Tips & Tricks - Revit Classics

[dbaldacchino]

This thread consolidates some classic Tips & Tricks that are still relevant to this day. Please excuse the dust as "construction" progresses Below are links to the original sticky threads that the following posts originate from:

Archive of Tips and Tricks of the Month - June 04 to August 05
Archive of Tips and Tricks - Sept 2005 to present (present really means End of 2005!)

more to come...

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by Arnel Aguel on July 2004

Here's a nice way to model your standing seam metal roofs, using the Slope Glazing tool.

1. Create a roof with slope as normal
2. Change the family type to slope glazing
3. Create grid lines that correspond to the center to center spacing of you roof seam
4. Create mullions at the seam (grid line) location. You can edit the size of the mullion (seam) as per you desired size.
5. Change the panel material from glass to default roof.
6. Voila you have a standing seam metal roof.

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by David Conant on August 2004 (Autodesk Revit Product Designer)

Rather than just clicking to start a text element, click down to place the start point and drag out a box before releasing the mouse button. This will establish a fixed width text box. Text will wrap automatically!

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by Chris "Mr Spot" Price on October 2004 (Briggs, Patterson & Buhr Architects Pty. Ltd.)

Another method for drawing the property lines in Revit if you already have them in Autocad is to choose to sketch the propertly lines and then import the Autocad file straight into the sketch, the lines will automatically become sketch lines and this way you are positive it is exactly the same.

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by The Revit Development Team on December 2004

Have you wanted to create 3D details but just weren't sure about how to go about it in Revit? Well, here's a very quick way to produce 3D details! This works for wall sections, building sections, detail callouts, etc. Click Here to learn how!

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by Phil Read on January 2005 (Autodesk Revit Implementation Architect)

This is a great Revit 7.0 Tip to start off the New Year! Using the new massing tools, assigned to different materials and different colors, Phil shows us how to produce color fills which will show up in plan, section, 3D, perspective, and section-perspectives! This is a great way for your clients to see how spaces relate to each other! Click Here to learn how!

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by Steve Shell on February 2005 (Rock-n-Roll Architect)

First, set up a named reference plane flush with the wall. Then place model text, using the "select name" and then select it. Type the model text and place it. Then, go to properties and select the depth of the letters. Type in a negative number to make it as deep as you want. This will set the letters behind the reference plane, thus recessing it. Then, set the material of the text to glass, clear with 100% transparency and no reflection or smoothness. Once done, you can render it and it will appear to be keyed into the concrete wall since the glass is basically invisible and the shadows will be cast onto the back wall of the recessed letters. Click Here to see the whole Thread!

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NOTE: Click Here for a similar tip that you can use on curved walls. This was posted on November 2007. Credit goes to Chris Price (Mr Spot) and Dimitri Harvalias.

One more note: To fit model text around a curve, you can also create a Generic Model family, place Model Text in it (one letter) and connect this to an instance parameter. Multiple instances of this family can be placed in a plan view and rotated easily to align tangentially to the curve. Then edit the letter parameter of each instance to construct the phrase you need. This method does not require multiple rotated ref. planes and you can assemble your curved-path text much faster!

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by Wes Macaulay on March 2005 (Revit Wishlist Manager)

I'm working on a project where the framed walls weren't drawn properly on top of a 5" concrete curb (which I recommend to be drawn as a floor object so they don't create more wall join issues, and so walls can be turned off to do a slab layout plan). Instead of drawing sections all over the place, it occurred to me to use a small plan region at 4" above the level so I could see the curb inside the region, and the wall outside. With detail set to medium, I could use the Align tool to get the walls to the right place on the curb. Then I just moved the plan region around from one wall to the next.

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by Bruce Gow (Beegee) on May 2005 (Revit Forum Moderator)

Place an element and then place a spot dimension. Select the element and note that the spot dimension has become editable. Amend the spot dimension - the element's elevation has now been amended also. Click here to go to the Post.

[dbaldacchino]

Submitted by dgraue on October 2005

This does not refer to customizing hatch patterns, but if you have a particular hatch pattern in Autocad you want to use in Revit, there is a quick way to load it. In Autocad draw a rectangular polyline and fill it with the hatch pattern you want (you may need to adjust the scale of this hatch), save it and import this dwg file into Revit...then explode the dwg. Now this hatch pattern can be found in the model pattern type of your Fill Patterns in Revit. I've found this to be helpful when I need a new hatch pattern on the fly. Click HERE to see dgraue’s post!