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

Levels & Grids

Grids

• Used mostly for lining things up but elements can be locked to these and are used for construction purposes (unlike reference planes) eg columns etc
• Before you start modelling would be the time to place your grid.
• 2D vs 3D (changes will show only for that specific view vs changes throughout)

Levels eg. sea level (datum level)
To adjust your model relative to sea level (ie. in order to create the correct 'levels'):

• Dimension all your existing levels - Annotate, Aligned, click first level, second, third etc
• then Lock them all so they will move together
• (Remember which elevation you have done this in as will need to unlock afterwards - in case you need to adjust the floor level heights later, will cause all sorts of problems if you don't remember to unlock)
• change the zero default on the ground level mark to eg. 33000 (ie. 33m above sea level).
• repeat these steps for all elevations and sections

NB. if you can't see the model anytime, untick both crop boxes in the properties view

After you have readjusted this to the correct level, remember to go back and unlock the level dimensions in that first one you used.

Sheets, Colours, Drafting & Perspective views

Before you start a project, enter relevant information in the Manage, Project Information area.

Scale

• You don't have to adjust line weights according to the scale you select when printing, Revit automatically calculates this for you, however, you can override line wieghts if you need to.
• Likewise, text size will stay the same (annotations) regardless of scale.
• Sections - generally 1:50 or 1:100
• Wall sections - generally 1:50 or 1:20
• Details - 1:10, 1:5, 1:1 depending on what the detail is

Drafting views
View, Drafting view
These are for things just drawn and not part of the actual model.

• For example, for showing a detail that is common to many projects so you don't have to redraw it but do want to show it in your plan
• Wall section, create a callout select the "Detail View" option, tick "Reference to other View:" and select the drawing you want.

Colour legends
First (to keep things clean and tidy) create a duplicate view of the floor plan (eg) you want to colour in for print purposes.

• Project Browser, click on the floor plan (eg) rm click, Duplicate, Duplicate with Detailing
• Home, Room - click on each room and give a name
• Home, Legend - then Edit this by Edit Type, Duplicate, name it (label it)
• NB. rm click on this view and choose View Legend - can update this to apply these same settings to other views

If you just want larger areas coloured for eg. circulation or broad programme explanations:

• Regions - select and colour (Edit Type) as wanted, then make your own legend

Sheets
Just drag and drop what you want to appear on a sheet, marvellous!
Can further manipulate schedule tables etc on the sheet (ie. making into columns, resizing etc)

• Must "Activate View" - will mean that anything you change on the Sheet will be changed in the model, for if you find a mistake in the model and it will be hard to find it exactly - quicker to fix on the sheet. Then "Deactivate" - get into habit of doing this.
• when printing, the default page size is A2
• can print Sheets and/or Views separately
• "filled region" = hatching
• to load a sheet you've created as a generic template, right click on the project browser on the Sheet area
• the 'view title' = the title of the view you've dragged onto the sheet (eg. floor plan, 1:50 etc) to edit, click on the edge of the view you've dragged in...

DON'T put text directly onto the sheet, instead, go back to the view you want the text to be associated with. NB. to quickly do that, 'activate view' then add then 'deactivate view'.

To switch off the elevation graphics in the sheet: VV Anontation tab, find the elevation bits
To change a views title when on the sheet: Viewpoint properties

NB. Make 350 for A3 ( a bit bigger)

Perspective views

• View, 3D view, Camera then place the camera where you want it
• This will appear in your project browser under '3D view[number]' so just rename it something sensible
• NB. will often distort or warp. To fix the view wrt this, Properties, then the Eye Elevation and the Target Elevation must be an equal height eg. eye level, so around 1500mm (500mm = 'worm view')
• to resize these in a Sheet:
• click on the frame, "Activate View", Size crop, Crop, select Scale (locked proportions).

NB. anything 3D, model related you just click the scale and choose another scale to resize.

Section Box
For 3D sections of your model.

• Make sure you're in the 3D view
• Duplicate the view you are going to use first and rename it something sensible (rmc)
• LHS Properties window, Section Box - tick, then just click to create the section box and move the box using the 'handles' until you have a section you want to use.

Plans, Elevations, Sections: part II

Floor plans

NB. Never delete the site plan!!

• If you do accidentally delete any of the other floor plans, you can restore them by:
• View, Plan Views, then select the ones you want back
• With the cut plane, you can adjust this to show things that are on different heights so would not normally show up at the default 1.2m cut plane:
• View, Plan Views, Plan Region - just select the area you want to appear differently and this will create a different separate cut plane just for that area.
• Then Edit the View Range (properties) to a height which will show the element
•  NB. the cut lines won't print so don't worry about those.

Elevations

Only use the Building Elevation or Interior options for my purposes...
NB. 'Far Clip' = depth or the line at the back...
Interior elevations:
To get these:

• View, Elevation, choose Interior Elevation in the properties area
• will insert an elevation symbol but will 4 directions which you can tick on to give views inside a room (eg) in 4 directions
• views will show up in the Elevation (Interior) views (rename these something sensible)
• focuses just on a particular wall

Sections
You can create staggered lines for your section cut by selecting the section line and using the Split Segment function
Likewise, you can cut into the line so it doesn't go all the way through the drawing (for display purposes) by clicking on the section line and finding the break symbol.

Familes - non-hosted elements (funiture example)

Non-hosted as is stand-alone eg. furniture etc not specifically associated with a component (cf. wall sweeps)

1. File, new, family, metric generic model template
2. Make sure when you draw, that you first set up lots of relevant reference planes!
3. See example below for a table:

• draw 2 reference planes around the centre line, Modify, Aligned, click on all three vertical RPs, then move up away from drawing area and click to create the dimension 
• then to equalise, click on the EQ with the line through it which will then equalise the distance between the two sections
• repeat for the horizontal reference lines

4. Then create some RPs for positioning the legs by:

• RP, annotate, choose the pick tool, choose the offset distance,
• click on one of the RPs to align to, make sure the new RP is on the correct side of this then click again to create
• repeat to finish this set of RPs
• ESC, Modify, Aligned, select the 2 RPs to lock, then lock so that when you change to overall dimensions, the distance between these will remain constant

Label these RPs - click on the overall dimensions eg. the width one, right click, Label, Add Parameter, type in the name of the label for this dimension (eg. width), leave Type checked, Ok. Repeat for length.

4. For a table, you also need the dimension of height, so need to create another plane for this:

• choose an elevation view, create a new RP of the correct height (eg. 720mm)
• before completing the reference plane click on the permanent dimension lock to keep this dimension locked
• give this plane a name (eg. properties, Identity Data, Name) such as TOT (for top of table)

5. To create the table top, Home, pick a plane, choose TOT, then Home, Model Line, draw a rectangle within the RPs drawn, lock to the relevant RPs. Click done (green tick).

• can test you've locked correctly by changing the dimensions using the blue box icon

6.  For a simple leg, Home, Extrusion, Draw - then choose a square shape/circle etc from drawing set and create within one of the reference plan lines you created above.

• Choose temporary extrusion start and finish dimensions which you can adjust later, then click finish (the big green tick)
• Go to an elevation and adjust the extrusion start and finish to line up with the table top and floor (by dragging the handles) then lock these.

7. For a fancier leg eg. a 'turned' leg, choose Revolve. Extra steps here initially are:

• select plane for this to revolve around: TOT, then set the axis, then draw the profile for the leg. Finish

To use these components, find them by:
1. Project brower, Families
2. Expand, find Generic Models, then look for your component

Families - creating profiles

Profiles (shape)
To create a profile that can be used for, eg. wall sweep profiles  for creating a new profile for a cornice, sill, railing etc
1. 2D family, create new file, family, metric profile,
2. draw something (but must be a closed shape)
3. file, save as, family, then 'Load into Project' - will load into your active project on screen

NB. There will often be multiple windows open - to see them, view, tile (or cascade), to close hidden ones 'Close Hidden'

• This will be associated with that project now
• Trick is you can modify this on the fly (but always good practice to save all the time)

To apply this profile to a wall sweep:
1. Select the sweep, edit type,
2. construction profile, find the one you just created and apply

Sun settings, Sun studies

• Visual style shortcut (small 3d box at graphic display options at bottom).
• Trick = you turn on the shadows (Shadows, Cast Shadows tick box) here BUT the sun settings are adjusted elsewhere:
• Sun settings is where you turn the sun on.
• Still, Add Location (need internet)
• for project, measure the shadow using the ruler tool but don't use the 3D view to do this

NB. if you have a typography, need to go into the sun settings and switch the 'Ground Plane at Level' off

VV = brings up the visibility window to show/hide selected elements, make certain things halftone etc.

Sun Study

Sun settings:

• Choose Single Day (or multi day)
• Make sure shadows are turned on! (or it won't export)
• Make sure your location is correct
• Choose whatever settings you want
• Make the time interval 15min if only selecting one day (otherwise video will be over too quickly)

File - Export - Images & Animations - select solar study and then reduce the frame rate to produce the time of the video you want (this adjusts as you update the fps). That is, bring frames/sec rate down to make it slower.

Hosted elements (eg. gutters, footings, facias)

Hosted elements = elements that require a 'host' such as a wall, floor etc to exist as they are part of that host.

Wall sweeps/reveals

• will cut over doors, windows
• best to create one sweep all at once (for simplicity of editing later)
• very versatile!
• When you've done a few and you stopped but then want to continue:
• select the one you want to continue with and continue...
• To change the profile, select the reveal and 'Edit Type'

Stairs & Railings

NB. System Families are like components. Must 'Edit Type' and 'Duplicate' when changing anything or it will be a global change.

Stairs
Most comfortable riser height = 175mm
Width for public stairs = around 1.2m
Tred 300mm
Stair tool:

• L Shapes, must add an extra stair to the landing area (odd Revit thing), ie. offset by one extra stair when turning around (see examples in 'Friday practice")
• If changing the riser number, always check the tread depth again as Revit will reset to a very shallow tread of 250mm.
• Add a reference plane half the width out from your side (eg. wall) so you can trace over it
• Put in the first set of stairs then 'multistorey' them

Railings
When recreating railings (ie. if you delete them), when sketching them back in, use the pick line tool so it automatically creates a new line for each change in height. Always reference the railing being redrawn to the stair, not the stringer (ie. inside line not outside line), then move over using the flip tool.

If you want to just sketch some railings (eg. for a garden path or similar) with not associated stairs (don't do this often):

• new line for each change in direction/slope
• click on the line representing the slope and select 'sloped' in the options bar
• pick the next line representing the flat bit at the top of the slope and create a custom height (options bar) eg. 1m
• NB. can't get rid of the railings that project down to 0 point in this instance, have to hide within a wall/site/typography instead

Steps or similar
Use building pads or slabs - much easier and simpler and will create a better profile.
For seating:

• 500mm down by 1000mm across (seat plus area to walk behind)

Sections, floor plans

When looking at a floor plan or ceiling plan, the cut plane is the conventional level at which everything is cut off (eg. 1m) - though Revit's default for floor plans = 1.2m
Floor plans

You can adjust what you see in the floor plans by editing the View Range properties (under 'Extents" in view properties).

• Top offset = where you're veiwing from eg. down, in Revit's case defaults to 2.3m down
• Cut plane offset = plan cut (Revit default = 1.2m)
• Bottom offset = where your view stops (eg. ground, 0)

Ceiling plans

Remember that the view here is as if you're below looking up at a ceiling, rather than down...
Otherwise, similar principles to editing the view as for the floor plan above (providing you remember you're looking up, not down)

Roof, Ceilings, Shaft

Roof creation
1. Footprint

• Most common method
• Overhang = usually 500mm
• Everything is referenced back to the walls.
• 'Defines slope' should be ticked on, this defines the pitch
• Create gable by clicking on the wall where it should extend up, then click 'Attach Top/Base', then click on where you want the wall to extend up to eg. the edge of the roof.

NB. don't create flat roofs using 'Footprint', use the Floor tool instead as it's more flexible (see later)
NB. 5 degrees is the flattest slope

2. Extrusion
For sidings and vaulted roofs (ceiling = roof)
First set up reference planes for where you want the overhangs to be (eg. 500 out from the selected walls). Then it will ask you to 'pick a plane' so just click on an appropriate plane, then it will open in sketch view for you to sketch the profile of the roof...

NB. trimming the wall up to the roof using the 'Attach Top/Base' tool will not work if the roof goes around past 90 degrees (ie a crazy shape). The only way to do this is to edit the wall profile instead (see Waitangi day example).

Slopes:

• create normal roof then define slopes (option on ribbon)
• click on the lines you want to start the slope from
• > 4 degrees

Skylights
- Home, Vertical cut if cutting into an existing roof
- if adding a sloping roof that will be glazed, create roof as normal then choose 'sloped glazing' option in properties

Ceilings
These are added in a similar way to floors etc.
Exercise = adding a ceiling, then cutting a hole in it and placing a lowered ceiling over, eg. a reception desk. The hole is filled with walls which are joined = offsets, height offset from the level.

Shafts
This basically cuts a hole through floors and is much quicker if you have multiple floors than editing the footprint of the floor for each level when, eg. making lift wells/stair wells.

Remember the pick tool!