Tool Tips
Tool Tips
3. Always work in a local file. Ie. ☑ Create new Local each time you go into your project.
4. Do not open multiple Revit Licenses – this costs money.
5. Close Revit License if not in use, so others can use it.
6. Fix and minimize Revit warnings. Less than 10 is ok – More than 1000 is not.
7. Pay attention to what Revit tells you in the alert and warnings dialogue box.
8. Audit the Revit file once or twice a week.
9. Compact the Revit file once or twice a week.
10. Do not move, copy or rename live Revit project files unless authorized.
11. Save/Synchronize with Central should be performed at regular intervals (eg. Hourly minimum).
12. Leave a note in the comments box upon synchronisation when a major change has been made.
13. Over complicated components – Keep them simple.
14. Ensure when duplicating materials that the material appearance ‘tab’ has also been duplicated.
15. Duplicate components / filled regions when creating new versions.
16. Shut down & restart Revit over lunch to reset cache (especially if file slows down).
17. Only have one project file open at a time.
18. Turn off shadows until you want to print.
19. Keep your template and your project files as clean and simple as possible.
20. Use Move command to move large numbers of objects, instead of dragging them.
21. Use View Cube (in 3d View) to quickly switch between views/elevations within the model.
22. Minimize number of Levels within the models.
23. Use Ref Planes/Lines to indicate secondary vertical reference levels (eg. Window head, cills).
24. Only use 2D detail lines & annotations for detailing views.
25. Minimize the use of 2D model lines as they appear in every view.
26. Revit Views: 1-Create, 2-Name View, 3-Apply View Template (always).
27. Unused views in the Revit file: Name it or delete it (see above).
28. To manage Views: Produce a Revit schedule of views that have a View Template applied.
29. To manage Views: Produce a Revit schedule to keep track of views placed on sheets.
30. Delete any rooms from the project that have not been placed.
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.
5 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. If you are working in an area where a lot of linework is occurring, it is best to use
the snapping feature and the TAB key to cycle through the available snap points in the area
that your cursor is hovering over. Revit will indicate which lines are being used as references
to the snap by highlighting the lines.
6 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.
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.
It is important to differentiate between Room Area tags and Area tags. Use Area tags to
calculate overall footage of a building, or areas that are not distinguished as a “space”.
Utilize Room Area tags when defining rooms, such as any space enclosed by walls. Use the
walls to frame the area, and use Room Separation lines to divide spaces with openings. Do
NOT use Area to calculate areas of rooms, as it will not populate in room schedules
correctly.
Knowing when to create new Families and when to create new Types can make a world of a
difference to how long Revit 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.
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. There is the possibility that you can convert an
entire CAD drawing into Revit linework by exploding the imported CAD file, but this is not
recommended for drawings containing large amounts of linework, 3D elements, hatches,
etc.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Linking Revit Files are essential in using external models as references in order to detect
clashes between models. Make sure these Linked Revit Files are placed in the correct
locations and are pinned down to ensure correct referencing.
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.
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.
Take advantage of the viewcube
The ViewCube is a great way of viewing your models in any plan, elevation, section, or 3D
view in the project without switching to different views on Revit’s project browser. The
advantage to these views over the typical floor plan, elevation, and section views is that it
enables the users to quickly see the model in different views without creating new sections,
floor plans, or elevations that may clutter your project browser. To view particular sections of
the model, enable the section box within the properties window and adjust the box to
section the model in the desired location. Utilize the viewcube in combination with this
section box to see sections of the model quickly.
You can also orient the view to a direction that corresponds to the project coordinates, e.g.,
where “North” corresponds to true north. The selected objects in one view will remain
selected in other views, helping you locate these objects in the different views.
To orient a 3D view in another view, right click the ViewCube and select Orient to View and
then select the view type and name.
To orient a 3D view in a specific direction, right click the ViewCube and select Orient to a
Direction, and then select a direction.
When working with families such 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 above, the initial duct was set with dimensions that are not rounded.
Change these numbers to whole integers by selecting 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.
21 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.
22 CHECK YOUR ROOM HEIGHTS
23 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.
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.
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.
When you need to copy multiple items to multiple levels, just simply highlight the items, click
the Copy to Clip Board button, then under the Paste Drop-Down select the option.
By using “Aligned to Selected Levels”, you can paste them into one or more levels. In the
dialog that displays, choose the levels by name. To select more than one, press Ctrl while
selecting the names.
By using “Aligned to Selected Views”, you can copy view-specific elements (such as
dimensions) or model and view-specific elements, you can paste them into similar types of
views.
By using “Aligned to Current View”, you can paste the elements to the current view. For
example, you can paste elements from a plan view to a callout view. The view must be
different from the view where the elements were cut or copied.
By using “Aligned to Same Place”, you can paste the elements into the same place from
where you cut or copied them. This option is useful for pasting elements between worksets
or design options. Also, you can use it to paste between 2 files that have shared coordinates.
Keep in mind that this option is only available if the active view you are pasting your object
on is the same type of view as the view in which you copied the original element from. For
example, you can paste objects aligned to the same place between two floor plan views,
but not from a floor plan to a section view.
By using “Aligned to Picked Level”, you can paste the elements in an elevation view. You
must be in an elevation view to use this tool, because it requires that you select a level line
on which to paste the elements.
In a project, under the View tab and Schedules drop-down list, you can create a View List
schedule to check all the view settings.
On the Fields tab of the View List Properties dialog, select the fields to be include in the view
list. If you want to create user-defined fields, click Add Parameter. By using the Filter,
Sorting/Grouping, Formatting, and Appearance tabs, you can simplify the schedule.
Most of fields can modify directly in the schedule. Think about that project where you have
hundreds of views, and maybe dozens of floor plans, directly editing fields in the schedule
can save
you a lot of time of going through each and every field.
Sometimes we want to use the same schedule in another project that can help to evaluate
certain design decision, but we don’t want to create the similar schedule from scratch
especially after you created some custom schedules and included conditional formatting &
formulas.
Option 1:
The easiest thing to do is to actually just right-click on the schedule and copy it to the
clipboard. Then hold down Control key and press Tab and it will cycle back to the other open
window. Now each time Control + Tab it will cycle to the next open window. If you go Control
+ Shift + Tab it will go in reverse and you can cycle between any windows you have open.
After you get the project window you want to paste the schedule to, you can use the Paste
Button or Control + V to paste the schedule. Note, the schedule cannot be paste in the
perspective view window.
Option 2:
You can also select all the schedules you want to use in another project and right-click save
to a new file. This will prompt you for name and location. Then, you need go to the Insert tab
to bring the schedule back to project and it will list out all of the views that are eligible to be
imported from the file.
Sometimes when you are working on a project, you may need the dimensions in different
formats, such as both metric and imperial units.
To define alternate dimension units, on the Dimension panel of the Annotate tab, click the
type of dimension for which you wish to define alternate units.
On the Properties palette, click Edit Type. In the Type Properties dialog, for Alternate Units,
select one of the following options:
Right – alternate units display in-line to the right of the primary units.
For Alternate Units Format, click the button to open the Format dialog, change the settings
as desired, and click OK, then clear Use project settings (if selected) and from the Units
menu, select an appropriate unit.
A linked Revit file is an externally referenced revit project loaded into your current model.
This link maintains a connection to the linked file, so though you may not directly modify this
linked model directly in the hosting revit model, any changes that you make directly in the
linked model can be reloaded into the host revit model.
If somebody modifies the original file and saves it, you can reload that link here and see
those changes within your file. It allows you a way of segregating work into different project
teams, and it’s often used for managing various disciplines, such as splitting up between
architectural shell, interior, and structure. If your Revit model contains all of these elements
within one model, but you need these different disciplines to be split up into linked models,
you can simply do this by converting grouped elements into links.
In the drawing area, select the group and then click Modify | Model Groups tabGroup panel
(Link). Then in the Convert to Link dialog, select either replace with a new project file or,
replace with an existing project file.
Constraints offer a really powerful way for us to build our design intent into our models and
keep it from accidentally being modified, but there can be times when you try and make a
modification to your model and it generates a warning or an error, indicating that the
constraints aren’t satisfied, or perhaps you aren’t allowed to make a particular modification.
The Reveal Constraints display mode makes it easy to temporarily highlight (in red) all
constraints in the active view. This makes it easy to distinguish a locked dimension
(constraint) from a regular dimension. After creating constraints, you can highlight them by
enabling this display mode from the View Control Bar’s dimension lock icon.
Revit Shortcuts
A
AA Align
AL Align
AP Group Objects
AS Align
C
CC Copy
CS Create Similar
D
DD Align Dimension
DE Delete
DI Dimension
DL Detail Line
DM Mirror From Drawn Line
DR Door
E
EL Spot Elevation
G
GP Group
L
LC Link CAD
LI Align
LR Line Model
M
MA Match Type Properties
MI Mirror
MM Mirror From Axis
MN Manage Link
MV Move
O
OF Offset
P
PB Project Browser
PI Align
PN Pin
R
RE Scale
RG Remove Object from Group
RM Room
RO Rotate
RP Reference Plane
S
SA Select All Instances
SC Snap Center
SE Snap End
SI Snap Intersection
SL Splits an Element
SM Snap Middle
SN Snap Nearest
SP Snap Perpendicular
SS Splice
T
TG Tag
TR Trim
TX Text
U
UG Ungroup
UP Unpin
V
VG Adjust Visibility Graphics
VP View Properties