Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials E-Book

Ryan Duell

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 412

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Quickly learn essential Revit Architecture tools andtechniques Autodesk Revit Architecture is the powerful, sophisticatedbuilding information modeling (BIM) software that has transformedthe architectural design industry. This Autodesk Official Pressguide is the perfect introduction to the powerful software forarchitects, designers, and students. Three Revit experts provideconcise explanations, real-world examples, and plenty of hands-onexercises and tutorials. You'll soon master the basics and thenfind yourself using the software confidently, productively, andeffectively. Beginners will get comfortable with Revit's core features andfunctions. Current users will have a valuable reference to refreshand hone their skills. And everyone can use this practical book tohelp prepare for the Revit Architecture certification exams. * Gets readers up and running on Autodesk Revit Architecture2014, Autodesk's industry-leading building information modelingsoftware * Explains core Revit tools, features, functionality, real-worldworkflows, and BIM concepts * Covers schematic design, modeling, families, views, creatingdrawing sets, and more * Features best practices, rendering and visualization,worksharing, documentation, and annotation * Provides downloadable starting and ending files, so readers cancompare their work to that of the pro's Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials is yourperfect introduction toto the powerful industry-leading BIMsoftware.

Leseprobe

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: Introducing the Autodesk Revit Architecture Interface

Understanding the Interface

Understanding the Interface Workflow

Using Common Modifying Tools

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 2: Walls and Curtain Walls

Understanding Wall Types and Parameters

Creating Numerous Wall Configurations

Modifying Walls

Creating Curtain Walls

Modifying Curtain Walls

Going Beyond the Basics

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 3: Floors, Roofs, and Ceilings

Creating Floors

Laying Out Roofs

Adding Ceilings

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 4: Stairs, Ramps, and Railings

Creating Stair Configurations

Designing Ramps

Building Railings for Level and Sloped Conditions

From Basics to Creative Art

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 5: Adding Families

Understanding the Model Hierarchy

Working with System Families

Working with Component Families

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 6: Modifying Families

Editing View Display and Detail Level

Changing the Family Category

Modifying Family Geometry

Family Tips and Best Practices

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 7: Schematic Design

Working from a Sketch

Modeling In-Place Masses

Creating Mass Floors

Scheduling Mass Floors

Updating the Massing Study

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 8: Rooms and Color-Fill Plans

Defining Rooms in Spaces

Generating Color-Fill Room Plans

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 9: Materials, Rendering, and Visualization

Using Materials

Using Graphic Display Options

Rendering Graphics

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 10: Worksharing

Enabling Worksharing

Creating Central and Local Files

Adding Worksets

Assigning Elements to Worksets

Saving to the Central File

Creating New Elements

Worksharing Display Modes

Editing Requests

Worksharing Best Practices

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 11: Details and Annotations

Creating Details

Annotating Your Details

Using Legends

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 12: Creating Drawing Sets

Creating Schedules

Placing Views on Sheets

Printing Documents

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 13: Workflow and Site Modeling

Understanding a BIM Workflow

Modeling a Site

Performing Quality Control on Your Model

The Essentials and Beyond

Chapter 14: Repeating Objects, Best Practices, and Quick Tips

Repeating Objects

Optimizing Performance

Utilizing Best Practices

Using Quick Tips and Shortcuts

Finding Additional Resources

The Essentials and Beyond

Appendix: Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Certification

Index

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Cover Image: HMC Architects

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-57508-6

ISBN: 978-1-118-72977-9 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-72974-8 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-72981-6 (ebk.)

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Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [email protected]. If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

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Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley

For Stacey, Lucely, and Nathaniel.

—Ryan

For my family, thank you for supporting me.

—Tobias

For Thad, Tabitha, and Thatcher—the other Ts.

—Tessa

About the Authors

Ryan Duell is a senior quality assurance analyst for Revit at Autodesk. He holds a bachelor’s degree in design computing from the Boston Architectural Center. He started his career with cbt Architects in Boston, Massachusetts, working on a variety of project teams ranging from single-family residential to large commercial projects. Ryan eventually moved into the BIM manager role focusing on managing AutoCAD Architecture and Revit Architecture standards, along with contributing on projects as needed. At Autodesk he spent several years in the product support organization working with Revit. In addition to Autodesk, Ryan teaches Revit at the Boston Architectural College and contributes to the Revit Clinic blog.

Tobias Hathorn is a licensed architect and user experience designer for Autodesk Revit. He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Kansas State University. He started his career at BNIM architects in Kansas City, Missouri, working on a 1 million square-foot IRS paper-processing center in Revit Architecture. After working as a liaison between BNIM and Moshe Safdie and Associates on the Kansas City Performing Arts Center, Tobias moved to Boston to join the Revit product team in Waltham, Massachusetts. Tobias has honed his knowledge and experience with Revit, especially the graphics and rendering features, over the past six years in the quality assurance and product design groups. In his free time, he likes to teach Revit Architecture at the Boston Architectural College, bicycle, paint, and play Tetris.

Tessa Reist Hathorn is a licensed architect and a LEED Accredited Professional with eight years of experience in architecture using Revit. After starting her career at BNIM Architects working on historic renovations and the renowned Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, she eventually moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to work with Moshe Safdie and Associates, working on high-profile international projects. Tessa currently works in the Boston area at Austin Architects where she helps implement BIM in her office. She also teaches Revit Architecture at the Boston Architectural College and is looking forward to becoming a mom this spring.

Acknowledgments

The thought of creating a list of acknowledgments was daunting to me; there would be no way to cover the scope of importance in the amount of space I have. With that in mind, I first need to thank Autodesk. I appreciate the unique view and access I have to Revit and the amazingly talented people I have the opportunity to work with every day. I need to thank my supportive wife and family, who have always been there along the way of my often demanding day and night activities. And Wiley, this book would never have been possible without your talented staff, editing, and support, so thank you. I also want to thank Tobias and Tessa for the opportunity to coauthor this book.

—Ryan

I’d like to acknowledge some of the individuals who have influenced me in such a way as to make my participation in this book possible. Thanks to Uncle Jim, for those wooden blocks. Thanks to Michael Holtz, for fostering a young designer. Thanks to Shawn Gehle, for introducing me to Form-Z as a college student. Thanks to BNIM, for a forward-looking approach to design documentation. Thanks to Phil Read, for my first Revit Architecture training. Thanks to Eddy Krygiel, for being an advocate and mentor. Thanks to Tatjana Dzambazova, for being a generous connector. Thanks to Steve Crotty and the Revit QA staff, for my second Revit training. Thanks to Frame Demchak, for inviting me into the software design flow state. Thanks to the Revit UX group, for my third Revit training. Thanks to Wiley, for making sure this book happened. Thanks to Ryan, for the solid work. Thanks to Tessa, for everything.

—Tobias

I’d first like to thank the creative team at Autodesk Revit. Because of their software and its ability to document architecture in a fun and forward-thinking manner, I am still an architect. Thank you to BNIM for my first exposure to the software, especially to Eddy Krygiel for taking me under his wing and mentoring me toward licensure. Thank you to my current employer, Austin Architects, for trusting my skills and letting me run with them. Thank you to my co-writers, the talented Ryan and my dear Tobias. Thanks also to our technical editor, Heather Lech, for being a critical eye and trudging through our rough first drafts. And an enormous thanks to our team at Wiley—Alexa Murphy, Rebecca Anderson, and especially Willem—for making everything behind the scenes happen.

—Tessa

Foreword

Congratulations!

You are beginning your foray into the world of Autodesk® Revit® Architecture and building information modeling (BIM)!

My original journey into BIM began like most, with a large project commission mandating the use of BIM in architecture. In the months and years that followed, I witnessed the benefits an architectural team could leverage well beyond simply meeting requirements and then delved into full project team collaboration and coordination after spending time using each of the BIM platforms available to us in the industry. When I finally landed on using and mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture, I began to understand that the implications of each tool’s use in a program can reach far downstream in the construction process and that a successful and well-thought-out implementation can affect everyone on a building project: owner, architect, engineer, contractor, and so on, right down to each member of a subcontractor’s team. It was with this knowledge that I found my current niche, handling the Revit Architecture implementation for an integrated design/build architecture and construction company, the Beck Group. Here I spend each day looking for more ways to leverage Revit Architecture in design, analysis, construction, procurement, fabrication, installation, and occupation.

When I was learning Revit Architecture in my first office, there were no BIM managers, training courses, or wealth of seasoned users to turn to with questions about strategies and implications. Instead, we leaned heavily on the Internet Revit Architecture communities, learning from other veteran users and their experiences and building and teaching one another through online forums.

As you being this learning process, keep in mind that your skill set and level of usage complexity will increase as the challenges present themselves and that the correct techniques might not always be obvious on your first attempt. Learning what methods are the most beneficial to you is sometimes about failing more than succeeding because you will remember what you weren’t satisfied with.

My first Revit Architecture project was a multiphase renovation, in version 8.1 (2006). As I focused on learning about worksharing and detailing, I hadn’t yet ventured into assigning real materials with render appearances to the model. There were components made that simply had symbolic lines in the plans, while I learned about the Family Editor from the AUGI forums. (Truth be told, by the third phase we had learned so much we decided to completely rebuild the model!)

A short time later, I began to understand the importance of custom content and the power of the Revit Architecture Family Editor. The first parametric family I made was a skylight (a photo sits on my desk still), and with it came the immediate realization that I would want to carefully plan out and organize an office library. Rest assured, this library originally started off as modified content that shipped with Autodesk Revit Architecture. As the days went on, one by one my semi-custom content was edited on the fly, during real billable projects. Eventually I would need something highly custom, and I would create a new ‘group’ of families, furthering the level of the modeling. As you develop your custom content, however, always focus on delivering the best information strategically, for producing the best building. It isn’t about creating the most intricate 3D model.

A year later I was slowly adding to the library, tweaking the project template with each lesson learned on a project. Doing interior design in Revit Architecture? Have filters set up for finishes. Modeling a lot of custom millwork? Learn to use very simple (but flexible) line-based families.

The most important thing I learned (as I got in to more complex projects) is that consistency is the key. A lot of times you won’t pick the best method the first time you try something, but keeping the process consistent means team members are able to dissect what each other has done. Remember that—in the modeled world—the end “shape” is important, but so is how you got to that shape. Predictability will allow each of your colleagues to edit efficiently and move quickly.

As the complexities in design and level of detail desired in models advanced, I became a fan of the “think first, think together” philosophy. When an important modeling decision needs to be made, have the right people present, but have the whole team there. Pick the direction, and go with it. That way, as a project (and project team) grows, no one is relearning how to edit things that are similar on different parts of the project.

The benefits of consistency and simplicity multiplied once I found myself immersed in the world of both design and construction. A predictable approach meant fabricators and estimators could dive into design models and leverage the data and/or geometry they needed to further our initiative downstream.

With that, I find myself at the Beck Group, watching Revit Architecture models used on a day-to-day basis for not only architectural design but also for model-based field layout by subcontractors, shop drawing production from model data by collaborators, sequencing and scheduling by automated data associations in Revit Architecture parameter fields, and so on.

Whether your goal is to deliver a design and documentation project on time and on budget or to reach beyond and watch the model become the deliverable of the future, Autodesk Revit Architecture can take you there, with the tutelage of the experienced user base behind you.

With Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials, you will now benefit from learning this software from people who are immersed in it every day, and you will learn not just the commands and the tools but the reasons (not rules) of why each tool benefits you and when. This book has information that can’t be learned from an instruction manual but only from seasoned users working in the industry who are putting this software to the test on a daily basis. There are times in all applications when the best solution isn’t always the obvious one, and learning from the experienced users who wrote this book is your key to opening those doors.

Our industry finds itself in precarious yet exciting times, with slim margins and tough competition making design and construction difficult but also presenting new opportunities: to innovate, to collaborate, and to restore efficiencies that the current market and economic climate now mandate. This is your opportunity to be part of (and influence) meaningful change.

As you embark on this journey, remember the goal. At Beck, we call it “Better Buildings, Better Built.” As you jump into Revit Architecture and BIM, remember that it’s not about documenting design the way you always have; it’s about documenting design for better buildings. Keep that in mind, leverage this great book, and join us in the Revit Architecture community online!

Good luck with your practice!

Aaron Maller

BIM manager, the Beck Group

Dallas, Texas

Twitter: @twiceroadsfool

Introduction

Welcome to Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials, based on the Revit Architecture 2014 release.

We have shaped the focus and content of this book from our diverse experience as Revit Architecture teachers, Revit Architecture users, Revit Architecture customer support and Revit Architecture designers. We have tailored the content to what we think is the most valuable combination of topics. Because we teach Revit Architecture, we feel the included content is of most value to our students learning the program for the first time. This book should benefit new Revit Architecture users, as well as long-term users who may not use every aspect of the program on a daily basis.

Revit Architecture 2014 includes a number of valuable new tools. While each tool may not be considered “essential,” we have made an effort to mix new tools, tips and tricks, and established features into the context of the text. The book follows real-life workflows and scenarios and is full of practical examples that explain how to leverage the tools within Revit Architecture. We hope you’ll agree that we’ve succeeded.

Who Should Read This Book

This book is written for architects, designers, students, and anyone else who needs their first exposure to Revit Architecture or has had an initial introduction and wants a refresher on the program’s core features and functionality. We’ve designed the book to follow real project workflows and processes to help make the tools easy to follow, and the chapters are full of handy tips to make Revit Architecture easy to leverage. This book can also be used to help prepare for Autodesk’s Certified User and Certified Professional exams. For more information on certification, please visit www.autodesk.com/certification.

What You Will Learn

This book is designed to help you grasp the basics of Revit Architecture using real-world examples and techniques you’ll use in everyday design and documentation. We’ll explain the Revit Architecture interface and help you find the tools you need as well as help you understand how the application is structured. From there we’ll show you how to create and modify the primary components in a building design. We’ll show you how to take a preliminary model and add layers of intelligence to help analyze and augment your designs. We’ll demonstrate how to create robust and accurate documentation and then guide you through the construction process.

As you are already aware, BIM is more than just a change in software; it’s a change in architectural workflow and culture. To take full advantage of both BIM and Revit Architecture in your office structure, you’ll have to make some changes to your practice. We’ve designed the book around an ideal, integrated workflow to aid in this transition.

Once you’ve mastered the content in each chapter, you’ll find a section called “The Essentials and Beyond” where you can continue to hone your skills by taking on more challenging exercises.

What You Will See

For Revit Architecture 2014, there are two flavors of Revit: the first is a “one-box” solution that has Revit Architecture, Structure, and MEP inside the same application, and the second is the Revit Architecture software you may be used to using. There are some small differences between the applications, but the majority of the user interface is the same.

We want you to be aware that we have based the book and the screen captures on Revit, the combined version. If you notice those small differences, we apologize, but it would be very confusing to base the book on both applications noting all the small differences along the way. However, whichever version you have, you’ll still be able to follow the lessons in the chapters of this book with ease.

What You Need

To leverage the full capacity of this book, we highly recommend you have a copy of Revit Architecture installed on a computer strong enough to handle it. To download the trial version of Revit Architecture, go to www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture, where you’ll also find complete system requirements for running Revit Architecture.

From a software standpoint, the exercises in this book are designed to be lightweight and not computationally intensive. This way, you avoid long wait times to open and save files and perform certain tasks. That said, keep in mind that the Autodesk-recommended computer specs for Revit Architecture are far more than what you need to do the exercises in this book but are exactly what you need to work on a project using Revit Architecture.

Free Autodesk Software for Students and Educators

The Autodesk Education Community is an online resource with more than five million members that enables educators and students to download—for free (see website for terms and conditions)—the same software used by professionals worldwide. You can also access additional tools and materials to help you design, visualize, and simulate ideas. Connect with other learners to stay current with the latest industry trends and get the most out of your designs. Get started today atwww.autodesk.com/joinedu.

What Is Covered in This Book

Revit Architecture is a building information modeling (BIM) application that has quickly emerged as the forerunner in the design industry. Revit Architecture is as much a change in workflow (if you come from a 2D or CAD environment) as it is a change in software. In this book, we’ll focus on using real-world workflows and examples to guide you through learning the basics of Revit Architecture 2014—the essentials.

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials is organized to provide you with the knowledge needed to gain experience in many different facets of the software. The book is broken down into the following 14 chapters:

Chapter 1, “Introducing the Autodesk Revit Architecture Interface,” introduces you to the user interface and gets you acquainted with the tools and technology—the workflow—behind the software.

Chapter 2, “Walls and Curtain Walls,” helps you build on that initial learning by establishing some of the basic building blocks in architecture: walls.

Chapter 3, “Floors, Roofs, and Ceilings,” introduces you to the other basic building blocks: floors, roofs, and ceilings. By the end of the first three chapters you will begin to see how easy it is to create the core elements of your building.

Chapter 4, “Stairs, Ramps, and Railings,” explains the basics of stairs, ramps, and railings. These core components are versatile and using them can be a bit tricky, so we’ll guide you through the process of creating several types of stairs and railings.

Chapter 5, “Adding Families,” shows you how to add a core element to your project: families. You use families to create most of your content, and Revit Architecture by default comes with a robust supply.

Chapter 6, “Modifying Families,” shows you how to take these families and modify them or create your own, making the library of your content limitless.

Chapter 7, “Schematic Design,” introduces you to situations that would happen on a real project: say a designer has given you a sketch, and now you need to take this building design and model it in Revit Architecture.

Chapter 8, “Rooms and Color-Fill Plans,” shows you how to add room elements to your spaces, assign information to them, and create colorful diagrams based on space, department, or any other variable you need.

Chapter 9, “Materials, Rendering, and Visualization,” introduces you to visualization tools and techniques. You prepare presentation-quality views of your design in elevation, 3d Axonometric, and perspective views.

Chapter 10, “Worksharing,” discusses how to take your Revit Architecture file into a multiperson working environment. Worksharing allows several people within your office or project team to work on the same Revit Architecture file simultaneously.

Chapter 11, “Details and Annotations,” focuses on adding annotation to explain your designs. You’ll learn how to add detail to your model in the form of dimensions, text, keynotes, and tags, and how to embellish your 3D model with additional detailing.

Chapter 12, “Creating Drawing Sets,” shows you how to take all this information and place those drawings and views onto sheets so they can be printed and distributed to your project stakeholders.

Chapter 13, “Workflow and Site Modeling,” provides the basics on how to take your office from a CAD environment to one that works with BIM. This chapter explores tools for every level of the project team—from the new staff to project managers. Understanding the process and workflow will be key to the success of your first Revit Architecture project.

Chapter 14, “Repeating Objects, Best Practices, and Quick Tips,” covers different approaches to repeat objects throughout your project along with optimizations, best practices, and tips to use along the way.

The Essentials Series

The Essentials series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers who are just beginning to develop their professional skills. Every Essentials book includes these features:

Skill-based instruction with chapters organized around projects rather than abstract concepts or subjects.

Suggestions for additional exercises at the end of each chapter, where you can practice and extend your skills.

Digital files (via download) so you can work through the project tutorials yourself. Please check the book’s web page at

www.sybex.com/go/revit2014essentials

for the companion downloads.

NOTE Should you choose to browse the book’s companion web page, it will look like a site to purchase the book, which it is. But if you pan down just a bit, you’ll see three gray tabs. The third one is the book’s companion downloads.

Contacting the Authors

We welcome your feedback and comments. You can find the three of us on Facebook at Mastering Revit. We hope you enjoy the book.

Chapter 1

Introducing the Autodesk Revit Architecture Interface

After one decade in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) space, the Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software continues to be unique in its holistic building information modeling (BIM) approach to design integration. Sure, there are other BIM-ish tools that allow you to design in 3D. And 10 years ago, 3D might have been a differentiator, but today 3D is a commodity!

Revit Architecture provides the unique ability to design, manage, and document your project information from within a single file — something no other BIM tool allows you to do. Because all your data resides in a single project file, you can work in virtually any view to edit your model — plan, section, elevation, 3D, sheets, details, and even a schedule. To begin the journey in learning Revit Architecture, we’ll help you become comfortable with the user interface and the basic principles of a Revit Architecture project.

In this chapter, you learn the following skills:

Understanding the interface

Understanding the interface workflow

Using common modifying tools

Understanding the Interface

The user interface (UI) of Revit Architecture is similar to other Autodesk products such as the Autodesk® AutoCAD®, Autodesk® Inventor, and Autodesk® 3ds Max® products. You might also notice that it’s similar to Windows-based applications such as Microsoft Word and Mindjet’s MindManager. All of these applications are based on the “ribbon” concept: toolbars are placed on tabs in a tab bar, or ribbon, and are contextually updated based on the content on which you’re working. We’ll cover the most critical aspects of the UI in this section, but we won’t provide an exhaustive review of all toolbars and commands. You’ll gain experience with the common tools as you read the chapters and exercises in this book.

Figure 1.1 shows the Revit Architecture UI. To illustrate some different project views, we’ve tiled four different view windows: plan, elevation, 3D, and camera.

FIGURE 1.1 Revit Architecture user interface

Let’s begin by examining a few important parts of the UI. As you progress through this book, you’ll gradually become more familiar with the other basic parts of the UI.

Properties Palette

The Properties palette is a floating palette that can remain open while you work in the model. The palette can be docked on either side of your screen, or it can be moved to a second monitor. You can open the Properties palette in one of three ways.

Click the Properties icon in the Properties panel of the Modify tab in the ribbon.

Select Properties from the right-click context menu.

Press Ctrl+1 on your keyboard, as you would in AutoCAD.

As shown in Figure 1.2, the Properties palette contains the Type Selector at the top of the palette. When you’re placing elements or swapping types of elements you’ve already placed in the model, the palette must be open to access the Type Selector.

FIGURE 1.2 The Properties palette allows you to set instance parameters for building elements and views.

When no elements are selected, the Properties palette displays the properties of the active view. If you need to change settings for the current view, simply make the changes in the Properties palette, and the view will be updated. For views, you may not even need to use the Apply button to submit the changes.

Finally, you can also use the Properties palette as a filtering method for selected elements. When you select a large number of disparate objects, the drop-down list below the Type Selector displays the total number of selected elements. Open the list, and you’ll see the elements listed per category, as shown in Figure 1.3. Select one of the categories to modify the parameters for the respective elements. This is different from the Filter tool in that the entire selection set is maintained, allowing you to perform multiple modifying actions without reselecting elements.

FIGURE 1.3 Use the Properties palette to filter selection sets.

Project Browser

The Project Browser (Figure 1.4) is a virtual folder tree of all the views, legends, schedules, sheets, families, groups, and links in your Revit Architecture project. You can collapse and expand the tree by selecting the + or – icon. Open any view listed in the Project Browser simply by double-clicking it.

FIGURE 1.4 Project Browser

The Project Browser can also be filtered and grouped into folders based on any combination of user-defined parameters. To access the type properties of the Project Browser, right-click Views at the top of the tree, and select Browser Organization. Check any of the items in the list or create your own.

Status Bar

The status bar provides useful information about commands and selected elements (Figure 1.5). In addition to the worksets and design options toolbars, the status bar displays information about keyboard shortcut commands and lists what object you’ve selected. It’s also particularly useful for identifying when you’re about to select a chain of elements.

FIGURE 1.5 The status bar is located at the bottom of the Revit Architecture application window.

View Control Bar

The View Control Bar is at the bottom of every view. It displays different icons depending on the type of view in which you’re working (Figure 1.6).

FIGURE 1.6 The View Control Bar gives you quick access to commonly used view properties.

From left to right, you have Scale, Detail Level, Visual Style, Sun Path (On/Off), Shadows (On/Off), Rendering Show/Hide (only in 3D views), Crop On/Off, Show/Hide Crop, Lock 3D View (only in 3D views), Temporary Hide/Isolate, Reveal Hidden Elements, Temporary View Templates, Show Analytical Model, and Highlight Displacement Sets. Note that some of these buttons access view properties that you can also set in the Properties palette.

ViewCube

As one of several navigation aids in Revit Architecture, you’ll find the ViewCube in 3D views. You can orbit your model by clicking and dragging anywhere on the ViewCube. You can also click any face, corner, or edge of the ViewCube to orient your view.

Hovering over the ViewCube reveals the Home option (the little house above the ViewCube), which brings you back to your home view. Right-clicking the ViewCube opens a menu that allows you to set, recall, and orient your view, as shown in Figure 1.7.

FIGURE 1.7 Right-click the ViewCube to access more view-orientation options.

Options Bar

The Options Bar is a context-sensitive area that gives you feedback as you create and modify content. This is an important UI feature when you’re creating model content. For example, when you use the Wall command, the Options Bar displays settings for the height, location line, offset, and chain-modeling options, as shown in Figure 1.8. Even when you place annotations, the Options Bar provides you with choices for leaders and other additional context.

FIGURE 1.8 The Options Bar provides immediate input of options related to a selected object or command.

Understanding the Interface Workflow

In this section, you’ll dive into the workflow of the Revit Architecture interface with some basic modeling exercises. You can apply these lessons to just about every tool and function throughout the program.

Activating a command in Revit Architecture is a simple and repeatable process that takes you from a tool in the ribbon to options and properties and into the drawing window to begin placing an element. In the following exercise, you’ll create a simple layout of walls using some critical components of the UI as well as a few common modifying tools.

Creating a Simple Layout

Begin by downloading the file c01-Interface-start.rvt from this book’s companion web page: www.sybex.com/go/revit2014essentials. You can open a Revit Architecture project file by dragging it directly into the application or by using the Open command from the Application menu. You can even double-click a Revit Architecture file, but be aware that if you have more than one version of Revit installed on your computer, the file will open in the last version of Revit you used.

Once the project file is open, notice in the Project Browser that the active view is {3D}. This is the default 3D view, which you can always access by clicking the icon in the Quick Access toolbar (QAT; it looks like a little house). Note that the view name of the active view is always shown as bold in the Project Browser.

Let’s begin by placing some walls on some predetermined points in a plan view.

1. In the Project Browser, locate the Floor Plans category, expand it, and double-click Level 1. This opens the Level 1 floor plan view.

2. From the ribbon, select the Architecture tab, and click the Wall tool.

3. In the Options Bar located just below the ribbon, change Height to Level 2 and set Location Line to Finish Face: Exterior. Also make sure the Chain option is checked.

4. At the top of the Properties palette, you see the Type Selector. Click it to change the wall type to Basic Wall: Exterior – Brick on Mtl. Stud. Also find the parameter named Top Offset and change the value to 3′-0″ (1000 mm).

Before you begin modeling, notice the Draw panel in the ribbon (Figure 1.9). You can choose from a variety of geometry options as you create 3D and 2D elements in the drawing area.

FIGURE 1.9 Select geometry options from the Draw panel in the ribbon.

5. You’re now ready to begin modeling wall segments. In the drawing area, click through each of the layout markers from 1 through 6. Note how you can use automatic snapping to accurately locate the start and end of each segment. At point 3, place your mouse pointer near the middle of the circle to use the center snap point.

6. After you click the last wall segment at point 6, press the Esc key once to stop adding new walls. Notice that the Wall command is still active, and you can continue adding new walls if you choose. You can even change the wall type, options, and properties before continuing.

7. Press the Esc key again to return to the Modify state. You can also click the Modify button at the left end of the ribbon.

Your layout of walls should look like Figure 1.10.

FIGURE 1.10 Your first layout of walls in a plan view

Using Filter, Mirror, and Trim/Extend

As you continue the exercise, you’ll use a few common modifying tools to further develop the layout of walls. You’ll also learn how to select and filter elements in the model. Let’s begin by mirroring part of the layout and connecting the corners with the Trim tool.

1. Using the mouse pointer, click and drag a window from the lower left to the upper right to select only the wall segments running east-west, as shown in Figure 1.11.

FIGURE 1.11 Drag the cursor from left to right to select some of the walls.

2. You’ll probably have selected more than just walls when you use this method. To reduce the selection to only walls, click the Filter button in the ribbon, and clear all the check boxes except Walls, as shown in Figure 1.12.

FIGURE 1.12 Filter your selection to include only walls.

3. From the Modify tab in the ribbon, click the Mirror – Pick Axis tool, and then click the dashed line representing the reference plane in the plan view. Mirrored copies of the selected walls appear opposite the reference plane, as shown in Figure 1.13.

FIGURE 1.13 Mirrored copies of the selected walls

4. Again from the Modify tab in the ribbon, click the Trim/Extend To Corner tool. In the plan view, pick each of the north-south walls and then the respective wall that was mirrored in the previous step. The resulting closed perimeter wall should look like the image in Figure 1.14.

FIGURE 1.14 Use the Trim/Extend To Corner tool to complete the perimeter walls.

5. Save your project file before continuing to the next exercise.

Adjusting Datums

In Revit Architecture, project datums consist of reference planes, grids, and levels. These elements are usually visible only in a 2D view, but they establish control of all model elements in your file. In the next exercise, you’ll examine how levels affect the modeled elements and how you can adjust their graphic representation in a 2D view:

1. In the Project Browser, locate the Elevations (Building Elevation) category, and double-click the South view. You may need to click the + symbol to expand the tree.

Building Elevation (shown in parentheses) is a type of elevation view. You can create more view types for elevations, sections, details, and other views as necessary.

2. Zoom in to the right side of the view, and you see the graphic representation of the levels that are defined in this project (Level 1 and Level 2). Select the level line, and notice that both the name of the level and the elevation turn blue. This indicates they can be directly edited.

You might also notice that the top offset is maintained relative to the changes of the level. This value can be found in the Properties palette.

3. Click the elevation value for Level 2, and change it from 10′-0″ (3000 mm) to 15′-0″ (4500 mm). Notice how the walls you created in the first exercise maintain their relationship with Level 2 because you specified that datum in the Options Bar before placing the walls.

Let’s suppose you want to modify the design and add a third level along with a roof. You need to add two more levels and adjust the heights of the exterior walls. We’ll show you two different methods for creating new levels.

4. Go to the Architecture tab in the ribbon, and find the Datum panel. Click the Level command, and make sure the Make Plan View check box is selected in the Options Bar. Click in the elevation view exactly 10′-0″ (3000 mm) above the left end of Level 2, using the temporary dimension as a guide. Notice the end of the new level snaps into alignment with the end of the existing level. Click the end of the level above the right end of Level 2 to complete the command.

Remember that you can zoom and pan with the mouse while other commands are active. You might need to do this to complete the Level command.

If you need to adjust the elevation or the name of the level you just created, select the level, click the elevation value, change it to 25′-0″ (7500 mm), and make sure the name is Level 3. Next you’ll create another level by copying an existing one.

5. Select Level 3 in the elevation view, and click the Copy tool on the Modify tab in the ribbon. Click anywhere in the elevation to specify a start point for the Copy command, and place the mouse pointer in the upward direction. Type 12′-0″ (3600 mm), and then press Enter to complete the command. Note that you can also press and hold the Shift key to force Copy or Move commands to operate in 6″ increments.

You can also start the Copy tool first, pick the level, and then press Enter to complete the selection process and start the command.

6. Select the newest level, and change the name to Roof. Also make sure the elevation value is 37′-0″ (11100 mm).

Note that when you copied the last level, a corresponding floor plan wasn’t created. This is indicated by the graphic level symbol being black instead of blue. You can double-click the blue level markers to activate the associated plan view of that level. In addition, you can double-click any blue view symbol such as a section, an elevation, or a callout.

7. From the View tab in the ribbon, find the Create panel, click Plan Views, and then click Floor Plan (Figure 1.15). By default, you’ll see only those levels that don’t already have floor plans created. In this case, you see Roof. Select Floor Plan from the list, and click OK.

FIGURE 1.15 Use the View tab in the ribbon to create new floor plans.

The new floor plan for the Roof level is activated, so you need to switch back to another view to continue the exercises. Go to the View tab in the ribbon, locate the Windows panel, and then click Switch Windows, as shown in Figure 1.16.

FIGURE 1.16 Use the Switch Windows command to see what views you’ve activated.

The Switch Windows tool is used so often that it’s also located in the QAT by default.

8. Save your project file before continuing to the next exercise.

You might notice as you continue to work through the chapter exercises in this book that many views are opened as you activate plans, sections, elevations, schedules, and so on. Having too many windows open at one time may affect the performance of Revit Architecture, so be sure to close some view windows when you don’t need them anymore. There is also a Close Hidden Windows command in the View tab of the ribbon and the QAT; use this command to close all but the active window. If you have more than one project open, this command leaves open only one view from each project.

Changing Element Types

Next you’ll change the properties for some of the elements you’ve already created using the Properties palette. You’ll also change some walls from one type to another. In the previous exercise, you created additional levels, thus increasing the overall desired height of your building. In the following steps, you’ll adjust the top constraint of the exterior walls and swap a few walls for a curtain wall type:

1. Activate the default 3D view. Remember, you can click Default 3D View in the QAT or double-click the {3D} view in the Project Browser.

2. Click the Close Hidden Views button in the QAT, and then activate the South view under Elevations (Building Elevation) in the Project Browser.

3. From the View tab in the ribbon, locate the Windows panel, and then click the Tile button. You should now see the two active views (default 3D view and South elevation) side-by-side.

4. In either view, find the Navigation bar, click the drop-down arrow under the Zoom icon, and then click Zoom All To Fit, as shown in Figure 1.17.

FIGURE 1.17 Use Zoom All To Fit when you’re using tiled windows.

In the 3D view, you need to select all the walls to change the properties. To do this, you must use the chain-select method.

5. Hover the mouse pointer over one of the walls. Press the Tab key once. The status bar should indicate “Chain of walls or lines.” Click to select the chain of walls. You should see an indication in the Properties palette that eight walls have been selected, as shown in Figure 1.18.

FIGURE 1.18 The number of selected items can be seen in the Properties palette.

Use the chain-select method on anything from walls to lines in sketches to detail lines.

6. In the Properties palette, find the parameter Top Constraint. Change the value to Up To Level: Roof, and then click Apply. Notice how the walls all change height in both the 3D view and the elevation view. Also note how the offset is maintained relative to the level of the top constraint (Figure 1.19).

FIGURE 1.19 Tiled windows show the result of modifying the top constraints of the walls.

In the final steps of this exercise, you’ll change a few wall segments from one wall type to another. Making these kinds of changes in Revit Architecture is similar to changing the font of a sentence in Microsoft Word, where you select the sentence and then choose a different font from the font selector.

7. In the 3D view, select the wall at the west (left) side of the layout. Press and hold the Ctrl key, and select the wall segment at the east (right) side as well (Figure 1.20).

FIGURE 1.20 Use the Ctrl key to manually select multiple items in your model.

8. At the top of the Properties palette is the Type Selector. Click it to open the list of available wall types in the project. Scroll down to the bottom of the list, and select the type Curtain Wall: Exterior Glazing. You may get a warning when you make this change; if so, just select Unjoin Walls or whatever the recommended action is. Your result should look like Figure 1.21.

FIGURE 1.21 Wall segments have been changed to a different type.

9. Remember to save your project file before continuing with subsequent lessons.

Using Common Modifying Tools

Now that you’ve been introduced to the basic workflow of the Revit Architecture user interface, you’ll examine some common tools used to modify your designs. These exercises won’t expose you to every available tool; rather, they’re designed to introduce you to the ones you’ll most likely use every day.

You’ll be guided through a series of exercises that show how to create a simple interior layout; you will continue to use the project file from the previous section. In these exercises, you’ll learn how to effectively copy, move, and rotate elements as well as create basic constraints to preserve design intent. You’ll also learn how to use dimension strings not just as annotations but also as interactive modifying tools.

Using Dimensions for Modifying Designs

In this exercise, you’ll create a simple layout of interior partitions to explore the use of dimensions in establishing and preserving your design intent. Follow these steps:

1. Activate the Level 1 Interior floor plan from the Project Browser.

2. From the Architecture tab in the ribbon, click the Wall tool and then change the wall type to Interior – Partition Type A2.

The Function parameter of a wall helps define its default height options. For example, an Interior wall defaults to the level above, whereas an Exterior wall is set to unconnected height.

3.