Massing

This is for concept models, basic shapes (which you can fill in later)

• Set up some elevations (floor levels) first
• "In Place Mass"

NB. VV, switch masses visibility  'on' - the default is 'off'
 

1. In Place Mass tool
2. Give the mass a name (eg. Building 1 etc) which will then take you into Sketch mode
3. Create a form eg. solid, then keep modelling then...
4. Creat floors - select the model, the Mass Floors tool will appear on far left, select the floors you want to create (determined by the elevations you previously set up) - this will create the levels.
5. Go back to Massing & Site menu and create the roof, walls, floor etc (ie. this will now create the thickness, solid components)

Once you've added all the walls/roof/floors, you no longer need the mass so you can uncheck this visibility...

Topography

NB. if you have contour map already:

• Insert, Image - will place the image behind so you can trace the lines.
• Anything 2D can be scaled - so pick something on the image you know the dimension of and use the Scale Tool (modify, 2 squares icon).

Massing & Site - menu options.
Topography - NB. can only work with this when in the 'site' view (project browser).

• Toposurface tool, Points - the elevation of each will be shown in the options bar where you can change this, that is, change the elevation and trace over contour lines
• Topography = 'existing' phase (see below about phasing). That is, the topography exists at the start, you will be 'rennovating' it.
• So, you'll need to change your site to 'existing' phase in the Properties, Phase area.

Contour lines - click on existing ones (or just the outside line if that's all you have so far), and a menu option 'Edit Surface' will appear, click on this, then add the correct elevation for the new contour line and 'Add point' along the contour lines.

To make contour lines visible, can change this by clicking on the Model Site menu option and adjusting the 'At Intervals of' distance. eg. change to 500mm or 250mm or 5000mm etc. whatever your contour lines are at.

NB. when placing building, make the topography offset down by around 300mm (offset -300) to create appropriate step up to building pad/floors (make ground lower than building, not in line with)
Building pad
This is like an excavation tool - with shear sides...

• Building pad tool. Draw your pad, tick.
• This takes means of elevations and creates a pad at the best height.

However, only use building pad when:

• massing or
• quickly flatten something or
• when you have a basement.

Grading tool
This is the more common way to create a building site.

• Tool = Graded Region, when you choose this, Revit will ask a question, select the second option (create a new toposurface based on the perimeter points only)
• Then click on the topography to activate the place point tool, change the elevation points to what you want (options bar)
• NB. select wireframe view to see where you are going
• Now change phase filter to 'show complete'

Topography Schedule - to calculate cuts & fills

• If you create a section now, it will show 2 phases, the existing (dotted line) and the new graded line (solid)
• So you don't want to see the extra hatching which is the old typography but still want to show where the existing topography went:
• Detail lines - (NB anything in this section is view-specific only)
• Annotate, Detail Line (or DL for short), select line style = hidden line (dashed), and trace over the existing phase line
• Then filder the phase to 'Show Complete'

NB. Far clip offset = the section line, you can move this..It will be the depth that displays. Usually you would select 'no clip'. But 'zero' sections are sometimes used for the far clip (eg. offset of 1 - won't let you choose zero).

Subregions = for different materials on the typography such as driveways, lake, pool, parking etc.

Labelling contour dimensions

• Massing & Site
• Label contours
• Click on one side (like you're going to make a section line) and then the other and the labels will be added automatically along that line (this line is only shown temporarily while you're in this mode)...

Site Components
eg. parking components, etc
NB. Site, place when in site view (eg. not ground level) and these will follow the contours

Retaining wall/embankments
Place a wall, Create a section
Move contour points onto the line of the wall, edit the contours, click on 'add point'

• NB. The Fourth Dimension (time)
• phasing - new, existing (property) and can filter these eg. for rennovations
• so for typography you use the 'existing' phase then change it so final will be seen only when filtering to 'show complete'. Therefore, change site to 'existing' when starting off (Properties, Phase area)
• Demolish tool
• This is in the Manage tool options...NB. will only work on walls change to 'existing' phase.
• nb. to clean up, drag ends of lines don't use the trim tool, with Demolish.

Symbol

Create a new symbol:

• File, New, Family, Annotations, Generic Annotations - (use Metric Profile to create a 2D component  that uses a scale, do not use the annotations templates for scale components)
• draw something,

NB. these are not scale-related, so don't do anything that may need to be scaled, these are only symbols, graphics eg. a north point, disabled car parks symbol etc

Families - hosted components

That is, things that require a wall/door etc like a window component.

New Window
New, Family, Metric Window template
This template is basically an opening in a wall which you manipulate
First you change the opening (only if you want to change it):

• select the opening, Edit sketch, sketch shape of new window opening

Then make the frame:

• create reference planes for the outside and inside of the frames if you are going to change the dimensions at all in the future (even if you're not, it's easier this way) - that is, you can then lock the reference planes so the frame thickness remains even if you make the opening bigger/smaller
• use the offset function - pick tool, then alter the offset distance, pick the opening...etc...
• remember to label the dimensions: Annotate, Aligned dimenion, then while this is still active, go to the properties and add a label (eg. Width, Height etc).
• extrusion, set plane (pick a plane, centre line),
• pick lines tool, trace opening then pick lines tool again and then set offset for frame thickness
• extrusion properties = start 50, finish -50
• materials, click on the formula icon, add parameter, give it a name you can easily find (eg. materials - frame)
• properties, identity data, subcategory, choose 'frame/mullion' so Revit knows what it is
• click done

Then make the glass:

• extrusion, pick lines tool, trace inside opening
• extrusion properties = start 5, finish -5 (or whatever you want for glass thickness, this will give 10mm)
• this time, for materials, just choose the default glass setting rather than steps above
• properties, identity data, subcategory, choose 'glass' so Revit knows what it is
• click done

The above steps creates a type parameter. One you can only change globally (unless 'edit type', 'duplicate').
Below are steps to create one-off components you can change on the fly with handles

Instance parameters - components

Select the dimension, (eg. in an elevation view) and check the 'instance parameter' in the options bar


NB. test this using the 'blue box' icon (family types icon) to change the width and height - see test window example in my project

Materials & Colours

Any material opened for editing will always open/go to the global materials settings (ie. regardless of how you arrive at this area), so will change materials globally for that component selection.
That is, eg.

• select component
• edit type (properties)
• eg. structure, materials - click on the ... which will bring up the materials editor for global changes

So, ALWAYS
1. always Duplicate when modifying (the duplicate icon)
2. Stick to Revit naming conventions so it's easy to find
Appearance = for rendering
Graphics = appearance in Revit, (SD on keyboard), always check the 'use render appearance for shading'

Two ways of applying
1. Edit parameter - Edit Type in properties, etc (above) and all of this same type will change
2. Instance parameter - if you just want that instance of the component to change (eg. just one face):

• modify, paint, choose a colour, then click on the component
• don't click DONE until you've finished changing materials
• probably how I'd do this for concept models

Families & Materials

1. Open the model, select the (eg) table top. (easier to do this in plan view)
2. Go to properties, Material, click on the formula button not the 'By Category' window there...this will open up an "associate family parameter" window. Add parameter, name it something sensible like 'materials - table top', leave 'Type' selected, Ok.

The steps above will allow you to change the materials when using this model in Revit.

1. Open the model, use the 'blue box' icon to create new types within this family editor.
Probably only want to do this for standard things like glass.

Paint Bucket (PT)
Modify - Geometry
NB. rule of thumb = don't change colours on exterior corners.

Generic Annotations, Text

Text = normal text functions
Text (label) = quite different, imports a label, the size of a label (when creating a new one) is important as it must be able to accomodate likely changes to the text - ie this will change as you change parameters

Generic annotations

Text - can set up a new family template for standard notes (eg. standard notes for your plans/sections etc etc) that you always have:

• File, new, family, templates - find the Annotation Templates, choose the Generic Annotations
• open, delete red text in middle
• create text

To use, menu bar:

• Annotate, Symbol, load family
• find folder where you have saved your families (eg. My documents or similar) and select the ones you want
• these will now appear in the lhs properties area for selection.

Title blocks - sets up the whole sheet eg. pick a sheet size (A2, A3 etc)

• file, new, title block, select the size you want
• nb. the edges of this are real edges (not print ones) so probably want to draw in a border:
• most printers will be safe with an offset of 15mm
• home, lines, pick tool, offset 15, draw the border
• NB. normal text size is 2-2.5mm

Line Styles
To change line styles: Manage > Additional Settings > Pick the line style to edit/add etc.

Dimensioning - styles, modifying

NB. Aligned Dimension = DI

Straight walls/elements

NB. use aligned rather than linear...
Will automatically pick up centre lines
Attributes:

• 'Gap to element' - the gap between the witness line and element being dimensioned
• 'witness line control' - changing the witness line
• 'dimension line snap' set to 8mm (a nice distance)

Options bar

• to select snaps etc (centre line, wall faces etc)
• select 'pick entire walls', dimensions

If you see you have missed one in a set, select the dimension line to add to, 'edit witness line'

NB. If you want more control over what is included in a dimension line set, use 'pick individual preference' and manually add them all. But if simple, the use the 'pick entire wall'.
NB. Usually use tick mark diagonal 2.5mm for arch drawings (arrows for engineering)

Altering: click on the component with the dimension if you want to alter it (not the dimension itself)

Angled & curved elements
Angles - Just select 'angular'...fairly simple
If you want to change an angle, click on component then change the angle
Curves - for curved components, click on wall properties, graphic, centre mark visible, tick on.

Spot elevations
For specific floor/stair bits...note that if you add a spot elevation then move the floor/stair tred up the elevation will reflect this

Window & Door tags/labels

You can edit the labels assigned to doors and windows.

Home, label, select what you want, tick, load












Type mark; marks are commonly used as will identify the type of door/window etc in a big plan
Working drawings often only display the type mark as can get the dimensions etc from the type later (eg. from a schedule).

If you accidentally delete a tag:

• Annotage, Tag all, then select what you want tagged and it will redisplay them
• or, Annotate, Tag by category does the one selected (you'll need to remove the 'leader'  - options bar, switch leader off)

Schedules

View, Schedule
Select what you want to appear - creates a table, like a spreadsheet (similar properties)
Must select specifically what you want to be totals

North lines...

To rotate to True North, have a floor plan open (eg):

• Draw a line which represents true north on the plan somewhere
• View Properties, Orientation, change from the default of "Project North" to "True North"
• Manage, Position, Rotate True North - then select 'place' on the options bar ribbon, trace along  your new North line THEN move straight up (ie. North) and click...
• This is now 'True North' (Project North is now just for Sheet placement)
• Now Revit will show shadows in the correct position REGARDLESS of whether you have the setting in Properties