01. Pinning
Pinned objects will show a thumbtack when selected. Clicking the thumbtack will unpin the object.
02.Use Splash Screen
02.Use Splash Screen
Sometimes when experiencing a hard time opening a project, make it easier by utilizing a splash screen. Go to Manage tab >> Manage Project panel >> Starting View Tool. The default view to be opened is the Last Viewed. You can change this to a set view. To improve the boot up of Revit, create a new view or choose an existing view that does not display a lot of detail. This reduces the processing time of the Revit file and lets you start working on the project much more quickly.
03. Using Filters to Find Objects
03. Using Filters to Find Objects
Often times, you may need to find a specific object in the model, or select multiple of a similar object in the model. Use the Filter function to your advantage. Drag Select a region that will select all the elements you wish to select. Click the Filter button under the Modify Tab and uncheck all irrelevant objects. Click OK and the objects that were left checked will be selected.
This trick is especially useful in locating imported CAD Drawings that did not import to a correct scale. Simply type ZE to Frame all objects in the model space within the window and select all objects in the view. Filter and only check the box for the externally referenced CAD File. Click OK and your imported CAD File will be highlighted. Usually a line with a Pin will indicate the location of the CAD file. Zoom in closer and you'll find an underscaled CAD plan that you can rescale.
This trick is especially useful in locating imported CAD Drawings that did not import to a correct scale. Simply type ZE to Frame all objects in the model space within the window and select all objects in the view. Filter and only check the box for the externally referenced CAD File. Click OK and your imported CAD File will be highlighted. Usually a line with a Pin will indicate the location of the CAD file. Zoom in closer and you'll find an underscaled CAD plan that you can rescale.
04. Understanding Sheets & Views
Sheets are used for printing, while views are actual workspaces that can be placed onto sheets for printing. A view can only be placed on one sheet, and cannot be used in multiple sheets at one time. In order to have a similar view placed in multiple sheets, you must duplicate the Views as Dependents and place the new view onto the sheet:
Here is a break down of the differences within duplicating a view:
Here is a break down of the differences within duplicating a view:
- Duplicate View
Duplicates a view, and all objects that are considered part of the "model". Things that are detail items, such as detail lines, hatches, text annotations, and detail groups will now show up in the new Duplicated View. Any new changes to the views won't affect the other. - Duplicate View with Detailing
Duplicates a view with all model items and detail items. Any new changes to either the old or new view won't affect the other. - Duplicate as Dependent
Duplicates a view exactly as seen. Any changes in one view will affect the other.
05. Snapping
Control where your line ends with greater precision by using the snap function. Often times, there will be lines that do not meet at corners, or over-extend due to the default auto-snap that Revit uses. When clicking certain points, input snap shortcuts such as SE (Snap to Endpoint), SI (Snap to Intersection), SP (Snap to Perpendicular), SN (Snap to Nearest), SM (Snap to Midpoint), before clicking the point to have it snap precisely to the point you need it to be in.
06. Constraining Models
When building models, there are often times that changes to a model require one to shift multiple objects at once. Constraining certain elements of a model can aid in adjustments quickly. Simply dimension two elements you want constrained and input the dimension you want to lock in. In the example below, I want the center of the door to always be 2 feet away from the wall to the right. Lock in the dimension string and the object is now constrained. If you want the object to remain constrained but to not show any dimension strings, simply delete the dimension string and click "OK" on the alert message. Clicking "Unconstrain" will remove the constraint along with the dimension string. Now, every time the right wall shifts, the door will shift along with it to maintain the 2 feet distance.
*Note: Over-constraining elements will cause the model to create error messages, which will require you to remove certain constraints.
07. Override Graphics in View
If you want a temporary override of lineweights or surface texture in a view, simply click the element, click "Override Graphics in View", then also click "By Element". This is useful when overlaying CAD drawings to a floor plan view to draft as a reference. When linking CAD files with different colored layers, it may be visually difficult to draft over these drawings. Override projection lines to a dull gray or even a single easily recognizeable color to differentiate what a CAD drawing is and what a Revit model is.
*Note: Override Graphics only works on the view in which it was turned on in. If you want to change an element throughout the Revit model, change the Visibility Settings instead. Additionally, be aware as to what elements are being overridden. All overrides take precedence over visibility settings, so you will need to turn off the override to have it take on the Visibility Setting's characteristics again.
*Note: Override Graphics only works on the view in which it was turned on in. If you want to change an element throughout the Revit model, change the Visibility Settings instead. Additionally, be aware as to what elements are being overridden. All overrides take precedence over visibility settings, so you will need to turn off the override to have it take on the Visibility Setting's characteristics again.
08. Room Areas vs Area
09. Understanding Families & Types
Knowing when to create new Families and when to create new Types can make a world of a difference to how long modeling will take. You can view Families and Types to that of animal kingdoms. Families are similar to a species of Animal (Dog, Cat, Parrot, etc.) and there are specific Family Types (Mammals, Amphibians, etc.). Types are similar to the breed of an animal (Golden Retriever, Chihuahua, Bulldog). If you are going to model an object that will change in dimensions, or have certain elements that are visible and not visible in certain instances, then this should be differentiated by Type. If the Family is going to be two completely different models (i.e. a model of a table & a model of a chair), they should be two different Furniture Families.
01. Families are broken down into certain sub-categories of Families.
02. Within these sub-categories rests individual Families. I.E. Basic Wall Family.
03. Within an individual Family rests Types, which are different configurations of a Family. I.E. Brick on CMU is a Family Type within a basic wall Family.
Example: If I need a box in Revit with the dimensions (2'x2', 4'x4', and 8'x8'), simply make a Family with a rectangular extrusion. Set the Length, Width, and Height as dimension parameters in the Family. Load the Family into the model and create 3 different Types. Within the Type settings, input the necessary dimensions and click "OK". Create another Family Type by clicking "Duplicate" and renaming the Type to something else.
10. Pick Lines
If you are converting line work from a CAD file, instead of drawing the lines individually, you can use "Pick Lines" to automatically copy the CAD lines onto Revit. If the line is drawn as a Polyline in CAD, you can press "Tab" while hovering over the line to potentially select an entire Polyline versus a single segment.
By choosing Pick Line and hovering over a specific line and tabbing through the selections, you can draw single Polylines from existing CAD drawings quickly.\
11. Customize Double Clicking Family Shortcut
If you are modelling a space with alot of families in the model space, often times you may accidentally double click families and enter the edit family window. This can take up some of your time, especially when this mistake happens often during modelling. To avoid this issue, customize your double click shortcut key by clicking on the Revit icon on the top left and clicking on Options. Under the User Interface tab, Click Customize under the Double Click Options section. You can change the option from Edit Family to "Do Nothing". Hit OK and Apply these settings. Now whenever you double click a Family, it won't automatically open up the Edit Family window. Instead you'll have to click the Edit Family button at the top toolbar ribbon.
12. View Ranges
If your views are now displaying parts of a model, or models created are disappearing from the modelling view, it is most likely because it is outside of your specified "View Range". To fix this, simply go to the Project Properties an adjusting the View Range to a more wider range.
When viewing floor plans, you can change the view range under the Properties window and adjust it accordingly. Anything outside of this range will be clipped from the plan.
13. Detail Levels to Optimize Workability
When building Revit Families, creating different models for different Levels of Details can help in how fast the Revit Model can function later on. When building a family, build a generic geometry such as a Box, Circle, or Linework to represent the Object and have it sit on top of the Detailed Model. Select the Detailed Model and Group it as one object. Under the Properties window, click "Edit…" for Visibility and Graphics Overrides. Uncheck Coarse and Medium and click OK. Now the Family will only show the detailed model when the Revit View is set to Fine Detail. Similarly, select the Basic Geometric model mentioned earlier and edit its Visibility so that only Coarse and Medium are checked. Now a simplified geometric model will be used in place of the detailed model when Revit Views are set to Coarse or Medium. This can allow users to work on the Model Space quickly without the need for the computer to process the detailed family model constantly.
14. Aligning Plans on Revit Sheets
01. Adding two reference lines that intersect can act as a point of reference when placing views on sheets.
02. Draw detail lines on the sheets for the views to snap to when place on the sheet. In this instance, we are snapping the floor plan's reference line intersection point onto the detail line's intersection. Detail lines can be copied and pasted between sheets "aligned to current view".
15. Visibility Settings
You can specify representational colors for your models categorically through your visibility settings. Under View>Visibility Graphics, you can specify certain Revit families to be a certain color. Simply select the necessary category and change the Lines/Patterns to your desired color. You can be more specific by opening the tree down further and only specifying certain parts of the Family be a certain color.
In the screenshot above, all ducts are set to show as red. This will only affect the view currently opened. If you change views, this visibility needs to be set again.
*Note: There is a difference between Projection & Cut Lines & Patterns. Any views that cut through an object such as a wall would show the Cut Lines and Cut Patterns. Any models that are visibly without being cut (such as in 3D views) will show the Projection/Surface Lines and Patterns.
16. Linked Revit Files
The difference between Linking and Importing is the ability to update. Linking a CAD or Revit file will allow the Revit file to check the file and update if the reference file is changed at all. Imported files will not update and will stay the same as when it was imported.
17. Keyboard Shortcuts
Make an effort to learn the keyboard shortcuts for common commands in Revit. You may customize the shortcuts to your preference, but it is suggested you learn the existing shortcut layouts so you can work interchangeably with others easily.
18. Working Between Views
Often times, you may not be able to fully comprehend a model in just a single view. You can view the model sectionally by creating a section cut on the floor plan, or in 3D by going to View> 3D View. Use View>Switch Windows to swap between views and use View>Close Hidden to close all the views when you're done. Note: Any section cuts made will create a "view" under the Project Browser. Keep the Project Browser clean by deleting these views afterwards if you do not intend to use them in the future.
01. When you create a section view, you can right click the section line and click Go To View to directly open up the corresponding section view.
02. Adjusting the depth of view for the section using the drag-bar can control what is being cropped out of the section.
03. Adjusting the drag-bar on the left and right will adjust what is being cropped in the section view.
Creating sections (and 3D Views) will create these views under the Project Browser. If you're only doing this to view parts of the model and navigate around, please delete these sections or 3D views afterwards to avoid clutter. If you are going to utilize this view in the future, do not delete it.
19. Input Numbers; Do Not Drag & Estimate!
When working with such familys as ducts, it is important to make sure these dimensions are as precise as possible. If they are estimations, they should still be set to a whole integer.
In the case seen to the left, the initial duct was set with dimensions that are not rounded. Change these numbers to whole integets by selection the duct, then clicking on the dimension number. This will allow you to change the dimension to a set number. Press enter and this dimension will be adjusted.
20. Create a Wall
Creating a wall or beam you can use the pick line if there's a given 2D CAD dwg's instead of drawing/dragging it up to the length required. Prior to selecting the line for the wall, set the location line to either exterior or interior to ensure the walls created line up to the edge of the linework. Create the wall and trim, align, or extend accordingly.
21. Check Your Room Heights
Rooms are essential for scheduling, especially in a multi-discipline team. Unfortunately, rooms created in Revit often don't go full height. Make sure they are the correct height by turning on a cut section and looking for the room fill. Otherwise you can click on the room and set its height in the properties. This ensures all fixtures are correctly assigned to the room and that the room is the right size for MEP calculations.
22. Nudging Objects
If you need objects to move in a certain direction ever so slightly, but sacrifice precision, you can nudge them by using the arrow keys with the object selected. The closer you zoom into the object, the finer the nudge will become. Vice versa, as you zoom out, the nudge is greater. Holding Shift while nudging will increase the amount of nudge as well.
23. Importing CAD & Revit files to the Right Location
There are a variety of ways to import or link a Revit or CAD Drawing to Revit Model. One purpose for this is to overlay different models on top of one another as reference. You have to, however, import to the correct location, or else models won't overlay correctly. When importing a Revit or CAD file, it is best to use the "Link Revit/CAD" or "Import CAD" commands found under the Insert Category of the top ribbon. Avoid Dragging and dropping, as this will prompt you to manually specify the location where the referenced file will sit.
The selections do the following:
Once you have clicked one of these commands, you will be asked to select a reference file. Before actually importing the file into the space, you will notice that there is a choice as to where to place this referenced file.
The selections do the following:
- Auto-Center to Center
Based off the average centerpoint of everything in the referenced file, this point will be placed on the average center point of the revit model space. The center point changes as models are changed, so it is not a reliable positioning to use for overlaying files. - Auto-Origin to Origin
The referenced file will place its own origin point at the origin point of the revit file. This is useful in overlaying referenced files if all of the models are located at the same location in relations to the origin point. - Auto-By Shared Coordinates
If you assign a coordinate to each model, the model will be placed exactly within its specified coordinates. This is useful if the project has been set up initially to utilize a shared coordinate system - Manual
All manual selection involved you manually specifying a point to place the referenced file. Manual-Origin will ask you to manually place the referenced file's origin point, while manual base point will ask you to manually place the referenced file based off a selected based point. Manual-Center will ask you to manually place the referenced file based off it's center point.
In the end, it is best to use either Origin to Origin or By Shared Coordinates to overlay referenced files for collaboration.
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