Lesson Plan – Revit Intro
Lesson Overview
This lesson explains the main components of
Autodesk Revit software. It begins with
illustrations of model objects, mass objects,
dimensions and the ribbon interface. There are
exercises that demonstrate how to work with the
properties of views and model objects, and how to
create your own building elements.
Software:

Autodesk® Revit® 2015

Time:

1 to 2 hours

Level:

Beginner

Datasets:

Imperial included

Concepts Addressed
• Conceptual Design by Sketching Building Elements
•

Conceptual Design with Mass Models

•

Annotations and Dimensions

•

Display and Navigation

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Working with Views and Objects

Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson you will be able to:
• Navigate the user interface: View window, Project Browser, ribbon tools, Options Bar.
•

Place, locate, and modify model elements

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Use dimensions to control model elements

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Place and modify mass elements

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Create building elements from mass elements


•

Open different views

•

Change view displays

•

Change view properties

•

Adjust Advanced Model Graphics

•

Access, load, and place a family from a library

•

Change type properties of a family

•

Create an in-place family

Exercise Index

Exercise 01

Display and Hide Ribbon Tabs

Page 42

Exercise 02

Context Tabs

Page 43

Exercise 03

View Controls

Page 47

Exercise 04

Work With Families

Page 51

Exercise 05

Create Custom Families

Page 54


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Conceptual Design by Sketching Building Elements
About this lesson
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
• Draw walls in a building project
• Describe the tools for placing building elements
• Constrain placement of objects
Key Terms
align
equidistant

building element
wall

constraint

Design Using Elements
Buildings are often designed inside out. This means that the designer concentrates on functional or
spatial requirements for interiors and the relationships between rooms or spaces, rather than the
shape of the building as seen from outside.
In cases like this, sketching walls in plan view is the most efficient way to start a conceptual design.
Doors, windows, stairs, and other elements are then fit in or between walls as part of the design
development process.
Revit software makes locating walls as easy as drawing lines.

When sketching walls, the display shows editable distances and angles, and the cursor reads geometric

features (endpoints, intersections, midpoints) and relationships (vertical, horizontal) to use in
constraining the sketch.

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Distances can be adjusted at any time.

Constraints that preserve relationships can be applied.

Other building elements such as doors, windows, floors, stairs, roofs, furniture, and equipment can be
loaded in from content libraries or sketched in place. The Build panel on the Home tab contains tools
for populating the design.

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You can add building elements in plan, elevation, section, and 3D views.

While components are being sketched, or at any time after, relationships can be established that make
editing efficient. In the illustration shown, windows are being aligned center to center and locked
together. If one is moved, the other will move as well.

In the two illustrations shown, windows placed in a wall are set to be equidistant.

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If the left side wall is moved, all the windows obey their constraints.

In essence, parametric design establishes rules that govern elements as a design evolves.

Conceptual Design with Mass Models
About This Lesson
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
• Open the Massing & Site tab
• Place a predefined Mass family
• Use the In-Place Mass tool
• Use tools to create building elements from masses
Key Terms
curtain system
massing & site tab
show mass
Design Using Form

in-place mass
model by face
solid form

mass floor
place mass
void form

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Many factors determine the form or shape of a building. Designers often decide on the form of a proposed
building before determining its interior spaces. This can be in response to the site or to building restrictions, such
as distance requirements from roadways. Tall building designs must frequently satisfy setback regulations that
affect the shape of towers. A designer, owner, or client may have a preconceived idea about the shape, size, or
form of a proposed building that drives the design process.
The ability to provide clients and reviewing authorities with comprehensible 3D sketches early in the design
process is important to the success of a project.
Revit has tools that enable designers to create 3D building shapes, or masses, quickly. There are mass families
available to load into a project, you can create in-place masses, and there is a conceptual mass family editor
environment. Masses can be edited in many ways, and then converted into building components such as floors,
walls, roofs, and curtain systems.
Working with masses is covered in greater detail in Getting Started.
The Massing and Site tab
The Conceptual Mass panel on the Massing & Site tab holds tools for placing mass families or starting
in-place masses.

Place Mass

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Place Mass enables you to load in predefined mass families from the Revit library.

Masses placed in a project this way have properties you can edit.


In-Place Mass

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In-Place Mass opens the Model-In-Place Mass tab.

Here you can create a combination of solid or void forms to define a named mass object.
Create Building Elements from Masses
Model by Face opens tools to create building elements such as floors, walls, roofs, and curtain systems by
selecting faces of, or within, masses.

Vertical exteriors can be converted to walls using Model by Face > Wall.

When a mass has been placed or created in a project, you can create a Mass Floor for each level that
can then be converted into a floor.

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Mass Floors can be converted to floors using Model by Face > Floor.

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Model by Face > Curtain System enables you to convert nonvertical or torqued faces into editable
panel systems that can become finished walls.

Model by Face > Roof converts horizontal or nearly horizontal faces into roofs.

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The Show Mass icon on the Conceptual Mass panel toggles display of masses on and off. To print a mass
displayed in a view, the correct Mass category must also be set visible in the View Properties.

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This lesson provided an overview of how to create and place mass models using the Massing & Site
tab.

Annotations and Dimensions
About This Lesson
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
• Describe standard and custom symbols
• Recognize temporary dimensions
• Explain the use of dimensions
Key Terms

annotations
permanent dimensions
symbol

cartesian
spot coordinate
temporary dimension

family
spot elevation
text

Annotations
Designs and illustrations of building projects are incomplete without the specific instructions given by annotations
and dimensions.
Annotation includes text notes, legends, tags, and symbol heads.

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Revit supplies a library of annotation symbols organized by family. Each symbol family file
(*.rfa) can be opened and edited, and all instances of the family loaded into a project will update.

The user can also create custom symbol families using supplied family template (*rft) files.

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Dimensions
Revit uses temporary dimensions for sketching, and permanent dimensions for annotating. Permanent
dimensions can be linear, radial, or angular. Dimension controls display on the Options Bar.

Permanent dimensions can be used to modify the model.

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Revit models do not contain a Cartesian (x,y,z) coordinate system, but can be located precisely in vertical or
horizontal space by assigning coordinates.
The following illustrations show how a project's main level is assigned a real-world elevation, and how other levels
change display accordingly.

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Spot elevations and spot coordinates (for plans) are also available.

This lesson provided an overview of systems for annotations and dimensions.

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Display and Navigation
About This Lesson
After completing this lesson, you will be able:
• Identify the elements of the Revit Architecture screen display.
• Navigate views by using the Project Browser.
• Use Properties and View Controls to adjust the display
• Open tabs on the ribbon
• Work with tool buttons, the Type Selector, and Options Bar
• Open and use ribbon tabs
• Work with context tabs and the Options Bar
Exercises
• View Controls
• Work with Families
• Create Custom Families
Key Terms
context tabs
options bar
tabs

elevations
properties palette
type selector

floor plan
ribbon
view control bar

Navigating the Ribbon Interface

This exercise illustrates how you locate and select tools to create your building design.
The Ribbon
The special area of the user interface to access tools in Revit Architecture is the ribbon.
The ribbon sits above the drawing window. Its position is fixed. You activate tabs on the ribbon to access the
commands within them.
Some commands will not be active (that is, they are greyed out and unresponsive) in certain conditions. Tools
specific to elevation views will not be active in plan views, for instance.

Ribbon Tabs
The ribbon consists of the following nine tabs:
• Architecture

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Structure

Systems
Insert
Annotate
Analyze
Massing and Site
Collaboration
View
Manage
Add-ins
Modify

The Architecture tab includes common building components such as walls, windows, doors, beams, and
rooms.

The Structure tab has tools to place beams and beam systems, structural walls, columns, slabs, trusses,
braces, and foundations.

The Systems tab has tools to place HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical equipment and create intelligent systems for
design and analysis.

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The Insert tab provides commands for linking and importing external content.

The Annotate tab enables you to place dimension, detailing, symbols, and text.

The Analyze tab provides analysis tools to measure design performance across Architecture, Structure, HVAC,

and Electrical systems

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The Massing & Site tab enables you to create masses—which are different from building objects—and
to create or modify 3D site forms.

The Collaborate tab includes tools for working with others.

The View tab has tools for creating views and changing them.

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The Manage tab provides dialog boxes for changing settings, materials, and parameters.

The Add-Ins tab provides a central location to access free and fee-based plug-ins for Revit to enhance
productivity.

Mark 1: These are examples of free plug-ins that you may obtain from the Autodesk Exchange to
add additional productivity enhancements to Revit.
The Autodesk Exchange app link is located in the upper right hand corner of the user interface next to the
help button.

The Modify tab has tools for you to work with items in a project: editing, copy/paste, and inquiry.


Context tabs display as you work. The Modify | Place Wall context tab is shown.

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Note: Context tabs only appear when an object of that type is selected in the canvas window.

The Modify | Door and Modify | Window context tabs shown.

Application Menu
The application menu opens when you click the Revit icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
This menu has file management tools such as New, Open, Save, Print, and Close.
The Close option on the application menu is the effective way to close project files.
Note: Your recent documents listing will likely be different than shown.

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Revit Screen Display
This lesson shows you specific areas of the Revit user interface and describes their functions.
The following images identify the basic interface components for Revit:

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1
Application Menu
10
Drawing Area
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Quick Access Toolbar
11
Ribbon
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InfoCenter
12
Tabs on the ribbon
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Options Bar
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A contextual tab on the ribbon, providing
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Type Selector
tools relevant to the selected object or
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Properties Palette
current action
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Project Browser
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Tools on the current tab of the ribbon
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Status Bar

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Panels on the ribbon
9
View Control Bar
A new file opens by default to a floor plan view at Level 1, with four elevation markers visible. The elevation
markers control the building elevations already listed in the browser. Ceiling plan views for Levels 1 and 2 are
generated automatically, along with a floor plan view for Level 2 and a site view.
The Project Browser

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The Project Browser displays the contents of the model file in a logical tree structure. The browser provides views
of your building model along with legends, schedules, sheets, families, and groups. Legends, schedules, and
sheets are views that will be discussed in later lessons.
Available views include:
• Floor plans
• Ceiling plans
• 3D views
• Elevations
• Sections
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Detail views
Renderings
Drafting views
Walkthroughs
Area plans

Families are named collections of content (such as doors and windows) or settings (such as text or
dimensions). Groups are user-created collections of content (such as a room full of furniture) treated as

one object for convenience in handling.
Architecture.rvt template

Construction.rvt template

The Project Browser can be resized or undocked. To toggle the Project Browser on/off, click the User
Interface button located on the View tab, Windows panel on the ribbon. A check mark indicates it is
visible.

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