cannot modify them within
this dialog box. For example, if you wanted to modify the wall structure, you would click Edit/New to access
the type parameters. You could then make changes to the wall structure as needed. However, any changes
made to the type parameters would be applied to all components of the same type. If your intent is to modify
only the structure of the selected component, you should click Duplicate to create a new component type.
You can then make changes to the type parameters without inadvertently modifying the components of the
original type.
In the steps that follow, you add horizontal sweeps of soldier course brick to the wall structure. To accomplish
this, you create a new wall type, modify it, and then apply it to the remaining walls.

36 In the Element Properties dialog box, click Edit/New.
For training purposes, the original wall type must remain unchanged. Therefore, you must create a new wall
type before altering the wall structure.
37 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Duplicate.
38 In the Name dialog box, enter the new wall name, Exterior - Brick on CMU with Soldier Course, and click OK.
39 In the Type Properties dialog box, under the Value column for Structure, click Edit.
40 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, enter 13500 for Sample Height.
The sample height is the height of the wall in the preview pane. You can specify the sample height to any
value you want, but you should specify a value high enough to allow you to create the desired wall structure.
The sample height does not determine the height of any walls in the project.
41 In the lower left corner of the Edit Assembly dialog box, click Preview.

Notice that the vertical structure tools are inactive. This is because the preview is displaying a plan view.
42 Under the preview pane, for View, select Section: Modify type attributes.
Notice the vertical structure tools are now active.
43 Under Modify Vertical Structure, click Sweeps.
44 In the Wall Sweeps dialog box, click Add.
45 In the Wall Sweeps dialog box, make the following modifications:
■ Select M_Wall Sweep-Brick Soldier Course: 2 Bricks for Profile.
■ Click inside the Material field.
In the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Masonry - Brick Soldier Course, and click OK.
■ Enter 4000 mm for Distance.
■ Verify that Base is selected for From.
■ Verify that Exterior is selected for Side.
■ Enter -50.0 mm for Offset.
Make sure the offset is a negative number.
46 Click OK.
47 Right-click in the preview area and click Zoom in Region from the context menu.
48 Draw a region around the soldier course.
49 Under Layers, select layer 9. This should be the interior finish layer.
When you select a layer, the corresponding layer is highlighted in the preview area.

Add a second sweep
50 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, click Sweeps.

51 In the Wall Sweeps dialog box, click Add.
52 For the second wall sweep, modify the settings as follows:
■ Select M_Wall Sweep-Brick Soldier Course: 2 Bricks for Profile.
■ Select Masonry - Brick Soldier Course for Material, and click OK.
■ Enter -50 mm for Offset.
Make sure it is a negative number.
53 Click OK.
Add reveals
54 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Modify Vertical Structure, click Reveals.
55 In the Reveals dialog box, click Add.
56 Specify the following parameters:
■ Select M_Reveal-Brick Course: 2 Bricks for Profile.
■ Verify that the Offset is zero.
■ Select Flip.
57 Click Apply.
58 Click Add.

59 Specify the parameters for the second reveal:
■ Select M_Reveal-Brick Course: 2 Bricks for Profile.
■ Verify that the Offset is zero.
■ Select Flip.
60 Click OK.
61 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, click OK.
62 In the Type Properties dialog box, click OK.
63 In the Element Properties dialog box, click OK.
65 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region and draw a zoom region around the corner that includes
one of the sweeps and a reveal.
Notice some of the line weights in this view are rather heavy. This can be affected by the view scale for this
particular view. You can also use the thin lines tool to temporarily apply thin lines globally to all views.

Notice thin lines are applied to all the linework in this view. Also notice the button remains activated. This
indicates that thin lines will continue to be applied globally to the project.
67 On the View Control Bar, click the Model Graphics Style control, and click Shading with Edges.
68 Enter ZF.
This is the shortcut key for Zoom to Fit.

This turns off thin lines globally.
70 Select the three walls that are still the original wall type, Exterior - Brick on CMU. They do not have sweeps
or reveals.
TIP To select multiple components, press and hold the CTRL key while you select each component.
71 In the Type Selector, choose Basic Wall: Exterior - Brick on CMU with Soldier Course.
Notice that, after the new wall type is applied, the corners of the sweeps and reveals wrap automatically.
73 On the File menu, click Save As.

74 Navigate to your preferred directory, name the file m_First_Project-in_progress.rvt, and click Save.
75 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding the Interior Walls of the West Wing.
Adding the Interior Walls of the West Wing

In this exercise, you add the interior walls of the west wing. When finished, the interior walls resemble the following
illustration.

Dataset
Continue using the dataset you saved at the end of the previous exercise, m_First_Project-in_progress.rvt.
Sketch the main corridor

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1.
3 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall: Interior - 135mm Partition (2-hr).
4 In the Options Bar, specify the following:
■ Verify that Level 2 is selected for Height.
■ Verify that Wall Centerline is selected for Loc Line.
■ Select the Line sketching tool, .
5 Using the following illustration as a guide, place the cursor over the north wall, 5000 mm from the centerline
of the west exterior wall, and click.
6 Move the cursor down, and click when it intersects the centerline of the south exterior wall.

7 Move the cursor over the north exterior wall and 2500 mm to the right of the wall you added in the previous
step. Click to specify the wall start point.
TIP The temporary dimension snap values are dependent on your zoom settings. If you zoom into the model, the
snap values decrease.
8 Move the cursor down, and click when it intersects the centerline of the south exterior wall.

10 Select both interior walls using one of the following three methods:
■ Select one of the interior walls, press and hold CTRL, and select the second interior wall.
■ Draw a crossing pick from the upper-right to the lower-left that crosses both interior walls.
■ Draw a pick box from the upper-left to lower-right that includes both interior walls in their entirety.

After the walls are selected, they display as red. Notice that temporary dimensions do not display automatically
when multiple components are selected.
TIP You can change the selection color by modifying the system settings. On the Settings menu, select Options,
click the Graphics tab, and under Colors, specify the selection color.
11 On the Options Bar, click Activate Dimensions.

The temporary dimensions are displayed for both walls. This allows you to analyze their location in relationship
to each other and modify the location of both walls at the same time.
12 Using the following illustration as a guide, click a temporary dimension value, and enter 4750 mm.
This places both interior walls 4750 mm from the centerline of the closest exterior wall.

Add remaining interior walls

16 Add four horizontal interior walls stretching from the centerline of the left exterior wall to the centerline of
the left wall of the corridor. Each wall should be 4800 mm from the previous wall, as shown.

17 Add five horizontal interior walls stretching from the centerline of the right wall of the corridor to the centerline
of the right exterior wall. Use the dimensions shown in the following illustration when adding the walls.
The dimension lines have been provided for training purposes. If necessary, modify temporary dimension
values to obtain exact placement.
18 Add the final four interior walls in each corner of the right side of the building model, as shown.
Dimension lines have been added for training purposes.

Use split tool to modify walls

20 Enter ZR. This is the shortcut key for Zoom in Region.
21 Sketch a zoom region around the upper-right quadrant of the building model.
22 On the Tools toolbar, click .

The cursor displays as a cutting tool, and you can now split walls and lines.
NOTE If the Tools toolbar is not available, you can activate it by opening the Windows menu and clicking Toolbar
➤ Tools.
23 In the drawing area, place the cursor over the intersection of the right wall of the corridor and the short
horizontal wall that intersects it as shown.
As you move the cursor over the wall, a thin line appears at the tip of the cursor. This line represents where
the underlying object is to be split. In the above illustration and callout, notice the exact placement of the
cursor and the location of the proposed wall split.
24 Click to split the wall.
TIP If the lines within the floor plan display too thick, you can click on the View toolbar. This places the view
in thin lines mode. When you are finished splitting the walls, click the tool a second time to turn thin lines mode off.
After splitting the wall, there is no immediate and obvious indication of the split location.

26 Select the short wall segment that you split from the right wall of the corridor.
27 On the Standard toolbar, click .
28 Using the same techniques learned in previous steps, zoom in to the bottom right corner of the building model,
split the right corridor wall, and delete the segment.

30 Enter ZF. This is the shortcut key for Zoom To Fit.

There are two remaining splits to make.

32 On the Options Bar, select Delete Inner Segment.
33 Using the following illustration as a guide, split the right wall of the corridor at the intersection of the two
center horizontal interior walls.
NOTE Arrows have been added at the location of the two splits. Zoom in as necessary.
After the second split, the inner segment is deleted automatically.

34 Press ESC to end the Split command.

This tool allow you to spin the model in any direction.
37 Press and hold SHIFT and spin the building model by dragging one of the corners in any direction.
Notice the interior walls that you added and split.

38 On the File menu, click Save.
39 Proceed to the next exercise, Dimensioning the Building Model.
Dimensioning the Building Model

In this exercise, you add dimension lines to the building model. You begin by adding a simple dimension between
two walls. Next, you add a multi-segmented dimension string to modify the witness lines. In the final section of
this exercise, you constrain the building model using equality and locking constraints.
Dataset
Create and rename copy of Level 1

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Floor Plans, right-click Level 1, and click Duplicate.
2 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, right-click Copy of Level 1, and in the context menu, click Rename.
3 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Level 1 - Dimensioned and Annotated, and click OK.
When you duplicate a view, it opens automatically in the Project Browser. The floor plan, Level 1 - Dimensioned
and Annotated, should be open.
Add a dimension line between two walls
4 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Dimension.

You create a dimension by selecting the dimension type, options, and components that require dimensioning.
Permanent dimensions can appear in two different states: modifiable and non-modifiable. A permanent
dimension is considered modifiable when one or more of the components that it references is selected for
modification. In that case, the dimension value displays in blue and can be modified directly by clicking the
value. When geometry is selected for modification, both permanent dimensions and temporary dimensions
display, ready for modification.
If the geometry referenced by a permanent dimension is not selected for modification, the dimension value
is displayed at its true size and is not selectable for modification.
5 On the Options Bar, specify the following dimension parameters:
■ Click .
This is the aligned dimension option. The dimension styles available in the Type Selector are dependent
on the type of dimension selected on the Options Bar.
■ For Prefer, select Wall centerlines.
■ For Pick, select Individual References.
6 In the Type Selector, select Linear Dimension Style: Diagonal - 2.5mm Arial.

7 In the drawing area, move the cursor over the left exterior wall as shown. When a dashed line is displayed on
the wall centerline, click to select it.
8 Move the cursor over the right exterior wall as shown. When a dashed line displays on the wall centerline,
click to select it.
9 Move the cursor just above the north wall. Click in the empty space of the drawing area to place the dimension
line.

11 Enter the keyboard shortcut ZR for Zoom In Region, and draw a zoom region around the north exterior wall
and dimension line.
Notice that the dimension value is not blue. In its current state, the value is not available for modification.
This is one of the ways in which a permanent dimension differs from a temporary dimension.
12 Select the dimension line.
Notice that the dimension line and value displays as red. Controls display on the value, on each witness line,
and a blue padlock displays. These controls allow you to modify and constrain the dimension.
13 Place the cursor over the blue control in the center of the left witness line.
Information is displayed in a tooltip, or in the status bar of the drawing window, indicating that the control
moves the witness line.
14 Click the control once and the witness line moves to the interior face of the wall. Click the control a second
time and the witness line moves to the exterior face. Click it a third time to return the witness line to the wall
centerline.
This behavior is similar to the witness line control on temporary dimensions.
The control at the bottom of each witness line controls the gap between the end of the witness line and the
component it references.
15 Select the vertical exterior wall on the left.
Notice the dimension value turns blue. This means you can modify the value by clicking it. When you select
a component referenced by a dimension witness line, the dimension value displays as modifiable. Notice that
a temporary dimension also displays.
16 Click the permanent dimension value, change it to 15000, and press ENTER.
Notice the selected wall moved to the left.

17 Click the temporary dimension value, change it to 4750, and press ENTER.

18 Place the cursor over the dimension symbol located beneath the temporary dimension value. Click the symbol
to make the temporary dimension permanent.

Add a multi-segmented dimension
20 Using one of the zoom methods learned previously, zoom out until you can see the entire building model.
22 On the Options Bar:
■ For Prefer, select Wall centerlines.
■ For Pick, select Entire Walls.
■ Click Options.
■ In the Auto Dimension Options dialog box, select Intersecting Walls, and click OK.
23 Select the left, vertical, exterior wall, move the cursor to the left, and click to place the dimension as shown.

Modify witness lines
25 Select the multi-segmented dimension you added in the previous steps.

26 Using the following illustration as a guide, right-click the blue control on the witness line second from the
top, and click Delete Witness Line.
NOTE Make sure you right-click the blue control and not the dimension line.

27 Right-click the dimension line, and in the context menu, click Edit Witness Lines.
WARNING Do not right-click a witness line; it provides a different set of options on the context menu.
28 Select the centerline of the interior wall where you previously deleted the witness line.

29 After selecting the wall, click in the empty space of the drawing area to complete the editing process.
NOTE There are two alternative ways of ending the dimension edit process: You can click Modify on the Design
Bar, or press ESC on the keyboard.
Create constraints
30 Select the second interior wall from the top to the left of the corridor.

Notice that the dimension values become modifiable on each side of the witness line that refers to the selected
wall.
31 Drag the wall downward until the distance between it and the wall below it is approximately 2400 mm.

32 Select the multi-segmented dimension line.
Notice a lock displays for each segment. Lock symbols offer the opportunity to constrain the building model
by locking a dimension value or an alignment. You can turn the lock on and off by clicking the lock symbol.
33 Click the lock on the 2400 mm segment of the dimension.
34 Select the same wall you moved previously and drag it upward approximately 1200 mm as shown. This
dimension does not need to be precise.
Notice that the dimension value for the locked segment remains unchanged as you move the wall. The
relationship between these components is constrained; if you move one component, the other moves with it
and maintains the locked dimension value.
35 Select the multi-segmented dimension.
36 Click the lock symbol on the 2400 mm segment to remove the constraint between the two walls.

Notice an EQ symbol displays with a slash through it. This is an equality constraint that makes all dimension
segments equal.
37 Click the equality constraint to activate it.

Notice that each segment is now equally spaced and the dimension values display EQ.

39 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, select Value for Equality Display, and click OK.
Notice that each segment displays an equal value.
41 On the File menu, select Save.
42 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Doors and Windows.
Adding Doors and Windows

In this exercise, you add doors and windows to the building model. You begin by adding single flush doors. Next,
you load multiple new door types and add them to the building model. You then add windows and use the mirror
and array tools to save time and ensure consistency. In the final section of the exercise, you use the Paste Aligned
tool to copy the Level 1 windows to Levels 2 and 3.

Dataset
Add single flush doors to the building model

1 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Door.
Doors are wall-hosted families and can only be added to a wall. In addition, the door resides on a level line.
You can offset the door from the level; however, doors snap automatically to the closest available level. This
is most evident when you add a door in an elevation or 3D view.
2 In the Type Selector, select M_Single-Flush: 0915 x 2134mm.
3 In the north side of the building model, place the cursor over the right corridor for the room shown in the
following illustration.
A door symbol displays when the cursor is over the wall. This is the mechanical room. Do not click at this
time.
When you add a door, the initial opening is based on the wall face from which the cursor approaches. Regardless
of the initial placement, you can flip the door opening immediately after placing it.
4 Approach the same corridor wall from inside the room.

5 Press the Spacebar once to flip the door hand. Press the Spacebar a second time.
You can use this to flip from left to right hand opening.
6 Click to add the door with the opening inside the room. Do not be concerned with exact placement.
Notice the blue controls that display. These control the door opening direction and the hand of the door (left
or right).
7 Click each control to familiarize yourself with how the door controls work. When you are finished, return the
door to the position shown in the following illustration. The precise dimensions are not important.
8 Click the temporary dimension value between the door centerline and the lower horizontal wall, specify a
value of 600 mm, and press ENTER.
9 Add an additional door of the same type to the small room above door number 1 as shown. After you add door
number 2, use the flip controls to adjust the opening, and modify temporary dimensions as shown.

10 Zoom in to the bottom right corner of the building model and add a door of the same type to the room as
shown.
Flip the door, and set the temporary dimensions, as shown.

12 Enter the keyboard shortcut, ZF, to zoom to fit.
Load and apply new door types

14 On the Options Bar, click Load.
15 In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click Training Files.
16 Navigate to the Metric\Metric Families and Templates\Families\Doors folder, and select M_Double-Glass 2.rfa.
All Revit Building families have an .rfa extension. Notice that a preview image of the selected door displays in
the upper right corner of the dialog box.
17 Press and hold CTRL, and select M_Double-Flush.rfa.

You can load multiple families at the same time. When more than one family is selected, a preview image does
not display.
18 Press and hold CTRL, and select M_Single-Flush Vision.rfa.
19 Click Open to load all three door families into the project.
These door families are now available in the Type Selector drop-down list.
20 In the Type Selector, select M_Single-Flush Vision: 0864 x 2032mm.
21 Starting in the room in the upper left corner, add a door to each of the five rooms to the left of the corridor.
Each door should open into the room. The distance between the door centerline and nearest wall centerline
should be 600mm, as shown.
TIP Zoom in and out as necessary.
22 In the Type Selector, select M_Single-Flush Vision: 0915 x 2134mm.

23 Zoom in around the upper-right corner of the building model and add doors 9 and 10 as shown.
24 Zoom in around the lower-right corner of the building model and add doors 11 and 12 as shown.
25 Add the final M_Single-Flush Vision: 0915 x 2134mm door in the center of the building model and to the right
of the corridor as shown.
This is door number 13 in the following illustration. The arrow has been added for training purposes.
26 In the Type Selector, select M_Double-Flush: 1730 x 2134mm.

27 Add a door to the right exterior wall opposite of door number 1.
This is door number 14 in the following illustration.

Add a door in elevation view
28 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Elevations, double-click North.
29 Zoom around the building model and level heads.
Notice that the brick surface pattern displays as you zoom into this view.
NOTE The display of a surface pattern is zoom dependent. If your view displays solid fill, zoom in until the brick
pattern displays.
Although there is no technical reason you cannot add a door in this view, it would be easier if the visibility of
the wall surface pattern was turned off.
30 On the View menu, select Visibility/Graphics.
31 Click the Model Categories tab, and scroll down to Walls.
32 Expand the Walls category, and clear Surface Pattern.

33 Click OK.
Changes to Visibility/Graphics are applied only to the open view. In this case, the wall surface pattern will
remain visible in all other views.
35 In the Type Selector, select M_Double-Glass 2: 1830 x 2134mm.
36 Move the cursor over the wall at Level 3, then Level 2, and down to Level 1.
Notice the door snaps to each level. When adding a door, it has two basic requirements: it must be hosted by
a wall and it must be associated with a level. You can apply an offset if required.
37 Add a double-glass door centered on Level 1, as shown.
NOTE The temporary dimensions refer to interior walls.
Tag a door in plan view
38 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1.

Notice that the double doors on the north wall display without a tag.

Components are tagged in the view in which they are placed.
NOTE Because the default door tag was not designed to display in an elevation view, a tag did not display when
you added the door in the North elevation view.
39 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Tag.

40 On the Options Bar, clear Leader.
41 On the upper exterior wall, click the double doors to add a tag.
This should be door number 15.
42 Zoom in to the lower exterior wall.

44 In the Type Selector, verify that M_Double-Glass 2: 1830 x 2134mm is selected.
TIP For each component type, the Type Selector and Options Bar remember the last settings used for that component.
45 Add the final door centered on the lower exterior wall, as shown.


49 Spin the model, and notice the doors you added.

Add windows to the building model

52 Zoom in on the upper exterior wall.
53 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Window.
54 In the Type Selector, select M_Andersen 400 C35: C35.
Windows are wall-hosted components, just like doors. As you move the cursor over a wall, the window displays
at the cursor. The window exterior is placed on the wall face closest to the cursor. Like doors, you can flip the
window after placement.

You can add windows in plan, elevation, and 3D views. When you add a window in a plan view, the default
head or sill height is used to set the initial height of the window.
55 Move the cursor over the exterior face of the left side of the upper exterior wall.
56 When the window displays at the tip of the cursor, click to place it as shown.

59 Zoom around the window, and select it.
In this project, the window is using a type tag that displays the window type number rather than the window
mark. You can load and assign tags that display the specific information you need in the format you prefer.
For more information on creating and loading annotation tags, go to Help.
60 Make sure the distance between the window centerline and the left wall centerline is 1400 mm.
IMPORTANT If necessary, click the temporary dimension value and specify the correct distance.

Notice the list of instance parameters available for modification. The list of parameters can vary depending on
the window family design. In the family editor, the designer creates the instance and type parameters that
control geometry, materials, and visibility. The designer can also create a window with few modifiable parameters.
If you want to modify a window in a specific way but an instance or type parameter is not available to accomplish
the task, you can edit the family in place or open the window in the family editor, modify it, and reload it
into the project.
62 In the Element Properties dialog box, click Cancel.
64 Add a window to the right of the existing window as shown.
There should be a 1950 mm distance between the centerlines of the two windows.
65 Zoom out so you can see the right side of the upper exterior wall.
66 Add two C35 windows to the right of the exterior double door, as shown.

Mirror the windows
68 Zoom out until the building model fits within the view.
69 Select one of the windows on the upper exterior wall, press and hold CTRL, and select the three remaining
windows.
70 On the Edit menu, click Mirror.
When you mirror a component or components, you can pick or draw the mirror axis. You also have the option
to mirror a copy rather than the selected component(s). The copy option is selected by default.
71 On the Options Bar, click , and make sure Copy is selected.

In this case, the selected windows are to be mirrored across a horizontal axis residing on the midpoint of the
east exterior wall.
72 Place the cursor over the middle of the exterior face of the right exterior wall.
A tooltip is displayed, indicating that the midpoint of that component is ready to be selected.
73 When the triangular midpoint symbol displays on the exterior face of the wall, click to select it.
74 Move the cursor to the left, and click to set the mirror axis.

The windows are mirrored immediately after you specify the mirror axis. Notice that the mirrored windows
are not tagged. You tag the windows later in the exercise.
Add and array windows
75 Zoom in to the room in the upper left corner of the building model.
76 On the Design Bar, click Window.
77 Add two windows to the left exterior wall, at the dimensions shown.

79 Zoom out in the upper left corner so you can see the two rooms with doors 4 and 5.
80 Select the two windows that you just added on the left exterior wall.
81 On the Edit menu, click Array.
Rather than manually add the rest of the windows on the left exterior wall, you can use the array tool to finish
the job. Because all of the rooms on this side of the building model are equally spaced, it is an ideal situation
to use an array.
82 On the Options Bar, specify the following options:
■ Verify that is selected for a linear array.

■ Clear Group And Associate.
■ Enter 5 for Number.
■ For Move To, select 2nd.
■ Select Constrain.
Creating an array is a three-step process. You first click a point to specify the array start point. You then move
the array to the second or last location, and click to set the array end point.
83 Move the cursor over the intersection of the left exterior wall and the intersecting interior wall shown below,
and click to set the array start point.

84 Move the cursor down until the arrayed window group is centered in the room below the starting point, and
click the similar intersection shown below to set the array end point.
NOTE It is extremely important to make sure the new array is centered between the walls of the next room. Because
the rooms on the left side of the building model are of equal size, any misplacement has a multiplier effect as the
array continues down the wall. If you make a mistake placing the array, undo the step and try again.
Notice the arrayed windows are not tagged.
Add remaining level 1 window

86 On the bottom-right side of the building model, add the final window to the right exterior wall and centered
in the second room from the bottom, as shown.

87 If you are still using Thin Lines mode, turn it off by clicking on the View toolbar.

90 Spin the model, and notice the windows you added.
Paste align windows to Levels 2 and 3

Rather than use the same methods to add similar windows to levels 2 and 3, you can use the paste-align tool
to accomplish the same goal significantly faster.
92 In the 3D Drawing area, drag a selection box around the entire building model.

This selects every component in the building model.

94 In the Filter dialog box, clear walls and doors from the selection, and click OK.
This leaves only the windows selected within the 3D view.
95 On the Edit menu, click Copy to Clipboard.
96 On the Edit menu, click Paste Aligned ➤ Select Levels by Name.
97 In the Select Levels dialog box, select Level 2, press and hold CTRL, select Level 3, and click OK.
After the windows are added to Level 2 and Level 3, notice that windows need to be added above the double
doors on the north and south walls.
99 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click North.
101 On the Options Bar, clear Tag on Placement.
102 Add a C35 window in the center of Level 2 and Level 3 as shown below.
Notice that when you add a window in elevation view, the window snaps to the default sill height which
displays as a green dashed line.
Don’t be concerned with precise placement or spacing between the windows and doors. The spacing can be
manipulated using some of the dimensioning tools you learned earlier, such as equality constraints. The spacing
will be modified in a later dataset.
103 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click South.
In this view, notice the wall surface pattern displays. This is because the changes you made to the
Visibility/Graphics of the North elevation view were applied only to that view.
105 Add C35 windows to the center of Levels 2 and 3 as you did in the previous steps.

107 Zoom out until you can see the entire building model.
108 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Tag All Not Tagged.
109 In the Tag All Not Tagged dialog box, select Window Tags, and click OK.
Notice that all the windows in the view are tagged.
111 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Floors and Floor Openings.
Adding Floors and Floor Openings

In this exercise, you add floors and floor openings to the building model. Floors, roofs, and ceilings are examples
of sketched components, and all require their borders to be sketched. When sketching these components, you can
select walls to define the border of the component. You can also select or draw lines. Like walls, each of these
components can have a compound structure. When walls intersect a floor, roof, or ceiling, the respective layers
interact according to the functional assignment within the Edit Assembly dialog box.
In this exercise, you begin by adding a floor slab Level 1. You add a more complex floor type to levels 2 and 3,
where three openings are required for the stairs and elevators. You also add elevators and plumbing components
to the building model.
Dataset
Add a floor slab to Level 1

3 Spin the model and observe that floors are needed throughout the building model.

5 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Floor.
You are in sketch mode. The Design Bar now has only one tab, Sketch. When in sketch mode, you must either
finish or quit in order to access other design modes. In addition, the building model becomes unavailable for
modification until you finish the floor sketch.
6 On the Design Bar, verify that Pick Walls is selected.
7 On the Options Bar, clear Extend into wall (to core).
8 Click the upper exterior wall.
A magenta line displays with flip arrows.
9 If the magenta line is not on the exterior face of the north exterior wall, click the flip arrows to flip the line.
You can click the flip arrows to move the floor boundary to either the interior or exterior face of a wall.
10 Select the three remaining exterior walls.
11 On the Design Bar, click Floor Properties.
12 Select Concrete - 300mm for Type, and click OK.
13 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch.

Notice the floor on Level 1 that extends to the exterior face of the walls.

Add a floor to Level 2

In this view, the interior walls on Level 1 display as an underlay. The windows are not tagged because you did
not add them within this view.
17 On the Options Bar, verify that Extend into wall (to core) is selected.
18 Place the cursor over the upper exterior wall and, when it highlights under the cursor, press TAB. When the
chain of walls highlights, click to select it.
You can use TAB to select a chain of walls or lines at any time.
19 Zoom in to the upper exterior wall.
Notice the location of the magenta line.

20 Click the flip arrows.
The line chain flips to each face of the core rather than the interior and exterior wall face.
21 Use the flip arrows to place the magenta line on the exterior face of the core.
23 Select Beam and Block 200mm for Type, and click OK.
24 Click Finish Sketch.
A message displays asking if you want the walls that go up to this floor to attach to it. The interior walls of the
building model are displayed in red, indicating that they are not attached to the floor. Attaching the walls
ensures that if you change the floor elevation, the walls remain attached.
25 Click Yes to attach the wall tops to the floor.
A message displays asking if you want to join geometry and cut the overlapping volume out of the walls. This
occurs because the structural layers of the floor must cut through the interior finish layer of the wall in order
to extend to the wall core.
26 Click Yes to join geometry and cut out the overlapping volume.

29 Spin the model and observe the new floor on Level 2.
Next, you add elevators and plumbing components on Level 1. After you add these components, you paste-align
the level 1 interior walls and components to level 2 before adding the level 3 floor.
Add elevators and bathroom components

31 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Component.
32 In the Type Selector, select M_Elevator Center: 2032mm x 1295mm.
These elevators are wall-hosted components.
33 Add two elevators in the center room on the right side of the building model, as shown. To do this, position
the cursor on the wall, move the elevator into position, and click to place it.

TIP After adding the elevators, select each one, toggle the temporary dimension witness line to the interior face of
the adjacent wall, and specify the dimension 1150 mm as shown above.

35 Zoom in to the upper right corner of the building model.
36 On the Design Bar, click Component.
37 In the Type Selector, select M_Pedestal Sink-3D: Pedestal Sink.
38 Add the sink to the center of the room, as shown.

40 Select the sink.
41 On the Edit menu, click Rotate.
Rotating an object requires two clicks. The first click specifies the rotation start point; the second click specifies
the rotation end point. When rotating, an angular value displays that responds to keyboard entries.
42 Place the cursor directly above the sink and click to set the rotation start point as shown.
43 Move the cursor 90 degrees to the left and click to set the rotation end point.
TIP Although you can manually rotate the component, you can use the listening dimension to accurately rotate the
component. Listening dimensions react to cursor movements and keyboard entries. For example, when you sketch
a wall, you can type the wall length and press Enter rather than setting the wall end point. In this case, when rotating
the component, establish the direction of the rotation, enter 90 on the keyboard and press Enter. The component
will rotate to the value.

44 Drag the sink until it snaps to the center of the left wall face.

46 In the Type Selector, select M_Toilet-Commercial-Wall-3D: 480mm Seat Height.
47 Add the toilet on the right wall, as shown.
48 Use the same procedure to add a toilet and sink in the similar room at the lower right corner of the building
model.

Before adding the final floor, the interior walls, doors, elevators, and plumbing fixtures can be paste aligned
to Levels 2 and 3. In addition, you must add the openings for the stairwells and the elevators.
Paste align interior walls
49 In an empty space within the drawing area, right-click, and click Zoom To Fit.
51 Draw a crossing pick box beginning inside the upper-right corner of the building model and extending to the
inside of the lower-left corner. (Do not include the exterior walls in the selection.)
This captures all the internal walls, doors, and components.

53 In the Filter dialog box, clear Door Tags, and click OK.
56 Select Level 2, and click OK.
Depending on the exact placement of the windows you added in the north and south elevation views, a message
might be displayed stating that the new walls conflict with an existing insert.

These conflict warnings alert you to problems in your layout. If you know the source of the problem, you can
continue working and the warning dialog box closes automatically. For more information regarding the
warning, you can click the controls on the side of the dialog box.
If you received this error, it is most likely because the center window intersects the corridor wall on Levels 2
and 3. Ignore the warning and proceed with the next step. The message disappears once you click in the
drawing area.
58 If you received the conflict message, zoom in to the upper exterior wall and notice that the center window
conflicts with the left wall of the corridor.
59 Correct the problem by moving the window away from the corridor wall. You can drag the window or use the
arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge the window to a location that does not conflict with the interior wall.
60 Check the lower exterior wall for the same problem and correct it, if necessary.

63 Spin the model so you can see the interior walls and components on level 2.
In the steps that follow, you add floor openings to accommodate the elevators and stairs. When you add a
model opening, you are prompted to select the floor, roof, or ceiling in which you want the opening. Therefore,
it is often a good idea to create a view that makes the selection process more precise.

Create a section view

65 Right-click in the empty space of the drawing area, and click Zoom To Fit.
66 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Section.
Adding a section is a two-click process. The first click specifies the section head, and the second click specifies
the section tail. After you add the section, you can flip the view direction and modify the extents of the view.
67 Place the cursor over the upper right corner of the building model, click to set the start point, move the cursor
down and click just below the south exterior wall.
68 Click the section line.

69 Click the flip arrows to change the direction of the view towards the interior.
70 Using the shape handles, drag the clip planes of the view so that you capture only the building model and set
the depth just past the bathroom wall, as shown.

The section head is displayed in blue, just as the level heads do in an elevation view. Similarly, the section
heads are linked directly to the view so when you double-click the section head, the referenced view opens.
72 Double-click the section head.
This view offers easy accessibility to all floors as well as the stairwells on the left and right.
Create a floor opening
73 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Opening.

74 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select Pick a roof, floor, or ceiling and cut vertically, and click
OK.
75 Place the cursor over the level 2 floor and, when it highlights, select it.

Because you must be in a view parallel to the screen in order to edit a sketch, the Go to View dialog box displays
and offers you a selection of views to choose from.
76 In the Go to View dialog box, select Floor Plan: Level 2, and click Open View.
77 Zoom around the stairwell in the lower right corner.
78 On the Design Bar, click Lines.
79 On the Options Bar, select the rectangle drawing tool.
80 Draw a rectangle that snaps to the interior wall faces of the stairwell as shown below.
In the following illustration, the sketch lines have been enhanced for training purposes.
Notice the locking constraints that display. When locked, these constraints ensure that the opening adapts to
any changes in the associated walls.
81 Click each of the four padlocks to lock them.

NOTE Although the opening could account for the stair landings at this point, it is often easier to add the stairs first
and then modify the opening precisely to the location of the stairs. The modification of the opening is done for you
in a dataset used later in this tutorial.
82 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch.

83 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Building Section), double-click Section 1.
Add a second opening
84 On the Design Bar, click Opening.

OK.
86 Place the cursor over the level 2 floor and when it highlights, select it.
88 Zoom to the stairwell in the upper right corner.
91 Draw a rectangle that snaps to the interior wall faces of the stairwell and lock the lines as shown.

Add an opening for the elevators
93 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Building Section), double-click Section 1.

94 On the Design Bar, click Opening.
OK.
96 Place the cursor over the level 2 floor and, when it highlights, select it.
98 Zoom in to the elevators.
101 Draw a rectangle that snaps to the interior wall faces of the elevator shaft and lock the lines as shown.

You have completed the three openings required for this level. After adding a floor to Level 3, you paste align
these openings rather than sketch them again.

105 Spin the model so that you can see the vertical penetrations on level 2.

Add a floor to Level 3
107 Right-click, and click Zoom To Fit.
109 On the Options Bar, verify that Extend into wall (to core) is selected.
110 Place the cursor over one of the exterior walls and, when the wall highlights under the cursor, press TAB, and,
when the chain of walls highlights, click to select it.
The floor type you assigned to Level 2 is used for Level 3.
112 Click Yes to attach the walls to the bottom of the floor.
113 Click Yes to join geometry and cut volume.
Copy floor openings to Level 3
114 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Building Sections), double-click Section 1.
115 Draw a pick box around Level 2 so that you capture the three openings you created previously.

117 In the Filter dialog box, clear everything except Floors (Floor opening cut), and click OK. Make sure you do
not select Floors.
120 Select Level 3 and click OK.

The vertical penetrations extend through Levels 2 and 3. The only remaining task in this exercise is to paste-align
the Level 2 interior walls, doors, and components to Level 3.
Paste-align components to Level 3
123 Right-click, and click Zoom To Fit.
125 Draw a crossing pick box beginning just inside the upper right corner and extending to the lower left corner.
Do not include the exterior walls.

TIP If you miss a component, hold the CTRL key down and select it. If you accidently select a component that does
not belong in the selection set, hold the SHIFT key down and select the component; this removes it from the selection
set.

127 In the Filter dialog box, clear Floors and Floors (Floor opening cut), and click OK.
130 Select Level 3 and click OK.
NOTE If you receive a warning that a conflict exists with an insert, click OK and go to the Level 3 floor plan. Reposition
one or both of the windows that may be intersecting the corridor wall.

133 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding a Roof and Ceiling.
Adding a Roof and Ceiling

In this exercise, you add a gable roof and ceiling to the west wing of the building model.

Dataset
Add a gable roof to the building model

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Floor Plans, double-click Roof.
2 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof by Footprint.
Creating a footprint roof is very similar to creating a floor. Both are sketched components and require you to
define the border of the component.
3 On the Design Bar, click Pick Walls.
4 On the Options Bar, select Defines slope, and verify that Overhang is 600 mm.
Verify that Extend to wall core is clear.
5 Select the left exterior wall so that the sketch line is left of the wall.
6 Select the right exterior wall so that the sketch line is right of the wall.
If the sketch lines are on the interior side of the exterior walls, click the flip arrows to move the lines outside
of the exterior walls.
7 On the Options Bar, clear Defines slope.

8 Select the upper exterior wall and the lower exterior wall.

9 On the Design Bar, click Roof Properties.
10 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Warm Roof - Timber for Type, and click OK.
11 On the Design Bar, click Finish Roof.

14 Spin and zoom the building model until it resembles the following illustration.
Notice the exterior walls are not connected to the roof.

15 Move the cursor over the gable end wall until it is preselected.
16 Press TAB to preselect the chain of exterior walls.

17 Click to select the entire chain of exterior walls.
The exterior wall chain displays as solid red.
18 On the Options Bar, for Top/Base, select Attach.
19 On the Options Bar, for Attach Wall, select Top.
20 Select the roof.
The exterior walls attach to the roof.
Modify the roof
22 Select the roof.

Notice the drag handle on the roof ridge.
23 Drag the roof ridge control upward to a point where the pitch is approximately doubled.

24 Release the drag handle at the new position.
Notice the exterior walls adjust to the new roof pitch.
26 On the Edit menu, click Undo Move.

This returns the roof to its original position.
Add a ceiling to Level 3
27 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Ceiling Plans, double-click Level 3.
TIP Although you can add a ceiling in a floor plan view, the ceiling is normally outside the view range and is not
visible after you add it.
28 On the Modeling tab of the Design Bar, click Ceiling.

There are two methods to create a ceiling:
■ Using Auto Ceiling, you select a ceiling type from the Type Selector, and then click inside highlighted
rooms to add a ceiling.
■ Using the sketch method, you can sketch the perimeter of a ceiling using the same pick and draw techniques
learned when you added the floors and roof.
In this case, you will use the auto ceiling method.
29 In the Type Selector, select Compound Ceiling: 600 x 600mm grid.
30 In the upper-left corner of the building model, click inside the room to add a ceiling as shown.

31 Add a ceiling of the same type in the remaining rooms on the left side of the corridor and in both bathrooms,
as shown.
32 In the Type Selector, select Compound Ceiling: 600 x 1200mm grid.

33 Click within the main corridor and each stairwell to add a ceiling in each.

34 In the Type Selector, select Compound Ceiling: Plain.
35 Add a ceiling to the three remaining rooms on the right side of the corridor.
37 In the drawing area, double-click the section head.
38 On the View Control Bar, click the Model Graphics Style control, and select Shading with Edges.
39 Right-click the ceiling over the elevator shaft on Level 3, and from the context menu, click Properties.
40 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, enter 3900 mm for Height Offset From Level, and
click OK.

42 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Multi-Level Stairs.
Adding Multi-Level Stairs

In this exercise, you begin by creating a set of stairs from Level 1 to Level 2. Rather than repetitively creating the
same stairs on each level and in each stairwell, you modify the original stairwell to be a multistory stair and mirror
a copy to the other stairwell.

Dataset
Add stairs between Level 1 and 2

2 Zoom in to the stairwell in the lower right corner of the building model.
In the steps that follow, you create a set of U-shaped stairs similar to those in the following illustration. In
order to sketch the stairs accurately, you first add temporary model lines that provide an underlay to trace
over.
3 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Lines.

4 In the Type Selector, select Wide Lines.
5 Add the three lines as shown, and use the temporary dimensions to specify the values shown in the following
image.
In the image below, the permanent dimension lines have been added as a training aid and the section line has
been hidden temporarily.

NOTE It is important to dimension the lines to the interior face of the walls, not to the centerline. Click on the
temporary dimension witness line control until it moves to the interior face of the wall, and then specify the value,
for example: 550 mm.
In the steps that follow, you sketch the stair run and trace the run over the two vertical lines. The dimensions
have been predetermined.
6 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Stairs.
You are in sketch mode. By default, the Run tool is active.
7 Sketch the first half of the run by clicking on the bottom endpoint of the right vertical line, and then clicking
the top endpoint of the same line.
8 Sketch the second half of the run by clicking on the top endpoint of the left vertical line, and then clicking
the bottom endpoint of the same line.

The stair run is complete.
Specify railing type
9 On the Design Bar, click Railings Type.

10 In the Railings Type dialog box, select 900mm Pipe, and click OK.

Notice that the model lines still display.
12 Select the stairs.
13 On the View Control Bar, click the Hide/Isolate control, and select Hide Object.
This makes the model lines more apparent.
14 Select the three model lines.
15 Delete the three model lines.

16 On the View Control Bar, click the Hide/Isolate control, and select Reset Temporary Hide/Isolate.

17 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Sections (Building Section), double-click Section 1.
Modify stairs
18 Select the stairs.
IMPORTANT Be careful not to select the railings. Use TAB or zoom in, as needed.

20 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, select Level 3 for Multistory Top Level, and click OK.

NOTE At this time, you could modify the floor openings to accommodate the stair landings. This is done in the next
exercise using a new dataset.
Copy west stairs to east stairwell
22 Select the stairs created in the previous steps.

Do not select the railings.
24 On the Options Bar, click , and select Copy.

25 Enter the keyboard shortcut, SM.
The cursor now snaps only to midpoints.
26 Place the cursor over the center of bottom edge of the Level 1 floor. When the midpoint symbol and tooltip
displays, click to specify the start point of the mirror axis.
27 Move the cursor upward and perpendicular to the floor, and click to set the mirror axis endpoint, as shown.


NOTE Beginning with the next exercise, a new dataset is supplied with the building model saved at this point. It
has been modified slightly for training purposes.
31 On the File menu, click Close.

32 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the East Wing and Passageway.
Creating the East Wing and Passageway

In this exercise, you create the east wing of the building model by mirroring the west wing. You add a curtain wall
passageway between the wings with a suspended walkway between each of the upper floors.

Dataset
■ Open the m_First_Project-West_Wing.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
This dataset is essentially the same dataset you saved at the end of the last exercise. The following modifications
have been made:
■ Wall inserts on the north and south walls were evenly spaced.
■ Floor openings were modified to create stair landings.
■ Stair railings on Level 3 were added.
■ Additional 3D views were added.
Mirror the west wing

1 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Ref Plane.
2 Draw a vertical reference plane 12000 mm from the exterior face of the right exterior wall as shown.
You use this plane later as the mirror axis.

3 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click 3D Southwest Isometric.
4 Draw a pick box around the entire building model.
NOTE It is important to capture every component within this building model. If necessary, zoom out before making
the selection.

The entire model displays as selected.
IMPORTANT Components selected in one view remain selected when you switch views.
6 Press and hold CTRL, and select the section line to add it to the selection set.
8 On the Options Bar, click and verify that Copy is selected.

9 Select the vertical reference plane you added previously.

After you specify the mirror axis, a progress bar displays on the status bar as the mirrored copy is generated.
10 After the mirrored copy displays, click Modify on the Design Bar.
11 If necessary, zoom out to see both wings of the building model.
12 Select the reference plane.

13 On the Edit menu, click Delete.

16 Spin and zoom the building model until it resembles the following illustration.
Notice that the new wing is a mirror image of the original. The new components are numbered sequentially.
In addition, notice that a new section view exists in the Project Browser.
Add the passageway walls between wings

19 In the Type Selector, select Curtain Wall: Exterior Glazing.
20 On the Options Bar, select Roof for Height.
21 Sketch the two curtain walls between the wings, as shown. If necessary, click the flip arrows to ensure the
exterior face of the curtain wall is facing the outside.

Split and delete exterior wall faces of each wing

23 On the Tools menu, click Split Walls and Lines.
25 Split the face of the exterior brick wall at the intersection with the curtain wall, as shown below.
When splitting the wall, zoom into the intersection and make sure you split the wall where it intersects the
exterior face of the elevator shaft wall.
26 Using the same technique, split the same exterior wall at the intersection of the exterior face of the wall hosting
door 13 as shown.

27 Enter ZF to Zoom to Fit.
Notice the segment between the splits has been deleted.
TIP If the split does not line up perfectly with the intersecting wall, you can use the Align tool to clean up the
intersection.
28 Zoom in to the intersection of the passageway and the exterior wall of the right wing.
30 On the Options Bar, verify that Delete Inner Segment is selected.

31 Using the technique learned previously, split the face of the exterior brick wall at the similar intersections
shown below.
Arrows refer to each split location.
33 On the View toolbar, click to turn off thin lines mode.

Add a floor to the Level 1 passageway
36 Adjust your zoom settings until you can see the perimeter of the entire passageway.
38 On the Options Bar, enter 150 for Offset, and clear Extend into wall (to core).
39 Select both curtain walls so that the floor offset is on the exterior side of each wall.

41 On the Options Bar, click and Lock.

42 Select the edge of the floor on both the west and east wings.
NOTE In the following image, the sketch line weight has been increased for training purposes.
When sketching, there are two general rules that must be applied: You must have a closed loop and there
cannot be intersecting lines. In this case, notice the overlapping intersections that must be cleaned up before
the sketch can be finished.
43 On the Tools menu, click Trim/Extend.
44 Select the center of the left vertical line, and then select the center of the top horizontal line.
45 Continue cleaning up the intersections using this method. The general rule is that you should click the section
of the line that you wish to keep. When finished, the sketch should be a single closed loop as shown.

47 Select Concrete 300mm for Type, and click OK.
Add walkway to Level 2

52 On the Options Bar, click the rectangle drawing tool, .

53 Sketch a rectangle with the vertical lines attached to the level 2 floor of each wing and each horizontal line
1500 mm from the inner face of the curtain wall.
In the following illustration, dimensions have been added for training purposes.
55 Select Beam and Block 200mm for Type, and click OK.
Add railings to Level 2 walkway
57 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Railing.

59 On the Options Bar, click , and specify an offset of 50 mm.

60 Select the line at the top edge of the walkway so that the sketch line is offset inside the walkway. If necessary,
zoom in when selecting the walkway edge to make sure the offset is correct.
61 On the Options Bar, click and .

62 Draw two short lines to close the gap between the walkway and where it intersects each wing, as shown.
TIP When sketching, you can use the SPACEBAR to toggle the offset.
TIP Make sure the line intersections do not overlap. If they do, use the trim tool to make the sketch a single line.
63 On the Design Bar, click Railing Properties.

64 In the Element Properties dialog box, select 1100mm for Type, and click OK.
66 Select the railing.

You could create another railing on the other side of the walkway, however, it is faster to mirror it. It should
be noted that the reason both railings weren’t sketched at the same time is because a railing sketch has to be
a single, continuous line.
68 On the Options Bar, click and Copy.

69 Enter SM. For the next mouse click, only midpoints will be snapped to.
70 Click at the midpoint of the walkway for the mirror axis start point, move the cursor to the right, and click to
set the mirror axis.
Add a new section view

72 Add a section view to the center of the passageway, and modify the direction and shape handles, as shown.

74 Double-click the section head you created in the previous step.
75 In the section view, select both railings and the walkway on Level 2.
TIP Press and hold CTRL while making multiple selections.

78 In the Select Levels dialog box, select Level 3, and click OK.

If necessary, zoom in until you can see the railings and walkways.
The only remaining task is to add a roof to the passageway.

Add roof to passageway
80 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Roof.

81 Using the zoom commands, adjust the view so you can see the entire passageway.
83 On the Options Bar, check Defines slope, and verify that Overhang is 600 mm.
84 Select each curtain wall so that the offset is outside the curtain wall as shown.

87 Sketch two vertical lines that intersect the horizontal lines, as shown.
Exact dimensions are not important.

89 Using the techniques you learned earlier, click the center of each roof line to clean up each corner, as shown.

Notice that the passageway roof needs to be joined to each wing.
Join the roofs
92 On the View Control Bar, click the Model Graphics Style control, and click Hidden Line.
For training purposes, it is easier to demonstrate the roof joins in hidden line mode.
93 On the Tools menu, click Join/Unjoin Roof.
Joining a roof is a two-click procedure. First, you click the edge of the roof that you want to join. Second, you
select the edge of the roof or wall that you want it joined to. In this case, you select the edge of the passageway
roof, and then the outer edge of the corresponding wing roof.
94 Click the left edge of the passageway roof.
95 Click the outer edge of the main roof.
The two roofs are joined.

97 Spin the model so that you have access to the unjoined end of the passageway roof and the east wing roof.
98 On the Tools menu, click Join/Unjoin Roof.
99 Join the passageway roof and the roof of the other wing using the same technique learned in the previous
steps.

102 Navigate to your preferred directory, name the file First Project-Dual Wings-in progress.rvt, and click Save.
103 Proceed to the next exercise, Scheduling the Building Model.
Scheduling the Building Model

In this exercise, you create and modify a door schedule. The initial schedule contains all doors in the building
model. After creating the schedule, you modify it to filter by level. Finally, you duplicate the schedule twice, rename
each schedule, and change the filtering so each level has a unique door schedule.
Dataset
Continue using the dataset you saved at the end of the previous exercise, First Project-Dual Wings-in progress.rvt

Create a door schedule
1 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Schedule/Quantities.
TIP If the View tab is not visible, right-click on the Design Bar and click View.
2 In the New Schedule dialog box, select Doors for category, and click OK.
3 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, on the Fields tab, select Family and Type under Available Fields, and
click Add.
TIP You can also double-click an available field to add it to the scheduled fields.
4 From the Available Fields list, add the following as scheduled fields:
■ Level
■ Mark
■ Cost
Notice that there is not an available field for Hardware. You can add custom fields and make them either type
or instance parameters.
5 Click Add Parameter.
6 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, specify the following values:
■ Under Parameter Type, select Project parameter.
■ Under Parameter Data, enter Hardware for Name.
■ Select Common for Discipline.
■ Select Text for Type.
■ Select Other for Group parameter under.
■ Select Instance.
7 Click OK.
8 Under Scheduled fields (in order), select Mark and click Move up until it displays at the top of the list.
9 Move Hardware so that it is directly below Family and Type.
10 Move Cost below Hardware.

11 Click the Sorting/Grouping tab.
12 Select Level for Sort by.
13 Under Sort by, select Header and select Footer.
14 At the bottom of the tab, select Grand totals and select Itemize every instance.
15 Select Mark for Then by.
16 Click the Formatting tab.
17 Under Fields, select Family and Type.
18 Enter Door Type for Heading.
On the schedule, Door Type will display as the column heading rather than Family and Type.
19 Under Fields, select Cost.
20 Select Right for Alignment, and under Field Formatting, select Calculate totals.
21 Under Fields, select Level.
22 Under Field formatting, select Hidden field.
You can hide this field because you are sorting and grouping by level. Therefore, the column is redundant.
23 Click the Appearance tab.
24 Select Bold for Header text.
Modifications to the schedule appearance display only when the schedule is added to a sheet.
25 Click OK.
The door schedule displays.
26 In the door schedule, select the column grip between Door Type and Hardware and move the grip to the right
until the door types display in their entirety.

TIP In this view, any changes made to column size are not retained when the schedule is added to a sheet.
Modify the schedule
27 Click in the Cost field for door mark number 1, enter 500, and press ENTER.
A message displays indicating that this change must be applied to all elements of the same type. This is because
for this door type, Cost is a type parameter.
28 Click OK.
29 Click in the Hardware field for door mark number 1, enter Brass, and press ENTER.
Because you created the hardware parameter as an instance parameter, each door is allowed a different value.
Duplicate and filter door schedules
30 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities, right-click Door Schedule, and click Duplicate.
31 Repeat the previous step to create a second copy of the door schedule.
32 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, right-click Door Schedule, and click Rename.
33 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Door Schedule-Level 1, and click OK.
34 Repeat the process to rename the remaining copies to Door Schedule-Level 2 and Door Schedule-Level 3.
You now have a separate schedule for each level. However, each schedule still lists all the doors for each level.
35 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, right-click Door Schedule-Level 1, and click Properties.
36 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, click Edit for the Filter value.
37 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, specify Level equals Level 1 for Filter by, and click OK.

39 Repeat the previous four steps for Door Schedule Level 2 and Door Schedule Level 3. Filter each schedule by
their respective level.
40 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click each door schedule.
Notice that the information is now filtered for each level.
42 Proceed to the next exercise, Rendering the Building Model.
Rendering the Building Model

In this exercise, you create an exterior scene, modify the settings, and then render a 3D view using that scene. After
rendering, you capture the image and save it within the project.
Dataset
Continue using the dataset you saved at the end of the previous exercise, First Project-Dual Wings-in progress.rvt.
Create the exterior scene

2 On the Rendering tab of the Design Bar, click Settings.
3 In the Scene Selection dialog box, specify the following parameters:
■ Select New.
■ Enter Exterior Scene for Name.
■ Under Type, select Exterior.
4 Click OK.

Specify scene settings
5 In the Render Scene Settings dialog box, under Scene Settings, click Environment.
6 In the Environment dialog box, under Background Color, select Solid Color.
A color bar displays. This is the background color for the scene.
7 Click the color bar.
8 In the Color Picker dialog box, click the Bars tab.
9 Specify a value of 250 for the R, G, and B settings.
This is a white background color.
10 Click OK.
11 In the Environment dialog box, click OK.
12 In the Render Scene Settings dialog box, under Scene Settings, clear Use Sun and Shadow Settings from view.
13 Under Raytrace Settings, select Good for Quality, and select Blurry Reflections and Blurry Transparency.
14 Click OK.

16 Spin the building model until it resembles the following illustration.
17 On the Rendering tab of the Design Bar, click Region Raytrace.

18 Drag a box around the building model as shown.
The raytrace process begins and a progress bar displays on the status bar. When the rendering process is
complete, the building model should resemble the following illustration.

19 On the Design Bar, click Capture Rendering.
An expandable branch called Renderings is added to the Project Browser.
20 On the Design Bar, click Display Model.
21 In the Project Browser, expand Renderings, and double-click {3D}.
This is the captured rendering from the previous steps. In the next exercise, you add this to a sheet.
23 Proceed to the final exercise, Documenting the Building Model.
Documenting the Building Model

In this exercise, you add two sheets with titleblocks to the project. You add a floor plan and schedule to the first
sheet. On the second sheet, you add a rendered view and an elevation view.
Dataset
Continue using the dataset you saved at the end of the previous exercise, First Project-Dual Wings-in progress.rvt

Add a sheet and titleblock to the project
1 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Sheet.
You are prompted to select a titleblock. The titleblocks that are listed are loaded into the project. Titleblocks
are a family just like any other component. You can create a titleblock family and load it into the project or
navigate to it from this dialog box.
2 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, click Load.
3 In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click Metric Library.
4 Double-click the Titleblocks folder.
Notice that several titleblocks are installed with the software.
5 Click Cancel.
6 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, click OK to use the loaded titleblock.
7 Try to select the logo in the upper right corner.

The text is not selectable by design. The creator of this titleblock family did not want this text to be modifiable
in the project environment.
8 Select the titleblock and zoom in to the lower right corner.
The blue text is text that you can modify.

9 Click Owner, enter your name, and press ENTER.

10 On the Settings menu, click Project Information.
Notice that your name is displayed for Client Name.
11 Enter First Building Model for Project Name, and click OK.
Titleblock numbering is sequential and automatic. In this case, the next sheet and titleblock will be A102. The
Scale is blank and is filled in when a view is added to the titleblock. If you add views of different scales, the
label displays As Indicated, referring the reader to the view titles.
Add a view to the titleblock
12 Zoom out until you can see the entire sheet.

13 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Add View.
14 In the Views dialog box, select Floor Plan: Level 1, and click Add View to Sheet.
15 Move the cursor to the center of the titleblock and click.

Notice the elevation symbols display.

17 Right-click the view, and on the context menu, click Activate View.
The titleblock becomes an underlay and the view becomes active. You can work on the building model within
this view. However, you activated the view specifically to turn off the elevation symbol visibility.
18 On the View menu, click Visibility/Graphics.
19 Click the Annotation Categories tab.
20 Under Visibility, clear Elevations, and click OK.
21 Right-click the view, and on the context menu, click Deactivate View.
Relocate the view title
22 Drag the view title under the view.

23 Select the view.
Notice drag handles display on the ends of the view title.
24 Adjust the view title length by dragging the shape handles under the extents of the view.
25 Drag the view to the lower left corner of the titleblock as shown.

26 Zoom in to the lower right corner.
Notice that the scale value has updated.
27 Zoom out until the titleblock fits within the drawing area.
28 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, drag Door Schedule-Level 1 onto the upper right corner
of the titleblock.

29 Zoom in to the top of the schedule.
30 Using the column drag handles, adjust each column width so no text wrapping occurs.
31 Zoom out and move the schedule into the upper right corner of the titleblock.

TIP When the schedule is selected, notice the z symbol in the center edge. If you click this, the schedule breaks in
half. You can adjust the lengths of each section after the break.
Add various views to a second sheet

33 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, click OK to use the default titleblock.
34 In the Project Browser, under Elevations (Building Elevations), drag North to the lower left corner of sheet
A102.
35 In the Project Browser, under Renderings, drag {3D} to the upper right corner of the new titleblock.
If necessary, modify the location and width of the view titles.
Because these two views have different view scales, the Scale label displays As Indicated.
You have completed your first building model.

Modifying Project and System
Settings
3
In this tutorial, you learn how to modify your Autodesk Revit Building working environment. In the first
lesson, you modify the system environment, which is independent of the project settings. In the second lesson,
you modify project settings to control the appearance of the components and subcomponents within that
project. Finally, you create an office template, and set it as your default template.
113
Modifying System Settings
In this lesson, you learn how to control the system settings within Revit Building. System settings are local to each
computer and applied to all projects; they are not saved to project or template files.
Modifying General System Options

In this exercise, you modify the settings that control your local Revit Building working environment. These settings
control the graphics, selection default options, notification preferences, journal cleanup options, and your username
when using worksets.
Set graphics settings

1 On the File menu, click Close to close all open projects.
2 On the Settings menu, click Options.
3 In the Options dialog box, click the Graphics tab.
4 Under Colors, select Invert background color, and click OK.
5 On the File menu, click New ➤ Project to open a new Revit Building project.
6 In the New Project dialog box, under Template file, click Browse.
7 In the left pane of the Choose Template dialog box, click Training Files.
8 Select m_Tutorial_Default.rte in the Metric folder, and click Open.
9 In the New Project dialog box, click OK.
Notice that the drawing area is black.
11 In the Options dialog box, click the Graphics tab.
12 Under Colors, click the value for Selection Color.
13 In the Color dialog box, select yellow, and click OK.
NOTE You can also specify the Alert Color. When an error occurs, the elements causing the error display using this
color.
14 Click the General tab.

15 Under Notifications, specify the following options:
■ Select One hour for Save Reminder interval.
■ Select None for Tooltip Assistance.
16 Click OK.
18 Sketch a simple straight horizontal wall in the center of the drawing area.
19 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the wall.
114 | Chapter 3 Modifying Project and System Settings

Notice the selected wall is yellow rather than the default red.
21 Place the cursor over the wall but do not select it.
Notice that a tooltip is not displayed.
22 Place the cursor over any of the icons on the toolbars.
Notice that a tooltip is displayed even though you set Tooltip Assistance to None. This setting controls only
the tooltips that display within the drawing area.
24 When prompted to save, click No.
25 On the File menu, click Open.
26 In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click the Training Files icon.
27 Open the m_Settings.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
Notice that the system settings apply to this project.
29 In the Options dialog box, click the Graphics tab and make the following changes:
■ Under Graphics, clear Invert background color.
■ Select Red for Selection Color.
30 Click the General tab and make the following changes:

■ Under Notifications, select your preferred Save Reminder interval, and select Normal for Tooltip Assistance.
■ Under Username, enter the name you want to use during worksharing. Your login name displays by default.
■ Under Journal File Cleanup, select values for When number of journals exceeds and Delete journals older
than (days).
Journal files are deleted automatically after their number exceeds the value you specify. Journal files are
text documents that record each step during your Revit Building sessions. These files are used primarily
in the software support process. Journals can be run in order to detect a problem or recreate lost steps or
files. They are saved at the termination of each Revit Building session.
31 Click OK.
Notice that the drawing area background colors are no longer inverted and that tooltips display when you
place the cursor over any building component.
32 On the File menu, click Close. If prompted, do not save the changes.
33 Proceed to the next exercise, Specifying File Locations.
Specifying File Locations

In this exercise, you specify your default file locations. These settings control location of important Revit Building
files such as your default project template, the family template files, the family libraries, as well as the material and
rendering libraries.
Modifying System Settings | 115

Set file locations
2 In the Options dialog box, click the File Locations tab.
3 Under Default template file, click Browse.
Notice that there are industry-specific templates that you can set as your default template.
TIP To view a template, you can start a new project with that template. On the File menu, choose New ➤ Project,
and click Browse to select a template.
4 Click Cancel.
5 Under Default path for user files, click Browse.
6 In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder to save your files to by default, and click OK.
7 In the Options dialog box, under Default path for family template files, click Browse.
This path is set automatically during the installation process. These are the family templates that you use to
create new families. It is unlikely that you would ever want to modify this path. However, there are some
circumstances where you may need to modify the path, such as in a large, centralized, architectural firm where
customized templates reside on a network drive.
8 Click Cancel.
Specify library settings and create a new library
9 In the Options dialog box, under Libraries, notice the list of library names.
The list is dependent on the options that you selected during installation. Each library path points Revit
Building to a folder of families or training files. You can modify the existing library names and path, and you
can create new libraries. An icon for each library displays in the left pane of all Revit Building Open, Save,
Load, and Import dialog boxes.
When you are opening, saving, or loading a Revit Building file, you can click on the library folder located in
the left pane of the dialog box. In the following illustration, notice that the libraries display as icons in the
left pane of the dialog box.
10 Under Libraries, click .

11 Click in the Library Name field of the new library, and change the name to My Library.
12 Click in the Library Path field for My Library, and click the arrow that displays on the right side of the field.

13 Navigate to C:\My Documents or any other folder where you want to create a personal library of Revit Building
projects, templates, or families, and click OK.
TIP You may want to create a new folder first, and select it as the library path.
The new library displays in the left pane of all Revit Building Open, Save, Load, and Import dialog boxes. The
library icons display in the order that they are listed in the Options dialog box.
14 Under Library Name, click My Library.
15 Click until My Library is at the top of the list, and click OK.
17 In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click the My Library icon.
Notice that Revit Building navigates directly to the library path. If you work in a large office, you may want
to set up an office library on a network path in order to increase productivity and maintain office standards.
18 Click Cancel.
20 Click the File Locations tab.
21 Under Libraries, select My Library.
22 Click to delete the library.

Specify rendering settings
23 Click the Rendering tab.

24 Under AccuRender resource location, view the current path.
This path specifies the location of the AccuRender® texture library. This path is determined during installation.
If you want to relocate this path, specify the new location here.
25 Click OK.
26 Proceed to the next exercise, Specifying Spelling Options.
Specifying Spelling Options

In this exercise, you modify the spelling settings and the custom dictionaries for Revit Building.

Modify spelling settings
2 In the Options dialog box, click the Spelling tab.
3 Under Settings, select Ignore words in UPPERCASE.
4 Under Personal dictionary, click Edit.
The custom dictionary opens in your default text editor.
5 In the text editor, enter sheetmtl-Cu.
7 On the File menu, click Exit.
Notice that there is also a building industry dictionary.
8 Under Building industry dictionary, click Edit.
9 In the text editor, scroll down the list of building industry terms.
10 On the File menu, click Exit.
11 In the Options dialog box, click OK.
12 On the Standard toolbar, click to open a new Revit Building project using the default template.
13 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Text.
14 Click in the drawing area, and enter This is sheetmtl-Cu and SHTMTL-CU.
16 On the Tools menu, click Spelling.
Notice that the spell checker allowed sheetmtl-Cu because you added it to the custom dictionary. It allowed
SHTMTL-CU because you set the spelling options to ignore words in uppercase.
17 Click OK.
19 In the Options dialog box, click the Spelling tab.
20 Under Settings, click Restore Defaults.
This resets the spelling settings to their original configuration.
21 Under Personal dictionary, click Edit.
The custom dictionary opens in your default text editor.
22 In the text editor, delete sheetmtl-CU.
23 On the File menu of the text editor, click Save, and then click File ➤ Exit.
24 In the Options dialog box, click OK.
25 On the File menu, click Close. If prompted, do not save the changes.
26 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Snap Settings.
Modifying Snap Settings

In this exercise, you modify snap settings. Snap settings are system settings that are applied to all projects and not
saved within a project file. You can turn snap settings on and off, or use the shortcut keys to force a particular snap
method. In this exercise, you modify snap increments, work with snapping turned off, and use shortcut keys to
control snapping on an instance basis.
Modify snap increments

1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Project to open a new Revit Building project.
2 In the New Project dialog box, under Template file, click Browse.
3 In the left pane of the Choose Template dialog box, click Training Files.
4 Select m_Tutorial_Default.rte in the Metric folder, and click Open.

6 On the Settings menu, click Snaps.
Notice that you can modify both length and angular snap increments. As you zoom in and out within a view,
Revit Building uses the largest increment that represents less than 2mm in the drawing area. You can add an
increment by entering the value with a semicolon after it.
7 Under Dimension Snaps, click in the Length dimension snap increments box following the value 1000; and
enter 500 ;.
8 Under Object Snaps, notice the two-letter acronyms next to each object snap option.
These are shortcut keys that you can use at any time when working on the design. For example, if you want
to snap an object to a wall midpoint, enter SM and only midpoint snaps are recognized until you commit an
action. After you click to place the object at the midpoint, snapping reverts to the system default settings.
9 In the Snaps dialog box, click OK.
11 Click in the center of the drawing area, and move the cursor to the right.
Notice that the listening dimension snaps at 1000 mm increments. If it does not, zoom out until it does so.
A listening dimension refers specifically to the dimension that appears while in the act of sketching. This
dimension reacts to the movement of your cursor and numerical keyboard entries.
TIP To zoom while in the act of sketching, use the wheel button on your mouse. If you do not have a wheel button,
you can right-click and select a zoom option from the context menu. While sketching, you can also use the zoom
shortcut keys such as ZO to zoom out.
12 While sketching a generic straight wall, zoom in until the listening dimension snap increment shifts to 500
mm.
This is the increment that you added previously.
Sketch without snapping
13 While sketching the wall, enter the shortcut key SO to turn snaps off.

Notice that when snapping is turned off completely, the listening dimension reflects the exact length of the
wall as you move the cursor to the left or right.
14 Click to set the wall endpoint.
15 Click in the drawing area to start a second wall, and move the cursor to the right. Do not set the wall end
point.
Notice that snapping is once again active. When you use shortcut keys to control snapping, the command is
only active for one click of the mouse.
Use snapping shortcut keys
16 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and click Wall.

17 Place the cursor over the horizontal wall you added previously.
Notice that the cursor snaps to various points on the wall. If you move the cursor along the wall, it will snap
to the endpoints, the midpoint, and the wall edges.
18 Enter SM.
This is the snap shortcut key that restricts all snapping to midpoints.
19 Notice that the cursor now snaps only to the midpoint of the wall.
20 Click to start the wall at the midpoint.

21 Move the cursor downward, and specify the wall endpoint.
22 On the Settings menu, click Snaps.
23 Under Dimension Snaps, click in the Length dimension snap increments box, and delete the value 500 ;.
Make sure you also delete the semicolon.
24 Click OK.
25 On the File menu, click Close, and do not save the file.
26 Proceed to the next lesson, Modifying Project Settings.
Modifying Project Settings

In this lesson, you learn how to control the project environment by using the options available on the Settings
menu. Using these options, you modify the appearance of components and their subcomponents within a project.
You create and modify materials, annotations, lines, fill patterns, and object styles. Finally, you modify the way
the Project Browser organizes the project.
The exercises in this lesson should be done sequentially using the same project file. If you cannot complete the
exercises in their entirety, save the project file with a unique name, and use it to complete the exercises.
Creating and Applying Materials

In this exercise, you create a new material and apply it to a model component. When you apply a material to a
component, it defines the appearance of that component in shaded and rendered views. Well designed materials
provide the foundation for photorealistic renderings.

In the steps that follow, you begin with a simple building model consisting of brick on CMU exterior walls.
This building model has a generic roof and generic floor. After you create a new fieldstone material and apply it
to the exterior wall face, you render a region to observe the changes.
Dataset
■ Open m_Settings.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Create a new material

1 On the Settings menu, click Materials.
Notice the materials listed on the left side of the dialog box. This list includes all materials required by loaded
model components. When a model component is loaded into a project, all materials that are part of that
component family are also loaded into the project.
2 Scroll down, and select Masonry - Stone for Name.
Notice that there is no Surface Pattern applied to this material, nor is there an AccuRender texture applied.
However, this material provides a good foundation for the new material, Masonry-Fieldstone.
3 Click Duplicate.
This creates a new material using the selected material settings as the starting point.
4 In the New Material dialog box, enter Masonry - Fieldstone, and click OK.
You have created a new material that can be applied to any model component in this project. Notice that the
material settings have not changed from the material that you duplicated. In the steps that follow, you modify
the material so that it displays correctly in a shaded or rendered view.
Modifying Project Settings | 121

Modify material settings
5 Under AccuRender, click to select a texture.

6 Navigate to BMCD2AR3\Bitmap Textures\Stone\, and select Stone82.
7 In the Material Library dialog box, on the Material menu, click New ➤ Use Current Material as Template.
8 In the Material Editor dialog box, click the Maps tab.
9 Select the entry under Image Mapping, and click Edit.
10 In the Image Mapping dialog box, click the Orientation tab.
11 Under Offset, enter 0.75 for X and Y, and click OK.
By offsetting the X and Y values of the image map, you help prevent the appearance of repetitive patterns
within the rendering.
12 In the Material Editor dialog box, click OK.
13 In the Save Material As dialog box, enter Masonry - Fieldstone for the name, select user from the list of libraries,
and click OK.
The AccuRender texture Masonry - Fieldstone is now part of your AccuRender User library.
14 In the Material Library dialog box, click OK.
Before closing the Materials dialog box, notice that the Surface Pattern is still blank. In the next exercise, you
create a fieldstone pattern and apply it to the Masonry - Fieldstone material.
15 Click OK.
Apply the new material
16 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Level 1.
17 Select the upper exterior wall, and click .

19 Click Duplicate.
20 Enter the new wall name, Fieldstone on CMU, and click OK.
21 In the Value field for Structure, click Edit.
22 Click in the Material field for layer #1.
Layer #1 is the exterior finish of the wall. It is currently assigned the material Masonry - Brick.
23 On the right side of the Material field, click .

24 In the Materials dialog box, select Masonry - Fieldstone for Name, and click OK.
This is the material you created previously.
25 Click OK three times.
The upper wall now uses the Fieldstone on CMU AccuRender texture when you render it.
26 Select the right exterior wall.
27 Press CTRL, and select the remaining two unchanged walls.
28 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall: Fieldstone on CMU.
All of the exterior walls of this project are now Fieldstone on CMU.

29 On the View Toolbar, click .
Notice that the exterior walls are no longer brick, and there is no stone pattern applied in this view. This is
because a surface pattern was not selected when the fieldstone material was defined. In the following exercise,
Creating and Applying Fill Patterns, you create a fieldstone pattern and apply it to this material.
TIP If the Rendering tab is not available on the Design Bar, right-click the Design Bar, and click Rendering.
31 In the drawing area, drag a rectangle around the 3D image.
After you draw the rectangle around the 3D model, the rendering process begins. When finished, the fieldstone
material that you created is displayed.
TIP If you want to see the material in greater detail, click Display Model on the Rendering tab of the Design Bar.
Zoom into the model, select Region Raytrace, and drag a rectangle around the area you want to render.
Notice the roof did not render. This is because a material has not been applied to the roof. In the exercise,
Controlling Object Styles, you apply a material to default roofs and resolve this.
32 On the Rendering tab of the Design Bar, click Display Model.
34 Navigate to a folder of your preference, and save the file as m_Settings-in progress.rvt.
35 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating and Applying Fill Patterns.
Creating and Applying Fill Patterns

In this exercise, you create a new pattern called Fieldstone and apply it to the material you created in the previous
exercise.

There are two types of fill patterns: model and drafting. Model patterns represent actual element appearance on a
building, such as brick coursing or ceramic tile on a wall. Model patterns are fixed and scale with the model. Drafting
patterns represent material in symbolic form, such as steel, which consists of a double-diagonal hatching pattern.
Drafting pattern density is fixed. Both pattern types are created and applied in a similar way.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise. Use the project file that you saved at the end of
that exercise, m_Settings-in progress.rvt.
Create a new fill pattern

1 In the Project Browser, expand Elevations, and double-click East.
Notice that no model surface pattern displays on the fieldstone wall.

2 On the Settings menu, click Fill Patterns.
3 Under Pattern Type, choose Model.
4 Scroll down the list of patterns.
Notice that a fieldstone pattern is not available.
5 Click New.
6 In the Add Surface Pattern dialog box, click Custom.
7 Under Custom, click Import.
8 Navigate to the training folders installed with your Revit Building software.
TIP Typically, your training files can be found on C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit
Building\Training. The location of these files can vary depending on the path you set during installation.
9 Select Fieldstone_Model.pat from the Common folder, and click Open.

10 Under Custom, select fldstn, and enter .56 for Import scale.
11 Enter Fieldstone for Name, and click OK.
The new model pattern is available in the Name list in the Fill Patterns dialog box.
12 Click OK.
Apply the fieldstone pattern
13 Select the east exterior wall.

16 In the Value field for Structure, click Edit.
17 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, click in the Material field for layer #1.
Layer #1 is the exterior finish of the wall. It is currently assigned the material Masonry - Fieldstone.
18 On the right side of the Materials field, click .

In the Materials dialog box, notice that there is no surface pattern applied to the Masonry - Fieldstone material.
19 Under Surface Pattern, click to select a fill pattern.
20 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, under Pattern Type, select Model.
21 Select the Fieldstone model pattern, and click OK.
22 In the Materials dialog box, click OK.
The east wall of the building displays as solid fill.
25 Zoom into the model until the fill pattern appears.
TIP If the pattern does not display, adjust your zoom settings as needed.

28 Proceed to the next exercise, Controlling Object Styles.
Controlling Object Styles

You can use Object Styles to control the appearance of components and subcomponents. Object Styles are applied
in every view and can be overridden in a particular view by modifying the Visibility/Graphics settings. Object Styles
allow you to control the appearance of multiple component types.
For example, there are often multiple window types within a project. The client may not be certain of the exact
window frame color to use and may want to see renderings of various options. Rather than continually modify the
type properties of each window type, you can set the window frame material to “By Category.” You can then change
the material in the Object Styles dialog box and apply it to all window types.

Apply object styles

1 In the Project Browser, expand 3D Views, and double-click 3D Model View.
2 On the keyboard, use the shortcut keys ZR (Zoom in Region) and drag a rectangle around the three left windows
facing you.

3 On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics Style, and click Shading with Edges.
4 Select one of the windows.

7 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Other, click the Trim Exterior value, and select .
8 In the Materials dialog box, click By Category.
This means that the material is assigned by the Object Styles setting.
11 Zoom out, and select the circular window on the second level.

14 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Other, click the Trim Exterior Material value, and select .
15 In the Materials dialog box, click By Category.
Notice the exterior frames of all the windows are now gray.

19 On the Settings menu, click Object Styles.
20 In the Object Styles dialog box, click Include categories from all disciplines in the list above.
21 Under Category, expand Windows.
22 Under the Windows category, select Trim, and click in the Material field.
23 On the right side of the Material field, click .

24 In the Materials dialog box, select Trim - Granite for name, and click OK.
25 In the Object Styles dialog box, click OK.
Notice that the material is applied to all windows regardless of their type.

27 Under Category, expand Windows, specify Trim - White for Trim material, and click OK twice.
Notice that the external window frames are now white.

30 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Line Patterns and Styles.
Modifying Line Patterns and Styles

In this exercise, you create a new line pattern and apply it to the fascia of the roof. You then create a new line style
to mark the zoning setback from the property line.

Create a new line pattern
1 Verify that the project from the previous exercise, m_Settings-in progress.rvt, is open with the 3D view active.
2 On the Settings menu, click Line Patterns.
3 In the Line Patterns dialog box, click New.
4 In the Line Pattern Properties dialog box, enter Roof Line for Name.
5 Enter the Types and Values shown in the following illustration:
6 Click OK twice.
You have created a new line pattern; now you must apply it. There are two ways to apply the line style to the
roof. You can use the Visibility/Graphics settings to modify the roof appearance in a specific view, or you can
use Object Styles to apply the change to all views.
7 On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics Style, and click Hidden Line.
9 In the Object Styles dialog box, under Category, select Roofs.
10 Select Red for Line Color, and select Roof Line for Line Pattern.
11 Click OK.
The line style is applied to the roof in all views.

12 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click 3D Model View.
Notice that the line style displays in this view also.
15 In the Object Styles dialog box, under Category, select Roofs.
16 Select Solid for Line Pattern, and select Black for Line Color.
17 Click OK.
19 Click the Model Categories tab, and select Roofs for Visibility.
20 Click Override for Line Style Projection.
This overrides the appearance of the roof only in the current view.
21 In the Select Line Style dialog box, select Override and specify the following options:
■ Select 5 for Line Weight.
■ Select Blue for Line Color.
■ Select Roof Line for Line Pattern.
22 Click OK twice.
Create a new line style
23 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Site.

Notice the site topography and the property lines.
24 On the Settings menu, click Line Styles.
25 In the Line Styles dialog box, under Modify Subcategories, click New.
26 Enter Zoning Setback for Name, and click OK.

27 For the Zoning Setback category, specify the following values:
■ Select 2 for Line Weight Projection.
■ Select Red for Line Color.
■ Select Double Dash 5/8" for Line Pattern.
28 Click OK.
29 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Lines.
30 In the Type Selector, select Zoning Setback.
31 In the Options Bar, specify the following:
■ Click .
■ Enter -3000 mm for Offset. (Make sure you specify a negative value.)
■ Click .
32 Click the upper-left corner of the property line to begin the rectangle, move the cursor to the bottom-right
corner of the property lines, and click to set the rectangle endpoint.
The -3000mm offset displays inside the property lines.

Notice the Zoning Setback lines appear in this view.
35 On the Model Categories tab, expand Lines, and clear Zoning Setback.
This turns off the visibility of the Zoning Setback lines only in this view.
36 Click OK.
37 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 Annotated.
39 On the Model Categories tab, expand Lines, and clear Zoning Setback.
40 Click OK.

Notice that the line style has not been applied to the roof in this view because you applied the override to the
3D Model View only.
43 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Annotations.
Modifying Annotations
In this exercise, you create a new dimension style using units of measurement that differ from the project settings.
You also load a new window annotation symbol and apply it to show the window instance number rather than
the window type number.

Create a new dimension style

1 Verify that the project from the previous exercise, m_Settings-in progress.rvt, is open with the 3D View active.
2 On the Settings menu, click Annotations ➤ Dimensions ➤ Linear.
4 Enter the name Linear - Imperial and click OK.
5 Under Text, click the default value for Units Format.
6 In the Format dialog box:
■ Clear Use project settings.
■ Select Feet and fractional inches for Units.
7 Click OK twice.
You have created a new dimension style.
In the Type Selector, notice that there is a Linear - Imperial dimension available.
Load a new window tag
10 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 Annotated.
Notice that the windows on the east and west walls are tagged, and that the tag displays the window type
number rather than the window instance number.
11 Select any window in the east or west wall.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, notice the Mark value differs from the window tag value.
The window tag used in this project is designed to display the type number. In the steps that follow, you load
a new window tag that displays the window instance mark.
14 Click Cancel.
15 On the Settings menu, click Annotations ➤ Loaded Tags.
16 In the Tags dialog box, under Category, scroll down to Windows.
Notice that there is a window tag loaded and applied to windows.
17 Click Load.
18 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the Annotations/Architectural folder of the Metric Library, and select
M_Window Tag - Number.

In the preview image, notice that the label displays 1i. This indicates this tag is designed to display the window
instance value rather than the type value.
19 Click Open.
20 In the Tags dialog box, scroll to Windows and notice that M_Window Tag - Number is now the assigned tag.
This tag is used when tagging windows By Category.
21 Under Loaded Tags, click M_Window Tag - Number, and select the drop-down arrow that displays.
Notice that you can choose between the two window tag types loaded into this project. Leave M_Window Tag
- Number as the assigned tag.
22 Click OK.
25 On the left side of the north wall, click the three left-most windows.
A window instance tag displays on each selected window.
26 On the Design Bar, click Tag All Not Tagged.

Under Category, notice Window Tags appears twice. Each Window Tag category has a different loaded tag:
one displays the type value, the other displays the instance value.
27 Select the Window Tag category with the loaded tag, M_Window Tag - Number.
28 Under Leader, verify that Create is clear, and click OK.
The remaining untagged windows are tagged by instance value. Notice that both window tag types can coexist
within the same view.
29 On the east wall, select one of the window tags that displays the type value.
30 In the Type Selector, select M_Window Tag - Number.
TIP Using the techniques learned in the previous steps, you can have multiple views: one displaying window type
tags and the other displaying window instance values.

34 Proceed to the next exercise, Specifying Units of Measurement, Temporary Dimensions, and Detail Level
Options.
Specifying Units of Measurement, Temporary Dimensions, and Detail

Level Options
In this exercise, you modify three settings that have a broad impact on the project. In the first section, you specify
the project units of measurements. Unless overridden, dimension values display using this setting. In the second
section, you modify the temporary dimension settings. In the final section, you modify the detail level assignments.

Set units of measurement
1 On the Settings menu, click Project Units.
2 In the Project Units dialog box, under Length, click the default value for Format.
3 In the Format dialog box, select To the nearest 100 for Rounding, and click OK.
4 In the Project Units dialog box, under Area, click the default value for Format.
5 In the Format dialog box, select 0 decimal places for Rounding, select meters squared for Unit suffix, and click
OK.
Modifications to area rounding are displayed in schedules and area tags.
6 Click OK.
Unless overridden, dimensions use these project settings.
Specify temporary dimension properties
7 On the Settings menu, click Temporary Dimensions.

8 Under Walls, select Faces.
9 Under Doors and Windows, select Openings, and click OK.
In this project, temporary dimensions now snap to the wall faces and to the door and window openings.
Specify detail levels
10 On the Settings menu, click Detail Level.

When you create a new view and specify its view scale, the detail level is specified automatically according to
the arrangement in the table.
TIP You can override the detail level at any time by specifying the Detail Level parameter in the View Properties
dialog box.
In this table, you use the arrows between the columns to move view scales from one detail level to another.
You do not select a view scale to move it. The view scale moves either from the bottom or the top of the column
based on the direction.
11 Between the columns Coarse and Medium, click .

Notice the 1 : 50 view scale moved to the Medium column. Any new view created using this scale is automatically
assigned the detail level Medium.
12 Click OK.
15 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Project Browser Organization.
Modifying Project Browser Organization

In a typical project, you often produce multiple packages of related drawings. These drawings and sheets can become
so numerous that navigating a lengthy Project Browser list can be cumbersome. In order to organize the views and
sheets into sets of deliverables, you can use the Project Browser settings to instantly modify how the Project Browser
groups and sorts.
In this exercise, you modify the Project Browser organization and create new methods of grouping and sorting the
views and sheets.
Dataset
■ Open c_Project_Browser.rvt from the Common folder.
Organize the Project Browser by views

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and expand 3D Views.

Notice that the views are listed alphabetically.
2 In the Project Browser, expand Sheets (all).
Notice that the sheets are listed alphanumerically based on the sheet number.
3 Open each of the 3D views in the following order, and notice the progression of each view:
■ Main Bldg - Phase 1-Structure
■ East Wing - Phase 2-Structure
■ West Wing - Phase 3-Structure
■ Completed Project-Structure
■ Completed Structure w/ Roof&Floors
■ Completed Project
Each of the 3D views varies by phase and discipline.
5 On the Views tab, select Discipline, and click OK.
On the Project Browser, notice that Views are divided into Architectural and Structural disciplines.
6 In the Project Browser, expand both the Architectural and Structural views.
8 Select Phase, and click Apply.
In the Project Browser, notice that Views are grouped based on Phase.
9 In the Browser Organization dialog box, select Type/Discipline, and click OK.
10 In the Project Browser, expand each view type, and notice that each is grouped by discipline.
Organize Project Browser by sheets

12 Click the Sheets tab.
13 Select Sheet Prefix, and click OK.
14 In the Project Browser, under Sheets, expand each sheet set.

Create a new browser organization name

16 Click the Views tab, and click New.
17 Enter Phase/Type/Discipline, and click OK.
18 In the Browser Organization Properties dialog box, click the Folders tab, and specify the following:
■ Group by: Phase
■ Then by: Family and Type
■ Then by: Discipline
19 Click OK.
20 In the Browser Organization dialog box, select Phase/Type/Discipline as the current browser organization, and
click OK.
21 In the Project Browser, under Views, expand Complete, expand 3D Views, and expand both Architectural and
Structural.
Notice that the Project Browser has reorganized all the views within this project according to Phase, View Type
(Family and Type), and Discipline.
If you want to save this file, navigate to your preferred directory, enter a unique file name, and click OK.
Proceed to the next lesson, Creating an Office Template.
In this lesson, you modified various project settings that affect project appearance and organization. All the settings
that you changed in this lesson are saved with the project. You can also save these settings in a template file. By
saving these settings as a template and using it throughout the office, you maintain consistent standards and reduce
the amount of repetitive work. In the lesson that follows, you create an office template.
Creating an Office Template

In this lesson, you create a Revit Building template file and set it as your default template. When you create new
projects, the project template is used to provide the initial project settings such as materials, dimensions styles,
levels, and view names. You can save Project Browser organization schemes, named print settings, and render
scenes in a template. Although Revit Building provides many templates to choose from, you may decide to modify
one or more of these templates to the specific needs of your company. A well designed template will ensure office
standards are maintained and will reduce repetitive work.
This lesson is intended to provide you with a blueprint of how to create your office template. It is mostly conceptual
and designed as a road map with options for your consideration. The lesson begins with choosing the right base
template and progresses through many of the most common modifications that you would consider in order to
make a template unique to your situation.

Choosing the Base Template
In this exercise, you select the starting point for your office template.
Whenever you create a new project or template, a group of settings are used to specify the project environment.
For example, when you create a new project, you can select an existing template or begin the project with no
template. Even if you choose not to base that project on a template, certain baseline settings are still assigned to
the new project. When you create a new template based on an existing template, the same rules apply. You can
use an existing template as the baseline or use no template at all. You should choose the option that will help you
develop the best template with the least amount of work.
Review existing templates

1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Project.
2 In the New Project dialog box, select Project for Create new.
3 Under Template File, click Browse.
Notice there are a number of different templates to choose from. The template selection may vary depending
on your installation. Other than the default template, each is modified in a way to make it useful to the
applicable industry; for instance, structural or construction.
The first step in creating your office template is deciding which template to use as your starting point. You
may need to have a variety of office templates if your work requires it. In that case, you can modify one template
and use Transfer Project Standards to copy the changes to other templates.
4 Select the Construction-DefaultMetric.rte template, and click Open.
5 Click OK.
6 In the Project Browser, expand Views, expand Elevations, and double-click North.
7 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region and, in the drawing area, drag a zoom region around the
level heads.
Notice that there are more predefined levels than you normally see in the default template.
8 In the Project Browser, navigate throughout the various views and schedules.
Notice that the construction template is more complex than the default template. Other templates, such as
the structural template, are simple in respect to the predefined views and schedules, but the view properties
have been modified to maximize the use of the structural tools.
If you have additional projects open, close them.
11 Under Create New, select Project Template.
12 Under Template File, click Browse.
13 Select the default template.
TIP This template is the starting point for your new template. If you want to use a template other than the default,
you can select it now.
14 Click Open, and click OK.

15 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Project Settings.
Modifying Project Settings

In this exercise, you modify the project settings for your new template. These settings control the appearance of
components and their subcomponents within a project. In order to maintain office standards and reduce rework,
you can establish the settings that are common to most projects. For example, you can create the materials commonly
used in most projects. When you create the material, you can dictate its appearance in all views and when rendered.
Creating an Office Template | 137

In this exercise, you modify the following:
■ Materials
■ Fill patterns
■ Object styles
■ Line styles, weights, and patterns
■ Annotations
■ Project units
■ Temporary dimensions
■ Detail levels
■ Project Browser organization
In addition to the list above, there are additional commands under the Settings menu that allow modifications
that can be saved in a template. The specifics regarding each of these are addressed at the end of this exercise.
During this exercise, specific modifications are not dictated. You are merely pointed to each area where you can
adapt the template to your needs. For more details on modifying these settings, see the previous lesson, Modifying
System Settings or refer to the Help documentation.
Create and modify materials

2 Scroll down the Name list.
Observe the materials that are already defined. You may want to rename or modify some of the existing
materials. If there are materials that are commonly used within your office or industry, create and modify them
as needed.
If you create or modify new materials, you may want to specify their appearance when rendered. You can do
this by setting the AccuRender Texture.
3 Under AccuRender, click to access the AccuRender Material Library.
If there are custom AccuRender materials that you want to add to the template, you can do so by going to the
Material menu and selecting New. Choose the appropriate option, and create the AccuRender material.
RELATED See Modifying System Settings for more information on creating new AccuRender materials.
When you save a new AccuRender material designed to be used in an office template, be aware that access to
the original material library may be necessary at some point. You may want to save the material to a library
located on a network path.
4 Click OK twice to close the Material Library and Materials dialog boxes.
Create and modify fill patterns

6 Scroll through the list of model and drafting patterns.
TIP Drafting patterns represent materials in symbolic form. Model patterns represent actual element appearance on
a building. You can align, rotate, and move model patterns. You can also dimension to model pattern lines.
7 Create new fill patterns as needed, or modify existing patterns.
RELATED See Modifying Project Settings for more information on creating new fill patterns.
8 Click OK when finished.

Specify object styles

In the Object Styles dialog box, you can set line weights, line colors, line patterns, and materials for different
categories and subcategories of components or imported objects.

TIP When the material of a component is set to by category, it adopts the material assigned to its object styles
category.
10 Click the Model Objects tab, and scroll through the list of categories.
11 Modify the properties of any existing categories as needed.
12 If necessary, create new subcategories.
13 Click the Annotation Objects tab.
14 Modify categories, and create new subcategories as needed.
15 Click OK to close the Object Styles dialog box.
Modify line styles

17 For existing line categories, modify the line weight, line color, or line pattern as needed.
18 If necessary, create new line subcategories.
19 Click OK.
Modify line weights
20 On the Settings menu, click Line Weights.

The Line Weights command controls the display of line widths for each scale of a view. You can add and delete
view scales.
In the dialog box, there are three tabs: one for model component line styles, one for perspective model line
styles, and one for annotation symbol line styles.
The Model Line Weights tab controls the line width of modeling components, such as walls and windows in
orthographic views. The widths are dependent on the scale of the design. You can define the widths of 16
different pens for six different drawing scales.
The Perspective Line Weights tab controls the line width of objects such as walls and windows in perspective
views.
The Annotation Line Weights tab controls the line width of annotation symbols, such as section lines and
dimension lines. Annotation line widths are independent of the view scale.
21 Click the Model Line Weights tab.
22 Modify existing line weights as needed.
23 Add and delete view scales as needed.
24 Click the Perspective Line Weights tab.
26 Click the Annotation Line Weights tab.
28 Click OK.
Modify line patterns
29 On the Settings menu, click Line Patterns.

30 Scroll through the list of line patterns.
31 To modify a line pattern, select it, and click Edit.
32 Add and delete line patterns as needed.
33 Click OK.

Modify arrowheads
34 On the Settings menu, click Annotations ➤ Arrowheads.

The arrowheads configured within this dialog box can be applied to text notes, tags, and dimensions.
35 Select the Type drop-down list, and notice the list of existing arrowhead styles.
To see the details of a particular style, select it from this list.
36 Modify the properties of existing arrowhead styles if necessary.
37 Click Rename if you want to rename an existing arrowhead.
38 If you need to create a new arrowhead style, click Duplicate, name the style, and specify the properties.
39 Click OK.
Modify Dimension Styles
40 On the Settings menu, click Annotations ➤ Dimensions ➤ Linear.

Linear, angular, and radial dimensions are modified separately.
41 Select the Type drop-down list, and notice the list of existing linear dimension styles.
To see the details of a particular style, select it from this list.
42 Modify the properties of existing linear dimension styles if necessary.
43 Click Rename if you want to rename an existing style.
44 If you need to create a new linear dimension style, click Duplicate, name the style, and specify the properties.
45 Click OK.
46 Repeat the previous five steps for angular and radial dimensions.
■ On the Settings menu, click Annotations ➤ Dimensions ➤ Angular.
■ On the Settings menu, click Annotations ➤ Dimensions ➤ Radial.
Modify loaded tags

The tag assignments in this dialog box dictate the default tag for each category. For example, when you add a
door with the tag option selected, the door is tagged using the tag assigned to the Doors category in this dialog
box. You can override tag assignment using the Type Selector.
48 Scroll through the list of loaded tags.
Notice many categories do not have loaded tags. You can have multiple tags loaded for any category. When
more than one tag has been loaded for a category, the last loaded tag becomes the default tag. In the Tags
dialog box, you can override the assignment by selecting a different tag from the drop-down list.
49 To load new annotation tags, click Load.
50 After you have loaded the necessary tags, make sure each category is assigned the desired tag, and click OK.
Specify project units

52 Under Length, click Format.
53 Modify the unit settings if necessary.
54 Click OK.
55 Repeat the previous two steps for the Area, Volume, and Angle settings.
56 Specify the Slope option, and choose a decimal symbol.
57 Click OK.

Specify temporary dimensions
58 On the Settings menu, click Temporary Dimensions.

59 Under Walls, specify where you want the temporary dimensions to measure from by default.
TIP In the drawing area, you can modify the location of temporary dimension witness lines.
60 Under Doors and Windows, specify the default location for temporary dimensions.
61 Click OK.
Specify detail levels
62 On the Settings menu, click Detail Level.

When you create a new view, the detail level of that view is automatically assigned using this table. The detail
level is based on view scale. You can override the detail level at any time by specifying the Detail Level parameter
in the View Properties command.
View scales are organized under the detail level headings Coarse, Medium, or Fine. Using the arrows between
the columns, you can move view scales from one detail level to another.
63 Review the table, and move view scales as needed.
NOTE You cannot select specific scales in this dialog box. To move the view scales, click the arrows between columns.
The view scales move from the lower-left to the upper-right and vice-versa.
64 Click OK.
Modify project browser organization

In a typical project, you often produce multiple packages of related drawings. These views and sheets can
become so numerous that navigating a lengthy Project Browser list can be cumbersome. In order to organize
the views and sheets into sets of deliverables, you can use the Project Browser settings to instantly modify the
grouping and sorting within the Project Browser. If you routinely create the same documentation sets, you
may want to modify the browser organization settings within the template.
RELATED For more information on modifying browser organization, see Modifying Project Browser Organization.
66 In the Browser Organization dialog box, click the Views tab.

67 Delete, Rename, or Edit existing organization types.
68 If necessary, create new browser organization types.
69 Click the Sheets tab.
70 Delete, Rename, or Edit existing organization types.
71 If necessary, create new browser organization types.
72 Click OK.
Additional project settings
73 On the Settings menu, there are several additional commands that control the project environment. Although
these settings can be saved within a template, you should consider each carefully before applying changes to
a template.
For example, you can save rendered scene settings to a template. However, you may only want to add generically
named settings that would be applicable to most projects. In such a case, you must decide if the time investment
is offset later by the reduction in repetitive work.

Each of these areas are covered later in this lesson or in other tutorials. Use the table below as a checklist, and
make modifications in each area as necessary. Links to associated tutorials are provided. You can find additional
information in Help. Each command is available on the Settings menu.
Settings Menu Associated Tutorial Considerations

Command
Project Parameters This command is covered in an exercise If necessary, you can add project (and shared)
later in this lesson. See Setting up Shared parameters to a template. This could be useful for
and Project Parameters. things such as hardware, furniture, or electrical
fixtures.
Phases Project Phasing If necessary, you can set up the phases, phase filters,
and graphic overrides applicable to most projects.
Area Settings Area Analysis If necessary, you can create and modify area schemes
if there are default settings applicable to most projects.
View Templates This command is covered in an exercise Create and modify the view templates to control the
later in this lesson. See Modifying Views appearance of default views.
and View Templates.
Render Scene This command is covered in an exercise If necessary, you can create scene settings and save
later in this lesson. See Modifying Render them to the template.
Scene Settings
Site Settings Modifying Contour Visibility and Site If necessary, you can set the default contour line
Settings interval, the section cut material, and the poche depth.
74 Proceed to the next exercise, Loading and Modifying Families and Groups.
Loading and Modifying Families and Groups

In this exercise, you load and modify families or groups into the template started in the previous exercise. If you
have not completed the previous exercise, do so before starting this exercise. Depending on the intended use of
this template, you may want to load families into the template to save time later or ensure consistency throughout
the office. You can load any family or group into a template. Obviously, you should only load components that
tend to be used in every project and are not likely to change. For example, you could load detail components,
titleblocks, and electrical fixtures. You may want to modify wall types to add a more diverse selection within the
template. Although the options are endless, there are some important thoughts to consider.
It is important to understand that you should not load every conceivable family into a template file. Although this
is possible, it is not recommended because it would increase the file size significantly before the first component
was added to the project. In addition, each component loaded will add to the length of the relative Type Selector
list. For example, if you loaded every window type you could find, you would have to scroll through a lengthy list
of windows every time you changed a window within a project. This would be cumbersome and counterproductive.
You should think very carefully about what families or groups to load and modify within a template.
Load and modify families

1 Use the project started in the previous exercise, and in the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Door.
2 In the Type Selector, notice the list of doors already loaded.
If this selection is satisfactory, you can move onto the next component type. However, you may want to delete,
modify, or add to this selection. You can do this in several ways: select a component type and click Properties,
or use the Project Browser. In the steps that follow, you do both.
3 To modify, create, or load a new door type, select from the Options Bar.
Use the instructions in the table below to load, create, or modify a door.
Goal: Steps:
Load new door type In the Element Properties dialog box, select Load. Navigate to the directory containing
the door type. Select it, and click Open.
Modify door type In the Element Properties dialog box, select Edit/New. Make modifications, and click
OK.

Goal: Steps:
Create new door type In the Element Properties dialog box, select Edit/New. Click Duplicate. Enter Name,
and click OK. Modify type properties, and click OK.
4 Click OK.
5 Repeat the process for any component type that you want to modify.
You may want to open other Design Bar tabs and make modifications to components not available on this
tab. You can also load families and groups from the File menu.
6 On the File menu, click Load from Library.
Notice that you have the option to Load Family or Load Group. Loading from the library is the quickest when
you know exactly what families you want to load. Press ESC twice to return to the template.
Use Project Browser to modify families
7 In the Project Browser, expand Families.
Notice that each family category is listed. You can use the Project Browser to modify family types.
8 Expand Annotation Symbols.
Notice that there is a titleblock symbol loaded. (The titleblock name may vary depending on the template you
started with.)
9 Expand the titleblock, and select the titleblock type.

11 Click <<Preview.
This titleblock is currently part of the template. Notice it has Revit Building in the upper-right corner. You
may want to load a titleblock applicable to your office and then delete this titleblock.
To load a titleblock, click Load.
RELATED For more information, see Creating a Titleblock Family.
12 Click OK.
You can use the Project Browser to delete a component from the project/template. To do so, right-click the
component, and click Delete.
13 Using any of the techniques learned in previous steps, load, create, or modify any component families or
groups as necessary.
14 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Views and View Templates.
Modifying Views and View Templates

At the beginning of this lesson, you created new projects using different templates, and you noticed that each
template had a unique set of predefined views. In this exercise, you create the views required for your template. In
addition, you create and apply the underlying view templates that control their initial appearance.
View templates help standardize the look of all views by providing the initial settings for a view. In addition, you
can apply a template to an existing view at any time using the Apply View Template command. The view inherits
view properties such as View Scale, View Range, Discipline, Detail Level, and the visibility settings of categories
and subcategories. In this exercise, you will first modify view templates, and then create new views that will
automatically use those templates.
Create and modify view templates

1 On the Settings menu, click View Templates.
2 Select Architectural Plan for Name.
These settings are applied when you create a new plan view by adding a new level. At any time, you can apply
a view template to any view. These values represent the starting point for each plan view.

By modifying the view templates according to your specific needs, you reduce rework and increase consistency
across projects.
3 Specify each value according to your needs. Keep in mind that these settings are the default settings for this
view type.
4 If necessary, rename or duplicate the view template and make modifications.
5 Repeat the steps above for each of the view templates in the Name drop-down list.
6 Click OK.
Apply view templates
7 In the Project Browser, expand Views, expand Floor Plans, and double-click Level 1.
8 On the View menu, click Apply View Template.
Applying a view template to a view is a one-time action. Upon the application of the view template, the view
properties of the target view are instantly reset to match those of the template. After applying the template,
the view is not linked to the template in any way. Subsequent modifications to the view template do not affect
any current views unless you reapply the view template. There is no limit to the number of times you can
apply a view template to a view. In addition, there is no limit to the number of view templates that you can
apply.
9 Select the Architectural Plan template.
10 Select Apply automatically to new views of same type.
This options means that every time a new plan view is created, it will use this view template to set the initial
view properties.
11 Click Apply, and click OK.
14 Select the Architectural Plan template, click Apply, and click OK.
17 If you made modifications to the Site Plan template, select Site Plan, click Apply, and then click OK.
NOTE Do not select Apply automatically to new views of same type. This would result in the Site Plan view template
becoming the default template for all new plan views.
18 If you modified any other view templates, open the view from the Project Browser, and apply the appropriate
template.
Create and modify views
19 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click South.

Notice the level names. Blue level heads have associated plan views. Black level heads have no associated views.
20 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, review the existing floor plans.
21 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, right-click Level 1, and, in the context menu, notice that you have
the option to rename, duplicate, or delete this view.
If necessary, you can rename this view according to your preference. You can also duplicate or delete the view.
22 In the Project Browser, review the floor plans, ceiling plans, and elevations. Rename, duplicate, or delete them
as needed.
23 To add additional levels to the template, click Level from the Basics tab of the Design Bar.
Make sure you are still in the South Elevation view.
24 In the Options Bar, select Make Plan View.
25 Add the new level within the elevation view.
The associated floor plan will use the Architectural Plan view template to set its initial view properties.
26 Rename and reposition the level as needed.
27 Recreate additional levels as needed.

Create 3D views
28 To add 3D views to the template, click on the View toolbar.

29 In the Project Browser, expand 3D Views.
30 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, right-click {3D}, and select Rename.
31 Rename the 3D View.
If necessary, you may want to modify the view properties of any new views. To do so, go to the View menu,
and click View Properties.
32 To create additional 3D views, click on the View toolbar.

You can use this tool, Dynamically Modify View, to orient and save the view.
34 Click the arrow on the right side of the Dynamic View dialog box.
35 You can use Orient to a Direction or Orient to a View to set the camera location and target.
36 To save the view, click , supply a view name, and click OK.
The view is listed in the Project Browser under Views ➤ 3D Views.
Create and modify schedules

You can add schedules to a template. You may want to consider adding the schedules that you use most often,
and modify their properties accordingly. This can save significant time and ensure office standards are
maintained.
38 If you want to add schedules to your template, select the category type, and click OK.
39 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, make the following modifications as needed:
■ On the Fields tab, select and order required fields.
■ On the Filter tab, assign filters.
■ On the Sorting/Grouping tab, modify settings as needed.
■ On the Formatting tab, modify settings as needed.
■ On the Appearance tab, modify settings as needed.
40 Click OK.
41 Repeat the steps above for each schedule type you add to the template.
Add sheets to the template

You are prompted to select a titleblock. If you have already loaded your office titleblocks into the template,
select one, and click OK.

TIP You can add sheets to the template and delete the titleblock. To do so, select the default titleblock, and click
OK. After the sheet is created, select the titleblock and delete it. You can still add views to the sheet. To later add a
titleblock to a sheet, go to the View menu, and click New ➤ Place Titleblock.
43 Add views to the sheet by selecting Add View from the View tab of the Design Bar.
TIP You can drag and drop views directly from the Project Browser onto the sheet.
44 To rename or renumber the sheet, right-click the sheet in the Project Browser, and click Rename.
45 Create new sheets as needed.
Subsequent sheets are numbered consecutively based on the previous sheet.
46 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Render Scene Settings.
Modifying Render Scene Settings

You can create interior and exterior scene settings and save them within the template. By adding a default interior
and exterior rendered scene setting to the template, you could render basic scenes much faster and with greater
consistency without the need to spend time modifying these settings.
Create and modify an exterior scene

1 On the Settings menu, click Render Scene.
2 Under Type, select Exterior, and provide a name for the scene; for example, exterior-default.
3 Click OK.
5 Specify the background color.
■ Automatic Sky: Treats the background as a sky, and changes the color automatically depending on the
sun and sky conditions.
■ Solid Color: Specifies a single color that appears behind your rendering.
■ 2 Color Gradient: Lets you vary the color between two selected colors.
■ 3 Color Gradient: Lets you vary the color between three selected colors.
6 Specify the Advanced features:
TIP As you select options, the relevant tab appears; for example, select the Clouds option, and a Clouds tab appears.
■ Background Image: Lets you map images to your background. Choose from bitmap, tiff, jpeg, or targa.
Background images are available from the AccuRender software, which is included on the Revit Building
CD. Be sure that you have installed this software; if not, you can install AccuRender by running the install
program on the Revit Building CD.
■ Clouds: Adds procedurally generated clouds to the background.
■ Haze: Simulates effects from slight “depth cues” to dense fog.
■ Ground Plane: Adds an infinite plane to your rendering.
■ Alpha Channel: Lets you use the image's alpha channel (embedded pixel-by-pixel masking information),
if one exists.
You can also save and load environmental settings.
7 Click OK.
8 Under Scene Settings, click Sun.
9 Specify the date and time, place, settings, and colors, and then click OK.
10 Under Plant Season, choose the appropriate season for plant rendering.
Different seasons directly affect any AccuRender plants in the view; for example, a deciduous tree in summer
appears in full bloom with leaves, while in winter, it is completely bare.

11 Specify Culling options:
■ Select Back Face Culling to eliminate rendering on model faces that do not face the camera eye. This works
on opaque faces only. AccuRender always processes transparent faces. Back face culling decreases rendering
time and space; however, the quality also is lower.
■ Select View Culling to eliminate rendering model faces that lie outside the area being raytraced. This setting
is effective for region raytraces.
12 Specify the Radiosity Settings:

■ Select Quality: Click the Quality drop-down list to choose an option: Draft, Medium, Good, Better, Best.
Radiosity quality affects the relative coarseness of the mesh and the amount of time to process the solution.
Setting the quality to Better or Best reduces meshing artifacts, such as jaggy shadows or light leaks, but
also increases the solution time.
■ Specify the Solution Goal: This limits the radiosity calculation to a certain number of steps. This value is
used both for the initial number of steps when you first use the Radiate command and for any subsequent
calculation by clicking Continue from the Options Bar.
■ Specify the Color Bleeding value: This controls the color saturation of reflected light. Higher values cause
the color of reflected light to more closely approximate the color of the reflecting surface. Meaningful
values are between 0 and 1.
13 Specify Raytrace Settings:

■ Select Quality: Click the Quality drop-down list to choose an antialiasing option: Draft, Medium, Good,
Better, Best.
Antialiasing is a process in which more than one ray is shot for each pixel in an attempt to better resolve
the value of the pixel. Increasing the antialiasing level adds considerable rendering time. Draft provides
the lowest quality and fastest speed. Best is the slowest, but provides the highest quality.
■ Set values for Reflection and Transparency bounces.
The number of bounces determines how many levels of reflections or transparencies are permitted. Higher
values cause longer rendering times.
■ Select Soft Shadows to produce more realistic shadow edges. Shadows based on the size of the light source
are calculated.
■ Select Blurry Reflections to affect the look of reflections in glass.
■ Select Blurry Transparency to affect the look of material seen behind glass.
■ Select Recalc Radiosity Lights to recalculate the shadows cast during the radiosity preprocess. This is a very
time consuming operation but, when used in conjunction with high antialiasing and soft shadows it can
produce very high quality renderings with fewer radiosity artifacts.
Create and modify an interior scene
14 In the Render Scene Settings dialog box, click New.

15 Provide a name for the new interior scene, for example Interior - Default, and click OK.
16 Repeat the steps you performed when creating an exterior scene.
These scenes are now part of the template and will provide users with two basic rendering scenes.
18 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Import/Export Settings.
Modifying Import/Export Settings

In this exercise, you modify the export layer settings for DWG/DXF and DGN. You then set the import line weights
for DWG/DXF. When you import a DWG or DXF file, each layer in the file is assigned a line weight based on the
pen number/line weight settings you created.
Modify export layers for DWG and DXF

1 On the File menu, click Import/Export Settings ➤ Export Layers DWG/DXF.

The Export Layers command maps Revit Building categories and subcategories to specific layer names that are
available after exporting to other CAD programs. Revit Building presets the layer names to American Institute
of Architects (AIA) industry standards. The layer names are stored in a text file (either exportlayers.txt for
AutoCAD or exportlayersdgn.txt for MicroStation), and then are exported along with your project into the
appropriate CAD program. The layer mapping files reside in the Data folder of the Revit Building program
installation directory.
TIP Color ID in the Export Layers dialog box corresponds to an AutoCAD or MicroStation color ID. Layer name
corresponds to level name for MicroStation.
2 For each category, specify the following:

■ Projection Layer Name and Color ID
■ Cut Layer Name and Color ID
3 If you modified the settings in this dialog, select Save As, name the file, and click Save.
Modify export layers for DGN
4 On the File menu, click Import/Export Settings ➤ Export Layers DGN.

5 For each category, specify the following:
■ Projection Level Number and Color ID
■ Cut Level Number and Color ID
6 If you modified the settings in this dialog, select Save As, name the file, and click Save.
Modify import line weights
7 On the File menu, click Import/Export Settings ➤ Import Line Weights DWG/DXF.

You can import pen numbers from a DWG or DXF file and map them to a Revit Building line weight. You can
save these mappings to a text file, and they become the set mappings for the project. These settings are retained
within the project template; therefore, you do not need to worry about where the text file is saved.
8 In the dialog box, match the pen (DWG/DXF Color Number) to the appropriate line weight, for example, Pen
Number 1 to Line Weight Number 1, Pen Number 2 to Line Weight Number 2, and so on. Set as many pen-line
weight mappings as desired.
9 Select Save As, name the file, and click Save.
When you import a DWG or DXF file, each layer in the file is assigned a line weight based on the pen
number/line weight settings you created.
10 Proceed to the next exercise, Setting up Shared and Project Parameters.
Setting up Shared and Project Parameters

In this exercise, you continue the refinement of the template by setting up shared parameters, project parameters,
and related multi-category tags and schedules.
Using Shared Parameters, you can define additional parameters that are not included in either the pre-defined
instance and type parameters within family components or within the project template. You can add these shared
parameters to any family regardless of category. Their definitions are stored in an external file ensuring consistency
across families and projects. Their values may also be aggregated and reported using multi-category schedules. For
example, you could use Shared Parameters to add specific parameters to an existing family component for scheduling
and tagging when those parameters are not initially present by default.
Project Parameters are those parameters (either instance or type) that are used within a single project for the purposes
of scheduling information specific to that project. They cannot be shared with other projects, and they cannot be
used to tag objects (as with Shared Parameters).
Multi-Category Tags employ Shared Parameters to permit tagging of any family component regardless of category.
When scheduling, you normally schedule a single category: rooms, doors, windows, and so on. When you create
a multi-category schedule, it lists components regardless of category by using an external parameter as a filter.
In this exercise, detailed instructions are not supplied since each office has a unique set of needs. If you are unfamiliar
with shared parameters, project parameters, and the creation of multi-category tags and schedules, see Scheduling
Shared Parameters or Scheduling Project Parameters. If you do not need to make changes to shared or project
parameters, you can skip this exercise and move onto the last exercise of this lesson, Creating Named Print Settings.

Set up shared parameters
1 On the File menu, click Shared Parameters.
NOTE This procedure is for creating a new shared parameter file. If a file already exists, you can browse to that file
and modify it as needed.
2 Click Create.
This allows you to name the external parameter file. If this template will be used by multiple people within
an office, you may want to save the file to a network location.
3 Name and save the file.
After the file is named, you can begin creating parameter groups.
4 In the Edit Shared Parameters dialog box, under Groups, click New.
5 Enter the group name, and click OK.
6 Create as many groups as needed.
For each parameter group, you can create a list of parameters.
7 Under Parameter group, select a group that you want to add parameters to.
8 Under Parameters, click New.
9 Name the Parameter, and specify the Type.
10 Click OK.
11 For each parameter group, add required parameters.
12 Click OK when you have finished creating shared parameters.
Set up project parameters
13 On the Settings menu, click Project Parameters.

14 Click Add.
15 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, select Project parameter.
16 Under Name, enter a parameter name.
17 Under Discipline, select a parameter discipline type.
18 Under Type, select a parameter value type.
19 Choose whether the parameter is stored by instance or type.
20 Select the element categories this parameter applies to.
21 Click OK.
22 Add project parameters as needed.
23 To add a shared project parameter, click Add, and select Shared Parameter.
24 Click Select, and choose a shared parameter.
25 Click OK.
26 Choose whether you want the shared parameter to be an instance or a type parameter, and assign which
categories this parameter applies to.
27 Click OK.
28 Add shared project parameters as needed, and click OK when finished.
Create and load multi-category tags
29 Create required multi-category tags in the Family Editor.

For information on creating multi-category tags, see the tutorial referenced in the introduction of this exercise,
or use the Help documentation for assistance.
After you have created the multi-category tags within the Family Editor, you can load them into the template.
30 On the File menu, click Load from Library ➤ Load Family.
31 Navigate to the directory, select the tag, and click Open.
The tag is now part of the template.

Create multi-category schedules

33 Select <Multi-Category> for Category.
34 Under Name, enter a name for the schedule, and click OK.
35 Create the schedule as you did in the previous exercise.
Notice that the shared parameters created in previous steps are available within the list of available fields.
36 When you have completed the schedule, click OK.
37 Create additional multi-category schedules as needed.
38 Proceed to the final exercise, Creating Named Print Settings.
Creating Named Print Settings

In this exercise, you create named print settings, save the file as a template, and make it your default template file.
Depending on your office environment, you may find it beneficial to add named print settings to the template.
This is especially true if you have numerous printers in a large networked office. For each printer, you can set
options such as sheet sizes, paper placement, and the percent of actual size. You can also create named settings for
printing to DWF and to a PDF writer. By creating named settings within the template, you need only select a setting,
make minor modifications if necessary, and print.
Create named print settings

1 On the File menu, click Print.
By going first to the Print command, you can select the printer for each set of named settings within the Print
Setup dialog box.
2 Under Name, select the first printer for which you want to create named settings.
3 Under Settings, click Setup.
4 Click Save As.
5 In the New dialog box, enter a name for the print setting and click OK.
6 Modify the printer settings.
7 If you want to have multiple settings for this printer, click New, and create additional settings as needed.
8 Click OK when you have finished creating named settings for this printer.
9 In the Print dialog box, select a different printer, click Setup, and create new settings for this printer.
10 Repeat these steps as needed.
TIP You can also create named settings for your DWF and PDF writer.

Your template is complete. The only remaining task is to save it.
Save the template

13 Navigate to the directory where you want to save the template.
If you need to share this file with others, you should save it to a network path.
14 Under Save as type, select Template Files (*.rte).
15 Name the template, and click Save.

Use the template
16 To use the template, go to the File menu, and click New ➤ Project.
17 Select Browse, and navigate to the location where you saved the template.
18 Select the template, and click Open.
19 Click OK.
The changes you made to the template are now the starting point for this project.
You can also set this template as your default template.
Set the template as your default template file

21 Click the File Locations tab.
22 Next to Default template file, click Browse.
23 Navigate to the template location, select it, and click Open.
24 Click OK.
TIP There are other ways you can create a template. If you have a project, you could delete the model geometry
and save the empty project as a template file. This can provide a good starting point for a template. In addition, you
can use the Transfer Project Standards tool to move standards from one project to another.
In this lesson, you modified settings, loaded components, and saved them to a template. By investing the time to
individualize your template, you ensure that office standards are maintained. In addition, you significantly reduce
the amount of repetitive work that would be done by each employee for each project.

Ceilings
4
In this tutorial, you learn how to create automatic ceilings in Revit Building. You learn how to add ceilings
by selecting room boundaries to automatically place the type of ceiling that you select. You also learn how to
change the surface pattern of a ceiling grid, and how to create a compound ceiling.
You can also create ceilings by sketching them. For more information, see the online Help.
153
Creating Ceilings
In this lesson, you learn how to create ceilings with the AutoCeiling command. You can create automatic ceilings
in an RCP (reflected ceiling plan) view of the building model. After you add ceilings to the model, you can change
the surface pattern of the ceiling grids. You also learn how to create and add a compound ceiling to the building
model.
Creating Automatic Ceilings

In this exercise, you learn how to add ceilings to an RCP view of a simple building model. You add four different
types of ceilings, and then change the surface pattern of one of the ceiling grids.
Dataset
■ Open c_Ceiling.rvt located in the Common folder.
Create automatic ceilings

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Ceiling Plans, and double-click Level 1.
2 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Ceiling.

3 In the Type Selector, select Basic Ceiling : 600 x 1200mm grid.
4 Move your cursor into the upper center room and, when the room boundary highlights, select it.
The ceiling is displayed.
154 | Chapter 4 Ceilings

5 Select the lower center room and, when the room boundary highlights, select it.
6 In the Type Selector, select Basic Ceiling : 600 x 600mm grid.

7 Select the room on the left and the room on the right.
Change the ceiling grid surface pattern of room on the left

9 Select the 600 x 600mm ceiling grid located in the room on the left.
NOTE You select one of the grids or the entire ceiling using the TAB key. When selected, it displays in the Type
Selector.

13 In the Name dialog box, enter Wood Diagonal Strips 150mm, and click OK.
14 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Materials and Finishes, click in the Material type parameter Value
field, and then click .
15 In the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Finishes - Interior - Wood Diagonal Strips 150mm, and click
OK.
The new ceiling material is applied to the ceiling.
Creating Ceilings | 155

18 If you want to save your changes, on the File menu, click Save As, and save the exercise file with a unique
name. Close the exercise file without saving your changes.
Creating Compound Ceilings

In this exercise, you learn how to create a compound ceiling. You create a new ceiling type, add layers of material
to the ceiling type, and then add the ceiling to the building model.
Dataset
■ Open c_Condominium.rvt located in the Common folder.
Create a new ceiling type

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Ceiling Plans, and double-click First Floor.
NOTE This common dataset is used in several imperial and metric datasets. The original project units are imperial.
In the steps that follow, you change the project to Metric.

Specify metric project units

3 In the Project Units dialog box, click the format button for length.
4 In the Format dialog box, specify Millimeters for units, and click OK.
5 In the Project Units dialog box, click OK.
6 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Ceiling.
7 In the Type Selector, select Compound Ceiling: Ceiling 1.

11 In the Name dialog box, enter Gypsum board on metal furring, and click OK.
12 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, click Edit for the Structure type parameter value.
13 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, click Preview to display the current layers.
14 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Layers, click Insert twice to add two new layers.
15 Define the five layers as follows and in the following order:
■ Layer 1: Core Boundary
■ Layer 2: Structure [1], under Material, select Metal - Cold Rolled Channel, under Thickness, enter 45 mm
■ Layer 3: Structure [1], under Material, select Metal - Furring, under Thickness, enter 20 mm
■ Layer 4: Core Boundary
■ Layer 5: Structure [1], under Material, select Finishes - Interior - Gypsum Wall Board, under Thickness,
enter 12 mm
16 Click OK.
Add the compound ceiling
19 Move your cursor into the common area of the model and click to insert the Gypsum board on metal furring
channels ceiling.
Creating Ceilings | 157

View the compound ceiling in a section view
20 In the Project Browser under Views (all), expand Sections (Type 1), and double-click Section 1.
21 On the View Control Bar, click the Detail Level control, and click Fine.
22 The compound ceiling is visible in the section view of the first floor.
TIP You can use the zoom commands to zoom into the ceiling. You can also apply thin lines from the View menu.
name. Close the exercise file without saving your changes.

Openings
5
You can cut openings through roofs, floors, or ceilings using the Opening command. When creating a hosted
opening, you have the option to cut perpendicularly through the face of a roof, floor, or ceiling. You can cut
vertically through a selected floor, roof, or ceiling, and you can create an opening in a roof specifically for a
dormer.
In the exercises that follow, you cut floor and ceiling openings that expose the stairs beneath them. In addition,
you create an opening for an existing dormer and cut two openings in the roof in order to visualize the
difference between a perpendicular and a vertical cut.
159
Cutting Roof Openings
In this lesson, you create an opening for an existing dormer and cut two openings in the roof in order to visualize
the difference between a perpendicular and vertical cut.
Cutting a Dormer Opening in a Roof

In this exercise, you cut an opening in a roof with an existing dormer. To use the Opening tool to cut a dormer
opening, the project must have an existing dormer, and you should create a view where you can see the dormer
geometry. In this case, the view range of a wireframe view was modified to display the entire dormer roof. This
allows you to precisely define the borders of the opening.
Dataset
■ Open the file m_Cutting_Openings.rvt located in the Metric folder.
View current dormer construction

1 In the current 3D View, notice the existing dormer.
160 | Chapter 5 Openings

2 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click Attic View.
This is an interior 3D view. The camera is located in the attic and is pointing to the dormer interior.
Notice no opening exists in the roof for the dormer. The dormer windows are above the roof so they do not
display. You need to cut an opening in the roof to accommodate the dormer.
3 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Roof - Dormer.
This view has been set up specifically for the dormer. The view range was modified so the cut plane captured
the entire dormer. The display is wireframe so each dormer component can be seen and selected when defining
the borders of the opening.
Create the dormer opening
NOTE If the Modelling tab of the Design Bar is not active, right-click the Design Bar, and click Modelling.
5 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select Pick a roof to be cut by a dormer opening, and click OK.
6 Move the cursor over the main roof, and, when the edges of the roof highlight, click to select it.
WARNING Do not select the dormer roof. Select the main roof to be cut.
Cutting Roof Openings | 161

Next, you define the boundary of the dormer opening. Valid boundaries are a joined roof or its bottom face,
a side face of a wall, a bottom face of a floor, an edge of the roof to be cut, or a model line on the face of the
roof to be cut.
7 Place the cursor over the dormer, and, when it highlights, select it.
Sketch lines display along the border between the dormer roof and the selected roof.
8 Zoom in around the dormer, and select the exterior face of the three walls that define the dormer.

Notice the sketch lines overlap in places, and the horizontal line on the bottom dormer wall does not extend
to the corners. Although the overlapping lines are not a problem, the gaps in the bottom sketch line need to
be closed.
10 Select the lower sketch line, and notice the drag controls on each end.
11 Drag each control to the corner until it intersects with the vertical sketch line on that side.
12 On the Design Bar, click Finish Boundary.

13 Zoom out to see the entire plan view.
14 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click Attic View.
The dormer opening in the roof is apparent.

NOTE If you want to save this file, select Save As from the File menu.
Creating a Perpendicular Roof Opening

In this exercise, you create a roof opening that is perpendicular to the roof face.
Dataset
Create a perpendicular opening

2 Using the spin function, spin the model around so that you can see the side of the roof without the dormer.

TIP If the Modelling tab of the Design Bar is not active, right-click the Design Bar, and click Modelling.
5 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select Pick a face of a roof, floor, or ceiling and cut perpendicular
to face, and click OK.
In the following illustration, the opening on the left is cut perpendicular to the face. The opening on the right
is cut vertically.
6 Move the cursor over the exterior face of the main roof, which is the side of the roof without a dormer, and,
when it highlights, select it.

8 Sketch a rectangle in the center of the roof.

10 Place the cursor over the edge of the opening, and, when it highlights, select it.

The opening is an element independent of the roof. You can move it, dimension it, and constrain it like any
other element.
11 On the Options Bar, notice the tool displays.
If you want to modify the shape of the sketch, click , change the shape, and click Finish Sketch.
Creating a Vertical Roof Opening

In this exercise, you create a roof opening that is cut vertically through the roof.
Dataset
Create a vertically cut opening

2 Using the spin function, spin the model around so that you can see the side of the roof without the dormer.

5 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select Pick a roof, floor, or ceiling and cut vertically.
In the following illustration, the opening on the right is cut vertically through the face. The opening on the
left is cut perpendicular.
6 Click OK.
7 Move the cursor over the main roof, and, when it highlights, select it.

Because the cut is vertical, it is easier to sketch the boundary on a plan view.
8 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Roof - Dormer.

11 Sketch a rectangle in the center of the roof on the side without the dormer.
14 Place the cursor over the edge of the opening, and, when it highlights, select it.

The opening is an element independent of the roof. You can move it, dimension it, and constrain it like any
other element.
15 On the Options Bar, notice the tool.
If you want to modify the shape of the sketch, click , change the shape, and click Finish Sketch.
In this exercise, you created a roof opening that was cut vertically through the roof.
Creating Openings in Floors and Ceilings

In this lesson, you cut openings in a floor to accommodate a set of stairs that are already in place. The exercises in
this lesson must be done sequentially.
Cutting an Opening in a Floor

In this exercise, you cut an opening on the second level of a building model to accommodate a set of existing stairs.
Dataset
Cut a floor opening

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Sections (Filled Arrow), and double-click Section 1.

Notice that there is not an opening for the stairway in the ceiling or the floor.
When cutting a floor or ceiling for a stairway, a section view provides an excellent vantage point to select faces
or planes to cut.
Before cutting the floor opening, you add a reference plane to mark the stair head height. This is useful when
sketching the opening in a plan view.
Adding a reference plane is a two-click process. The first click specifies the start point, and the second click
specifies the end of the plane.
3 Add a vertical reference plane similar to the following illustration. The length of the plane does not have to
be precise. However, make sure that the plane intersects the fifth stair tread from the bottom, and the level 1
and 2 lines.
OK.
In the following illustration, the opening on the right is cut vertically through the face. The opening on the
left is cut perpendicular to the face.
Creating Openings in Floors and Ceilings | 171

6 Select the floor on Level 2.
You are prompted to select a view.
7 In the Go To View dialog box, select Floor Plan: Level 2, and click Open View.
8 On the View Control bar, click Model Graphics Style, and click Wireframe.

11 Zoom in around the upper right corner where the stairs are located.
12 Sketch a rectangle that borders the interior face of the wall, the stairs, and the reference plane you added
previously.

14 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Sections (Filled Arrow), double-click Section 1.
Notice the new floor opening.
NOTE The next exercise requires this project in its current state. If you intend to complete the next exercise, do so now.
Otherwise, you may close the project with or without saving it.

Cutting an Opening in a Ceiling
In this exercise, you cut a ceiling opening for the stairwell.
Dataset
Continue using the dataset you were using in the previous exercise.
Cut a ceiling opening.

OK.
3 Select the ceiling below level 2.
4 In the Go To View dialog box, select Reflected Ceiling Plan: Level 1, and click Open View.

6 Sketch a rectangle that borders the reference plane, the interior face of the wall, and the right and lower border
of the stairs and floor you added in the previous exercise. Use the following illustration as a guide.

Notice the new ceiling opening.

9 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, double-click Level 1 Interior View.

Cutting an Opening Using the Shaft Tool

In this exercise, you cut an opening through several levels of a building model to accommodate a set of existing
stairs and to account for the possibility of extending the stairs up another level.
Dataset
Add a reference plane

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Sections (Filled Arrow), and double-click Section 1.
Notice that there is not an opening for the stairway in the ceiling or the floor.
When using the shaft tool to cut an opening, you must sketch in a plan view. Before cutting the opening,
however, you add a reference plane to mark the stair head height.
Adding a reference plane is a two-click process. The first click specifies the start point, and the second click
specifies the end of the plane.
3 Add a vertical reference plane similar to the following illustration. The length of the plane does not have to
be precise. However, make sure that the plane intersects the fifth stair tread from the bottom, and the level 1
and 2 lines.

5 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select Create shaft opening, and click OK.
7 On the View Control bar, click Model Graphics Style, and click Wireframe.

10 Zoom in around the upper right corner where the stairs are located.
11 Sketch a rectangle that borders the interior face of the wall, the stairs, and the reference plane you added
previously.
12 On the Design Bar, click Properties.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, specify the following parameters:
■ Select Level 1 for Base Constraint.
If you selected level 2 for the base constraint, the ceiling of level 1 would remain intact.
■ Enter 3400 for Base Offset.
Entering a value for base offset ensures that the shaft opening does not cut through the floor at level 1,
but does cut the ceiling of level 1.
■ Select Up to level: Roof for Top Constraint.
This accounts for the possibility of extending the existing stairs up another level.
14 Click OK.

Notice the shaft opening that cuts through several levels. Using the shaft tool, you can cut a single opening
through every floor, ceiling, and roof that interferes with the defined volume of the opening.
NOTE You may close the project with or without saving it.

Railings
6
In this tutorial, you learn how to create a railing and customize it using design information for rails, balusters,
posts, and panels.
177
Creating Railings
In this lesson, you learn how to create and place a railing using design information such as the shape and finish
material of the rails. You also learn how to use a pattern editor to place balusters and posts and how to customize
the railing with additional components, such as panels, between the balusters.
Creating the Railing Layout

In this exercise, you create a railing and add components to it. Before you lay out the railing, you need to load
railing components from the library provided in the drawing template.
The railing layout in this exercise is based on these custom components.
Open five component families

2 In the New Project dialog box, verify that DefaultMetric.rte is selected as the Template file from the Metric
Templates folder, Project is selected under Create new, and click OK.
4 In the Open dialog box, navigate to Metric Library/Balusters, press the CTRL key, select M_Baluster - Custom3.rfa,
M_Baluster - Custom4.rfa, M_Baluster Panel 1.rfa, M_Post - Newel.rfa , and M_Post - Square w Ball.rfa, and click
Open.
Sketch a plan view of two railing lines
5 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Railing.

7 On the Options Bar, select Chain.
8 Draw a 4300 mm vertical line from bottom to top as shown. Make certain that you draw the line from bottom
to top because these starting and ending points are used to justify the railing later.
178 | Chapter 6 Railings

9 Draw a second 4300 mm line at an angle of 37 degrees as shown.
TIP You may need to zoom in until the angular dimension increments by a single degree.
Specify the railing parameters
10 On the Design Bar, click Railing Properties.

13 In the Name dialog box, enter Railing with Glass Panel for Name, and click OK.
14 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Edit for Rail Structure.
15 In the Edit Rails dialog box, click Insert, and then do the following:
■ In row 1, enter Top for Name.
■ In row 2, enter Bottom for Name.
■ In row 2, enter 300 mm for Height.
■ In row 2, enter -25 mm for Offset.
■ In row 2, select M_Rectangular Handrail : 50 x 50 mm for Profile.
16 In row 1, click in the Material field, and then click .

17 In the Materials dialog box, select Metal - Paint Finish - Dark Gray, Matte for Name, and click OK.
18 In the Edit Rails dialog box, in row 2, click in the Material field, and then click .
19 In the Materials dialog box, select Metal - Paint Finish - Dark Gray, Matte for Name, and click OK.
Creating Railings | 179

20 In the Edit Rails dialog box, click OK.
21 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, click Edit for Baluster Placement.
Lay out the main baluster pattern
22 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, click on row 2, and then click Duplicate.
A new row is displayed.
23 In row 2, do the following:
■ Select M_Baluster - Custom 3 : 25mm for Baluster Family.
■ Select Bottom for Base.
■ Enter 380 mm for Dist. from previous.

■ Enter Glass Panel for Name.
■ Select M_Baluster Panel 1: 600mm - Glass for Baluster Family.
■ Select Bottom for Base.
■ Enter 380 mm for Dist. from previous.
25 In row 4, enter 230 mm for Dist. from previous.

26 Select Beginning for Justify.
Lay out the post pattern
27 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Posts, in row 1, select M_Post- Newel : 150mm for Baluster
Family and enter 0 mm for Space.
28 In row 2, select M_Post - Square w Ball : 60mm for Baluster Family and enter 50 mm for Top offset.
29 In row 3, select M_Post- Newel : 150mm for Baluster Family and enter 0 mm for Space.
32 On the Toolbar, click .

33 On the View menu, click Shading with Edges.
34 On the File menu, click Save As and save the exercise file as Training_Railing.rvt.
IMPORTANT Completing this tutorial is required to successfully complete some exercises in the tutorial on Stairs.
35 Proceed to the next exercise, Adjusting Railing Parameters.
Adjusting Railing Parameters

In this exercise, you change the pattern of balusters and posts with the pattern editor to show different design
options for the railing.

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, Training_Railing.rvt.
View the beginning justification option

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Elevations, and double-click East.
2 Zoom in on the left side of the railing.
The railing layout reflects the beginning justification option that you assigned in the previous exercise.
View the end justification option
3 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the railing.

7 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, select End for Justify.
The railing layout reflects the assigned end justification option.

View the center justification option

12 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, select Center for Justify.
The railing layout reflects the assigned center justification option.

View the spread pattern to fit option

17 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, select Spread Pattern To Fit for Justify.
The railing layout reflects the assigned spread pattern to fit justification option.
View the truncate pattern excess length fill option

22 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, select Beginning for Justify, and select Truncate
Pattern for Excess Length Fill.
The railing layout reflects the assigned beginning justification and truncated excess length fill options.
View the custom baluster with specified spacing excess length fill option

27 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, select M_Baluster - Custom3 : 25mm for Excess
Length Fill, and enter 150 mm for Spacing.
The railing layout reflects the assigned beginning justification, custom baluster excess length fill, and spacing
options. Observe that the balusters that occur in the excess length fill area extend below the bottom rail. You
cannot assign base top and bottom offset parameters to excess length fill balusters.
View post options

32 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, select Truncate Pattern for Excess Length Fill.
33 Under Posts, select Angles Greater Than for Corner Posts At, enter 54 degrees for Angle.

The railing layout reflects the assigned minimum angle limit for the corner post option. Since the angle is less
than 54 degrees, a corner post does not occur.
Specify the final railing layout
36 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the railing.

40 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Main pattern, do the following:
■ In row 2, enter 0 mm for Dist. from previous.
■ In row 4, enter 380 mm for Dist. from previous.
■ Select Spread Pattern To Fit for Justify.
41 Under Posts, select Each Segment End for Corner Posts At.
The railing layout reflects the assigned distance and justification options.
43 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click East.
44 On the File menu, click Save As and save the exercise file as Training_Railing.rvt.

Roofs
7
In this tutorial, you learn how to create different types of roofs in Autodesk Revit Building. In addition, you
learn how to add fascia, gutters, and soffits to the roofs that you create.
185
Creating Roofs
In this lesson, you learn to create several different types of roofs, including hip, gable, shed, and mansard roofs.
You create roofs from footprints and by extrusion: the two roof creation methods in Revit Building.
Creating an Extruded Roof

In this exercise, you create an extruded roof over a breezeway between a house and a garage.
You create the roof by sketching the top roof profile and extruding it over the length of the breezeway. Before you
can sketch the roof profile, you need to select a work plane to use as a sketching guide. You do not need to create
the work plane; a work plane named Breezeway exists for the purpose of this exercise.
Dataset
■ Open m_Roofs.rvt located in the Metric folder.
2 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof by Extrusion.

3 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Name, and then select Reference Plane : Breezeway.
4 Click OK.
5 In the Go To View dialog box, verify that Section: Section1 is selected, and then click Open View to select a
section view parallel to the work plane in which to sketch the roof.
6 In the Roof Reference Level and Offset dialog box, verify Level 3 is selected for Level, and click OK.
The section view is automatically cropped around the area where you want to sketch the roof.
186 | Chapter 7 Roofs

Before you can sketch the profile of the roof, you need to define four reference planes to help determine key
points on the profile sketch.
7 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Ref Plane.
8 Sketch the first reference plane 450 mm to the left of the left exterior breezeway wall face.
TIP Instead of trying to place the reference plane in its exact location initially, you can place it in the general location
and then zoom in and use temporary dimensions. This helps ensure that the plane is measured from the face of the
wall rather than from the wall centerline.
9 Sketch a similar reference plane 450 mm to the right of the right exterior breezeway wall face.
10 Sketch a vertical reference plane centered between the two vertical walls.
Creating Roofs | 187

11 Sketch a horizontal reference plane 450 mm below Level 2.
Next, sketch the roof profile.

12 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Lines.
14 Sketch two sloped lines to create the roof profile.
Begin the sketch at the intersection of the left vertical reference plane and the horizontal plane. Use automatic
snaps to link the chain to the reference plane intersections.
15 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch to complete the roof.
The roof is automatically extruded from the Breezeway work plane in one direction.

16 On the View toolbar, click to display the model.
Notice that the breezeway roof penetrates the house walls inappropriately.
Next, use the Join Roofs command to adjust the length of the roof and join the roof edges to the exterior walls.

18 Select the edge of the roof, and then select the exterior wall face of the garage to join the roof to the garage
wall.
Use the Join Roof command again to join the opposite end of the breezeway roof to the exterior wall of the
house that joins the breezeway.

20 Select the breezeway roof edge, press TAB, and then select the exterior face of the wall.
The roof should resemble the following illustration.
The breezeway walls still penetrate the roof, so you next attach the breezeway walls to the breezeway roof.
21 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Sections (Type 1), and double-click Section 1.
22 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Modify.
23 Select one of the breezeway walls, press CTRL, and select the second wall.

24 On the Options Bar, click Attach for Top/Base, and then verify that Attach Wall: Top is selected.
25 Select the roof to join the wall tops to the roof.
26 On the View toolbar, click to view the completed breezeway roof in the model.
27 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Gable Roof from a Footprint.
Creating a Gable Roof from a Footprint

In this exercise, you create a gable roof over a garage from a footprint.
You begin by sketching the perimeter of the roof in plan view to create the roof footprint. You use roof slope lines
to define the roof gable ends.
To complete the gable roof with the correct pitch, you set the roof slope as a property of the footprint slope lines.

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Roofs.rvt.

2 In the Go To View dialog box, verify that Floor Plan: Garage Roof is selected, and click Open View.
3 Next, sketch the roof footprint.
On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Pick Walls.
4 On the Options Bar, verify that Defines slope is selected, and enter 600 for Overhang.
5 Select the left vertical wall of the garage to define the first roof slope line. Verify that a dashed green line
displays to the left of the wall from the edge of the roof as you select the wall.
6 Select the parallel wall on the right to define the second roof slope line. Verify that a dashed green line displays
to the right of the wall from the edge of the roof as you select the wall.

8 Select the two horizontal walls to create a closed loop and complete the roof footprint.
Next, edit the properties of the two vertical slope definition lines to change the roof pitch.
9 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Modify.
10 Press CTRL, select both slope definition lines, and on the Options Bar, click .
The Element Properties dialog box is displayed. By default, the roof slope has a 750 mm rise over a 1000 mm
run.
11 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 500 mm for Rise/1000 to change the roof slope,
and click OK.
13 When you see the informational dialog box, click Yes to attach the highlighted exterior garage walls to the
roof.

14 On the View toolbar, click to view the gable roof and attached walls in the model.
15 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Roof with a Vertical Penetration from a Footprint.
Creating a Roof with a Vertical Penetration from a Footprint

In this exercise, you add a main gable roof to a house from a footprint. The roof requires an opening to accommodate
a chimney.
You begin by sketching the perimeter of the roof in plan view to create the roof footprint. After you define the
roof slope lines and complete the footprint, you sketch a closed rectangular opening around the chimney. When
you complete the roof, the opening that you sketched becomes a void in the roof.
Dataset
3 On the Options Bar, clear Defines slope, and enter 600 for Overhang.
NOTE You add the slope defining lines in a later step.
4 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Pick Walls.

5 Place the cursor over one of the exterior walls, press TAB, and then verify that a dashed green line displays to
the exterior side of the walls.

6 Click to select all the walls.
Next, sketch the chimney opening.

9 Using automatic snaps, sketch a rectangle from the upper left corner of the exterior chimney face to the lower
right corner of the exterior chimney face.
10 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom To Fit to view the entire floor plan.
Next, add new slope lines to the roof.
12 Select the uppermost horizontal line.
13 On the Options Bar, select Defines Slope.
14 Select one of the shorter line segments shown in the following illustration.
15 On the Options bar, select Defines Slope.

16 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Finish Roof.
17 When you see the informational dialog box, click Yes to attach the walls to the roof.

18 On the View toolbar, click to view the new roof in the model.
19 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Hip Roof from a Footprint.
Creating a Hip Roof from a Footprint

In this exercise, you create a hip roof over the rear of a house from a footprint.
Dataset

3 On the Options Bar, select Defines slope, and enter 600 for Overhang.
5 Select the exterior edges of the three walls that create the rear addition to the house. Verify that a dashed green
line displays on the exterior side of the wall from the edge of the roof as you select the walls.

Next, close the roof sketch. Roof sketches must create a closed loop before you can create the roof. The sketched
lines cannot overlap or intersect each other.
7 On the Options Bar, clear Defines Slope, and click .

8 Select the exterior edge of the uppermost horizontal wall of the main building, using the following illustration
for guidance.
Next, trim the extra line segments that result from the intersection of the sketch lines. You must trim these
lines to create a valid sketch.

10 On the Options Bar, verify that the Trim/Extend to Corner option is selected.
11 To trim the first line segment, select the left vertical slope definition line, and then specify a point near the
midpoint of the line that you sketched along the wall of the main building.
Make sure you select the segment on the side that you want to keep.
12 Repeat the trim procedure on the adjacent corner to create a closed loop without intersections.

Next, raise the roof 600 mm above the current level.
13 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Roof Properties.
The Element Properties dialog box is displayed.
14 Under Constraints, enter 600 for Base Offset From Level, and click OK.
17 Click to use the Dynamic View tool to view the back of the house.
Notice that the walls do not join to the roof. Use the Attach Top/Base command to join the walls to the roof.

19 Select one of the walls under the hip roof, click Attach for Top/Base on the Options Bar, and then verify that
Attach Wall: Top is selected.
20 Select the roof to join the wall top to the roof.
21 Click to use the Dynamic View tool to view the remaining walls that support the hip roof.
22 Using the same method that you used previously, join the two remaining walls to the roof. Press and hold
CTRL to select and join the two remaining walls at the same time.
Notice that the new hip roof does not properly join to the back of the house. Next, use the Join Roof command
to fix the roof.

24 Select the edge of the hip roof, and then select the edge of the main roof to join the roofs.
The properly joined roof should resemble the following illustration.
25 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Shed Roof from a Footprint.
Creating a Shed Roof from a Footprint

In this exercise, you create a shed roof over the entrance to a house from a footprint.
Dataset

4 On the Options Bar, clear Defines Slope, and enter 300 for Overhang.

5 Place the cursor over one of the exterior walls that defines the entry way, press TAB, and then click to select
all three of the entry way walls.
Verify that a green dashed line displays around the exterior side of the walls.
6 On the Options Bar, enter 0 for Overhang.

7 Select the exterior face of the main wall to close the sketch.
Next, trim the extra line segments that result from the intersection of the sketch lines. You must trim these
lines to create a valid sketch.

9 On the Options Bar, verify that the Trim/Extend to Corner option is selected.
10 To trim the first line segment, select the left vertical roof line, and then select a point near the midpoint of
the upper horizontal line you sketched earlier. Make sure you select the segment on the side that you want to
keep.
11 Repeat the trim procedure on the adjacent corner to create a closed loop without intersections.
Next, you add a slope-defining line.

12 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the lower horizontal line at the front of the roof.
13 On the Options Bar, select Defines slope.
Notice the rise value is displayed next to the slope marker.
14 Enter 500 mm for the rise value to change the roof slope, and press ENTER.
15 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Roof Properties.

16 Under Constraints, enter -600 for Base Offset From Level, and click OK.
17 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Finish Roof to complete the roof.
18 Click Yes to attach the walls to the roof.
19 Click on the View toolbar to display the model.

20 Click to use the Dynamic View tool to rotate the model.
21 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Slope Arrows to a Shed Roof.
Adding Slope Arrows to a Shed Roof

In this exercise, you add slope arrows to the shed roof.
Dataset
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click 3D.
2 Select the shed roof over the entrance of the house.
3 On the Options Bar, click to activate the roof footprint sketch.

5 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region, and zoom in around the shed roof footprint.
Before you can add slope arrows, you need to split the slope defining line into three segments. To help locate
the position of each split, you need to add two reference planes.
6 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Ref Plane.
7 On the Options Bar, click , and enter 600 for Offset.

8 Select the two vertical sketch lines. Verify that the reference planes are located inside the shed roof sketch.

10 Split the slope defining line where the reference planes intersect as shown in the following illustration.

Next, change the longest slope line segment (the middle segment) so that it no longer defines slope.
11 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the middle segment of the slope defining line.
12 On the Options Bar, clear Defines Slope.
Next, add two new slope arrows.
13 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Slope Arrow.
14 On the Options Bar, verify is selected.

15 Sketch a slope arrow from the reference plane to the midpoint of the lower horizontal roof line:
■ Select the intersection of the left vertical reference plane and the roof line to specify the location of the
slope arrow tail.
■ Move the cursor along the roof line until the midpoint displays, and then select it to specify the location
of the slope arrow head.
16 Repeat steps 13 - 15 to add the second slope arrow.

Begin the tail at the right reference plane, and move the cursor to rotate the arrow. The head should snap to
the midpoint of the line as in the previous steps.
18 Press CTRL, select both slope arrows, and click .

19 Under Constraints, select Slope for Specify.
20 Under Dimensions, enter 500 for Rise/1000, and then click OK.
21 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Finish Roof to complete the roof.
22 Click on the View toolbar to display the model.
NOTE If the front wall is separated from the roof, use the Attach Top/Base command to join the wall to the roof.
23 Proceed to the next exercise, Aligning Roof Eaves.

Aligning Roof Eaves
In this exercise, you convert the gable roof over the garage to a hip roof and use the Align Eaves tool to adjust the
eave heights. When you sketch a hip roof, the adjacent eave heights must align. When eave heights differ, you can
use the Align Eaves tool to align them.
Dataset
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Garage Roof.
2 Select the gable roof over the garage.

4 Select the two gable end lines (the lines without slope definition).
5 On the Options Bar, select Defines Slope.
6 With the two gable end lines selected, on the Options Bar, click .
7 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 800 mm for Rise/1000, and click OK.
8 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Align Eaves.
The eave lines display with a dimension. This dimension is the height of the eave measured from the sketch
plane.
9 Select the left vertical eave to use to align the eaves. When aligning eaves, you must select one eave to use to
align both eaves.
Next, select a method to align the eaves.
10 On the Options Bar, select Adjust Overhang to align the eaves by adjusting the overhang to match the eave
height of the first eave.
11 Select both the horizontal eave lines.
Notice how the overhang adjusts to match the eave height of the first eave.

name.
15 Close the exercise file without saving your changes.
16 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Mansard Roof.
Creating a Mansard Roof

In this exercise, you create a mansard roof by cutting off a hip roof at a specific level and adding another roof on
top of it.
Dataset
■ Open m_Mansard_Roof.rvt located in the Metric folder.
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Elevations, and double-click North.
Notice the model has four defined levels:
In the next steps, you constrain the current roof so it does not rise above Level 3.
3 Select the roof and, on the Options Bar, click .

4 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, select Level 3 for Cutoff Level.
5 Click OK to cut the top of the roof off at level 3.

Next, create a new roof that starts at level 3 and completes the mansard roof.

10 On the Options Bar, click , and then select Defines slope.

11 Select the four edges of the roof cutoff.

13 Select one of the roof cutoff lines, press TAB, and select the remaining three lines.

15 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 750 mm for Rise/1000, and click OK.
17 On the View toolbar, click to display the model with the complete mansard roof.

name.
Creating Fascia, Gutters, and Soffits

In this lesson, you learn how to create roof fascia, gutters, and soffits in Revit Building. After you create a roof, you
can easily create its fascia, gutters, and soffits.
Creating Roof Fascia

In this exercise, you learn to use the Host Sweep command to create fascia on the roof of a condominium.
Dataset
■ Open c_Condominium.rvt located in the Common folder.
1 On the File menu, click Load From Library ➤ Load Family.

2 In the Open dialog box, open the Metric Library folder, open the Profiles folder, and open the Roofs folder.
3 Press CTRL, select M_Fascia-Built-Up.rfa and M_Gutter-Cove.rfa, and click Open.
4 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Roof Fascia.

6 In the Element Properties dialog box, click Edit/New to access the type properties of the fascia.
8 In the Name dialog box, enter Built-up Fascia, and click OK.
9 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, select M_Fascia-Built-Up: 38 x 184mm x 38 x 286 for
Profile, and click OK twice.
10 Move the cursor to the top edge of the roof.

11 Select the top edge of the roof to place the fascia.
12 Select all of the roof top edges to place the fascia around the building.
13 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Gutters.
Creating Gutters
In this exercise, you use the Host Sweep command to place a gutter at the bottom edge of the roof on a condominium
building model.
Creating Fascia, Gutters, and Soffits | 205

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Condominium.rvt.
1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Roof Gutter.

3 In the Properties dialog box, click Edit/New.
5 Enter Cove Shape Gutter for Name, and click OK.
6 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, select M_Gutter-Cove: 125 x 125mm for Profile.
7 Under Materials and Finishes, click in the Value field for Material, and then click .
8 In the Materials dialog box, select Metal-Aluminum for Name, and click OK three times.
9 Move the cursor to the bottom edge of the roof.
10 Click to place the gutter.
11 Continue to add gutters to the other roof edges of the building model.
12 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Soffits.
Creating Soffits
In this exercise, you learn how to place a roof soffit. You add the soffit underneath the roof of the condominium
building model that you used in the previous exercise.

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Condominium.rvt.
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views, expand Floor Plans, and double-click Roof.
2 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof Soffit.

3 On the Design Bar, click Pick Roofs.
4 Select the roof.

6 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click 3D.
Notice that the geometry of the roof and the soffit overlap.
Creating Fascia, Gutters, and Soffits | 207

7 On the Tools menu, click Join Geometry.
8 Select the roof, and then select the soffit to join them.
name.

Stairs
8
In this tutorial, you learn how to create and modify straight, u-shaped, and semi-circular runs of stairs. You
learn to create special feature stairs, add railings to your landings, and work with a stair calculator.
209
Creating Stairs
In this lesson, you learn how to create runs of typical and special feature stairs with the stairs aligned correctly
between the levels in your project. You learn to work with different stair components, such as treads, risers and
stringers, add, and then modify, railings from another project, use the Stair Calculator to add a straight run of stairs
to your drawing.
Creating the Main Lobby Stair Run

In this exercise, you create and align a straight run of stairs to provide access from the first level to the second level
of the building model.
If you add stairs to a drawing in plan view, you can display both of the levels that you are working with. The level
where the stairs originate displays as your current working level. The level where the stairs end displays as a screened
background after you select it as an underlay.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Stair_Exercise.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
View the first level lobby and second level underlay

2 On the View menu, click View Properties.
3 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select Level 2 for Underlay.
4 Click OK.
The outline of the level 2 floors and wall display as an underlay.

Draw a straight stair run
5 Zoom in on the entry way.

7 Using the following illustration as a guide, specify the start point for the stair run.
210 | Chapter 8 Stairs

8 Specify the stair run endpoint as shown.
Creating Stairs | 211

Align the top edge of the stair run with the front edge of the second level
10 Zoom in on the top of the stair run.

12 Select the front edge of the second level as the alignment line as shown.
13 Select the top edge of the stair run as the entity to align as shown.
The top edge of the stair run is now aligned with the front edge of the second level.

Align the stair run centerline with the wall centerline
14 Select the wall centerline as the alignment line as shown.
TIP On the Options Bar, click Wall centerlines on the Prefer menu.
15 Select the stair run centerline as the entity to align as shown.
The stair run centerline is now aligned with the wall centerline.
16 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click lobby stair view.

Specify new main lobby stair parameters
17 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Sections, and double-click Stair Section.
18 On the View menu, click Thin Lines.
TIP Hold the cursor over the stairs to see the risers and treads.
19 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the stair run.

23 In the Name dialog box, enter Lobby Main Stairs for Name, and click OK.

24 In the Type Properties dialog box, do the following:
■ Under Treads, enter 255 mm for Minimum Tread Depth.
■ Under Treads, select Stair Nosing - Radius : 20 mm for Nosing Profile.
■ Under Treads, enter 50 mm for Tread Thickness.
■ Under Risers, clear End with Riser.
■ Under Risers, select Straight for Riser Type.
■ Under Risers, enter 20 mm for Riser Thickness.
■ Under Risers, select Extend Tread Under Riser for Riser to Tread Connection.
■ Under Stringers, select Match Level for Trim Stringers at Top.
■ Under Stringers, enter 305 mm for Stringer Height.
■ Under Stringers, enter 65 mm for Stringer Carriage Height.
■ Under Stringers, enter 180 mm for Landing Carriage Height.
25 Under Materials and Finishes, click in the Value box for Tread Material, and click .
26 In the Materials dialog box, select Finishes - Interior - Carpet 1 for Name, and click OK.
27 Click in the Value box for Riser Material, and click .
28 In the Materials dialog box, select Finishes - Interior - Carpet 1 for Name, and click OK.
29 Click in the Value box for Stringer Material, and click .
30 In the Materials dialog box, select Wood - Cherry for Name, and click OK.
Because you specified ending the stair run with a tread instead of a riser, a warning dialog box displays, telling
you that the actual number of risers is different from the desired number of risers.
32 Click OK to ignore this warning message.
33 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 1220 mm for Width.
34 Click OK.
The stair section reflects the new assigned parameters.

35 On the File menu, click Save As, and save this exercise file as Training_Stairs.rvt.
36 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying the Main Lobby Stair Run.
Modifying the Main Lobby Stair Run

In this exercise, you use design information about a railing from another project and create special feature stairs
with concave stringers from the straight run of stairs you completed in the previous exercise.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you saved in the previous exercise, Training_Stairs.rvt.
Changing the railing type

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click lobby stair view.
2 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press CTRL, and select both railings.
3 In the Type Selector, select Railing : Railing with Glass Panel.

NOTE If the panels do not display in the railings, go to the Type Properties of the railing. Click Edit next to the
Baluster Placement parameter. If selected, clear the check box for the User Baluster Per Tread on Stairs option.
Notice that the railing start post is offset above the level of the floor.
Adjust the railing start post offset
4 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select one of the railings.

8 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Posts, in row 1, enter -200 mm for Base offset.
The railing start post is now at floor level.

Change the stair shape in plan view
12 Zoom in on the stair run.
14 On the Options Bar, click Edit.
15 Press and hold CTRL, select the left and right stair run boundary lines, and delete them.

Draw the left boundary arc
16 On the Design Bar, click Boundary.

18 Specify the intersection of the bottom riser and inside wall face as the arc start point as shown.
19 Specify the left end of the top riser as the arc endpoint.

20 Specify a point to the left of the stair run for the arc midpoint approximately as shown.
Mirror the left boundary arc
21 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the left boundary arc.

23 Select the stair run centerline as the mirror axis.
Draw the new first riser
24 On the Design Bar, click Modify, select the first riser and delete it.

25 On the Design Bar, click Riser.

27 Specify the lower end of the left boundary arc as the arc start point as shown.
28 Specify the lower end of the right boundary arc as the arc endpoint as shown.
29 Specify the intersection of the front wall edge and the stair run centerline as the arc midpoint as shown.

31 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click lobby stair view.
The stair run from the first floor main lobby is now complete.
32 On the File menu, click Save As and save the exercise file as Training_Stairs.rvt.
33 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Second Floor Lobby Side Stairs.

Creating the Second Floor Lobby Side Stairs
In this exercise, you create and align runs of side stairs with railings.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you saved in the previous exercise, Training_Stairs.rvt.
Specify the lobby side stair run parameters


3 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select Level 3 for Underlay, and click OK.
4 Zoom in on the upper left of the lobby area.

5 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Stairs, and then click Stairs Properties.
6 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Lobby Main Stairs for Type, and click Edit/New.
8 In the Name dialog box, enter Lobby Side Stairs for Name, and click OK.
■ Under Risers, select End with Riser.
■ Under Risers, select None for Riser Type.
■ Under Construction, enter -300 mm for Extend Below Base.
■ Under Stringers, select Do not trim for Trim Stringers at Top.
■ Under Stringers, select None for Right Stringer.
■ Under Stringers, select None for Left Stringer.
■ Under Stringers, select 1 for Middle Stringers.
■ Under Treads, select Front, Left and Right for Apply Nosing Profile.
10 Click OK.
11 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 1220 mm for Width, and click OK.

Place the lobby side stair run
12 Specify a point near the left edge of the landing for the stair run start point, and then specify a point to the
left for the stair endpoint.
NOTE The exact location of the stair run is not critical. You specify its final location in subsequent steps.
Move the stair run into the corner of the level 2 opening
14 Zoom in on the upper left side of the stair run.

15 On the Design Bar, click Modify, hold down CTRL, and select the stair run and both railings.

17 Specify the upper left endpoint of the railing as the move start point as shown.
18 Specify the upper left corner of the level 2 opening as the move endpoint as shown.
The top of the stair run is now positioned in the corner of the level 2 opening.

19 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click {3D}.
Specify a new side stair run railing type
20 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press and hold CTRL, and select both railings.
21 In the Type Selector, select Railing : 900mm Pipe.
Notice that both railings are on the outside of the treads. This is because the original stairs that you duplicated,
the main lobby stairs, have left and right stringers that hosted the railings. Because the lobby side stairs have
only a center stringer, you need to flip the railings so they rest on the stair treads.
22 Select each railing, right-click, and click Flip Orientation.
Mirror the lobby side stair run

24 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press and hold CTRL, and select the side stair run and both railings.

26 Specify the main lobby stair run centerline as the mirror axis as shown.

The lobby side stair run is mirrored to the right side of the lobby.
27 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click {3D}.
The lobby side stairs and railings are now complete.

29 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Level 2 Landing Railings.
Creating the Level 2 Landing Railings

In this exercise, you create and modify railings for a landing and then extend the railings from the side stairs in
the previous exercise to the railing on the landing.

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, Training_Stairs.rvt.
Sketch the left side level 2 landing railing path

2 Zoom in on the level 2 landing.
3 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the left main stair railing.
7 Click to specify the sketch line start point approximately as shown.
8 Move the cursor down and specify the next sketch point as shown.
9 Move the cursor to the right and specify the sketch endpoint as shown.

10 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the left railing sketch line of the main stairs.
11 Select the endpoint of the sketch line for the railing as shown.
12 Drag the arc sketch line endpoint up to the right end of the new horizontal sketch line as shown.
14 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click Level 2 Landing.

15 Zoom in and on the View toolbar, click to reorient the view to look as shown.
Create the right side level 2 landing railing

17 Select the right lobby main stair railing and delete it.
18 Select the left lobby main stair railing.

20 Specify the lobby main stair centerline as the mirror axis as shown.
The new lobby main stair and level 2 landing railing layout is mirrored to the right side of the stair run.
21 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click Level 2 Landing.

Extend the lobby side stair railing onto the landing

23 Zoom in on the left side of the level 2 landing.
24 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the upper lobby side stair railing.
25 On Options Bar, click Edit.

27 Click to specify the right endpoint of the railing sketch line for the line start point as shown.
28 Move the cursor 440 mm to the right and specify the sketch line endpoint as shown.

30 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click {3D} and zoom in on the railing extension.
The railing now extends onto the landing.

Modify the railing extension parameters
31 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the extended railing.

34 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, select No Connector for Tangent Joins.
35 Click OK twice.


39 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, select Add Vertical/Horizontal Segments for Tangent
Joins, and click Edit for Baluster Placement.
40 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Posts, in row 2, select None for Baluster Family.
44 Select the 440 mm railing extension sketch line segment.
45 On the Options Bar, select Custom for Height Correction and enter 170 mm.

48 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Emergency Exit Stair Run.
Creating the Emergency Exit Stair Run

In this exercise, you create a u-shaped run of stairs in plan view, and then add a railing and extend the stairs to
another level in a three-dimensional (3D) view.
When you are adding stairs that turn corners in plan view, it is easier to align the stairs if you mark the edge of the
landing with a reference plane first.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset from the previous exercise, Training_Stairs.rvt.
Draw a reference plane

2 Zoom in on the stairwell on the left side of the building.
4 On the Options Bar, click and enter 528 mm for Offset.

5 Move your cursor over the left edge of the exterior wall and place a vertical reference plane to the left of the
exterior wall face as shown.

The new reference plane, measured from the exterior wall centerline, is at 864.5 mm as indicated by the
temporary dimension.
Specify the exit stairs parameters
7 In the Element Properties dialog box, select 180mm max riser 275mm tread for Type.
8 Under Dimensions, enter 915 mm for Width, and then click Edit/New.
10 In the Name dialog box, enter Exit Stairs for Name, and click OK.
11 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Treads, enter 255 mm for Minimum Tread Depth.
12 Under Materials and Finishes, select for Tread Material Value.
13 In the Materials dialog box, select Finishes - Exterior: Precast Concrete Panels for Name, and click OK.
14 Under Materials and Finishes, select for Riser Material Value.
15 In the Materials dialog box, select Metal - Paint Finish, Dark Gray Matte for Name, and click OK.
16 Under Materials and Finishes, select for Stringer Material Value.
17 In the Materials dialog box, select Metal - Paint Finish, Dark Gray Matte for Name.
Draw the exit stairs
19 Click to specify the midpoint of the landing edge as the stair run start point as shown.
20 Move the cursor up 2040 mm and specify the stair run next point as shown.

21 Move the cursor to the right and specify the intersection of the next-to-last riser line and the reference plane
as the stair run next point as shown.
22 Drag the cursor down and specify the intersection of the landing edge and the reference plane as the stair run
endpoint as shown.
The exit stair run layout is complete.

View the exit stairs
24 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click Exit Stairs.
25 Zoom in on the exit stairwell.
26 Hold CTRL and select two of the exterior walls of the exit stairwell, and the exit door.

27 On the View Control Bar, click Hide/Isolate ➤ Hide Object.
The selected objects are hidden, and the exit stairs are visible.
Specify a new railing type
28 Zoom in on the stair run.

29 On the Design Bar, click Modify, hold down CTRL, and select both railings.

34 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Posts, in row 2, select M_Baluster - Round1 : 25mm for Baluster
Family.

Add another exit stairs flight
36 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the exit stairs.

38 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, select Level 3 for Multistory Top Level, and click OK.
Turn on the display of the exit stairwell exterior walls and exit door
39 On the View Control Bar, click Hide/Isolate ➤ Reset Temporary Hide/Isolate.

41 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Semi-circular Exterior Stair Run.
Creating a Semi-circular Exterior Stair Run

In this exercise, you create a semi-circular run of stairs and then modify the winders and the railing.

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, Training_Stairs.rvt.
Specify the semi-circular stair run parameters

2 Zoom in on the exterior concrete pad above the north exterior wall of the building.
4 In the Element Properties dialog box, select 180mm max riser 275mm tread for Type, and click Edit/New.
6 In the name dialog box, enter Semicircular Stairs for Name, and click OK.
■ Under Construction, select Monolithic Stairs.
■ Under Construction, enter 0 mm for Landing Overlap.
■ Under Treads, enter 1 mm for Tread Thickness.
■ Under Treads, enter 0 mm for Nosing Length.
■ Under Risers, enter 200 mm for Maximum Riser Height.
■ Under Risers, enter 5 mm for Riser Thickness.
■ Under Risers, select Extend Tread Under Riser for Riser to Tread Connection.
■ Under Stringers, enter 200 mm for Landing Carriage Height.
8 Under Materials and Finishes, select for Tread Material Value.

9 In the Materials dialog box, select Concrete - Cast-in-Place Concrete for Name, and click OK.
10 In the Type Properties dialog box, select for Monolithic Material Value.
11 In the Materials dialog box, select Concrete - Cast-in-Place Concrete for Name, and click OK.
13 In the Element Properties dialog box under Dimensions, enter 1300 mm for Width, select 16 for Desired Number
of Risers, and click OK.
Draw the semi-circular stair run
14 On the Design Bar, click Run.

16 Click to specify the midpoint of the concrete slab edge as the stair run center point as shown.
TIP You can use the shortcut key SM to snap only to midpoints.

17 Drag the cursor to the right along the slab edge.
18 On the keyboard, enter 1310 for Radius as shown, and press ENTER.
19 Move the cursor counterclockwise until the display indicates that there are 0 risers remaining, as shown, and
click to specify the arc end point.
The semi-circular stair run is complete.

TIP You may need to select the outer railing and flip its orientation to align it to the pad.
Modify the semi-circular stair run parameters
21 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click Exterior Stairs.

The underside of winder parameter is smooth.

25 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, select Stepped for Underside of Winder.
26 Click OK twice.
The underside of winder parameter is stepped with no overlap.


30 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, enter 300 mm for Landing Overlap.
31 Click OK twice.

The underside of winder parameter is stepped with a 300 mm overlap.
Specify new semi-circular stair run railing parameters
32 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press and hold CTRL, and select both railings.
34 If you want to save your changes, on the File menu, click Save.
Working with the Stair Calculator

In this exercise, you create two sets of stairs side by side within a new project. The first set of stairs uses the default
settings to calculate the slope. The second set of stairs uses the stair calculator to calculate the slope of the stairs.
After creating both stairs, you add dimensions to them to see how the tread depth and stair slope adjust based on
the changes made in the stair calculator.
Dataset
■ On the File menu, click New ➤ Project.
■ In the New Project dialog box, under Template File, click Browse.
■ Open the DefaultMetric.rte file located in the Metric Templates folder.

Create a set of stairs using the default settings
2 On the Design Bar, click Stairs Properties.
3 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Industrial and Assembly for Type, and click OK.
4 In the center of the Level 1 Floor Plan, click to specify the stair run start point, move the cursor vertically
upward until the stair risers are complete, and click to specify the end of the stair run.
When you created these stairs, the slope was calculated automatically. In the steps that follow, you create a
set of stairs using the stair calculator to define the stair slope.

Create a set of stairs using the stair calculator

9 On the Design Bar, click Stairs Properties.
10 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Industrial and Assembly for Type, and click Edit/New.
12 In the Name dialog box, enter Industrial and Assembly - Calculated Slope, and click OK.
13 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, click Edit for Calculation Rules.
14 In the Stair Calculator dialog box, select Use Stair Calculator for slope calculation.
The Stair Calculator computes actual tread depth using the following Calculation Rule equation:
X * Rise + Y * Depth = Z
X is the value to multiply the actual riser height indicated by the stair properties; Y is the value to multiply
the actual tread depth, and Z is the result that lies within threshold minimum and maximum values range
based on either design standards or building codes.
15 Enter 680.0 mm for Z, enter 695.0 mm for Maximum Result for Stair Calculator, and enter 670.0 mm for
Minimum Result for Stair Calculator.
16 Click OK.
19 To the right of the stairs you created previously, click to specify the stair run start point, and move the cursor
vertically upward until the stair risers are complete.
NOTE When specifying the stair run starting point, try to align it with the bottom of the stairs you created previously.
This allows you to make a better comparison of the slope when you view the stairs together in a 3D view at the end
of the exercise.
20 After all the risers have been created, click to specify the stair run end point.
Notice the stairs created using the stair calculator have a longer run than the first set of stairs you created.
22 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region, and draw a zoom region around both sets of stairs.
24 On both sets of stairs, add dimensions to the bottom tread and the stair run as shown.

26 Select the right stair run, Industrial and Assembly - Calculated Slope.

28 In the Element Properties dialog box, notice the Actual Tread Depth is 332.2 mm.
Within this project, the project units are set to display length dimension values on screen rounded to the
nearest 1 mm. Even more exact dimension values are displayed to the nearest .1 mm where appropriate in the
Element Properties dialog box. In this case, the actual tread depth dimension is 332.2 mm; it becomes 332 mm
when rounded to the nearest 1 mm in the drawing area.
The actual tread depth is determined by using the following Calculation Rule equation derivation:
Tread = (Z - X * Riser) / Y
Substituting with the current values (X = 2, Y = 1, Z = 680 mm and Riser = 173.9 mm) yields:
Tread = (680 - (2 * 173.9))/1
Tread = (680 - 347.8)
Tread = 332.2 mm
31 On the View Toolbar, click and spin the model as shown.

Notice the difference between the slope of the two stairs.
You can close the project file without saving your changes.
This completes the Working with the Stair Calculator exercise. This also completes the Stairs lesson.

Walls
9
247
Creating Walls
In this lesson, you learn about walls. Sketch wall segments, work with compound walls, and create new wall types.
Create curtain and foundation walls, join walls to floors, and assign wall top and bottom attachments.
Sketching Walls
In this exercise, you use sketching tools to draw and modify straight and arc wall segments, and then add a floor
with an opening.
Draw the first exterior wall segment

■ In the New Project dialog box, under Template file, click Browse.
■ In the left pane of the Choose Template dialog box, click the training files icon.
■ Select the m_Tutorial_Default.rte file located in the Metric folder, and click Open.
■ In the New Project dialog box, click OK.
2 Zoom in on the center of the viewing window.

4 Specify the wall segment start point, and drag the cursor to the right 2900 mm.
5 Click to specify the wall segment endpoint and select the dimension.
6 Enter 3000 mm for the new horizontal dimension.
7 Press ENTER.
The wall segment length is updated with the new dimension.

Draw the second exterior wall segment
8 Specify the right endpoint of the first wall segment as the second wall segment start point.
9 Drag the cursor down 2100 mm, and click to specify the wall segment endpoint.
Both vertical and horizontal dimensions display.
248 | Chapter 9 Walls

Draw the third and fourth exterior wall segments
10 Specify the lower end of the second wall segment as the third wall segment start point.
11 Press and hold SHIFT, drag the cursor to the right 2400 mm, and click to specify the third wall segment endpoint.
NOTE Hold down SHIFT as you drag the cursor to constrain your drawing direction orthogonally.
12 Specify the right end of the third wall segment as the fourth wall segment start point.
13 Hold down SHIFT, drag the cursor up 2100 mm, and click to specify the fourth wall segment endpoint.
Stretch the fourth exterior wall segment

15 Select the fourth wall segment and select the upper drag control.
Observe that the first wall segment has an assigned lock icon that references the alignment of the first wall
segment centerline and the fourth wall segment endpoint.
16 Drag the cursor up to 3600 mm.
Only the fourth wall segment is stretched.

17 Select the drag control again, and drag the cursor down to 2100 mm.
18 Click the first wall segment lock icon to lock the alignment of the first wall segment centerline and the fourth
wall segment endpoint.
Creating Walls | 249

19 Select the drag control again, and drag the cursor up to 2900 mm.
Observe that the first wall segment centerline and the fourth wall segment endpoint maintain their alignment.
The second wall segment stretched as well to accommodate the new position of the first wall segment. Locking
the alignment ensures that this relationship between wall segments is maintained.
Draw the fifth and sixth exterior wall segments

22 Specify the upper end of the fourth wall segment as the fifth wall segment start point.
23 Drag the cursor to the right 5500 mm, and click to specify the fifth wall segment endpoint.
24 Drag the cursor down 5500 mm, and click to specify the sixth wall segment endpoint.

Draw the seventh, eighth, and ninth exterior wall segments
25 Drag the cursor to the left 7000 mm, and click to specify the seventh wall segment endpoint.
26 Drag the cursor down 2100 mm, and click to specify the eighth wall segment endpoint.
27 Drag the cursor to the left 3900 mm, and click to specify the ninth wall segment endpoint.
Move the eighth wall segment
28 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the eighth wall segment.
29 Drag the cursor to the right until the centerline of the eighth wall segment aligns with the fourth wall segment
centerline.

30 Click the eighth wall segment lock icon to lock the alignment of the eighth wall segment centerline and the
fourth wall segment centerline.
31 Select the eighth wall segment, and drag the cursor to the right 2100 mm to specify the new wall segment
location
Observe that the eighth wall segment centerline and the fourth wall segment centerline maintain their
alignment. The third, fifth, seventh, and ninth wall segments are stretched as well to accommodate the new
position of the eighth wall segment. Locking the alignment ensures that this relationship between wall segments
is maintained.
Draw an arc wall segment

34 Specify the left end of the ninth wall segment as the arc start point.

35 Specify the left end of the first wall segment as the arc endpoint.
NOTE Do not snap the cursor to 180 degrees.
36 Move the cursor along the preview arc wall, and click to place the arc wall.
37 Select the radius value, and enter 4900 mm.
38 Press ENTER.

Move wall segments by modifying dimensions
39 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the fourth wall segment.
40 Select the 3200 mm dimension value, and enter 4000.
41 Press ENTER.

Both the fourth and eighth wall segments are shifted 800 mm to the right.
Draw a diagonal exterior wall segment

43 Specify the midpoint of the fifth wall segment as the diagonal wall segment start point.
44 Specify the midpoint of the sixth wall segment as the diagonal wall segment endpoint.

47 Select the left side of the fifth wall segment as the first wall segment to trim.
48 Select the diagonal wall segment as the wall segment to trim to.
49 Select the lower side of the sixth wall segment as the next wall segment to trim.

50 Select the diagonal wall segment as the wall segment to trim to.
Draw a floor by picking walls
51 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Floor, and then click Pick Walls.
52 Place the cursor over one of the walls, press TAB, and click to select the entire chain of walls.
All of the wall segments are highlighted.

Sketch a rectangular floor cutout

55 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select the first option, and click OK.
56 Place the cursor over the edge of the floor until it highlights, and click.


59 Using the following illustration as a guide, specify an approximate location for the first corner of the rectangular
floor opening.
60 Specify the second corner of the rectangular floor opening, creating a 1800 mm X 3000 mm floor opening.
TIP The cursor snaps to dimension values based on the zoom of the view. To get the rectangle to the exact dimensions,
you may need to zoom in.

63 On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics Style ➤ Shading with Edges.

65 In the Dynamic View dialog box, select Spin, and then, while holding the left mouse button down, move the
cursor in the viewing window to orient the view as shown.

This completes the Sketching Walls exercise.
Working with Compound Walls

In this exercise, you work with compound walls. Convert generic wall styles to new custom wall styles, add
dimensions, edit fill patterns that display in section views, and apply surface patterns.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Gallery.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
Access wall properties

2 Zoom in on the upper part of the floor plan.

4 Select the 200 mm exterior wall.

8 In the Name dialog box, enter 200 mm Stud Wall for Name, and click OK.
Add two layers to the new wall type
9 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Edit for Structure.

10 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Layers, click Insert twice.
11 Select row 2, and click Up.
12 Select row 3, and click Down twice.

■ Click in the Function field, and select Finish 1 [4].
■ Click in the Material field, click , and in the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Finishes - Exterior
- EIFS - Exterior Insulation and Finish System. Click OK.
■ Enter 50 mm for Thickness.

■ Click in the Function field, and select Structure [1].
■ Click in the Material field, click , and in the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Wood - Stud Layer.
Click OK.

■ Click in the Function field, and select Finish 2 [5].
■ Click in the Material field, click , and in the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Finishes - Interior
- GRG (Glass Reinforced Gypsum). Click OK.

16 Click Preview.

Specify the view detail level
18 On the View Control Bar, click Detail Level ➤ Medium.

19 Zoom in on the left end of the new 200 mm Stud wall segment.
Assign the new wall style to the remaining exterior walls
20 In the Project Browser, expand Families, expand Walls, and expand Basic Wall.
21 Select Generic - 200mm, right-click, and click Select All Instances.
22 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall : 200 mm Stud Wall.
The style of the selected walls is updated in the building model.
Add a wall centerline dimension
23 Zoom in on the lower part of the floor plan.
24 On the Design Bar, click Dimension.

25 On the Options Bar, select Wall centerlines for Prefer.
26 Select the upper horizontal wall segment centerline as the first dimension point.

27 Select the lower horizontal wall segment centerline as the second dimension point.
28 Specify a point to the left as the dimension location point.
The vertical wall centerline to centerline dimension displays.
Add a wall face dimension
29 On the Options Bar, select Wall faces for Prefer.

30 Select the upper horizontal wall segment exterior face as the first dimension point.

31 Select the lower horizontal wall segment exterior face as the second dimension point.
32 Specify a point to the right as the dimension location point.
The vertical wall exterior face to exterior face dimension displays.
Add a wall core face dimension
33 On the Options Bar, select Faces of core for Prefer.

34 Select the left vertical wall segment exterior core face as the first dimension point.

35 Select the right vertical wall segment exterior core face as the second dimension point.
36 Specify a point below as the dimension location point.
The horizontal wall core face to core face dimension displays.

Create a custom gypsum fill pattern
37 In the Project Browser, expand Sections (Callout 1), and double-click Callout of Section 3.
39 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, click New.
40 In the New Pattern dialog box, select Custom, and click Import.
41 In the Import dialog box, navigate to \Program Files\Autodesk Revit Building\Data, select revit.pat, and click
Open.
42 In the New Pattern dialog box, do the following:
■ Select Sand - Dense for Import.
■ Enter 0.25 for Import scale.
■ Enter Gypsum for Name.
43 Click OK twice.
Assign the new gypsum fill pattern to a wall layer in section view

45 In the Materials dialog box, select Finishes - Interior - GRG - Glass Reinforced Gypsum, and under Cut Pattern,
click for Pattern.
46 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, select Gypsum, and click OK.
48 Zoom in on the gypsum board representation in the wall section.
The new Gypsum pattern is assigned to the gypsum wall board representation in section view.
Assign a masonry surface pattern in a 3D view
49 In the Project Browser, expand 3D Views and double-click {3D}.

50 On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics Style ➤ Hidden Line.

52 In the Materials dialog box, select Masonry - Concrete Blocks, and under Surface Pattern, click for Pattern.
53 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, select Model for Pattern Type, select Block 8x16, and click OK.
55 Select the low circular wall segment.

58 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Edit for Structure.
59 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Layers, in row 2, click for Material.
60 In the Materials dialog box, select Masonry - Concrete Blocks.
61 Click OK four times.
62 Zoom in on the low wall segment.
Align a masonry surface pattern in an elevation view
63 In the Project Browser, expand Elevations, and double-click East.
64 Zoom in on the right retaining wall.

65 Zoom in on the upper left corner of the wall.

67 Select the building wall edge as the alignment reference.
68 Select the CMU edge as the line to align.
The upper left corner of the CMU pattern is now aligned with the upper left corner of the retaining wall. This
completes the Working with Compound Walls exercise.
Working with Vertically Compound Walls

In this exercise, you modify vertically compound walls and create and modify wall layers in sections view.

Dataset
■ Open the c_Townhouse.rvt file located in the Common folder.
Access the exterior wall properties

2 In the Project Units dialog box, click the button under Format next to Length.
3 In the Format dialog box, select Millimeters for Units, and click OK.
4 Click OK in the Project Units dialog box.
5 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the right front exterior wall.

8 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, click Edit for Structure.
9 If the Preview pane is not displayed on the left side of the Edit Assembly dialog box, click Preview.
10 On the Preview pane, ensure that Section: Modify type attributes is selected for View.
The wall section displays at its default sample height of 6096 mm.

Assign split regions to the wall section
11 Right-click in the preview window and click Zoom In Region.

12 Zoom in on the bottom of the wall section.
13 Under Modify Vertical Structure (Section Preview only), click Split Region.
14 Specify a point up 300 mm from the bottom of the wall on Layer 1: Masonry - Brick as the first split point.
15 Specify a point up 300 mm from the first split point on Layer 1: Masonry - Brick as the second split point.
Merge split regions in the wall section
16 Under Modify Vertical Structure (Section Preview only), click Merge Regions.
17 Select the upper split line as the region to merge.

The previously split regions are now merged.
Adjust the split line location
18 Under Modify Vertical Structure (Section Preview only), click Modify.

19 Select the split line, and click the 300 mm dimension value.
20 Enter 3680 mm.

21 Press ENTER.
22 Zoom out on the wall section.
The split line now occurs 3680 mm above the bottom of the wall.
Adjust the sample wall height
23 Scroll up to view the top of the wall.

24 Move your cursor over the top of the wall and press TAB until the outer boundary of the wall is highlighted
(watch the Status Bar in the lower-left corner of the interface to be sure you are highlighting the outer boundary),
and then click to display the lock icon and the 6096 mm dimension value.
25 Click the 6096 mm dimension value, and enter 5500 mm.

26 Press ENTER.
The sample wall height is now 5500 mm.
Add another split line
27 Zoom in on the existing split line.

28 Under Modify Vertical Structure (Section Preview only), click Split Region.
29 Specify a point up 240 mm from the existing split line on Layer 1: Masonry - Brick as the new split point.
The new split line now occurs 240 mm above the previous split line.

Add a new layer to the wall style
30 Under Layers, select row 1, and click Insert.

31 In row 1, select Finish 1 [4] for Function.
32 Select for Material.
33 In the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Masonry Brick - Soldier Course, and click OK.
34 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Layers, select row 1.
35 Under Modify Vertical Structure (Section Preview only), click Assign Layers.
36 On the Preview pane, select the 240 mm high region between the split lines as shown. Place the cursor at the
bottom of the region to select it.

38 Zoom in on the front brick wall.
The soldier course displays in the exterior wall.

Specify allowance for layer extension
39 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the front brick wall.

43 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, on the Preview pane, zoom in on the bottom of the wall.
44 Under Modify Vertical Structure (Section Preview only), click Modify.
45 Select the outer boundary of the wall at the masonry brick layer.
46 Click the lock icon to unlock the masonry brick layer for layer extension.
Modify extended layers
48 In the Project Browser, expand Sections (Callout 1), and double-click Wall Detail.
49 Select the brick wall.
50 Using the drag control at the bottom of the brick wall, drag it down into the concrete wall approximately as
shown.

52 Select the brick layer of the wall as the first layer to join.
53 Select the concrete foundation wall as the second layer to join.
The concrete foundation wall is cut away to accommodate the brick course.
54 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the brick wall.

56 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, enter -150 mm for Base Extension Distance, and click
OK.

Add a wall sweep
57 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the brick wall.

61 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Modify Vertical Structure (Section Preview only), click Sweeps.
62 In the Wall Sweeps dialog box, click Add and do the following:
■ Select Sill : Sill for Profile.
■ In the Material field, click , and in the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Concrete - Cast-in-Place
Concrete. Click OK.
■ Select Base for From.
■ Select Exterior for Side.
■ Enter -90 mm for Offset.
63 Click OK.
64 On the Preview pane, zoom in on the applied wall sweep in the wall section.

66 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, double-click 3D perspective.
67 Zoom in on the front wall, and view the sill.

This completes the Working with Vertically Compound Walls exercise.
Joining Walls to Floors

In this exercise, you work with joining walls and floors in section view.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Floor_wall_joins.rvt file located in the Common folder.
Draw the level 2 50 mmx255 mm wood joist floor


7 On the Options Bar, select Extend into wall (to core).
8 For all four walls, select the outer edge of the wall core. Use the flip arrows to toggle the selection.
TIP You can select each wall or use the TAB key to select the chain of walls.

10 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Wood Joist 255 mm for Type, and click OK.
12 When prompted to cut the geometry from the walls, click Yes.
13 In the Project Browser, expand Sections, and double-click Section 1.
14 Zoom in on the wall at Level 2.
The level 2 floor extends into the wall structural layer.

Draw the level 1 50 mmx255 mm wood joist floor

17 On the Options Bar, select Extend into wall (to core).
18 Select all four walls on the centerline (click each wall while pressing Ctrl).

20 In the Element Properties dialog box, verify that the Type is Wood Joist 255mm, and click OK.
22 When prompted to attach the walls to the bottom of the floor, click Yes.
23 In the Project Browser, expand Sections, and double-click Section 1.
24 Zoom in on the wall at Level 1.

The foundation wall is trimmed by the level 1 floor. This completes the Joining Walls to Floors exercise.
Working with Foundation Walls

In this exercise, you create and modify concrete foundation walls and footings.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Wall_Functions.rvt file located in the Common folder.


7 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select T.O. Footing for Underlay, and click OK.
9 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall : Foundation - 305 mm Concrete.
10 On the Options Bar, do the following:
■ Select T.O. Footing for Depth.
■ Select Finish Face: Exterior for Loc Line.
■ Select Chain.
■ Enter 305mm for Offset.
11 Specify the outside upper left corner of the building as the first foundation wall segment start point, and then
specify the outside lower left corner of the building as the first foundation wall segment endpoint.

12 Proceed in a counterclockwise direction and draw the remaining five foundation wall segments. Snap to the
outside corners at each foundation wall segment endpoint.
13 In the Project Browser, expand 3D Views, and double-click {3D}.
Create a new 610 mm concrete footing wall type
14 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click T.O. Footing.

16 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall : Foundation - 305 mm Concrete.

20 In the Name dialog box, enter Foundation - 610mm Concrete for Name, and click OK.
22 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Layers, in row 2, enter 610 mm for Thickness.

Draw the 610 mm concrete footing
24 On the Options Bar, do the following:

■ Select Unconnected for Depth and enter 305 mm.
■ Select Chain.
■ Enter 460 mm for Offset.
25 Specify the outside upper left corner of the foundation as the first footing wall segment start point and then
specify the outside lower left corner of the foundation as the first footing wall segment endpoint.
If a warning about the objects not being visible in the current view is displayed, close the warning dialog.

26 Proceed in a counterclockwise direction and draw the remaining five footing wall segments. Snap to the outside
corners at each footing wall segment endpoint.
The concrete foundation walls and footings are now complete. This completes the Working with Foundation
Walls exercise.
Working with Wall Wraps

In this exercise, you assign different wall wrap conditions to a window opening.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Wall Functions.rvt file located in the Common folder.

Assign window wall closure parameters
2 Zoom in on one of the level 1 windows.
Neither the interior nor the exterior wall components wrap around the window opening.
3 Select the window.

6 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, select By host for Wall Closure.
7 Click OK twice.
Assign an interior wall wrap parameter
8 Select the wall.

12 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Default Wrapping, select Interior for At Inserts.
The interior metal stud wall with gypsum board now wraps around the window opening.
Assign an exterior wall wrap parameter
14 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the wall.

18 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, under Default Wrapping, select Exterior for At Inserts. Both would wrap
gypsum and brick. Exterior wraps only the brick.

The exterior brick wall now wraps around the window opening. This completes the Working with Wall Wraps
exercise.
Assigning Wall Bottom and Top Attachments

In this exercise, you assign wall bottom attachments to a curved floor in 3D view and wall top attachments to
reference planes in elevation view.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Attach_Top_Bottom.rvt file located in the Common folder.
Attach wall bottoms to floor surface

1 Select all four wall segments.
2 On the Options Bar, click Attach for Top/Base, and select Base for Attach Wall.
3 Select the floor as the object to attach to.
The walls are projected down to attach to the floor.

Attach wall tops to reference planes
4 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Elevations, and double-click South.
5 Select the south wall.

6 On the Options Bar, click Attach for Top/Base, and select Top for Attach Wall.
7 Select the first reference plane as the object to attach to.
The south wall is projected up to attach to the first reference plane.

9 Select the north wall.

10 On the Options Bar, click Attach for Top/Base, and select Top for Attach Wall.
11 Select the second reference plane as the object to attach to.
The north wall is projected up to attach to the second reference plane.

12 In the Project Browser, expand 3D Views and double-click {3D}.
This completes the Assigning Wall Bottom and Top Attachments exercise. This also completes the Walls lesson.

Curtain Systems
10
Curtain systems are not walls, and they are not windows. Like walls, they can define space and separate the
exterior from the interior. They are typically not load-bearing and are not cut for doors or windows. Like
windows, they can usually include mullions and have glazed panels. Unlike windows, curtain systems are
usually assembled on site as a single unit.
A typical curtain system comprises a wall, panel, grid lines, and mullions, and you can change these elements
individually. This affects the entire curtain system. For example, to resize the system, you need to change the
length of the wall. To switch panel types, you need to select a panel. To change grids, you select the grid.
You can add curtain systems with the wall command, or you can use a specific curtain system command.
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Flat Curtain System
In this lesson, you further develop the building information model by creating a flat curtain system at the entrance
of the model.
Creating an Entrance
In this exercise, you create a curtain system using the wall command. This type of curtain system is also referred
to as a curtain wall.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Curtain_Walls.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Ground Floor.
2 Zoom in on Grid F where it meets the arc in the floor.
This floor edge will be the entrance to the building.

Creating a curtain system using the wall command

4 On the Type Selector, click Curtain Wall : Curtain Wall 1.
5 Start the curtain system where shown.
288 | Chapter 10 Curtain Systems

6 Move the cursor down along the edge of the floor and finish at the outside face of the exterior wall as shown.
7 Zoom in on the join between the curtain system and the exterior wall.
Flat Curtain System | 289

8 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click Southeast Isometric.
9 On the View menu, click Orient ➤ Northeast.
10 Zoom in on the curtain system you just added.
11 Select the curtain system and click .

Note that a curtain system created from the wall command has similar properties to other walls: base constraint,
top constraint, top and base attachments, and room bounding.
You want the curtain system to attach to the roof.
12 Under Constraints, specify Up to level: TOP OF ROOF for Top Constraint.
13 Specify 1200 for Top Offset, and click OK.
The curtain system is now at the same height as the other existing curtain systems.

Right now, the curtain system is a single glazed panel. You are going to subdivide the panel into several smaller
panels, using curtain grids.
Adding curtain grids
14 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click GROUND FLOOR.

15 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Elevation.
16 Place the elevation symbol in front of the curtain wall and click Modify on the Design Bar.
17 Click the elevation arrow to display the crop boundary, and resize the crop boundary as shown.
18 In the Project Browser, right-click on the elevation name Elevation 1 - a, and click Rename.
19 Enter Entrance Elevation, and click OK.
20 In the drawing area, double-click the elevation symbol arrow to open the new elevation view.
21 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Curtain Grid.
22 Place a horizontal curtain grid 1200 mm above the ground floor level line.

23 Place another grid 1500 mm above the first grid.
24 Place another grid so that it snaps to the SECOND FLOOR level line.
26 Hold CTRL and select the 3 grid lines you just placed.
27 On the Edit menu, click Copy to Clipboard, or press CTRL + C on the keyboard.
29 In the Select Levels dialog box, hold CTRL and select SECOND FLOOR, THIRD FLOOR, FOURTH FLOOR, FIFTH
FLOOR, SIXTH FLOOR, and SEVENTH FLOOR, and click OK.
The selected grid lines are now at each of these levels.

31 Place the cursor on grid 2 so that it highlights. Click to create a vertical grid.
This divides the curtain wall vertically into 2 panels, one larger than the other.
32 Move the cursor along the GROUND FLOOR level (left of the vertical grid line) until it snaps to the midpoint
of the larger vertical panel. Click to place another grid line.
TIP To be sure that the curtain grid is at the midpoint of the panel, watch the tooltips and the Status Bar.

Next, you add a doorway to the curtain system. You do not use the Door command. Instead, you set up a
doorway on a curtain panel, and then you replace that panel with a curtain system door panel.
Adding the doorway
34 Zoom in to the ground floor level in the Entrance Elevation view.

35 Select the left vertical grid line, and on the Options Bar, click Add or Remove Segments.
You enter an editor that lets you select segments of the grid line to remove them.
36 Select the lowest segment of the left grid line, and then select the segment above it.
The segment line style changes to dashed.
37 Click in any white space to exit the editor.

The two segments are removed.
38 Using the same method, remove the horizontal segment that intersects the vertical segment removed in the
previous step.

39 On the Design Bar, click Curtain Grid.
40 On the Options Bar, select One Segment.
41 Place 4 vertical grid lines as shown.
42 Place dimensions as shown, and lock them.
TIP You may need to adjust your zoom settings to view the dimensions.
43 Delete the dimensions.

44 When the warning about locked dimensions being deleted displays, click OK to leave the curtain grids
constrained.
You now have two 1800 mm wide panels between smaller rectangular panels.
45 Select the horizontal grid line that is 1200 mm above the ground floor.
46 Click Add or Remove Segments on the Options Bar.
You are going to add more segments to an existing curtain grid.
47 Click the horizontal grid line between the smaller panels. The line style changes from dashed to solid to indicate
a grid segment has been added. Do not click between the 1800 mm panels.
Use the following picture as a guide.

TIP The middle grid lines are centered between the long vertical grid above them. To get the horizontal grid to
display between the vertical grids, click once to the right of the long grid and then click once to the left of it.
48 When the grids are placed (line style have changed to solid), click in any white space to exit the editor.
Next, you replace the 2 larger 1800 mm panels with curtain system doors.
50 In the Doors folder, select M_Curtain Wall-Store Front-Dbl.rfa, and click Open.
51 Select the left 1800 mm panel. You will have to press TAB to highlight it. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you
are highlighting the panel.
52 On the Type Selector, click M_Curtain Wall-Store Front-Dbl: Store Front Double Door.
The panel changes to a double door.
53 Use the same method to replace the other panel with a double door.
These panels schedule as doors, not as curtain panels. They are part of the curtain panel category.
55 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click GROUND FLOOR to see the plan view door swings of
the curtain wall doors.
Now, on the new curtain system you added, you replace some of the transparent panels with solid ones.
56 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click Entrance Elevation.
57 On the View Control Bar, click , and click Wireframe. This changes the graphics style of the view.
Next, you change panels in front of ceilings from glazed to solid.
Changing panels
58 Zoom in to the FIFTH FLOOR level.

59 Select one of the panels below the FIFTH FLOOR level line.
60 On the Type Selector, click System Panel : Solid.

The glazed panel is changed to a solid panel.
61 With the panel still selected, click .

62 Click Edit/New to open the Type Properties of the panel.
The Offset property specifies the distance from the centerline of the curtain wall. Thickness specifies the depth
of the panel, and Material specifies the shading and patterning.
63 Click OK twice to close the Type Properties and Element Properties dialog boxes.
64 Replace the two adjacent glazed panels with solid panels.
65 On the View Control Bar, click Shading with Edges for Graphics Style.
The glazed panels display in blue, and the solid panels display in white.
66 On the View Control Bar, click Wireframe for Graphics Style.

67 Change the remaining glazed panels in front of ceilings to solid panels.
68 On the File menu, click Save As. Name the file m_rvt8_Curtain_Walls-in_progress.rvt.
This completes the exercise for creating an entrance.
Adding Mullions to the Curtain System

In this exercise, you place mullions on curtain panel grids.

Dataset
■ Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise.
1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Mullion.

2 On the Options Bar, select Grid Line Segment.
3 Place a mullion on the grid segment at the ground floor immediately to the right of the right set of doors.
4 On the Options Bar, select Entire Grid Line.

5 Place a mullion on the horizontal grid that is 1200 mm above the ground floor.
6 On the Options Bar, select All Empty Segments.

7 Place the cursor on any empty grid segment on the curtain system and click.
Now all empty grid segments have mullions on them; however, there are a few that you do not want, so you
remove them next. The two mullions below the doors are not necessary, because they reduce the doors’ size
by their widths.
Removing mullions
8 Zoom in on the set of doors.

9 Delete the mullions below them.
Mullions can change their joins to other mullions. You are going to change some mullion joins.

Changing mullion joins
10 On the View Control Bar, click Hidden Line for Graphics Style.
11 Select the vertical mullion above and between the set of double doors.
Two mullion join controls display.

12 Click the lower mullion join control.
The bottom of the mullion meets the top of the horizontal mullion.
13 Click the top mullion control.
The top of the vertical mullion now meets the bottom of the horizontal mullion above.

TIP After selecting the vertical mullion, you can also right-click and select Break at Join from the Join Conditions
menu to break the mullion at both joins.

15 In the Project Browser, double-click Southeast Isometric.
16 Save the file.
This completes the exercise for adding mullions.
This also completes the lesson on creating a flat curtain system. You learned how to create a basic curtain wall
system and how to subdivide it with grids. You also learned how to modify grids and change panels. Finally, you
learned how to add mullions and change their joins.
Curved Curtain System

In this lesson, you create a curved curtain system near the entrance of the model that was just completed. You also
create a custom curtain panel for the system. Finally, you add both predefined and custom mullions to the system.
Adding a Curved Curtain System

In this exercise, you add a curtain system using the wall command. The curtain wall is sketched as an arc.
Dataset
■ Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous lesson.
1 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Ground Floor.

2 Zoom in on the circular space above the entrance that was just completed.
4 On the Type Selector, click Curtain Wall : Curtain Wall 1.
5 Click .
6 Under Constraints, specify Up to level: FIFTH FLOOR for Top Constraint.
7 Enter 1200 for Top Offset, and click OK.

9 Start the wall by clicking at the left edge of the circle at the centerline of the intersecting wall.
10 Place the second point at the lower right side.
Curved Curtain System | 299

11 Finish the arc by clicking at the top of the arc.
The curtain wall displays as one flat panel between the first and second points placed. Next, you place grids
on the system. The curtain grid command snaps only to the curved arc. You are going to use one of these snaps
points.
13 Snap the cursor to the midpoint of the curved arc and click. Watch the Status Bar to ensure you are at the
midpoint.
14 Continue to place more grids by using the snap points on the arc. Divide the halves into quarters, eighths,
and then sixteenths.
16 Zoom in on the cylinder, and snap the cursor to each level line and click to add horizontal curtain grids. Do
not add a grid on the GROUND FLOOR level.

Next, you change some panels in the system.
Using walls as panels
18 Using a selection box, select the bottom layer of panels. Remember to click to filter out all other elements
from the selection except Curtain Walls.
19 On the Type Selector, click Basic Wall: Generic - 300mm.
20 Save the file.

This completes the first exercise for creating a curved system. Next you create a custom panel and add it to the
system.
Adding a Custom Curtain Panel

In this exercise, you create a custom curtain panel and place it into the curved curtain system.

Dataset
1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Family.

2 In the Metric templates folder, double-click Metric Curtain Wall Panel.rft.
3 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click Exterior.
4 On the Design Bar, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Extrusion.
5 On the Design Bar, click Lines, and on the Options Bar, enter 100 for Depth.

7 Start the sketch at the upper lefthand reference line intersection and finish at the lower righthand reference
line intersection.
9 Select the extrusion, and click .

10 Under Identity Data, specify Glass for Subcategory, and click OK.
11 On the Design Bar, click Model Lines, and on the Options Bar, click .
12 Sketch 2 lines that crisscross the extrusion.

14 On the File menu, click Save As, and save the family as Curtain Panel - Pattern.rfa.
15 Close the family file by clicking Close on the File menu, and return to your project file.
17 Load the Curtain Panel - Pattern.rfa family.
18 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click FOURTH FLOOR.
19 Highlight a panel in the arc, right-click and select Select Panels along Horizontal Grid from the Select Panels
menu. All fourth floor panels are selected.
20 On the Type Selector, select Curtain Panel - Pattern.
All the panels change to the custom panel you created.
21 Select the curved arc curtain wall.
22 Right-click, and click Flip Orientation.
23 On the View toolbar, click . and then click . Hold Shift and spin the model so that you can see the
curved curtain system.
The curved curtain system’s structure now matches that of the main part of the building.
24 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click FIFTH FLOOR.

25 Highlight a panel in the arc, right-click and select Select Panels along Horizontal Grid from the Select Panels
menu. All fifth floor panels are selected.
26 On the Type Selector, click System Panel - Solid.
All the panels change to the solid panel.

The finished arc wall should look like the following picture.
27 Save the file.

This completes the exercise for adding a custom curtain panel.
Adding Mullions to the Curved Curtain Panel

In this exercise, you add both custom and predefined mullions to the curved curtain panel.
Dataset

3 Select each horizontal grid line on the curved curtain panel, except at the GROUND FLOOR level.
For vertical mullions, you use the Family Editor to create a custom mullion.
Creating a custom mullion in the Family Editor

5 In the Metric Templates folder, double-click Metric Profile.rft.
6 On the Settings menu, click Family Category and Parameters.
7 Specify Mullion for Profile Usage, and click OK.
9 On the Options Bar, click , enter 8 for Sides, and select Radius and specify 50 mm for the radius.

10 Place the cursor at the intersection of the reference planes and click to enter the octagon starting point. Click
again to specify the ending point. Notice that both the starting and ending points are in the same location.

12 Select the lines in the octagon.
13 On the Options Bar, click Visibility.
14 In the Family element visibility settings dialog box, clear Fine, and click OK.
This controls the detail level at which the mullion profile displays.
17 Open the m_Cylinder Mullion - detail.rfa file from the Metric\Metric Families and Templates\Families\Detail
Components folder.
18 On the Design Bar, click Detail Component.
19 Place the detail component so that it snaps to the mullion profile as shown.

21 Select the detail component, and click Visibility.
22 In the Family element visibility settings dialog box, clear Coarse and Medium, and click OK.
The detail component becomes the true representation in plan view.
24 Save the family as Cylinder Mullion.rfa.
25 Close the family file by clicking Close on the File menu, and return to the project file.
27 Load the Cylinder Mullion.rfa family.
After the new profile is loaded, it can be added as a mullion type.
28 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click Southeast Isometric.
29 Click , and spin the model so that you can see the curved curtain system.
30 On the Modelling tab, click Mullion.
31 Click .
32 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Circular Mullion for Family.
33 Click Edit/New.
35 Enter Cylinder Mullion for Name, and click OK.
36 Under Construction, specify Cylinder Mullion : Cylinder Mullion for Profile.
37 Click OK twice.
38 On the Options Bar, select All Empty Segments.
39 Click on any grid line in the entry cylinder.
40 On the Design Bar, click Modify to exit placing mullions.
You have placed more mullions than you want, so next you remove the unwanted ones.
42 Highlight a mullion in the arc, right-click and use Select Mullions on gridline from the Select Mullions menu,
and click DELETE.

43 Save the file.
This completes the exercise for adding mullions, as well as the lesson on creating a curved curtain system. In this
lesson, you learned to create a curved curtain system, make custom curtain panels and mullions, and then apply
those custom elements to the system.
Additional Curtain Systems

In this lesson, you create additional types of curtain systems: a sloped glazing system, a storefront system, and a
ruled curtain system.
Sloped Glazings
Sloped glazings are useful when you are creating skylights and other glazed roofing systems.
Dataset
■ Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous lesson.
1 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click TOP OF ROOF.

2 Zoom in on the skylight at the center of the building between Grids 2 and 3 and D and E.

4 On the Design Bar, click Pick Walls.
5 On the Options Bar, select Defines slope.
6 Select the inside faces of the base walls.
TIP To chain select all the walls, place the cursor on the inside face of one of the walls, and press TAB. All the inside
faces highlight, and you can click to select them all.
Additional Curtain Systems | 307

7 On the Design Bar, click Roof Properties.
8 In the Element Properties dialog box, click System Family: Sloped Glazing for Family.
9 Under Constraints, enter 600 for Base Offset From Level, and click OK.
13 Zoom in on the skylight.

15 On the Options Bar, select Entire Grid Line.
16 Select the grid lines that define the edges of each panel in the sloped glazing.
18 On the View Control Bar, click Shaded with Edges for Graphics Style.
19 Save the file.

This completes the exercise for creating a sloped glazing system.
Storefront System
In this exercise, you embed curtain walls into other walls to create a storefront system.

Dataset

2 Zoom in on the wall at the eastern-most area of the model.
You are going to place a storefront system in this wall. You can place the curtain wall right inside this wall.
3 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Wall.
4 On the Type Selector, select Curtain Wall : Storefront.
5 On the Options Bar, select Unconnected for Height, and enter 2400.
6 Start the wall 1200 mm from one end of the wall on the wall centerline.
7 Sketch a curtain wall along the wall centerline to the approximate length shown.
This curtain wall cuts the original wall.

8 Click the temporary dimension, enter 10200 mm, and press ENTER.
This specifies an exact length for the wall.
11 Zoom in on the new storefront wall.
The storefront wall already has a curtain grid layout, which is specified in the type. To see how the grid layout
is defined, you can look at the properties of the storefront wall.
12 Select the storefront wall, and click .

13 Click Edit/New to open the Type Properties dialog box.
The type parameters under the Pattern heading create the predefined layout. For this wall, the Layout (Grid
1) is set to Maximum Spacing, and the Spacing (Grid 1) is set to 1524 mm. This indicates that the curtain grids
are placed at even intervals along the length of the curtain wall at a distance up to 1524 mm. The Layout (Grid
2) is set to Fixed Distance, and the Spacing (Grid 2) is set to 2400 mm. This means that the panel heights will
be exactly at a 2400 mm height, even if the wall height changes.
14 After you have looked at the Pattern parameters, click OK to close the Type Properties dialog box and return
to the Element Properties dialog box that displays the instance parameters.
The Instance Parameters list includes additional parameters that define the curtain grid layout. Under the
Pattern heading, you find Number (Grid 1), Justification (Grid 1), Angle (Grid 1), and Offset (Grid 1). You see
these same parameters for Grid 2. The Number (Grid 1) is the number of vertical curtain grids you want on
the curtain instance. The Justification (Grid 1) specifies the vertical spacing at the beginning, center, or end.
By setting the Angle (Grid 1) value, you are rotating the grid lines to an angle on the face of the panel. The
Offset (Grid 1) is the distance the spacing starts from the justification point. The Grid 2 counterparts are the
same but for the perpendicular direction. For more information about these curtain wall parameters, see the
Revit Building help.
15 To see how these parameters can affect the wall, enter 45 for Angle (Grid 1) and 15 for Angle (Grid 2). Click
OK.

16 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Mullion, and select All Empty Segments on the Options Bar.
17 Select a curtain grid.
18 Save the file.

This completes the exercise on creating a storefront. In this exercise, you learned how to embed a curtain wall and
set up a grid layout.
Curtain System by Lines

In this exercise, you create a curtain wall based on 2 lines that have been sketched at different elevations on the
model. This type of curtain system is known as a ruled curtain system.
Dataset

2 Orient the view to the storefront wall you added in the last exercise.
4 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Curtain System ➤ Curtain System by Lines.

5 Place the cursor at the bottom edge of the SECOND FLOOR, making sure Thin Lines : Model Lines : Line is
highlighted.
Watch the Status Bar and Tooltips to be sure you are highlighting the thin line. Press TAB to select the line if
it does not immediately highlight.
6 Click the highlighted line.

7 Place the cursor at the top edge of the TOP OF ROOF level, and highlight the thin line.
8 Select the highlighted line.

A panel between the 2 lines is created.

A ruled curtain system does not have all the properties of a curtain wall.
9 Select the panel, and click .

Notice there are very few properties for the ruled curtain system.
10 Click OK to close the Element Properties dialog box.
Next, you subdivide the ruled curtain system using curtain grids.
NOTE The next few steps are intended as a guide to finish the system, but now that you have created a ruled curtain
system, you can vary the steps to style the system the way you want.

12 Using the midpoint curtain grid snaps, place horizontal grids that divide the panel into halves, quarters, and
then eighths.
This is similar to placing the grids on the curved curtain system.
13 Place vertical grids that snap to the midpoints on the panel and divide the panel into halves, quarters, and
then eighths.
Finally, you replace some of the glazed panels in front of the ceilings with solid panels.
14 Highlight a top level glazed panel, right-click and use Select Panels along Grid 2 from the Select Panels menu.
15 On the Type Selector, click System Panel : Solid.
16 Change the THIRD FLOOR level panels to solid.
17 Save the file.

This completes the exercise for creating a ruled curtain system, and the lesson on creating additional curtain systems.
In this lesson you learned to create a sloped glazing system, embed a curtain system inside another wall, and define
a ruled curtain system.

Creating Drawings
11
In this tutorial, you learn how to create drawings from a building information model in an Autodesk Revit
Building project. To create a printed or plotted set of drawings from the views in your building model, begin
by first creating sheets, which are a type of view in a project. Sheets are defined by borders, usually contain a
title block, and are accessible from the Project Browser. Depending on the type of drawing that you want to
create, you can add different views of the building model directly to the sheet. The model views that you can
add to sheets include plan, section, elevation, three-dimensional views, and schedules.
315
Creating Drawing Sheets in a Project
In this lesson, you learn how to create sheets within an Revit Building project, how to add views to the sheets, how
to create new views from a building model, and how to make changes to the building model from a view on a
sheet. The project used in the following exercises is a small office building model.
Creating a Drawing Sheet

In this exercise, you create a drawing sheet that includes a floor plan of the first level of the building model.
You begin by duplicating an existing floor plan view that includes furniture. You turn off the visibility of the
furniture in the duplicated view to create a floor plan view and rename the original view as the furniture plan.
Next, you enter the project information and create a drawing sheet with a title block that displays the project
information. You then add the floor plan view to the sheet, adjust the view scale, and dimension the exterior walls
of the building to complete the floor plan drawing sheet. You also reorient the swing of one of the doors in the
floor plan view on the sheet, and observe that the changes are made in the floor and furniture plan views of the
building model.
Dataset
■ Open m_Drawing_Exercise located in the Metric folder.
316 | Chapter 11 Creating Drawings

Copy the Level 1 floor plan view to create a Level 1 Furniture plan view
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), and expand Floor Plans.
2 Under Floor Plans, right-click Level 1, and click Duplicate.
A copy of the Level 1 Floor plan view is displayed in the Project Browser.
3 Right-click Copy of Level 1, and click Rename.
4 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Level 1 Furniture, and click OK.
5 In the Project Browser, double-click Level 1 to redisplay the floor plan.
Turn off visibility for casework, furniture, and specialty equipment in the Level 1 Floor Plan view

7 In the Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog box, click the Model Categories tab.
8 Select Include categories from all disciplines in the list above.
9 Under Visibility, clear:
■ Casework
■ Furniture
■ Lighting Fixtures
■ Specialty Equipment
10 Click OK.
Casework, furniture, and specialty equipment are no longer displayed in the Level 1 floor plan view.
The changes in visibility are applied to this view only. Casework, furniture, lighting fixtures, and specialty
equipment continue to display in the Level 1 Furniture plan.
Enter the project information to display in the title block of the drawing sheet

12 In the Element Properties dialog box, click Edit for Project Address.
Creating Drawing Sheets in a Project | 317

13 In the Edit Text dialog box, enter the following address:
■ 123 Main Street
■ Anytown, MA 12345
14 Click OK.
15 Continue to change the remaining type parameters:
■ Enter 31 March, 2005 for Project Issue Date.
■ Enter Client Approved for Project Status.
■ Enter J. Smith for Client Name.
■ Enter Residence for Project Name.
■ Enter 2005-01 for Project Number.
16 Click OK.
17 On View tab of the Design Bar, click Sheet.
TIP If the View tab is not displayed in the Design Bar, right-click, and click View.
18 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, select A0 metric, and click OK.
A title block and drawing borders are displayed on the drawing sheet.
The title block that you selected is a family that has already been loaded into the project. The text fields in the
titleblock family (shown below) contain labels that associate the project information parameters with the
appropriate text fields.
The text fields of the title block on the sheet automatically display the corresponding project information that
you entered in step 14.

NOTE The Project Path parameter in the lower-right corner of the sheet view automatically updates every time the
project file is saved.
19 In the Project Browser, expand Sheets (all).

The new sheet is displayed in the Project Browser with the name A101 - Unnamed.
20 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the title block.
21 When the title block highlights, on the Options Bar, click .

22 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, enter Ground Floor Plan for Sheet Name, and click
OK.
23 Ground Floor Plan is displayed in the title block as the sheet name and is appended to the sheet name in the
Project Browser.

25 In the Views dialog box, select Floor Plan: Level 1, and click Add View to Sheet.
26 Move the cursor to the center of the drawing sheet, and click to place the view in the center of the drawing
sheet.
The Level 1 floor plan view is displayed on the drawing sheet, but the scale of the view is too small for the
drawing sheet. View scale is a property of the view, and you can modify it within the sheet by activating the
Level 1 floor plan view and changing its scale.

27 With the view selected, on the View menu, click Activate View.
The border and title block are grayed out, indicating that the Level 1 floor plan View is active and you can
modify it. Any changes that you make to it on the sheet while it is active display when you open the Level 1
floor plan view.
28 Right-click the view, and click View Properties.
29 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select 1:20 for View Scale, and click OK.
The scale of the view on the sheet changes. If you were to open the Level 1 floor plan view, right-click, and
click View Properties, you would see that the scale of the Level 1 floor plan view is now 1:20.
Center the view on the sheet and reposition the drawing scale
30 On the View menu, click Deactivate View.

The border and the title block are no longer grayed out, indicating the view is deactivated.
31 Select the viewport and from the Type Selector, click Viewport : Title w Line.
32 Select the viewport, and drag the grips that display on the scale to lengthen it.
33 Drag the viewport to the center of the drawing sheet.

Dimension the exterior walls of the building
34 Right-click on the viewport on the drawing sheet, and click Activate View.
35 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Dimension.
36 On the Options Bar, click , and select Wall faces for Prefer.
This creates aligned dimensions that originate at the wall faces.
37 Dimension the north wall of the building:
■ Select the outer face of the west exterior vertical wall, and then select the outer face of the east exterior
vertical wall.
■ Move the cursor above the north exterior wall, and click to place the dimension.
38 Dimension the west exterior wall of the building by selecting the outer faces of the north and south exterior
walls and placing the dimension to the left of the west wall, as shown in the following illustration.
Reorient the door in the upper exterior wall
39 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the door on the north exterior wall (in the upper right corner).
40 Click the control arrows until the door swings open to the interior, as shown in the following illustration.

41 Select the view, right-click, and click Deactivate View.
The two dimensions that you added to the view in the previous steps have been added to this view, and the
door is updated.
When you change the geometry of the building model while the view is activated, the changes are made within
the building model and not restricted to the current view. This means that when you reoriented the door swing
in the Level 1 floor plan, the change is also made in the Level 1 Furniture plan. Dimensions, however, are
specific to the view in which they are created.
43 In the Project Browser under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 Furniture.
The dimensions that you added to the Level 1 floor plan view are not displayed, but the door reflects the
change you made to its orientation in the Level 1 floor plan.
44 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding a Sheet to the Project.

Adding a Sheet to the Project
In this exercise, you add a new sheet to the project, add the furniture plan view, and adjust the scale of the view
to create a furniture plan drawing.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Drawing_Exercise.rvt.
Add a new sheet to the project

2 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, select A0 metric, and click OK.
3 Select the title block, and on the Options Bar, click .

4 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, enter Furniture Plan Level 1 for Sheet Name, and
click OK.
Furniture Plan Level 1 is displayed in the title block as the sheet name.
In the Project Browser, under Sheets (all), the new sheet, A102 - Furniture Plan Level 1, is displayed. The sheet
is incrementally named A102.

Change the scale of the view before you add it to the sheet
5 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 Furniture.

6 On the View Control Bar, click the scale value, and select 1:20.
7 In the Project Browser, under Sheets (all), double-click A102 - Furniture Plan Level 1.
8 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, click and drag Level 1 Furniture onto the sheet.
9 Center the cursor in the drawing area of the sheet, and click to place the view.
10 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying the Building Model from a Sheet.
Modifying the Building Model from a Sheet

In this exercise, you learn how to modify a building model directly from the drawing sheets that you created from
its views. You change a lamp type and the length of an interior wall in the furniture plan view on Sheet A102, and
then observe that the changes are also made in the Level 1 Furniture plan.
Dataset
Change the lamp type in the furniture plan

1 In the drawing area, right-click on the view on sheet A102, and click Activate View.
2 Zoom in on the lower left corner of the building.
3 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the lamp next to the lounge chair.
4 In the Type Selector, verify that M_Floor Lamp 2 : 150 watt Incandescent is displayed.
5 Select M_Floor Lamp 1 : 100watt Halogen in the Type Selector to change the lamp type.

6 Select one of the furniture components, and notice that Moves with Nearby Elements is selected in the Options
Bar.
8 Select the wall as shown in the following illustration.
9 Click the temporary dimension value of the distance between the wall and the centerline of the exterior
horizontal wall, enter 5200 mm, and press ENTER.
The desk, chair, and file cabinet adjacent to the wall move when the wall is resized.
10 On the Window menu, select Floor Plan: Level 1 Furniture.

The changes made to the lamp, furniture, and the wall position in Sheet A102 are reflected in the Level 1
Furniture plan view.
11 Select the same wall you selected in step 8 to view the change in dimension.
12 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating New Views to Add to Sheets.

Creating New Views to Add to Sheets
In this exercise, you learn how to create new elevation, callout, and section views of the building model and add
them to a single drawing sheet.
Dataset
Create a callout view

1 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 Furniture.
2 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Callout.
3 Draw a rectangle around the room in the lower left corner of the drawing to define the boundaries of the room.
A callout tag is placed inside the walls of the building model.
4 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the dashed callout view border.
5 Select the blue border grip adjacent to the view tag, and move it to the position shown in the following
illustration.

6 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and double-click the callout tag to display the callout view.
Change the callout view scale, and add the callout view to a new sheet
7 On the View Control Bar, click the scale value, and select 1:20.
9 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, select A0 Metric, and click OK.
The new sheet, A103 - Unnamed, is displayed under Sheets (all) in the Project Browser.
11 In the Views dialog box, select Floor Plan: Callout of Level 1 Furniture, and click Add View to Sheet.
12 Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the sheet, position the view, and click to place the view.
TIP You can also drag the Floor Plan: Callout of Level 1 Furniture view from the Project Browser to place it on the
sheet.

14 Zoom in around the view tag of the callout.
The tag now displays the drawing sheet and detail number.
Create a new elevation view, and place it on the sheet
15 Adjust your zoom to display the lower left corner of the view.
An elevation symbol displays at the end of the cursor in the drawing area.
17 Move the cursor to the lower left room, center it in the room so that it points north, and click to place the
elevation symbol.
As you move the cursor, the elevation symbol points to the closest wall.
18 On the Design Bar, click Modify, select the elevation symbol arrow, and zoom out to view the elevation extents.
The elevation extents do not display when you select the body of the elevation symbol.

19 Select the body of the elevation symbol.
The symbol is displayed as in the following illustration.
20 Select the box under the elevation symbol to create a new elevation view 180 degrees from the first elevation
view you created when you placed the elevation symbol.
21 In the Project Browser under Views (all), expand Elevations, and notice that two new elevation views display:
Elevation 1 - a and Elevation 1 - c.
Add the new elevation views to sheet A103
22 In the Project Browser under Sheets (all), double-click A103 - Unnamed.

24 In the Views dialog box, select Elevation: Elevation 1 - a, and click Add View to Sheet.
25 Click to place the elevation next to the callout view on the drawing sheet.

26 Add Elevation 1 - c to the sheet either with the Add View command or by dragging it from the Project Browser
onto the sheet.
27 In the Project Browser, under Sheets (all), double-click A102 - Furniture Plan Level 1.
28 Zoom in on the elevation tag in the lower left room.
The sheet (drawing) number and detail IDs of the views are displayed in the symbol.
Create a section view, and add it to the sheet

30 Zoom in on the right side of the building.

31 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Section.
32 In the Options Bar, select 1:50 for Scale.
33 Add a section line that cuts through the right side of the building:
■ Click outside the north exterior wall of the building to place the start point of the section line and the
section head (section tag).
■ Move the cursor down and click outside of the south exterior wall of the building to place the section tail
and complete the section line.
34 Click the arrows at the head of the section line to flip the section so it points to the west.

35 In the Project Browser under Sheets (all), double-click A103 - Unnamed.
37 In the Views dialog box, select Section: Section 1, and click Add View to Sheet.
38 Right-click on the viewport, and click Activate View.
39 Right-click on the view, and click View Properties.
40 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, click Custom for View Scale.
41 Enter 25 for Scale Value, and click OK.
42 Right-click on the view, and click Deactivate View.
43 Place the section view on the drawing sheet as shown in the following illustration.
The drawing sheet is now complete.

name.
45 Close the exercise file.
By completing the exercises in this lesson, you learned how to create new drawing sheets, add views to your sheets,
modify the building model from your sheets, and to create new views of your building model, such as callouts,
elevations, and sections.

Using Legends
Legends provide a way to display a list of the various building components and annotations used in a project. The
two most common types of legends produced for construction documents are annotation legends and building
component legends.
Annotation legends are made up of components such as section markers and door tags that are paired with text
that identifies them. On construction documents, annotation legends are often referred to as symbol legends.
Building component legends list and identify components such as walls, windows, doors, and door frames. On
construction documents, building component legends are often called schedules (wall type schedule, door frame
schedule, and so on).
NOTE A component that is placed in a legend does not count as an additional instance of the component in the Revit
Building building model, and thus is not added to the number of instances of that component listed on a schedule or
noteblock.
Creating a Symbol Legend

In this exercise, you create a legend view and add symbols and text to it using a text type you create by duplicating
an existing text type and modifying the type properties. Finally, you add the completed symbol legend to a cover
sheet for the construction documents.
Dataset
■ Open m_Legends.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Create a legend view

1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Legend.
2 In the Project Browser, expand Legends.
3 Right-click Legend 1, and click Rename.
4 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Symbol Legend for Name, and click OK.
Add symbols to the legend
5 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Symbol.

6 Add the following symbols to the legend view, selecting each from the Type Selector and placing it in the
legend as shown.
■ M_Section Head - Filled
■ Level Head - Upgrade : 6 mm
■ M_Wall Tag : 12mm
■ Door Tag metric
■ Window Tag metric
Using Legends | 333

Create a text type
7 Because the text size for the symbol legend is not available in the Type Selector, you create a text type with
the necessary size. You do this by duplicating an existing text type and modifying the type properties.
On the Design Bar, click Text.
8 In the Type Selector, select Text : 6mm.
9 On the Options bar, click .

11 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Duplicate, enter 3mm for Name, and click OK.
12 Under Text, enter 3mm for Text Size, and click OK twice.
13 In the Type Selector, verify that Text : 3mm is selected, and click to the right of the first symbol to specify the
text start point.
14 Enter Detail Callout (detail #/sheet #) for the text note.
15 Working from the top down, enter the following text for the remaining symbols in the legend:
■ Level Marker (Level name/Elevation in mm)
■ Wall Tag (Wall Type #)
■ Door Tag (Door #)
■ Window Tag (Window Type #)
Place the symbol legend on a sheet
16 In the Project Browser, expand Sheets (all), and double-click A100 - Cover Sheet to open it in the drawing area.
17 In the Project Browser, click Symbol Legend, drag it to the lower-right corner of the cover sheet, and click to
place it.
18 On the Design Bar, click Modify to end the command.

The symbol legend is added to the project cover sheet.
20 Navigate to your preferred directory, name the file m_Legends_in progress.rvt, and click Save.
21 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Wall Type Legend.
Creating a Wall Type Legend

In this exercise, you create a building component legend for the wall types in the building model. You use the text
type that you created in a previous exercise to create annotations that identify the material used in each wall
component. You then add the completed legend to a project cover sheet.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Legends_in progress.rvt.
Create a legend view

1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Legend.
2 In the Project Browser, expand Legends.
3 Right-click Legend 1, and click Rename.
4 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Wall Type Legend for Name, and click OK.
Add components to the legend
5 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Legend Component.

6 On the Options Bar, select Walls: Basic Wall: Exterior - Brick on CMU for Family.
7 Select Section for View.
8 Click near the top left of the drawing area to specify the insertion point for the wall.
9 Repeat the procedure to place a wall of type Interior - 138mm Partition (1-hr) directly below the first wall.
Using Legends | 335

Add text to the legend
10 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Text.

11 In the Type Selector, verify that Text : 3mm is selected.
12 On the Options bar, click to add a single-segment leader.

13 Click in the far left portion of the Brick on CMU wall to specify the leader start point.
14 Click to the right of the wall to end the leader and specify the text start point.
15 Enter (1) Layer 16mm GWB, and click Modify on the Design Bar.
The text note with leader is added to the legend.

16 Use the following illustration as a guide for entering the remaining text annotations on the upper wall
component.
17 Use the following illustration as a guide for entering the text annotations on the lower wall component.

Add titles to the legend components
19 On the Options Bar, click to add text without a leader.

20 Click below the upper wall component to specify the start point for the text, and enter Wall Type 1.
21 Click below the lower wall and enter Wall Type 2.
22 On the Design Bar, click Detail Lines.
23 In the Type Selector, select Medium Lines.
24 Below the title text of the upper component, draw a detail line that extends as far as the longest component
callout.
Place the legend on a sheet
25 Using extension reference lines, add an identical detail line below the lower component.
26 In the Project Browser, double-click A100 - Cover Sheet to open it in the drawing area.
27 In the Project Browser, click Wall Type Legend, drag it onto the sheet, and click to place it above the symbol
legend.
The wall type legend is added to the project cover sheet.

30 Proceed to the next exercise, Using a Legend View to Match Types.
Using a Legend View to Match Types

In this exercise, you use the Match Type tool to convert a wall in the floor plan to the component type used in the
Wall Type Legend. You capture the wall type properties in the tool, and then select the wall to which you want to
apply the same properties.
Using Legends | 337

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Legends_in_progress.rvt.
Tile views in the drawing window

1 Close all project view drawings except Floor Plan: Level 1 and Wall Type Legend.
2 On the Window menu, click Tile.
The open drawings are both visible, allowing you to select a component type in one drawing and then apply
the type in the second drawing.
Match a component type

4 In the Wall Type Legend view, select the wall type 1 component.
Notice that the eyedropper changes to filled, indicating that it captured the wall type properties.
5 In the floor plan view, enter ZR to zoom to a specific region.
6 Draw a rectangle around the upper-left corner of the floor plan, so that you are zoomed in to the walls.
7 Click on the wall at the top of the view.
8 On the View Control Bar, select Medium for Detail Level.
Changing the detail level displays the hatching for each material of the wall component.

The wall type in the floor plan matches wall type 1 from the Wall Type Legend.
9 On the File menu, click Close. Click Yes when prompted to save the drawing.
10 Proceed to the next lesson, Using Revision Tracking.
Using Revision Tracking

Revit Building provides tools that enable you to track revisions to your project. You can create a sequence of
revisions, and you can draw revision clouds around elements in your project that have changed. You can use
revision tags to notate the revision clouds, and can then display the revisions in schedules that appear in the
titleblock of each project sheet.
Setting Up a Revision Table

There are likely to be changes to your construction documents after you have issued the original set of documents
for bid or after you have received a signed contract. These changes can be due to owner requests, contractor inquiries,
unanticipated changes in construction conditions, or changes in building material availability. In this exercise,
you use the Revisions command to open a revision table in which you can add rows that represent a sequence of
revisions. Using the table, you can specify the numbering method for revisions in a project, and you can add data
such as release date and description to each revision.
Dataset
■ Open m_Revisions.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Specify a revision numbering method

1 On the Settings menu, click Revisions.
2 In the Revisions dialog box, verify that By Project is selected for Numbering Method.
When you use this option, the revisions are numbered according to the sequence of revisions in the Revisions
dialog box. For example, if the active revision is number 1, all tags and schedules display the numeral 1. If you
select By Sheet, the revisions are numbered according to the sequence in which they are added to a sheet.
Add a revision to the project
3 Click on the value for Release Date, and enter a date.

This is the date the revisions are sent out for review.
4 Click on the value for Description, and enter Moved window and added second window to Living Room.
In general, revision descriptions should be comprehensive, yet as concise as possible.
5 Verify that Issued is cleared.
When Issued is selected, the revision is locked and issued to the field.
6 Verify that Visible is selected.
Using Revision Tracking | 339

If Visible is not selected, any revision cloud you draw to indicate this particular revision is not visible in the
view in which you create it. In most instances, you would turn off visibility only after a revision was issued.
7 Click OK.
9 Navigate to your preferred directory, name the file m_Revisions-in progress.rvt, and click Save.
10 Proceed to the next exercise, Sketching Revision Clouds.
Sketching Revision Clouds

In this exercise, you make changes to the project floor plan, and then indicate the changes graphically with a
revision cloud. Revision clouds have read-only properties, including revision number and revision date, which are
inherited from the revision table you created for the project.
You can sketch revision clouds in all views except 3D views, but each cloud is visible only in the view in which it
is sketched. You can draw multiple revision clouds for each revision.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Revisions-in progress.rvt.
Modify a window
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views, and expand Floor Plans.
2 Double-click Level 1 to open it in the drawing area.
3 In the small empty room, select the window.
4 Select the dimension value to the left of the window, enter 1200 mm, and press ENTER.
The selected window is moved to the left 900 mm.

Add a window
5 Verify that the modified window is still selected in the drawing area, and click on the Edit toolbar.
6 Select the midpoint of the casement window as the start point.
7 Move the cursor to the right until the distance from the midpoint is 1800 mm.
8 Click to place the second window.
Add a revision cloud
10 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Revision Cloud.

Revit Building is now in sketch mode.
11 In the drawing area, click near the windows you have changed, and move the cursor clockwise to create a
segment of the revision cloud.
12 Click to end that segment and begin a new segment.
13 Continue adding segments until the cloud encompasses the area that you changed.
The revision cloud is displayed around the modified windows. You can change the appearance of the cloud
from the Settings menu.
16 Proceed to the next exercise, Tagging Revision Clouds.
Tagging Revision Clouds

In this exercise, you load a revision tag into the project, and then apply the tag to the revision cloud in the current
drawing. The tag number that is displayed in the drawing is based on the numbering method you specified when
you set up the revision table in a previous exercise.
Dataset

Load a revision tag
2 On the Options Bar, click Tags.
3 In the Tags dialog box, scroll down to Revision Clouds.
Because there are no tags loaded for revision clouds, you need to add one.
4 Click Load.
5 In the Open dialog box, browse to Annotations\M_Revision Tag.rfa, and click Open.
In the Tags dialog box, notice that M_Revision Tag is the loaded tag for Revision Clouds.
6 In the Tags, dialog box, click OK.
Tag a revision cloud

8 In the drawing area, position the cursor just outside the revision cloud.
If the cursor is just inside the cloud, the tag is displayed inside the cloud.
9 Click to place the tag.
The tag displays the revision number of the cloud. The number is based on the numbering method you specified
when you set up the revision table. Because you chose to number by project, and because the revision is the
first in the project, the cloud is tagged as number 1.
11 Proceed to the next exercise, Working with Revisions.
Working with Revisions

In this exercise, you create a sheet view in your project, on which you place a revised view. You then issue a revision,
which creates a record of the revision and locks it from further changes. Because a real-world project can undergo
several revisions before it is completed, you create additional revisions in the revision table.
Dataset
Create a sheet view

1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Sheet.
2 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, verify that A0 Metric is selected, and click OK.
A new sheet view is created in the project.
Add a revised view to a sheet
3 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, select Level 1, and drag it onto the sheet view.
4 In the drawing area, click to place the floor plan.
5 Enter ZR to zoom to a specific region.
6 Draw a rectangle around the revision schedule in the sheet titleblock.

The information you added to the revision table in a previous exercise is displayed in the revision schedule.
Issue a revision
7 After you make the necessary changes to the project and add the revised views to a sheet, you prevent further
changes to the revision. You do this by issuing the revision.
On the Settings menu, click Revisions.
8 In the Revisions dialog box, enter a name for Issued to.
9 Select Issued, and click OK.
NOTE After you issue a revision, you can no longer modify it. You cannot add revision clouds to the revision in the
drawing area, nor can you edit the sketch of the existing clouds.
Create additional revisions
10 Your project may have several revisions before it is completed. You can continue to add revisions.
On the Settings menu, click Revisions.
11 In the Revisions dialog box, under Add, click New.
A new row is added below the existing rows in the revision table.
12 Enter the appropriate information for this revision.
13 If you want to hide issued revisions in the drawing, clear Visible for each issued revision.
14 Click OK.

Detailing
12
In this tutorial, you learn how to create details in Autodesk Revit Building. You can detail directly in a view
of the building information model, using detail components to represent materials like lumber, plywood, and
metal studs. These components scale with the building model. For a detail that you do not want to associate
with the model, like a standard detail that you want to add to a library, you use a separate drafting view in
which to create the detail. The "drafted" detail that you create is not parametrically linked to the building
model.
In this tutorial, you also learn how to change the detail component display order and visibility settings in a
detail to create depth and show varying levels of detail.
345
Creating a Detail from a Building Model
In this lesson, you detail the foundation sill of a small house.
In order to detail from the building model, you must define the view in which you want to create a detail. You
define that view by creating a callout view within a section view. In the callout view, you trace over the building
model geometry, add detail components, and then complete the detail by adding break lines and text notes.
Creating a Callout View

In this exercise, you create a callout view that references the foundation sill of the house. You create the callout
view by adding a callout to the section view. The callout defines the extents of the callout view. The callout view
is a larger view of the area that you define in the section view with the callout.
Dataset
■ Open m_Cape_House.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Modify the section view

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click First Floor.
The section line that you see in the floor plan indicates that a section view has been added to the project.
346 | Chapter 12 Detailing

2 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the section line.
Blue grips and a break symbol display on the section line.
3 Click the break symbol to create a gap in the section line.

4 Select and move the blue grips of the interior end points of the section line so the section line is displayed as
in the following illustration.
Creating a Detail from a Building Model | 347

Add a callout to the section view to specify the callout view

6 Double-click the head of the section line to display the section view.
TIP If the tab that you need does not display in the Design Bar, right-click in the Design Bar, and click the tab in the
context menu.
8 On the Options Bar, select 1:5 for Scale.

9 Add the callout by drawing a rectangle around the left side of the foundation:
■ Click in the section view where the upper left corner of the callout rectangle displays in the following
illustration.
■ Click in the section view where the lower right corner displays.
Reposition the callout head
10 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the callout border.
The callout border and tag highlight and display blue grips.
11 Select the grip near the callout head and move it to the bottom left side of the view as shown in the following
illustration.

Display and modify the callout view
12 On the Design Bar, click Modify and double-click the callout head.
The callout view is displayed.

14 In the Element Properties dialog box, change the following instance parameters:
■ Enter Section Detail @ Foundation Sill for View Name.
■ Select Hidden Line for Model Graphics Style.
15 Click OK.
16 In the view, select the First Floor level line.
Notice that the alignment of the level is locked to the site level.

17 Proceed to the next exercise, Detailing the View.
Detailing the View

In this exercise, you detail the view of the foundation sill. You start by adding a filled region that represents the
sloped grade outside of the foundation wall, and then add detail components to the detail that represent lumber,
sub-flooring, siding, and an anchor bolt.
The detail components that you add to the view are two-dimensional family objects. They are also view specific,
which means that any detail components, as well as detail lines, region objects, and insulation objects, that you
add to the view are visible only in this view.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Cape_House.rvt.
Create a filled region that represents the sloped grade outside the foundation wall
1 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Filled Region.
TIP If you do not see the Filled Region command, turn off the display of some of the Design Bar tabs.
Notice that the Design Bar is now in Sketch mode and the model geometry is grayed out.
4 On the Options Bar, select Chain and click .

5 Trace the region representing the sloped grade using the following illustration for reference. Exact dimensions
are not important.
TIP Enter SO on your keyboard to turn off snapping as you sketch.

6 On the Design Bar, click Region Properties.
9 In the Name dialog box, enter Earth for Name, and click OK.
10 In the Type Properties dialog box, click in the Fill Pattern type parameter Value field.
11 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, under Name and Pattern, select EARTH.
13 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the two lines shown in the following illustration.
14 In the Type Selector, select <Invisible lines>.

15 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch to complete the filled region.
The earth fill pattern is displayed in the filled region.
NOTE You may have to zoom out to view the earth fill pattern in the filled region. If you are zoomed in too far, the
pattern does not display.

Add lumber detail components

18 In the Open dialog box, navigate to Detail Components\Structural\Wood in the Metric Library, select M_Dimension
Lumber-Section.rfa.
19 At the bottom of the dialog box, select the following lumber components:
■ 38X140
■ 38X235
■ 38X286
20 Click Open.
21 In the Type Selector, select M_Dimension Lumber-Section 38X235.
22 Press the Spacebar to rotate the Lumber Section counter-clockwise.
23 Place the 38X235 Lumber component in the detail view as shown in the following illustration.
TIP You may need to use the Move command to adjust the position of the lumber.

24 Place a 38X235 lumber component as shown in the following illustration.
25 In the Type Selector, select M_Dimension Lumber- Section: 38x140, and place it in the detail view.

Add a plywood detail component to represent the sub-flooring

27 In the Type Selector, select M_Plywood : 25mm.
28 Place the plywood component above the last 38X235 that you added as shown in the following illustration.
TIP You may need to use the Align tool to place the plywood component.
Add a plywood detail component to the exterior wall face
29 Place another plywood component on the exterior face of the wall as shown in the following illustration.

30 On the Design Bar, click Modify, select the plywood on the exterior face of the wall, and click .
31 In the Element Properties dialog box, enter 19 mm for Thickness, and click OK.
Add an anchor bolt detail component

33 In the Type Selector, select m_anchorbolt and place it in the detail view as shown in the following illustration.
Add a lap siding to the exterior wall as a repeating detail component
34 On the Design Bar, click Repeating Detail.

38 In the Name dialog box, enter Lap Siding for Name, and click OK.
39 In the Type Properties dialog box, change the following type parameters:
■ Select m_lap siding for Detail.
■ Verify Fill Available Space is selected for Layout. When you place the repeating detail component, this
parameter determines the appropriate spacing between the repeated components so that they fill the space
that you select evenly.
■ Select Inside.
■ Verify Detail Rotation is set to None.
40 Click OK twice.
41 Add the lap siding to the plywood on the exterior face:
■ Select the lower left corner of the plywood detail component.
■ Move the cursor up along the plywood component, until enough lap siding displays to cover it, and click
to place the lap siding.

NOTE You may need to move your cursor above the crop region of the detail view to place the lap siding along
the entire length of the plywood. If you need to make modifications to the lap siding after you place it, on the Design
Bar, click Modify and select the repeating lap siding detail component. Select and move the blue grips on the
repeating detail line to shorten or lengthen the lap siding.
The lap siding is displayed along the plywood.
42 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Detail Lines.
Adding Detail Lines

In this exercise, you add lines to your detail. Like detail components, they are view specific, meaning they display
only in this view.
Dataset
Add detail lines

2 In the Type Selector, click Wide Lines.
3 Sketch detail lines to enclose the bottom end of the lap siding as shown in the following illustration.

5 In the Element Properties dialog box, select As underlay for the Display Model instance parameter, and click
OK.
The model geometry that displays underneath the detail components and lines is grayed out.
7 In the Type Selector, select Medium lines, select Chain, and click .
8 Using the underlay inside wall face and floor as references, sketch a 20 x 100 mm baseboard.
9 Add two more detail lines as shown in the following illustration.
Create a filled region that represents the15 mm gypsum board

12 On the Options Bar, select .

13 Trace over the interior wall face as shown in the following illustration.

17 In the Name dialog box, enter Plasterboard for Name, and click OK.
18 In the Type Properties dialog box, click in the Fill pattern type parameter value field.
19 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, under Name and Pattern, select Gypsum-Plaster.
21 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch to view the gypsum board.

Create a filled region that represents the foundation wall

24 On the Options Bar, select .

25 Trace a rectangle over the foundation wall.
29 In the Name dialog box, enter Concrete for Name, and click OK.
30 In the Type Properties dialog box, click in the Fill pattern type parameter value field.
31 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, under Name and Pattern, select Concrete.
33 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch to view the concrete filled region.
Near the end of this lesson, you turn off the display of the model geometry. If there were no filled region to
represent the foundation walls, the region would be blank.
34 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding a Vapor Barrier and Insulation.
Adding a Vapor Barrier and Insulation

In this exercise, you add a vapor barrier and insulation to the detail.
Dataset
Add a vapor barrier

2 In the Line Styles dialog box, under Modify Subcategories, click New.
3 In the New Subcategory dialog box, enter Vapor Barrier for Name, and click OK.

4 Under Lines Styles, make the following changes to Vapor Barrier:
■ Select 3 for Line Weight/Projection.
■ Select Black for Line Color.
■ Select Dash for Line Pattern.
5 Click OK to complete the new line style.

6 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Detail Lines.
7 In the Type Selector, select Vapor Barrier.
8 On the Options Bar, click and enter 28mm for Offset.

9 Click the right face of the interior wall to create a line as shown in the following illustration.
Add insulation
10 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Insulation.

11 On the Options Bar, enter 120 mm for Width and 65 mm for Offset to center.
12 Sketch the insulation:
■ Click at the top and to the right of the exterior wall face underlay of the wall to specify the start point.
■ Move your cursor down to the top of the 38x140 and click to specify the endpoint.
13 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Break Lines.
Adding Break Lines

In this exercise, you add break lines to the detail.
Dataset
Add a break line to the top of the wall section

2 In the Type Selector, select M_Break Line.
3 Place the break line at the top of the wall section as shown in the following image.
4 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the crop boundary of the detail view.
5 Select and move the crop boundary grips until the view displays as in the following illustration.
Add a break line to the floor

7 In the Type Selector, verify that M_Break Line is selected.
8 Place the break line approximately in the center of the floor as shown in the following illustration.

9 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the break line.
10 On the Tools toolbar, click and rotate the break line until it displays as shown in the following illustration.
NOTE You may need to drag the shape handles of the break line to resize it to the illustration.
Turn off the visibility of model components to view detail components only

12 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Do not display for Display model, and click OK.
When you turn the display model off, the model elements such as walls and floors no longer display in this
view. What remains are the detail components and lines that you added previously, as shown in the following
illustration.

13 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Text Notes.
Adding Text Notes

In this exercise, you add text notes to complete the detail.
Dataset
Add text notes to the detail

2 On the Type Selector, select 4 mm text for Text size.
3 On the Options Bar, click to create a leader with two segments.

4 Add the leaders and notes shown in the following illustration:
■ Click in the detail to set the location of the arrow.
■ Click again to set the elbow position of the leader.
■ Click again to set the location of the text box.
■ Enter the text.
name.

Changing Component Order and Visibility Settings in Detail
Views
In this lesson, you learn to modify the display of detail components in your detail views. Within a detail view, you
can arrange the order in which detail components display. A detail component can display in front or in back of
all other components, or can display in front of or in back of specific components.
You also learn how to override line styles and detail level settings for each model element. For example, you can
set only doors in a detail view to display in fine detail, while other model elements, such as walls and windows,
display in coarse detail.
Changing Detail Component Order in a Detail View

In this exercise, you change the order in which detail components in a detail view of a kitchen sink and cabinet
display.
Dataset
■ Open c_Office_Building.rvt located in the Common folder.
Open the detail view

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Basement.
The section line that you see in the top right corner of the floor plan indicates that a section view that cuts
through the kitchen sink and cabinet has been added to the project.
2 Double-click the section line head to display the section view.

The filled regions in the detail section view do not overlap properly.

Display the sink in front of the cabinet
3 Move your cursor over the kitchen sink detail component, and when it highlights, select it.
4 With the sink selected, on the Options Bar, click .

The sink now displays as if it was in front of the cabinet detail component.
Display the sink behind the cabinet
5 Select the sink and, on the Options Bar, click .

The sink is now sent to the back of the drawing, behind the cabinet.
Changing Component Order and Visibility Settings in Detail Views | 365

There are three stacked detail components in this detail: a sink, a cabinet, and a simple fill pattern. Select the
base cabinet and try the various depth options on the Options Bar.
6 Proceed to the next exercise, Changing Visibility Settings in a Detail View.
Changing Visibility Settings in a Detail View

In this exercise, you change the visibility settings of several views by overriding line styles, using halftone, and
overriding detail level settings.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Office_Building.rvt.
Open four different views

2 On the Window menu, select Tile.
3 On the View menu, select Zoom ➤ Zoom All To Fit.
Display the furniture in the basement view in halftone
4 On the View menu, select Zoom ➤ Zoom In Region.

5 Click in the window containing the Floor Plan: Basement view and draw a zoom box around the furniture as
shown in the following illustration.

6 Maximize the window containing the Floor Plan: Basement view.
8 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Model Categories tab.
9 Under Visibility, scroll down to Furniture, and select Halftone.
10 Click OK.
The furniture within this view is displayed in halftone.
Turn off door tags in the Level 1 Floor Plan
12 On the View menu, select Zoom ➤ Zoom To Fit.

14 In the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog box, click the Annotation Categories tab.
15 Clear the Visibility for Door tags, and click Apply.
16 Move the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog box so you can view the floor plan.
The door tags are not displayed.
Changing Component Order and Visibility Settings in Detail Views | 367

Display walls in coarse detail in the Level 1 Floor Plan
17 In the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog box, click the Model Categories tab.
18 For Walls, select Coarse for Detail Level, and click Apply.
The walls in this view display in a coarse level of detail while the rest of the floor plan is displayed in a fine
level of detail. All the walls in this view are displayed as coarse regardless of the settings in the View Properties
dialog box.
Change the cut line style for walls in the view
19 In the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog box, click Override under Line Style Cut for Walls.
20 In the Select Line Style dialog box, do the following:
■ Select Override.
■ Select 8 for Line Weight.
■ Select Black for Line Color.
■ Select Solid for Line Pattern.
21 Click OK twice.
The cut line style of the walls is now significantly heavier.

name.
Creating a Drafted Detail

In this lesson, you learn how to create a drafted detail. Drafted details are created in drafting views and are not
directly based on building model geometry. These details do not update with changes to the building model, as
there is no parametric linkage to any building model components.
You can create details in drafting views when you do not need to create callout views from the building model.
You can create drafted details using the drafting tools in Revit Building or by importing details from an existing
detail library. After you create a drafting view, you can reference it within the model and place it on a sheet.
Creating a Drafting View

In this exercise, you create a drafting view that is not associated with a building model. In the next exercise, you
create a door detail in this new drafting view.
Dataset
■ Open m_Drafting_views.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Create the new drafting view

1 On View menu, click New ➤ Drafting View.
2 In the New Drafting View dialog box, enter the following:
■ Enter Door Detail for Name.
■ Select 1:5 for Scale.
3 Click OK to create the new drafting view.

The building model is no longer displayed in the drawing window because you have created a drafting view
that is not associated with the building model.
4 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), and expand Drafting Views.
The new drafting view, named Door Detail, is displayed in the Project Browser.
5 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Detail in the Drafting View.
Creating a Detail in the Drafting View

In this exercise, you create a door detail in the new drafting view.
Creating a Drafted Detail | 369

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Drafting_views.rvt.
Create a drafted door detail

1 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Detail Lines.
context menu.

3 Sketch the door jamb shown in the following illustration.
TIP You may want to use the Chain option when you sketch the door jamb. You can also use the Rectangles sketching
tool to create the basic shapes, and then use the Split and Trim tools to complete the sketch.

5 Permanently dimension the door jamb sketch so that the dimension values match those in the following
illustration.
After you create a dimension, you can change its value by clicking Modify on the Design Bar and selecting one
of the lines the dimension references. When the dimension value displays in blue, you can change it.

Create filled regions
6 You sketch filled regions to represent gypsum wall board.

On the Design Bar, click Filled Region.

9 Turn off automatic snapping to facilitate sketching in close detail:
■ On the Settings menu, click Snaps.
■ Under Dimension Snaps, clear Length dimension snap increments, and click OK.
10 Sketch two 15 mm thick rectangles as shown.

14 In the Name dialog box, enter Sand, and click OK.
15 In the Type Properties dialog box, click for the Fill pattern type parameter.
16 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, under Name, select Sand.
17 Under Pattern Type, verify Drafting is selected, and click OK 3 times.
The detail with filled regions (the gypsum wall board with the sand drafting pattern) is displayed.

21 Sketch the 50 mm x 15 mm door trim as shown.

22 On the Design Bar, click Dimension, and add 2 dimensions to the door trim.
Adjust witness lines
23 Select each door jamb dimension.

24 Drag the door jamb dimension controls to pull the dimensions away from the detail.
25 Add an overall dimension of the door jamb.

Sketch a door

28 Draw lines that represent the door as shown.
TIP You may find it helpful to temporarily hide the dimensions in the view when sketching the door. Select the
desired dimensions, and on the View Control Bar, click the Hide/Isolate command, and click Hide Object from the
context menu.
Add the dimensional lumber for the header
29 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Detail Component.

30 In the Type Selector, select M_Dimension Lumber 38X140.

34 In the Name dialog box, enter 38 x 125, and click OK.
35 In the Type Properties dialog box, enter 125 for the Width type parameter, and click OK twice.
36 Press the Spacebar to rotate the Lumber counter-clockwise.
37 Place the lumber component in the detail.
TIP You may need to use the Move command to adjust the position of the lumber.

38 Stack another 38 x 125 directly above the one that you placed in the previous step to complete the header.
Add two break lines

40 In the Type Selector, select Break Line.
41 Add two break lines as shown.
TIP Rotate and move the bottom break line to adjust its masking element.

Add text notes to complete the detail
42 On the Design Bar, click Text.
43 In the Options Bar, click to create a leader with two segments.

44 Add leaders and text notes to the detail as shown.
Place the drafting view on a new sheet
45 On the View menu, click New ➤ Sheet.

46 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, verify that A0 metric is selected, and click OK.
47 In the Project Browser, expand Views, and expand Drafting Views.
48 Select Door Detail, and drag it onto the sheet.
49 Click to specify an insertion point.

51 Proceed to the next exercise, Importing a Detail into a Drafting View.
Importing a Detail into a Drafting View

In this exercise, you place an existing detail in a new drafting view to create a drafted detail. The detail that you
import is in DWG format.
Dataset
Create a new drafting view

1 On the View menu, select New ➤ Drafting View.
2 In the New Drafting View dialog box, enter the following:
■ Enter Rail Detail for Name.
■ Select Custom for Scale.
■ Enter 5 for the Scale value.
3 Click OK.
Import a complete detail in DWG format
4 On the File menu, click Import/Link ➤ DWG, DXF, DGN.

5 In the Import/Link dialog box, select m_Rail_detail.dwg from the Metric folder in the Training Files.
6 At the bottom of the Import/Link dialog box, under Layer/Level Colors, select Preserve colors, and then click
Open.
7 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom To Fit to view the detail.
The detail is imported as an import symbol. In order to modify it, you must explode it. After you explode it,
the DWG entities are converted into Revit Building elements.

Explode the imported detail
8 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and then select the detail.
9 Right-click, and click Full Explode.
10 If an error dialog box displays, click Delete Element(s).
The lines of the detail are converted to detail lines, and the text within the detail is converted to Revit Building
text. The text retains the DWG layer color.
Change the text color to black and add text leaders
11 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press and hold CTRL, and select all of the text blocks in the detail.

14 In the Type Properties dialog box, click the button in the Color type parameter Value field.
15 In the Color dialog box, select black, and click OK 3 times.
The text is displayed as black after you click in the drawing area.

Add leaders to the text notes
16 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the bottom text note, MET STUD FRAMING.

A leader is added to the text note.
18 Select and move the leader grips to position the leader as shown.
19 Add leaders to the remaining text notes to complete the detail as shown.
20 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Reference Callout.

Creating a Reference Callout
In this exercise, you create a callout in the section view of the building model to reference the door detail that you
previously created.
Dataset
Create the callout view

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Sections, and double-click Section 1.
The section view is displayed.

3 On the Options Bar, select Reference other view, and select Drafting View: Door Detail (1/A101).
NOTE When a view has been placed on a sheet view, it appears in the Reference other view list with the detail
number and sheet number displayed after the view name.
4 Zoom in on the Level 1 doors.

5 Add the callout bubble by dragging a rectangular bubble over the upper left door corner.
6 Select the callout, and use the callout grips to move the callout head.
The callout head displays the detail and sheet information (1/A101) because the referenced drafting view is
already placed on this sheet.
Display the reference view
7 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and double-click the callout.

The door detail that you drafted previously is displayed.

name. Otherwise, close the exercise file without saving your changes.

Scheduling
13
In this tutorial, you learn how to create different types of schedules in your Autodesk Revit Building projects.
381
Creating Type and Instance Schedules
In this lesson, you learn how to create type and instance schedules. When you schedule building components in
Revit Building, you can list each component as a separate line item, creating an instance schedule, or you can group
components of the same type into a single line item, creating a type schedule.
Creating a Window Schedule

In this exercise, you create a window schedule for the building model shown below.
You begin by creating an instance schedule, or a schedule that lists every window in the building.
You then select a window in the instance schedule and use the Show command to locate it in a view of the building
model.
382 | Chapter 13 Scheduling

Next, you group and sort the windows in the instance schedule. Finally, you change the window instance schedule
to a window type schedule, or a schedule that lists the windows by window type.
Dataset
■ Open m_Schedules.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Create a new window schedule

TIP If the View tab of the Design Bar is not active, right-click in the Design Bar, and click View.
2 In the New Schedule dialog box, under Category, select Windows, and click OK.
Define the fields to display as columns in the window schedule
3 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, click the Fields tab.

4 Under Available fields, select Comments and click Add.
The Comments field is moved under Scheduled fields.
5 Using the same process, add the following fields to the schedule in order:
■ Count
■ Height
■ Level
■ Type Mark
■ Width
6 Under Scheduled fields, order the fields as shown in the following illustration by selecting them and clicking
Move Up or Move Down.
7 Click OK.
A schedule is created that contains every window in the building model.
Creating Type and Instance Schedules | 383

Select a window in the schedule and locate it in the building model
8 Select any cell in the first row of the window schedule and, on the Options Bar, click Show.
9 In the warning dialog box that is displayed, click OK to search through relevant views of the building model.
The window that corresponds to the information in the schedule row is displayed in a relevant view of the
building model.
10 In the Show Element(s) in View dialog box, click Close.
NOTE By clicking Show, you can display other views of the building model that include the selected window.
However, in large building models with many views, this can be a time-consuming process.
11 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities, and double-click Window Schedule to redisplay the
window instance schedule.
Group and sort the window schedule by type mark
12 Right-click on the schedule, and click View Properties.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, click Edit for Sorting/Grouping.
14 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, click the Sorting/Grouping tab.
15 Select Type Mark for Sort by.
16 Click OK twice.
The window schedule is displayed, sorted by type mark.

Change the schedule from an instance schedule to a type schedule
17 Right-click on the schedule, and click View Properties.

18 In the Element Properties dialog box, click Edit for the Sorting/Grouping instance parameter.
19 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, clear Itemize every instance.
20 Click OK twice.
The window type schedule is displayed.

name.
Defining Schedules and Color Diagrams

In this lesson, you learn to add schedules and schedule keys to a project by creating a room schedule and room
color diagram. Schedule keys allow you to define common items that can be used by multiple objects within a
schedule.
Creating a Room Schedule

In this exercise, you create a room schedule from the floor plan of a large building model.
Defining Schedules and Color Diagrams | 385

Dataset
■ Open m_Schedules.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Create a room schedule

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click flr 3 to make it the active view.
Several rooms and room tags exist in the floor plan.
3 In the New Schedule dialog box, under Category, select Rooms, and click OK.
Select the fields to display as columns in the room schedule

5 Under Available fields, select Number and click Add.
The Number field is moved under Scheduled fields.

6 Using the same process, add the following fields to the schedule in order:
■ Name
■ Level
■ Area
7 Under Scheduled fields, order the fields as shown in the following illustration by selecting them and clicking
Move Up or Move Down.
Next, you define the font for the schedule headers.

8 Click the Appearance tab.
9 To the right of Header text, select Bold to display the schedule headers in bold font.
10 Click OK.
NOTE The Appearance settings only take effect when the schedule is placed on a drawing sheet. The bold header
is not noticeable until you place the schedule on a drawing sheet.
Add new rooms to the schedule
11 On the Options Bar, next to Rows:, click New.

A new row is displayed at the bottom of the schedule. The room Number is 1, and the Level and Area values
are displayed as Not Tagged, because the room is not tagged with a room tag.

12 Using the same process, add a second room.
The second room is displayed at the bottom of the list and is numbered sequentially.
13 Select Room in the Name column for Room 29, and enter Conference to change the room name.
14 Select Room in the Name column for Room 1, and select Conference from the list.
15 Select 1 in the Number column for Room 1, and enter 30.
Add two room tags to the floor plan
16 In the Project Browser under Floor Plans, double-click flr 3.

17 Zoom in on the right side of the building.
None of the rooms have tags placed on them.

18 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Room Tag.
TIP If the Drafting tab of the Design Bar is not active, right-click in the Design Bar, and click Drafting.
19 On the Options Bar, select 29 Conference for Room, and verify that Horizontal is selected.
20 Move your cursor into the large room in the upper right corner of the floor plan, and click to place the room
tag.
The boundaries of the room highlight before you place the room tag.
21 On the Options Bar, select 30 Conference for Room.

22 Place the room tag in the small room across from the large conference room.
23 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities, and double-click Room Schedule to view the updated
room rows.

Add eleven additional room tags

25 On the Design Bar, click Room Tag.
26 On the Options Bar, select Auto for Room.
27 Place the room tags as shown in the following illustration.
28 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click Room Schedule to view the 11 rooms that
you added to the schedule.

Modify room tags
29 In the schedule, locate the room with an area of 92.11 square meters, and select Circulation for Name.
30 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click flr 3, and zoom in on the room.
The name in the room tag is now Circulation.
31 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press and hold CTRL, and select the seven room tags shown in the following
illustration.
32 With the room tags selected, click .

33 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, select Office for Name, and click OK.
34 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press and hold CTRL, and select the tags in the three remaining rooms named
Room.
35 With the room tags selected, click .

36 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Services for Name, and click OK.

Add a schedule key

38 In the New Schedule dialog box, under Category, select Rooms.
39 Select Schedule keys, and click OK.
40 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, under Available fields, press and hold CTRL, select Base Finish, Floor
Finish, and Wall Finish, and click Add.
41 Click OK to create the new room style schedule.
Define three new room styles
42 On the Options Bar, click New to add a row to the schedule.

43 In the new row, click the Key Name field, and enter Std Office.
44 Using the same process, enter the following information in the row:
■ Enter Vinyl for Base Finish.
■ Enter Carpet 1 for Floor Finish.
■ Enter Paint for Wall Finish.
45 On the Options Bar, click New twice to add two rows to the schedule.
46 Add information to the rows so that the schedule displays as shown in the following illustration.

Apply the new room styles to the room schedule

48 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the room tag in the large conference room (29) in the upper right
corner of the floor plan.

50 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, select Exec Offices for Room Style, and click OK.
51 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press and hold CTRL, and select the room tags in the three offices (37, 38,
39) in the lower right corner of the floor plan.

53 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, select Exec Offices for Room Style, and click OK.
View the room schedule
54 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click Room Schedule.

56 Under Other, click Edit for Fields.
57 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, under Available fields, select Room Style, and click Add.
58 Change the order of the schedule as shown in the dialog box below.
59 Click OK twice to update the schedule.

60 For the rooms in the schedule that are named Services, select Services from the list in the Room Style column.
61 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Room Color Diagram.
Creating a Room Color Diagram

In this exercise, you create a room color diagram based on the names of the rooms in the floor plan.

Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_schedules.rvt.
Create a room color diagram

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click flr 3.
2 Zoom out so you can view the entire building model.
3 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Color Fill.
A legend displays at the tip of your cursor.
4 Click in the lower right of the drawing area to place the legend.
5 In the alert dialog box, click OK.
The rooms in the floor plan automatically change color.
Change the fill colors that are applied to the conference rooms
6 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the color legend.
7 On the Options Bar, click Edit Color Scheme.
8 In the Edit Color Scheme dialog box, click the color button for Conference.
9 In the Color dialog box, click PANTONE.
10 In the PANTONE® Color Picker, scroll all the way to the left, and click the color green.
The fill color in the rooms named Conference are displayed as green.

Change the name of the single room named Room
12 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click Room Schedule.

13 In the Room Schedule, select Services for Room (10) in the Name column.
The color diagram and legend reflect the changes that you made. Room no longer displays in the key/legend.
name.
Scheduling Uniformat Assembly Codes

In this lesson, you learn how to schedule Uniformat Assembly Codes as they are applied to Revit Building
components.
Scheduling Uniformat Assembly Codes and Descriptions

In this exercise, you create a wall schedule that includes columns for the Uniformat Assembly Codes and assembly
descriptions of the scheduled walls. You also learn how to create a furniture schedule that includes room name,
number, and level.
Dataset
■ Open c_Schedules_2.rvt located in the Common folder.
NOTE Because the next two lessons use common files, graphics are displayed with imperial values. To display graphics
with metric values, select Project Units from the Settings menu and change the appropriate formats to metric.
Create a new wall schedule

2 In the New Schedules dialog box, under Categories, select Walls, and click OK.
4 Under Available fields, select the following fields and click Add to add them to the schedule in order:
■ Area
■ Volume
■ Width
■ Length
5 Click OK to complete the schedule.

Schedule Uniformat Assembly Codes
6 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities.

7 Right-click Wall Schedule, and click Properties to view the element properties of the wall schedule that you
created.
8 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, click Edit for Fields.
9 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, add Assembly Code and Assembly Description to the schedule.
10 Click OK twice.
The Assembly Code and Assembly Description fields display in the schedule.
Scheduling Uniformat Assembly Codes | 397

Assign an assembly code to a wall type in the project within the schedule
11 In the wall schedule, click in the Assembly code column in the first row of the schedule, and click .
12 In the Choose Assembly Code dialog box, expand C - Interiors, expand C10 - Interior Construction, expand
C1010 - Partitions, expand C1010100 - Fixed Partitions, and select C1010115 - Partitions - Brick Veneer w/
Stud.
13 Click OK, and then click in the schedule.

14 Click OK in the dialog box that explains that the change will be applied to all elements of the chosen type.
All of the walls of this wall type are updated.
Assign an assembly code to a wall type in the project from the building model
15 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Level 1.

16 Select one of the Interior - 5 1/2" Partition (1hr) walls.

19 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, click in the Assembly Code field, and then click .
20 In the Choose Assembly Code dialog box, expand C, expand C10, expand C1010, expand C1010100, and select
C1010145 - Partitions - Drywall w/ Metal Stud.
22 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click Wall Schedule.
Schedule building model components by level and room
23 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click Furniture Schedule.
Scheduling Uniformat Assembly Codes | 399

24 In the Project Browser, right-click Furniture Schedule, and click Properties.
26 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, select Room for Select available fields from.
27 Add Room: Name and Room: Number to the schedule.

28 Select Furniture for Select available fields from, and then add Level and Manufacturer to the schedule.
29 Click OK twice.
Place the Furniture Schedule on a new drawing sheet

31 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, select E1 30 x 42 Horizontal : 30 x 42 Horizontal, and click OK.
32 Drag the furniture schedule from the Project Browser onto the sheet, and click to place it.
Change the appearance of the schedule
33 Zoom in on the schedule on the sheet.

34 Adjust the row length in the schedule by selecting and moving the blue grips that are displayed on the top of
the schedule.

35 Split the schedule into multiple segments by clicking the blue break line that is displayed on the right border
of the schedule.
The new schedule segments are automatically placed to the right of the original schedule and are top aligned.
36 Select the blue crosses that are displayed in the center of each schedule segment to reposition the schedule
segments as shown.
name.
Scheduling Shared Parameters

In this lesson, you learn how to use shared parameters to define additional parameters that are not included in
pre-defined instance and type parameters either within family components or within the project template. These
shared parameters can be added to any family, regardless of category, and are defined and stored in an external
file, ensuring consistency across families and projects. Their values may also be aggregated and reported within
Revit Building multi-category schedules.
An example of the use of shared parameters is the need to add specific parameters to a family component for
scheduling and tagging when those parameters are not present by default. The following exercise demonstrates
the solution for this situation and covers the process of setting up shared parameters, adding the shared parameters
to a family, and creating a multi-category schedule.
Creating a Multi-Category Schedule

In this exercise, you create a multi-category schedule.
Scheduling Shared Parameters | 401

You create shared parameters, add them to a door family, create a multi-category tag that you use to tag a simple
floor plan, and then generate the multi-category schedule.
Create a shared parameter file

1 On the File menu, click Shared Parameters.
Click OK if the alert box indicates that the shared parameter file does not exist.
2 In the Edit Shared Parameters dialog box, click Create.
The shared parameter file (TXT) is created. Shared parameters are saved to an external file. If you are working
on a network, make sure you save your shared parameter files in a location where other users can access it.
3 In the Save As dialog box, enter a file name, and click Save.
Create a new parameter group to store individual parameters
4 In the Edit Shared Parameters dialog box, under Groups, click New.
5 In the New Parameter Group dialog box, enter Hardware, and click OK.
You store all of your hardware-related parameters within this group for use in the project.
Create parameters in the Hardware group
6 In the Edit Shared Parameters dialog box, verify that Hardware is selected for Parameter group.
7 Under Parameters, click New.
8 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, enter Closure for Name, select Text for Type, and click OK.
9 Add three additional parameters, Hinge, ID, and Lock Set, and assign Text for Type.
10 After you add the parameters, click OK.

Add the shared parameters to a family

13 Open c_ Door.rfa located in the Common folder.
You are now working in the Family Editor.
14 On the Design Bar, click Family Types.
The Family Types dialog box displays the parameters that are currently available for this family category.
15 In the Family Types dialog box, under Parameters, click Add.

16 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, select Shared parameter, and click Select.
17 In the Shared Parameters dialog box, under Parameters, select ID, and click OK.
18 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, select Instance, and click OK.
19 Repeat the steps for the other parameters, setting them as Type parameters.
The parameters are displayed in the Family Types dialog box.
20 Assign the new parameters the following values by entering them in the corresponding Value field.
■ Enter Yale for Lock Set.
■ Enter 1 for ID.
■ Enter Chrome for Hinge.
■ Enter N/A for Closure.
21 Click OK.
22 Save the file as NewDoor in an appropriate location, so that you can use it later in this exercise.
23 On the File menu, click Close to close the file.

Create a multi-category tag
24 On the File menu, click New ➤ Annotation Symbol.

25 In the New dialog box, select Multi-Category Tag.rft in the Annotations folder, and click Open.
26 On Design Bar, click Label.
27 Click at the intersection of the reference planes in the drawing window to display the Select Parameter dialog
box.
28 In the Select Parameter dialog box, click Add.
29 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, click Select.
30 In the Shared Parameters dialog box, under Parameter Group, select Hardware.
31 Under Parameters, select ID, and click OK twice.
32 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Filter parameter.
This option ensures that this tag attaches only to a component with that same filter parameter (i.e., ID).
NOTE If you do not specify a filter parameter for the tag, the tag cannot attach to any component. A multi-category
tag must have at least one label with an external parameter set as a filter parameter.
33 Click OK.
34 Zoom in to the tag at the intersection of the reference planes.

37 Draw a rectangle around the tag, as shown.
38 Save the file as HardwareTag in an appropriate location.

39 On the File menu, click Close to close the file.
Use the multi-category tag in a project
40 On the File menu, Open.

41 In the Open dialog box, select c_Hardware_Plan.rvt located in the Common folder, and click Open.

42 On the File menu, click Load from Library ➤ Load Family, and load into the project the multi-category tag
files HardwareTag.rfa and NewDoor.rfa that you just created.
43 Replace any existing doors by selecting them and changing their type to the NewDoor type that you just loaded.
45 In the Type Selector, select the multi-category HardwareTag that you just loaded.
46 Move your cursor into the drawing window.
Notice that you can highlight only those components that have the filter parameter that you set earlier to ID.
47 Click to place the tag.
Notice that the HardwareTag is reading the shared parameter that you created earlier and attached to the Door
family.
48 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Tag All Not Tagged to quickly tag all the components with the
filter parameter.
49 In the Tag All Not Tagged dialog box, select Multi-Category Tags for Category, and click OK.
Create a multi-category schedule

51 In the New Schedule dialog box, select Multi-Category from the list, and click OK.
52 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, add the following fields to the schedule:
■ ID
■ Mark
■ Type
■ Family
■ Closure
■ Lock Set
NOTE Do not be concerned with duplicate ID and Lock Set fields.
53 Click OK.

The multi-category schedule is displayed.
name.
Using Formulas and Filters in Schedules

In this lesson, you create two schedules. The first schedule that you create is a level-based door schedule that uses
a filter to exclude all of the doors that are not on floor three of the building model. The second schedule that you
create is a wall schedule that calculates the cost of the walls in the project, based on wall area. You use both filters
and a formula to create the second schedule.
Creating a Level-Based Door Schedule with a Filter

In this exercise, you create a level based door schedule.
Dataset
■ Open m_First_Project-West_Wing.rvt located in the Metric folder.
View the third floor of the building

The floor plan is displayed.
There are 11 doors of the following types on this level of the building model:
■ 5 - M_Single-Flush Vision: 864 x 2032 mm
■ 3 - M_Single-Flush Vision: 915 x 2134 mm
■ 3 - UK_Single-Flush: SO 1010 x 2410 mm
If you created a standard door schedule, all of the doors in the project would be scheduled. However, you want
to filter out all doors that are not on level 3 to include only the 11 doors listed above.
Create a new door schedule for level flr 3

3 In the New Schedule dialog box, do the following:
■ Under Category, select Doors.
■ Under Name, enter Doors - Level 3.
■ Verify Schedule building components is selected.
■ Verify New Construction is selected for Phase.
4 Click OK.
6 Under Available fields, select the following fields, and click Add to add them to the schedule in order:
■ Count
■ Family and Type
■ Sill Height
■ Head Height
■ Width
■ Level
7 Click the Filter tab, and specify the following values for Filter by:
■ Select Level in the first menu.
■ Select equals in the second menu.
■ Select Level 3 in the third menu.
This filter checks each door in the project to see which level it is associated with, and it causes the schedule to
include only the doors on Level 3.
8 Click the Sorting/Grouping tab, and specify the following options:
■ Select Family and Type for Sort by.
■ Clear Itemize every instance to group the like door types into one row.
Hide the Level field in the schedule so it is used only to filter the doors that are not on level 3 and not
included as a column in the schedule

10 Under Fields, select Level.
11 Under Field formatting, select Hidden Field, and click OK.
The schedule includes the count and type for only doors on floor 3.
12 Right-click the schedule, and click View Properties.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, click Edit for Filter.
14 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, click the Filter tab, and select (none) for Filter.
15 Click OK twice.
The counts for the door types represent the door schedule for the entire model.
Using Formulas and Filters in Schedules | 407

16 On the Standard toolbar, click once so the schedule represents only the doors on Flr 3.
17 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Wall Schedule with Filters and a Formula.
Creating a Wall Schedule with Filters and a Formula

In this exercise, you create a wall schedule that provides a total cost of all of the walls in the project based on the
total square footage of each wall type.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_First_Project-West_Wing.rvt.
Create a new schedule

2 In the New Schedule dialog box, do the following:
■ Under Category, select Walls.
■ Verify Schedule building components is selected.
■ Verify New Construction is selected under Phase.
3 Click OK.
■ Count
■ Family and Type
■ Cost
■ Area
6 Click the Sorting/Grouping tab.

7 Select Family and Type for Sort by.
8 Clear Itemize every instance to group the like wall types into one row.
10 Under Fields, select Cost.
11 Under Heading, enter Cost/Sq. m to more accurately represent the data.
12 Under Fields, select Area, and then under Field Formatting, select Calculate totals so that the total area of the
each type is calculated.
13 Click OK.
The schedule is displayed.
14 Since no cost has been assigned to these wall types, enter a cost value for each type in the schedule. The wall
type information for each wall is updated when you enter this data. Use the cost values in the following
illustration.

Determine the total cost for each wall type by multiplying the total area of the wall by the cost per
square foot
15 Right-click the schedule, and click View Properties.

17 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, click Calculated Value.
18 In the Calculated Value dialog box, do the following:
■ Enter Total Cost for Name.
■ Verify that Number is selected for Type.
■ Enter Area * Cost/(1 m^2) for Formula.
NOTE The /(1 m^2) in the formula is required to make the resulting value unitless; without the value it would have
a unit of area.
19 Click OK.
21 Under Fields, select Total Cost.
22 Under Field formatting, select Calculate totals to ensure that a total of all the walls is returned.
23 Click Field Format.
24 In the Format dialog box, specify the following:
■ Clear Use default settings.
■ Select Fixed for Units.
■ Select 2 decimal places for Rounding.
25 Click OK.
26 In the Schedule Properties dialog box, click the Sorting/Grouping tab.
27 Select Grand totals to have the schedule display the sum of any row for which you selected Calculate totals
on the Formatting tab, and click OK twice.
The schedule is displayed.
Notice that there is no grand total displayed for the Cost/Sq. m column. This is because you did not select to
calculate the totals for that field.
name.
Scheduling Project Parameters

In this lesson, you learn how to schedule project parameters. Project parameters are instance or type parameters
that you can use to schedule information specific to the project that you are working with. They cannot be shared
with other projects and, unlike shared parameters, you cannot use them to tag objects.
Scheduling Project Parameters | 409

Creating a Room Schedule with Project Parameters
In this exercise, you create a room schedule for the following office floor plan that includes the project parameter,
Occupant.
You begin by adding the Occupant parameter to the project and creating the room schedule to include the Occupant
parameter as a column in the schedule. After you create the schedule, you can add information to the Occupant
column in the schedule, either by entering it directly, or by entering it in the properties of the room tag.
Dataset
■ Open m_Office_2.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Create a project parameter

1 On the Settings menu, click Project Parameters.
2 In the Project Parameters dialog box, click Add to create the new parameter.
3 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, do the following:
■ Select Project Parameter.
■ Enter Occupant for Name.
■ Under Categories, select Rooms to associate the Occupant parameter with the Room category.
4 Click OK.
The new project parameter Occupant is displayed in the Project Parameters dialog box.
5 Click OK.
Assign the new Occupant parameter to the project and create the room schedule
TIP If the Drafting tab of the Design Bar is not active, right-click in the Design Bar, and click Drafting.
7 Tag the rooms as shown in the following illustration.

9 In the New Schedule dialog box, under Categories, select Rooms to create a room schedule, and click OK.
■ Number
■ Area
■ Department
■ Occupant
12 Click OK to generate the schedule.

The Occupant field is displayed in the schedule.
13 Add names to the occupant field by entering them directly in the schedule or by entering them in the room
tag properties.
name.
Exporting Project Information with ODBC

In this lesson, you learn how to export project information to an ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) compatible
database.
Exporting Schedule Information to Microsoft Access

In this exercise, you learn how to export project information into a Microsoft® Access 2000 database. The process
that you use to export the database is similar for any other ODBC-compliant database.
Exporting Project Information with ODBC | 411

Dataset
■ Open c_Schedules_2.rvt located in the Common folder.
1 On the File menu, click Export ➤ ODBC Database.

2 In the Select Data Source dialog box, click the File Data Source tab.
3 Click New.
4 In the Create New Data Source dialog box, select the Microsoft Access driver (*mdb), and click Next.
5 Enter RevitDSN for the name of the DSN, and click Next.
6 Click Finish.
7 In the ODBC Microsoft Access Setup dialog box, under Database, click Create.
8 In the New Database dialog box, under Database Name, enter Revit_Project.mdb for Database Name.
9 Under Directories, select a location for the database file, and click OK to create the database.
10 When the confirmation displays, click OK in the dialog box.
11 In the OBDC Microsoft Access Setup dialog box, click OK.
12 Click OK in the remaining dialog boxes, and open the database in Microsoft Access.
Revit Building creates two tables for the following categories of elements: one that lists all of the element
instances in a project and one that lists all of the element types in a project (see below). Additionally, tables
that list instances only are created for levels and rooms because these categories do not have types.
A unique element ID is used to identify exported elements, so that each table of elements includes an “Id”
column. Elements IDs are also used to establish relationships between elements in different tables. For example,
instance tables include a “TypeId” column containing the ID of the instance’s type, and some instance tables
include a “RoomId” column containing the ID of the room that the instance is in.
In addition to the tables for instances and types in a category, a table is also created for each key schedule in
a project, as long as the category is one of the categories that Revit Building exports. The exported columns
are the same as the columns in the key schedule, in addition to the Id column. Each key schedule gives elements
in its category a new parameter, used for choosing one of the keys from the key schedule. These parameters
are exported as well and contain the ID of the key element.
One final table is also exported: Assembly Codes. This table contains one row for each Uniformat Assembly
Code. The columns of the table are Assembly Code and Assembly Description. The table of types includes an
Assembly Code column that references the Assembly Codes table.

Annotating and Dimensioning
14
In this tutorial, you learn how to change the base elevation of a project, and how to annotate and dimension
your Autodesk Revit Building projects.
413
Setting the Base Elevation of a Project
In this lesson, you learn how to relocate the base elevation of a project, as the base elevation of most projects is
rarely at sea level. You can change the base elevation without changing the elevation value of every other level in
the project, or you can change the base elevation and add its value to the levels above it. You accomplish this in
Revit Building by defining levels as either project or shared levels.
Project levels report elevation as it relates to other levels in the project. For example, if a project is built on a plateau
at 1500 meters and Level 2 is 4 meters above the base elevation, Level 1 reads 1500 m, while Level 2 reads 4 m,
and not 1504 m. Shared levels report an elevation value relative to an origin that you establish when you relocate
the project. For example, if a project is built on a plateau at 1500 m and Level 2 is 4 m above the base elevation,
you can relocate the project at a base elevation of 1500 m and define the levels as shared so that Level 1 reads 1500
m, and Level 2 reads 1504 m, and not 4 m.
Setting the Base Elevation of a House

In this exercise, you relocate the base elevation of a small house from 0 m to 10000 m. After you define the levels
as shared and relocate the project, the elevation value of the second level of the house (4000 mm above Level 1)
reports an elevation of 14000 mm.
Dataset
■ Open m_simple_house.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Define Level 1 as a shared level

Level 1 displays an elevation value of 0 mm.
414 | Chapter 14 Annotating and Dimensioning

2 Select the Level 1 line.

In order for Level 1 to report the global elevation after the project is relocated, you must set the Elevation Base
parameter to Shared. If you did that now, you would change the parameter for all the levels in the Project.
However, to better demonstrate how shared levels work, only the Elevation Base parameter of Level 1 is shared
at this time, and you must create a new level type.
6 In the Name dialog box, enter Level - Shared, and click OK.
7 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Constraints, select Shared for Elevation Base.
8 Click OK twice.
Relocate the project
9 On the Tools menu, click Project Position/Orientation ➤ Relocate this Project.

By selecting the Level 1 line, you specify the point from which you want to relocate the project.
11 Move the cursor above the elevation line, enter 10000 mm, and press ENTER.
By entering 10000 mm in this step, you specify the new location of the project.
12 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom All To Fit.
The south elevation is displayed. The base elevation now reads 10000 mm. The elevation of the other levels
remains the same.

14 In the Type Selector, select Level : Level - Shared.
The reported value of Level 2 changes to take the value of the global elevation into consideration.
Setting the Base Elevation of a Project | 415

The changes in elevation have propagated to this view, as well as other views of the building model.
16 Using the same method, define the roof level as shared, so it reports an elevation of 18000 mm.
name.
Dimensioning
In this lesson, you learn how to create permanent dimensions to control and document your designs. In Revit
Building, there are two types of dimensions: temporary and permanent. Temporary dimensions display automatically
when you create and insert components. Permanent dimensions must be explicitly created, except when you sketch
profiles to create families. In this case, permanent dimensions are created automatically, although you must turn
on their visibility to view them.

Creating Dimensions
In this exercise, you learn how to create and modify different types of permanent dimensions, that you can add
to your drawings. The different types of dimensions that you can add include aligned, linear, multi-segmented,
radial, and angular dimensions.
Dataset
■ Open m_Dimensions.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Create permanent dimensions

The default dimensioning options display on the Options Bar. By default, dimensions are aligned and snap to
wall centerlines.
2 Without making any changes on the Options Bar, move the cursor over the top straight wall on the floor plan.
3 When the centerline of the wall highlights, select it.
4 Move the cursor over the wall at the very bottom of the view, and when the centerline of the wall highlights,
select it.
Dimensioning | 417
5 Move the cursor to the left, outside of the wall, and click to place the dimension.
The dimension displays in the drawing. A lock symbol that is unlocked displays next to it, indicating that the
dimension can be modified.
6 Click the lock.

The lock displays as locked, indicating that you cannot change the distance between the referenced walls
without first unlocking the dimension. Only aligned and angular permanent dimensions can be constrained
in this way.
Create multi-segmented dimensions

8 Dimension the four vertical walls:
■ Select the four vertical wall segments sequentially.
■ Move the cursor below the lowest horizontal wall, and click to set the location of the dimension.
An unlocked lock symbol displays next to each dimension segment. In addition, an equal symbol with a slash
through it is displayed, indicating that the dimension segments are not equal in length.

9 Click the equal symbol to make all dimension segment lengths equal.
The slash no longer displays through the equal symbol, indicating that the segments are now equal, and the
are dimensions permanent and constrained to each other.
Create a radial dimension

12 Dimension the curved wall:
■ Select the curved corner wall to display the radial dimension.
■ Move the cursor to the inside of the curved wall, and click to place the dimension.
Dimensioning | 419
13 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region, and zoom in around the curved wall.
The dimension is snapped to the wall center, the default dimension option.
14 On the Design Bar, click Modify, select the dimension line of the radial dimension, and press DELETE.
16 On the Options Bar, click and select Wall faces for Prefer.
17 Dimension the curved wall again:
■ Move your cursor over the inside face of the wall until it highlights.
■ Select the inside face of the wall, and place the dimension as shown in the following illustration.
18 Enter ZF to zoom the view to fit the drawing window.

You can now view the radial dimension within the floor plan.
Create an angular dimension
19 On the Options Bar, click and verify that Wall faces is selected for Prefer.
20 Dimension the slanted wall at the top right in the floor plan:
■ Select the inside face of the slanted wall, and then select the inside face of the vertical wall above it.
■ Move your cursor to the left to size the dimension arc, as shown in the following illustration, and click to
place the dimension.
Create a linear dimension

Notice that the Prefer and Pick options are no longer available on the Options Bar. The linear dimension tool
has a more restricted selection filter so that you can select only points. The dimension is always constrained
to either the horizontal or vertical axis, and depends on the cursor tracking behavior. You can override the
cursor tracking by toggling with the spacebar.
22 Dimension the vertical wall at the top right in the floor plan:
■ Select the top point on the exterior face of the wall, and then select the bottom point of the exterior face.
■ Move your cursor to the right, and click to place the dimension.
Dimensioning | 421
24 Proceed to the next exercise, Controlling Witness Line Location.
Controlling Witness Line Location

In this exercise, you learn to add, delete, and change the origin of dimension witness lines. When you place
dimensions, you specify their origin on the Options Bar. However, in some cases, you may need to override their
settings on an instance basis. For example, for a multi-segmented dimension, you may want to locate the two
outermost witness lines on the exterior face of each wall, where the witness lines referring to interior walls would
be located on the centerline of each wall.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Dimensions.rvt.
Override dimension defaults

2 On the Options Bar, verify that Wall faces is selected for Prefer.
3 Move the cursor over the bottom wall, but do not select anything.
4 Alternate the cursor position over the inner and outer bottom wall face.
Notice that only the wall faces highlight when you move the cursor over them, because the Prefer wall face
option is selected instead of the Prefer wall centerline option.
5 Hover the cursor near the center of the bottom wall, and press TAB repeatedly.
Each time you press TAB, a different wall selection choice highlights, including the wall centerline.
6 When the outside face of the wall highlights, select it.

7 Move the cursor over the middle horizontal wall, press TAB until the wall centerline highlights, and select it.
8 Move the cursor to the top horizontal wall and select the exterior face.
9 Place the dimension as shown in the following illustration.
Edit dimension witness lines

11 Select the dimension line shown in the following illustration.
The dimension highlights and control boxes display on each witness line.
Dimensioning | 423
12 Click once on the control box on the lowest witness line.
The witness line moves to the inside wall face.
13 Click the control box again.

The witness line moves to the wall centerline.
14 Move the cursor to the control box on the witness line at the top wall, but do not select it.

15 Right-click the control box, and click Delete Witness Line.
The witness line is deleted.
16 Right-click the remaining dimension line and click Edit Witness Lines.
IMPORTANT Be careful to right-click the witness line and not the control box on the witness line. If you right-click
the control box, a shortcut menu with different options is displayed.
17 Select the outside face of the top wall.

The full dimension string is displayed again.
18 To end the editing command, click in the drawing area away from the floor plan.
19 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Dimension Properties.
Modifying Dimension Properties

In this exercise, you learn to modify the type parameters of dimensions.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Dimensions.rvt.
Change the type parameters of the floor plan dimensions

1 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Modify and select the dimension that you modified in the previous
exercise.
Dimensioning | 425
4 In the Type Properties dialog box, change the following type parameter values:
■ Under Text, enter 5 mm for the Text Size.
■ Under Text, select Right, then Up for Read Convention.
5 Click OK twice.
The dimensions update as shown in the following illustration.
name, or close the exercise file without saving your changes.
8 Proceed to the next exercise, Working with Alignments and Constraints.
Working with Alignments and Constraints

In this exercise, you learn to align components and lock their alignment to better work with them in your drawings.
Aligning components is similar to dimensioning components with a value of zero. A locked alignment is a constraint
that is maintained if any of the components is moved or modified. As you create components, alignments can be
made and locked with minimal effort. For example, when sketching walls, if two or more walls are colinear, a lock
symbol immediately displays, allowing you to lock the alignment of the walls.

Dataset
■ Open m_Alignment.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Align the two uppermost horizontal walls in the floor plan

The cursor displays two arrows at its tip, indicating that the Align command is active.
2 Align the walls:
■ Select the exterior face of the uppermost horizontal wall.
■ Select the exterior face of the short horizontal wall on the left.
The short horizontal wall on the left moves to align with the upper horizontal wall. When you align two
components, the first component that you select remains fixed in position, while the second component
moves to complete the alignment. The lock symbol displays as unlocked, indicating the two walls are not
constrained to each other.
3 Click the lock.
The symbol changes to a closed lock, indicating that the alignment of the two walls is now locked.
Align the three short horizontal walls below the two walls that you aligned

5 On the Options Bar, select Multiple Alignment, and select Wall centerlines for Prefer.
6 Select the lower center wall to define it as the fixed wall to which the other walls will align.
Dimensioning | 427
7 Select the short wall to the left.
8 Click the lock to lock the alignment of the walls.
9 Select the short horizontal wall on the right.
Do not lock this segment of the alignment.

11 Select the middle wall and drag it downward.
The wall on the left moves with the middle wall when you drag it, but the wall on the right does not because
the alignment between the two walls is not constrained (locked).

12 On the toolbar, click once to undo the move.
13 Click the right wall, and then click the lock to align the wall with the middle wall.
Move the walls to verify the alignment.
Align doors in the floor plan

15 On the Options bar, select Multiple Alignment.
NOTE Because you are not aligning walls, the Prefer wall faces or centerline option on the Options Bar does not
apply to the doors.
16 Select the centerline of Door 4 on the upper right side of the model.
Dimensioning | 429
17 Select the centerline of Door 3 to the left.
Door 3 aligns with Door 4.
18 Click the lock to constrain the movement of the doors.
19 Select Door 2 and lock it to constrain it Doors 3 and 4.

20 Select Door 1 and lock it to constrain it to the other doors.
21 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select one of the aligned doors.
22 Slide the door up or down the wall and notice how the other doors move with it.

Align the windows in the floor plan

24 On the Options Bar, clear Multiple Alignment.
25 Select the window in the upper horizontal wall on the left side of the floor plan.
26 Select the window on the far left in the lower wall.

The two windows align.
27 Select the far right window in the bottom wall.

28 Select the far right window in the top wall.
The second window does not align because it is already constrained by a locked dimension.
29 To view the constraint, on the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the dimension between the second window
and the right wall. A lock is displayed, indicating the constraint.
30 Click the lock to unlock it.
31 On the Tools toolbar, click and repeat steps 27 - 28 to align the windows.
Dimensioning | 431
32 Align the remaining windows, as shown in the following illustration.
33 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Automatic Linear Wall Dimensions.
Creating Automatic Linear Wall Dimensions

In this exercise, you learn how to automatically dimension a linear wall with openings (windows) by selecting the
wall, instead of selecting the wall and all the openings as dimension references.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Alignment.rvt.
1 View the lower horizontal wall and notice that it includes five windows.
You want to dimension the wall so that the width of each window displays in the dimension string.

3 On the Options Bar, specify the following:
■ Click .
■ Verify Wall centerlines is selected for Prefer.
■ Select Entire Walls for Pick.
■ Click Options.
4 In the Auto Dimension Options dialog box, select Openings, and then Widths.
These options ensure that the wall dimension includes the openings (in this case, the windows), and that the
window widths are referenced in the overall dimension string.
5 Click OK.
6 Select the lower horizontal wall.
The two vertical walls highlight, indicating the start and end of the dimension string.
7 Move your cursor below the lower horizontal wall and click to add the dimension.
name.
Dimensioning | 433
Annotating
In this lesson, you how to use some of the annotation features included in Revit Building. You learn how to:
■ create angular dimensions.
■ sequentially tag rooms on a floor plan.
■ tag doors and windows.
■ rotate tags with building components.
Creating Angular Dimensions

In this exercise, you dimension the three windows on a floor plan. You learn how to create angular dimensions
and how to use an equality constraint to space the windows equally.
Dataset
■ Open c_Area.rvt located in the Common folder.
Create angular dimensions

2 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Dimension.

4 Dimension the three windows near the east entrance by selecting the centerline of each window and placing
the dimensions as shown in the following illustration.

5 Click the equal sign associated with the angular dimension string to equally space the windows.
6 Proceed to the next exercise, Sequentially Tagging Rooms.
Sequentially Tagging Rooms

In this exercise, you sequentially tag the rooms on the floor plan.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Area.rvt.
Tag rooms sequentially

1 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom To Fit to view the entire floor plan.
3 Move the cursor to the room at the upper right of the plan view, and click to place the room tag.
The enclosed area that represents the room highlights to indicate that it will be tagged.
Annotating | 435
4 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the room tag.
The room tag number displays in blue, indicating that it can be edited.
5 Zoom in on the tag number, click it, enter 101, and press ENTER.
6 Place another room tag:
■ On the Design Bar, click Room tag.
■ Move the cursor into the room below the one previously tagged.
■ Align the tags by moving the cursor until a dashed green line displays between the placed tag and the one
that displays at the tip of the cursor.
■ Click to place the new tag.
The second tag that you place displays the sequential number 102. Sequential letters are also supported.
7 Continue to place room tags.

8 Proceed to the next exercise, Tagging Doors and Windows.
Tagging Doors and Windows

In this exercise, you learn how to place door and window tags. You learn how to add a door to the floor plan that
includes a tag, to add a tag with a leader, and to tag doors and windows that are not tagged.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Area.rvt.
Add a door and tag

2 In the Type Selector, select a door type that you want to add to the floor plan.
3 On the Options Bar, select Tag on Placement to add a tag when you place the door in the floor plan, and clear
Leader.
4 Place the door with the tag in the room at the bottom left, as shown in the following illustration.
Place a door with a door tag and leader

6 On the Options Bar, verify that Tag on placement is selected, and select Leader.
7 Place the door as shown in the following illustration.
Annotating | 437
Place a door without a tag

9 On the Options Bar, clear Tag on placement.
10 Place the door below Door 6.
Notice that the door is placed without a tag.
Tag a door after placing it
12 In the Tag All Not Tagged dialog box, verify that Door Tags is selected for Category.
13 Under Leader, select Create, and then click OK.
The door is tagged with a tag and leader.
Tag the windows in the floor plan
15 In the Tag All Not Tagged dialog box, under Category, select Window Tags.
16 Under Leader, clear Create, and click OK.
All of the windows that were not tagged are now tagged.

name, or close the exercise file without saving your changes.
Annotating | 439
Viewing
15
In this tutorial, you learn to create and customize views of building information models. You learn how to
access and create building model views and how to change the visibility of building components and annotation
within views.
More specifically, you learn how to change the visibility of detail components, how to control fill pattern
colors, and how to use plan regions within floor plans and reflected ceiling plans.
441
Viewing a Building Model
In this lesson, you learn to create and customize user-defined views of a building information model.
You create elevations, sections, and three-dimensional (3D) views, and learn how to control the visibility of building
components and annotation within them.
Exploring the Building Model

In this exercise, you learn how to access different views of the building model, including elevation and
three-dimensional views. You also learn how to control the visibility of different building components and annotation
within building model views.
Dataset
■ In the left pane of the Open dialog box, scroll down and click the Training Files icon.
■ Open m_Viewing_Exercise.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Open an elevation view of the building model

1 On the left side of the drawing area, locate the Project Browser.
The Project Browser is displayed by default between the Design Bar and the drawing area. The current file name
is displayed in the Project Browser title bar.
TIP If the Project Browser does not display, on the Standard toolbar, click .
2 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Elevations, and double-click East.
A new view displays a wireframe view of the east elevation view of the building model. Both hidden lines and
window tags display in the east elevation view.
442 | Chapter 15 Viewing

Display the elevation view with hidden lines
This hides the lines that show through to the exterior of the elevation view. The east elevation view displays
with hidden lines. This change is applied only to the active view, the east elevation. Notice that window tags
continue to display in the view.
Turn off the display of window tags in the elevation view

5 In the Visibility/Graphic Overrides for Elevation: East dialog box, click the Annotation Categories tab.
6 Select Include categories from all disciplines in the list above.
7 Under Visibility, scroll down and clear Window Tags.
8 Click OK.
The window tags are no longer displayed in this view. This change is applied only in this elevation view.
Create a 3D view of the building model

The 3D view is displayed in a new viewing window. The default name of the view is {3D}.
Viewing a Building Model | 443

10 On the View toolbar, click to reorient the view.
11 Move the cursor to the drawing window and notice that it now displays as a hand .
This means you are in pan mode.
12 Pan the view by clicking and dragging the cursor in the drawing area.
The view follows the movement of the cursor.
NOTE If you have a pointing device with a middle wheel, you can enable pan mode by pressing and holding the
middle wheel button while moving the mouse.
13 Press and hold CTRL, and notice that the cursor displays as a magnifying glass .
This indicates that you are in zoom mode.
NOTE If you have a pointing device with a middle wheel, you can enable zoom mode by rolling the middle wheel.
14 View the Dynamic View dialog box in the lower left corner of the screen.
You can pan, zoom, and spin the building model by clicking the appropriate button in this dialog box.
Save the current 3D view
15 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), and expand 3D Views.

16 In the Project Browser under 3D Views, right-click {3D}, and click Rename.
17 In the Rename View dialog box, enter My 3D View, and click OK.
Notice that the view name is updated in the title bar of the viewing window and in the Project Browser.
18 In the upper right corner of the viewing window, click X to close the view.
19 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click My 3D View.
Notice that the view continues to display with hidden lines and no window tags.
20 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Perspective View with a Camera.

Creating a Perspective View with a Camera
In this exercise, you create a perspective view of the building model with a camera. Cameras define the eye point,
eye height, and distance from the target.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Viewing_Exercise.rvt.
Create the perspective view

2 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Camera.
3 Add the camera to the view by specifying two points: one for the camera position and the other for the camera
target point:
■ Specify the first point in the top right corner of the drawing, outside of the dimension lines.
■ Specify the second point in one of the rooms in the building, as shown in the following illustration.
After you specify the second point (the view target), the new view named 3D View 1 is displayed by default in
a perspective view.

4 Select the blue grips that display on the crop region of the view and move them to resize the view so the view
includes the entire building model.
Change the camera projection settings
6 On the View menu, click Dynamically Modify View.

7 In the Dynamic View dialog box, click the Walkthrough tab located at the bottom of the dialog box.
You can use the walkthrough controls in this dialog box to move the camera position and change the view.
8 To move the camera eye position higher or lower:

■ Click Dolly and move the cursor into the perspective view.
■ Press and hold the left mouse button.
■ Move the cursor up, down, and sideways to see how the view changes.
9 To move the camera forward and backward in the view:

■ Click Forward/Back and move the cursor into the perspective view.
■ Move the cursor up and down in the view to move the cursor forward and backward.

10 To rotate the camera around the target:
■ Click Turn and move the cursor into the perspective view.
■ Move the cursor side to side in the view to rotate the view. You may need to reposition the view with the
other controls.
11 Adjust the view as shown in the following illustration.
Change the camera position, height, and target

Four views of the model display in the drawing area.

The border of the window that contains the Level 1 view highlights.
15 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, click 3D View 1.

16 Right-click, and click Show Camera.
The camera and the view direction of the camera are displayed in the appropriate views.
17 In My 3D View, select the camera target point (the magenta grip), and move it to another location.

3D View 1 should update immediately after you move the target point of the camera.
18 Change the target and eye elevation of the camera by modifying its properties:
■ Select the camera in My 3D View, right-click, and click Properties.
■ In the Element Properties dialog box, under Camera, enter 15000 for Eye Elevation and 1700 for Target
Elevation.
■ Click OK.
3D View 1 immediately updates to show the change.
TIP The updated view depends on the location of the camera before you change the elevation values.
Use a section box to clip the model
19 On the View toolbar, click to create a new 3D view.
20 On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics Style, and click Shading.
21 Rotate the view as shown in the following illustration.

23 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Extents, select Section Box, and click OK.
A section box is displayed around the model.
24 Click the section box.

The section box highlights and grips are displayed on its faces. A rotation tool is also displayed.
25 Select and move the lower right grip on the section box closer to the model, as shown in the following
illustration.

26 Click and hold the rotation tool and rotate the section box around the model.
27 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Section View.
Creating a Section View

In this exercise, you create a section view by sketching a section line in a plan view.
Dataset
Sketch a section line in a plan view

1 In the Project Browser, expand Floor Plans, double-click Level 1, and maximize this view.

3 Click to the left of the left wall of the building model, and then click to the right of the lower right wall to
sketch the horizontal section line shown in the following illustration.
Notice a dashed green box with blue grips is displayed on the section line. The box represents the extents of
the section view as well as the viewing direction of the section.
View the section
5 To view the section, double-click the section head, or in the Project Browser, expand Sections (Callout 1), and
double-click Section 1.
NOTE Fill pattern is dependent on the zoom ratio. You may need to zoom closer to the walls in order to see the fill
pattern.
6 Select the section view, right-click, and click Find Referring Views.
8 Select the section line, and drag the section depth grip below the middle horizontal wall as shown in the

10 Double-click the section head to display the section view.
Notice the change in section depth.
Change the view direction of the section

12 Select the section line.
Control arrows are displayed near the section tag.
13 Click the control arrows to flip the section view, and select and move the section depth grip under the lower
wall.
15 Double-click the section head to display the section view.
Notice the change in the view direction.
16 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Elevation Views.
Creating Elevation Views

In this exercise, you learn to create an elevation view in a project by adding an elevation symbol to a plan view.
Dataset
Add an elevation symbol

An elevation symbol displays at the end of the cursor.

3 Without clicking in the drawing area, move the cursor around the building model.
Notice that the elevation symbol arrow points to the nearest wall as you move through the building model.
You may need to adjust your zoom settings to see the elevation symbol.
4 To create an elevation view of the building lobby, place the cursor inside the building facing the lobby entrance,
and click.
Make sure the elevation symbol is pointing towards the lobby doors.

View the elevation
6 To view the new elevation, double-click the elevation symbol arrow.

The elevation is named Elevation 1 - a by default.

8 Select the center of the elevation symbol. Do not select the arrow.
The elevation symbol is displayed with four check boxes, indicating the possible elevation views that you can
create. The check mark in the right box indicates the current elevation view, Elevation 1 - a.
9 Select the box shown in the following illustration to add a new elevation view, Elevation 1 - b.
10 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click Elevation 1 - b.

name.
Controlling Fill Pattern Colors

In this lesson, you learn to control the fill pattern color of a material and set the coarse scale fill pattern color of a
wall type.
You can control the fill pattern color of the cut and surface patterns for objects that obtain their fill pattern definition
from materials. This includes walls, floors, roofs, and other families, and applies to phasing override materials as
well.
For example, in a compound wall, such as Brick on CMU, where each layer is assigned a different material, you
can set the fill pattern color for the brick to red, and the insulation color to pink.
In addition, you can set the color of the coarse scale fill pattern for wall types. This means that in views with a
coarse level of detail, such as the one below, you can choose the wall fill color for a wall type, in this case, a shade
of gray.
Controlling the Fill Pattern Color of a Material

In this exercise, you learn to control the fill pattern colors of a material. You change the color of the cut and surface
patterns in the brick material assigned to the exterior wall in the building model.
Controlling Fill Pattern Colors | 455

Dataset
■ Open c_Showroom.rvt located in the Common folder.
Change the color of the brick cut pattern for the exterior walls
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Sections (Section Head - Filled), and double-click Wall/Floor
Join - Level 3.
Notice the different fill patterns assigned to each layer within the floor and wall structure. Each layer is
designated by the material settings of the layer.

3 In the Materials dialog box, select Masonry - Brick for Name.
A color is assigned to both the Surface Pattern and Cut Pattern options in the dialog box.
4 Under Cut Pattern, click Color.
5 In the Color dialog box, select red, and click OK twice.
The brick cut pattern is displayed as red.
View the surface pattern of the exterior brick walls
6 In the Project Browser under Views, expand 3D Views, and double-click 3D.
7 Zoom in on the brick pattern of the exterior walls.
The surface pattern of the brick is black.

Change the brick surface pattern from black to white

9 In the Materials dialog box, select Masonry - Brick for Name.
10 Under Surface Pattern, click Color.
11 In the Color dialog box, select white, and click OK twice.
The surface pattern of the brick is now white.
12 Proceed to the next exercise, Setting the Coarse Scale Fill Pattern Color for a Wall Type.
Setting the Coarse Scale Fill Pattern Color for a Wall Type
In this exercise, you learn to set the coarse scale fill pattern color for a wall type. You change the coarse scale fill
pattern from the default color of black to a shade of gray for a wall type. The walls in the floor plan that you work
with are displayed with a gray fill pattern when displayed in a view with a coarse level of detail.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Showroom.rvt.
View the detail level setting of the view

The floor plan in the view is displayed in the Coarse level of detail as indicated by the Detail Level icon on the
View Control Bar.
Controlling Fill Pattern Colors | 457

Change coarse scale fill pattern color of the arced wall
2 Select the south arced wall, right-click, and click Properties.

By default, the Coarse Scale Fill Color parameter (under Graphics) is set to black and the Coarse Scale Fill Pattern
is set to none.
4 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Graphics, click the button in the Coarse Scale Fill Color value field.
5 In the Color dialog box, select a shade of gray, and click OK.
6 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Graphics, click in the Coarse Scale Fill Pattern parameter value field,
and click .
7 In the Fill Patterns dialog box under Name, select Solid fill, and click OK three times.
The wall type is displayed as solid gray within any view where the Detail Level is set to Coarse, including the
current view.
View the arced wall in fine detail

10 On the View Control Bar, click Detail Level, and click Fine.
11 Zoom in on the arced wall.
Notice that the surface pattern and color of the brick wall are not applied because the detail level is set to Fine.
name.

Creating a View Plan Region
In this lesson, you work with a split-level building model that requires a different view range than the rest of the
view. Plan regions are closed sketches that you can create in floor plan and reflected ceiling plan (RCP) views only.
If you create more than one plan region in a file, the plan regions cannot overlap each other, although they may
have coincident edges. Plan regions do not work with linked Revit Building files, and you cannot control their
visibility, line type, line color, or pattern.
If you are not familiar with view ranges in Revit Building, refer to the online Help for more information.
Creating a Plan Region in a Floor Plan

In this exercise, you create a plan region in the Level 1 floor plan of the following building model.
Because the stepped portion of the walls in the building model is above the cut plane height in the Level 1 floor
plan view, it does not display in the Level 1 floor plan.
By creating a plan region in the view with a different cut plane height, you can display the stepped portion of the
walls in the Level 1 floor plan.
Creating a View Plan Region | 459

Dataset
■ Open m_Plan_Region.rvt located in the Metric folder.
View the Level 1 floor plan

The cut plane height of the view range for this view is 1200 mm. The stepped portion of the project walls and
windows are not displayed because the cut plane does not intersect any of the model geometry above this
height.
In the following illustration, the south elevation is also displayed, so you can view the height of the walls and
windows.
Add a plan region to view the stepped portion of the model
2 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Plan Region.

Plan regions have a single property, view range, that is similar to the view range for plan views. You use the
view range property to control cut plane, the top and bottom clip planes, and the view depth plane.
3 In the Level 1 view, sketch the plan region using the blue tick marks for guidance:
■ On the Design Bar, click Lines.
■ On the Options Bar, click .

■ Specify a point at the intersection of the two dashed blue lines on the top left.
■ Specify a point at the intersection of the two dashed blue lines on the bottom right.
■ On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch.

■ Press ESC to end the command.
The plan region is no longer visible, as it is displayed with hidden lines in this view.
4 Move the cursor across the area where you sketched the plan region.
As the cursor moves across it, the plan region is displayed as a red dashed rectangle.
5 Select the red dashed line, right-click, and click Properties.

6 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Extents, click Edit for View Range.
7 In the View Range dialog box, select Parent View’s Level (Level 1) for Cut plane, and enter 2800 for the Cut
plane Offset.
By selecting Parent View’s Level, you specify that the level used to define each plane (cut plane, top and bottom
clip planes, and view depth) in the view range is the same as the level used to define the corresponding plane
in the parent view. This means that the plan region view is going to cut all geometry at 2800 mm above Level
1.
8 Because the top clip plane value cannot be set lower than the cut plane, enter 4000 for the Top Offset.
9 Click Apply, and then click OK twice.
The Level 1 floor plan should display as shown in the following illustration.
Creating a View Plan Region | 461

The following illustration demonstrates how the level 1 floor plan view is being viewed with the plan region.
name.

Rendering Views and Creating
Walkthroughs
16
In this tutorial, you learn to use the AccuRender® Radiosity and Raytrace features in Autodesk Revit Building
to create rendered interior and exterior views of your building information model; to place and render decals
to create signs, billboards, and posters; and to create walkthroughs of your building information model.
AccuRender is the rendering engine incorporated into Revit Building that is used to produce rendered views.
463
Rendering an Exterior View
In this lesson, you learn how to create an exterior perspective view of a building model and render it with the
AccuRender Raytrace feature.
You learn to create and apply materials to a building model, add realistic three-dimensional trees to the building
site, and create the perspective view that you want to render. After you create the perspective view, you select a
scene that defines the model environment, and then raytrace the view to produce the final rendered exterior view.
Applying Materials and Textures to the Building Model

In this exercise, you learn how to view and modify the material that is applied to a building component in a
building model. You also learn to create a new material and apply it to a building component. You work with a
building model that already has material applied to it.
In this exercise, you:

■ change the texture of the brick material applied to the exterior walls of the building.
■ change the material of the front terrace of the building from the default material to asphalt.
■ define a new polished aluminum material and apply it to the curtain wall mullions on the front curtain wall.
When you complete these changes, you raytrace a region of the building that includes the exterior wall, the floor,
and the curtain wall to view and verify the material and texture changes.
464 | Chapter 16 Rendering Views and Creating Walkthroughs

Dataset
■ Open m_Cohouse.rvt located in the Metric folder.
View the finish material of the exterior walls

1 Verify that the 3D view of the townhouse building model is displayed.
context menu.

4 In the Element Properties dialog box, verify that Co-house - Cavity Wall - Heavyweight block is displayed for
Type, and click Edit/New.
5 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, click Edit for Structure. Verify that the material defined
for the exterior finish layer (Layer 1) of the building model is Masonry - Brick.
6 Click Cancel three times to return to the 3D view of the building model without making any changes to the
exterior finish at this time.
Rendering an Exterior View | 465

Change the brick texture of the exterior wall finish material

8 In the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Masonry - Brick.
9 Under AccuRender, click next to Texture to display the Material Library.
A preview of the brick texture that is currently assigned to the walls is displayed in the right pane of the Material
Library.
10 In the left pane of the Material Library dialog box, under _accurender, expand Masonry and click Brick.
11 Under Name, select Carib,200mm,Running.
12 Click OK twice.
You can view the new brick texture when you raytrace a region of the building in a later step.
Change the material of the terrace from the default material to asphalt
13 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the terrace in front of the building.
14 On the Options Bar, verify that Floor : Floor 1 displays in the Type Selector, and click .
17 In the Edit Assembly dialog box, for Layer 2, click in the Material field that contains Default Floor, and click
.
18 In the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Site - Asphalt.
19 Click OK four times.
Define a new polished aluminum material and apply it to the curtain wall mullions

21 In the Materials dialog box, under Name, click Duplicate.
22 In the New Material dialog box, enter Aluminum, Polished and click OK.
23 Under AccuRender, click next to Texture to display the Material Library.
24 In the Material Library, under _accurender, expand Metals, and click Aluminum.
25 Under Name, select Polished,Plain.
26 Click OK twice.
28 Select one of the curtain wall mullions on the exterior face of the building.
TIP If you do not select the curtain wall mullion on the first selection, press TAB to cycle your selection through
different building model components. When Curtain Wall Mullions: Rectangular Mullion displays in the Status Bar
at the bottom of the screen, select the curtain wall mullion again.

31 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Materials and Finishes, click in the Material field, and then click .
32 In the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Aluminum, Polished.
This completes the changes in materials and textures that you make for the building model.
Raytrace a region of the building to view the material changes that you made

35 Move the cursor over the building model, and draw the rectangular region shown in the following illustration.
Make sure the region includes the exterior walls, floor, and curtain wall mullions to which you made material
changes.
36 In the Scene Selection dialog box, verify that New is selected, select Exterior under Type, and click OK.
37 If you are prompted to turn off the lights in the scene, click No.
The portion of the building that you selected is raytraced and the materials that you changed and applied to
the exterior walls, floor, and curtain wall mullions are rendered (this takes a few moments), producing a
photorealistic effect.

38 On the Design Bar, click Display Model to end the Region Raytrace command and redisplay the building model
in hidden line wireframe.
39 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Trees to the Site.
Adding Trees to the Site

In this exercise, you place two different types of trees on the building site.
In a later exercise, when you render an exterior view of the model, the leaves of the trees display as indicated by
the season and location specified in the render scene settings.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Cohouse.rvt.
Add red maple trees to the site

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click 1st Flr. Cnst.

2 Zoom out so you can easily view the area surrounding the building model.
3 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Site Component.
TIP If the Site tab is not displayed, right-click in the Design Bar, and click Site.
4 In the Type Selector, select M_Tree - Deciduous : Acer Rubrum - 9 Meters.

Available tree types are listed in the Type Selector by their Latin names. The tree that you selected in this step
is a red maple.
5 Move the cursor to a location on the building site, and click to place a tree.
Continue to place trees until you have added several red maples to the building site as shown in the following
illustration.

Create a new type of tree, and add it to the site
6 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and click Site Component.
7 In the Type Selector, select any of the deciduous trees, and click .
10 In the Name dialog box, enter Black Oak, and click OK.
11 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Other, click in the Value field for Plant Name, and then click to
display the Plant Library.
12 In the Plant Library, under accurender, expand Trees and Shrubs, and click Deciduous.
13 Under Name, select Oak, Black, and click OK.
14 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, select Black Oak for Type Comments.
15 Under Other, enter 7000mm for Plant Height, and click OK twice.
The black oak is shorter than the red maple trees that you added to the site.
16 Move the cursor to the building site, and place two black oak trees, as shown in the following illustration.
17 Press ESC to end tree placement.

18 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Perspective View.
Creating a Perspective View

In this exercise, you define the exterior perspective view of the building model that you want to render.
Dataset

Place a camera in the first floor view
1 With the 1st Flr. Cnst. view open, on the View tab of the Design Bar, click Camera.
2 Add the camera to the view by specifying points for the camera position and the camera target point:
■ Specify the first point on the site facing the building to position the camera.
■ Specify the second point in front of the building facade to define the target point of the camera.
The new perspective view is displayed.
3 Select and move the crop boundary grips until the perspective view displays as in the following illustration.

Modify the camera position and back clipping plane in the perspective view
4 In the Project Browser under Views (all), expand 3D Views, right-click 3D View 1 (the default perspective view
name), and click Show Camera.
5 In the Project Browser under Floor Plans, double-click 1st Flr. Cnst.
The camera position is displayed in the 1st Flr. Cnst. view. The red triangle represents the FOV (field of vision)
angle and the back clipping plane of the view.
6 Select and move the FOV boundary grip to adjust the field of vision and back clipping plane as shown in the

7 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, right-click 3D View 1, and click Rename.
8 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Exterior, and click OK.
9 Proceed to the next exercise, Selecting a Scene and Rendering the View.
Selecting a Scene and Rendering the View

In this exercise, you select a scene and specify time, date, place, lighting, and environment settings that you use
to render the view.
Dataset
Display the perspective view

1 In the Project Browser under 3D Views, double-click Exterior.
You must define a scene because this is the first time settings are being applied to this view.

Select the render scene settings

3 In the Scene Selection dialog box, click OK to accept the existing scene (Scene 1).
4 In the Render Scene Settings dialog box, under Scene Settings, clear Use Sun and Shadow Settings from view,
and click Sun.
5 In the Sun and Sky Settings dialog box, click the Solar Angles tab.
6 Select By Date, Time, and Place from the Specify Solar Angles list.
Notice that the name of the tab changes to Date and Time.
7 Under Date, enter 10 (October) for Month and 5 for Day.
8 Under Time, verify that Daylight Savings Time is selected, and drag the slider to set the time to 2:30 PM.
TIP Use the left and right arrow keys to adjust the minutes precisely.

9 Click the Place tab.
10 Click in the Cities list, and enter bo.
11 Scroll down, and select Boston, MA, USA.
12 Click the Settings Tab.
13 Enter .20 for Cloudiness.
This setting produces a level of cloudiness in the sky that ranges from 0 (no clouds) to 1.00 (many clouds.)
14 Click OK.
16 In the Environment dialog box, under Background Color, verify that Automatic Sky is selected.
17 Under Advanced, select Ground Plane.
The Ground Plane tab displays.
18 Click Material.
19 In the Material Library, under _accurender, click Site.
20 In the Name list, select Grass, Rye, Dark.
21 Click OK twice.
22 In the Render Scene Settings dialog box, under Scene Settings, select Autumn for Plant Season.
23 Under Raytrace Settings, select Good for Quality, and click OK.
Render the perspective view
24 On the Design Bar, click Image Size.

25 Enter 150 for Resolution, and click OK.
26 On the Design Bar, click Raytrace.

28 If you are prompted to turn off the lights in the scene, click No.
The rendered exterior perspective view is displayed.

Save the rendered view
29 On the Design Bar, click Capture Rendering.

The rendered view is saved in the project and can be accessed from the Project Browser.
30 On the Design Bar, click Display Model to end rendering and redisplay the wireframe perspective view of the
building model.
Redisplay the rendered view
31 In the Project Browser under Views (all), expand Renderings, and double-click Exterior to display the rendered
view of the townhouse that you saved.
32 If you want to save this exercise, on the File menu, click Save As, and save the exercise file with a unique name.
33 Proceed to the next lesson, Rendering an Interior View.
Rendering an Interior View

In this lesson, you render an interior view of the building model that you worked with in the previous lesson.
To create the rendered scene, you add ArchVision realpeople (RPC people) to the floor plan of the second floor,
define the view and render scene settings, and finally, use both Radiosity and Raytracing to render the view.
Adding RPC People

In this exercise, you add two RPC people to the interior view that you render in a later exercise. RPC people are
represented by a circle in plan view and resemble real people only when rendered in a 3D view.

Dataset
Open second floor plan to display the interior scene that you will render
1 In the Project Browser under Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click 2nd Flr. Cnst.
2 Zoom in on the left side of the living room as shown.
3 On the Rendering tab of the Design Bar, click Component.

4 In the Type Selector, select M_RPC Female: Cathy.
5 On the Options Bar, select Rotate after placement.
6 Click to place Cathy to the right of the sofa and below the table, and then move the cursor to rotate her so
she is facing up and to the right (northeast).
7 Repeat steps 4 - 6 to select and place M_RPC Male: Alex to the right of Cathy and facing up and to the left
(northwest).
Rendering an Interior View | 477

8 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Interior Perspective View.
Creating the Interior Perspective View

In this exercise, you create the interior perspective view that you will render in the final exercise in this lesson.
Dataset
Add a camera
2 Add the camera to the view by specifying points for the camera position and target point:
■ Specify the first point on the floor plan facing the table and RPC people to place the camera.
■ Specify the target point of the camera in front of the corner of the table.

The interior perspective is displayed, but you must adjust the field of vision and far clipping plane to display
more of the view.
3 In the Project Browser under Floor Plans, double-click 2nd Flr. Cnst.
4 Select and move the FOV boundary grip to adjust field of vision and back clipping plane as shown in the
5 In the Project Browser under 3D Views, double-click 3D View 1 to redisplay the interior perspective view.

Resize the perspective view
6 On the Options Bar, click the dimensions for Size.

7 In the Crop Region Size dialog box, under Size, enter 229 mm for Width, enter 178 mm for Height, and click
OK.
8 In the Project Browser under 3D Views, right-click 3D View 1, and click Rename.
9 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Interior, and click OK.
Add a section box to limit the extents of the rendered view
10 On the View toolbar, click to display the 3D view of the building model.
11 On the View menu, click Shading to view the effects of the section box when you add it.
A section box is displayed around the building model.
14 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the section box.
Grips are displayed on the section box.

15 Select and move the section box grips until only the room that you added RPC people to and that you want
to render is visible.
This process allows you to limit the geometry that will be rendered when you create a rendering of your interior
view. By limiting the geometry, you reduce the rendering time.
16 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a New Render Scene.
Creating a New Render Scene

In this exercise, you create a render scene to specify the time, date, place, and environment settings used to render
the view.
Dataset
Display the interior perspective view

1 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click Interior to display the interior perspective view.

Select the render scene settings

3 In the Scene Selection dialog box, select New, and enter Interior Scene for Name.
4 Under Type, select Interior, and click OK.
5 In the Render Scene Settings dialog box, under Scene Settings, clear Use Sun and Shadow Settings from view,
and click Sun.
6 In the Sun and Sky Settings dialog box, click the Solar Angles tab.
7 Select By Date, Time, and Place from the Specify Solar Angles list.
Notice that the name of the tab changes to Date and Time.
8 Under Date, enter 6 (June) for Month and 6 for Day.
9 Under Time, verify that Daylight Savings Time is selected, and drag the slider to set the time to 8:30 PM.
TIP Use the left and right arrow keys to precisely adjust the minutes.
10 Click the Place tab.

11 Click in the Cities list, and enter bo.
12 Scroll down, and select Boston, MA, USA.
13 Click the Settings tab.
14 Click Save, specify a file location and name for the scene settings, and click Save.
15 In the Sun and Sky Settings dialog box, click OK.
17 In the Environment dialog box, on the Main tab, under Background Color, verify that Automatic Sky is selected.
18 Under Advanced, select Ground Plane.
The Ground Plane tab displays.
19 Click Material.
20 In the Material Library, under accurender, click Site.
21 In the Name list, select Grass, Rye, Dark.
22 Click OK twice.
23 In the Render Scene Settings dialog box, under Use View’s Section Box, select {3D}.
24 Under Scene Settings, select Summer for Plant Season, and click OK.
25 Proceed to the next exercise, Defining Daylights and Rendering the View.
Defining Daylights and Rendering the View

In this exercise, you define daylights for the glazed panels of the curtain wall and render the view. When you define
daylights for the curtain wall panels, you allow sunlight to pass through the panels when you render the view. You
can select families with transparent materials, such as windows and doors, as daylight sources.
Dataset
Define daylights for the glazed panels of the curtain wall

The 3D view of the building model with the section box is displayed.

2 On the Rendering tab of the Design Bar, click Daylights.
3 Select the curtain wall on the second floor (Walls: Curtain Wall; Curtain Wall 1).
Render the perspective view
4 In the Project Browser under 3D Views, double-click Interior.

5 On the Design Bar, click Radiate.
6 In the Radiosity Information dialog box, click OK.
The radiosity process, which can take several minutes, begins. Light bounce is calculated for each individual
light. When radiate completes, the following rendered view is displayed. The RPC people do not display in the
view until you raytrace them in the next steps.
7 On the Design Bar, click Raytrace.
8 On the Options Bar, select Medium (150 dpi) for Resolution, and click .
The raytraced perspective view is displayed and now includes the RPC people.

name.
By completing the two rendering lessons included in this tutorial, you rendered an exterior and an interior view.
You learned to use both the Radiosity and Raytracing features included in the AccuRender render engine.
Creating and Recording Walkthroughs

In this lesson, you learn how to create and record animated walkthroughs of your building model in Autodesk
Revit Building. A walkthrough is created in a 3D perspective view by default, but you can also create it in a 3D
orthographic view.
Creating and Editing a Walkthrough

The first step in creating a walkthrough is to define the walkthrough path, which is the path that a camera will
follow through your building model. Usually you define the walkthrough path in a plan view, but you can also
define it in a 3D, elevation, or section view. The walkthrough path is a spline, and you create it by specifying points
that create the spline. Each point becomes a key frame in the walkthrough. Additional frames that comprise the
walkthrough are created between the key frames. You can edit the walkthrough path by selecting and moving the
key frames. In a plan view, you can also specify the height of the camera along the walkthrough path.
Recording a Walkthrough
After you create a walkthrough, you can record the walkthrough by exporting it to an AVI file that you can play
with any available video player independent of your Revit Building software. When you export your walkthrough
to an AVI, you can select one of the following display options for the building model in your walkthrough:
■ Wireframe
■ Hidden Line (wireframe view with hidden lines)
■ Shaded or Shaded with Edges
■ AccuRender (Raytrace)
IMPORTANT If you record your walkthrough AVI with the AccuRender display option, you must select or define a scene.
Creating a Walkthrough
In this exercise, you learn how to create and edit a walkthrough of the first floor of a townhouse.

You create a walkthrough that begins in the breakfast room of the townhouse, proceeds through the dining room,
and ends in the far corner of the living room.
Dataset
■ Open c_Townhouse.rvt located in the Common folder.
NOTE Some Imperial values are used by default in this exercise. If you prefer to use Metric values, click Settings ➤ Project
Units, and change unit formats as desired.
Create a walkthrough of the first floor of the building model

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click 1st Floor.
The floor plan of the first floor of the townhouse is displayed.
2 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Walkthrough.
context menu.
3 On the Options Bar, verify that Perspective is selected to create the walkthrough in a 3D perspective view.
4 Move the cursor under the text label in the Breakfast room, and click to specify the start point, or the first key
frame, of the walkthrough.
5 Specify four additional points to define key frame positions on the walkthrough path as shown in the following
illustration.
Creating and Recording Walkthroughs | 485

6 After you specify the final point of the walkthrough path in the Living room, on the Options Bar, click .
Edit and play the walkthrough
7 In the Project Browser under Views (all), expand Walkthroughs, and double-click Walkthrough 1.
The last frame of the walkthrough is displayed, surrounded by a crop boundary with grips as shown in the
following illustration. Your frame may look a bit different from the frame in the illustration because the
walkthrough path is not precisely the same.
8 Verify that the crop boundary of the walkthrough frame is selected and is displayed as red with blue grips. If
it is not, select the crop boundary.
Two options are displayed on the Options Bar: Edit Walkthrough and Size.
9 On the Options Bar, click the dimensions for Size to change the size of the walkthrough frame crop region.
10 In the Crop Region Size dialog box, enter 16" for Width and 9" for Height.
11 Under Change, verify Field of view is selected, and click OK.
12 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom Out (2x), and select the crop boundary.

13 On the Options Bar, click Edit Walkthrough.
The walkthrough controls are displayed on the Options Bar. The frame that is displayed is frame 300 of 300
frames in the walkthrough.
14 Click .
15 In the Walkthrough Frames dialog box, enter 60 to reduce the total number of frames in the walkthrough from
300 to 60, and click OK.
16 On the Options Bar, enter 1 for Frame, and press ENTER to set the walkthrough to play from the beginning
(the key frame).
17 Click .
The walkthrough plays. The current display is wireframe with hidden lines.
NOTE To stop playing the walkthrough at any time, press ESC.
18 When the walkthrough stops playing, proceed to the next exercise, Changing the Walkthrough Path and
Camera Position.
Changing the Walkthrough Path and Camera Position

In this exercise, you learn how to edit the walkthrough path and change the camera position in the walkthrough
that you created in the previous exercise.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Townhouse.rvt.

Change the properties of the camera
1 In the Project Browser under Floor Plans, double-click 1st Floor.
The walkthrough path is displayed in the floor plan of the first floor.

3 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Extents, clear Far Clip Active, and click OK.
Clearing this option disables the far clipping plane of the camera.
Edit the walkthrough path
4 On the Options Bar, click Edit Walkthrough.

The camera is displayed at the first key frame position on the walkthrough path in the breakfast room.
5 Select the target point of the camera (the magenta grip), and adjust it to view the kitchen as shown in the
Your walkthrough path may vary from the one in the illustration so do not be concerned if the camera displays
at a slightly different location.
6 On the Options Bar, select Path for Controls.

Blue grips are displayed at each key frame. You can move any camera target or key frame position.

7 Click the third key frame position, and drag it to the location shown in the following illustration.
Play the walkthrough to view the changes that you made
8 In the Project Browser, under Walkthroughs, double-click Walkthrough 1.
9 On the Options Bar, click Edit Walkthrough, and then click to play the walkthrough.
10 Proceed to the next exercise, Recording the Walkthrough.
Recording the Walkthrough

In this exercise, you record the walkthrough that you created in the previous exercise by exporting it to an AVI.
When you export the walkthrough, you can select to display the walkthrough in wireframe, hidden line, shaded,
shaded with edges, or with AccuRender raytracing.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, c_Townhouse.rvt.
1 On the File menu, click Export ➤ AVI.

2 In the Save As dialog box, specify a path and a file name for the AVI.
3 Under Output Length, specify 10 for Frames per Second.
4 Under Format, select <Shading> for Display mode, and click Save.
5 In the Video Compression dialog box, select any codec (compression/decompression) that is available on your
system for Compressor, and click OK.
NOTE The available Compressor options are specific to your current computer system. If you are unsure of what
option to use, the Full Frames (Uncompressed) option is available to all users. It produces files that are larger than
compressed files, but that do not suffer loss due to compression quality.
The AVI is recorded.

6 Double-click the AVI file to play the walk-through from the location that you specified in step 3, without
opening Autodesk Revit Building.
7 Try creating other walkthroughs, specifying the number of frames, reducing the size of the image, perhaps to
6” wide x 4” height, and with a frame rate of from 15-30 frames per second. If you had 150 frames and a frame
rate of 15 seconds, then you are moving from the breakfast area to the living room window in 10 seconds.
Reducing the size of the output images and managing the frame rate lets you create realistic and smooth
movement.
8 If you want to save this exercise, on the File menu, click Save As, and save the exercise file with a unique name.

Presentation Views
17
In this tutorial, you learn various methods of effectively communicating your design intent to your audience
by creating presentation views.
The architect's primary goal in documentation is to communicate the intent of the design. Whether the
audience is the general contractor, a consultant, an outside reviewer, or the client, tailoring the presentation
is just as important as the accuracy of the content. A majority of tools in Autodesk Revit Building are intended
to describe number, length, type, and other quantifiable elements within the context of contract documents.
There remain many options in the software that do not quantify specific dimensions so much as they explain
the subjective complexity of the work. To express texture beyond material specifics, and line quality without
the measurement of its thickness is to transcend "building" and to recognize the "architecture."
In Revit Building, there are several options for expressing the architecture. They include the Accurender®
Plug-in for Rendering, Advanced Model Graphics, the Linework Tool, and Section Boxes. There are two
directions you can choose when organizing presentation graphics: realism and stylistics. In this series of
exercises, you explore the stylistic approach. For the realistic approach, tutorials on the Accurender features
of Revit Building can be found under Rendering Views and Creating Walkthroughs.
In this tutorial, you learn several graphic techniques using these above mentioned tools to create an "analytique."
The analytique is a classic Beaux Arts method of representing a work of architecture for analysis by graphically
showing the relationship among plans, sections, elevations, and details. You can use the analytique to
graphically compare the organization and forms of a particular building or space by superimposing and
overlapping measured drawings at multiple scales. Using the pre-built building model, Co-house, you organize
an analytique by creating and modifying several views.
491
Adding a Floor Plan View to the Analytique
In this lesson, you create a presentation floor plan. In order for the floor plan to fit into the analytique, you create
a copy of the plan, change the visibility settings to remove unwanted documentation, and place the plan on a dark
background for contrast.
Preparing a Floor Plan for the Analytique

In this exercise, you create a copy of a floor plan in preparation for the analytique.
Dataset
■ Open m_Cohouse.rvt located in the Metric folder.
Copy the floor plan

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, right-click 2nd Flr. Cnst, and click Duplicate.
A copy of the floor plan is created and opened.
492 | Chapter 17 Presentation Views

2 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, right-click Copy of 2nd Flr. Cnst, and click Rename.
3 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Presentation Second Floor Plan, and click OK.
Modify visibility/graphics

5 In the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog box, click the Annotation Categories tab, and clear Show annotation
categories in this view.
This turns off the visibility of all tags, dimensions, sections, elevations, and so on in this view.
6 Click the Model Categories tab.
7 Under Visibility, expand the Stairs category, and clear DOWN Text, Down Arrow, UP Text, and Up Arrow.
NOTE Stair text is considered part of a stair component rather than an annotation.
8 Click OK.
Notice that no annotations display in this view.
Modify view scale
9 On the View Control Bar at the bottom of the frame, click the Scale control and select 1: 100.
Notice the immediate change in the line weights; this represents the view getting smaller.
11 In the Save As directory, navigate to the folder of your choice, name the project m_Cohouse_Presentation_Views.rvt,
and click Save.
12 Proceed with the next exercise, Using Advanced Model Graphics.
Adding a Floor Plan View to the Analytique | 493

Using Advanced Model Graphics
In this exercise, you use advanced model graphics to cast shadows and add a sense of texture to the new floor plan
view.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you saved in the previous exercise, m_Cohouse_Presentation_Views.rvt.
Modify advanced model graphics settings

1 If the Floor Plan: Presentation Second Floor Plan is not the active view, double-click it in the Project Browser.
2 On the View Control Bar, click the Advanced Model Graphics control, and click Advanced Model Graphics.
Changes made within the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box are applied only to the active view.
3 In the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box, specify the following:
■ Select Hidden Line for Style.
■ Under Shadows Properties, select Cast Shadows.
NOTE Shadows can be cast in all view styles except Wireframe.
■ Under Intensity, specify 35 for Shadow.

The Shadow intensity dictates the darkness of the shadow display. The higher the number, the darker the
shadows.
■ Under Sun and Shadows Settings, click .
The Sun and Shadows Settings are shared with Accurender and can also be used when rendering.
4 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, under Sunlight Settings, select By Date, Time and Place.
5 Under Sunlight Settings, click for Place.
Within a Project, you can specify one place where the project resides within the world. At that place, you can
create, modify, and delete multiple locations in order to analyze a single prototype.
6 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, click the Place tab.
7 Select Boston, MA, USA for City, and click OK.

NOTE For this step, you can enter any city you wish; however, be aware that if you enter a different city, most of
the images in the remainder of this tutorial may differ from those on your screen depending on the settings that you
choose.
8 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, specify 10/27/2004 for Date and 1:00:00 PM for Time.
9 Under Sunlight Settings, select Ground Plane and select 1st Flr. Cnst. for At Level.
This is the level the shadow will be cast upon.
10 Click OK.
11 In the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box, click OK.
Notice the series of shadows based on the specified sun angles. This gives the plan depth and creates a sensation
of space beyond what you can normally express in a plan view.
Turn off the ground plane shadows
13 In the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box, under Sun and Shadows Settings, click .
14 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, under Sunlight Settings, clear Ground Plane, and click OK.
This turns off the shadows cast on the ground.
This plan view is now ready to be added to a sheet.

17 Proceed with the next exercise, Adding the Floor Plan to a Sheet.

Adding the Floor Plan to a Sheet
In this exercise, you add the floor plan to a sheet and modify the view to enhance the contrast.
Create a new sheet

TIP If the View tab is not available, right-click the Design Bar, and click View.
2 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, select Arch Portrait, and click OK.
Notice the blank sheet is portrait oriented.
4 In the Views dialog box, select Floor Plan: Presentation Second Floor Plan, and click Add View to Sheet.
The viewport displays at the tip of the cursor.
5 Move the cursor to the center of the sheet as shown, and click to place it.

7 Zoom in around the viewport, and notice a view title displays.

Because the view title needs to be removed for the analytique, you need to create a new viewport type that
does not display the view title.
Create a new viewport type
8 Select the viewport in the center of the sheet.

12 In the Name dialog box, enter Presentation, and click OK.
13 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select No for Show Title, and click OK.
Notice the viewport no longer displays a view title.
For this analytique, you need to create a base of contrast for the centered plan. To accomplish this, you will
create a dark filled region for the floor plan view.

Create a solid fill background for contrast
15 Right-click the viewport, and click Activate View.

This activates the Presentation Second Floor Plan within the context of the sheet.
You enter sketch mode where you define the line type, fill properties, and the boundary of the region.
17 In the Type Selector, select Invisible Lines.
18 On the Options Bar, click , and draw a rectangle around the view as shown. The space between the perimeter
of the building model and each line should be equidistant.
Now that you have defined the outer perimeter of the filled region, you must define the inner perimeter by
drawing a chain of lines around the perimeter of the building model.
19 On the Options Bar, click , and select Chain.

20 Starting at the upper-left corner of the building model, draw a chain of lines around the exterior face of the
building model as shown. The lines shown below are enhanced for training purposes.
TIP Use care when sketching this chain. You may want to zoom in while sketching some details, and you should
take advantage of endpoint snapping when available. If necessary, use the Trim tool to clean up gaps or overlapping
intersections.

TIP If you have difficulty sketching using invisible lines, create the interior chain of lines using Medium or Wide lines.
When you are finished drawing the chain, select the entire chain (use TAB ) and change the line type back to Invisible
lines by selecting it from the Type Selector.

24 In the Name dialog box, enter Solid Black, and click OK.
25 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Graphics, click the Fill Pattern value and the arrow that displays
within it.
26 In the Fill Patterns dialog box, under Name, scroll down, select Solid Fill, and click OK.
27 In the Type Properties dialog box, verify that the Background is Opaque and the Color is Black, and click OK.
Notice how the filled region enhances the view contrast.
30 Right-click anywhere on the sheet, and click Deactivate View.

Name the sheet
31 Right-click the edge of the sheet, and click Properties.

32 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, enter Presentation for Sheet Name, and click OK.
34 Proceed with the next lesson, Adding an Elevation View to the Analytique.
Adding an Elevation View to the Analytique

In this lesson, you create an elevation and add it to the Presentation sheet that you created in the first exercise.
Adding an Elevation View to the Analytique | 499

Preparing the Elevation View for the Analytique
In this exercise, you copy an elevation view and use advanced model graphics to cast shadows on the view.
Dataset
Copy and rename the elevation view

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Elevations, right-click South, and click Duplicate.
A copy of the south elevation view becomes the active view.

2 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, right-click Copy of South, and click Rename.
3 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Presentation South Elevation, and click OK.
Modify visibility/graphic overrides

5 In the Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog box, on the Model Categories tab, under Visibility, scroll down,
expand the Walls category, and clear Surface Pattern.
This turns off the visibility of all wall surface patterns in this view.
6 Under Visibility, scroll up, expand the Doors category, and clear Elevation Swing.
7 Click the Annotation Categories tab, and clear Show annotation categories in this view.
This turns off the visibility of all annotations in this view.
8 Click OK.
Apply advanced model graphics
Changes made within the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box are applied only to the active view.
10 In the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box, verify that Hidden Line is the selected Style.
11 Under Shadow Properties, select Cast Shadows.
12 Under Intensity, specify 35 for Shadow.
13 Under Sun and Shadows Settings, click .
14 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, click Duplicate.
15 In the Name dialog box, enter Sun and Shadow Settings Elevation, and click OK.
16 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, under Sunlight Settings, specify 2:30:00 PM for Time, and click
OK.
By changing the angle of the sun, you can create more interesting shadows on the elevation view.

19 Proceed with the next exercise, Adding a Presentation Elevation View to the Presentation Sheet.
Adding a Presentation Elevation View to the Presentation Sheet

In this exercise, you add the Presentation South Elevation view to the Presentation sheet.
Dataset
Add view to sheet

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Sheets, and double-click A105 - Presentation.
3 In the Views dialog box, select Elevation: Presentation South Elevation, and click Add View to Sheet.
4 Center the viewport above the presentation plan view as shown.
TIP Use the snap feature to snap the viewport to the center reference plane.

Notice the viewport displays a view title.
5 In the Type Selector, select Viewport: Presentation.

Notice the view title no longer displays.

6 Drag the Presentation South Elevation viewport downward until it shares an edge with the presentation floor
plan.

9 Proceed with the next lesson, Adding Section Views to the Analytique.
Adding Section Views to the Analytique

In this lesson, you create section and callout views and place them in the analytique. You add silhouette edges and
filled regions to the views. You also create a view template for presentation views and apply it to other views.

Preparing a Section View for the Analytique
In this exercise, you create and modify the section view that you later add to the analytique.
Dataset
Add a section in a plan view

1 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click 1st Flr. Cnst.
3 On the Options Bar, select 1: 100 for Scale.
TIP You can also change the scale of the section view after you create it.
4 Add the section shown below.

The section should cut through the center of the building model and extend past the front of the building
(lower wall). Adjust the controls to modify the extents, and use the flip arrows if necessary.
Adding Section Views to the Analytique | 505

Section 2 is added to the building model.
Create a callout of the section view
5 In the Project Browser, expand Sections (Callout 1), and double-click Section 2.
To fit correctly in the analytique, this view needs to be rotated 180 degrees. To accomplish this, you will create
a callout around the building model components within the section view.
7 On the Options Bar, select 1: 100 for Scale.
8 Draw a callout around all the building model components within the section view as shown.
Use the controls to adjust the precise location of the boundary and to move the callout head so it is readily
identifiable.

Rename the callout
TIP You can also open the callout in the Project Browser by double-clicking Callout of Section 2 under Sections
(Callout 1).
10 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Callout 1), right-click Callout of Section 2, and click Rename.
11 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Presentation Section 2, and click OK.
12 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Callout 1), double-click Presentation Section 2.
Modify Visibility/Graphic Overrides

14 In the Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog box, click the Model Categories tab.
15 Under Visibility, scroll down, expand the Walls category, and clear Surface Pattern.
16 Under Visibility, scroll up, expand the Doors category, and clear Elevation Swing.

17 Turn off the visibility of the following model categories:
■ Casework
■ Ceilings
■ Furniture
■ Lighting Fixtures
■ Specialty Equipment
18 Click the Annotation Categories tab, and clear Show annotation categories in this view.
This turns off the visibility of all annotations in this view.
19 Click OK.
Hide the crop boundary
20 Select the crop boundary.

22 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Extents, clear Crop Region Visible, and click OK.
Notice the crop region no longer displays.

24 Proceed with the next exercise, Adding Shadows and Silhouettes to a Section View.

Adding Shadows and Silhouettes to a Section View
In this exercise, you use advanced model graphics to cast shadows on the section view. In addition, you apply
silhouette edges to contrast the edges of the view.
Dataset
Add shadows to the section view

1 If Presentation Section 2 is not the active view, open the Project Browser and, under Sections (Callout 1),
double-click Presentation Section 2.
■ Click Apply.
Notice that the shadows displayed do not offer much contrast.
TIP You may need to move the dialog box off to the side in order to see the view.
In the steps that follow, you create a new Sun and Shadow setting in order to make a presentation view
with more contrast.

5 In the Name dialog box, enter Sun and Shadow Settings Section, and click OK.
6 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, under Sunlight Settings, select Directly, specify an Azimuth of
135 degrees, specify an Altitude of 70 degrees, select Relative to View, and click OK.
7 In the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box, click Apply.
Notice the shadows on the view provide more contrast and a sense of depth.

TIP The current view of your model may vary from the illustrations in the tutorial based on the placement of the
section line in the previous exercise.
Apply silhouette edges
8 In the Advanced Model Graphics dialog box, under Silhouette Edges, select Override Silhouettes.
9 Under Silhouette Edges, select Silhouette Edges for Silhouette style, and click OK.
NOTE The line style, Silhouette Edges, was added to this dataset for training purposes. You can modify this line
style by selecting Line Styles from the Settings menu.
Notice application of heavy line weights to the edges of the building model.
TIP You can also use the linework tool to emphasize individual surface edges.

11 Proceed with the next exercise, Adding the Presentation Section to the Analytique.
Adding the Presentation Section to the Analytique

In this exercise, you add the Presentation Section 2 view to the analytique and rotate the view 180 degrees.

Dataset
Add the view to the presentation sheet

1 In the Project Browser, under Sheets (all), double-click A105 - Presentation.
3 In the Views dialog box, select Section: Presentation Section 2, and click Add View to Sheet.
4 Move the cursor under the centered plan view as shown, and click to place the selected view.

The view title no longer displays.

Notice the section needs to be rotated 180 degrees. In the steps that follow, you accomplish this by rotating
the callout within the section view.
Rotate the callout view
7 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Callout 1), double-click Section 2.

8 Select the callout that you added previously.
9 On the Edit toolbar, click .

To rotate an object, you click to specify the start radius, move the cursor in the direction of the rotation, and
either enter the degrees of rotation or click to specify the end radius.
10 Specify the start radius to the right of the callout. Using a clock as a reference, specify 3 o’clock as the rotation
start point.
11 Move the cursor a slight distance counter-clockwise, and enter 180 to specify the number of degrees of rotation,
and press ENTER.

After you enter the rotation value and press Enter, the callout rotates 180 degrees. Notice that the extents need
to be adjusted to fit around the edges of the building model.
12 Drag the callout extents until they extend just past the perimeter of the edges of the building model as shown.
Reposition the viewport

Notice the Presentation Section 2 view has rotated 180 degrees and now needs to be repositioned.

14 Select the Presentation Section 2 viewport, and drag it up and to the left as shown.

17 Proceed with the next exercise, Working with a Presentation View Template.
Working with a Presentation View Template

In this exercise, you create a view template for presentation views in order to reduce repetitive work while creating
subsequent views. After applying the view template to a new section view, you add the modified view to the
presentation sheet.

Dataset
Create a presentation view template

1 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Callout 1), double-click Presentation Section 2.
2 On the View menu, click Save as View Template.
3 In the New View Template dialog box, enter Presentation, and click OK.
4 In the View Templates dialog box, click OK.
Create a new presentation view
5 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Type 1), right-click Section 1, and click Duplicate.
6 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Type 1), right-click Copy of Section 1, and click Rename.
7 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Presentation Section 1, and click OK.
Now, rather than repeat numerous steps to prepare this view for the analytique, you can simply apply the
presentation view template.
Apply presentation view template

9 In the Select View Template dialog box, select Presentation, and click OK.
Notice the furniture, lighting fixtures, annotations, and elevation swings no longer display.

12 In the Views dialog box, select Section: Presentation Section 1, and click Add View to Sheet.
13 Place it to the left of the plan view.
15 Right-click the viewport, and click Activate View.
Rather than use a callout to rotate this view after it is added to a sheet, you can use a view property to accomplish
the same thing.
17 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select 90 degrees Counterclockwise for View Rotation
on Sheet, and click OK.
18 Right-click the viewport, and click Deactivate View.
19 Move the view so the walls line up similar to the image shown.

21 Proceed with the next exercise, Working in a Callout Analytique.
Working in a Callout Analytique

Traditional analytiques typically contain a detail, such as a tracery window or column capital. In this exercise, you
create a wall section and add it to the right side of the analytique.

Dataset
Create callout
1 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Type 1), double-click Section 1.
3 Draw a callout around the front balcony as shown.
After you add the callout, click Modify, select the callout, and modify the extents and the callout head location
as shown.
4 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Callout 1), right-click Callout of Section 1, and click Rename.
5 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Presentation Callout, and click OK.

6 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Callout 1), double-click Presentation Callout.
7 Select the crop boundary and adjust the bottom so that there is a small gap as shown.
This gap is used later in the exercise to place a fill region.
8 Right-click, and click View Properties.


Add callout to presentation sheet

12 In the Views dialog box, select Section: Presentation Callout, and click Add View to Sheet.
13 Place it on the right side of the presentation sheet.
Modify presentation callout on sheet
16 Right-click the presentation callout viewport, and click Activate View.

18 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Custom for View Scale, specify a value of 22 for Scale Value 1, and
click OK.
19 Right-click the callout presentation view, and click Deactivate View.

20 Select the callout presentation viewport, and move it into the position shown below.

NOTE If the presentation callout view does not fit properly on the sheet, activate the viewport, turn on the crop
region from the view properties dialog box, and make adjustments as necessary. When finished, hide the crop region
and deactivate the viewport.
The composition set for the analytique is now complete. In the steps that follow, you add a heavy base to the
floors and a poche to the base. Although there are several methods you could use to create these areas of
contrast, the easiest method is to apply filled regions to the presentation callout.
Apply filled regions to presentation callout
21 In the Project Browser, under Sections (Callout 1), double-click Presentation Callout.
24 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Solid Black for Type, and click OK.
25 Using the drawing tools on the Options Bar, sketch the filled regions on the floors and roof shown below.
Click Finish Sketch on the Design Bar when you are finished.
You can sketch all of them at once or one filled region at a time. You do not have to replicate the image exactly.
The intent of the analytique is not so much a measured construction document as it is a stylized representation
of the architectural forms.

26 On the Project Browser, under Sheets (all), double-click A105 - Presentation.
Add poche region
27 Right-click the presentation callout viewport, and click Activate View.

29 On the Options Bar, click , and sketch the rectangle shown below.

Notice the entire poche region does not display because the crop region does not encompass the new filled
region.

32 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Extents, select Crop Region Visible, and click OK.
33 Select the crop region, and drag the left and bottom extent until the entire poche region displays.

36 Right-click the presentation callout viewport, and click Deactivate View.

38 Proceed with the next lesson, Creating 3D Cutaways with Section Boxes.
Creating 3D Cutaways with Section Boxes

In this lesson, you create isometric 3D views and use section boxes to create cutaways with shadows. You then add
perspective views to the presentation and annotate the sheet.

Creating Cutaway Isometric Views
In this exercise, you create three similar isometric views with different cutaway,s and apply shadows to the views.
You then add each view to the presentation sheet.
Dataset
Create southwest isometric view

1 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click Isometric.
2 On the View menu, click Orient ➤ Southwest.

3 On the View Control Bar, click the Scale control, and click 1: 200.
Apply advanced model graphics
Creating 3D Cutaways with Section Boxes | 525


7 In the Name dialog box, enter Sun and Shadow Settings Isometric, and click OK.
8 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, under Sunlight Settings, specify the following:
■ Select Directly.
■ Specify an Azimuth of 135 degrees.
■ Specify an Altitude of 45 degrees.
■ Select Relative to View.
■ Select Ground Plane.
■ Select 1st Flr. Cnst. for At Level.
9 Click OK.
Rename and duplicate isometric views
12 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, right-click Isometric, and click Rename.
13 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Isometric 1, and click OK.
14 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, right-click Isometric 1, and click Duplicate.
15 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, right-click Copy of Isometric 1, and click Rename.
Add a section box to Isometric 2
17 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click Isometric 2.

Notice the section box that displays around the building model.

20 Select the section box.
Notice the grips that display on each face of the section box. These allow you to modify the extents of the
section box.
TIP Notice there is also a rotation symbol. You can use this to rotate the section box.
21 Select the controls for the top plane of the section box, and drag the plane downward until it cuts halfway
through the second floor as shown.
When you are finished, click Modify on the Design Bar.

Before turning off the visibility of the section box, make a copy of the view.
22 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, right-click Isometric 2, and click Duplicate.
23 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, right-click Copy of Isometric 2, and click Rename.
27 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Extents, select Crop Region, clear Crop Region Visible, and click
OK.
Notice the section box no longer displays.
Modify the section box of Isometric 3

30 Select the controls for the top plane of the section box, and drag the plane downward until it cuts halfway
through the first floor as shown.
When you are finished, click Modify on the Design Bar.
NOTE Depending on the precise location of the top plane of the section box, the stairs and railings may display. In
such a case, either adjust the plane location, or turn off the visibility of railings and stairs using the Visibility/Graphics
dialog box.

32 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Extents, select Crop Region, clear Crop Region Visible, and click
OK.

Next, you stack the three isometric views in a vertical column on the presentation sheet to show the continual
erosion of the structure.
Add isometric views to the presentation sheet

34 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, drag Isometric 3 underneath the left section view as shown and, in
the Type Selector, select Viewport: Presentation.
35 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, drag Isometric 2 underneath Isometric 3 as shown and, in the Type
Selector, select Viewport: Presentation.
36 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, drag Isometric 1 underneath Isometric 2 as shown and, in the Type
Selector, select Viewport: Presentation.
Notice the filled region partially covers the view. You resolve this problem in the steps that follow.

Modify filled region boundaries
37 Right-click the Presentation Callout viewport, and click Activate View.

38 Select the poche filled region, and on the Options Bar, click Edit.
40 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Concrete for Type, and then click Edit/New.
41 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select Transparent for Background.
42 Click OK twice.
This will make it easier to draw lines. You change this back to solid fill when you are done.
44 Using the drawing tools, redraw the portion of the filled region so it follows the boundary of Isometric 1. You
may need to use the split tools and trim tools to modify lines along the way. The image below shows the lines
redrawn.

46 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Solid Black for Type, and click OK.
48 Right-click the Presentation Callout view, and click Deactivate View.

50 Proceed with the next exercise, Creating Cutaway Perspective Views.
Creating Cutaway Perspective Views

In this exercise, you create the final view for the analytique, a cutaway perspective view. After adding shadows and
silhouette edges to the view, you add it to the presentation sheet.

Dataset
Create a perspective view

1 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click 1st Flr. Cnst.
Adding a camera is a two-click process: first you specify the eye location, then you specify the eye direction
and range.
3 Place the camera in the southwest corner of the view as shown, and specify the range and direction just outside
the upper right corner of the building model.
The view opens immediately.

4 Adjust the crop boundary so the entire building model fits within it.
7 In the Sun and Shadows Settings dialog box, select Sun and Shadow Settings Isometric for Name, and click
OK.

Add a section box

A section box now cuts through the building model.
Notice the controls that display on each plane.
13 Use the section controls to modify the location of each respective plane until your view resembles the following
image. You may need to adjust the location of the crop boundary as well.

14 Select the crop boundary.
15 On the Options Bar, click Size.
Because scale does not apply to perspective views, you must specify the actual size of the image.
16 In the Crop Region Size dialog box, under Change, select Scale (locked proportions).
17 Under Size, enter 165 mm for Width, and click OK.
20 On the Project Browser, under Sheets (all), double-click A105 - Presentation.

21 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, drag 3D View 2 onto the presentation sheet, and place it in the
upper-left corner as shown. After placing it, go to the Type Selector and select Viewport: Presentation.

23 Proceed with the next exercise, Annotating the Analytique.
Annotating the Analytique

In this exercise, you complete the analytique by adding text to the presentation sheet.
Dataset
Create new text types


5 In the Name dialog box, enter Title, and click OK.
6 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Text, specify a text size of 40 mm, select a font, and click OK.
9 In the Name dialog box, enter Description, and click OK.
10 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Text, specify a text size of 6 mm, select the same font as the title, and
click OK.
Add a title and description
12 In the Type Selector, select Title.

13 Add a title to the analytique as shown.

14 Click in the drawing window to complete the title text.
15 In the Type Selector, select Description.
16 Add a description of your choosing and add it to the analytique as shown.

This completes the Presentation Views tutorial.

About Families and the Family
Editor
18
All elements in Autodesk Revit Building are “family based.” The term family describes a powerful concept used
throughout Revit Building to help you manage your data and make changes easily. Each family element can
have multiple types defined within it, each with a different size, shape, material set, or other parameter variables
as designed by the family creator. Even though various types within a family can look completely different,
they are still related and come from a single source, thus the term family. Changes to a family type definition
ripple through the project and are automatically reflected in every instance of that family or type within the
project. This keeps everything coordinated and saves you the time and effort of manually keeping components
and schedules up to date.
In this tutorial, you learn about the various types of families and the Family Editor.
539
Using Families and the Family Editor
One of the many advantages of using Revit Building is the ability to create your own families of components
without having to learn a complex programming language. Using the Family Editor, you create a family within
predefined templates that contain the intelligent objects needed to create the particular family type. You provide
the information necessary to uniquely describe the family geometry.
In this lesson, you learn about the three types of families and how they are used within a project and how they
are created. You also learn about the Family Editor, and when and how to use it.
Introduction to Families
Most families are created in the Family Editor and saved as separate files with an .rfa extension. All different types
that you create are stored with the master family file. For example, if you create a family called "double-hung
window" that includes types with several sizes, the types would all be saved as one file which can then be loaded
into any project. This makes file management much easier, because there is only one file to track. There are, however,
exceptions to this rule. Some family types are pre-defined within Revit Building and cannot be created or modified
outside of the project environment. Walls, floors, and roofs are examples of these types of families. In addition,
there is another type of family that allows you create any shape or form required for a particular project and have
Revit Building recognize it as a particular component type, such as a dome roof.
Revit Building has three types of families:
■ System
■ Standard Component
■ In-place
System Families
System families are pre-defined within Revit Building and comprise principle building components such as walls,
floors, and roofs. The basic walls system family, for example, has wall types that define interior, exterior, foundation,
generic, and partition wall styles. You can duplicate and modify existing system families, but you cannot create
new system families.
NOTE You can use “Transfer Project Standards” to copy system families from one project to another.
The following illustration shows different types within the basic walls family.
Standard Component Families

Standard component families are loaded by default in project templates, while many more are stored in component
libraries. You work with the Family Editor to create and modify components. You can either duplicate and modify
an existing component family or create a new component family based on a variety of family templates.
The following dialog box shows how you can select a specific family template to start your family design project.
540 | Chapter 18 About Families and the Family Editor

Family templates are either host-based or standalone. Host-based families have components that require hosts. An
example is a door family hosted by a wall family. Standalone families include columns, trees, and furniture. Family
templates assist you in creating and manipulating component families.
Standard component families can exist outside of the project environment and have an .rfa extension. You can
load them into projects, transfer them from one project to another, and save them from a project file to your library
if needed.
The following illustration shows host-based window and door family components in a wall, and also a standalone
furniture family component.
In-place Families
In-place families are either model or annotation components in a particular project. You create in-place families
only within the current project, so they are useful for objects unique to that project; for example, custom wall
treatments. You have a choice of categories when you create in-place families, and the category that you use
determines the component’s appearance and display control within the project.
The following illustration shows a building model of the Pantheon without a roof and with an in-place roof family.
Using Families and the Family Editor | 541

Adding a family to a project
1 Open or start a project.
To add a family to your project, you can drag it into the document window, or you can load it using the Load
From Library, Load Family command on the File menu. After the family has been loaded in the project, it is
saved with the project. Families are listed in the Project Browser under their respective component category.
You do not have to carry the original family file along with the project. However, if you change the original
family, you need to reload the family in the project to see the updated family.
3 Navigate to the library or location of the family.
4 Select the family file name and click Open.
In this section, you learned about the different types of Revit Building families and when to use them. In the final
exercise, you learn about the Family Editor, how to access it, and when to use it.
Introduction to the Family Editor

You can use the Family Editor to create both real-life building components and graphical/annotation components.
Families store all of the necessary geometry to display the two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) versions
of particular objects. Family element visibility can be dependent of your viewing direction, such as plan, elevation,
or 3D, as well as the level of detail associated with that view.
In this exercise, you learn when to use the Family Editor, how to access it, and the general procedure for creating
a standard component family.
When to use the Family Editor

During the design process, you will inevitably come to a point where you need a specific component for your
design. In this case, presume it is a bay window that you require. There is a logical thought process that you should
follow:
1 Is there a component of this type already loaded into this project? If so, it should be available within the Type
Selector.
2 If there isn’t a component family loaded in the project, you can search the component library loaded on your
local hard drive. Also consider any internal family libraries that may exist on the network.
3 Next, consider checking the web library and other web resources, such as newsgroups.
4 If you can’t find the component you require, you should then try to find the component that most closely
resembles it. It is far easier to modify an existing component within the Family Editor than to create it from
scratch. If you find a close match, open it in the Family Editor, modify it as needed, and then load it into the
project.
5 Finally, if you have exhausted your external resources, you should create a new component family using one
of the family templates as a starting point.
How to use the Family Editor

You can access the Family Editor in several ways. With Revit Building open, you can click File ➤ Open, navigate
to a family file, and click Open. When the family opens, it opens within the Family Editor. This will be apparent
because the only Design Bar tab available is Family.
Within the Windows® environment, you can double-click any file with an .rfa extension and it will open Revit
Building in the Family Editor. You can have a project open and the Family Editor open simultaneously.
To start a new family, click File ➤ New ➤ Family, select the appropriate template, and click Open.

General procedure for creating a standard component family
1 Select the appropriate family template.
2 Define sub-categories for the family to aid in controlling visibility of the object.
3 Lay out reference planes to aid in drawing component geometry.
4 Add dimensions to specify parametric component geometry.
5 Add label dimensions to create type or instance parameters.
6 Flex the new model to verify correct component behavior.
7 Specify 2D and 3D geometry display characteristics with sub-category and entity visibility settings.
8 Define family type variations by specifying different parameters.
9 Save the newly-defined family, and then load it into a new project and see how it performs.
Using Families and the Family Editor | 543

Creating Components in the
Family Editor
19
In this tutorial, you learn how to create specific Autodesk Revit Building families. In each lesson, you learn
how to create a different type of component. Using the installed templates, you start with a simple door family
and then move onto a window family. You create a furniture family, a lighting fixture, and several annotation
families. In addition, you create an in-place family. When you create an in-place family, you create it within
the project file, not within the Family Editor. This allows you to create the family in the context of the current
project.
545
Creating a Door Family
In this lesson, you create a custom door family based on the definition of a flush exterior door. After you create
the door leaf as an extrusion, you create new door types based on size and assign parameters respectively.
You also learn how to constrain the door design by adding labelled dimensions to specify values for the door width,
height, and thickness.
Drawing the Door Plan View Components

In this exercise, you draw the plan view components for the new door family. The door type has a variable height
and width.
546 | Chapter 19 Creating Components in the Family Editor

Create a new family based on the default door template
1 Close any open projects or families.
3 In the left pane of the New dialog box, select Training Files and navigate to the Metric ➤ Metric Families and
Templates ➤ Templates folder. Select Metric Door.rft, and click Open.
4 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom All to Fit.
Notice the four tiled views.
The reference planes that display are part of the default door template, and represent the door opening profile.
The door opening is aligned and locked to the reference planes. Labelled dimensions, part of the door properties,
are also displayed.
6 Maximize the window, Floor Plan: Ref. Level.

7 Enter ZF; this is the keyboard shortcut for Zoom to Fit.
Draw the door panel plan view representation
8 On the Design Bar, click Symbolic Lines.

9 In the Type Selector, select Doors [projection].

11 Starting at the door hinge point on the lower left corner of the door opening, sketch a 1000 mm x 50 mm
rectangle for the door leaf as shown.
Creating a Door Family | 547

Dimension the door panel

13 Add a horizontal dimension from the left edge to the right edge of the door panel as shown.
14 Add a vertical dimension from the top edge of the door panel to the bottom edge as shown.

Add dimension labels to the door leaf

16 Select the vertical dimension that controls the door width.
17 On the Options Bar, select Width for Label.
NOTE This same label is applied to the dimension referencing the door opening. Because labelled dimensions are
parameters, a user can change the value of the Width parameter and all dimensions labelled with it change accordingly.
18 Select the horizontal dimension that references the door thickness.

19 On the Options Bar, select Thickness for Label.

Draw the door opening plan view arc
20 Select the dimension with the two EQ symbols and move it, along with the witness line controls, so it doesn’t
visually interfere with the door swing location, as shown.

22 In the Type selector, select Plan Swing [cut].
TIP If the Arc from Center and End Points command is not visible on the Options Bar, click the down arrow button,
and select the command from the menu.
When drawing an arc from center and end points, you first specify the arc center, then you specify each end
point.
24 Enter SI, and select the intersection at the upper left corner of the door opening for the arc center point.
25 Select the upper right corner of the door opening for the arc start point.
26 Select the upper left corner of the door leaf for the arc endpoint.
In the image below, the arc is selected so you can see the arc center and each end point.
27 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Door Leaf Solid Geometry.
Creating the Door Leaf Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the door leaf with an extrusion.
Dataset
Continue using the family file from the previous exercise.


3 On the Design Bar, click Set Work Plane.
4 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Reference Plane: Exterior for Name, and
click OK.
6 On the Options Bar, enter 50 mm for Depth, and click .

7 Select the upper left corner of the door opening for the first corner of the rectangle, and then select the lower
right corner of the door opening for the second corner of the rectangle.

9 In the Project Browser under Elevations, double-click Left.

11 Add a horizontal dimension from the exterior face of the door extrusion to the interior face of the door
extrusion.
TIP When you add the witness line to the exterior face of the extrusion, use the TAB key to toggle to the extrusion
reference, then click to specify the dimension witness line.
12 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the dimension.

13 On the Options Bar, select Thickness for Label.
14 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Ref. Level.

Specify the visibility of the door leaf in plan view

16 Select the door leaf extrusion.

18 In the Family Element Visibility Settings dialog box, under View Specific Display, select Front/Back, and clear
Plan/RCP, Left/Right, and When cut in Plan/RCP.
19 Under Detail Levels, verify that Coarse, Medium, and Fine are selected, and click OK.

21 In the Element Properties dialog box, select Panel for Subcategory, and click OK.
The solid geometry of the door is now complete.
22 Proceed to the next exercise, Assigning Materials to the Door Components.
Assigning Materials to the Door Components

In this exercise, you assign a material to the door leaf. This material designation controls how it displays in shaded
and hidden line views. It also defines its appearance when rendered.
Dataset
Create a new material based on the existing red oak material

2 In the Materials dialog box, click Duplicate.
3 In the New Material dialog box, enter Oak Door for Name, and click OK.
4 In the Materials dialog box, under AccuRender, click for Texture.
5 In the Material Library dialog box, navigate to AccuRender/Wood/Oak,Red/Stained,Dark,No Gloss.
6 Click OK.
Assign the Oak Door material to the door leaf
8 Select the door leaf extrusion.

10 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Materials and Finishes, click for Material.
11 In the Materials dialog box, under Name, select Oak Door, and click OK.
The door leaf is assigned the new Oak Door material.
Assign the Oak Door material to the door frame
14 Select the interior door frame extrusion.

16 In the Element Properties dialog box, click for Material.
17 In the Materials dialog box, select Oak Door for Name, and click OK.
19 Repeat the previous five steps for the exterior frame extrusion.
The door frame is assigned the new Oak Door material.
View the new door
20 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, double-click View 1.
22 Zoom in on a door corner.

The Oak Door material is now assigned to the door leaf and door frame.
Flex the door model
23 Zoom out to view the entire door.

Flexing the new family is an important part of the design process. By flexing the new component, you ensure
it adjusts to the changes it may encounter once loaded into a project.
Try to move the dialog box off to the side so you can still see the door family next to it. This allows you to
apply changes made in the dialog box and see how the new door reacts.
25 In the Family Types dialog box, do the following:
■ Under Dimensions, enter 2500 mm for Height.
■ Enter 1500 mm for Width.
■ Under Other, enter 125 mm for Frame Width.
■ Click Apply.
Notice the door geometry adapts to the new dimension values.
26 Return the door parameters to their original values.

In the Family Types dialog box, do the following:
■ Under Other, enter 75 mm for Frame Width.
■ Click Apply.
27 Click OK.
28 Proceed to the next exercise, Defining New Door Types

Defining New Door Types
In this exercise, you define new door types based on the door model that you have created.
Dataset
Define new door types with various heights and widths

2 In the Family Types dialog box, under Family Types, click New.
3 In the Name dialog box, enter 925 x 2000mm for Name, and click OK.
4 In the Family Types dialog box, specify the following:
■ Click Apply.
Define the second new door type.
5 Under Family Types, click New.
■ Click Apply.
Define the third new door type.
■ Click Apply.
11 Click OK.
You now have three new door types defined within your door family.
13 Navigate to the folder of your choice and save the new door family with the name, Training Door.rfa.
Load the new door family into a new project

15 In the New Project dialog box, under Template file, verify that DefaultMetric.rte is the Template file. Under
Create new, select Project, and click OK.
18 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location where you saved the door family, Training Door.rfa, select it,
and click Open.
Place new door types in the project
19 On the Design Bar, click Wall.

Use the default wall selection in the Type Selector.
20 Draw a wall segment 8000mm long.

23 On the Design Bar, click Door.

24 In the Type Selector, select Training Door : 925 x 2000mm.
25 Add the door to the left side of the wall as shown.

27 Add this door to the center of the wall as shown.

29 Add the third door type to the right side of the wall as shown.
30 You can close all files without saving.

You now have three new flush exterior doors based on the new door family prototype. This completes the lesson,
Creating a Door Family.
Creating a Window Family

In this lesson, you create a custom window family based on the definition of a fixed rectangular window with nine
lights. You create the window frame, glazing and mullions as extrusions, and create the window sash as a sweep.
You then assign parameters to the window family to allow for the creation of different-sized versions of the nine-light
prototype.
Finally, you assign new dimension values to the window to create new types within the window family, and specify
values for the window width, height, default sill height, and mullion offset.

Specifying the New Window Parameters
In this exercise, you specify the parameters for the new window family. The window type has a variable height
and width, equally spaced vertical mullions, and the height of the top and bottom row of lights is adjustable.
Create a new family based on the default window template

2 On the File menu, click New ➤ Family
Templates ➤ Templates folder. Select Metric Window.rft, and click Open.
Four views are tiled on your display. The reference planes that display are part of the default window template
and represent the window opening profile. The window opening is aligned and locked to the reference planes.
Labelled dimensions, part of the window properties, are also displayed.
6 Maximize the exterior elevation view.
7 Enter ZF; this is the keyboard shortcut for Zoom to Fit.
Creating a Window Family | 559

8 Two dimension strings display with their labels, Height and Default Sill Height. The label name, also one of
the window properties, is one of the type parameters. When you add labels to dimensions, these specific type
parameters are adjustable once the window is part of a project.
Modify the new window type height and width parameters

Move the dialog box off to the side so you can see the window opening.
■ Click Apply.
Change the height and width values again, and click Apply. Notice how the window opening adapts to the
changing dimension values. This process is called “flexing the model,” and it is done to avoid conflicts and to
ensure that all model geometry adjusts to changes as designed.
11 Enter 1000 mm for Height and 2000 mm for Width, and click Apply.
This is the starting point for the new window.
12 Click OK.
13 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Window Frame Solid Geometry.
Creating the Window Frame Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the window frame with a sweep. Creating sweep geometry requires
first sketching the sweep path, then sketching the sweep profile. The profile is swept along the path to create the
solid geometry.
Dataset

Create a sweep path for the window frame solid geometry
1 On the Design Bar, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Sweep.
2 On the Design Bar, click Sketch 2D Path.

5 Sketch a rectangle to represent the sweep path starting at the upper left corner of the opening and ending at
the lower right corner. Snap the cursor to each corner.
6 On the Design Bar, click Finish Path.

Add a reference plane for the sweep profile
7 On the Design Bar, click Sketch Profile.

8 In the Go To View dialog box, select Elevation: Right, and click Open View.
9 On the View Control Bar, click the Scale control, and select 1:10.
10 Zoom in on the red dot in the middle of the wall.
The red dot indicates the intersection of the sweep path and the profile plane.
11 On the Design Bar, click Ref Plane.
12 On the Options Bar, click , and specify an offset of 50 mm.

13 Pick the exterior wall face so that a reference line is offset 50 mm to the left of the exterior wall face as shown.

15 On the Options Bar, select Prefer: Wall faces.
16 Add a dimension between the exterior wall face and the new reference plane.
17 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the dimension.
18 Drag the value control off to the side as shown.
19 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the reference plane.

21 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, enter Sash for the Name, and click OK.
Sketch the window frame profile
23 On the Options Bar, select Chain and click .

24 Below the red dot, sketch the frame profile approximately as shown.

NOTE When you sketch the frame profile, the exact dimensions are not critical. However, the frame profile should
extend beyond the edges of the wall. Precise dimensions are assigned to the frame profile in subsequent steps.

26 Select the right edge of the frame section, and drag it to the exterior face of the wall. When the lock displays,
click it to constrain the frame to the exterior wall face.
27 Select the left edge of the frame section, and drag it to the interior face of the wall. When the lock displays,
click it to constrain the left edge of the frame to the interior face.

28 Select the short line parallel and to the right of the Sash reference plane. Drag it to the left and align it with
the Sash reference plane. When the lock displays, click it to lock the line to the reference plane.

30 Add a vertical dimension of 40 mm to the left side of the frame and another vertical dimension of 20 mm to
the right side of the frame, as shown.
TIP After adding the dimension, click Modify, select the line you want to move, and specify the dimension value.

Modify each dimension if necessary.
Align the new profile to the window opening edge
31 Select the 40 mm dimension. When the lock displays, click the lock to constrain the present value.
TIP If you don’t see the lock icon, zoom out until it displays.
32 Select the 20 mm dimension. When the lock displays, click the lock to constrain the present value.

34 Select the horizontal reference plane that intersects the red dot; this is the top of the window opening. Next,
select the top horizontal line of the frame profile. Lock the alignment when the lock icon displays.
35 On the Design Bar, click Finish Profile.

36 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sweep.
The window frame profile is swept around the window opening.
37 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand 3D Views, and double-click View 1.
If necessary, spin the model so you can see the interior of the frame.

39 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Window Sash Solid Geometry.
Creating the Window Sash Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the window sash with an extrusion.
Dataset
Specify the window sash extrusion parameters

3 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Reference Plane: Sash for Name, and
click OK.
5 On the Options Bar, click , and enter - 45 mm for Depth, and select Lock.
Pick the sash profile lines
6 Place the cursor over the left side of the frame, press TAB to cycle through the selection options, and select the
option, Chain of walls or lines.

The entire sash outline is selected, and lock icons display on each line.
Draw offset extrusion lines
7 On the Options Bar, set the following options:
■ Click .
■ Enter - 50 mm for Offset.
You specify a negative offset value to indicate an extrusion direction inside of the window frame.
■ Click .
8 Specify the upper left inside corner of the window frame for the first corner of the rectangle, and then specify
the lower right inside corner for the second corner of the rectangle.

10 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click Right.
Notice the sash is aligned with the Sash reference plane.
11 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click View 1.

Spin the model if necessary to view the sash and frame at various angles.
The window sash extrusion is now complete.

12 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Window Glass Solid Geometry.

Creating the Window Glass Solid Geometry
In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the window glass with an extrusion.
Dataset
Add a reference plane to specify the glass work plane

3 On the Options Bar, click , and enter 30 mm for Offset.

4 Select the left edge of the sash so that a vertical reference plane is added 30 mm to the right, as shown.

6 Add a horizontal dimension of 30 mm between the left edge of the sash and the reference plane.

8 Select the reference plane.

10 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, enter Glazing for the Name instance parameter,
and click OK.
Pick lines to define the glass extrusion

14 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Reference Plane: Glazing for Name, and
click OK.
16 On the Options Bar, click , enter 12 mm for Depth, and select Lock.
17 Place the cursor on one of the sash extrusion lines, press TAB until the chain of lines is preselected, and click
to create the glass boundary.

View the window model with frame, sash, and glass

20 Select the glass extrusion.

22 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, specify Glass for the Subcategory instance parameter,
and click OK.
NOTE Assigning subcategories to model elements is important. After the family is loaded into a project, you can
control subcategory visual style using the Objects Styles dialog box.

Spin the model if necessary to view the sash and frame at various angles.

Flex the window model

Move the Family Types dialog box off to the side so you can see the window model.
■ Under Other, enter 500 mm for Default Sill Height.
■ Click Apply.
Notice the window adapts to the new dimension parameters.
NOTE After flexing the model, it is important to verify that all model elements adapted to the changes as expected.
For example, make sure the window frame stretched with the opening and that the glass extrusion remains attached
to the interior edge of the sash. You should flex the model at regular intervals to catch problems early. Most problems
can be resolved by aligning and locking lines.
27 In the Family Types dialog box, return the window to its original dimensions:
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
28 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Window Mullion Solid Geometry.

Creating the Window Mullion Solid Geometry
In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the window mullions based on reference planes and extrusions.
Dataset
Add reference planes to specify the location of the new window mullion centerlines
3 Add two horizontal and two vertical reference planes inside of the window opening to approximate the mullion
centerline locations as shown.
NOTE When you draw each reference plane, the exact location is not critical. Precise dimensions are assigned to
the reference planes in subsequent steps.

Add a multi-segmented dimension referencing all of the vertical reference planes except the center (Left/Right)
as shown. After adding the dimension, click the EQ symbol to make the dimension segments equal.

5 Add a dimension between the top of the window opening (top reference plane) and the horizontal reference
plane below it, as shown. Do not be concerned with dimension values.
6 Add a dimension between the bottom of the window opening (bottom reference plane) and the horizontal
reference plane above it, as shown. Do not be concerned with dimension values.
Add a mullion offset family parameter

8 Select the dimension on the upper-right that references the top two horizontal reference planes.
9 On the Options Bar, select <Add parameter...> for Label.

10 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, specify the following parameters:
■ For Parameter Type, select Family parameter.
■ Under Parameter Data, enter Mullion Offset for Name.
■ Under Group parameter under, select Dimensions.
■ Click OK.

12 In the Family Types dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 350 mm for Mullion Offset, and click OK.
TIP Due to the length of the dimension label, you may want to drag the dimension value as shown.
13 Select the horizontal reference plane second from the bottom.
Notice the dimension value becomes editable.

14 Click the dimension value, and enter 350 mm as the new value.

16 Select the dimension on the lower-right.

17 On the Options Bar, select Mullion Offset for Label.
As you did before, move the dimension value as shown.

Create the vertical mullion extrusions

21 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Reference Plane: Glazing for Name, and
click OK.
23 On the Options Bar, enter 14 mm for Depth, and click .

24 Sketch a rectangle centered on the left vertical mullion reference plane approximately as shown. Do not be
concerned with precise dimensions. However, it is critical that the short horizontal lines align with the horizontal
edges of the sash. Watch the Status Bar to be sure that the lines are snapping to the sash.
After you complete the sketch, notice lock icons display on the interior horizontal edges of the sash.
25 Click both of the locks so the mullion adapts to changes in window height.

27 Add a horizontal dimension from the left edge of the mullion extrusion to the reference plane centered between
the vertical mullion extrusion sketch lines, and to the right edge of the mullion extrusion.
Click the EQ symbol to make both horizontal dimensions equal. Move the dimension values as shown.
28 Add a horizontal dimension from the left edge to the right edge of the mullion extrusion, and place it above
the dimension you placed in the previous steps.
29 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the dimension you added in the previous step.
30 On the Options Bar, select <Add parameter> for Label.

31 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, specify the following parameters:
■ For Parameter Type, select Family parameter.
■ Under Parameter Data, enter Mullion Width for Name.
■ Under Group parameter under, select Dimensions.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.
Move the Mullion Width value to the left as shown.
32 Repeat the previous steps to create an identical mullion centered on the right vertical reference plane as shown.
Remember, follow these basic steps:
■ Sketch the rectangle similar to the mullion on the left.
NOTE Do not lock the lines to the sash edge as you did previously.
■ Dimension mullion edges and the reference plane at the center of the mullion and click the equality
constraint.
■ Add a dimension between the left and right mullion edges.
■ Select the dimension, and on the Options Bar, select Mullion Width for Label.
Do not be concerned with the value of the mullion width. This is changed in later steps.

Specify the mullion width parameter

Move the dialog box off to the side so you can see the window in the drawing area.
35 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 40 mm for Mullion Width, and click Apply.
Notice the mullions remain centered and equally spaced on the reference planes.

■ Click Apply.
Notice the window adapts to the new dimension parameters, and the mullions stretch with the new window
height.
NOTE After flexing the model, it is important to verify that all model elements adapted to the changes as expected.
In this case, you should pay close attention to the new mullions and make sure they remain centered, evenly spaced,
and aligned with the sash edge. You should flex the model at regular intervals to catch problems early. Most problems
can be resolved by aligning and locking lines, or undoing the same.

■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
Sketch the horizontal mullion extrusions

40 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Reference Plane : Glazing for Name, and
click OK.

Notice the Depth value on the Options Bar remains at the previously specified value.
43 Sketch a rectangle centered on the upper horizontal mullion reference plane approximately as shown, and
then click the lock icons to lock the left and right edges to the edge of the sash.

45 Add a vertical dimension from the top edge of the mullion extrusion to the reference plane at the center of
the mullion, and then to the bottom edge of the mullion extrusion.
Click the EQ symbol to make both vertical dimensions equal, and move the EQ values off to each side as shown.

47 Add a vertical dimension from the top edge to the bottom edge of the mullion extrusion, as shown. Do not
be concerned with the dimension value.

48 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the dimension you added in the previous step.
49 On the Options Bar, select Mullion Width for Label. Move the dimension value as shown.
50 Repeat the previous steps to create an identical mullion centered on the lower horizontal reference plane as
shown. Remember, follow these basic steps:
■ Sketch the rectangle similar to the mullion you just completed.
NOTE Do not lock the lines to the sash edge as you did previously.
■ Dimension mullion edges and the reference plane at the center of the mullion and click the equality
constraint.
■ Add a dimension between the upper and lower mullion edges.
■ Select the dimension, and on the Options Bar, select Mullion Width for Label.

The horizontal mullion extrusions are now complete.
Join the mullion geometry

53 Select the horizontal mullions, and select the vertical mullions.

If necessary, spin the model to get a good view of the mullions.
Notice the mullion extrusions are joined.

55 Adjust the location of the window model within the drawing area, so when you open the Family Types dialog
box, you can still see the window.

■ Click Apply.
Notice the window adapts to the new dimension parameters and the mullions stretch with the new window
height.
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
59 Proceed to the next exercise, Assigning Materials to the Window Components.
Assigning Materials to the Window Components

In this exercise, you assign materials to the frame, sash, and mullions that you want to display in renderings of
the new window.

Dataset
Create a new material based on the existing yellow pine material

3 In the New Material dialog box, enter Pine Frame for Name, and click OK.
5 In the Material Library dialog box, navigate to AccuRender/Wood/Pine, Yellow/, select Stained, Dark, No Gloss,
and click OK.
Assign the Pine Frame material to the frame, sash, and mullions

9 Select the window frame sweep, the sash, and the mullions.
TIP Hold the CTRL key down as you select the sweep and various extrusions.

11 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, select Frame/Mullion for Subcategory.
12 Under Materials and Finishes, click for Material.
13 In the Materials dialog box, select Pine Frame for Name, and click OK.
14 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select Edit for Visibility.
15 In the Family Element Visibility Settings dialog box, under View Specific Display, select Front/Back and When
cut in Plan/RCP (if category permits); clear the other view options.
The window frame is assigned the new Pine Frame material.
Modify the glass visibility
19 In the Project Browser under Elevations, double-click Right.

20 Select the glass extrusion.
22 In the Family Element Visibility Settings dialog box, under View Specific Display, select Front/Back and When
cut in Plan/RCP (if category permits).

25 Zoom in on a window corner.
The window frame, sash, mullions, and glass display their assigned materials.
26 Proceed to the next exercise, Defining New Window Types.
Defining New Window Types

In this exercise, you define new window types based on the window model that you just created. You begin by
adding a formula to the mullion offset parameter to specify horizontal divisions of one third the overall height of
the window. You then create multiple window types that will be available to the user after the family is loaded
into a project.

Dataset
Add a mullion offset formula to the family type

1 Zoom to fit and move the window model off the side of the drawing area so it will be visible after you open
the Family Types dialog box.
3 In the Family Types dialog box, enter Height/3 in the Formula column for Mullion Offset, and click Apply.
The horizontal mullions are now spaced apart at one third the height of the window.
4 In addition to flexing the model after the addition or modification of model geometry, it is also a good idea
to flex the model after a new formula is applied.
In the Family Types dialog box, enter 2000 mm for Height, and click OK.

The window height is doubled, but the one third height spacing is maintained in the horizontal mullions.
5 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 1000 mm for Height, and click Apply.
Define new window types with various heights and widths
7 In the Name dialog box, enter 2500 w x 1250mm h for Name, and click OK.
8 In the Family Types dialog box, specify the following parameter values:
■ Enter 1250 mm for Height.
■ Click Apply.

10 In the Name dialog box, enter 2600 w x 1300mm h for Name, and click OK.

■ Click Apply.
Define the final window type

13 In the Name dialog box, enter 1800 w x 1500mm h for Name and click OK.
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
You now have three new window types defined within your window family.
16 Navigate to the location of your choice and save the new window family with the name, Training Window.rfa.
Load the new window family into a new project
17 On the Standard toolbar, click to start a new project based on your default template.
20 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location of your Training Window.rfa file, select it, and click Open.
Place new window types in the project
21 On the Design Bar, click Wall.

22 Draw a generic wall segment 12000 mm long.

24 On the Options Bar, clear Tag on Placement.
25 In the Type Selector, select Training Window : 1800 w x 1500mm h.
26 Add the window to the left side of the wall.
27 In the Type Selector, select Training Window : 2500 w x 1250mm h.

28 Add this window to the center of the wall.
29 In the Type Selector, select Training Window :2600 w x 1300mm h.
30 Add the third window to the right side of the wall.

32 On the View menu, click Thin Lines.
33 Zoom in on the center window.
Notice the detail that displays. This is because you set the visibility values to display when cut in plan/RCP.

You have three new fixed nine-light windows based on a new window family prototype. This completes the Creating
a Window Family lesson.
Creating a Furniture Family

In this lesson, you create a custom furniture family based on the definition of a rolltop desk. You begin by creating
the desktop, drawer base, rolltop, and drawers as extrusions. You then assign parameters to the furniture family to
allow for the creation of different-sized versions of the prototype.
Finally, you assign new dimension values to the furniture to create new types within the furniture family, and
specify values for the furniture length and depth.
Creating a Furniture Family | 591

Specifying the New Rolltop Desk Parameters
In this exercise, you add reference planes and specify the parameters for the new rolltop desk furniture family.
Create a new family based on the default furniture template

1 Close all open projects or families.
Templates ➤ Templates folder. Select Metric Furniture.rft, and click Open.
4 Maximize the view, Floor Plan: Ref. Level.
5 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom to Fit.
The reference planes that display are part of the default furniture template; they represent the furniture centerline
axes.
NOTE When you draw the reference planes, their exact location is not critical. Precise dimensions are assigned to
the reference planes in subsequent steps.
7 Draw two horizontal reference planes, one above and one below the existing horizontal centerline reference
plane as shown.
8 Draw two vertical reference planes, one to the left and one to the right of the existing vertical centerline
reference plane as shown.

10 Near the bottom of the drawing area, add a horizontal dimension string beginning at the left reference plane,
proceeding to the centerline reference plane, and ending at the right reference plane, as shown.
Click the EQ icon to make the segments equal.
11 Add an overall horizontal dimension underneath the dimension you just added. It should reference the left
reference plane and the right reference plane as shown.

13 Select the left reference plane.
14 Change the horizontal dimension to 2000 mm.

16 On the right side of the drawing area, add a vertical dimension string beginning at the upper reference plane,
proceeding to the centerline reference plane, and ending at the lower reference plane, as shown.
Click the EQ symbol to make both segments equal.
17 To the right of the dimension you just created, add an overall vertical dimension from the upper reference
plane to the lower reference plane, as shown.

19 Select the upper, horizontal reference plane.
20 Change the vertical dimension to 1000 mm.

22 Clean up the extents of the reference planes and the dimension witness lines as shown.
TIP To do this, select each reference plane and drag the extents to the new position. Afterwards, select each dimension
and drag the witness line controls as needed.

23 Select the 2000 mm dimension.
25 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, specify the following:
■ Under Parameter type, select Family parameter.
■ Under Parameter Data, enter Length for Name.
■ For Group parameter under, select Dimensions.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.

■ Under Parameter Data, enter Depth for Name.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.

These reference planes will be the skeleton that you snap the solid geometry to. Therefore, you should flex the
design now to ensure the reference planes and labelled dimensions adapt to changes as expected.
Flex the design
29 Adjust the location of the reference planes within the drawing area, so when you open the Family Types dialog
box, you can still see the model.
■ Under Dimensions, enter 3000 mm for Length.
■ Enter 1500 mm for Depth.
■ Click Apply.
Notice the reference planes adapt to the new dimension parameters. When the solid geometry is snapped to
the reference planes, it will also adapt to the same changes.
32 In the Family Types dialog box, return the parameters to their original values:
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
33 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Desktop Solid Geometry.
Creating the Desktop Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the desktop with an extrusion.

Dataset
Create the desktop using an extrusion


3 Select the upper left reference plane intersection for the first corner of the rectangle, and then select the lower
right reference plane intersection for the second corner of the rectangle.
NOTE In the image below, the symbolic line thickness was modified for training purposes. Your lines may have a
lighter weight.

6 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Level: Ref. Level for Name, and click
OK.
8 On the Options Bar, click , and enter 100 mm for Depth.

9 Move the cursor over one of the symbolic lines, press TAB until the chain of lines is offered as a selection
option, and click to select all four symbolic lines.

11 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click Front.

The desktop extrusion extends 100 mm above the reference level.
13 Move the cursor over the top edge of the desktop, press TAB until Extrusion : Shape handle displays in the
Status Bar, and select the top edge.
14 Drag the top edge of the desktop upward until the temporary dimension value is 750 mm.
15 Move the cursor over the bottom edge of the desktop, press TAB until Extrusion : Shape handle displays in the
Status Bar, and select the bottom edge.
16 Drag the bottom edge of the desktop up until the desktop is 100 mm thick.
Add height and thickness dimensions

18 Add a vertical dimension from the reference level to the top edge of the desktop, as shown.
19 Add a vertical dimension from the bottom of the desktop to the top edge.
Add height and thickness family parameters


■ Under Parameter Data, enter Height for Name.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.

26 n the Parameter Properties dialog box, specify the following:
■ Under Parameter Data, enter Thickness for Name.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.
Flex the design
28 Adjust the location of the model within the drawing area, so when you open the Family Types dialog box, you
can still see the model.
■ Under Dimensions, enter 4000 mm for Length, and click Apply.
■ Enter 1200 mm for Height, and click Apply.
■ Enter 150 mm for Thickness, and click Apply.
Notice the desk top adapts to the new dimension parameters.
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
32 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Desk Drawer Base Solid Geometry.
Creating the Desk Drawer Base Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the desk drawer base.

Dataset
Offset two reference planes to locate the first drawer base corner
3 On the Options Bar, click , and enter 100 mm for Offset.

4 Move the cursor over the left vertical reference plane, and click to locate a new vertical reference plane offset
100 mm to the right.
5 Move the cursor over the upper horizontal reference plane, and click to locate a new horizontal reference plane
offset 100 mm below it.

7 Add a dimension referencing the left vertical reference plane and the offset plane you added. Click the lock
icon as shown.

8 Add a dimension to the top horizontal reference plane and the offset plane below it. Lock the dimension as
shown.
Sketch the left drawer base

11 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Level: Ref. Level for Name, and click
OK.

14 Select the intersection of the new offset reference planes for the first corner of the rectangle, and then specify
a point 300 mm to the right and 800 mm down for the second corner of the rectangle, as shown.

After you complete the rectangle, two lock icons display.
15 Click both of the lock icons to lock the edges of the extrusion to the reference planes.

17 Add a vertical dimension from the lower reference plane to the lower edge of the drawer base, and then click
the lock icon to lock the dimension.

19 Select the four sketched lines.
TIP You can select multiple elements by holding the CTRL key down. You can also highlight the entire line chain,
using the TAB key.
20 On the Tools toolbar, click the Mirror tool, .

21 Select the vertical centerline reference plane as the mirror axis.
A duplicate of the left drawer base is mirrored to create the right drawer base.

23 For the align-to reference, select the horizontal reference plane second from the top, as shown below at the
cursor.

24 Select the top horizontal line of the right drawer extrusion as shown.
A lock icon displays.

25 Click the lock icon to lock the extrusion edge to the reference plane.

27 Add and lock the following two dimensions to the right drawer extrusion:
■ Add a dimension from the right vertical reference plane to the right edge of the drawer base, and then
click the lock icon to lock the dimension.
■ Add a dimension from the lower reference plane to the lower edge of the drawer base, and then click the
lock icon to lock the dimension.

28 Add two final dimensions, one on each extrusion that references the width of the drawer base, as shown.
29 Select the dimension referring to the drawer width on the left extrusion.
■ Under Parameter Data, enter Drawer Base Width for Name.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.
32 Select the dimension referring to the drawer width on the right extrusion.
33 On the Options Bar, select Drawer Base Width for Label.

Extend the drawer base extrusions up to the desktop

38 Select the lower edge of the desktop as the align-to reference.
39 Select the upper edge of the drawer base.

After the alignment, a lock icon displays; click it to lock the alignment.


The solid geometry for the desk drawer base is now complete. However, notice that annotations display in this
view.
43 Click the Annotation Categories tab.
44 Clear Show annotation categories in this view, and click OK.
45 On the View Control Bar, click the Scale control and select 1:20.
Flex the design
46 Adjust the location of the model within the drawing area so when you open the Family Types dialog box, you
can still see the model.
Notice the desk adapts to the new dimension parameters.
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
50 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Rolltop Solid Geometry.

Creating the Rolltop Solid Geometry
In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the desk rolltop.
Dataset
Create the rolltop extrusion


4 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Reference Plane: Center (Left\Right) for
Name, and click OK.

7 Sketch the rectangle beginning at the intersection of the desktop and the right reference plane, then move the
cursor up 300mm and to the left 400mm, and click to specify the upper left corner, as shown.

9 Select the desk top, then the lower horizontal sketch line, and click the lock icon to lock the alignment.
10 Select the right vertical edge of the desktop extrusion, then select the right parallel sketch line, and lock the
alignment.

12 Add one dimension referring to both vertical sketch lines, and lock it. Add another dimension to both horizontal
sketch lines, and lock it.

14 On the Options Bar, click the Fillet arc tool, .
TIP You may need to click the down arrow button, and then select the fillet arc tool from the menu.
15 Select the left vertical sketch line, the upper sketch line, and then move the cursor down and to the right until
you create and arc similar to the image below. Do not be concerned with the precise dimension of the arc
radius.

The rolltop extrusion outline is complete.

Align the left and right edges of the rolltop with the drawer bases

19 Select the left edge of the left drawer base, select the left edge of the rolltop, and click the lock icon.
20 Select the right edge of the right drawer base, select the right edge of the rolltop, and click the lock icon.

The solid geometry of the rolltop is now complete.

Flex the design
22 Adjust the location of the desk model within the drawing area so when you open the Family Types dialog box,
you can still see the model.
■ Enter 1500 mm for Depth, and click Apply.
The desk should adapt to all the changes. If not, you may need to align and lock problematic edges that did
not remain aligned. You can also use dimension constraints.

■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
26 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating the Drawers Solid Geometry.
Creating the Drawers Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you create the solid geometry of the drawers and apply material to the desk.
Dataset
Create the desk drawer extrusions

3 In the Work Plane dialog box, under Specify a new Work Plane, select Pick a Plane, and click OK.
4 Select the front plane of the right drawer base.


8 Sketch six drawers similar to the image below.

NOTE The exact configuration of the rectangles representing the drawer fronts is not critical.

10 Add a dimension between the vertical edges of the drawer base and the vertical lines of each bottom drawer.
Lock each dimension as you add it. There should be four dimensions as shown.
NOTE Adding and locking these dimensions is very important. If you modify the desk length or the drawer base
width, these locked dimension assure that the drawers flex as expected. If you cannot see the locks on the dimensions,
zoom the view until you do.

12 On the Options Bar, select Multiple Alignment.
13 To constrain the four upper drawers, select the left vertical line on the left lowest drawer first, and then select
the corresponding left vertical lines of the two drawers above it. After selecting the line of an upper drawer,
click the lock that displays to lock the alignment.
14 On the Tools toolbar, click , and repeat the previous step by selecting the right vertical lines of the drawer
set on the left.
15 On the Tools toolbar, click , and repeat the previous two steps on the right set of drawers.
These steps ensure the top drawers remain aligned and flex with the constrained bottom drawer.
17 On the Design Bar, click Extrusion Properties.
18 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, enter 20mm for Extrusion End, and click OK.

Apply material to the desk
21 Draw a pick box around the entire desk to select all the extrusions.

25 In the New Material dialog box, enter Desk - Wood, Cherry, and click OK.
27 In the Material Library dialog box, navigate to AccuRender/Wood/Cherry and select Stained, Dark, Polished.
28 Click OK.
Flex the design
32 Adjust the location of the desk model within the drawing area so when you open the Family Types dialog box,
you can still see the model.

■ Enter 1500 mm for Depth, and click Apply.
The desk should adapt to all the changes. If not, you may need to align and lock problematic edges that did
not remain aligned. You can also use dimension constraints.
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
36 Proceed with the final exercise in this lesson, Defining New Furniture Types.
Defining New Furniture Types

In this exercise, you define new furniture types based on the rolltop desk model that you just created.
Dataset

Define new furniture types with various widths and depths
3 In the Name dialog box, enter Rolltop Desk 2000 x 1000mm for Name, and click OK.
4 In the Family Types dialog box, verify that Length is 2000 mm and Depth is 1000 mm, and click Apply.
7 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 2100 mm for Length and 1100 mm for Depth, and click Apply.
10 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 2250 mm for Length and 1250 mm for Depth, click Apply, and click OK.
You now have three new furniture types defined within your furniture family.
12 Navigate to the folder of your choice and save the new furniture family project with the name, Training
Furniture.rfa.
Load the new window family into a new project
13 On the Standard toolbar, click to start a new project based on your default template.

15 On the View Control Bar, click the Model Graphics Style control and select Shading with Edges.
18 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location of your Training Furniture.rfa file, select it, and click Open.
19 In the Type Selector, select Rolltop Desk 200 x 100mm.
20 Specify a point in the drawing area to add the first desk.

22 Specify a point to the right of the first desk, and add the second desk.

24 Specify a point in the drawing area to the right of the previous two desks, and click to add the third desk.
You now have three new rolltop desks based on the new rolltop desk furniture family prototype. This completes
the Creating a Furniture Family lesson.
Creating a Baluster Family

In this lesson, you create a custom baluster and apply it to a set of stair railings. Balusters are simply profile extrusions
with an assigned height family parameter.
Drawing a Baluster
In this exercise, you draw a baluster with an extrusion.
Dataset
■ On the File menu, click New ➤ Family.
■ In the left pane of the New dialog box, select Training Files and navigate to the Metric ➤ Metric Families and
Templates ➤ Templates folder. Select Metric Baluster.rft, and click Open.
Create a new family based on the default profile template

1 Expand the left elevation view.
Creating a Baluster Family | 619

The reference planes that display are part of the default baluster template. The bottom of the baluster is at the
reference level and the baluster has an assigned default height of 750mm. Top and bottom cut angles for the
baluster are also displayed.
Draw the baluster plan profile
3 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Ref. Level.

6 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Ref. Level for Name, and click OK.
NOTE When you draw the closed profile lines and arcs, their exact location is not critical. However, the baluster
profile should be centered on the vertical and horizontal reference planes. Draw your profile approximately 30mm
wide by 60mm deep.
8 Draw the closed baluster plan profile as shown.

10 In the Project Browser under Elevations, double-click Front.

By default, the extrusion has a height of 250mm.
11 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the extrusion.

13 Select the top reference plane and select the top edge of the extrusion.
14 Click the lock icon.
15 Save the new baluster family with the name Training Baluster.rfa.
The new custom baluster is now complete.
Assigning the New Baluster to a Stair Run

In this exercise, you assign the new baluster that you just created to a stair run.
Load the new baluster family into a new project

2 In the New Project dialog box, click Browse, and in the left pane of the New dialog box, select Training Files.
Navigate to the Metric ➤ Metric Families and Templates ➤ Templates folder. Select the DefaultMetric.rtefile, and
click Open. In the New Project Dialog box, click OK.
Draw a straight stair run
3 On the Design Bar, click the Modelling tab.

4 On the Design Bar, click Stairs.
5 Draw a straight stair run as shown.
Creating a Baluster Family | 621

8 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location of your Training Baluster.rfa file, select it, and click Open.

10 On the View menu, click Orient ➤ Southwest.
Apply the custom baluster to the stair run
12 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the existing railing.

15 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Edit for Baluster Placement.
16 In the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, under Baluster Family, select Training Baluster : Training Baluster
for the Regular baluster.
17 Clear Use Balusters Per Tread on Stairs.

18 Specify Start and End posts as Training Baluster.
19 Click OK.
22 Zoom in on the new balusters.

The stair run is now assigned the new baluster that you created. This completes the Creating a Baluster Family
lesson.
Creating Profile Families

A profile is a series of closed two-dimensional lines and arcs. Use profiles to define object cross sections such as
railings, balusters, soffits, cornices, and other sweep-defined objects. Create profiles to define frequently used shapes
in your details.
In this lesson, you create five different profiles: a sweep, a railing, a stair nosing, a reveal, and a host sweep. You
then create an in-place sweep based on a 2D path and apply the host sweep to a wall.
Drawing a Sweep Profile

In this exercise, you draw a sweep profile.
Dataset
■ In the left pane of the New dialog box, select Training Files and navigate to the Metric\Metric Families and
Templates\Templates folder. Select Metric Profile.rft, and click Open.
Create a new family based on the default profile template

NOTE When you draw the closed profile lines and arcs, their exact location is not critical. However, the sweep profile
should begin at the reference plane intersection.
2 Starting at the reference plane intersection, draw the sweep profile with line and arc segments as shown.
3 Save the new profile family with the name Profile - Sweep.rfa.
The new sweep profile is now complete.
Creating Profile Families | 623

Drawing a Rail Profile
In this exercise, you create a rail profile.
Dataset
Templates\Templates folder. Select Metric Profile-Rail.rft, and click Open.
Create a new family based on the default rail profile template

1 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, verify that Ref. Level is open.
The reference planes that display are part of the default rail profile template, with the vertical reference plane
labeled as the rail centerline and the horizontal reference plane labeled as the rail top. The rail height is measured
from the floor elevation to the rail top.
Draw the rail profile
NOTE When you draw the closed profile lines and arcs, their exact location is not critical. However, the top of the
rail profile should coincide with the rail top reference plane.
3 Starting at the reference plane intersection, draw the rail profile with line segments as shown.
4 Save the new profile family with the name Profile - Rail.rfa.
The new rail profile is now complete.
Drawing a Stair Nosing Profile

In this exercise, you create a stair nosing profile.

Dataset
Templates\Templates folder. Select Metric Profile-Stair Nosing.rft, and click Open.
Create a new family based on the default stair nosing profile template
1 Notice the existing planes and text provided within the template.
The reference planes that display are part of the default stair nosing profile template, with the vertical reference
plane labeled as the riser face and the horizontal reference plane labeled as the tread surface. Additional text
specifies the lower-left quadrant as the location for the stair nosing.
Draw the stair nosing profile
NOTE When you draw the closed profile lines and arcs, their exact location is not critical. However, you must draw
the stair nosing in the lower-left quadrant. In addition, the top of the stair nosing profile should coincide with the
tread surface reference plane and the right edge of the stair nosing profile should coincide with the riser face reference
plane.
3 Starting at the reference plane intersection, draw the stair nosing profile with line and arc segments as shown.
4 Save the new profile family with the name Profile - Stair Nosing.rfa.
The new stair nosing profile is now complete.
Drawing a Reveal Profile

In this exercise, you create a reveal profile. Reveal profiles are used with the Reveal tool in the project environment
to define a wall cutout.
Dataset
Templates\Templates folder. Select Metric Profile-Reveal.rft, and click Open.

Create a new family based on the default reveal profile template
The reference planes that display are part of the default reveal profile template, with the vertical reference
plane labeled as the wall face, and the wall body indicated to the right of the wall face reference plane. The
horizontal reference plane represents the offset from floor level to the reveal.
Draw the reveal profile
NOTE When you draw the closed profile lines, their exact location is not critical. However, the left edge of the reveal
profile must coincide with wall face reference plane and the reveal must be drawn within the wall body (to the right
of the wall face reference plane).
3 Starting at the reference plane intersection, draw the reveal profile with line segments as shown.
4 Save the new profile family with the name Profile - Reveal.rfa.
The new reveal profile is now complete.
Drawing a Host Sweep Profile

In this exercise, you create a host sweep profile. Host Sweep profiles are similar to reveal profiles and are used with
the Host Sweep tool in the project environment to define a shape to add to a host surface, which may be any
vertical surface.
Dataset
Templates\Templates folder. Select Metric Profile-Hosted.rft, and click Open.

Create a new family based on the default host sweep profile template
The reference planes that display are part of the default host sweep profile template, with the vertical reference
plane labeled as the host face and the host body indicated to the left of the host face reference plane. The
reference plane intersection is the origin of the host sweep profile.
Draw the host sweep profile
NOTE When you draw the closed profile lines, their exact location is not critical. However, the left edge of the host
sweep profile must coincide with the host face reference plane, and the host sweep profile must be drawn outside
of the host body (to the right of the host face reference plane).
3 Starting at the reference plane intersection, draw the reveal profile with line and arc segments as shown.
4 Save the new profile family with the name Profile - Host Sweep.rfa.
The new host sweep profile is now complete.
Applying a Sweep Profile to a 2D Path

In this exercise, you apply the sweep profile that you just created to a 2D path.
Create a new project

Navigate to the Metric\Metric Families and Templates\Templates folder. Select the DefaultMetric.rte file, and click
Open. In the New Project Dialog box, click OK.

Specify the family category
3 On the Modelling menu, click Create.

4 In the Family Category and Parameters dialog box, select Generic Models for Family Category, and click OK.
5 In the Name dialog box, enter Sweep for Name, and click OK.
Sketch the 2D sweep path
6 On the Family tab of the Design Bar, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Sweep.
7 On the Design Bar, click Sketch 2D Path.
NOTE When you sketch the 2D path, the exact location of the path is not critical.
8 On the Design Bar, click Lines and sketch the 2D path approximately as shown.
9 On the Design Bar, click Finish Path.

Apply the sweep profile to the 2D path
10 On the Options Bar, click Load Profiles.

11 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location of Profile - Sweep.rfa, select it, and click Open.
12 In the Type Selector, beside Load Profiles, select Profile - Sweep.
13 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sweep.
14 On the Design Bar, click Finish Family.
Modify the sweep profile configuration

17 Zoom in on the right end of the sweep.

19 Draw a vertical reference plane coincident with the left edge of the profile as shown.
20 Select the sweep profile and, on the Options Bar, click Edit.
21 Select the sweep profile again and, on the Options Bar, click .
22 In the Element Properties dialog box, do the following:
■ Under Constraints, enter 600 for Vertical Profile Offset.
■ Enter 25 degrees for Angle.
■ Under Other, select Profile Is Flipped.
23 Click OK.
The sweep profile application is now complete.
Applying a Host Sweep Profile to Walls

In this exercise, you apply the host sweep profile that you created to a group of walls.
Create a new project


Draw a wall group
NOTE When you draw the walls, their exact location is not critical.
4 Draw four walls as shown.
6 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Wall Sweep.
7 On the Options Bar, verify that Horizontal is selected.
8 Select a point on the left wall for the wall sweep.
9 Select a point on the right wall for the next wall sweep.

Replace the default wall sweep with the new host wall sweep

12 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location of Profile - Host Sweep.rfa, select it, and click Open.
13 Select the wall sweep and, on the Options Bar, click .

15 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Construction, select Profile - Host Sweep : Profile - Host Sweep for
Profile, and click OK.

18 In the Dynamic View dialog box, click Spin [Shift].
19 Move the cursor to rotate your viewpoint to view the host sweep from underneath.
The default wall sweep is replaced with your host sweep profile.
This completes the Creating Profile Families lesson.
Creating a Room Tag

In this lesson, you create a room tag which displays room name, floor and ceiling finish, and area with labels added
to extract project data.
Specifying Room Tag Parameters

In this exercise, you specify the room tag parameters.
Dataset
■ On the File menu, click New ➤ Annotation Symbol.
■ In the left pane of the New dialog box, select Training Files, and navigate to the Metric ➤ Metric Families and
Templates ➤ Templates folder. Select M_Room Tag.rft, and click Open.
Creating a Room Tag | 631

Create a new tag based on the default room tag template
The reference planes that display are part of the default room tag template.
Edit the 3mm label
2 On the Family tab of the Design Bar, click Label.

5 In the Type Properties dialog box, select Underline, and click OK.
Add a 2mm label

7 In the Type properties dialog box, click Duplicate.
8 In the Name dialog box, enter 2mm for Name, and click OK.
9 In the Type Properties dialog box, enter 2 for the Text Size parameter, clear Underline, and click OK.
Combine labels into a room tag
11 On the Design Bar, click Label.

12 In the Type Selector, verify that Label : 3mm is displayed.
13 On the Options Bar, verify that Center and Middle are selected for Text Alignment.
14 Specify the location for the first label as shown.
15 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Name, and click OK.
16 Zoom in on the label.
The name label is displayed with the text underlined.

17 In the Type Selector, select Label : 2mm.
18 Specify a point below the Name label for the next label location.
19 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Floor Finish, and click OK.

20 Specify a point below the Floor Finish label for the next label location.
21 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Ceiling Finish, and click OK.
22 Specify a point below the Ceiling Finish label for the last label location.
23 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Area, and click OK.
The Area label has a predefined value of 150 SF.

24 Save the new room tag with the name Finish Area Tag.rfa.
The new room tag is now ready for use.
This completes the Creating a Room Tag lesson.
Creating an Annotation Symbol

In this lesson, you create a custom north arrow annotation symbol and place it in a new project.
Creating a Custom North Arrow Annotation Symbol

In this exercise, you create a custom north arrow annotation symbol with a circle and lines.
Dataset
■ On the File menu, click New ➤ Annotation Symbol.
■ In the left pane of the New dialog box, select Training Files, and navigate to the Metric\Metric Families and
Templates\Templates folder. Select Generic Annotation.rft, and click Open.
Create a new annotation symbol based on the default generic annotation template
1 In the Project Browser, notice that there is only one view available.
The reference planes that display are part of the default generic annotation template. Notes included with the
template specify annotation parameters.
Creating an Annotation Symbol | 633

Sketch a north arrow symbol

4 Specify the reference plane intersection for the circle center point.
5 Drag the cursor and specify a radius of 8mm.

7 Draw a horizontal line from the left side to the right side of the circle through the center point.
8 Draw a vertical line from the top to the center point of the circle.

9 Draw a vertical line from the center point to the bottom of the circle.

The new north arrow annotation symbol is ready to edit.
Add an annotation objects subcategory

12 In the Object Styles dialog box, under Modify Subcategories, click New.
13 In the New Subcategory dialog box, enter North Line for Name, verify that Generic Annotations is selected for
Subcategory of, and click OK.
14 In the Object Styles dialog box, in the North Line row, select 3 for Line Weight, and click OK.
Apply the new line weight to the upper vertical line
15 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the upper vertical line.
16 In the Type Selector, select North Line.
Creating an Annotation Symbol | 635

18 Select the template notes and press DELETE.
The north arrow annotation symbol is now complete.
19 Save the new north arrow with the name, Training North Arrow.rfa.
Adding the New North Arrow to a Project

In this exercise, you add the new north arrow annotation symbol that you created to a project.
Load the new north arrow into a new project

4 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, select A1 metric.
5 Click OK.
6 Zoom in on the lower right corner of the sheet.
8 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location of Training North Arrow.rfa, select it, and click Open.
9 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Symbol.
10 In the Type Selector, select Training North Arrow.
11 Specify a point in the lower right corner of the sheet to place the symbol.

This completes the Creating an Annotation Symbol lesson.
Creating a Titleblock Family

In this lesson, you create a custom titleblock sheet based on the A0 metric titleblock template.

The titleblock has linework, text, and labels. You customize the titleblock with a new text style, graphics, and your
project data.
Drawing Linework for a Titleblock Sheet

In this exercise, you draw all of the linework necessary to create a custom A0-size sheet.
Dataset
■ On the File menu, click New ➤ Titleblock.
Templates\Templates folder. Select A0 metric.rft, and click Open.
Create a new family based on the default titleblock template

1 The default titleblock template consists of 4 border lines.
Sketch the inside border
3 On the Options Bar, click , and enter -25 for Offset.

4 Specify the upper left corner of the sheet for the first rectangle corner, and then specify the lower right corner
of the sheet for the second corner of the rectangle.
Creating a Titleblock Family | 637

Add vertical and horizontal lines

6 Move the cursor over the right inside border line, and click to draw a new vertical line.
7 On the Options Bar, click , and click .

8 Enter 0 for Offset.
9 Draw a horizontal line 140mm below the upper inside border as shown.
10 Draw a horizontal line 120mm below the last horizontal line as shown.
11 Draw a horizontal line 120mm above the lower inside border as shown.

12 On the Design Bar, click Modify, press CTRL, and select the second and third horizontal lines.
16 In the Type Selector, select Title Blocks.

18 Move the cursor over the third horizontal line, and click to draw a new horizontal line 20mm below the existing
line.
19 Move the cursor over the fourth horizontal line, and click to draw a new horizontal line 20mm below the
existing line.
20 Move the cursor over the fifth horizontal line, and click to draw a new horizontal line 20mm below the existing
line.
21 On the Options Bar, enter 30 for Offset.

22 Move the cursor over the third horizontal line, and click to draw a new horizontal line 30mm above the existing
line.
23 Move the cursor over the seventh horizontal line, and click to draw a new horizontal line 30mm above the
existing line.
24 Move the cursor over the eighth horizontal line, and click to draw a new horizontal line 30mm above the
existing line.

26 Zoom out to view the entire sheet.
The titleblock linework is now complete.
Adding Graphics and Text to a Titleblock

In this exercise, you add a company logo, text notes, and labels to your titleblock.
Add a company logo

1 On the File menu, click Import/Link ➤ Image.
2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to Training Files/Common, select Company Logo.jpg, and click Open.
3 Place the image in the upper right corner of the sheet as shown.

4 Zoom in on the logo.
Create a new 10mm text style

9 In the Name dialog box, enter 10mm Bold for Name, and click OK.
10 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Text, enter 10 for Text Size, and select Bold.
11 Click OK twice.
Add company name text
12 Draw a text box under the first horizontal line as shown.
13 Enter Arch Design Inc. in the text box.

14 Click outside of the text box to complete the text.

Add company address and phone number text

16 Draw a text box below the initial text, and add an address and phone number as shown.
Press ENTER to add each new line of text and click outside of the text box to complete the text.
17 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the last text note.
18 Select the drag handle, and drag the text note down as shown.
19 Click outside the text box to complete the modification.

Add consultant name, address, and phone number text

21 Draw a text box below the second horizontal line, and enter the following text:
■ Consultant:
■ Address:
■ Address:
■ Telephone:

22 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the consultant text note.

24 On the Options Bar, select Constrain and Multiple.
25 Click inside the Consultant text group.
26 Move the cursor down 120mm and click to specify the first copied text note position.

27 Move the cursor down another 120mm and click to specify the second copied text note location.

Create a new 5mm text style

32 In the Name dialog box, enter 5mm for Name, and click OK.
33 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Text, enter 5 for Text Size.
34 Click OK twice.
Add drawing data text

36 Draw a text box in the lower right space of the titleblock, and enter Sheet Number:.
37 Draw a text box in the next space up, and enter Checked By:.
38 Draw a text box in the next space up, and enter Drawn By:.
39 Draw a text box in the next space up, and enter Date:.
Add drawing data labels

41 On the Options Bar, select Right and Bottom for Text Alignment.
42 Place the cursor at the lower right corner of the Date field, and click to specify the label location.
43 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Project Issue Date, and click OK.
The label displays a default value wrapped to 3 lines.

44 Select the left drag handle on the label, and drag to the left until the label displays on one line.
NOTE Move the label if necessary to line up properly with the existing text.
45 Place the cursor at the lower right corner of the Drawn By field, and click to specify the label location.
46 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Drawn By, and click OK.
47 Place the cursor at the lower right corner of the Checked By field, and click to specify the label location.
48 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Checked By and click OK.

Create a new 15mm label style

53 In the Name dialog box, under Text, enter 15mm Label for Name, and click OK.
54 In the Type Properties dialog box, enter 15 for Text Size.
55 Click OK twice.
Add sheet number and project data labels
56 In the Type Selector, select Label : 15mm Label.

57 Place the cursor at the lower right corner of the Sheet Number field, and click to specify the label location.
58 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Sheet Number, and click OK.
59 On the Options Bar, click Center and Middle.
60 Place the cursor near the center of the field above the Date field, and click to specify the label location.
61 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Project Number, and click OK.

63 Place the cursor near the center of the field above the Project Number field, and click to specify the label
location.
64 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Project Name, and click OK.
66 Place the cursor near the center of the field above the Project Name field, and click to specify the label location.
67 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select Client Name, and click OK.
Create a 4mm label style

73 In the Name dialog box, enter 4mm Label, and click OK.
74 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Text, enter 4 for Text Size.
75 Click OK twice.

Add Project Path label
76 In the Type Selector, select 4mm Label.

77 On the Options Bar, click Left and Middle.
78 Place the cursor in the border area below the left side of the Sheet Number field, and click to specify the label
location.
79 In the Select Parameter dialog box, select File Path, and click OK.
80 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and then adjust the width of the File Path field so that it is approximately
equal to the width of the Sheet Number field.
81 Save the new titleblock family with the name Training A0Horizontal Titleblock.rfa.
The titleblock graphics, text, and labels are now complete.
Adding the Titleblock to a New Project

In this exercise, you add the titleblock that you created to a new project.
Load the new titleblock family into a new project

4 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, click Load.
5 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location of Training A0Horizontal Titleblock.rfa file, select it, and click
Open.
6 In the Select a Titleblock dialog box, select Training A0Horizontal Titleblock.
7 Click OK.

Modify titleblock properties
8 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the titleblock.

10 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, enter Name for Drawn By, and click OK.

■ Enter January 1, 2005 for Project Issue Date.
■ Enter In Progress for Project Status.
■ Enter Jane Smith for Client Name.
■ Enter Office Building for Project Name.
■ Enter 2005-01 for Project Number.
14 Click OK.
This completes the Creating a Titleblock Family lesson.
Creating In-Place Families

In this lesson, you start with an incomplete building information model of the Pantheon, and add a dome roof
and a concave floor with revolved forms as in-place families. You create an in-place family in your current project
rather than in the Family Editor. In-place families interact with the building model according to their assigned
family category.

NOTE This project was created using an imperial template and components. To change the units of measurement to
meters, on the Settings menu, click Project Units. Set the Length units to millimeters, set the Area to Square meters,
format the Area to use 2 decimal places, and set the suffix to None.
Creating the Dome Roof In-Place Family

In this exercise, you create the dome roof with a revolved form. Sketch the roof cross-section with a closed profile
in an elevation view.
Dataset
■ In the left pane of the Open dialog box, select Training Files and navigate to the Common folder.
■ Select c_Pantheon.rvt, and click Open.
Open the existing Pantheon building model

1 On the View menu, click Orient ➤ Southeast.
Next, you add a dome roof with oculus (circular opening) to the Pantheon building model.
Creating In-Place Families | 651

Specify the Roofs family category

4 In the Family Category and Parameters dialog box, select Roofs for Family Category, and click OK.
5 In the Name dialog box, enter Dome for Name, and click OK.
Specify the dome roof revolved form parameters
6 On the Design Bar, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Revolve.

8 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Pick a Plane, and click OK.
9 Select the Center East/West reference plane as shown.
10 In the Go To View dialog box, select Section: Wall Section - Center, and click Open View.
The center wall section view is displayed.
Draw the axis of rotation for the dome roof revolved form
11 On the Design Bar, click Axis.

13 Specify the bottom endpoint of the Center East/West reference plane for the start point of the axis, and then
specify the top endpoint of the reference plane for the endpoint of the axis.

Draw the lower face of the dome roof

16 Specify the intersection of the Upper Cornice horizontal reference plane and vertical axis as the circle center
point.
17 Move the cursor out, until it creates an intersection with the level 1 reference plane.

The circle is tangent to the interior wall face and the level 1 reference plane at the floor line.
Draw the oculus rim profile
18 Zoom in on the top of the circle.
The reference planes that display are guides for drawing the oculus rim profile.

20 Specify the reference plane intersection for the start point of the rim profile as shown.
21 Snap to reference plane intersections, and draw the five rim profile line segments in the shape of a reverse C
as shown.

Split the circle

24 Select a point on the circle to the right of the rim profile.
25 Select the intersection of the circle and the lower left vertical line of the profile as shown.
The circle is trimmed between the rim profile and the first split point.
Draw the upper face of the dome roof

28 Specify the endpoint of the upper left rim profile line segment as the arc start point.

29 Specify the top of the stairs in the wall section as the arc endpoint.
30 Specify a point on the arc approximately as shown.
Draw two lines to close the dome roof profile
32 On the Options Bar, click and select Chain.

33 Draw a horizontal line from the arc endpoint to the interior edge of the wall, and then draw a vertical line
down the interior wall face to the lower dome roof face tangent point.

Trim the arc below the tangent point

35 Select the interior face of the wall, and then select a point on the arc above the tangent point as the segment
to keep.
The dome roof closed profile is now complete.

Specify lightweight concrete for the dome roof material
36 On the Design Bar, click Revolution Properties.

38 In the Materials dialog box, select Concrete - Cast-in-Place Lightweight Concrete for Name, and click OK.
The dome roof in-place family is now complete.

Creating the Concave Floor In-Place Family
In this exercise, you create the concave floor slab for the Pantheon building model.
Specify the concave floor revolved form parameters

2 In the Family Category and Parameters dialog box, select Floors for Family Category, and click OK.
3 In the Name dialog box, enter Concave Floor for Name, and click OK.
4 In the Project Browser under Elevations, double-click South.
5 On the Design Bar, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Revolve.

7 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Pick a Plane, and click OK.
8 Select the Center East/West reference plane as shown.
9 In the Go To View dialog box, select Section: Wall Section - Center, and click Open View.
Draw the axis of rotation for the floor revolved form
10 On the Design Bar, click Axis.

12 Specify the bottom endpoint of the Center East/West reference plane for the start point of the axis, and then
specify the top endpoint of the reference plane for the endpoint of the axis.
Draw the concave floor profile

15 Specify the intersection of the T.O. Footing level line and the axis, for the start point of the floor profile as
shown.
NOTE You may need to zoom in closer to the intersection to select the first point.
16 Drag the cursor up 800 mm, and specify the next point for the floor profile as shown.
17 Specify the intersection of the level 1 reference plane and the interior wall edge for the next point of the floor
profile as shown.

18 Specify the intersection of the T.O. Footing level line and the interior wall edge for the next point of the floor
profile.
19 Specify the intersection of the of the T.O. Footing level line and the axis for the last point of the floor profile.
The concave floor closed profile is now complete.

Specify cobblestone for the concave floor material
20 On the Design Bar, click Revolution Properties.

21 In the Element Properties dialog box, click for Material.
22 In the Materials dialog box, select Cobblestone for Name, and click OK.
26 In the Project Browser under 3D Views, double-click 3D Section View.
This completes the Creating In-Place Families lesson.

Parametric Component Design
Techniques
20
In this tutorial, you create a new parametric component within the Family Editor. During this tutorial, you
learn the process and methodology of creating a new family. In exercises that become increasingly complex,
you learn specific techniques and best practices that you can apply broadly when creating other families in
Autodesk Revit Building.
The parametric component that you design in this tutorial is an open-joist wood floor truss. In this case, the
length of the trimmable truss determines the size and grade of the truss chords. In the center of the truss is a
mechanical service clearance to accommodate HVAC systems. The truss also has multiple types, formula-based
parameters, assigned subcatecories, and detail level controls. This type of component uses a broad spectrum
of design techniques within the Family Editor.
The goal of this tutorial is to teach you the proper approach to parametric component creation, not specifically
how to make a floor truss. At the end of this tutorial, you will understand the process, methodology, and the
specific techniques for creating a parametric component.
661
Planning a Parametric Component Family
Creating a new parametric component family is no different than any other design process; planning ahead is one
of the most important steps. Knowing why you are creating a particular family and what you need it to do will
drive the specific design process. In this lesson, you accomplish two main tasks: you determine the component
needs and select the family template that is suited to those needs.
Determining Component Needs

In this exercise, you determine the requirements of the new component. In this case, it is an open-joist wood floor
truss. For training purposes, imagine that your firm specializes in light commercial and residential design. Your
assignment is to create a truss that adapts parametrically to changes in the building design.
Decide component type and design requirements

1 What type of component are you designing?
In this case, the design spec requires that the floor truss snaps to columns, beams, and structural walls, and
also works intuitively with them. It should also be an available option within a beam system. In addition, the
component should use the point-to-point insertion method with the joist web members adjusting parametrically.
Because this component has to interact closely with other structural components, this must be a structural
beam component. This decision dictates which family template you begin with. If the component did not
have to interact so closely with other structural components, a generic floor-based component might work.
Although this solution is possible, it is not the best solution.
In the next exercise, you select the best available template with which to begin the new structural beam family.
2 What additional design requirements affect the design plan for this beam family?
■ The truss should automatically adjust depth as the length changes.
■ Two types should be created, a 2x3 truss and a 2x4 truss.
■ A rectangular mechanical clearance opening must be centered within the beam.
The design requirements dictate how simple or complex a family must be. In this case, the beam design must
be advanced in order to have the flexibility that the specs require.
NOTE When creating a new family, you should avoid over-designing the component. If the design requirements
can be met with a simple design, then you should design only what is needed to satisfy the requirements. For every
complexity added to a family, there is a computing performance cost that must be paid within the project. Take this
into consideration during your design planning.
Using the new family within a project
3 How will you use the family within a project?
662 | Chapter 20 Parametric Component Design Techniques

■ What materials need the most control?
These materials, such as wood type, would require Instance or Type parameters.
■ What materials remain constant throughout a project?
The chord and web material will always be wood. These materiails can be applied using Object Styles.
■ What types are most commonly used?
In this training case, only the 2x3 and 2x4 trusses with wood web members are required.
■ How will the component need to be scheduled?
This is an important question, especially if you are going to be nesting subcomponents that may require
separate scheduling. In addition, the means in which to gather the information you require within the
schedule needs to be built into the component.
You have completed the planning stage for the new family. Depending on the family you are designing, the
planning stage and questions may differ.
4 Continue with the next exercise, Selecting the Family Template.
Selecting the Family Template

In this exercise, you determine which family template provides the best starting point for the new beam family.
In the previous exercise, you determined that the component type is a structural beam. This critical decision reduces
the quantity of template options.
Planning a Parametric Component Family | 663

Review the template options
2 Click File menu ➤ New ➤ Family.
The New dialog box opens to the templates folder that is specified in your Settings ➤ Options dialog box. You
should be in the Metric Templates folder. If you are not in this folder, navigate to it.
3 In the New dialog box, scroll through the various template options.
Notice that most of the template names include the component type. In addition, the template name often
includes information how the component would be used with a project, for example: wall based or floor based.
4 In the New dialog box, select Metric Generic Model floor based.rft.
NOTE Do not double-click the template or open it. Select it so that the preview displays.
On the right side of the New dialog box, notice the preview.
Like most generic family templates, it provides two intersecting reference planes: Center (left/right) and Center
(front/back).
5 In the New dialog box, scroll to the structural framing templates.
There are two structural framing templates provided.
■ Metric Structural Framing - Beams and Braces.rft
This template is design specifically to accommodate point-to-point insertion and the specific snapping,
spacing, and display functions required by structural beams.
■ Metric Structural Framing - Complex and Trusses.rft
This template is designed for complex framing components and trusses. It provides two intersecting
reference planes: Center (left/right) and Center (front/back). Because of its simplicity, it is not designed
to create a component capable of point-to-point insertion.
6 Select Metric Structural Framing - Complex and Trusses.rft, and notice the preview.
Although the template name suggests this is the appropriate template, it is not the best starting point for the
beam family.
7 Select Metric Structural Framing - Beams and Braces.rft and notice the preview.
Notice this template offers three horizontal planes on each side of the center (left/right) reference plane. These
planes are designed specifically to accommodate point-to-point beam insertion and the special snapping and
display requirements of beam components. This template is the best starting point for the new family.
NOTE Although this is the template you use to start the tutorial, do not open this template. For training purposes,
this template resides within the training folders and should be opened from there.

Open the family template
8 In the left pane of the New dialog box, click the Training Files icon.
9 Open Metric Structural Framing - Beams and Braces.rft located in the Metric ➤ Metric Families and
Templates ➤ Templates ➤ folder.
10 Maximize the view, Floor Plan: Ref. Level.
Floor Plan: Ref. Level
In this view, you can see the rectangular beam extrusion and a symbolic line.
Notice that the beam extrusion is centered on the level line. When a beam family based on this template is
added to a project, the top of the beam extrusion is aligned to the associated level of the plan view.
This beam extrusion is supplied within the template as a starting point. Like many templates, the geometry
supplied can be used or discarded as needed.
13 Proceed to the next lesson, Creating the Component Skeleton.
Creating the Component Skeleton

In this lesson, you add the reference planes, lines, and dimensions that provide a skeleton for the solid geometry.
As you add solid geometry later in the tutorial, you snap and lock the solid geometry to these reference planes and
lines. Therefore, creating a skeleton to build upon is the foundation of a new component family.
NOTE When creating or modifying a family, it is not necessary to create a skeleton of reference planes or lines and then
align and lock the solid geometry to it. Dimensioning the solid geometry directly also works; however, using reference
planes and lines is considered more reliable and is therefore a best practice.
Creating the Component Skeleton | 665

Adding Reference Planes
In this exercise, you add reference planes to the beam design. These reference planes act as part of the skeleton to
which the solid geometry will align and lock.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you started in the previous exercise.
Review existing reference planes

2 Place the cursor over the leftmost vertical reference plane until the tooltip displays the name of the plane,
Reference Plane: Left.
TIP The name also displays on the Status Bar.
3 Repeat this step for the other two vertical planes on the left side.
The reference planes in this template are designed to accommodate the point-to-point insertion of a beam
component. The reference planes and their respective explanations are listed below.
■ Left and Right:
These two planes mark the points where the beam intersects with other columns. In the image below, two
steel columns and a steel beam have been added to a project. The two arrows point to the snap points that
the left and right reference planes refer to.
NOTE The reference planes shown in the project image below were added as a training reference. Reference
planes that display within a family file do not display within a project.
■ Member Left and Member Right:

These two planes refer to the left and right extent of the beam solid geometry when displayed in a medium
or fine display view of a project. In the project plan view image below, notice the location of the beam
extents. The six reference planes shown in the project below were added as a training reference; they do
not display when the family is loaded into a project.

■ Stick Symbol Left and Stick Symbol Right:
These two planes refer to the extents of the stick symbol when it is loaded into a project and the plan view
display setting is coarse.
Each family template has a different set of reference planes established within it. Before adding new reference
planes, it is important to be familiar with the template so you do not create duplicate or conflicting planes.
Delete existing solid geometry
4 Select the rectangular beam extrusion.
NOTE Be careful not to select the symbolic line.
5 On the Edit Toolbar, click .

In a later exercise, you add the solid geometry for the truss as a sweep.
Add new reference planes

7 Add a reference plane approximately 50 mm above the horizontal reference plane: Center (Front/Back).

8 Add a reference plane approximately 50 mm below the horizontal reference plane: Center (Front/Back).
You will use these two reference planes to control the beam width and keep it centered on the reference plane:
Center (Front/Back).
Add ref. planes to control beam depth

11 Add a reference plane approximately 150 mm below the Level: Ref. Level.
12 Add a reference plane approximately 150 mm above the Level: Ref. Level.
TIP You can also use the mirror tool to accomplish this task. To do this, select the lower horizontal reference plane,
click on the Edit toolbar, and select the Level: Ref. Level as the mirror axis.

These two reference planes mark the top and bottom extents of the beam. This beam requires additional
reference planes to complete the truss skeleton.
14 On the Options Bar, click , and specify an Offset of 38 mm.

The next four reference planes that you add mark the thickness of the truss chords.
15 Place the cursor over the top horizontal reference plane. When a copy of the reference plane displays below
it, click to place it.
TIP You can control the direction of the offset by moving the cursor slightly to either side of the line you intend to
pick.
16 Place the cursor over the lower horizontal reference plane and when a copy of the reference plane displays
above it, click to place it as shown.
17 Place the cursor over Reference Plane: Member Left, and when a copy of the reference plane displays to the
right of it, click to place it as shown.
18 Place the cursor over Reference Plane: Member Right, and when a copy of the reference plane displays to the
left of it, click to place it as shown.

You have completed the reference planes that make up the skeleton of the chords. Before you move on to the
next exercise, you must add four additional reference planes to accommodate the center chase.
19 On the Options Bar, specify an Offset of 200 mm.
20 Place the cursor over Reference Plane: Center (Left/Right), and when a copy of the reference plane displays to
the left of it, click to place it as shown.
21 Place the cursor over Reference Plane: Center (Left/Right), and when a copy of the reference plane displays to
the right of it, click to place it as shown.
22 On the Options Bar, specify an Offset of 238 mm.

23 Use the Reference Plane: Center (Left/Right) to add reference planes to the left and right of it as shown below.

Notice the reference planes that you added in the elevation view. Although there is nothing technically incorrect
regarding the reference planes in this view, cleaning up some of the extents would make the view easier, which
you do in the next exercise.

27 Click File menu ➤ Save.
28 In the Save As dialog box, enter Wood Floor Truss for File name, navigate to the folder of your choice, and
click Save.
NOTE You use this family for the remainder of this tutorial. Make sure you remember where you saved it.
29 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Dimensions and Constraints.
Adding Dimensions and Constraints

In this exercise, you add some of the dimensions and constraints that control how the open web floor truss adapts
to changes in its geometry. By applying dimensions and constraints directly to the skeleton of the family, you can
make sure the new family adapts to changes in geometry as expected before adding solid geometry to it.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset, Wood Floor Truss.rfa, that you saved at the end of the previous exercise.
Dimension chord width


This tool is the aligned dimension tool. It allows you to dimension between parallel lines.
3 Select each of the horizontal reference planes and place the dimension to the left as shown. After adding the
dimension, separate the overriding values by dragging the value controls as shown.
TIP You may need to adjust your zoom settings during this procedure.

5 Select the dimension you added in the previous step, and click the EQ symbol when it displays.
This ensures that changes to the chord width are distributed equally across the center reference plane.

7 Add a dimension referring to the upper horizontal reference plane and the lower horizontal reference plane.
Place the dimension as shown.
Add the depth dimension and equality constraint

10 Select the upper horizontal reference plane, the Center reference plane, and the lower horizontal reference
plane, place the dimension to the left as shown, and click the EQ symbol to apply the equality constraint.
NOTE The center horizontal reference plane overlaps the level line: Ref. Level. You may need to use the TAB key to
toggle the selection to the reference plane.

11 Add a dimension referring to the upper horizontal reference plane and the lower horizontal reference plane
and move it to the left of the equality constrained dimension you added previously.
Dimension and constrain the center chase width
12 Add a dimension referring to the three vertical reference planes in the center of the model, place the dimension
under the lines as shown and click the EQ symbol to apply the equality constraint.
13 Add a dimension referring to the reference planes to the left and right of the Center (Left/Right) reference
plane, and place it below the dimension you added previously.
Dimension chord thickness
14 On the right side of the model, add two dimensions as shown.

These dimensions refer to the chord thickness.

15 Add four dimensions as shown.
These dimensions refer to the chord thickness of the vertical members and the members that border the center
chase.
You have finished adding the dimensions and constraints that control how the truss skeleton adapts to changes.
Throughout the tutorial, you will add additional reference planes, dimensions, and constraints as needed.
In the next exercise, you label the dimensions to create instance and type parameters. These parameters are
the key to providing flexibility within a project. In addition, they allow you to “flex” the model in order to
test your design.
16 Click File menu ➤ Save.
17 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating New Length Parameters.
Creating New Length Parameters

In this exercise, you create new length parameters that control the basic dimensions of the floor truss. The parameters
that you create when designing a family are the same parameters used within a project to control the instance and
type parameters of that family. When you design a new family, it is important to decide how much control over
the component will be required after the component is loaded into a project.
There are many types of parameters and various ways to create them. In this exercise, you label the dimensions
that you added in the previous exercise. When you label a dimension in the Family Editor, it becomes a parameter.
You choose whether to make it an instance or type parameter.
Things to consider when deciding “instance” or “type:”

■ If the component comes in standard sizes that must be maintained, consider making it a type parameter.
■ If the component is something that is cut or otherwise extremely flexible, consider making it an instance
parameter.
■ If the component has material that varies per component, consider making the material parameter an instance
parameter.
■ If the parameter controls something that usually remains constant by its nature, consider making it a type
parameter. You should lean towards simplicity whenever possible.
Dataset
Create the chord width parameter


2 Select the dimension that refers to the width of the chord as shown.
3 On the Options Bar, select Add parameter for Label.

■ Under Parameter Type, select Family parameter.
■ Under Parameter Data, enter Chord Width for Name.
■ Select Dimensions for Group parameter under.
■ Select Type.
This indicates whether the parameter is a type or instance parameter.
■ Click OK.
Create truss depth parameter

6 Select the dimension on the left that refers to the depth of the truss.

■ Under Parameter Data, enter Depth for Name.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.

Create center chase width parameter
9 Select the dimension that refers to the width of the center chase interior.

■ Under Parameter Data, enter Center Chase Width for Name.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.
Create chord thickness parameter
12 On the right side of the model, select the dimension that refers to the thickness of the lower horizontal truss
chord as shown.

■ Under Parameter Data, enter Chord Thickness for Name.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.

TIP You may need to drag the text label downward as shown.
Apply chord thickness label to other dimensions
15 On the right side of the model, select the dimension that refers to the thickness of the upper horizontal truss
chord.
16 On the Options Bar, select Chord Thickness for Label.
17 Apply the Chord Thickness label to the vertical chords and the vertical members on the left and right side of
the center chase as shown.

In the Family Types dialog box, notice the labelled dimensions display under the list of parameters and under
the group, Dimensions.
When you load this family into a project, these parameters will be available within the Type Properties dialog
box for the beam.
19 Click Cancel.
21 Proceed to the next exercise, Flexing the Component Model.
Flexing the Component Model

One of the most important steps in the process of creating a new parametric component is the flexing of the model.
Flexing the model means to change parameter values, thus forcing the model to adapt to the changes. This is not
limited to length parameters. If you add a new material parameter, you should also test it to make sure it works as
expected. You should flex the model after any major change to the design.
You should flex a new family after:

■ Adding or modifying an element.
■ Adding or modifying a parameter.
■ Adding a new constraint.
■ Nesting a component.
■ Adding or modifying a parameter formula.
When you flex a family, you should always do it from the Family Types dialog box, rather than by manually
stretching or manipulating the objects within the family. When you change a parameter value and apply the
change, this is the most accurate way of testing how the family will behave within a project.
In this exercise, you flex the model to test the various length parameters that you added in the previous exercise.
Even though you have yet to add any model geometry to the family, it is important to verify that the reference
lines adjust to changes as constraints are maintained. After you verify this, you can add the model geometry to the
skeleton and be relatively certain that it will also flex as expected.
Dataset
Preparing the family for flexing

1 When flexing the model, you need to be able to see the model within the drawing area and also apply new
values within the Family Types dialog box:
■ Maximize the Revit window and adjust the zoom settings so the model is in one corner of the drawing
area. When you open the Family Types dialog, you can drag it to the opposing corner.
or
■ Reduce the Revit window and keep the model centered in the drawing area. When you open the Family
Types dialog box, you can drag it off the Revit window as shown.

Adjust your display using one of the two methods before opening the Family Types dialog box.
2 On the Design Bar, click Family Types, and drag the dialog box so that you can view the model.
Flex the truss depth
3 In the Family Types dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 600 mm for Depth, and click Apply.
Notice the depth of the truss adapts to the change in dimension value. Also notice the equality constraint
spreads the additional depth evenly above and below the Ref. Level. In addition, notice that the reference
planes marking the chord thickness adapted to the change in depth while maintaining their specified value.
Verifying that the entire model adapts to changes and making sure nothing “breaks” is the essence of flexing.
4 Enter 450 mm for Depth, 80 mm for Chord Thickness, 800 mm for Center Chase Width, and click Apply.
Notice that the model adapts to all of the changes.

Reset parameters
5 In the Family Types dialog box, reset the parameters back to their original values:
■ Enter 38 mm for Chord Thickness.
■ Enter 400 mm for Center Chase Width.
■ Click Apply.
■ Click OK.
When working within the Family Editor, you should always flex the design after you add new elements or
modify the existing design in any way.
7 Proceed to the next lesson, Adding Solid Geometry.
Adding Solid Geometry

In this lesson, you add the solid geometry using extrusions for the chords and trimmable plywood ends. After
creating the extrusions, you constrain them using a combination of locked alignments and labelled dimensions.
After flexing the design, you load the truss into a project to verify that it works as designed.
Creating Solid Extrusions

In this exercise, you create the top and bottom chords of the truss. After adding the chords, you align and lock
their position.
Dataset
Add chord extrusions

1 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click Left.
2 Zoom in around the center of the truss design.

4 In the Work Plane dialog box, click Name, select Reference Plane: Member Left, and click OK.
6 On the Options Bar, click , and select Lock.

7 Select the four reference planes that border the top chord as shown.
Notice that the sketch lines are automatically locked to the reference planes.

When using the Trim tool, click the part of the line you want to keep.
9 Select perpendicular intersecting lines to create the top chord sketch as shown.
11 On the Options Bar, click , and verify that Lock is selected.

12 Select the four reference planes that border the bottom chord as shown.
NOTE A warning dialog displays notifying you that there are overlapping lines. You can ignore this warning because
after you finish trimming, the lines will no longer overlap.
Adding Solid Geometry | 681

14 Select perpendicular intersecting lines to create the bottom chord sketch as shown.

Notice the chord extrusions and the symbolic line. The chords need to be aligned and locked to the correct
reference planes in order for them to flex with changes in the geometry.

18 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Constraints to the Solid Geometry.
Adding Constraints to the Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you add constraints to the chord extrusions and then flex the family to verify that it works as
designed.
Dataset
Constrain the extrusion ends

2 Enter SD; this is the keyboard shortcut for Shading with Edges.
This makes the chord extrusions more visible within the view.
3 Select the chord extrusions.

4 Drag the right arrow control to the right until it snaps to the reference plane: Member Right, as shown.
Click the lock symbol to lock the extrusion edge to the reference plane.
5 Drag the left arrow control to the right until it snaps to the reference plane: Member Left, as shown.
Click the lock symbol to lock the extrusion edge to the reference plane.
Flex the design
6 Prepare the view for flexing in the same way you did during the flexing exercise. You’ll want to set up your
screen so you can see the model truss while the Family Types dialog box is open.
On the Design Bar, click Family Types.
7 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 6000 for Length, and click Apply.
Notice that the extrusions did not move or change their length. This is because the length dimension references
the extreme left and right reference planes, not the member right or member left reference planes. Therefore,
you must add a new constraint before flexing the length.
8 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 3000 for Length, click Apply, and click OK.
Add a new dimension and constraint

10 Add a dimension between the reference plane: Left and the reference plane: Member Left as shown.
Click the lock symbol to lock the dimension value.

11 Add a dimension between the reference plane: Right and the reference plane: Member Right as shown.
Click the lock symbol to lock the dimension value.
In this particular case, adding this constraint to the model has no impact on how it works within a project.
This is a two-point placement beam family that uses the member left and member right reference planes as
the determining extents of this component. Later in this lesson, you load this family into a project to test how
it works within a project environment.
Flex the length

13 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 6000 for Length, and click Apply.
Notice that the extrusions adjusted to the change in length. This tells you that the constraints on the extrusion
ends are working.
TIP If one of the extrusion ends did not adjust as expected, use the Align tool and add the constraint. Afterwards,
flex the model once again to make sure the fix works as expected.
14 Click OK.
In a later exercise, you add the web members. Therefore, you need a truss long enough to add web arrays and
do not need to return the truss back to its original length value.
Flex the chord width, depth, and thickness

16 Enter SD for Shading with Edges.

■ Enter 600mm for Depth.
■ Enter 200mm for Chord Width.
■ Enter 76mm for Chord Thickness.
TIP When flexing, it is important to remember the original values so you can reset them afterwards. Therefore,
try picking a method, such as doubling, that allows you to easily return to the original values.
■ Click Apply.
The chords should adjust to each of the new values.
19 Specify the beam values shown below:
■ Enter 89mm for Chord Width.
■ Click Apply, and click OK.

21 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Additional Solid Geometry.
Creating Additional Solid Geometry

In this exercise, you add the extrusions for the truss ends and the center chase.
Dataset

Add the center chase extrusions
2 Zoom in on the center of the truss and select the model line that represents the beam stick symbol.
3 On the View Control Bar, click the Hide/Isolate control, and click Hide Object.
This will make it easier to sketch the center chase extrusions.

7 Select the four reference planes that border the left, vertical member of the center chase as shown.
Notice that the sketch lines are automatically locked to the reference planes.

9 Select perpendicular intersecting lines to create the left, vertical member of the center chase sketch as shown.

12 Select the four reference planes that border the right, vertical member of the center chase as shown.
NOTE A warning dialog displays notifying you that there are overlapping lines. You can ignore this warning because
after you finish trimming, the lines will no longer overlap.

14 Select perpendicular intersecting lines to complete the center chase sketch as shown.

17 Zoom in on the center chase.
Align and lock the new extrusions
18 On the Tools menu, click Align.

This next process is very important. The ends of the chase extrusions must be aligned and locked to the
horizontal reference planes coincident with the interior edges of the chords. Although you can align and lock
extrusion to extrusion, it is considered a best practice to align and lock to reference planes.
19 For the align-to reference, select the reference line on the top of the lower chord as shown.
You may need to press TAB to toggle the selection options.
20 Click the bottom edge of one of the chase extrusions, and after the alignment, click the lock symbol to lock
the alignment.
21 Align the top edge of the chase extrusions with the reference line coincident with the lower edge of the upper
chord, and lock the alignment as shown.

Flex the center chase

■ Enter 800mm for Center Chase Width.
■ Click Apply.
The truss should adapt to all the changes. If it does not, redo any problematic alignments and constraints.
25 In the Family Types dialog box, reset the values as follows:
Clean up the view
26 Zoom to Fit.
27 Clean up the view by moving the dimensions off to the side as shown.
This will make subsequent work much easier.
Add the truss end extrusions
28 Select the Chord Thickness dimension in the lower-left corner as shown.
29 On the Options Bar, select Add Parameter for Label.

30 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, under Parameter Data, do the following:
■ Enter Trimmable End Length for Name.
■ Click OK.
31 Select the Chord Thickness dimension in the lower-right corner of the view.
32 On the Options Bar, select Trimmable End Length for Label.
34 In the Family Types dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 300mm for Trimmable End Length, click Apply, and
click OK.
Sketch the right end extrusion

36 Zoom around the truss elements.
38 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Reference Plane: Member Right for Name, and click OK.

41 On the upper chord, select the lower horizontal reference plane; on the lower chord, select the upper horizontal
reference plane. These two lines represent the upper and lower boundary of the sketch.
42 On the Options Bar, enter19mm for Offset.

43 Select the Center (Front/Back) reference plane twice to add a sketch line to each side as shown.

45 Select perpendicular intersecting lines to complete the end sketch as shown.

47 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, verify that 300mm is specified for the Extrusion End
value, and click OK.
Sketch the left end extrusion
49 In the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click Left.

50 Zoom around the truss elements.
52 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Reference Plane: Member Left for Name, and click OK.

55 On the upper chord, select the lower horizontal reference plane; on the lower chord, select the upper horizontal
reference plane. These two lines represent the upper and lower boundary of the sketch.
56 On the Options Bar, enter 19mm for Offset.
57 Select the Center (Front/Back) reference plane twice to add a sketch line to each side as shown.

59 Select perpendicular intersecting lines to complete the end sketch as shown.

61 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, specify -300mm for the Extrusion End value, and
click OK.
NOTE This extrusion value must be negative in order to push the extrusion towards the center of the truss.

Add alignment constraints
Although the truss ends line up with the reference planes controlling the length of the trimmable ends, they
are not aligned and locked to those reference planes and would not pass a flex test.
64 Zoom in on the left end of the truss.
66 Select the Member Left reference plane as the align-to point.

67 Select the left edge of the left end extrusion, and lock the alignment.
68 Select the reference plane coincident with the right edge of the left end extrusion; this is the align-to point.
69 Select the right edge of the left end extrusion, and lock the alignment.
70 Repeat the previous five steps for the right end of the truss. Make adjustments to account for the right side.
TIP When you finish the alignments, if you select the end extrusion, a lock displays on each side indicating the
constraints to the reference planes.

Flex the design

■ Enter 600mm for Trimmable End Length.
■ Click Apply.
The truss should adapt to all the changes. If it does not, fix any problematic alignments and constraints.
■ Enter 300mm for Trimmable End Length.

76 Save the Family.
A new dataset is provided for you beginning with the next lesson. It is identical to the truss you have been
designing. If you are comfortable with your design, you can continue using it in the next lesson. If you have
experienced any errors or have deviated from the exercises in any way, you should close the file and begin
with a fresh dataset.
77 Proceed to the next lesson, Testing the Family in a Project.
Testing the Family in a Project

In this lesson, you load the family into a project to test it in a real-world environment. After you load it into the
project, you add several beam instances and then modify the shape of the foundation to see how the beams adapt.
Loading a Family into a Project

In this exercise, you load the truss family into a project that consists of foundation walls, a sill, and a rim joist.
NOTE Close any open families or projects. The truss family that you use in this lesson is identical to the truss you have
created in the previous exercises. Although you could continue using the previous family, it is recommended that you
use the new family in order to ensure consistency.
Datasets
Open the truss family
■ Open the m_Wood Floor Truss_1.rfa file located in the Metric\Metric Families and Templates\Families folder.
Testing the Family in a Project | 693

Open the project file
■ Open the m_WWF1.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
Load the truss family into the project

1 On the Window menu, click m_Wood Floor Truss_1.rfa.
2 On the Design Bar, click Load into Projects.
The truss family is loaded directly into the only other open file. If you had multiple projects or families open,
a dialog box would have displayed asking for you to specify which projects you wanted to load the family into.
Notice that the project file is now active.
3 In the Project Browser, expand Families, expand Structural Framing, and notice that the Wood Floor Truss_1
family has been loaded.
4 Proceed to the next exercise, Testing a Family Instance in a Project.
Testing a Family Instance in a Project

In this exercise, you add several instances of the truss family to the project, and then modify the project to see how
the beams adapt.
Dataset
Continue to use the datasets that you used in the previous exercise.

Add beams to project
1 In the Project Browser, expand Views, expand 3D Views, and double-click 3D - Southeast Isometric.
This project consists of foundation walls, a slab, a wood sill, and a wood rim joist. The rim joist was added as
a beam; therefore, the truss family you loaded will interact with it as one beam does to another.
3 On the Structural tab of the Design Bar, click Beam.
4 In the Type Selector, select m_Wood Floor Truss_1.
5 Using point-to-point insertion, add three vertical beams that snap to the rim joist at each end.
NOTE Do not be concerned with the exact location of the three beams. Try to make them approximately equidistant
as shown.
6 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click 3D - Southeast Isometric.
Testing the Family in a Project | 695

Notice the wood truss sits on top of the sill and attaches to the rim joist as expected.
8 Select Grid 2 and drag it downward until the walls form an approximate square.
NOTE Make sure you drag the grid line, not the wall or rim joist. You do not need to be precise; you are merely
testing the new floor truss to verify that it adapts to the changes.

Notice the wood truss adjusted to the changes.
■ The truss ends remained constant and adapted to the new beam length.
■ The center chase remained the same width while remaining centered.
In the next lesson, you nest the web components into the truss and create an array that adapts to changes in
length.
10 On the Edit menu, click Undo Drag.
This should return the project to its original dimension.
11 On the File menu, click Save as.
12 In the Save as dialog box, navigate to a folder of your choice and save the project with its existing name.
IMPORTANT Do not change the name of the family. The project and family need to interact based on a consistent
file name.
Edit a family from within a project
13 Select one of the wooden truss components.

14 On the Options Bar, click Edit Family.
15 When prompted to open the truss family for editing, click Yes.
Because the family is already open, the wood floor truss family becomes the active view.
16 Proceed to the next lesson, Working with Nested Subcomponents.
Working with Nested Subcomponents

In this lesson, you nest wood web members into the floor truss, and create a formula controlled array to fill in the
truss.
Working with Nested Subcomponents | 697

Adding a Nested Component
In this exercise, you nest two wooden web members into the truss. You then align and lock the web extents before
applying a formula-controlled array.
Dataset
Continue to use the datasets from the previous exercise.
Prepare the view for nesting

1 Make sure that m_Wood Floor Truss_1.rfa is the active file.
3 Select the symbolic line in the center of the truss.
4 On the View Control Bar, click Hide/Isolate, and click Hide Object.
This will aid in the placement of the wood web.
■ Open the m_Wood_Web.rfa file located in the Metric\Metric Families and Templates\Families folder.
This family is a single extrusion as shown. The extrusion is aligned and locked to invisible model lines that
make it easier to array within the truss. The geometry is driven by formula-based parameters that link to the
host family.
Add two wood web components
6 On the Design Bar, click Component.

7 In the Type Selector, verify that m_Wood_Web: Wood Web is selected.
8 Add two instances of the wood web component as shown.
Place one wood web on each side of the center chase. Snap the center line of the web to the center reference
plane of the truss. Leave a slight gap between the chase and the web. This will make aligning the wood web
easier.
IMPORTANT Make sure you snap the center line of the web components to the center reference line of the truss.

11 Place the cursor over the left wood web. Do not select it.
Notice the model lines that surround the web component; they are visible only when you place the cursor
over the component. In the following steps, you align the web panel using these lines rather than the extrusion
edges.
Also notice that the depth of the web members needs to be changed. This will be accomplished in the next
exercise when you link the nested parameter with the host parameter.
Align the nested web components
12 Enter ; this is the keyboard shortcut for Align.

You will align the left web component first.
13 For the align-to point, select the reference plane that is coincident with the left edge of the left center chase
extrusion.
14 Select the right vertical model line of the left web component as shown.
IMPORTANT Do not lock the alignment
15 Repeat the previous two steps to align the left edge of the right web component to the right edge of the center
chase as shown.

Each of these web components represents the starting point of the web arrays that you add later in this lesson.
NOTE You do not have to align the top or bottom the web components because the height of the web members
will adapt to the truss height after you create and link the parameters in the next exercise. In addition, it is important
to note that you should avoid adding unnecessary constraints.

Add reference planes for array anchors

18 Add two reference planes as shown. Place each reference plane just to the outside of the center of the web
components.

The reference plane you added in the previous step represents half the web width. In the steps that follow, you
align the reference planes to the center of the web components.
20 Select the center of the left web component as the align-to point.
21 Select the reference plane that you added to the left of the web components center as shown.
22 Click the lock to lock the reference plane to the centerline of the web component.

23 Repeat the previous two steps to align and lock the right web component and the reference plane as shown.
Dimension and label array anchors

25 Add the following two dimensions:
■ Select the reference plane that you aligned to the center of the left web component.
■ Select the reference plane that is coincident with the right edge of the left web component and the outside
edge of the center chase.
■ Place the dimension as shown.
■ Select the reference plane that you aligned to the center of the right web component.
■ Select the reference plane that is coincident with the left edge of the right web component and the outside
edge of the center chase.
■ Place the dimension as shown.

In the next exercise, you label these dimensions. You also add a formula to the parameter in order to maintain
the web position as the truss changes depth, length, or the width of the center chase.
28 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the same directory in which you saved the project file and save this
family there with its current name.
29 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Formula-controlled Parameters.
Creating Formula-controlled Parameters

In this exercise, you add new parameters to control the web components. You then link the nested web parameters
to the new host parameters.
Dataset
Continue to use the datasets that you saved in the previous exercise.
Create a new parameter for web depth

■ Enter WebDepth for Name.
■ Select Constraints for Group parameter under.
■ Select Length for Type.
■ Select Type.
■ Click OK.
4 In the Family Types dialog box, under Constraints, enter Depth - (Chord Thickness * 2) for the WebDepth
Formula.
TIP You can expand the width of the Family Types dialog box to facilitate typing within the formula field.
This formula ensures that the web depth will account for any changes in the chord thickness or truss depth.
NOTE Formulas are case sensitive. When you refer to another parameter within a formula, ensure you enter it exactly
as it is named.
5 Click OK.
Link the nested component to the new parameter
6 Right-click the left web component, and click Properties.

8 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Other, click the button to the right of the WebHeight value.
9 In the Associate Family Parameter dialog box, select WebDepth, and click OK.
In the Type Parameter dialog box, notice that “= “displays within the WebHeight button.

Notice the web members are resized to fit more precisely between the chords. In addition, notice the center
of each nested web component is locked to the reference plane that bisects it.
Create new formula-controlled parameter for center chase

■ Enter CC for Name.
This parameter is primarily for convenience. It will use a formula to add the center chase width and the
thickness of the two bordering chords.
■ Select Other for Group parameter under.
■ Click OK.
16 Under Other, enter Center Chase Width + (2*Chord Thickness) for CC Formula.
After you enter the formula, the resulting value is displayed as an inactive field.
Create WebArrayLength formula-controlled parameter

■ Enter WebArrayLength for Name.
■ Click OK.
19 Under Constraints, enter (Length - (CC+300))/2 for WebArrayLength Formula.

This formula subtracts the length of the center chase and its two bordering chords plus an additional 300mm
before dividing it in two to specify the length of each array. The additional 300mm is to account for the ends,
which must remain at least 150mm long.
Create WebArrayNum formula-controlled parameter

■ Enter WebArrayNum for Name.
■ Select Integer for Type.
■ Click OK.
22 Under Constraints, enter WebArrayLength/(2*WebDepth) for WebArrayNum Formula.

23 Click OK.
Add parameter to anchor web array
24 Select the dimension that refers to the midpoint of the left web as shown.

■ Enter Webhalflength for Name.
■ Click OK.
27 Select the dimension that refers to the midpoint of the right web.
28 On the Options Bar, select Webhalflength for Label.
Add formula for Webhalflength

31 Under Constraints, enter (WebArrayLength/WebArrayNum)/2 for Webhalflength Formula.
32 Click OK.
Notice the location of the web components has adapted to the formula.

Associate web component parameters
33 Right-click the left web component, and click Properties.

35 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Other, click the button to the right of the WebArrayLength value.
36 In the Associate Family Parameter dialog box, select WebArrayLength, and click OK.
In the Type Properties dialog box, the button next to the WebArrayLength value should have an equals sign
within it.
Because you have added and constrained new components, it is very important that you flex the model to
ensure the nested components and the formulas that controls them work as expected. It is especially important
to flex the model before arraying the truss so that you don’t multiply any existing problems.
Flex the design
41 Adjust the view so you can flex the truss while in the Family Types dialog box.
■ Click Apply.


46 Proceed to the next exercise, Arraying Nested Subcomponents.
Arraying Nested Subcomponents

In this exercise, you array the nested web components, add alignment constraints, and link the arrays to the
WebArrayNum parameter.
Dataset
Array the left web component

2 Select the nested web component left of the center chase.

Creating an array requires two basic steps. First, you specify the move start point; then you specify the move
end point. You must use precision when arraying because any error is multiplied as the array grows.
■ Verify that Group and Associate is selected.
■ Select 2nd for Move to.
5 Select the bottom-right corner of the nested web extrusion as the move start point. When picking the corner,
use the TAB key to toggle to the endpoint of the vertical model line within the nested family.

6 Select the bottom-left corner of the nested web extrusion as the move end point. When picking the corner,
7 Press ENTER to complete the array.

Array the right nested web component
9 Select the nested web component right of the center chase.

■ Verify that Group and Associate is selected.
12 Select the bottom-left corner of the nested web extrusion as the move start point. When picking the corner,
13 Select the bottom-right corner of the nested web extrusion as the move end point. When picking the corner,
14 Press ENTER to complete the array.

16 Zoom out to view the truss.
Align and lock the arrays
17 Zoom in on the left array of web components.

19 In the left array, place the cursor over the boundary between the two left web components until the reference
highlights, then select the line twice.

Because there are two overlapping lines at this location, you are aligning the two bordering web components
to each other.
20 Click the lock symbol to keep the web components locked at their edges.
21 Within the left array, align and lock the two right web components.
22 Within the right array, align and lock the two boundaries between the three web components. Use the same
techniques as you did in the previous three steps.
NOTE This step is very important. If you do not lock the edges of the array, the web components overlap each other
when you change the depth of the truss.
Label the arrays
23 Select the middle web component of the left array.

24 Notice the array line displays above the components with the array value. Place the cursor over the array line
as shown and select it.
NOTE Do not select the array value.
25 On the Options Bar, select WebArrayNum for Label.

26 Select the middle web component of the right array.
27 Select the array line over the web components on the right.
28 On the Options Bar, select WebArrayNum for Label.
30 Zoom out until you can see the entire truss.

Notice the arrays appear to be too long. This is because earlier in the tutorial, you added a dimension to lock
the Member Left and Member Right reference plane to the outer Left and Right reference planes. The primary
reason for this was to allow for flexing the length.
31 Zoom around the left side of the truss.
32 Select the dimension between reference plane Left and Member Left as shown.
33 Delete the dimension.

35 Select the reference plane, Left, as the align-to point.
36 Select the reference plane, Member Left, and lock the alignment as shown.
Notice the end of the array still overlaps the trimmable end. You will fix this in later steps by changing the
parameter value.

NOTE With most beam families, you would not want to align and lock these two reference planes; however, in this
case, the wood floor truss normally sits on a sill bordering a rim joist. Therefore, this solution has little, if any, significant
impact.

38 Zoom in around the right side of the truss.
39 Delete the dimension between reference plane Right and Member Right.
40 Align and lock reference plane Right and Member Right.
41 Zoom out until you can see the entire truss.

Change trimmable end length value

43 In the Family Types dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 150mm for Trimmable End Length.
44 Click Apply, and click OK.
Notice the web arrays fit within the truss without overlapping the ends.
Flex the design
45 In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click View 1, and prepare the view for flexing.
■ Enter 12000mm for Length.
■ Click Apply.

TIP When flexing a complex model such as this, you should flex the model in as many ways as possible to verify it
is working correctly; however, for training and time purposes, these steps have been reduced.

■ Enter 6000mm for Length.
You have completed the design of the primary components of the truss.
50 Proceed to the next exercise, Reloading a Family into a Project.
Reloading a Family into a Project

In this exercise, you reload the truss family into the project. You then increase the distance between the foundation
walls to see how the truss adapts to the changes in length.
Dataset
In addition to the truss family, the project, m_WWF1.rvt, should be open.
Reload the truss into the project.

1 Verify that the truss family is active and the 3D View, View 1, displays.
3 In the Reload Family dialog box, select Override parameter values of existing types, and click Yes.
Notice the project file becomes active and the beam has updated with the latest changes.

5 Drag Grid 2 downward until the shape of the building footprint is almost square.
Notice the truss has adapted to the changes.
7 On the Edit menu, click Undo Drag.

8 Save and close the project file and the family file.
In the next lesson, you begin with a new dataset which is identical to both of these files.
9 Proceed to the next lesson, Applying Subcategories, Materials, and Parameters.
Applying Subcategories, Materials, and Parameters

In this lesson, you create and apply subcategories and materials. You then create a parameter to specifically control
material application.

Creating and Applying Subcategories
In this exercise, you create new subcategories within the truss family. You then reload the family into the project
and apply a material to the subcategory.
Datasets
In this dataset, the truss was added to a beam system that occupies approximately half the building footprint. In
addition, four instances of the floor truss were added to the other end of the structure.
Apply Object Styles

1 Zoom in around beam system.
Notice no material has been applied to the truss. Within the family, the material values were set to By Category
by default.
Applying Subcategories, Materials, and Parameters | 713

3 In the Object Styles dialog box, verify that the Model Objects tab is selected, and expand the category Structural
Framing.
Notice that the Structural Framing category and all of the subcategories have no material value defined. In
addition, notice that the subcategories do not apply to the wood floor truss that you have designed.
4 On the Structural Framing category line, click in the material field until the button displays as shown.
5 Click the button that displays in the Structural Framing Material field.
6 In the Materials dialog box, click Wood - Timber for Name, and click OK.
Notice the Wood - Timber material has been applied to all Structural Framing components.
When you apply a material to the Structural Framing category, all subcomponents of that category are assigned
that material. If there was a metal beam in this building model, it would also have the wood material applied
to it. If you create subcategories as you design in the Family Editor, you have more control over component
visibility within a project.
8 On the Edit menu, click Undo Object Styles.
Create subcategories within the truss family
9 Select a truss that is not part of the beam system.

11 Click Yes to open the family for editing.
14 In the New Subcategory dialog box, enter Wood Floor Truss for Name, and click OK.

Apply material to subcategory
15 Click in the Material field for the Wood Floor Truss subcategory, and click the button to open the Materials
dialog box.
17 In the New Material dialog box, enter Wood Floor Truss, and click OK.
18 In the Materials dialog box, under AccuRender, click .
19 In the Material Library dialog box, navigate to _accurender\Wood\Pine, Yellow, select Natural,No Gloss for
Name, and click OK.
Apply the subcategory to the truss components
22 Draw a pick box around the entire truss.

24 In the Filter dialog box, click Check None, select Other, and click OK.
Notice the chords and end extrusions remain selected.

26 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, select Wood Floor Truss for Subcategory, and click
OK.
Apply a subcategory to the nested web components
28 Place the cursor over one of the arrayed web components, press TAB to toggle to the web component and click
to select it.
The web component family opens in a 3D view.

33 In the New Subcategory dialog box, enter Wood Floor Truss - Webs for Name, and click OK.
By creating a separate subcategory for the web components, you can apply a different material to all web
components when using this truss within a project.
34 Click in the Material field for the Wood Floor Truss - Webs subcategory, and click the button to open the
Materials dialog box.
36 In the New Material dialog box, enter Wood Floor Truss - Webs, and click OK.
37 In the Materials dialog box, under AccuRender, click .
38 In the Material Library dialog box, navigate to _accurender\Wood\Pine, Yellow, select Natural,No Gloss for
Name, and click OK.
41 Select the web extrusion.

43 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, select Wood Floor Truss - Webs for Subcategory,
and click OK.
Reload web component into truss family

45 In the Load into Projects dialog box, select m_Wood Floor Truss_1.rfa, and click OK.
Reload truss into project

48 In the Load into Projects dialog box, select m_WWF2.rvt, and click OK.

Notice the new object subcategory styles are applied to the truss components.

51 In the Object Styles dialog box, under Categories, expand Structural Framing.
Notice the two new subcategories are listed. You can change the style of only the wood truss components
without impacting other structural framing components.
52 Click OK.
54 In the Visibility Graphics dialog box, under Visibility, expand Structural Framing, clear Wood Floor Truss -
Webs, and click OK.
Notice the web extrusions not longer display; however, the stick symbols continue to display.
55 On the Edit menu, click Undo Visibility/Graphics.

57 In the Save as dialog box, navigate to a folder of your preference and save the project with the current name.
58 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Material Parameters.
Creating Material Parameters

In this exercise, you add a new material parameter that allows you to specify a material for each truss instance.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset that you saved in the previous exercise.
Open truss family for editing

1 Select a truss that is not part of the beam system.

Create material parameter

■ Enter Floor Truss Material for Name.
■ Select Materials and Finishes for Group parameter under.
■ Select Material for Type.
■ Click OK.
7 In the Family Types dialog box, notice the default material is By Category.
In this case, do not assign a material to the parameter. When reloaded into a project, this component will
continue to use the material assigned to the subcategory by default. This material parameter allows you to
assign a material on an instance parameter.
8 Click OK.
Link truss extrusions to material parameter
9 Draw a pick box around the entire truss.

11 In the Filter dialog box, click Check None, select Structural Framing (Wood Floor Truss), and click OK.
Notice the chords and end extrusions remain selected.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Materials and Finishes, click the button to the right of the Material
value field.
14 In the Associate Family Parameter dialog box, select Floor Truss Material, and click OK.
16 Place the cursor over one of the web components, press TAB, and select the component.

19 In the Type Properties dialog box, under Other, click the button to the right of the WebMaterial value field.
20 In the Associate Family Parameter dialog box, select Floor Truss Material, and click OK.
21 Click OK twice.

Notice the appearance of the floor trusses has not changed.
26 Select a floor truss that is not part of the beam system.

28 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Materials and Finishes, click the Floor Truss Material field and
click the button that displays.
29 In the Materials dialog box, select Metal - Steel for Name, and click OK.

Notice the material is applied only to the selected beam.

34 Close any open files.
You can save the open files if you wish. In the next lesson, a new dataset is supplied.
35 Proceed to the next lesson, Controlling Component Visibility.
Controlling Component Visibility

In this lesson, you add controls to specify the views in which each element displays and at what detail level.
Assigning Detail Level and View Controls

In this exercise, you designate the display of elements in specific views and at specific detail levels.
Datasets
Change detail levels

1 On the View Control Bar, click Detail Level, and click Coarse.
Notice the rim joist no longer displays. However, notice the floor truss has not changed appearance, because
you have yet to assign a detail level to each of the elements within the truss family. Currently within the truss,
all elements display at all times in all views.
Controlling Component Visibility | 719

2 Select a floor truss.
Apply detail level controls to web components
5 Select a web component.

8 Select the web extrusion.
10 In the Family Element Visibility Settings dialog box, specify the following:
■ Under View Specific Display, clear Plan/RCP.
■ Clear Left/Right.
■ Under Detail Levels, clear Coarse.
■ Click OK.

12 In the Load into Projects dialog box, select m_Wood Floor Truss_1.rfa, and click OK.
Notice the appearance of the floor trusses has not changed.
Assign detail level to center chase extrusions
14 Select the center chase extrusions.

■ Clear Left/Right.
■ Click OK.
Assign detail level to truss ends
17 Select the end extrusions.

■ Click OK.
Assign detail level to truss chords
20 Select the truss chords.

■ Click OK.

Notice that the floor truss solid geometry is not displayed.
26 On the View Control Bar, click Detail Level, and click Medium.
Notice the floor truss solid geometry is displayed.
28 On the View Control Bar, click Detail Level, and click Coarse.
Notice the symbolic representation of the beams.
Controlling Component Visibility | 721

30 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to your preferred location and save the project with the current name.
31 Proceed to the next lesson, Creating Component Types.
Creating Component Types

In this lesson, you create multiple floor truss types to speed up the design process when working in a project. In
the final exercise, you create a conditional formula that adjusts the truss depth based on the truss length.
Creating Multiple Component Types

In this exercise, you create multiple types for a 89x38 truss and a 64x38 truss. Although you can change the
parameters of a truss within a project, creating predefined types can speed up the design process.
Open the truss family for editing

Create new types

6 In the New dialog box, enter 89x38 for Name, and click OK.
8 In the New dialog box, enter 64x38 for Name, and click OK.
9 In the Family Types dialog box, under Dimensions, enter 64mm for Chord Width, and click Apply.
Notice the chord changes width.
10 Select 89x38 for Name, and click Apply.
The truss returns to its original designed value.
NOTE When creating new components, create types for those most frequently used in your projects.
11 Click OK.
TIP You can also use new types to flex the model.

Load new types into the project

16 In the Type Selector, select 64x38.
17 Add a beam in the center of the open space.
18 In the Type Selector, select 89x38.
19 Add a beam next to the 64x38.
Notice the two beam types.

23 Proceed to the final exercise, Creating Conditional Formulas.
Creating Conditional Formulas

In this exercise, you create a conditional formula that changes the depth automatically as the truss increases in
length.
Open the truss for editing

Adding a conditional formula

You are going to enter a conditional formula that follows this basic rule:
IF ( <condition>, <result-if-true>, <result-if-false>)
5 In the Family Types dialog box, under Dimensions, enter the follow formula for Depth:
if(Length < 6600, 286, if(Length < 7500, 350, if(Length < 9000, 400, 400)))
6 Click Apply.
Flex the design
7 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 8000 for length, and click Apply.
Notice the truss depth increases.
8 In the Family Types dialog box, enter 6000 for length, click Apply, and click OK.
Creating Component Types | 723

Load the truss into the project

Test the conditional formula within a project

13 Select Grid 2 and drag it downward until it is between 8000-9000mm from Grid 1.
15 Notice the change in floor truss depth.
NOTE You would have to change the depth of the sill and rim joist to accommodate this change.
IMPORTANT When you changed the width of the building footprint, you probably noticed a change in the amount
of time the view needed to regenerate. Regeneration time and overall performance can be affected by over-designed
families.
You have completed this tutorial.

17 Close any open files.

Area Analysis
21
In this tutorial, you learn how to use area analysis tools to define and label spatial relationships. The first step
in area analysis is the definition of area schemes. Two schemes are provided by default: Gross Building and
Rentable. You can edit the rentable scheme and create additional schemes. You then create area plans for each
scheme as needed. Each area scheme can have multiple area plans. Finally, you create area schedules and color
fill plans based on the area schemes and plans.
725
Using Area Analysis Tools
In this lesson, you use the two predefined area schemes to create respective area plans to define gross area and a
rentable area. You add and modify the area boundaries and apply area tags. In the final exercise, you create a color
fill plan and area schedule based on the area schemes and plans.
Creating Area Schemes and Plans

In this exercise, you use the two predefined area schemes to create respective area plans to define gross area and a
rentable area. You add and modify the area boundaries and apply area tags.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Area.rvt file located in the Common folder.
NOTE Images in this exercise reflect Imperial values. If you are using metric units, your values will be different.
Set units of measurement to metric

2 In the Project Units dialog box, under Length, click Format and specify the following:
■ For Units, select Millimeters.
■ For Unit Suffix, select mm.
■ Click OK.
3 Under Area, click Format and specify the following:

■ For Units, select Square meters.
■ For Rounding, select 2 decimal places.
■ For Unit Suffix, select m2
■ Click OK.
4 In the Project Units dialog box, click OK.

View predefined area schemes
5 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and verify that Level 1 is the active view.
6 On the Area Analysis tab of the Design Bar, click Area Settings.
TIP If the Area Settings tab is not visible, right-click in the Design Bar, and click Area Analysis.
In the Area Settings dialog box, there are two schemes currently defined: Gross Building and Rentable. These
schemes define spatial relationships.
■ Gross Building: Total constructed area of a building.
■ Rentable: Area measurements based on the standard method for measuring floor area in office buildings.
Although you can create new schemes that are based on the Rentable scheme, it is not necessary in this exercise.
726 | Chapter 21 Area Analysis

7 In the Area Setting dialog box, click the Room Calculations tab.
You can specify the height where the room area is calculated.
■ At System Computed Height: Generally defaults to or 1000 mm above the level.
NOTE If the room area includes a room separation line, the system-computed height defaults to the level, or
0.
■ At Specified Height: You specify the height above the level that area is calculated.
8 Click Cancel.
Create a gross building area plan
9 On the Area Analysis tab of the Design Bar, click Area Plan.
10 In the New Area Plan dialog box, do the following:
■ Select Gross Building for Type.
■ Select Level 1 for Area Plan views.
■ Verify that Do not duplicate existing views is selected.
NOTE If you clear Do not duplicate existing views, you can create a copy of the area plan with subsequent
changes to the original area plan duplicated in the copied plan.
■ Click OK.
11 When the informational dialog box displays, click Yes to create the boundary lines automatically.
When you select Yes in this dialog box, area boundary lines are automatically placed on the exterior walls of
the building model, forming a closed loop. If you select No, you must manually add these boundary lines.
12 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), notice there is a new view type called Area Plans (Gross Building).
Expand Area Plans (Gross Building), and notice that the Level 1 area plan is the active view.
13 On the Area Analysis tab of the Design Bar, click Area Tag.
14 Click in the middle of the room on the lower left corner of the building model to place the tag.
Using Area Analysis Tools | 727

NOTE An area tag measures area based on the area plan boundary lines. A room tag measures the area enclosed
within the exterior face of room-defining walls.
Next, you create a new area plan for rentable space. You add and use area boundary lines to define the office
areas, common areas, and store area.
Create a rentable area scheme and plan
15 On the Area Analysis tab of the Design Bar, click Area Plan.
16 In the New Area Plan dialog box, do the following:
■ Select Rentable for Type.
■ Select Level 1 for Area Plan views.
■ Verify that Do not duplicate existing views is selected.
■ Click OK.
17 Click Yes to automatically define the area boundary lines.

Notice that the area boundary lines are on the inner face of the exterior walls.
NOTE The area lines follow some of the windows hosted by the exterior wall. Although the rule for these lines is to
follow the inside face of the wall, if the window glass is greater than 50% of the wall height, the area boundary lines
are placed on the face of the glass.
Notice that there is a new view type called Area Plans (Rentable). Expand Area Plans (Rentable), and notice
that the Level 1 area plan is the active view.
18 Zoom out until you can see the entire building model.
Add area boundary lines
19 On the Design Bar, click Area Boundary.

20 On the Options Bar, verify that Pick Lines and Apply Area Rules are selected.
When you add area boundary lines, you can either draw them or pick them. When you pick the walls, you
can select the option "Apply Area Rules" so that the area boundary lines adjust to the area type. If you do not
select this option, the area boundary lines do not update automatically.
21 Select all the interior walls by clicking them one at a time.
22 On the Design Bar, click Area Tag.

23 In the upper left corner of the building model, click inside the middle of the room to place the tag.

25 Select the area tag you added to the room in the upper left corner of the building model.

■ Enter Tenant 1 for Name.
■ Select Office area for Area Type.
■ Click OK.
28 On the Design Bar, click Area Tag.

29 Add the tag to the room on the lower left corner of the building model.
30 On the Design Bar, click Modify and select the tag.

■ Enter Tenant 2 for Name.
■ Select Office area for Area Type.
■ Click OK.
33 Using the techniques learned in previous steps, add a tag in the common area to the right of the double doors
hosted by the west exterior wall.
In the Element Properties dialog box, do the following:
■ Enter Circulation for Name.
■ Select Building Common Area for Area Type.
■ Click OK.

34 Add an area tag to the building model core, enter Core for Name, and select Major Vertical Penetration for
Area Type.
35 Add the last two area tags to the two areas on the right side of the building model. Name the areas Tenant 3
and Tenant 4, and select Store Area for Area Type. Tenant 3 should be in the upper right, and Tenant 4 in the
lower right.
Notice that within the two store areas, the area boundary lines have adjusted to the new area type.

37 Navigate to your preferred directory, name the project Area-in progress.rvt, and click Save.
NOTE This project is required in its current state if you intend to continue with the next exercise.
In this exercise, you used the two predefined area schemes to create respective area plans to define gross area and
a rentable area. You added and modified the area boundaries and applied area tags to define spaces.
In the next exercise, you create a color fill area plan and an area schedule.
Creating Area Schedules and Color Fill Area Plans

In this exercise, you create a color fill area plan and an area schedule.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise.
Create a color fill plan

1 On the Area Analysis tab of the Design Bar, click Color Fill.
2 Move the cursor under the left corner of the building model, and when the color legend displays, click to place
it.

3 When the dialog box displays, click OK to make the required visibility setting changes.
Create an area schedule

5 In the New Schedule dialog box, under Category, select Areas (Rentable), and click OK.
6 In the Schedules Properties dialog box, click the Fields tab.
7 Under Available fields, select Area Type and click Add.
8 Add the fields Area and Name.

9 Click OK.
The fields you selected in the Schedule Properties dialog box are displayed as column headings within the
schedule.

Massing
22
You can use massing tools during the initial design process to convey a potential design concept without the
level of detail usually found in a project. You can create and modify the geometric shapes that aggregate to
form the building model shell. At any time, you can pick massing faces and make building model elements
such as walls, floors, curtain systems, and roofs. After you make building elements, you can specify the view
to display massing elements, building elements, or both. Massing elements and building elements are not
linked automatically. If you modify a massing face, you then need to update the building face.
In this tutorial, you create a new building model using the various massing tools to add and cut mass. After
you create the basic geometric shape of the building model, you convert to the basic shell elements of the
building model. You then modify the building model in both the massing view and the shell view to see how
changes propagate throughout the project.
735
Using Massing Tools
In this lesson, you create the basic geometric shape of the building model using various massing tools. You assign
the default wall, floor, and roof types so that when you convert the massing elements to shell elements in the final
exercise, the building model uses those element types to define the walls, roofs, and floors.
Adding Massing Elements to a Building Model

In this exercise, you create the basic geometric shape of a building model by adding solid and void extrusions,
sweeps, and cutting geometry.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Massing_Start.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
Adding a mass element

2 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Create Mass.
TIP If the Massing tab is not available on the Design Bar, right-click anywhere over the Design Bar, and click Massing.
3 Click OK in the Name dialog box to accept the default name Mass 1.
The Design Bar title changes to Mass.
5 On the Sketch Design Bar, click Lines, and click on the Options Bar.
6 Sketch the shape as shown using the exact values.
TIP You may want to dimension and constrain the lines to maintain the exact dimensions.
736 | Chapter 22 Massing

8 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Materials and Finishes, click the Value for Material, and then click
.
9 In the Materials dialog box, select Mass (Opaque) for Name, and click OK.
10 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, enter 25000 for Extrusion End, and click OK.
Create next extrusion form
13 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), double-click Level 1.

16 On the Options Bar, enter 1550 mm for the Offset.
This means the sketch line is placed 1550 mm from the position you pick with the cursor.
17 Place the cursor in the drawing area on an edge of the existing form so that the edge is highlighted.
Watch the Status Bar in the lower-left corner of the screen to be sure you are highlighting the Form : Extrusion
: Reference.
18 Click the edges of the form to create sketch lines as shown.
Be sure to click to the inside of the extrusion.

.
21 In the Materials dialog box, select Mass (Transparent) for Name, and click OK.
22 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, enter 25000 for Extrusion Start and 27500 for Extrusion
End, and click OK.
Using Massing Tools | 737

24 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), double-click {3D} to see the results.
The second form is on top of the first form.
Continue creation of next massing form
25 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Elevations (Building Elevation), double-click West.
26 On the Design Bar, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Blend.
27 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Pick a plane, and click OK.
28 In the drawing area, highlight the larger form.
TIP If necessary, press TAB to highlight the entire face.
29 Click to select the face.
Sketch the blend base
31 Select the top of the larger extrusion as shown.

Next, you draw a sketch line that acts as a construction line to create an arc.
33 Place the cursor at the midpoint of the sketch line as shown, and click to select the line start point.
The triangle indicates that the cursor is at the midpoint.
34 Sketch a line 6000 mm up as shown.
TIP If you do not see this option, click the arrow next to the drawing options, and click Arc passing through three
points from the menu.
36 Sketch the arc as shown with the top of the arc snapping to the top of the construction line.
37 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and delete the vertical construction line.
38 Select the arc and the horizontal line.

40 Click the cursor at the midpoint of the horizontal sketch line as shown.
41 Move the cursor straight up and click at the top horizontal line of the smaller extrusion as shown.
Sketching the blend top
42 On the Design Bar, click Edit Top.

43 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Elevations (Building Elevation), double-click East.
44 On the Design Bar, click Lines and, on the Options Bar, click .
45 Sketch the horizontal line as shown.

47 Create an arc as shown.
48 On the Design Bar, click Blend Properties.

49 In the Element Properties dialog box, verify that Mass (Opaque) is selected for Material and that -92000 is
specified for Second End, and click OK.

52 Proceed to the next exercise, Using Massing Tools to Cut Geometry from the Building Model.
In this exercise, you created two extrusions and a blend that form the basic geometric shape of the building model.
In the next exercise, you use the massing tools to cut geometry from the shapes you have created.
Using Massing Tools to Cut Geometry from the Building Model

In this exercise, you use a void extrusion to cut geometry from one of the massing shapes you added in the previous
exercise.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise and the resulting building model.
Dataset
■ Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, m_Massing_Start.rvt.
2 In the drawing area, select the mass.
Add reference planes
3 On the Mass tab of the Design bar, click Ref Plane.
4 On the Options bar, click and enter 15000 for Offset.

5 Place the cursor near the left edge of the massing element so that the edge is highlighted, and place the first
reference plane 15000 mm to the right.
6 Place another reference plane 15000 mm to the right of the first reference plane.
7 Using the same technique, place three more reference planes 15000 mm apart from left to right, as shown.

When sketching the void extrusions in the steps that follow, you specify the intersection of the reference
planes and the top and bottom edges of the massing element. These reference planes act primarily as sketching
aids.
Sketch extrusion voids
8 On the Design Bar, click Void Form ➤ Void Extrusion.
9 On the Design Bar, click Lines and, on the Options Bar, click and select Chain.
NOTE If the file is currently in shaded mode, click on the View Control Bar, and then click Hidden Line.
10 Enter SI for intersection snap, and sketch the first void extrusion as shown.
11 Sketch two additional void extrusions as shown. When sketching each extrusion, snap the corners to the
intersections.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Materials and Finishes, specify Mass (Transparent) for Material.
14 Under Constraints, enter 12000 for Extrusion End, and 0 for Extrusion Start.
15 Click OK.
18 On the Mass Design Bar, click Finish Mass.

20 Save the file as m_Massing_Complete.rvt.
In this exercise, you cut voids through an extrusion you added in the first exercise.

Using Mass Family Files in a Project
In this lesson, you open a predefined mass family file and create new types from it. You then load that mass family
file and others into a project. You place several instances of the mass families into the project. Finally, you use the
Join Geometry command to join several instances of the mass elements.
Creating New Mass Family Types

In this exercise, you create new family types from a mass family file.
Dataset
■ Navigate to the Metric\Metric Families and Templates\Families\Massing folder.
■ Open Box.rfa.
Creating three new family types

2 In the Family Types dialog box, click New.
3 In the Name dialog box, enter 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm for Name, and click OK.
4 In the Family Types dialog box, under Other, enter 15000 mm for Width, 12000 mm for Height, and 18000
mm for Depth, and click Apply.
5 Click New and enter 68000 mm x 9000 mm x 18000 mm for Name, and click OK.
6 Enter 68000 mm for Width, 18000 mm for Height, and 9000 mm for Depth, and click Apply.
7 Click New and enter 46000 mm x 6000 mm x 11000 mm for Name, and click OK.
8 Enter 46000 mm for Width, 11000 mm for Height, and 6000 mm for Depth, and click Apply.
9 Click OK.
11 Save the file as Box-Training.rfa.
In this exercise, you opened a mass family file and created three new types of this family file.
Using Mass Family Files in a Project | 743

Loading and Placing New Mass Families
In this exercise, you load and place the new family types that you created from the previous exercise. You also load
other existing mass families and place them.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Massing_In-place.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
1 If not already selected, click on the View toolbar to show the massing model.
2 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Floor Plans, double-click Site.
3 On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics Style ➤ Wireframe.
6 Navigate to the Metric\Metric Families and Templates\Families\Massing folder.
7 Open the Box-Training.rfa, Arc Dome.rfa, Semi Barrel Vault.rfa, and Triangle.rfa family files.
8 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Place Mass.
9 In the Type Selector, select Box-Training: 68000 mm x 9000 mm x 18000 mm.
10 Place the box mass family on the in-place mass family as shown.
TIP You may want to use the Move tool to accurately place the mass families.

12 Select the box, and click .

13 Specify Mass (Transparent) for the Material instance parameter, and click OK twice.
16 Place 3 of these box families on the larger box family as shown.
18 Press CTRL, select the 3 boxes, and click .

19 Specify Mass (Opaque) for the Material instance parameter, and click OK twice.
21 In the Type Selector, select Triangle: 15000 x 45000 x 10500.
23 Place the cursor in the drawing area, and click to place the mass.
24 On the Options Bar, enter 90 for Angle.
26 In the drawing area, select the triangle, and use the Move command on the Edit toolbar to place the triangle
as shown.

27 Select the triangle, and click .
28 Specify Mass (Transparent) for the Material instance parameter, and click OK twice.
31 Place the box mass family as shown.
32 Select the box and click .

33 Specify Mass (Opaque) for the Material instance parameter, and click OK twice.

Notice that the triangle and the box masses that you just placed all overlap. In the next exercise, you join these
mass elements.
In this exercise, you loaded and placed the new family types that you created in the previous exercise. You also
loaded other existing mass families and added them to the building model.

Joining Mass Elements
In this exercise, you join and modify the mass elements you placed from the previous exercise.
Dataset
■ Continue using the m_Massing_In-place.rvt file.
Join geometry
NOTE When you join geometry, the first mass element selected cuts volume from any subsequently selected mass
element.
3 Select the middle Box-Training: 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm mass element as shown.
4 Select the triangle, and then press ESC to see the result.

Modify existing massing elements
6 Select the right edge of the Box-Training: 46000 mm x 6000 mm x 11000 mm and drag it to the left edge of
the middle Box-Training: 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm as shown.
Mirror the modified mass element
7 With the smaller box still selected, click on the Edit toolbar.
8 On the Options Bar, click for Axis.

9 Position the cursor over the upper edge of the middle box, enter SM, and snap to the midpoint of the edge.
10 Click to select the mirror axis start point.
11 Drag the cursor down to create a vertical axis of reflection as shown.
TIP Pressing SHIFT while dragging the cursor locks the axis orthogonally.

12 Click to mirror the existing massing element.
Join geometry

15 Select one instance of the modified Box-Training: 46000 mm x 6000 mm x 11000 mm first, and then select
the triangle.
16 Repeat for the other instance of the modified mass element and the triangle.
17 Press ESC to see the result.
In this exercise, you joined mass elements together. The first selected mass element cut geometry from the
subsequently selected mass element. You also modified and mirrored a mass element before joining its geometry
with that of another element.

Using Mass Elements with Design Options
In this lesson, you continue using the same file from the previous lesson. You add mass elements to design options
to experiment with different versions of the design. You then make one of the design options the primary one for
the model.
Mass Elements in Design Options

In this exercise, you place the mass elements from the previous exercise into Design Options. You then switch
between different design options to get different versions of the design.
Dataset
■ Continue using the file m_Massing_In-place.rvt.
1 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the triangle mass element.
2 On the Window menu, click Toolbar ➤ Design Options.
3 On the Design Options toolbar, click .

4 In the Add to Design Option Set dialog box, select Sloped (primary), clear Curved, and then click OK.
Placing semi barrel vaults

7 In the Type Selector, select Semi Barrel Vault: 10000 x 15000 x 7500.
9 Place the cursor in the drawing area and click to place the mass.
10 On the Options Bar, enter 90 degrees for Angle.
11 Place a semi barrel vault where shown.
TIP You may want to use the Move tool to place the mass precisely.
12 Place another semi barrel vault as shown.

14 In the drawing area, select the 2 semi barrel vaults, and click .
15 Specify Mass (Transparent) for the Material property, and click OK twice.
16 On the View Control Bar, click , and click Wireframe.

Placing arc dome mass elements

18 In the Type Selector, select Arc Dome: 6000R x 2750H.
19 Place 3 arc domes as shown.
TIP Use the snap control lines to assist in placing the domes.
21 In the drawing area, select the three arc domes, and click .
22 Specify Mass (Transparent) for the Material property, and click OK twice.
23 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Elevations, double-click North.

25 Move the three arc domes to the position shown.
Using Mass Elements with Design Options | 751

Create a Design Option set
26 Select the three arc domes and the two semi barrel vaults.

28 In the Add to Design Option Set dialog box, select Curved, clear Sloped, and click OK.
29 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), double-click {3D}.

31 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Design Options tab.
32 Click the value for Design Option, select Curved from the Design Option menu, and click OK.
You can now see the shapes that are part of the curved design option. Because it is likely that your client prefers
the design option with curved shapes, you can make it the primary option.

34 In the Design Options dialog box, select Curved and, under Option, click Make Primary.
35 Click Close and close the warning that displays.
36 On the File menu, click Save As and save the file as m_Massing_Design_Options.rvt.
In this exercise, you placed mass elements into Design Options. You then switched between different design options
to get different versions of the design.
Creating Building Components from Mass Elements

In this lesson, you use building component creation tools to make building components from mass faces.

Creating Walls by Picking Faces
In this exercise, you pick massing faces to create walls.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Massing_Building_Components.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
2 On the View toolbar, click to show the massing model.

3 On the View menu, click Orient ➤ Southeast.
Creating walls
4 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Wall by Face.

5 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall: Exterior - Brick on CMU.
6 On the Options Bar, click , and select Wall Centerline for Loc Line.
7 Place the cursor in the drawing area and select the face of the in-place mass family as shown.
The southeast wall of the mass model is now Brick on CMU.
Creating Building Components from Mass Elements | 753

9 On the Design Bar, click Wall by Face.
10 Select all the faces shown in red.
NOTE If a Warning dialog box is displayed, alerting you that the highlighted walls overlap, ignore the warning and
continue selecting wall faces.
13 Select the face indicated by the arrow as shown.
15 On the Design Bar, Click Wall by Face.
16 In the Type Selector, select Curtain Wall : Storefront.
17 Select the 3 faces shown in red.

You can ignore the warnings about walls overlapping. If desired, you can select the overlapping curtain wall,
and click Edit Profile on the Options Bar. You can then edit the profile to clean up the overlapping geometry.

23 Open the 3D view to see the results.
In this exercise, you picked several massing faces and created both basic walls and curtain walls.
Creating Floors by Picking Faces

In this exercise, you pick massing faces to create floors.

Dataset
■ Continue using the file m_Massing_Building_Components.rvt.

3 On the Model Categories tab, clear Curtain Panels, Curtain Systems, and Walls.
4 Click OK.
Creating floors
5 Select the in-place mass family Mass 1.

6 On the Options Bar, click Floor Area Faces.
7 In the Floor Area Faces dialog box, select all levels, and click OK.

9 Press CTRL, and select the three 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm box mass elements and the mirrored
46000 mm x 6000 mm x 11000 mm box masses as shown.

11 In the Floor Area Faces dialog box, select Levels 1-4, and click OK.
12 On the Options Bar, clear Exclude Options.

13 Press CTRL, and select the semi vault barrel mass elements and the 68000 mm x 9000 mm x 18000 mm box
mass element as shown.

15 In the Floor Area Faces dialog box, select Level 1, and click OK.
17 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Floor by Face.
18 On the Options Bar, verify that Select Multiple is selected.
19 Drag a pick box over the entire model to select all the floor area faces.
20 On the Options Bar, click Create Floors.
22 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click Mass Schedule.

This shows you the gross floor area of each mass.

In this exercise, you created floors by first creating floor area faces and then picking those faces to create floors.
You then viewed a massing schedule that listed the gross floor area of each mass in the model.
Creating Roofs by Picking Faces

In this exercise, you pick massing faces to create roofs.
Dataset

Creating roofs
2 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Roof by Face.

3 Select the top face of the left 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm box mass element as shown.

4 In the Type Selector, select Basic Roof : Generic - 400mm.
5 On the Options Bar, click Create Roof.
6 Create the same roof on the remaining 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm box mass elements, and also on
the top faces of the 46000 mm x 6000 mm x 11000 mm box mass elements.
NOTE Each time you select a face on an instance of the 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm box mass element
family, click Create Roof. This creates the roof and lets you pick another face to create a new roof.
Your model should now look as shown.
7 With the Roof by Face command still selected, select Sloped Glazing in the Type Selector.
8 Select the left semi barrel vault mass element.
9 On the Options Bar, click Create Roof.
10 Repeat these steps to create a sloped glazing roof on the other semi barrel vault mass element.
12 Click the Model Categories tab, select Curtain Panels, Curtain Systems, and Walls, and then click OK.

In this exercise, you created roofs by picking faces of massing families.
Creating Curtain Systems

In this exercise, you create curtain systems by picking non-planar massing faces.
Dataset

2 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Curtain System by Face.
3 In the Type Selector, select Curtain System: 1500 x 1500mm.
4 On the Options Bar, be sure that Select Multiple is selected.
5 Press CTRL, and select both halves of the left arc dome mass element as shown.

6 On the Options Bar, click Create System.
7 Repeat the same steps for the two other domes.

8 With the Curtain System by Face command still selected, select the blended form on the in-place mass.
9 On the Options Bar, click Create System.
10 Click Modify to exit the command.

In this exercise, you created curtain systems on non-planar faces.
Editing Elements Created from Massings

In this exercise, you create curtain systems by picking non-planar massing faces.

Dataset
3 On the Model Categories tab, clear Curtain Panels, Curtain Systems, Floors, Roofs, and Walls, and then click
OK.
Next, you resize one of the 15000 mm x 18000 mm x 12000 mm box mass elements.
4 Select the box mass family as shown and click .

7 Enter Larger Size for Name, and click OK.
9 In the Element Properties dialog box, enter 30000 for Width, and click OK.

11 On the Options Bar, clear Exclude Options.
12 Drag a selection box over the box family and the dome family.
13 Use the Move tool to position the box and dome families as shown.
14 Open the 3D view to see the result.

The curtain system is no longer aligned with the dome family. In the next steps, you remake several of the
building elements to fit to the new size of the massing family.
16 Zoom in to the upper right-hand portion of the model and select the three walls shown.
TIP To select the curtain wall, press TAB several times until the Status Bar indicates you are highlighting the Walls :
Curtain Wall : Storefront. Also, remember that there are two curtain walls of this type that are overlapping here; you
want to select the smaller one.
17 On the Options Bar, click Remake.

18 In the Exclude Hosts dialog box, click OK.

TIP If you temporarily hide one of the resized walls, you will notice that Revit Building resized the floors.
20 Select the roof as shown.
21 On the Options Bar, click Remake.

22 Select the arc dome curtain system, and click Remake.
In this exercise, you changed the size of an existing mass family. You then modified building elements to resize
with the new mass family.
Controlling Mass/Shell Visibility

In this exercise, you switch the visibility of the view between the massing elements and the model (shell) elements.
Dataset
1 Open the 3D view.

Turn off massing
2 Click on the View toolbar to turn off massing.

The 3D view now shows only the building shell.

Now you create a 3D view that shows only the massing.
3 In the Project Browser, right-click on the 3D view, and click Duplicate.
4 Rename the view 3D - Massing only.
6 On the Model Categories tab, click All to select all categories.
7 Clear one of the check boxes.
8 Click None to clear the selection.
9 Select Mass, and click OK.
In this exercise, you switched the visibility of the 3D view to show either the building shell or the mass model.
This concludes the massing tutorial. If desired, you can continue adding additional Revit modeling components,
such as columns and an extruded roof, to the building shell. You might create the model shown.

Site
23
In this tutorial, you use the site tools in Autodesk Revit Building to add and modify site components within
a project.
771
Using Site Tools
In this lesson, you use site tools to add and modify site components within a project. You start by importing the
site contour data and converting it to 3D contour data. You add property lines manually, convert the data to a
table, and then modify the data. You add subregions to the area to define parking areas, islands, and walkways.
After grading the topography to create a slightly elevated and flat surface, you add a building pad to the site. In
the final exercises, you add parking and planting components and create a parking space schedule.
The exercises are sequential and must be done in order.
Creating a Toposurface
In this exercise, you create a toposurface using two different methods. Using the first method, you create a toposurface
by manually placing elevation points in the site plan. In the second part of this exercise, you import contour data
from a DWG file and use it to create the project toposurface.
Dataset
■ Open the m_First_Project.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
This project file was created using the default metric template.
Create a toposurface by adding elevation points

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Site.
The scale of this view is 1 : 100.
2 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Toposurface.
TIP If the Site tab is not displayed, right-click in the Design Bar, and click Site.
3 On the Design Bar, click Point.

4 On the Options Bar, enter an absolute elevation of 3000 mm.
5 Click in the drawing area to specify a point.
772 | Chapter 23 Site

6 Add two additional points to create a triangle. Use the following illustration as a reference.
Triangulation boundaries display only after you add the third elevation point. A toposurface must have at least
three elevation points.
7 Add additional points to create a contour circle similar to the following illustration. The circle should be
approximately 55000 mm wide.
8 On the Options Bar, enter an absolute elevation of 6000 mm.

9 Add a concentric circle of 6000 mm elevation points inside the 3000 mm contour.
TIP Do not be concerned with the exact quantity or placement of the points.
Using Site Tools | 773

10 Repeat the previous step for 9000 mm, 12000 mm, 15000 mm, and 18000 mm absolute elevations. Try to add
each circle concentrically inside the previously created circle. Use the following illustration as a reference.
11 On the Design Bar, click Finish Surface.

12 On the Settings menu, click Site Settings.
13 In the Site Settings dialog box, under Additional Contours, under Increment, enter 1500 mm, and click OK.
This setting reduces the quantity of contour lines in the view.


16 On the View toolbar, click and spin the toposurface to view it at various angles.
Use imported contour data to create a toposurface
17 Select the toposurface and, on the Standard toolbar, click to delete it.
18 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Elevations (Building Elevation), and double-click South.
Before importing the contour data, modify the level names and elevations.
20 Zoom in around the Level 2 head, click the elevation value, enter 1000 mm, and press ENTER.
21 Click the Level 2 text, rename the level Basement, and press ENTER.
22 When you are asked if you want to rename corresponding views, click Yes.
23 Click the Level 1 text, rename the level Base Site Elevation, and press ENTER.
Click Yes when prompted to rename corresponding views.
25 On the File menu, click Import/Link ➤ DWG, DXF, DGN, SAT.
26 In the Import/Link dialog box:
■ In the left pane, click the Training Files icon.
■ Select the c_Import_Site file located in the Common folder.
■ Under Layer/Level Colors, select Preserve colors.
■ Under Import or Link, select Current view only and choose Select for Layers.
■ Click Open.
You are immediately prompted to select the layers you want to import.
27 In the Select Layers/Levels to Import/Link dialog box, clear layer 0 and layer C_bench_mark, and click OK.
28 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and zoom out until you can see the entire topography within the view.
29 Select the imported topography.
Until it is exploded, it is considered an import symbol.

30 On the Edit menu, click Pin Position.
This ensures the import symbol is not accidently moved.

Notice the elevation symbols are displayed.

33 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Annotations Categories tab.
34 Under Visibility, clear Elevations, and then click OK.
35 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Toposurface.
36 On the Design Bar, click Use Imported ➤ Import Instance.
37 Place the cursor over the imported symbol and, when the edges highlight, select it.
When you select the import symbol, you are prompted to select the layer that will generate the elevation
points.
38 In the Add Points from Selected Layers dialog box, clear C_INDX, and click OK.
The import symbol is converted to elevation points and contours.


41 Enter ZF to zoom to the extents of the image.
42 On the View toolbar, click and spin the toposurface to view it at various angles. Notice the change in this
toposurface elevation is minor.

44 Navigate to your preferred folder, name the project Site-in progress.rvt, and click Save.
NOTE If you intend to complete the next exercise, this project file is required in its current state.
45 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Property Lines.
Adding Property Lines

In this exercise, you add property lines using two methods. Using the first method, you sketch the property lines
and then convert the sketch into survey data. Using the second method, you create property lines by entering
survey data into a table of distances and bearings.

This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise and the project file in its current state. If you have
not completed the previous exercise, do so before continuing.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, Site-in progress.rvt.
Sketch property lines

2 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Property Line.
3 In the Property Line Creation dialog box, select Create property lines by sketching, and click OK.
5 Using the sketching tools available on the Options Bar, sketch the shape shown in the following illustration.
Although you can use your preferred sketching method, you can quickly create the shape by doing the following:
■ Sketch the rectangle first.
■ Click Modify.
■ Select and delete the right vertical line.
■ On the Design Bar, click Lines.
■ Using the 3-point Arc tool, add an arc line on the right.
NOTE The weight of the sketch lines has been increased in the illustration for training purposes.

The property lines are displayed with a dash-dot line type on the topography.

7 Move the cursor over the property lines and, when they highlight, select the lines.
8 On the Options Bar, select Edit Table.
A warning dialog box is displayed, informing you that converting a property line sketch to a table cannot be
undone.
9 In the warning dialog box, click OK.
10 In the Property Lines dialog box, click OK.
NOTE The values displayed in the Property Lines dialog box depend on the exact dimensions and location of your
sketch.
Create property lines using a table of distances and bearings
11 Select the property lines and, on the Standard toolbar, click to delete them.
12 On the Design Bar, click Property Line.
13 In the Property Line Creation dialog box, select Create property lines by table of distances and bearings, and
click OK.
14 In the Property Lines dialog box, click Insert three times until there are four rows of deed data.
15 Starting in Row #1, enter the following deed data for rows 1 through 4:
■ 100000 S 0°0'0" E
■ 80000 N 90°0'0" W
■ 100000 N 0°0'0" E
■ 80000 N 90°0'0" E

Notice that after you complete the last line, the distance that displayed under From last to first point now
displays Closed. This means there is no gap in the property lines. If the gap is not closed, review your data
entry and make necessary corrections.
16 Click OK.
The property lines are displayed at the tip of the cursor.
17 Move the cursor over the topographic surface and using the following illustration as a reference, click to place
the property lines.
Tag property lines

19 In the Tags dialog box, scroll down the list of categories until you find Property Lines and notice there are no
tags loaded for Property Line Segments.
20 Click Load.
21 In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click Training Files, open the Metric\Metric Families and
Templates\Families\Annotations folder, and open the folder.
22 Select M_Property Line Tag.rfa and click Open.
23 In the Tags dialog box, notice a tag is now loaded for property line segments, and click OK.
Before adding property line segment tags, the visibility of the imported symbol needs to be turned off. Even
though you converted the symbol to elevations points and contours, the original DWG file remains visible in
the view.
25 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Imported Categories tab.
26 Under Visibility, clear the checkbox for c_Import_Site.dwg and click OK.
NOTE If the Drafting tab of the Design Bar is not visible, right-click in the Design Bar, and click Drafting.

29 Zoom in and place the cursor over the center of the north property line. When the tag displays at the tip of
the cursor, click to place it.
30 Tag the three remaining property lines.

The tags display more prominently in this view.

33 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Contour Visibility and Site Settings.
In this exercise, you created two sets of property lines. The first set you sketched and then converted into deed
data. You created the second set of property lines directly from deed data and located it on the topography. In the
final step, you loaded and tagged the property line segments.
In the next exercise, you modify site settings and contour line visibility.
Modifying Contour Visibility and Site Settings

In this exercise, you create a new object style subcategory to mark a specific elevation. You also modify the site
settings so that the new subcategory is displayed at the specific elevation.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, Site-in progress.rvt.
Create an object style subcategory for specific elevation

1 On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics Style, and click Wireframe.
3 On the Model Objects tab of the Object Styles dialog box, scroll down the list of categories and expand
Topography.
4 Under Modify Subcategories, click New.
5 In the New Subcategory dialog box, enter the name Working Contour, verify that it is a subcategory of
Topography, and click OK.
In the Object Styles dialog box, the new object style subcategory is displayed under Topography.

6 In the Object Styles dialog box, specify the following settings for the Working Contour subcategory:
■ Verify that the Line Weights are 1.
■ Under Line Pattern, select Dash dot.
■ Under Line Color, select a shade of Brown.
7 Click OK.
Modify site settings
8 On the Settings menu, click Site Settings.

9 In the Site Settings dialog box, under Contour Line Display, specify an interval of 1000 mm passing through
elevation 0.0 mm.
10 Under Additional Contours, specify the following values:
■ Under Start, enter 1000.
■ Under Range Type, select Single Value.
■ Under Subcategory, select Working Contour.
11 Click OK.
The object style subcategory, Working Contour, displays on the topography only at the elevation you specified.
12 On the File menu, click Close. Click Yes when prompted to save changes.
The next exercise requires a new dataset.
13 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Topographic Subregions.
In this exercise, you created a new object style subcategory for topography. You then modified the site setting to
distinguish a specific contour interval using this subcategory.

In the next exercise, you create topographic subregions to define roads, parking areas, and islands.
Creating Topographic Subregions

In this exercise, you create subregions in order to define roads, parking areas, and islands. Creating a subregion
does not result in separate surfaces; it merely defines an area of the surface where you can apply a different set of
properties, such as material.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Site.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
Sketch initial parking area

1 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Subregion.
3 Using the sketching tools on the Options Bar, sketch the shape highlighted in the illustration below. Although
the exact dimensions are not important, try to replicate the location and proportion.
TIP You can either sketch the shape freehand or draw two perpendicular rectangles, use the trim tool to create just
one closed loop, and use the fillet arc sketching tool to add the curved corner. The horizontal rectangle is approximately
7500 mm wide; the vertical rectangle is approximately 19500 mm wide.
NOTE In the Metric dataset, you may see fewer contour lines than in the images shown in this exercise.

Notice that the left edge of the subregion overhangs the site topography. When you finish the sketch in a later
step, the subregion will end at the edge of the defined topography.
Specify subregion properties for parking area

the down arrow to open the Material dialog box.
6 In the Materials dialog box, select Site - Tarmacadam for Name, and click OK.
7 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, enter Parking for Name, and click OK.
Notice that the new subregion uses the material Site - Tarmacadam. Although you can select each toposurface
region separately and apply different properties to each, the toposurface and its contour data remain one
element.
You can create a toposurface schedule to report information regarding each toposurface region.
Open the topography schedule
10 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities, and double-click Topography Schedule.

NOTE Your values may differ depending on your sketch.
This topography schedule uses a filter to omit unnamed topographic regions. As you create new subregions,
they display within this schedule.
Modify the subregion

13 Select the subregion you created in the previous steps.
14 On the Options Bar, click Edit Boundary.
15 Add new lines and modify the existing lines to create a boundary similar to the one shown in the following
illustration. The two additional parking areas in the top portion of the sketch must be at least 5500 mm deep
to accommodate parking spaces.
TIP Add the two upper parking areas as rectangles. Delete overlapping lines, and use the split and trim tools to clean
up the sketch. Mirror the arc line to create an exact duplicate.

18 In the Project Browser, under Schedules/Quantities, double-click Topography Schedule.
Notice that the project area has increased.
Add additional subregions

In this training project, additional subregions are required to create a more attractive parking area. Within
each subregion, you apply different materials such as grass and concrete.
20 On the Design Bar, click Subregion.
22 In the upper-right parking area, use the sketching tools available on the Options Bar to sketch the parking
island shown in the following illustration. Precise dimensions are not important at this time.

the down arrow to open the Material dialog box.
25 In the Materials dialog box, select Site - Grass for Name, and click OK.
26 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, enter Island - Grass for Name, and click OK.

Notice that the schedule has been updated with the new information.

Using the techniques learned in previous steps, add the three additional subregions shown in the following
illustration. You must sketch each region separately. Name each region Island - Grass, and apply the material
Site - Grass.

Notice that the schedule has been updated.
Add the concrete walkway

32 On the Design Bar, click Subregion.
34 Use the sketching tools available on the Options Bar to sketch the new concrete walkway shown in the following
illustration. Name the subregion Walkway, and apply the material Concrete - Cast-in-Situ Concrete - walkway.
WARNING Subregions cannot intersect, so you need to offset coincident lines between the subregions by 100 mm.

NOTE Although several toposurface subregions now exist within this project, there is still only one toposurface. If
you want to modify the elevation points of a particular subregion, you must either edit the entire toposurface or split
the toposurface.

Notice that the schedule has been updated.

38 Navigate to your preferred folder, name the project Site tutorial-in progress.rvt, and click Save.
39 Proceed to the next exercise, Grading the Toposurface.
Grading the Toposurface

In this exercise, you grade the toposurface to create a slightly elevated and flat parking area. When you use the
grading tool, the existing topography is demolished and a new toposurface is created where you can edit the
elevation points.
Dataset
Continue to use the dataset you used in the previous exercise, Site tutorial-in progress.rvt.

Modify toposurface phase assignment
2 Select the toposurface.

4 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, select Existing for Phase Created, and click OK.
A warning dialog box is displayed, stating that subregions must have the same Phase Created parameter and
the same Phase Demolished parameter as the host toposurface. Click OK to set the subregion phase to match
the toposurface.
Notice that the toposurface displays differently. The display settings are controlled by the phase filter.
RELATED For more information regarding phasing, see the tutorial, Using Phasing.
6 On the Design Bar, click Graded Region.

7 In the Graded Region dialog box, select Copy Internal Points, and click Select and Edit.
Copying internal points lets you delete only the points in the parking area without altering the remaining
elevation points.
8 Select the topographic surface.

Delete elevation points
9 Draw a pick box outside the main parking area as in the following illustration. Make sure the pick box allows
a significant buffer around the area. The intent is to select all the elevation points inside and around the parking
area.
10 Press DELETE.
Notice the toposurface displays with different colors representing the different phases: existing, demolished,
and new.

12 Draw another pick box around the driveway and remaining parking area as in the following illustration.
13 Press DELETE.
Add new elevation points
14 On the Design Bar, click Point.

15 On the Options Bar, specify an Absolute Elevation of 5500 mm.
16 Add elevation points outside the perimeter of the entire parking area and walkway as in the following illustration.
Place the points until there are no contour lines crossing the parking area or walkway.

The parking and walkway areas are now elevated and flat.

20 On the View toolbar, click , and spin the toposurface to view it at various angles.
The phase filter for this view allows both the new and demolished surfaces to display. This accounts for the
red surface that you see in this view.
Delete the demolished toposurface from the project

22 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, specify Existing for Phase, and click OK.
Only the components created in or assigned to the Existing phase display in this view. Therefore, only the
original toposurface displays, because you assigned it to the Existing phase before grading. Because this
toposurface is no longer required for this project, you can delete it.
23 Select the toposurface, and delete it.
25 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, specify New Construction for Phase, and click OK.
Only the graded topography displays.
27 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding a Building Pad.
Adding a Building Pad

In this exercise, you create a building pad. A building pad is a toposurface hosted element and cannot be added to
any other element, nor can you add it without first adding a topographic surface. When you add a building pad,
it automatically cuts a hole in the toposurface and places it at the depth you specify.
Dataset
Add a building pad to the project

2 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Pad.
NOTE By default, the Pick Walls command is active. If you have an existing building model, you can pick the exterior
walls to define the building pad.

4 Using the sketching tools available on the Options Bar, sketch an approximate replica of the outline shown
in the following illustration. The building pad should border the concrete walkway on the right and the upper
parking area.

8 On the View toolbar, click , and spin the toposurface to view it at various angles. Notice the new building
pad.

10 Proceed to the next exercise, Adding Site Components.
Adding Site Components

In this exercise, you add parking and planting components to the site surface.
Dataset
Add parking components

2 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Parking Component.
3 In the Type Selector, select M_Parking Space: 4800 x 2400mm - 90 deg.
4 Zoom in on the upper parking area that borders the building pad and add a parking component to the area.
5 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the parking space.
6 Use the flip arrows so it displays as shown below and move it toward the lower left corner of the parking area.
NOTE Make sure you place the parking space a slight distance above the building pad.

7 Add 6 additional parking spaces to the right of the first space. Verify that the spaces are horizontally aligned
and the left edge of each space is aligned with the right edge of the previous space.
TIP You could also use the Array tool to accomplish this task.
9 On the View toolbar, click , and spin the toposurface to view it at various angles. Notice the new parking
spaces.
Add planting components to the site

11 On the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Site Component.
12 In the Type Selector, choose any tree type, and add a tree to each of the two round parking islands as shown
below.

13 Add some more trees outside the parking area as shown below.
15 On the View toolbar, click , and spin the toposurface to view it at various angles. Notice how the trees
vertically attach to the toposurface.

NOTE Plants are displayed as simple geometry unless rendered. In the following illustration, the landscape shown
in the previous illustration has been rendered.
17 Proceed to the next exercise, Tagging Site and Parking Components.
Tagging Site and Parking Components

In this exercise, you tag the planting and parking components that you added previously.
Dataset
Tag site components

3 In the Tag All Not Tagged dialog box, select the line for the category Parking Tags that uses the loaded tag
M_Parking Tag: Boxed, and click Apply.
4 Select the line for the category Planting Tags that uses the loaded tag M_Planting Tag: Boxed, click Apply, and
click OK.
5 On the View menu, click Hidden Line.
6 Zoom in to the upper parking area and around the trees.
Notice each is tagged with no instance mark. In the following exercise, you use a parking schedule to number
the parking spaces.

NOTE Site components can also be numbered by clicking the tag number and changing the value.
8 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating Parking Space Schedules.
Creating Parking Space Schedules

In the final exercise of this tutorial, you create a parking schedule. You can use a parking schedule to report the
quantity and area of each type of parking space.
Dataset
Create a parking schedule

2 In the New Schedule dialog box, select Parking for Category, and click OK.
4 Under Available fields, select Mark, and click Add.
5 Under Available fields, select Type, and click Add.
7 Under Fields, select Mark, and under Heading, enter Space.
8 Under Fields, select Type, and under Heading, enter Size, and click OK.
The parking schedule is displayed. If necessary, you can resize the column width by dragging the column edges.

9 On the Window menu, click Close Hidden Windows.
This closes all the views except the parking schedule.
This tiles the Site plan next to the parking schedule.
12 In the Site plan, zoom in around the upper parking lot where you previously added the parking spaces.
13 In the Parking Schedule, under Space, number the first three spaces consecutively.
Notice that the parking spaces in the Site plan update automatically. Also notice that when you place the
cursor in the parking schedule, the selected space highlights in the Site plan. This allows you to know which
space you are numbering.
14 In the Parking Schedule, under Space, finish numbering the remaining spaces.

Grouping
24
Using the grouping functionality in Autodesk Revit Building, you can create reusable entities that represent
layouts common to many building projects. By grouping objects, you not only simplify their placement, you
also simplify the modification process. For example, when you make changes to a single instance of a model
group, all instances in the building model are updated, and all new instances that you place contain the
modifications.
You can also nest groups within other groups. In this tutorial, you create a model group for a typical hotel
guest room, and then you create a group for a typical toilet room that is nested within the guest room group.
Modifications to the nested group are automatically included in the host group.
Saving a group to a library gives you the ability to share the group with other team members working on the
same project, or with those working on a different project. This functionality ensures consistency within and
across projects. It also gives all those with access to the library the ability to load any group from the library
into their project drawing. Because existing groups can be duplicated and then customized for another purpose,
creating a library of groups for your office can reduce the amount of work needed to create, place, and modify
repetitive units.
801
Creating Groups
In this lesson, you learn how to use model groups to collect related elements to simplify placement of repetitive
units. Examples of the types of units for which groups are intended include hotel rooms, classrooms, and typical
office layouts.
After you create a model group, you can place instances of the group in the building model using various methods.
You can also update all instances of a group in the building model by editing a single instance of the group and
saving the changes.
Creating a Group
In this exercise, you create a model group for a typical hotel room. You create the group by selecting drawing
objects and grouping them as a single entity.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Grouping.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
Specify a view
2 Enter ZR to zoom to a specific region.
3 Draw a rectangle around the populated room.
The view is zoomed in to the selected room. You zoom in so that you can select objects in the room accurately.
Create a group from drawing objects
4 Press and hold CTRL, and select the bed, chair, desk, and two nightstands.

6 In the Project Browser, expand Groups, and expand Model.
7 Right-click Group 1, and click Rename.
8 Enter Typical guest room, and press ENTER.
The objects are now grouped and can be placed in the drawing as a single entity.
10 Navigate to your preferred directory, name the file Grouping-in progress.rvt, and click Save.
11 Proceed to the next exercise, Placing a Group.
802 | Chapter 24 Grouping

Placing a Group
In this exercise, you use drag and drop functionality to place a new instance of a group in the floor plan. You also
mirror an existing instance of a group, using an adjacent wall as the axis of reflection.
Dataset
Continue using the dataset saved at the end of the previous exercise, Grouping-in progress.rvt.
Modify the origin of a group

1 In the drawing area, select the group.
2 Drag the group origin to the wall intersection directly below the entry door, as shown.
Drag a group into position
3 In the Project Browser, select Typical guest room and drag it to the room below the original instance of the
group.
4 Snap the origin to the wall intersection below the entry door.
A second instance of the group is added to the drawing.

5 On the Options Bar, click Finish.
Mirror a group
6 In the drawing area, select the original instance of the group.

8 Select the wall abutted by the desk and tub of the original instance as the axis of reflection.
Creating Groups | 803

You should now have three instances of the Typical guest room group in your model: two with the original
orientation and one mirrored, as shown.
10 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying a Group.
Modifying a Group
In this exercise, you make changes to a single instance of a group. When you finish the editing routine, all instances
of the same group in the drawing are updated.
Dataset
1 In the drawing area, select the mirrored instance of the Typical guest room group.
2 On the Options Bar, click Edit Group.

The elements in this instance of the group remain displayed in their object style. All other elements in the
model are grayed out.
3 Press and hold CTRL, and select the desk and chair.

5 Click near the left edge of the desk as the move start point.
6 Click the exterior wall as the move end point.
The edge of the desk is aligned with the exterior wall.

7 On the Design Bar, click Finish Group.
All instances of the Typical guest room are updated to reflect the change.
9 Proceed to the next lesson, Creating Nested Groups.
Creating Nested Groups

In this lesson, you create a group that you add to a previously created group. The new group is considered nested
within the host group, and is contained in every new instance of the host group that you place in the building
model.
When you make changes to a nested group, the host group is also updated. This ensures that the modifications
are propagated when each new instance of the host group is added to the building model and also when each
stand-alone instance of the nested group is added.
Creating Nested Groups | 805

Creating a Nested Group
In this exercise, you create a group for a toilet room that you add to the guest room group. The new group is then
nested within the original group, which acts as the host. When you nest the toilet room in the guest room, all
instances of the host group are updated to contain the nested group.
Dataset
Continue using the dataset saved at the end of the previous lesson, Grouping-in progress.rvt.
Create a group
1 In the original instance of the Typical guest room group, select all the elements that make up the toilet room
and closet. In the selection, make sure you also include both doors and their host walls, and the wall separating
the bathroom and closet.

3 In the Project Browser, expand Groups, expand Model, right-click Group 1, and click Rename.
4 Enter Typical toilet room, and press ENTER.
Change the origin of a group
5 Select the original instance of Typical guest room.

6 Drag the origin of the group to the intersection of the corridor wall and the guest room wall nearest the tub.

Create a nested group

8 On the Design Bar, click Add To Group.
The elements of the group are grayed out in every instance; everything else is available for selection.
9 On the Options Bar, verify that Multiple is clear.
10 In the drawing area, select the Typical toilet room group.
The Typical toilet room group is nested in the Typical guest room group, and all instances are updated to
include the nested group.
13 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying a Nested Group.
Modifying a Nested Group

In this exercise, you add a component to a single instance of the nested toilet room group. When you edit the
group to add the component, all instances of the nested group are updated in the building model. Because the
modified group is nested, the host group is also updated so that new instances of either group contain the new
component.
Dataset
Add a component to the model

2 In the Type Selector, select m_Pedestal_Sink-3D.
3 In the drawing area, place the cursor over one of the toilet rooms and press the spacebar three times to rotate
the sink to the orientation shown.
Creating Nested Groups | 807

4 Place the sink on the wall with the toilet in any instance of the Typical toilet room.

Edit a nested group
6 Move the cursor over the same instance of the toilet room group in which you placed the sink.
7 Press TAB, and select the nested toilet room group.
10 In the drawing area, select the sink.

All instances of the nested group are updated with the change.
13 Proceed to the next lesson, Working with Groups.
Working with Groups

In this lesson, you work with groups in order to use them in the most efficient manner within and across projects.
You create a group based on an existing group by using the Duplicate command. You then customize the new
group for use in the current building model. You also create a detail group in the level 2 floor plan that you add
to the building model in a different floor plan view.
In subsequent exercises, you add door tags to a group, and then save the tags as an attached detail group. You work
with the attached detail group in a different way than you had previously worked with host and nested groups,
because attached detail groups require more manual manipulation.
Lastly, having created a group that represents a typical layout, you save it to a library where it can be accessed by
other team members for use in other projects. When you load the group from the library into a new project, you
can then work with it in the context of the new project. You use functionality that allows you to not only fix
inconsistencies among instances of a group, but automatically create a new group as part of the process to fix the
group.
Duplicating a Group
In this exercise, you use the Duplicate command to create a group based on an existing group. You then place the
new group in the building model, and customize it so that it fits in the available space and has the correct group
nested within it. After you finish the modified group, you draw an axis of reflection at the midpoint of the building
model so that the group is mirrored from its location at the top of the building model to a location at the bottom.
Dataset
Use Project Browser to duplicate a group

1 In the Project Browser, under Groups, right-click Typical guest room, and click Duplicate.
A new group definition (Typical guest room 2) is displayed in the Project Browser.
2 Right-click Typical guest room 2, and click Rename.
3 Enter Corner guest room, and press ENTER.
Working with Groups | 809

Place a duplicated group
4 Drag Corner guest room from the Project Browser to the vacant room in the northwest corner of the building.
5 Click at the upper-right corner of the room, where the corridor wall and the exterior wall intersect, to specify
the group origin.
7 After a warning message displays, click OK.
Notice that the desk overlaps the exterior wall. This is because the corner room is smaller than the interior
rooms.
Edit a duplicated group
8 In the drawing area, select the Corner guest room group.

10 Press and hold CTRL, and select the desk and chair.

12 Move the desk and chair so that they are within the room.
13 On the Design Bar, click Remove From Group.
14 Select the toilet room.
16 Select the same toilet room group, and press DELETE.
Nest a group
17 In the Project Browser, select Corner toilet room, and drag it into the corner guest room.

Use the inside corner of the exterior wall and the corridor wall as the origin of the group.
18 On the Options Bar, click Finish to finish placing the group.
22 In the drawing area, select the Corner toilet room group.
TIP If a warning appears indicating that there are errors that cannot be ignored, click Unjoin Elements to resolve
the errors.
Mirror along a drawn axis of reflection
26 On the Options Bar, click for Axis.

27 Click the midpoint of the corridor wall as the start point of the axis of reflection as shown.
TIP To help find the midpoint of the wall, enter SM on your keyboard to limit snaps to midpoints.
28 Drag the cursor to the left, past the exterior wall, staying perpendicular to the corridor wall, and click to specify
the end point.
A new instance of the Corner guest room group is added to the southwest corner of the building model.
30 Proceed to the next exercise, Creating a Detail Group.

Creating a Detail Group
In this exercise, you sketch and annotate a rectangular filled region that represents an area of tiled flooring in front
of the elevators in the building model. You then save the region and the text note as a detail group. You can add
the detail group to other views of the building model.
Dataset
Draw a filled region

2 On the Options Bar, click to draw a rectangular region.

3 Click the lower-left endpoint below the elevators as the start point of the rectangle.
4 Move the cursor down and to the right, and select a point on the interior of the vertical wall.
A rectangular region with a diagonal cross hatch pattern is added in front of the elevator doors.
Add a text note
7 On the Options Bar, click to add an arc leader.

8 Click in the filled region to specify the leader start point.
9 Click below the filled region to end the leader and specify the text start point.
10 Enter Tile, and click Modify on the Design Bar.
The text note with arc leader is added to the building model.

Create a detail group
11 Press and hold CTRL, and select the note and the filled region.

13 In the Project Browser, expand Groups, and expand Detail.
15 Enter Elevator lobby tile, and press ENTER.
Modify a group origin
16 In the drawing area, select the instance of the Elevator lobby tile group.
17 Move the origin of the group to the corner of the elevator shaft, as shown.
Add a group instance to a different drawing view

19 Drag an instance of the Elevator lobby tile group from the Project Browser into the level 3 view.
21 Proceed to the next exercise, Using Attached Detail Groups.
Using Attached Detail Groups

In this exercise, you add door tags to the Typical toilet room group, and then use the door tags to create an attached
detail group. Because the detail group contains variables, it cannot be added to a group in the same manner that
a drawing component can be added; you must manually attach it to each instance of the Typical toilet room group.
Dataset
Place door tags

4 Place two door tags in the original instance of the Typical toilet room, as shown.

Create an attached detail group
6 In the drawing area, press and hold CTRL, and select the two door tags.

A warning dialog box is displayed, informing you that an attached detail group has been created for the Typical
toilet room group.
8 In the Project Browser, expand Groups, expand Attached Detail, and expand Typical toilet room.
10 Enter Door tags, and press ENTER.
Place a detail group in another group instance
11 Move the cursor over the Typical toilet room group, (this group is just below the original instance of the Typical
guest room group), press TAB, and select the nested Typical toilet room group.
12 On the Options Bar, click Place Detail.
13 In the Attached Detail Group Placement dialog box, select Door tags, and click OK.
The new instance of the attached detail group is added at the same relative position and orientation as in the
original instance of the model group.

NOTE Component instance numbering is sequential; therefore, the doors are numbered based upon the order in
which you placed each group.

15 Proceed to the next exercise, Saving and Loading Groups.
Saving and Loading Groups

In this exercise, you save a group to a library so that you can use the group in a new project. This enables you to
create a library of groups that can be shared with other team members and used on multiple projects. Using groups
from a library ensures consistency and increases productivity for projects that reuse similar typical layouts for
repetitive units.
Dataset
Save a group to a library

1 On the File menu, click Save to Library ➤ Save Group.
2 In the Save Group dialog box, select Typical toilet room for Group To Save.
NOTE Groups containing nested groups cannot be saved.
3 Click Save.
Load the group in a new project

■ In the New Project dialog box, under Template file, click Browse.
■ In the left pane of the Choose Template dialog box, click the Training Files icon.
■ Select the m_Tutorial_Default.rte file located in the Metric folder, and click Open.

6 On the File menu, click Load from Library ➤ Load Group.
7 In the Load Group dialog box, navigate to the directory where you saved the group, select Typical toilet room.rvg,
and click Open.
8 In the Duplicate Types dialog box, click OK.
Sketch walls
10 On the Options Bar, click to draw a square.

11 In the drawing area, click to specify the start point of the square, and then drag the cursor so that all the walls
in the square are 6000 mm long.
Place an instance of the loaded group
12 In the Project Browser, expand Groups, and expand Model.

13 Select Typical toilet room, drag it into the drawing area, and place it in the upper-right corner of the square,
as shown.

IMPORTANT Be sure to line up the outline of the group with the exterior surface of the walls. The toilet and the
tub are wall-hosted components whose hosts are not part of the group, so it is important to place the group accurately
in order to use the walls you sketched.
The Typical toilet room model group is added to the new project.
16 Enter Loaded_Group for File name, and click Save.
17 Proceed to the next exercise, Automatically Creating a Group.
Automatically Creating a Group

In this exercise, you mirror the instance of the Typical toilet room group you added to the new project in the
previous exercise. Because one of the wall-hosted components in the group does not have a wall in the mirrored
group, the software gives you the option of fixing the inconsistency by creating a new group. The new group is
created automatically and contains the same components as the existing group, except for the wall-hosted component
for which there is no wall.
Dataset
Continue using the dataset saved at the end of the previous exercise, Loaded_Group.
1 In the drawing area, select the instance of Typical toilet room.

3 Select the wall shared by the toilet and the sink as the axis of reflection.

Because there is no wall to host the tub in the mirrored instance, a warning dialog box is displayed.
4 In the warning dialog box, click Fix Groups.
5 In the Fix Inconsistent Groups dialog box, click Create new group types, and click OK.
The Typical toilet room model group is mirrored, and a new group (Typical toilet room 2) is created. The tub
component is not included in the new group because there is no wall to host it.

Structural
25
In this tutorial, you use the structural tools in Autodesk Revit Building to create a building model skeleton.
You begin by adding the structural walls, columns, and beams to Level 1. After completing level 1, you copy
the entire structure and use the paste-align command to add the structure to the three levels above it. In the
final lesson, you create framing elevations and add structural braces to the building model.
819
Adding Structural Walls
In this lesson, you add structural walls to a project file where only the grid lines have been added. You use an
imported DWG file as an underlay to trace the initial outline of the structural walls. You then sketch additional
walls to which you add dimensions and constraints.
Importing a DWG for Use as an Underlay

In this exercise, you import a DWG file into the Level 2 floor plan. The DWG file contains walls that you trace in
the next exercise to create the structural walls.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Structural.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
820 | Chapter 25 Structural

Import the DWG file
1 Before importing the DWG file, verify that the Level 2 floor plan is open.
If necessary, go to the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Level 2.
2 On the File menu, click Import/Link ➤ DWG, DXF, DGN, SAT.
3 In the left pane of the Import/Link dialog box, click the Training Files icon, and select m_wall-import.dwg from
the Metric folder.
4 In the Import/Link dialog box, under Import or Link, specify the following:
■ Select Link (instead of import).
■ Select Current view only.
■ Select All for Layers.
5 Under Layer/Level Colors, select Invert colors.

6 Under Positioning, select Automatically place, and select Origin to origin.
7 Click Open.
The DWG file is displayed on the Level 2 floor plan.

9 Navigate to a folder of your choice and save the project as Structural_tutorial.rvt. This project file is required for
all subsequent exercises in this tutorial.
In this exercise, you imported a DWG file. This file is used in the next exercise, Sketching Structural Walls, to trace
the initial set of structural walls.
Sketching Structural Walls

In this exercise, you use the linked DWG file to trace the initial set of structural walls. After you trace the walls,
you turn off the visibility of the DWG file, and add the remaining structural walls to the building model.
Adding Structural Walls | 821

Dataset
This exercise requires the project file, Structural_tutorial.rvt that you saved at the end of the previous exercise.
Display the Structural tab of the Design Bar

1 If the Structural tab already displays on the Design Bar, proceed to Step 2.
Right-click the Design Bar, and click Structural.
Sketch structural walls by tracing the DWG
2 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region.

3 Draw a zoom region around the upper set of lines.
4 On the Structural tab of the Design Bar, click Structural Wall.

Structural walls differ from non-structural walls in several ways. First, their Structural Usage parameter is
automatically set to Bearing. In addition, you can add a structural wall by specifying the depth of the wall,
rather than the height. This requires the bottom of the primary view range to be set to the level below in order
to see the walls as you sketch them.
5 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall: Generic - 200mm.

■ Select Depth.
■ Specify Level 1.
■ Click .
■ Select Chain.
In the steps that follow, you sketch a chain of walls over the path highlighted in the following illustration.
7 Begin the first wall by selecting the intersection of the upper left corner of the line chain.
8 Move the cursor over the top right intersection of the line, and click to specify the wall endpoint.
9 Move the cursor downward to the next line intersection, and click to specify the next wall endpoint.
10 Move the cursor to the right, and click the next line intersection.

11 Move the cursor to the top of the line chain until a reference plane displays indicating the cursor is on a parallel
plane with the slanted wall on the left, and click to complete the chain of walls.
12 On the Design Bar, click Modify to finish the sketch.
TIP If necessary, you can spin the model in a 3D view by clicking in the View toolbar. Use the tools to modify
the 3D view.
15 Zoom around the second chain of lines.

On the Options Bar, notice that the wall options you used previously are still selected.
17 Using the bulleted steps below, sketch a chain of walls over the path highlighted in the following illustration.
■ Begin the wall chain by clicking the lower left intersection where the end of the line chain adjoins grid
C.
■ Click each exterior line intersection in a clockwise direction.
■ When you reach the endpoint on the lower right corner of the chain, you may want to zoom in to ensure
you select the intersection of the imported lines and grid C.
18 On the Design Bar, click Modify to end the wall chain.

Turn off the DWG visibility

22 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Imported Categories tab.
23 Under Visibility, clear m_wall-import.dwg, and click OK.
Unselected categories are not visible in the referenced view.
Sketch additional structural walls

25 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall: Generic - 200mm.
■ Clear Chain.
■ Select Wall Centerline for Loc Line.
■ Click to create a three-point arc.
27 Follow the sequence of steps in the illustration below to add a 180 degree three point arc.
■ Select the endpoint of the left vertical wall. This is the left extent of the arc.
■ Select the right endpoint of the horizontal wall. This is the right extent of the arc.
■ Move the cursor upward and specify an arc radius of 180 degrees.

29 Add a horizontal wall beginning at the midpoint of the left vertical wall as shown.
30 Move the cursor to the right until it intersects with the slanted wall on the right.
31 Add a vertical wall between the two horizontal walls as shown.

33 Select the vertical wall you added in the previous step and make sure the temporary dimension between the
wall and the centerline of the left vertical wall is equal to 1500 mm.
If it is not, click the value, enter 1500, and press ENTER.

34 Select the lower horizontal wall, click the temporary dimension value between it and grid C, enter 1500, and
press ENTER.
35 Zoom around the upper set of walls as shown.
36 On the Design Bar, click Structural Wall and on the Options Bar, clear Chain.
In the steps that follow, you create the final structural walls for the project. Both walls are 1200 mm long.
Create the final structural walls
37 Begin the first wall on the endpoint shown in the illustration below.

38 Draw the 1200 mm wall parallel to the adjoining wall as shown.
39 Create an additional 1200 mm wall as shown.

Begin the wall at the top of the right vertical wall and draw it inward so that it is parallel with the wall you
sketched in the previous steps.

This project file is required, in its current state, to continue with the subsequent exercises in this tutorial.
In this exercise, you used the DWG file to trace the initial set of structural walls. After turning off the visibility of
the linked DWG, you added the remaining structural walls required for this building model.
In the next exercise, Dimensioning and Modifying Walls, you add dimensions and equality constraints to the walls.
You then make minor modifications to their position.
Dimensioning and Modifying Walls

In this exercise, you dimension the structural walls and add an equality constraint to the dimension to keep the
walls equidistant. You also reposition the walls to see how they adapt to changes in the design.
Dataset
Add an aligned dimension

2 Zoom around the lower set of walls.

■ Select .
■ Select Wall Centerlines for Prefer.
■ Select Entire Walls for Pick.
After you select Entire Walls, the Options button becomes available.
■ On the Options Bar, click Options to specify the wall pick options.
■ In the Auto Dimension Options dialog box, select Intersecting Walls, and click OK.
5 Move the cursor over the left vertical wall, and when it highlights, select it.
6 Move the cursor to the left, and click to place the dimension as shown.
Create an equality constraint

8 Select the dimension you added in the previous steps.

9 Click the EQ symbol to make each of the segments equal.
Modify wall position
10 Select the upper horizontal wall as shown.
11 Click the temporary dimension value, and enter 4000 for the distance between the wall centerline and grid B.

Notice the horizontal walls remain equally spaced.
12 On the Edit menu, click Undo Edit dimension length.

This project file is required, in its current state, to continue with the next lesson in this tutorial.
In this exercise, you added a dimension to the structural walls and used an equality constraint to keep the walls
equidistant. You also repositioned the walls and observed how they adapted to the change in the design.
In the next lesson, Adding Structural Columns and Beams, you add structural columns and different beam types
to the building model.
Adding Structural Columns and Beams

In this lesson, you add structural columns, several different beam types, joists, and purlins to complete the Level
1 structure.
Adding Structural Columns and Beams | 833

Adding Structural Columns
In this exercise, you use several different methods to add structural columns: you manually select grid intersections,
you use the grid intersection tool, and you place a column outside of the grids. In addition, you rotate columns
by pressing the SPACEBAR when necessary.
Dataset
Add columns to grid intersections manually

2 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom To Fit.
3 On the Structural tab of the Design Bar, click Structural Column.
4 In the Type Selector, select M_W-Wide Flange-Column: W250x80.
5 On the Options Bar, select Height, and Level 2.
6 Add a column to C1 as shown.
If necessary, zoom in to place the column.
TIP When adding the column, if the column orientation is not similar to the callout shown below, press the SPACEBAR
to rotate the column.

7 Add similar columns to C2, C3, and C5.
Add columns using selected grid intersections
8 On the Options Bar, click Grid Intersection.

This option allows you to place columns at the intersections of selected column grids.
9 Use a crossing selection, and select grids 1-5, and A.
TIP To create the crossing selection, specify a point under grid A and to the right of grid 5, and drag your cursor
up and to the left as shown below.

10 Notice columns are added to A1-5.
Columns A3-5 are shown below.
Rotate the columns
11 Press the SPACEBAR.

All of the columns on grid A rotate until they are parallel with the vertical grids.
12 Press the SPACEBAR again.
Notice the columns rotate until they are parallel with grid A.
13 Press the SPACEBAR until the columns return to their original position.
14 If necessary, zoom out until you can see all the grids.
This completes this set of columns.

Add columns B1-5
16 On the Options Bar, click Grid Intersection.

17 Create a crossing selection that includes B1-5.
18 If the columns are not aligned as in the illustration below, press the SPACEBAR to rotate them.
B3-5 are shown below.
TIP Notice that as you rotate these columns using the SPACEBAR, the columns on A1-5 do not rotate. Although you
could have added columns B1-5 with the first set of columns, you could not have rotated them independently of
each other. That is why you finished the first set and then reentered the grid intersection mode to add columns B1-5.

21 Select column A5 and delete it.
Add a column outside of the grid
22 On the Design Bar, click Structural Column.

23 Add a M_W-Wide Flange-Column: W250x80 between B4 and C5.
The column should be 4200 mm to the left of grid 5, and 6900 mm below the exterior face of the horizontal
wall above it.


In this exercise, you used various methods to add structural columns, and you rotate the columns using the
SPACEBAR.
In the next exercise, Adding Structural Beams and Girders, you add structural beams to the building model.
Adding Structural Beams and Girders

In this exercise, you add beams manually, and use the grid tools to add beams automatically. Different structural
conditions exist within the building model that require specific beam conditions. As you use the beam tool, you
learn how to work with these varied conditions.
Dataset
Add beams using point-to-point insertion

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, double-click Level 2.
To add a beam using point-to-point insertion, you specify the start and endpoint of the beam.
4 In the Type Selector, select M_W-Wide Flange: W310x67.
5 Zoom around the right side of the building model.
6 Add a beam between the column shown below and the horizontal wall above it. Start the beam at the column
and move your cursor up until it connects with the wall.

8 Zoom around the upper set of walls as shown.

10 In the Type Selector, select M_W-Wide Flange: W310x32.7.
11 On the Options Bar, select Girder for Usage.
12 Add a beam between the midpoint of the structural wall shown and grid A.
TIP Select the midpoint of the wall first, and then move the cursor up to grid A.

Use the grid tool to add beams between columns

14 On the Options Bar, click Grid.
When you use the grid tool to place beams, the Structural Usage parameter of each beam is automatically
specified depending on the join conditions. For example, if a beam is joined column-to-column, the Structural
Usage parameter is automatically set to Girder. Use the following table for other conditions.
Column Brace Horizontal Girder Joist Purlin Other

Bracing
Column* Girder Other Horizontal Girder Joist Purlin Other

Bracing
Brace Other Other Other Other Other Other
Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal Other

Brace Bracing Bracing Bracing Bracing
Girder Joist Joist Purlin Other
Joist Purlin Purlin Other
Purlin Purlin Other
Other Other
*Structural walls produce the same result as columns.

15 Create a crossing selection that includes grids 1 and 2.

16 Notice that beams are added at the grids and connected to each column.
19 Zoom in the upper-right quadrant of the building model.
Add beams to an intersecting structural wall
20 Select the structural wall that spans grids 3 and 4, click the temporary dimension value, enter 8200, and press
ENTER.
21 On the Design Bar, click Beam.

24 Select grid 3, press and hold CTRL, and select grid C.

Notice beams are added between columns. In addition, notice that beams connect to the structural walls that
intersect grids.
Add a chain of beams
26 On the Options Bar, select Chain, and for Usage, select Girder.
27 Using point-to-point insertion, refer to the following steps and illustration to add two beams to grid 5.
■ Click column C5 to start the beam chain.
■ Click column B5 to add the first beam.
■ Click the intersection of grid 5 and the structural wall as shown to add the final beam in the chain.
■ Press ESC to end the chain.

29 Add a beam between A4 and the structural wall that intersects grid 4 as shown.
Press ESC to end the chain.

31 Add a chain of beams beginning with the end of the structural wall at C4, connecting the column at B4, and
ending with the structural wall that intersects grid 4 as shown.
Press ESC to end the chain.
NOTE When you begin the beam chain at C4, make sure you select the intersection of the grid lines. You may need
to zoom in significantly to accomplish this. You can also use the shortcut key, SI, to snap only to intersections.
Add beams that intersect other beams

33 Select grid A.
35 Zoom around the beam between A3-4.

The W310x67 beam spanning A3-4 supports the W310x32.7 beam that intersects it perpendicularly. If the
W310x32.7 beam had crossed grid A, it would have become the supporting beam because it was placed first,
and the W310x67 beam spanning A3-4 would have been two separate beams.
37 Select grid B.

Add a concrete beam

41 Zoom around the upper structural walls between A4-5.
43 In the Type Selector, select M_Concrete-Rectangular Beam: 200 x 500mm.
In the steps that follow, you use point-to-point insertion to add the beam between the two short wall segments
that adjoin grids 4 and 5.
45 Specify the beam start point at the centerline and endpoint of the short wall segment adjacent to grid 4 as
shown below.
46 Move the cursor to the right, enter SE (shortcut key for endpoints), and click the endpoint of the short wall
segment adjacent to grid 5 as shown below.

Notice the concrete beam you added in the previous step.
Add remaining girders

50 Zoom around the A1-B3 region.
53 On the Options Bar, for Usage, select Girder, and select Chain.
In the steps that follow, you add two W310x67 beams parallel to the wall that intersects grid 3.
54 Begin the beam chain by selecting the intersection of the wall centerline and grid 3.
55 Move the cursor to the left and parallel to the wall and grid A, and click when it intersects grid 2.

56 Move the cursor to the left and parallel to the wall, and click when it intersects grid 1.
Press ESC twice to end the beam placement mode.

In this exercise, you added beams and girders using the point-to-point insertion method. You used the grid tool
to add beams to selected grids and learned how varied structural conditions affect the outcome of the automatically
placed beams.
In the next exercise, Adding Joists and Purlins, you replace some of the existing girders with trusses. You also add
joists and purlins to the building model.
Adding Joists and Purlins

In this exercise, you add joists, and purlins to the building model. You begin by adding W-Wide Flange joists. You
then create a joist array, while allowing the automatic beam tool to assign the Structural Usage parameter value
depending on the join conditions. For example, when you use the automatic beam tool to add beams between
joists, the structural usage of the beams is automatically set to purlin, and their display within the plan view adjusts
accordingly.
Dataset
Add a W-Wide Flange joist

2 Zoom around the A1 - B3 quadrants.
4 In the Project Browser, under Families, Structural Framing, M_W-Wide Flange, click W310x32.7.
5 Add one beam between the A1-2 girder and the parallel girder below it. Add the beam a few feet to the right
of grid 1. Do not worry about the exact placement at this time.

7 Select the beam you added in the previous steps.
The beam needs to be 1250 mm right of grid 1. Modify the temporary dimension value if necessary.
8 With the beam selected, click on the Options Bar.

9 In the Element Properties dialog box, notice that the Structural Usage parameter value is Joist.
This value was set automatically because when you created the beam, the Automatic option was selected by
default in the Options Bar. In addition, according to the table shown at the beginning of this lesson, any beam
added between two girders becomes a joist when the Automatic option is selected.
10 Click OK.
Create a joist array

■ Click .
■ Clear Group and Associate.
13 Enter SI to snap only to intersections.

14 Click the intersection of the upper extent of the joist and grid A as shown to specify the array start point.
15 Move the cursor to the right and parallel to grid A. Make sure the cursor is over grid A. Once the direction is
set, enter 1250 and press ENTER.
This creates an array of 14 joists that are parallel to grid A.

Add purlins

17 Add a W310x32.7 beam from the midpoint of the first joist to the right of grid 2 that stretches perpendicularly
to the next joist on the right as shown.
18 Zoom in around the area surrounding the purlin.

Notice the difference between the line weights and patterns of the girders, joists, and purlins. Their display in
plan view is dependent on their Structural Usage value.
NOTE You can control the structural framing line weight, style, and color within the Object Styles dialog box.
19 Select the purlin you created in the previous steps.

■ Click .
22 Click the endpoint of the left joist as shown.

This is the array start point.
23 Move the cursor to the endpoint of the next joist on the right, and click.

The purlins array along the midpoints of the joists.
Turn on connection symbol visibility
24 Zoom in around the structural framing below A1-2, and create a crossing selection that includes all the structural
framing members in this portion of the view.

26 In the Filter dialog box, clear all options except Structural Framing, and click OK.

28 In the Element Properties dialog box, change the following instance parameters:
■ Select Moment Connection Last
■ Select Moment Connection First
■ Click OK.
29 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and notice the connection symbols display.
30 On the View toolbar, click , and adjust the view until it resembles the image below.

In this exercise, you added different joist types and allowed the automatic beam tool to assign the Structural Usage
parameter value depending on the join conditions.
In the next lesson, Copying Level 1 Structure to Upper Levels, you create new levels and copy the level one structure
to the upper levels of the building model.
Copying Level 1 Structure to Upper Levels

In this lesson, you create new levels. You then copy the entire structure that you have designed up to this point
and use the paste-align command to create the structure on the upper levels. This technique saves significant design
time and ensures consistency on each level.

Defining New Levels
In this exercise, you create several new levels. These levels are required in the next exercise where you copy the
existing structural components to the new levels.
Dataset
Create three new levels

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Elevations, and double-click Building Elevation.
2 Select grid 1.
3 Drag the upper grid control up to move the grid heads out of the way of the new levels. You need at least 3
meters of space.
4 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Level.

5 On the Options Bar, select Make Plan View.
6 Sketch the new level line 3000 mm above Level 2 as shown below using the following steps:
■ Click the level line starting point 3000 mm above the left extent of Level 2.
■ Move the cursor over the right extent of Level 2.
■ Click to add Level 3.
Copying Level 1 Structure to Upper Levels | 855

In the Project Browser, notice that the Level 3 floor plan is displayed.
7 Repeat the steps above to create Levels 4 and 5 as shown.
Each level is 3000 mm high.

In this exercise, you created three new levels. These levels that are required in the next exercise, Duplicating the
Existing Design, where you copy the structural elements and paste align them to the new levels.
Duplicating the Existing Design

In this exercise, you copy the structural elements and use the paste-align command to add them to the new levels.
This technique saves you significant time compared to manually recreating the design on each level.
Dataset
Copy the structural elements

2 Draw a selection box around the entire design. Make sure the entire building model is included.

Although you can select and copy the components from any view, it is often easier and more certain to copy
from a 3D view if your intent is to select the entire building model.
Paste the structural components on the new levels

6 In the Select Levels dialog box, select Level 2, press and hold CTRL, and select Levels 3 and 4.
7 In the Select Levels dialog box, click OK.

Copying Level 1 Structure to Upper Levels | 857

9 In the Project Browser under Elevations, double-click Building Elevation.

In this exercise, You copied the Level 1 structure elements and use the paste-align command to create the structure
on the upper levels.
In the next lesson, Adding Braces in a Framing Elevation, you create a framing elevation in order to add structural
braces.
Adding Braces in a Framing Elevation

In this lesson, you create a framing elevation in order to provide a view in which to place structural bracing members.
You then add C-channel bracing to one level and array it to the remaining levels.
Creating a Framing Elevation

In this exercise, you create a framing elevation. You use this elevation view in the next exercise to place structural
braces.

Dataset
Create a framing elevation

2 On the Structural tab of the Design Bar, click Framing Elevation.
3 On the Options Bar, make sure Attach to Grid is selected.
4 Place the cursor over grid C, at the midpoint between grids 2 and 3, and click.
You can now view the new elevation, Elevation 1-a, in the Project Browser.
6 Double-click the elevation head in order to open the view.
Adding Braces in a Framing Elevation | 859

Notice the stick framing representation. This is because the Detail Level of this view is automatically set to
coarse. Also notice that grid 3 is identified within the view.
You are ready to add the structural braces.
In this exercise, you created an elevation view design specifically to add structural braces.
In the next exercise, Adding Structural Braces, you add c-channel bracing to the building model.
Adding Structural Braces

In the final exercise of this tutorial, you add structural braces to the building model. You begin by adding a set of
braces to level 4. You then array the braces to the remaining levels.
Dataset

Expand the view extents
1 Before adding the braces, select the view crop box, and using the shape grips, drag the left and right extents
until you can see the grid heads for 2 and 3 as shown.
NOTE If necessary, select the grids and drag the grid heads above level 5.
2 On the Structural tab of the Design Bar, click Brace.

3 In the Type Selector, select M_C-Channel: C75x7.4.
When adding the braces, you use point-to-point insertion. Because it is often necessary to make sure you snap
to the endpoints and midpoints, you should use the following snap shortcut keys when applicable.
■ SM: Snap only to midpoints of objects.
■ SE: Snap only to endpoints of objects.
4 Enter SE and click the beam endpoint at the intersection of grid 2 and Level 4.
5 Enter SM and click the midpoint of the girder located on Level 5.

The brace displays.
6 Enter SM and click the midpoint of the girder located on Level 5.

7 Enter SE and click the beam endpoint at the intersection of grid 3 and Level 4.
The second brace is displayed.
Array the braces

9 Select both braces on Level 4.
■ Click .
12 Click the intersection of Level 5 and grid 2 to specify the array start point.
13 Click the intersection of Level 4 and grid 2 to specify the array endpoint.
The braces are arrayed to Level 1.

15 In the Tag All Not Tagged dialog box, select Structural Framing Tags, and click OK.

In this exercise, you added structural braces to the design and created a brace array.

Sharing Projects
26
When working with large building projects, architects commonly work in teams with each person assigned
to a specific functional area. This involves simultaneously working on and saving different portions of the
project at the same time, called Worksharing. In this tutorial, you learn how to use Worksharing to divide a
project into worksets so multiple users can access the project and have all their changes coordinated by
Autodesk Revit Building®.
You can enable Worksharing for any project. A workset is a collection of building elements, such as walls,
doors, floors, stairs, and so on. Only one user can edit each workset at a given time. All other team members
can view this workset; however, they cannot make changes to it. This prevents possible conflicts within the
project. If you need to modify an element that belongs to a workset that someone else is actively working on,
you can borrow that element without requiring the workset owner to relinquish control of the entire workset.
Using Worksharing, team members adding and changing elements in worksets can save their work to a local
file on the network or their own hard drive and publish work to a central file whenever they choose. They
can update their local files at any time in order to see the changes other team members have published.
865
Overview
Sharing a project for the first time
To share a project, you must first enable Worksharing. The first time you activate worksets within a project, a dialog
box displays allowing you to set up the initial sharing of the project. After the project is shared, each building
element in the project is contained in exactly one workset. You can change the workset assignment of any modeling
element within the property dialog box for that element.
Working in a shared project

In a shared project, you can only make changes to the worksets that are editable by you. To make a workset editable,
go to the Worksets dialog box, select the desired workset, and click Editable. Each workset can only be editable by
one user at a time. If you only need to modify a single element within a workset that someone else has checked
out, use Element Borrowing.
When you are working on a shared project, you specify an active workset. Any new model elements are automatically
assigned to the active workset. Elements specific to a view, such as annotations and dimensions, are automatically
assigned to the view workset of the current view.
Increasing performance using selective open

When opening a Worksharing-enabled project, you can select which worksets are open or closed. Elements in
closed worksets are not read from disk until they are required. This reduces the time it takes to open the file and
the amount of memory it uses. You can close or open worksets at any time using the Worksets dialog box. You can
improve the display-related performance of Revit Building by opening only those worksets required for your work.
In the lessons and exercises that follow, you learn some of the strategies that maximize your use of worksets. You
gain valuable practical experience setting up a project for worksets and working within that project.
Using Worksharing in a Project

In this lesson, you learn the fundamentals of Worksharing. This includes how to plan and execute the use of
worksets in a project in order to maximize project and team performance. After learning the fundamentals, you
enable Worksharing within a project and set up the initial workset environment. In the next exercise, you learn
how to work as an individual with the central and local project files. You then learn how to work within a
Worksharing-enabled project with multiple users and borrow particular elements from other users.
Understanding Worksharing Fundamentals

In this conceptual exercise, you learn the fundamentals of Worksharing application. You learn what to consider
before enabling and using Worksharing. You learn the basic steps of project sharing as well as tips for dealing with
common workplace scenarios.
When planning a Worksharing-enabled project

The decisions you make when sharing a project and setting up its worksets can have long-lasting effects on the
project team. When setting up Worksharing, you should take several considerations into account:
General Considerations:
■ Project size
■ Team size
■ Team member roles
■ Default workset visibility
You can maximize long-term project performance more easily if you plan Worksharing appropriately and use the
feature correctly. Establishing practical policies on how all team members access and create new worksets in the
project will maintain performance for existing users and ease the process of introducing new team members to the
project.
■ Project size
The size of your building may affect the way you decide to segment the worksets for your team. Unlike AutoCAD
Xrefs, you do not need to make separate worksets for each floor of the building. Instead, you should separate
the project into worksets that allow team members to work without interfering with each other. In a multi-story
structure, you could create separate worksets for a set of building elements that will only appear on one floor,
such as a tenant interior. If the project floor plan is so large that you need to split it with match lines to fit it
on sheets, you may want to create separate worksets for each portion.
866 | Chapter 26 Sharing Projects

■ Team size
You should take into consideration the size of the project team at the time you enable Worksharing. You
should have at least one workset for each person, not including the Project Standards, Shared Levels and Grids,
and View worksets. In most projects, greater subdivision improves workflow by reducing interference between
team members. Experience has shown that, for a typical project, the optimum number of worksets is
approximately four for each team member.
■ Team member roles
Typically, designers work in teams, with each assigned a specific functional task. By subdividing the project
based on these task roles, each team member has control over a portion of the design. A typical scenario for a
multi-story commercial building is shown in the following illustration. Notice that the workset names refer
to functional roles.
TIP As new team members create new worksets for their own use, make sure visibility defaults are set appropriately.
■ Default workset visibility

After a project has been shared, a Worksets tab displays on the Visibility/Graphics dialog box. On this tab, you
control workset visibility on a per view basis. If you are sure that the elements of a particular workset should
not appear in a view, you can turn off the visibility of that workset within that view. This allows Revit Building
to display the view faster because computing time is not spent figuring out if the element belongs to a workset
that should be displayed.
When you create a new workset, you decide whether or not the elements in that workset are visible by default
in each view. Regardless of the default setting, you can change the visibility setting in the Visibility/Graphics
dialog box. Long-term performance is improved if new worksets are not visible by default unless they need to
be. Team size usually increases as the project progresses from the design stage to the documentation stage. As
new members create worksets for their own use, the worksets they add often do not need to be visible by
default.
Conceptual stages of project sharing

The following steps explain the basic stages of project sharing.
Step 1: Start the project with one user

One user starts to work on the project. This project file should incorporate as many office/project standards as
possible and it should include many of the families required by the project. The building model should also reach
a reasonable point of development before you enable Worksharing.
Step 2: Activate Worksharing

After the building model is ready for multiple user access, the project coordinator should enable Worksharing.
Step 3: Create additional worksets

After enabling Worksharing, the project coordinator should create the additional worksets required by the team.
When creating the new worksets, remember to create worksets for functional roles and properly assign default
visibility.
Step 4: Subdivide the building model into worksets

After you have created the initial worksets, you must assign building model elements to their respective workset.
For example, if a workset named Interior was created, you would want to assign the interior walls and other interior
components to that workset.
Step 5: Create the central file

The first time you save a project after Worksharing has been enabled, the file is saved as the central file. The central
file coordinates and propagates the changes of each user and keeps track of which worksets are available. Therefore,
it is essential that you save the central file to a location accessible to all team members. Generally, the central file
is not a file that a team member would open and work in directly.
Using Worksharing in a Project | 867

Step 6: Create local files
Each team member creates a local file that makes it possible to check out worksets and work on their respective
portion of the building model. When finished or at regular intervals, each user saves their changes back to the
central file where the changes can be propagated to all team members. You create a local file by opening the central
file and using “Save As” to create a local copy of the central file. Local files are user-specific and can only be accessed
by the users that created them.
Step 7: Open worksets

Whenever you open a central or local file, you have the option to choose which worksets to open. This is called
“Selective Open.” When opening a Worksharing-enabled project, you can shorten the time required to open the
file by selecting to open only the worksets required to complete your assigned tasks.
Step 8: Check out worksets from the central file

When you “check out” a workset, you make that workset editable by you. This gives you the right to make changes
to the elements in the workset and to add to the workset. There is no limit to the number of worksets you can have
editable at one time. However, no other users can make modifications to any elements in those worksets until you
check them back into the central file.
Step 9: Work on the project

Work on the project, within the local file, proceeds as usual. As you work, new building elements are assigned to
the workset that is active at the moment. On the Options Bar, you can select which workset is active. You can make
a workset active only if it is editable by you.
Step 10: Saving your changes

As you work on the project throughout the day, you should save the file locally and to the central file at regular
intervals. When you save locally (to your local file), your changes are saved; however, they are not propagated to
the rest of the team. When you save to the central file, your changes propagate to the entire team. When you save
to the central file, you should relinquish any worksets that you no longer need. This makes them available to other
team members. Any changes that other users have made to the building model become visible to you after you
save to the central file or when you select Reload Latest.
Step 11: Closing a local file

At the end of a work session, you should save to the central file and relinquish control of all worksets that you set
as editable. After saving to the central file, you should then save to your local file. This ensures that your local file
is synchronized with the central file.
Tips and common scenarios

1 When working on a Worksharing-enabled project, you can still work remotely as an individual and as a team.
The tips discussed below provide useful information for working creatively with worksets.
Taking your computer to a remote location with the project
2 You do not need to have access to the central file in order to work on the project. You can work on the project
from a remote location by doing the following:
■ Before leaving the office and disconnecting from the networked access to the central file, make any required
worksets editable, save to the central file, and then save the local file.
■ When working remotely, you work no differently then you would in the office. You can modify any
elements in an editable workset and all new elements are added to the active workset. You can also add
new elements to any View or Project Standards workset even if they are not editable.
If you realize that you need to modify elements in a workset that you did not make editable before going
remote, you can make the workset Editable at Risk. In this situation, you will not be able to save your changes
back to the central file if another user has changed the same workset and already published those changes back
to the central file. In this instance, if you know who checked out the required workset, you may want to phone
them and make arrangements rather than waste valuable work time. If you choose Editable at Risk and the
owner of the at-risk workset has already published their files to the central file, you will not only lose the
changes to that workset, you will lose the changes you made to all your worksets. If the owner of the at-risk
workset agrees to relinquish editability of the contested workset, you can save your changes back to the central
file but then the other owner loses all their work.
Since making a workset Editable at Risk carries a high risk that work will be lost, you should use it only when:
■ You do not intend to save your changes back to the central file, or

■ You are very confident that no other user will make that workset editable in your absence. If you have a
colleague who is in the office with access to the central file, you may want to request that someone start
a session of Revit Building, change the username to your name under Settings ➤ Options, and make that
workset editable. This will guarantee that no other user can make it editable during the remainder of your
absence.
WARNING You should avoid editing a workset “at risk” whenever possible.
Multiple users working remotely
3 Users can work remotely provided the remote users have high-speed network access to the central file; for
instance, using VPN. Alternatively, a user can transfer a local file to someone with network access who can
then publish the changes back to the central file, reload the latest changes from the central file, and transfer
the updated local file back to the remote user.
Remote rendering
4 While rendering remotely using AccuRender® is supported, it is not recommended unless you understand the
implications for the rest of the team. If you intend to render the building model while away from the office,
you will probably be changing material definitions and other project settings. To do this, you should check
out the Materials workset. This means that other team members will not be able to change any materials while
you have the Materials workset checked out.
In this conceptual exercise, you learned what to consider before enabling Worksharing. You learned the basic steps
of project sharing as well as tips for dealing with common workplace scenarios.
In the next exercise, you enable Worksharing in a project and set up some initial worksets.
Enabling Worksharing and Setting Up Worksets

In this exercise, you enable Worksharing within an existing project. You subdivide the project into worksets and
save the project as the "Central File."
Dataset
■ Open the c_Worksets.rvt file located in the Common folder.
Enable Worksharing
1 On the File menu, click Worksets.
A dialog box displays suggesting that any user new to Worksharing should complete this training. It also
informs you that existing elements in your project move to default worksets.
2 Click OK to accept the default workset names.
The Worksets dialog box is displayed.

3 Notice that all worksets are open and editable by you.
Your username displays as the present owner.
TIP You can change your username by selecting Options under the Settings menu. You cannot change your username
with an unsaved Worksharing-enabled project open. Do not change your username during this exercise unless
explicitly instructed to do so.
4 In the Worksets dialog box, under Show, select:

■ Families
■ Project Standards
■ Views
5 Scroll down the list of workset names, and notice all are editable by you.
6 Under Show, turn off Families, Project Standards, and Views.
Only User-Created worksets should display.
In this simple training project, a small number of team members are working on the building model. For
training purposes, imagine four users including yourself. The project must be subdivided in such a way as to
reflect the tasks of each user. In this case, one user is assigned to the development of the exterior, another is
assigned the interior layout, a third team member is assigned furniture placement, and the remainder of the
team must work on wall section details.
Therefore, you must create worksets that allow each team member to work independently.
Creating new worksets
7 In the Worksets dialog box, click New.

8 Enter the name Interior Layout.
Notice that Visible by default in all views is checked. Because the interior walls appear in many views, it is
better to make them visible by default.
9 Click OK.
The next workset you create is for the furniture layout. Because furniture should only be visible in specific
views, you should turn off Visible by default in all views. This improves performance since fewer components
need to be generated in each view.
10 Click New.
11 Enter Furniture Layout, clear Visible by default in all views, and click OK.
The final new workset is for the exterior shell of the building model. Rather than create a new workset for these
elements, you can rename the default workset, currently named Workset1.
12 In the Worksets dialog box, select Workset1.
13 Click Rename.

14 In the Rename dialog box, type the name Exterior Shell, and click OK
You have created the required worksets for each team member working on this project. The next step is to
assign elements within the building model to specific worksets. This is why all worksets are editable immediately
after you enable worksets.
15 In the Worksets dialog box, click OK.
When you initially activate Worksharing, all building model elements are placed into Workset1 by default.
Because you renamed Workset1 to Exterior Shell, all building model elements are assigned to that workset. In
this training file, furniture components have not been added to the building model and therefore do not need
to be moved to the respective workset. You do, however, need to reassign the interior elements to the Interior
Layout workset.
Subdividing the project into worksets
17 In the drawing area, select any of the exterior walls of the building model.

19 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, notice that the Workset parameter is set to Exterior
Shell.
20 Click OK.
21 Select one of the interior walls.

23 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, select Interior Layout for Workset, and click OK.
24 Select all of the interior elements, including the interior doors, stairs, and walls.
The easiest way to do this is to drag a pick box beginning inside the lower right corner and up to the upper
left corner.
TIP You can also hold CTRL down to select multiple elements. Hold Shift down to deselect an element.

You can verify that all interior elements have been reassigned to the Interior Layout workset by turning off
the visibility of that workset.
28 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Worksets tab.
Notice that the visibility of the Furniture Layout workset is turned off in this view. This is because you turned
off “Visible by default in all views” when you created the workset.
29 Clear Interior Layout to turn off the visibility of that workset in the view.
30 Click OK.
The Level 1 floor plan should display with only the exterior shell visible. If any interior elements remain, select
them and change their workset assignment to Interior Layout.

32 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Worksets tab.
33 Select Interior Layout, and click OK.
35 In the drawing area, select all of the interior elements of the building model.

Create the central file

The central file is created automatically the first time you save the project after enabling worksets.

Navigate to a location on a network drive that all team members have access to, but be sure not to save the
file in the training files location. This is imperative if you and another user intend to complete the multi-user
exercise later in this tutorial. If you do not have access to a network and still want to complete that exercise,
this can be accomplished by saving the central file to your hard drive and changing your user name before
accessing the project.
39 In the Save As dialog box, enter Worksets Project-Central as the file name.
40 Click Save.
Now that you have created the central file, you must relinquish workset editability so that other users can have
access to the worksets they need.
Checking in the worksets

42 In the Worksets dialog box, select all the User-Created worksets by pressing CTRL + A.
43 On the right side of the dialog box, click Non Editable.
Notice that your name has been removed as the owner of the worksets and all Editable values are set to No.
44 Click OK.
If you intend on completing the remaining exercises in this tutorial, make sure you remember the location of
this central file. You must access it in each of the remaining exercises.
In this exercise, you enabled Worksharing on a project, created new worksets to accommodate each team member,
and then assigned building model elements to the worksets. You then created the central file and checked in all
worksets. This project is now ready for individuals to access it and check out their required worksets.
Working Individually with Worksets

In this exercise, you create your local file, check out worksets, make modifications to the building model, and
publish your changes back to the central file where other team members can see them.
This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise and access to the resulting central file. If you have
not yet completed the exercise, Enabling Worksharing and Setting Up Worksets, please do so before continuing.
Creating a local file

1 On the File menu, click Open, and navigate to the location where you saved the central file created in the
previous exercise.
2 In the Open dialog box, select the central file and, under Open Worksets, select Specify.
3 Click Open.
Using selective open allows you to choose which worksets you want to open. Only the worksets you select and
any worksets already editable by you are opened. In addition, any referenced workset is opened but hidden.
This reduces the amount of time required to open very large project files and increases performance while you
work.
4 In the Opening Worksets dialog box, select all the User-Created worksets, and click OK.
6 In the Save As dialog box, click Options.
7 In the File Save Options dialog box, verify that Make this the Central location after save is not selected, and
click OK.
8 Navigate to a directory on your hard drive, name the file Worksets Project_Local-User1, and click Save.
You have created a local file which is for your use only. Next, you check out worksets so you can modify the
building model.
Checking out worksets

The project sharing environment allows you to choose which worksets are opened during a working session.
Only the worksets that are opened are visible during that session. In this case, you are assigned the task of
designing the interior layout of the building model.
10 In the Worksets dialog box, select Interior Layout for Name, and select Yes for Editable.
Your name displays as the owner of the Interior Layout workset.
11 Click OK.
You are now ready to modify the interior layout of the building model. Before working on the model, you
should activate the Worksets toolbar.
12 On the Window menu, click Toolbar ➤ Worksets.
The Worksets toolbar displays with a drop-down list that allows you to specify the active workset.
13 On the Worksets toolbar, select Interior Layout.

Any new elements that you add to the building model are automatically assigned to the active workset.
On the Options Bar, notice the Editable Only option. If this is selected, you can only select editable elements
within the drawing area. Verify that it is cleared.
16 Select the upper exterior wall and notice a symbol displays indicating that the element belongs to a workset
that is not currently editable.

18 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Identity Data, notice that this element is assigned to the Exterior
Shell workset and that the Edited by value is blank.
Even though you have not checked out the Exterior Shell workset, you can still edit this wall.
19 Under Constraints, select Finish Face: Exterior for Location Line, and click OK.
Because this element is not owned by another user, Revit Building borrows it for you and applies your changes.
If it was owned by another user, a message would display and you would have the option to cancel the change
or make the element editable.
The upper exterior wall should still be selected.

Notice that the wall still belongs to the Exterior Shell workset; however, the Edited by value is now assigned
to you.
21 Click OK.
In the Worksets dialog box, notice that you do not own the Exterior Shell workset, but you are listed as a
borrower of that workset. In this case, you have borrowed the ownership of the upper exterior wall.
23 Click OK.

Modify the building model
24 Select the door on the right side of the corridor.
25 Delete the door.

26 Select the wall that hosted the deleted door, and modify the length so that the corridor is open.

29 Using the following illustration as a guide, add a horizontal wall in the lower right corner. The precise location
is not important.

31 Select the vertical interior wall in the upper right corner, and extend the lower end until it intersects the
horizontal wall you added previously.

33 In the Type Selector, select M_Sgl Flush: 864 x 2032mm.
34 Using the following illustration as a guide, add two door openings into the rooms you created.
All of the new elements that you added were automatically assigned to the Interior Layout workset. If you
place the cursor over any of the new elements, a tooltip, which matches the information in the Status Bar,
displays the workset as well as the element type.
When working in your local file, you should perform regular saves. It is recommended that you locally save
your work approximately every 30 minutes and save to central every 1-2 hours.
Saving your work
35 On the File menu, click Save to Central.

The Save to Central dialog box is displayed with the path to the central file automatically filled in. Whenever
you save, you can relinquish the user-created worksets as well as any borrowed elements. By default, Borrowed
Elements is selected. In this particular case, you borrowed the upper exterior wall in order to modify it. You
should check this element back into central so that others can use it if necessary.
In addition, notice that there is an option to save the local file immediately after the save to central. Although
this is not a necessary option if you are in the middle of a work session, it is recommended. At the end of a
work session, you should relinquish all worksets, save to central, and save locally immediately afterward.
36 In the Save to Central dialog box, select:
■ Borrowed Elements
■ User-created Worksets
■ Save the local file after “Save to Central” completes successfully
37 Click OK.
If you intend to complete the remainder of this tutorial by proceeding to the multi-user exercise, leave this
file open in its current state.
In this exercise, you created your local file, checked out worksets, and borrowed an element from a workset you
did not own. You modified the building model, and published your changes back to the central file where other
team members can see them.
Using Worksets with Multiple Users

In this exercise, two users access the central file through a network connection. For training purposes, they are
referred to as User 1 and User 2. Each modifies the building model within their local file and publishes it back to
the central file where the other user can see the changes. Throughout the process, each user must check out worksets,
make elements editable, and reload the latest changes.
This exercise requires the completion of the previous workset exercises and access to the resulting local and central
files. If you have not yet completed these exercises, please do so before continuing.
Although this exercise is designed specifically for two separate users with network access to the central file, a single
user can complete this exercise by opening up an additional session of Revit Building and setting the username to
User 2. In the following section of this exercise, instructions are provided on how to accomplish this.
NOTE If you are working with a second user (User 2), skip the following section, and proceed to Creating a local copy.

Using a second Revit Building session to mimic User 2
1 Minimize the current Revit Building window.
2 Start a new Revit Building session by double-clicking the Revit Building icon on the desktop or by selecting it
from the Start menu.
4 Click the General Tab and, under Username, enter User 2, and click OK.
WARNING After completing this tutorial and closing the project file, return to the Settings dialog box, and reset
the Username to your computer login name. This is a system setting.
Creating a local copy
5 In this exercise, two users work on the building model residing in the central file you created and saved in a
previous exercise. If both users have completed the previous worksets exercises and created central files on the
network, select one of those central files to be used in this exercise.
Regardless of which central file you choose to use, one user has already created a local file. For training purposes,
consider that person to be User 1. The user who has not yet created a local file for the chosen central file is
User 2. The next series of steps create a local file for User 2. Throughout the remainder of this exercise,
instructions are staggered, specifically sequenced, and refer explicitly to User 1 and User 2.
User 2: Create a local file, and check out worksets
6 On the File menu, click Open, and navigate to the location where you saved the central file named Worksets
Project-Central.rvt.
7 In the Open dialog box, select the central file and, under Open Worksets, select Specify.
8 Click Open.
work.
9 In the Opening Worksets dialog box, select all the User-Created worksets, and click OK.
click OK.
13 Navigate to your preferred location on the hard drive, name the file Worksets Project_Local-User2, and click
Save.
You now have a local copy of the project. This file is for your use only.
15 Select the Exterior Shell workset, and select Yes for Editable.
You are now the owner of that workset.
16 Click OK.

User 1: Check out worksets, modify the building model, and publish changes
17 User 1 should still have the local file open. If it is not open, open it now.
Notice that the Exterior Shell workset is checked out by User 2.
19 Try to change the Editable status for Exterior Shell to Yes.
A warning is displayed informing you that you cannot check out this workset because it is already checked
out by another user.
20 Click OK to return to the Worksets dialog box.
21 Select the Interior Layout workset, and select Yes for Editable.
Notice that you own this workset and the active workset is now Interior Layout. If you only have one workset
checked out, it becomes the active workset.
22 Click OK.
24 Select the vertical interior wall shown in the following illustration, and move it to the left until it approaches
the centerline of the exterior double door on the south wall.
A warning is displayed informing you that a conflict exists.

25 Click anywhere in the empty drawing area to ignore the warning.
27 In the Save to Central dialog box, select the option to save the local file after the central file is saved.
28 Click OK.
User 2: Modify the building model and publish changes
Notice that the changes made by User 1 do not immediately display in the local file of User 2. That is because
changes made to the central file display in local files only when the worksets are explicitly updated.
30 Using the following illustration as a guide, select the lower exterior wall, and move it upward approximately
2 meters.

A message displays warning you that several windows are not cutting anything. This is because windows are
wall-hosted components and cannot float in the air without a wall to host them.
31 Click Delete Instances to delete the windows.
34 Click OK.
When you save to central, you publish your changes and load the changes other users have made to the building
model. The wall conflict with the door opening that User 1 introduced now displays.
35 Using the following illustration as a guide, delete the left window on the lower exterior wall, and move the
door to the right in order to avoid the conflict.

38 Click OK.
User 1: Reload latest worksets, and check out additional worksets
39 On the File menu, click Reload Latest.

The changes User 2 made are apparent.
41 Select Furniture Layout, select Yes for Editable, and click OK.
Because you now have more than one workset checked out, you are asked if you want to make the Furniture
Layout workset the active workset. Click Yes.
Even though the Furniture Layout workset is active, you still have complete access to the elements belonging
to the Interior Layout workset. However, any elements added to the building model are automatically assigned
to the active workset.
Before adding any furniture, you should create a furniture plan view.
42 On the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Floor Plans, right-click Level 1, and click Duplicate.
43 On the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, right-click Copy of Level 1, and click Rename.
44 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Level 1 Furniture Plan, and click OK.
45 On the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 Furniture Plan.
46 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Component.
47 In the Type Selector, choose any desk, and click inside any room.
A message displays informing you that the component you are trying to place is not visible in that view. This
is because when the Furniture Layout workset was created, the Visible by default option was not selected.
Therefore, the visibility of the workset is not turned on even though it is checked out and is the active workset.
You should turn on the visibility before adding furniture.
50 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Worksets tab, select Furniture Layout to turn on its visibility,
and click OK.
51 Notice that the desk you added previously now displays.

54 Click OK.
User 2: Make an element editable on the fly
55 On the File menu, click Reload Latest.

Notice the new Level 1 Furniture Plan view in the Project Browser.
56 Right-click the upper exterior wall, and click Properties.
58 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Rename.
59 In the Rename dialog box, enter Exterior Wall - 200mm, and click OK.
60 Click OK twice.
62 In the Worksets dialog box, under Show, select Project Standards.
63 Scroll down to the bottom of the list until you see Wall Types.
Notice you have borrowed a portion of the workset.
64 Click OK.
66 In the Save to Central dialog box, select:
■ Borrowed Elements
67 Click OK.
If you intend to complete the final portion of this tutorial by proceeding to the Element Borrowing exercise,
leave this file open in its current state.
User 1: Reload latest, and save
68 On the File menu, select Reload Latest.

69 On the File menu, select Save to Central.
70 In the Save to Central dialog box, select the following, and click OK.
In this exercise, two users worked on the same building model using worksets. Each user checked out worksets,
modified the building model, and published their changes back to the central file.
In the final exercise of this tutorial, you learn how to borrow elements from worksets that other users are actively
working on.
If you intend to complete the final exercise of this tutorial, Borrowing Elements from the Worksets of Other Users,
leave this file open in its current state. This exercise also requires two users and you can skip the first sections of
the exercise and proceed directly to the section, Checking out worksets.

Borrowing Elements from the Worksets of Other Users
In this exercise, two users are working on the same project with separate local files. As each of you work, you must
borrow elements that belong to worksets that the other user has checked out. You learn how to make borrowing
requests and how to grant them.
This exercise requires two users and, throughout this training, they are referred to as User 1 and User 2. There are
specific instructions for each user. Each user must have network access to the central file.
Although this exercise is designed specifically for two separate users with network access to the central file, a single
user can complete this exercise by opening up an additional session of Revit Building and setting the username to
User 2. At the appropriate point in this exercise, instructions are provided on how to accomplish this.
NOTE If you are working with a second user (User 2), finished the previous workset exercises, and still have your local
files open, proceed directly to the section Checking out worksets.
If you have not completed the previous workset exercises, you need to set up your central and local files. Only one
user needs to open the dataset and save the central file to a network location.
NOTE When you open the training dataset for this tutorial, you may receive a message informing you that the central
file has been relocated. Click OK to this message and subsequent messages. These messages are a result of the central
file being relocated (to your PC). In subsequent steps, you save the dataset as a central file, and these problems are
rectified.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Worksets Project-Central.rvt file located in the Common folder.
Save training file as the central file on the network

2 Navigate to a directory on the network that both users have access to.
4 In the File Save Options dialog box, select Make this the Central location after save, and click OK.
5 Click Save.
You have created a new central file for User 1 and User 2.
User 1: Create local file
6 For the sake of simplicity, the user that saved the central file should be User 1. The central file should still be
open.
8 Navigate to a directory on your hard drive.
click OK.
11 Name the file Worksets Project_Local-User1, and click Save.
This is the local file for User 1.
User 2: Create local file
12 If you are a single user and want to replicate the multi-user experience, perform the following steps to create
a session for User 2:
■ Start a second session of Revit Building by double-clicking the icon on the desktop or by selecting it from
the Start menu.
■ On the Settings menu, click Options.
■ Click the General tab of the Options dialog box.
■ Set the Username to User 2, and click OK.

This Revit Building session is now set up for User 2.
WARNING After completing this tutorial and closing the project file, return to the Settings dialog box, and reset
the Username to your computer login name. This is a system setting.
13 On the File menu, click Open, and navigate to the network location where User 1 saved the central file.
14 In the Open dialog box, select the central file and under Open Worksets, select Specify.
15 Click Open.
work.
16 Select all the User-Created worksets, and click OK.
click OK.
20 Navigate to a directory on your hard drive, name the file Worksets Project_Local-User2, and click Save.
You have created a local file which is for your use only. Next, you check out worksets so you can modify the
building model.
Checking out worksets
21 Both User 1 and User 2 can check out their worksets at the same time. Afterwards, the steps for each user have
to be followed in sequence.
User 1: Check out worksets

23 In the Worksets dialog box, if any User-Created worksets are not open, select them, and click Open.
24 Select the Exterior Shell workset, and select Yes for Editable.
25 Under Active Workset, select Exterior Shell, and then click OK.
User 2: Check out worksets

27 In the Worksets dialog box, select the Interior Layout workset, and select Yes for Editable.
28 Under Active Workset, select Interior Layout, and then click OK.
User 2: Borrow an element from User 1
29 On the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1.

30 On the Options Bar, verify that Editable Only is cleared.
This allows you to select elements that belong to worksets that you do not own.
31 On the left exterior wall, select the second window from the top.

A symbol appears letting you know that it belongs to a workset you do not own.
32 Move the window 500 mm toward the upper exterior wall. You can do this by dragging the window or by
modifying one of the temporary dimension values.
A warning message informs you that you must obtain permission from User 1.
33 Click Place Request to ask User 1 for permission to edit the window.
After you submit the request, a message informs you that you are waiting for permission from User 1.
At this point, you should inform User 1 that you are waiting for permission to edit a borrowed element. Leave
this dialog box open until User 1 grants permission.
User 1: Grant User 2 permission to borrow element
34 When User 2 contacts you and informs you that a borrowing request is pending your authorization, click the
File menu, and click Editing Requests.
35 In the Editing Requests dialog box, select the request submitted by User 2.
36 Click Grant.
37 Click Close.
User 2: Check for editability grant
38 In the Check Editability Grants dialog box, click Check Now.

A message informs you that your request has been granted.
39 Click OK, and notice the window is in the new location.

User 1 and 2: Save to Central, to Local, and close
40 On the File menu, select Save to Central.

41 In the Save to Central dialog box, select the following, and click OK.
■ Borrowed Elements (User 2 only)

In this multi-user exercise, you learned how to borrow elements from another workset even though that workset
was actively being edited by another user. In this case, you requested permission to edit the element, and the other
user granted it.

Creating Multiple Design
Options
27
When working with a building model, it is common to explore multiple design schemes as the project develops.
These schemes can be conceptual or can be detailed engineering designs. Using design options, you create
multiple design schemes within a single project file. Because all design options coexist in the project with the
main model (the main model consists of elements not specifically assigned to a design option), you can study
and modify each design option and present the options to the client.
In this tutorial, you learn how to create and manage multiple design sets and options within a single building
model.
885
Creating Multiple Design Options in a Project
You can use design options to explore multiple design schemes as the project develops. At any time in the design
process, you can have multiple sets of design options, and each option set can have multiple schemes. For example,
you can have an option set called roofing with multiple subordinate roofing schemes. In addition, you can have
an option set for the roof structure with multiple subordinate structural design schemes. After you and the client
agree on the final design, you can designate a primary design scheme for each option set.
In this particular case, the task is to develop two roof schemes for an addition to an existing house. The client is
interested in a pergola and sunshade for the roof terrace but is not sure of the specific layout or materials. The
client has asked you to create various options.
In the first exercise in this lesson, you set up the design option names and add the modeling elements to the
structural design option set. In the second exercise, you create two roof system design options that work with the
structural options. In the final exercise of this lesson, you learn how to manage and organize the design options,
make your final design decision, and delete the unwanted options from the project. These three exercises are
designed to be completed sequentially with the second and third exercises dependent on the completion of the
previous exercise.
Creating the Structural Design Options

In this exercise, you set up multiple design option sets, each with multiple design options. After setting up the
design option sets and their subordinate options, you design each of the structural options. The first option is a
simple combination of columns and beams. With the second option, you create a unique in-place family as the
structural system.
Dataset
■ Open the m_Urban_House.rvt file located in the Metric folder.
Create first design option

1 On the Tools menu, click Design Options ➤ Design Options.
The first time you open the Design Options dialog box within a project, the only available command is to
create a new option set. There is no limit to the number of option sets you can create. Each option set represents
a portion of the building model wherein design alternatives are being considered. After you create a design
option, you can edit it. Any new elements introduced at that time become part of that option.
2 In the Design Options dialog box, under Option Set, click New.
Notice Option Set 1 has been created with a design option: Option 1 (primary). This option will be the first
structural scheme consisting of 75 mm round columns and 50 mm round bars.
886 | Chapter 27 Creating Multiple Design Options

TIP In this exercise, the roof and structure systems must work together; therefore, each is constructed for
interchangeability.
3 Select Option 1 (primary), click Edit Selected, and click Close.

Any new elements introduced to the building model are added to this option.
4 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click ROOF TERRACE.
5 On the View menu, click Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region, and zoom in on the upper half of the building model.
6 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Column.
7 In the Type Selector, select Round Column: 75mm Diameter.
8 Using the following illustration as a guide, add three columns. Arrows and the dimension lines have been
added for training purposes only. The left column should be centered at the intersection of the notch and the
wall, the second column directly across from it at the intersection of the two walls, and the third column
centered between the two.
TIP To center the middle column, either add a centered reference plane and snap the column to it, or add a dimension
string between the columns, and click the EQ symbol to equalize the segments. You should delete the dimension
and unconstrain after adding the column.

10 Select the three columns either by dragging a pick box around them or by selecting them individually while
holding CTRL.

12 On the Options Bar, select:
■ Constrain
■ Copy
■ Multiple
The Copy command is a two-click process. The first click specifies the reference point on the element to be
copied, and the second click specifies the point on the building model the reference point is copied to. In this
case, the three columns need to be copied three times to create a 3 x 4 grid of 12 columns. By selecting Multiple,
you can continue adding new copies without reselecting the reference point (the first click). Selecting Constrain
limits the movement and helps ensure the post-copy alignment of the columns.
13 Zoom in around the left column that is embedded in the notch.
14 Click at an identifiable part of the notch construction. Because it is important that you select the same location
on the notches you copy to, make sure you select a point that is easily recognizable. In the following illustration,
the midpoint of the lower notch line is selected.
TIP You can zoom in and out easily during this process using the wheel on your wheel mouse.
Creating Multiple Design Options in a Project | 887

15 Zoom out and move downward to the notch just below this one.
16 Zoom in around the notch construction, and click in the same location as you did for the previous notch.
A copy of the three selected columns is added.

17 Zoom out and, using the same technique, add a copy of the columns to the next two notches below this one.
When you are finished, click Modify on the Design Bar to end the copy process.
Because of the size of the columns, they are difficult to see in this view.

Notice the 12 columns that you added.

Next, you add the beams that span the columns.
19 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click TOP OF CORE.
Adding a beam is a two-click process. The first click specifies the beam start point. The second click specifies
the end of the beam.
21 In the Type Selector, select Round Bar : 50mm.
22 Add the first beam between the upper left and right columns by using the following steps:
■ Zoom in on the upper-left column, and click at its center to set the beam start point.
■ Zoom out and move the cursor over the upper right column.
■ Zoom in on the upper right column, and click on the center to set the beam endpoint.
Use the following illustration as a guide. In it, two callouts with thin lines have been added to clarify the
location of the start and end points of the beam.

24 Select the Beam you added previously.
The beam needs to be added between the remaining columns. You can do this manually or use the Copy
command.

26 On the Options Bar, select:
■ Constrain
■ Copy
■ Multiple
27 Zoom in around the upper left column that is embedded in the notch, and click the center point.
This is the reference point for the subsequent copies.
28 Zoom out, move down to the next set of columns, zoom into the left column, and select the center of the
column to add a copy.
29 Repeat this step twice more until a beam is added to each set of columns.

Notice that the beams complete the bracket structure for the proposed roof.

Organize design option sets and subordinate options

32 In the Design Options dialog box, notice that you are still editing Option Set 1: Option 1 (primary).
33 Click Finish Editing.
34 In the Design Options dialog box, under Option, click New.
NOTE Be sure you are creating a new option, not a new option set.
35 Select Option 1 (primary) and, under Option, click Rename.

36 In the Rename dialog box, enter Brackets for New, and click OK.
37 Select Option 2 and, under Option, click Rename.
38 In the Rename dialog box, enter Beam for New, and click OK.
39 Select Option Set 1 and, under Option Set, click Rename.
40 In the Rename dialog box, enter Structure for New, and click OK.

Logically naming the option sets and relative options allows you to more easily manage them.
41 Under Option Set, click New.
42 Select Option Set 1 and, under Option Set, click Rename.
43 In the Rename dialog box, enter Roofing for New, and click OK.
44 Select the option set Roofing and, under Option, click New.
There should now be two roofing design options.
45 Under Roofing, select Option 1 (primary).
46 Under Option, click Rename, name the option Louvers, and click OK.
47 Under Roofing, select Option 2.
48 Under Option, click Rename, name the option Sunscreen, and click OK.
You have completed the initial setup of the design option sets and their subordinate design option names.
This allows you to more easily manage the project.
Design the second structural design option
49 In this section of the exercise, you create the second design option. When finished, it will resemble the following
illustration.
50 In the Design Options dialog box, under Structure, select Beam.

51 Under Edit, select Edit Selected.
Under Now Editing, notice that Structure: Beam is displayed.
52 Click Close.
Notice that the columns added to the Brackets design option do not display.

53 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click ROOF TERRACE.
54 Zoom in toward the top of the roof terrace near the stairs.

56 In the Type Selector, select M_Roof Beam.
57 Place a roof beam into the drawing area as shown.

Using the Align tool requires two clicks. The first click sets the plane that the object will be aligned to. The
second click represents the plane that is moved.
59 Align the roof beam by clicking the lower edge of the adjacent horizontal wall and then clicking the lower
edge of the roof beam. Refer to the following illustration.
60 After aligning the beam, click the padlock that displays to lock the alignment.
62 Select the beam and, on the Edit toolbar, click .

63 On the Options Bar:
■ Clear Group and Associate
■ Enter 4 for number
■ Select 2nd for Move To:
■ Select Constrain
Using the Array tool requires two clicks. The first click sets the move start point. The second click represents
the move end point.
64 Click the start point at the alignment of the beam and wall as shown.
65 Move the cursor down to the next intersection of the lower edge of the horizontal wall and the beam. Click
to indicate the end point of the move.
Three more roof beams are placed at the same intersection as the first beam.

Notice the new design option for the structural elements supporting the roof system.

68 In the Design Options dialog box, click Finish Editing.
Notice that even before you close the dialog box, the 3D view has reverted back to the brackets rather than
the structural beams you just created.
That is because the brackets option is set to primary, which is visible by default. Design option visibility is
covered in more detail later in the tutorial.
69 Click Close.
71 Navigate to your preferred directory, name the file, m_Urban_House-in progress.rvt, and click Save.
NOTE If you intend to continue with the next exercise, you need this file in its current state. You can leave it open
and proceed immediately to the next exercise.
In this exercise, you set up multiple design option sets, each with multiple design options to pick from. After setting
up the design option sets and their subordinate options, you designed each of the structural options: one for
brackets, the other for beams. The first option is a simple combination of columns and beams. With the second
option, you created a unique in-place family as the structural system.

In the next exercise, you create the roof systems that compliment these structural design options.
Creating the Roof System Design Options

In this exercise, you design each of the roofing options. The first option, a Louver system, is constructed of 50 mm
x 250 mm rafters and 50 mm x 150 mm louvers. The second roofing system, Sunscreen, is a simple fabric roof
created using an extrusion. Both of these options are designed to work in conjunction with each of the structural
design options.
This exercise is designed to work in conjunction with the other exercises in this tutorial. All are sequential and
dependent on the previous exercise. If you have not completed the first exercise in this tutorial, do so now.
Create the first roofing design option

1 If you do not have the project file that you saved at the end of the previous exercise open, open it now. You
should have named it m_Urban_House-in progress.rvt.

3 In the Design Options dialog box, under Roofing, select Louvers (primary).
4 Under Edit, click Edit Selected.
Under Now Editing, Roofing: Louvers (primary) should display.
5 Click Close.
6 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click TOP OF CORE.
8 In the Type Selector, select Rafter 50mm x 250mm.
9 Zoom in on the lower half of the building model until you can see the bottom set of columns and the beam
traversing the span.
10 Referring to the following illustration, place the rafter 900 mm inside the wall shown and overlap the horizontal
beam 900 mm.
The dimensions shown are for training purposes. If you need to add dimensions, delete them after the rafter
is in place.

12 Select the rafter you added previously.

14 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, enter 11750 mm for Length, and click OK.
The rafter should now span the entire vertical length of the proposed roof system.

■ Select 2nd for Move To.
You are creating an array of five rafters that are 990 mm apart.
17 Zoom in on the intersection of the lower end of the rafter and the intersecting beam; click in the center of the
intersection to specify the array start point.

18 Move the cursor horizontally to the right and, when the listening dimension displays, enter 990, and press
ENTER.
Zoom out to see that the rafter array is created.

Add the louvers to the design option

20 In the Type Selector, select Louver 50mm x 150mm.
21 Place the first horizontal louver in the upper left corner according to the following illustration.
22 On the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the louver you just placed.

24 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, enter 5475 mm for Length, and click OK.
The louver now spans the horizontal plane of the roof system.
25 With the louver still selected, click the Edit menu, and click Array.
■ Select 2nd for Move To.
27 For the array starting point, click in the center of any intersection between the louver and the beam.
28 Move the cursor vertically downward, and, when the listening dimension displays, enter 300, and press Enter.

Zoom out to see that the 34 louvers array 300 mm apart.

The louver roof system is complete.

31 In the Design Options dialog box, under Edit, click Finish Editing.
The louver roof system still displays in the 3D view because it is the primary option.
Create sunscreen roof system
32 In the Design Options dialog box, under Roofing, select Sunscreen.

33 Under Editing, click Edit Selected, and then click Close.
Notice that the louver roof system no longer displays.
34 In the Project Browser, expand Elevations, and double-click West.
35 Zoom in on the upper level where the roof design is taking place.
36 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof by Extrusion.

37 In the Work Plane dialog box, select Reference Plane : Roof Extrusion for Name, and click OK.
The roof extrusion reference plane has been added to the dataset specifically for this purpose and is hidden in
all views.
38 You are prompted to verify the roof level and offset. Click OK.
Because an extruded roof has a roof type associated with it, you only need to sketch a single line or a string of
lines to define the shape of the extruded roof. In this case, you must create a draped canvas sunscreen. Therefore,
the sketch should be a series of arcs connected at the ends where they connect to the columns.

This tool allows you to sketch an arc line using three points. The first two points define the ends of the line,
and the third point defines the arc.
41 Select the top of the left column, the top of the next column on the right, and then adjust the dip of the arc
until it is 60 degrees. You can adjust the degrees by clicking the blue temporary dimension value immediately
after you create the line.

42 Repeat the previous step and create two more arcs between the columns.
NOTE As you sketch the arcs, try to get the angle value as close to 60 degrees as possible, then you can modify it
through the dimension. Do not be too concerned if your sketch lines do not exactly connect. You will fix this in a
later step.

44 In the Element Properties dialog box, specify the following:
■ Select Sunscreen Fabric for Type.
■ Under Constraints, enter 300 mm for Extrusion Start.
■ Under Constraints, enter 5800 mm for Extrusion End.
45 Click OK.
The roof sketch must be a continuous line. You must make sure the arcs are connected where they connect to
the columns. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use the Trim tool.
47 Select the left arc and then the center arc. Select the right arc, then the center arc.
The arcs should connect.

The louver roof system is complete.

You have completed the sunscreen roof system.
51 In the Design Options dialog box, under Edit, click Finish Editing, and then click Close.
NOTE If you intend to continue with the final exercise, you need this file in its current state. You can leave it open
and proceed immediately to the next exercise.
In this exercise, you designed each of the roofing options. The first option, a Louver system, was constructed of 50
mm x 250 mm rafters and 50 mm x 150 mm louvers. The second roofing system, Sunscreen, was a simple fabric
roof created using an extrusion. Both of these options are designed to work in conjunction with each of the structural
design options.
Managing Design Options

In this exercise, you explore how to present each of the design options by creating multiple views to display the
various combinations. After exploring the combinations, you select a design, make it part of the building model,
and delete the discarded design options.
This exercise is designed to work in conjunction with the other exercises in this tutorial. All are sequential and
dependent on the previous exercise. If you have not completed the previous exercises in this tutorial, do so now.
Create new views for each design option

1 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand 3D Views.
Because the client wants to see 3D building models of each of the designs, you must create a named 3D view
for the primary, secondary, tertiary, and last options.
2 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, right-click {3D}, and click Rename.
3 In the Rename View dialog box, enter Primary Option, and click OK.
4 In the Project Browser, right-click the 3D View Primary Option, and click Duplicate. Repeat this step two more
times until you have three copies of the view.

5 Right-click each of the copies, and click Rename. Rename the three copies as follows:
■ Secondary Option
■ Tertiary Option
■ Last Option
6 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, double-click Primary Option.
Notice that both option sets are set to automatic. This ensures that the primaries (currently bracket and louver)
are visible.
9 Click OK.
10 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, double-click Secondary Option.
13 Specify Beam for the Structure design option, and click OK.

14 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, double-click Tertiary Option.
17 Specify Brackets for the Structure design option, specify Sunscreen for the Roofing design option, and click
OK.
18 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under 3D Views, double-click Last Option.
21 Specify Beam for the Structure design option, specify Sunscreen for the Roofing design option, and click OK.

At this point, all isometric views are ready to be placed on a titleblock or exported and e-mailed to the client.
In this case, the client has reviewed the design options and has decided that the beam system coupled with
the louver roofing system is the preferred design. In your design options, the beam and the louver roofing
should be selected as primary.
23 In the Design Options dialog box, under Structure, select Beam.
24 Under Option, select Make Primary. This was the client choice for structural.
Because the client has selected the design option, the current primaries are no longer options; but should be
accepted as part of the building model.
25 Select Structure.
26 Under Option Set, click Accept Primary.
An alert is displayed, asking if you are sure you want to delete all elements of secondary options in this option
set and remove the option set.
27 In the alert dialog box, click Yes.
The set is deleted, the beam option becomes part of the model, and you get a dialog asking if you want to
delete dedicated option views.
28 In the Delete Dedicated Option Views dialog box, click Delete to remove the views that used options, since
you no longer need them.
29 Select Roofing.
30 Under Option Set, click Accept Primary to take the louvers into the model, delete the other design option
geometry and any dedicated option views.
31 In the alert dialog box, click Yes.
32 In the Delete Dedicated Option Views dialog box, click Delete.
33 In the Design Options dialog box, click Close.
34 In the Project Browser under 3D Views, double-click Primary Option. The other options were removed along
with any dedicated option views.
The beam and louver systems are now part of the building model.

In this exercise, you learned how to present each of the design options by creating multiple views to display the
various combinations. After exploring the combinations, you selected a design, made it part of the building model,
and deleted the discarded design options.

Project Phasing
28
In any project, you or the client may want to view the model according to phases. Phases represent distinct
time periods over the duration of a project. You can create as many phases as necessary and assign building
model elements to specific phases. You can use phase filters to control the flow of building model information
into views and schedules. This allows you to create phase-specific project documentation, complete with
schedules. For the client, you can create a visual time line of phase-specific 3D views.
In the lesson and exercises that follow, you work in a simple building model that requires renovation. You
create new phases, demolish existing construction, and then add new building model elements. In the second
exercise, you apply phase-specific room tags to rooms that vary with each phase.
909
Using Phasing
In the lesson and exercises that follow, you work in a simple building model that requires renovation. You create
new phases, demolish existing walls and doors, then add new walls and doors in a different location. This changes
room definition and total building model area.
In the second exercise, you apply phase-specific room tags to rooms that vary with each phase and observe the
differences in the phase-specific room schedules.
Phasing Your Model

In this exercise, you work in a simple model that requires renovation. You create new phases and phase filters and
modify graphic overrides. During the demolition and renovation process, you create new phase-specific views in
order to visualize the changes that you make to the model.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Phasing.rvt file located in the Common folder.
NOTE The units of measurement in this project file are imperial. Because units of measurement have little bearing on
the goals of this tutorial, you do not need to change the project units to metric. If you wish to do so, go to the Settings
menu, click Project Units, define the units, and click OK.
View current phase conditions

When you create a new project, two phases exist by default: Existing and New Construction. As you add new
elements to the building model, they are assigned to the New Construction phase by default. This phase
assignment is controlled by a setting within the view properties.
910 | Chapter 28 Project Phasing

You can control the default phases and view phase setting by changing the settings within a template. If you
change the view property settings and the phase definitions within a template file, then new building model
elements are assigned to a phase according to those settings.
3 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, notice that Show All is selected for Phase Filter and New
Construction is selected for Phase.
This means that all building model elements, regardless of phase, are visible in this view. Any new elements
that you add to the building model are assigned to the New Construction phase.
4 Click Cancel.
5 Select any of the exterior walls.

In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, notice that New Construction is selected for Phase Created,
and None is selected for Phase Demolished.
7 Click Cancel.
Change the phase of the existing building model elements
9 In the drawing area, drag a pick box around the entire building model to select all of the elements in it.
TIP If this were a multi-story building, you may want to select the building model in a 3D view to ensure you capture
all of the components.
After you release the mouse button, all of the building model elements, including the door tags, are highlighted
in red. Door tags are not phase-specific and must be filtered from the selection.

11 In the Filter dialog box, clear Door Tags, and click OK.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, select Existing for Phase Created, and click OK.
Notice that the line style of the walls and doors is displayed as gray rather than black because of the phase and
phase filter settings in the view properties.
Because this is a renovation project, it requires a plan view for demolition and new construction. After you
create the views, you modify their view properties to make each view phase specific.
Create phase-specific views
15 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, right-click Level 1, and click Rename.
16 In the Rename dialog box, enter Level 1 - Existing, and click OK.
Using Phasing | 911

You are asked if you want to rename corresponding level and views. This refers to the ceiling plan and the
level line visible in any of the elevation views. Since this is a phase-specific view, you do not want to rename
the corresponding views and level.
17 Click No.
18 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, right-click Level 1 - Existing, and click Duplicate.
19 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, right-click Copy of Level 1 - Existing, and click Rename.
20 In the Rename dialog box, enter Level 1 - Demo, and click OK.
You should now have a separate floor plan for the existing building model and the planned demolition.
21 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 - Existing.

23 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, select Existing for Phase, and click OK.
The line style of the walls and doors returns to black.
24 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 - Demo.
Notice that the line pattern is still gray. You may need to zoom in to see this.
This view uses a different line style because the phase property of this view is set to New Construction. On a
logical time line, new construction occurs after existing construction, to which all the building model elements
belong. Because of this time relationship, a graphic override is used to make “older” elements use the gray line
style. Later in this exercise, you modify these settings.
Next, you use phase filters to define which building model elements display in a particular view.
Define phase filters
25 On the Settings menu, click Phases.

26 In the Phasing dialog box, click the Phase Filters tab.
There are five default phase filters. In this case, however, you need a filter that takes all of the phases into
account with a particular graphic override.
27 Click New.
A new phase filter is displayed at the bottom of the Filter Name list.
28 Under Filter Name, click Filter 1, and enter Composite Plan.
29 For Composite Plan, under New, select Overridden.
This new filter uses graphic overrides to set the display of all building model elements: New, Existing,
Demolished, and Temporary.

View graphic overrides
30 Click the Graphic Overrides tab.

Graphic Overrides define the appearance of building model elements according to their phase status. Phase
status is time dependent.
31 Click OK.
Next, you begin demolition. There are two ways to demolishing an element. You can select it and change its
Phase parameter to Demolished, or you can use the demolish tool.
Demolish building model elements

The cursor is displayed as a hammer.
33 Referring to the walls that display as dashed lines in the following illustration, select the interior walls one at
a time, in the upper left corner and the lower right corner.
As you click each wall, its display changes to a dashed line.
Notice that the doors display as demolished even though you did not specifically demolish them. That is
because doors are wall-hosted elements. When you demolish the host, you demolish all elements hosted by
it.
Notice that the demolished walls continue to display. This is because the view phase filter is set to Show All.
Add new construction

37 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, specify Show Previous + New for Phase Filter, and click
OK.
The demolished walls are no longer displayed.

39 In the Type Selector, select Basic Wall: Interior - 4 7/8" Partition (1-hr).
40 Using the following illustration as a guide, add a long horizontal wall, and then add four short vertical walls
between it and the upper exterior wall.
Using Phasing | 913

41 On the Design Bar, click Door.
42 In the Type Selector, select Single Flush: 34" x 84".
43 Add a door leading into each room. Click the control arrows to adjust the opening and face directions.

Notice this view still displays the original walls and doors.
47 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, specify Composite Plan for Phase Filter, and click OK.
The composite plan phase filter uses graphic overrides.

Notice that all building model elements display using the composite filter.
Create a new construction view

49 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, specify Show Previous + Demo for Phase Filter, and click
OK.
50 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Floor Plans, right-click Level 1 - Demo, and click Duplicate.
51 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), under Floor Plans, right-click Copy of Level 1 - Demo, and click
Rename.
52 In the Rename dialog box, enter Level 1 - New, and click OK.

54 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Phasing, specify Show Previous + New for Phase Filter, and click
OK.
The renovated building model plan is displayed. This filter displays all original components that were not
demolished (Show Previous) and all new components added to the building model (+ New).

All elements are displayed in this view, regardless of phase, because the phase filter is set to Show All. You
could create multiple 3D views that display each phase just as you did with the floor plans.
57 If necessary, spin the building model so you can see the demolished walls, which are displayed as red.
Notice that all the elements are displayed using the material defined by the graphic overrides.

If you wish to save this file, you can do so at this time.
In this exercise, you created a building model with three distinct phases and created views with appropriate phase
filters to display each phase.
In the next exercise, you learn how to use phase-specific room tags.
Using Phase-Specific Room Tags

In this exercise, you add room tags to a building model that has multiple phases. Floor plans have been created to
display each phase of the project: existing conditions, demolition, and new construction. As the renovation process
continues, the rooms change in both definition and size, and the information that each room tag reports adjusts
accordingly.
Dataset
■ Open the c_Phase_Specific_Room-tags file located in the Common folder.
Using Phasing | 915

NOTE The units of measurement in this project file are imperial. Because units of measurement have little bearing on
the goals of this tutorial, you do not need to change the project units to metric. If you wish to do so, go to the Settings
menu, click Project Units, define the units, and click OK.
Add room tags

1 In the Project Browser, expand Views (all), expand Floor Plans, and double-click Level 1 - Existing.
Notice that this view is the original building model.
2 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, and double-click Level 1 - Demo.
In this view, the walls marked for demolition display using a dashed line style. They are the same walls that
display as red in the 3D view.
3 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 - New.
In this view, you can see the new walls added to the building model. The three level 1 floor plan views show
the progression of the renovation. You can also see that the room quantities, sizes, and locations change
depending on the phase of the project.
All room boundaries are phase-specific; therefore, room tags report information based on the phase of the view
in which they were added.
4 On the Settings menu, click Phases.
In the Phasing dialog box, notice that there are two phases defined in this project. Phase 0 is for existing
conditions and Phase 1 is for demolition and new construction.
5 Click OK.
6 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 - Existing, and maximize the view.
7 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Room Tag.
8 Using the following illustration as a guide, click in each room to place a room tag.

10 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1 - New.
13 Starting in the room in the upper left corner, click in each room as you move to the right. Use the following
illustration as a guide.

Notice that the two rooms in the lower corners are identical to both the existing phase and the new phase,
yet they have different room numbers.
16 Using the following illustration as a guide, add a room tag to the three rooms adjacent to the lower exterior
wall.
Notice the room tags in this view get the same room tag numbers as the tags in the view displaying new
construction. That is because the same phase is assigned to both views. In this case, both views are assigned
the same phase yet have different phase filters.
View phase-specific room schedules.
17 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities, and double-click Room Schedule - Existing.
18 On the Window menu, click Close Hidden Windows.
19 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities, and double-click Room Schedule - New Construction.
The two schedule views tile.
Notice that in each phase-specific schedule, room information differs based upon the phase of the view the
tags are in. In addition, notice the new construction has 25 less total square feet than the original building
model. This is because the additional interior walls in the new construction occupy more space than the
original.
In this exercise, you added room tags to various floor plans that are assigned different phases. You also opened two
schedules to observe how the room information is reported by phase.
Using Phasing | 917

Linking Building Models and
Sharing Coordinates
29
Many projects consist of disparate buildings in an overall campus, or of a group of related but semi-independent
sub-projects. In these situations, you can use model linking and shared coordinates to create the campus within
one project file while allowing work to proceed on the individual building models in other project files. This
maximizes efficiency, performance, and productivity by working in a smaller project file while retaining the
ability to place that building model into a larger context.
Specific examples when you may want to use model linking and shared coordinates:
■ A campus plan that contains links to several structures.
■ A residential development in which a few different prototypes are configured differently in an area.
■ Comparison of alternatives on a site.
In this tutorial, you link several building models within a single project file in which only a site plan has been
developed. You position the building models on the site plan, modify their visibility, and manage the links
throughout the project. In the final lesson, you share the coordinates so that the linked files remember their
location within the host project.
919
Linking Building Models
In this lesson, you work within a project in which only the site components have been developed. You link multiple
instances of one building model and a single instance of another. You position the building models on the site,
modify their visibility, and manage their locations in coordination with their originating project files.
NOTE You must complete the exercises in this lesson in sequence.
Linking Building Models from Different Project Files

In this exercise, you open a project in which only site components have been developed. You link two building
models to the project. One building model is a condominium, and the other is a townhouse.
920 | Chapter 29 Linking Building Models and Sharing Coordinates

Placement options when linking building models
1 When you link a building model in a project, you have the option to manually place the linked building model
or allow Autodesk Revit Building to automatically place it.
■ Center-to-Center: Revit Building places the center of the imported geometry at the center of the model.
NOTE The center of a Revit Building model is the center of the model geometry. This center changes as the
footprint of your model changes.
■ Origin-to-Origin: The origin of the imported geometry is placed at the invisible origin of the Revit Building
model.
■ By shared coordinates: When using Model Linking in conjunction with Shared Coordinates, this option
will place the link at a predefined location.
RELATED See the lesson, Sharing Coordinates Between Building Models.
■ Cursor at origin: The origin of the linked document is centered on the cursor.
NOTE Revit Building projects are based on a coordinate system; however, this system is not exposed to the
user.
■ Cursor at base point: Not applicable for linked Revit Building Files. This option is grayed out.
■ Cursor at center: The center of the linked document is at the cursor location.
This tutorial requires write permission to all the training files used. Because training files are used in multiple
tutorials and are normally installed as read-only, you need to copy the three training files to a different directory
and make them writable. If you are comfortable doing this using Windows Explorer, you can do so. The required
files can be found in the Common folder of the Training files: c_Site, c_Townhouse, c_Condo_Complex. Otherwise,
use the following steps to copy the training files to a new location.
Save training files to different folder
2 Create a new folder on your hard drive called Model Linking.

■ Open the c_Site file located in the Common folder.
4 On the File menu, click Save As, navigate to the Model Linking folder you created in the first step, and save the
file there.
6 Repeat the previous four steps for the following files:
■ c_Townhouse
■ c_Condo_Complex
7 Open the Model Linking folder, select the three files, right-click, and click Properties.
8 Clear Read-only, and click OK.
All three files now reside, with write permission, in the Model Linking folder that you created.
Link condo complex into site project

■ Navigate to the Model Linking folder.
■ Select c_Site.
■ Click Open.
NOTE The three project files used in this lesson use imperial units of measurement. Because model linking and
sharing coordinates are not dependent on project units, you do not need to change the project units to metric. If
you wish to do so, you can go to the Settings menu, click Project Units, and make your changes.
Linking Building Models | 921

Notice the blue detail lines. These represent the footprint outlines of the three building model sites.
11 On the File menu, click Import/Link ➤ RVT.

12 In the Add Link dialog box:
■ Navigate to the Model Linking folder and select c_Condo_Complex.
■ Under Positioning, select Automatically place.
■ Under Automatically place, select Origin to origin.
13 Click Open.
The condo complex building model is placed approximately at the center of the site model.

Move the condo complex building model
14 Select the linked building model.

After you select it, Linked Autodesk Revit Model: c_Condo_Complex.rvt is displayed in the Type Selector.
Standard move commands work with linked building models. The linked model moves as one object, similar
to the behavior of imported DWG objects.

The Move command requires two clicks. The first click specifies the move start point. The second click specifies
the move endpoint.
16 For the move start point, click the upper-left corner of the linked condo complex building model.
17 For the move endpoint, click the upper-left corner of the matching blue detail lines above it.
After you specify the location to move to, the linked file is displayed within the confines of the blue detail
lines.

Link the townhouse building model

■ Navigate to the Model Linking folder, and select c_Townhouse.
■ Under Positioning, select Automatically place.
■ Under Automatically place, select Origin to origin.
21 Click Open.
The townhouse building model is displayed above the site model.
Rotate the townhouse
22 Zoom in around the townhouse model and select it.

To rotate an object, you first specify the rotation start point, and then click to specify the end of the rotation.
In this case, the townhouse must be rotated 90 degrees clockwise.
24 Place the cursor just north of the townhouse and, when the vertical line displays, click to specify the rotation
start point.
25 Move the cursor 90 degrees clockwise, and click to specify the end of the rotation.
The rotated townhouse should resemble the following illustration.

Move the townhouse

This townhouse building model needs to be moved inside the blue detail lines in the lower-left corner of the
site model. Do not be concerned if the detail lines do not match the exact footprint of the townhouse.
27 Click the lower-left corner of the townhouse building model as the move start point.
28 Select the lower-left corner of the lower-left set of blue detail lines as the move endpoint.

The townhouse is located within its required footprint.
Copy the townhouse

The Copy command works much like the Move command. The first click specifies the start point, and the
second click specifies the copy-to point.
30 For the starting point, select the upper-right corner of the townhouse.
31 Select the upper-right corner of the blue detail lines on the right to specify the copy-to point.
A copy of the townhouse is displayed on the right side of the site project.
32 On the Edit menu, click Rotate, and rotate the townhouse 180 degrees.

NOTE After you rotate the townhouse, if it does not fit reasonably well within the detail lines, use the Move command
to make any adjustments.
NOTE If you intend to complete the next exercise of this tutorial, you need this project file open and in this view.
In this exercise, you linked two separate Autodesk Revit Building models into a site model. After linking the files,
you rotated and moved the building models to fit them into their designated positions within the site development.
In the next exercise, you modify the elevation of the townhouses.
Repositioning Linked Building Models

In this exercise, you reposition the townhouses in respect to their elevation. When you originally linked the files,
they were placed too low within the site topography. In this exercise, you modify their vertical position so that
the townhouses sit correctly on the site.

NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise in this tutorial and the resulting project files. If you
have not completed the previous exercise, do so before continuing.
Modify the vertical position of the townhouses

2 Using the Dynamic View tool, hold the Shift key down and spin the model until it resembles the following
illustration.
Notice that the townhouse is not at the proper elevation in relationship to the site toposurface. This is apparent
because there is a planter below ground level that was designed to sit on top of the site surface.
3 In the Project Browser, under Views (all), expand Elevations, and double-click South.
4 Zoom in around the townhouse on the left.

5 Place the cursor over the townhouse and notice that, when it highlights, the tooltip and status bar display the
name of the linked file.
6 Zoom in closer on the lower half of the townhouse and notice the ground floor level of the townhouse is 11
feet below Level 1 of the site project.
In the steps that follow, you use the Align command to reposition the linked model within this project. When
using the Align command, you first select the plane you want to align to, and then select the plane that you
want to align. In this case, you align the Ground Floor level to Level 1 of the site plan.

8 Select the Level 1 line of the Site project, move the cursor over the Ground Floor level of the Townhouse
project, and click to select it.

Notice that the townhouse is now at the proper height within this project. Also notice the option displays for
you to lock the alignment. Do not lock the alignment of the linked file. This would over-constrain the model.
10 Using the same technique learned in the previous steps, align the Ground Floor level of the remaining townhouse
to Level 1 of the Site project.
11 Return to the South elevation view.

Both townhouses should be at the proper level.

14 Using the Dynamic View tool, hold the Shift key down and spin the model until it resembles the following
illustration.
In this exercise, you changed the elevation of the townhouses relative to the host project. As you can see, each
linked file can have a separate set of levels and relative heights and you can accommodate those differences within
the host project.
In the next exercise, you modify how the linked files display within the host project.

Controlling Linked Building Model Visibility
In this exercise, you modify the visibility settings of the linked files within the site project. After you link an
Autodesk Revit Building project file within another project, you can control the visibility settings, detail level,
display settings, and the halftone settings.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercises in this tutorial and the resulting project files. If you
Modify visibility settings

1 On the Project Browser, under Elevations, double-click South.
3 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click the Linked RVT Categories tab.
4 Under Visibility, expand c_Townhouse.rvt.
Notice that you can turn off the visibility of an entire linked file or selected component categories of the linked
project.
NOTE Annotations such as tags do not display in the linked model branch. This is because only model categories
and datums (levels, grids, and reference planes) are imported when a Revit Building project file is linked. Also, if you
modify the visibility of a category on any of the other tabs in the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, it will not affect the
display of the linked file.
5 Under Visibility, clear Levels.

6 Click OK.
Notice the Level lines for both townhouses are no longer displayed.
NOTE Changes to Visibility/Graphics are per view only. The townhouse level lines still are displayed in the remaining
elevation views.
Apply halftone
7 On the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click Level 1.

Notice the option to halftone individual categories is inactive.
11 Select Halftone for the Townhouse project, and click OK.
Halftone displays objects with half their normal darkness. With linked files, you can apply halftone to the
entire linked model but not individual categories. Notice both townhouses are displayed in halftone.

Detail levels of a linked file

By default, the detail level for the linked townhouse project is set to By View. This means that the detail level
of the linked file is matched to the detail level of the current active project view. You can independently set
the detail level for each model category for each link on a per view basis. You can click the value for Detail
Level, and then set the detail level to coarse, medium, or fine.
In this case, no detail level changes are required.
Modify display settings of linked files
15 You can use display settings to control the view range, phase, and phase filter of a specific link. As with halftone,
the settings can be adjusted only for the entire link, not for each individual model category.
On the Linked RVT Categories tab, under Visibility, select c_Townhouse.rvt.
Notice that the Automatic button displays under Display Settings.
16 Under Display Settings, click Automatic for the Townhouse link.

17 In the Display Settings dialog box, select Floor Plan: Ground Floor for View range.
By default, the view range of a linked project uses the current view of the host project to define its view range.
In most cases, this is preferable. However, there are situations, on a sloped site for instance, where you need
to specify a different view range so that all the building model plan views cut at the same height. In this case,
the townhouse view range now uses the same view range defined within the Floor Plan: Ground Floor of the
original linked file.
Notice the Phase specified is Last and there is no Phase filter applied.
This means that the newest possible phase for the linked building model is displayed, and there is no phase
filter applied to the link.
18 Click OK.
19 In the Visibility/Graphics dialog box, click OK.

In this exercise, you modified the visibility settings of the townhouse link by turning off the visibility of the level
lines and applying halftone in a plan view. You also changed the view range of the townhouse so it would cut
through the building model at the same height as the other linked building model.
In the next exercise, you manage the linked files.
Managing Linked Building Models

In this exercise, you manage the links within the host project by unloading and reloading the linked projects. After
you link an Autodesk Revit Building project into another project, a connection to the original linked project
continues to exist. If the host file is closed and one of the linked files is modified, those modifications are reloaded
into the host project when it is reopened.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercises in this tutorial and the resulting project files. If you
Unload and reload links

1 On the File menu, click Manage Links.
2 In the Manage Links dialog box, click the RVT tab.
Notice the Loaded, Locations Not Saved, and Saved Path fields are read only. They supply information regarding
the links.
NOTE The Locations Not Saved field is only relevant for links with shared coordinates. In a shared coordinate
environment, any changes made to the locations of a linked file are saved within the linked file rather than the host
project. As links are moved to new locations in the host project, you can use the Save Locations command to save
the new locations to the linked project. You learn more about this in the next lesson, Sharing Coordinates Between
Building Models.
3 Under Path Type, notice that you have a choice between Relative and Absolute.
The default path type is Relative. In general, you should use a relative path rather than an absolute. If you use
a relative path and move the project and linked file together to a new directory, the link is maintained. If you
use an absolute path and move the project and linked file to a new location, the link is broken because the
host project continues to look for the link in the absolute path specified. The most common scenario for using
Absolute is when the linked file is on a network where multiple users need access to it.
4 Under Linked File, select c_Condo_Complex.rvt.
The buttons at the bottom of the dialog box are now active.
5 Click Unload.
The Loaded option for that linked file is now clear.
6 Click OK.
Notice that the condo complex link is no longer displayed in the host project.

8 In the Manage Links dialog box, click the RVT tab.
9 Under Linked File, select c_Condo_Complex.rvt.
10 Click Reload.
11 Click OK.
Notice the condo complex building model has been reloaded into its previous location.
TIP In the Manage Links dialog box, you can also remove a link completely or reload the link from a different location.
Linking building models with Worksharing enabled

In some cases, you may need to link projects that have Worksharing enabled. In these cases, you should consider
the following:
■ Selective open of worksets: When linking a Worksharing-enabled building model, you can specify which
worksets to open after the link is made. In the Add Link dialog box, under Open Worksets, select Specify.
This enhances performance by reducing the quantity of components that must be opened and drawn.
■ Changing the linked worksets: While working in a host file with Worksharing-enabled linked files, you
may decide that you need to see additional worksets of one of those linked files. To do this, go to the
Manage Links dialog box and use the Reload From command. You can then specify the additional worksets
you need opened.
■ Linking a building model into multiple host projects: Although the same Worksharing-enabled building
model can be linked within multiple host projects, the specific worksets opened in each host project must
be identical. The user who creates the first link determines the status for all other linked files.

■ Host files with Worksharing enabled: When the host file has Worksharing activated, you must keep in
mind which workset the link is placed in. Links consist of two parts: the link symbol and the link instance.
When you initially place the link, both the link symbol and the link instance are placed in the active
workset. However, link instances can be reassigned to different worksets. In general, you should try to
keep all instances of a link on the same workset.
TIP When opening a Worksharing-enabled host file, it is possible to specify which links are loaded when the host
file opens. A link is only loaded if the workset that the link instance is assigned to opens. If you choose not to open
that workset, the link is not loaded.

13 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the Model Linking folder you created in the first exercise, name the file
Site_Project, and save it as an RVT file.
NOTE If you intend to complete the next lesson, Sharing Coordinates Between Building Models, it is important that
this file exist in the same directory as the condo complex and townhouse projects.
In this exercise, you managed the linked files by unloading and reloading the townhouse project. In the next lesson,
you learn how to share the coordinates between the host and linked projects.
If you intend to complete the next lesson now, leave the project file open in its current view.
Sharing Coordinates Between Building Models

In this lesson, you learn how to share coordinates between project files so that you can correctly locate building
models with respect to each other. When used in conjunction with model linking, you can keep track of the
multiple locations in which a linked building model may reside.
When you share coordinates between projects, you are deciding which coordinate system will be used by the two
files. In essence, you are establishing a shared origin point.
NOTE This lesson requires the completion of the lesson Linking Building Models, and the resulting project files. If you
have not completed the previous lesson, do so before continuing.
Acquiring and Publishing Coordinates

In this exercise, you publish the coordinates from a host project file to two different buildings that are linked to
that project. The host file consists primarily of site components.
Sharing Coordinates Between Building Models | 935

When you link an Autodesk Revit Building project into another project (the host project), you can choose to use
the coordinates of either the host project or the linked project. In most cases where the host project consists
primarily of site components and the linked projects contain the building models, the host project coordinates are
used. This ensures all the linked building models define their position with respect to the site data.
When you are working in the host project, you can publish the coordinates of the linked files. This sends the
coordinate information to the linked project so that its internal coordinate system matches the host project.
You can also acquire coordinates when working in the host project. In this case, the host file acquires the coordinates
of a specified linked file. You may want to do this in a case when the link refers to a DWG that has an established
coordinate system that you want the host project to adopt.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous lesson, Linking Building Models, and the resulting project
files. If you have not completed the lesson, do so before continuing. If you have closed the project, open it before
continuing.
Dataset
■ Navigate to the Model Linking folder you created in the first exercise of this tutorial.
■ Select Site_Project.rvt and click Open.
Publish coordinates
1 Verify that the floor plan Level 1 is the active view.
2 On the Tools menu, click Shared Coordinates ➤ Publish Coordinates.

As indicated in the Status Bar, you must now select a linked project to publish coordinates to.
3 In the drawing area, click the Condo Complex. It is the building model in the upper center of the host project.

4 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, select Location 1, and click OK.
On the Status Bar, notice you are still in Publish Coordinates mode and Revit Building is waiting for you to
select another link.
5 On the Design Bar, click Modify to end the Publish Coordinates process.
NOTE If you intend to complete the next exercise of this lesson, you need this project file open and in this view.
You have published the coordinates of the host project to the linked project. Both projects now share the same
coordinate system.
Relocating a Project with Shared Coordinates

When an Autodesk Revit Building model is linked into a host project, it is placed at a specific location. Until
coordinates are shared between the link and the host, this location is not saved outside of the host model. However,
if coordinates are published from the host to the linked file, then the location becomes saved in the linked file.
This location is defined as being a specified location with respect to the origin of the Host.
Linked files using shared coordinates must have at least one defined location, but can have multiple additional
locations. An example of a linked file with many locations is a prototype model of a house that is placed on 3
different lots. These three locations can be named Lot A, Lot B, and Lot C. Each of these lots is simply a different
position for the same house design. Each of the locations can then be saved within the linked file for reference.
This makes it possible to use the same building file to represent identical buildings on a site.
In this exercise, you specify and save the two townhouse locations, even though both models originate from one
linked file. You also relocate the shared origin of the project.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise within this lesson and the resulting project files. If
you have not completed the exercise, do so before continuing.
Specify a townhouse location

1 In the drawing area of the floor plan Level 1, move the cursor over the left townhouse and, when the edges
highlight, click to select it.

3 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Instance Parameters, notice the Shared Location value is Not
Shared.
4 Under Value, click Not Shared for Shared Location.
Because this is the first time you are setting up the shared coordinates between the host and the linked models,
a dialog box is displayed telling you to reconcile the coordinates. This means that you need to choose which
coordinate system will be shared by both files. This is a one-time operation.
5 In the Share Coordinates dialog box:
■ Select Publish the shared coordinate system.
■ Under Record selected instance as being positioned at location, click Change.
6 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, click Rename.

7 In the Rename dialog box, enter Lot A for New, and click OK.
8 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, click OK.
9 In the Select Location dialog box, click Reconcile.
10 In the Element Properties dialog box, notice the Shared Location value is now Lot A, and click OK.
Constrain a link to a specific location
11 Select the townhouse building model on the right side of the host project.
After a link instance is assigned a shared location, changing the position of that instance can affect the definition
of the location that is saved with the linked file. When constraining a link to a location, you have only two
choices:
■ Move the instance to an existing location that is not already in use.
■ Record the current position as a location.

13 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Instance Parameters, click Not Shared for Shared Location.
In the Choose Location dialog box, notice that you do not have an option to acquire or publish coordinates.
This is because the coordinates for this linked file have already been shared. It is only necessary to reconcile
coordinates once.

14 In the Choose Location dialog box, select Move instance to.
Notice the OK button is not active. This is because you cannot choose a location where an instance link already
exists. You created the Lot A location in previous steps, and the left townhouse resides at that location.
15 In the Choose Location dialog box, select the second option, Record current position as.
Notice the OK button is still not active. Because Lot A is currently in use, you cannot redefine its location.
16 Click Change.
17 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, click Duplicate, enter Lot B for Name, and click OK.
18 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, make sure Lot B is selected, and click OK.
19 In the Select Location dialog box, click OK.
You now have two different locations for the townhouse building model: Lot A and Lot B.
Save locations

22 In the Manage Links dialog box, click the RVT tab, and then select the townhouse project.
23 Click Save Locations.
24 In the Save Modified Linked Model dialog box, select Save, and click OK.
When you create a location, it is not automatically saved within the linked file. To explicitly save a location,
you must go to the Manage Links dialog box and save the locations there.
NOTE If you attempt to close a host file without saving location changes made to linked files, you are prompted to
save the locations to the linked files.
25 In the Manage Links dialog box, notice the Locations Not Saved checkbox for the townhouse project is no
longer checked.
26 Click OK.
27 Select the townhouse on the right in Lot B and drag it a short distance in any direction. When you release the
mouse button, a warning is displayed.
You are informed that you have attempted to move a linked file that has been saved to a specific location. You
are given the opportunity to save the new location, ignore the warning, or cancel the action.
28 Click Cancel to return the townhouse to Lot B.
You can relocate an entire project with respect to all the linked files that are shared with it. When you relocate
a project, the active location position is moved, although it may appear that the linked files are moving. By
relocating a project, you essentially move the origin of the shared coordinates.
Relocate a project

30 On the Tools menu, click Project Position/Orientation ➤ Relocate this Project.
This is a two-click process. The first click specifies the move start point. The second click specifies the move
endpoint.
31 Click just north of the site topography and just below the North elevation symbol.

32 Move the cursor horizontally to the left approximately 40' and click to relocate the shared origin.
Notice the site topography and the linked building models no longer line up, and the linked projects are offset
the distance that you moved the origin.

33 On the Edit menu, click Undo to return the origin to its original position.
35 In the Save Modified Linked Model dialog box, select Save, and click OK.
In this exercise, you created and saved the locations of each townhouse. You have also learned how to relocate the
host project with respect to the linked projects.
Scheduling Components of Linked Files

In this exercise, you schedule components of the host file and of all linked files.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercise within this lesson and the resulting project files. If
you have not completed the exercise, do so before continuing.
Create a door schedule

1 Verify that the floor plan Level 1 is the active view.

3 In the New Schedule dialog box, under Category, select Doors, and click OK.

Select the fields to display in the door schedule

5 Under Available fields, select Count, and click Add.
6 Add the remaining fields in the following order:
■ Family and Type
■ Comments
■ Cost
7 Select Include elements in linked files, and click OK.
In order to see a concise listing of all the doors in the campus project, you can sort the schedule data and
display a single table entry per door type.
Sort schedule data
8 In the Project Browser, expand Schedules/Quantities, right-click Door Schedule, and click Properties.
9 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, click Edit for Sorting/Grouping.
10 In the Schedule Properties box, select Family and Type for Sort by.
11 Select Grand totals, clear Itemize every instance, and then click OK twice.
Because you did not itemize every instance of each door type, the schedule lists the total count for each door
type, and a grand total for the number of doors in the project buildings.
NOTE In the following exercise, you work in one of the linked projects. You cannot work on a host file and one of
its linked files simultaneously in the same session of Revit Building.
In this exercise, you created a schedule of doors in the host file and all linked files of a project. You also sorted the
schedule data to produce a consolidated listing of the components.

Working with a Linked Building Model
After a file has been linked into a host and its coordinates are shared, the linked file contains information about
its location with respect to the host. When opening the linked file, you can select which of the defined locations
is the active location that you would like to work on. Also, if other models were linked into the same host, you
could link them in and have them retain their correct position.
In this exercise, you work on the townhouse building model and modify its location.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercises within this lesson and the resulting project files. If
you have not completed the exercises, do so before continuing.
Dataset
■ Select c_Townhouse and click Open.
Link a project
1 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click 1st Floor.
This project is currently linked to the Site_Project.rvt file. It is located in Lot A and Lot B within that project
file. In addition, the condo complex is linked within the Site_Project.rvt file.
■ Select c_Condo_Complex.
■ Under Positioning, select By shared coordinates.
■ Click Open.
Because this building model only has one named location, it is placed automatically within the host project.
4 Zoom out to see the condo complex building model.
The condo complex is positioned relative to the active location of the townhouse building model. The current
active location is Lot A.
Change the active location
5 On the Settings menu, click Manage Place and Locations.

Notice that Lot A is the current active location.
6 Select Lot B, and click Make Current.

7 Click OK.
Notice that the condo complex link has repositioned itself as though the townhouse was on Lot B.
In this exercise, you worked within a project that is linked within another project. You loaded a linked file into
the townhouse project and then changed the active location to see how the project reacts to the changes.
In the final exercise of this tutorial, you manage the shared locations.
Managing Shared Locations

The Manage Place and Locations command allows you to quickly create new location names or rename existing
ones. These new locations can be assigned later within a host file. In this exercise, you create a new location, orient
a view to true north, and use the Report Shared Coordinates tool.
NOTE This exercise requires the completion of the previous exercises within this lesson and the resulting project files. If
you have not completed the exercises, do so before continuing.
Manage locations
1 On the Settings menu, click Manage Place and Locations.
2 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, click Duplicate.
3 In the Name dialog box, enter Lot C, and click OK.
4 In the Manage Place and Locations dialog box, click OK.
Lot C now exists as a location although it has not been specified as an instance. In the host file, you can select
Lot C if necessary.
Orient a view to true north

6 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Graphics, select True North for Orientation, and click OK.
7 Zoom to Fit.
Notice that the orientation of the model resembles the site project.

Report shared coordinates
8 On the Tools menu, click Shared Coordinates ➤ Report Shared Coordinates.

This command allows you to determine the location of elements and points in the model with respect to the
shared coordinate origin.
9 Click any component or in any location on the drawing area.
On the Options Bar, notice the coordinates display in regards to the direction and distance to the origin.
10 On the File menu, click Close. You can save the file if you wish.
In this exercise, you created a new location using the Manage Place and Locations tool. You rotated a view to true
north and used the Report Shared Coordinates tool to locate components in regards to the origin.
You have completed this tutorial.


AutodeskRevitBuilding8 (1) 1tutorials

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AUTODESK ®

Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts ............................................................................................... 1

Chapter 2 Creating Your First Building Model .................................................................................. 11

Chapter 3 Modifying Project and System Settings .......................................................................... 113

Chapter 10 Curtain Systems ................................................................................................................ 287

Chapter 11 Creating Drawings ............................................................................................................ 315

Chapter 14 Annotating and Dimensioning ......................................................................................... 413

Chapter 16 Rendering Views and Creating Walkthroughs .............................................................. 463

Chapter 17 Presentation Views ........................................................................................................... 491

Chapter 18 About Families and the Family Editor ........................................................................... 539

Chapter 19 Creating Components in the Family Editor .................................................................. 545

Chapter 20 Parametric Component Design Techniques ................................................................. 661

Chapter 21 Area Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 725

Chapter 26 Sharing Projects ................................................................................................................ 865

Chapter 27 Creating Multiple Design Options .................................................................................. 885

Chapter 28 Project Phasing ................................................................................................................. 909

Chapter 29 Linking Building Models and Sharing Coordinates ....................................................... 919

elements, and how to navigate the user interface.

What is Autodesk Revit Building?

What is meant by parametric?

How does Autodesk Revit Building keep things updated?

Element behavior in a parametric modeler

Understanding Autodesk Revit Building terms

2 | Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts

Understanding the Basics | 3

Navigating the Revit Building User Interface

Start a new project

1 On the Standard toolbar, click .

4 | Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts

The Menu Bar

3 On the View menu, click Zoom.

TIP For example, the shortcut key for Zoom To Fit is ZX.

4 On the Window menu, click Toolbar.

5 On the Modelling menu, click Wall.

Understanding the Basics | 5

8 On the Modelling menu, click Wall.

6 | Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts

10 On the Window menu, click Design Bars.

Understanding the Basics | 7

8 | Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts

16 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Wall.

Understanding the Basics | 9

18 On the Design Bar, click Modify.

21 On the Help menu, click Autodesk Revit Help.

22 Close the Revit Building Help window.

10 | Chapter 1 Understanding the Concepts

the design process might differ in a real-world scenario.

first building model.

Creating and Modifying the Exterior Walls of the West Wing

Add new levels

12 | Chapter 2 Creating Your First Building Model

5 Click Level 2 to create level 3 at the designated offset above it.

In this view, notice the following:

6 Click Level 3 to add Level 4.

7 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Modify.

Creating Your First Building Model | 13

10 Enter Roof and press ENTER.

Sketch the exterior walls

14 | Chapter 2 Creating Your First Building Model

17 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Wall.

Creating Your First Building Model | 15

■ Select the drawing tool, .