![With the Network License Activation utility, you can obtain licenses over the Internet. In addition, this utility registers
your product, provides automated support via email if you cannot obtain a license over the Internet, and saves and
migrates license files.
To use the Network License Activation utility
1 Have the following information available:
■ License server information, including host name(s) and host ID(s)
■ Serial number of previous product (for upgrades only)
■ Access to a location where license files can be saved
2 Insert the Revit Structure 4 installation disk into your computer.
3 When the Navigator screen displays, click Installation Extras.
4 On the next page, click Install Autodesk Network License Manager. A folder will open.
5 Copy the NLA folder to your computer’s hard drive.
6 Open the NLA folder on your computer, and double-click REVITST4NLA.exe.
7 On the Obtain a Network License page, review how this utility works and the requirements for using it,
and then click Next.
8 On the Server Information page, enter the product serial number.
NOTE If you are modifying an existing license file or obtaining a new license for an existing product, your
previously entered information might be displayed. Make sure that the serial number that is displayed is the one
you want to license. If it is not, enter the correct product serial number.
9 In the License Server Model section, click a license server model. For more information about each license
server model, click the ? button.
10 For Server Host Name, enter a server host name or click the [...] button to locate the name of each server
you plan to use.
11 For Host ID, for each server host name you entered in the previous step, click Lookup to have the utility
locate the host ID for the server, or enter the host ID manually.
NOTE If your server has more than one network adapter, select the one that corresponds to a physical network
adapter. To determine which adapters are physical, enter ipconfig /all at a Windows command prompt and
view the Description field above each physical address. If there is more than one physical network adapter, you
can use any one of them, as long as it was listed when you ran ipconfig /all. Logical devices such as VPN adapters,
PPP adapters, and modems may be listed but are not usable for licensing.
12 If you chose Distributed Server as the license server model, the Seats box is displayed. In the Seats box,
enter the number of seats for each license server, and click Next.
13 On the Confirm Server Information page, review the server information you entered, and click Next.
14 If the Register and License Your Autodesk Product page is displayed, do all of the following, and then click
Next:
■ In the This Product Is To Be Registered To option, select Company or Individual.
■ In the Select Country or Region section, select your country or region of residence.
■ In the Is This an Upgrade section, select Yes or No.
15 If the Registration Information page is displayed, enter your registration information, and click Next.
16 If the Confirm Information page is displayed, review your registration information, and click Next.
17 If the Connecting page is displayed, click Next to connect to the Internet to obtain your network license.
Network License Server Setup | 5](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-33-320.jpg)
![18 On the Licenses Received page, in the Save License File for [computer name] dialog, enter the location
where you want to save your license file, or click Browse to navigate to the location.
NOTE It is recommended that you save your license file to the location where you installed the Network License
Manager.
19 If you have an existing license file from another Autodesk product, select one of the following options:
■ Insert the New License Information Into It. Adds the new license information into the existing
license file.
■ Overwrite the Existing License File. Replaces the entire contents of the existing license file with
the new license information. Select this option only if you no longer require any part of the existing
license file contents.
20 Click Next.
21 On the License Activation Successful page, click Print to save a printed copy of the license information.
22 Click Done to complete the transaction and exit the Network License Activation utility.
If you cannot register the product using the Network License Activation Utility, you may use one of the following
options:
■ If you have Internet access, visit the Autodesk Registration website at www.autodesk.com/register.
■ You can also reach the Registration and Authorization office as follows for your region:
Contact InformationCountry
800-551-1490 (phone) 800-225-6490 (fax) authcodes@autodesk.comUnited States
415-507-4690 (phone) 415-507-4937 (fax)Canada and Latin America
65-6735-4857 (fax) ap.register@autodesk.comAsia Pacific
03-6221-1791 (fax) japan.register@autodesk.comJapan
41-32-723-9169 (fax) authcodes.neu@autodesk.comEMEA
Set Up the Network License File
After you receive a license file from Autodesk, you set up the file to configure the license server.
NOTE If you already have a license server running for another Autodesk product, such as AutoCAD or Architectural Desktop,
you need to combine your Revit Structure license file with your existing license file. Skip this procedure and the procedure
on Configuring the License Server, and go to “Combining Network License Files” on page 7.
1 Copy the contents of the license file (supplied by Autodesk in an e-mail) to an ASCII text editor, such as
Notepad.
WARNING Do not copy your contents into a word processor. A word processor can add hidden formatting that
a text editor cannot read.
2 Save the file to the Program FilesAutodesk Network License ManagerLicense folder.
You can name the license file in any way, but you must save the file with an LIC extension.
NOTE If you use Notepad as your text editor, you must select All Files in the Save As Type box so that a .txt
extension is not added automatically.
6 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-34-320.jpg)
![You should use as few control points as possible, as shown in the next picture:
NOTE On the Options Bar, you can use to pick a spline or spline face.
Sketching Design Bar Commands
When you enter sketch mode in Revit Structure, the Design Bar changes and gives you only the commands you need
for sketch mode.
■ Click Dimension to place dimensions in your sketch. The Options Bar updates accordingly to allow you to place
linear, radial, or angular dimensions.
■ Click Lines to place sketch lines. The “Sketching Options” on page 36 display on the Options Bar.
■ Click Ref Plane to add reference planes to your sketch.
■ Click Pick Walls to add sketch lines by prehighlighting walls and clicking; when you prehighlight a wall, a preview
of the sketch line appears. Click and the actual sketch line appears. Lines added with this command can be added
to the inside or outside faces of the wall. If you want to switch between the two faces, click the double control
arrows that appear on the line. To add lines to a chain of walls with one click, prehighlight a wall, press TAB and
click.
■ Click Set Work Plane to set the sketching work plane.
■ Click Align Eaves (footprint roofs) to realign the eave heights of different boundary lines of a roof footprint.
■ Click Slope Arrow (footprint roofs, floors, and ceilings) to add slope arrows to the sketch. Slope arrows offer more
flexibility when creating sloped geometry.
■ Click Auto Ceiling (ceilings only) to quickly place a ceiling above the sketched walls.
■ Click Boundary (stairs and ramps) to sketch the boundary lines for stairs or ramps.
■ Click Riser (stairs and ramps) to sketch the risers for stairs or ramps.
■ Click Run (stairs and ramps) to create a run of stairs or a ramp.
■ Click [Element] Properties to display properties for the specific element you are sketching: roof, ceiling, floor,
detail-filled region, or family geometry, such as extrusions or blends.
NOTE If you access properties from the Options Bar, you do not see the same list of properties. Clicking this command
displays the properties for the lines in the sketch only.
■ Click Finish Sketch to save your changes and exit sketch mode.
■ Click Quit Sketch to quit sketch mode and not save changes.
38 | Chapter 3 Sketching](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-66-320.jpg)
![Drawing the Truss Chords
8 Using the Model Lines button in the Family tab of the Design Bar, sketch the first truss chord as shown in
the illustration. Be sure that you lock the constraints of this model line to the top horizontal plane and to
the left-most vertical reference plane as shown in the illustration.
Constraining the First Chord to the Appropriate Reference Planes
NOTE Be sure that the endpoints of chords are associated with reference planes and not with the endpoints of
other members. This will ensure that the truss members will move as the reference planes move.
9 Continue to draw the remaining chords as in the next illustration, again being sure to lock the vertical
and horizontal constraints of these members to the appropriate reference planes.
Drawing the Remaining Chords
10 In the Settings drop-down menu, select Object Styles. In the dialog box, create a new object style called
Truss Chords and apply a lineweight of 7 for the Projection and Cut Lineweights of this style.
11 Select the chord lines in the Elevation View, and change the Subcategory Property of these elements to
Truss Chords [projection].You will see the lineweight change in the view.
Drawing the Truss Web Members
12 Add intermediate reference planes, three on each side of the centered vertical reference plane. Dimension
them and set the EQ constraint.
13 Draw the vertical and angled web members of the truss. as shown in the next illustration.
104 | Chapter 5 Families](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-132-320.jpg)
![14 Create a new Object Style called Truss Webs and apply Projection and Cut lineweights of 4 to this object
style.
15 Select each web member and change its Subcategory Property to Truss Web [projection].
16 Save this file to your Family directory. The truss type is now ready for loading into your model.
NOTE For information on loading a truss member into your model, see “Loading Structural Families” on page
162. Remember to drag the truss into a Plan View, not into an Elevation View.
Creating a Label
A label is a text placeholder added to tags or titleblocks. You create a label as part of a tag or titleblock family while in
the Family Editor. When you place the tag or titleblock in the project, you place substitution text for the label, and the
text appears as part of the family.
1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Annotation Symbol or New ➤ Titleblock.
2 In the Open dialog box, select the appropriate template for the family you are creating.
The Family Editor opens.
3 In the Family Editor, click Label from the Design Bar or choose Label from the Drafting menu.
4 In the Type Selector, select the label type.
5 In the Options Bar, select the vertical and horizontal justification.
6 In the drawing area, click the position the tag: for example, in a generic model tag template, place the
pointer at the intersection of the two reference planes.
7 In the Select Parameter dialog box, under Parameters, select the parameter you want in the label. If necessary,
you can add a new parameter.
TIP If you are creating a label with an external parameter, see “Tagging with Shared Parameters” on page 408.
If you select a numerical or dimension value, you can specify the formatting of the value.
NOTE If you are creating a generic annotation, you actually create new parameters in the dialog box. Click New
and in the Field Properties dialog box, type a parameter name. From the Type drop-down menu, choose Text,
Number, or Length. Select to include the parameter in either the annotation's instance properties or type
properties. Click OK to complete.
8 Click OK.
Specify sample text
9 Select the label, and on the Options Bar, click the Properties button.
Creating a Label | 105](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-133-320.jpg)
![Filtering Keynotes by Sheet
This option causes the schedule to only display those keynotes that are visible in views on the sheet the schedule is
placed on. Use the following procedure to select this option.
1 Open the keynote legend from the Schedules/Quantities category in the Project Browser.
2 Right-click the view and click View Properties.
3 In the Element Properties dialog, click Edit for the filter parameter.
4 In the Keynote Legend Properties dialog, click the Filter by sheet check box.
Filtering Keynotes by CSI Heading
To filter keynotes scheduled to one main category of keynotes:
1 Open the keynote legend from the Schedules/Quantities category in the Project Browser.
2 Right-click the view and click View Properties.
3 In the Element Properties dialog, click Edit for the filter parameter.
4 In the Keynote Legend Properties dialog, click an option from the drop-down list for Filter By. For example,
to filter by CSI Division 15 click Key Value.
5 In the drop-down list next to Filter by is a list of operators. The data must match or abide by the operator
and value you enter for it to appear in the schedule.
For example, the value of the CSI Division 15's main heading is 15000 so you would select the Begins With
operator and enter the value 15 in the text box beneath to display all keynote values that begin with 15.
Adding Additional Categories
Keynotes are defined in a tab-delimited text file. The first portion of the text file is reserved for major headings/categories
(the parent values) and the remainder of the file is for sub-headings/categories (the child values). A tab-delimited file
requires the use of the Tab key to create spaces between data entries.
Changes made to the keynote table are not available in the current project session of Revit Structure. Changes are
available when the project is closed and reopened.
You can use Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet application to manage the data, then export it to a tab-delimited
file format.
Sample KeynoteText File
CSI Main Category/Heading (parent value)
11000 [tab] Division 11 - Equipment
CSI Master format sSb-Category/Heading [tab] Sub-Category/Heading Description [tab] CSI Masterformat Main
Category/Heading Value (parent value)
11060 [tab] Theater and Stage Equipment [tab] 11000
11061 [tab] Acoustical Shells [tab] 11000
For sub-categories of sub-categories
11060.A1 [tab] Counter-Weight Rigging [tab] 11060
Sample User KeynoteText File
For User Keynotes you can place them in front of the CSI structure by using the following format:
Main/Heading/Parent Category
00000 [tab] Division 00 - User Notes
Sub-Category/Heading/Child
00001 [tab] User Note 1 [tab] 00000
00002 [tab] User Note 2 [tab] 00000
130 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-158-320.jpg)
![For sub-categories of sub-categories
00001.A1 [tab] User Note 1a [tab] 00001
Keynote File Locations
Keynote files for the default standalone installation are located in:
C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataAutodeskRevit StructureImperial Library
The file can be located on a network server so that it is available to all users. See “Keynoting Settings” on page 127 for
information on assigning file locations.
Keynote FileVersions
The following files are provided and installed during deployment:
■ RevitKeynotes_Imperial.txt
■ RevitKeynotes_Metric.txt
Resolving Keynote File Errors
When the keynote file cannot be found Revit Structure displays the following message when any action that attempts
to display the keynote selection dialog occurs:
Unable to Load Keynote data. Check keynote table locations in Keynoting Settings.
Use the following procedure to resolve either issue
1 Click Settings menu ➤ Keynoting.
2 In the Keynoting Settings dialog, click Browse and navigate to the appropriate keynote text file.
KeynoteTag Ends
For keynote tags that are associated with elements, the end of the leader is free to be relocated to another location and
not connected to just the boundary of an element. Therefore, when placing a keynote you can select the leader option
Free End or Attached End.
Material tags are assigned Free End and cannot be assigned Attached End. A material keynote tag's leader end identifies
the material as you move it over different materials and the keynote value automatically displays the appropriate
keynote value, if one is assigned.
The leader end for tags associated with
■ an element is attached to the boundary edge of the element.
■ a material is attached to the centroid of the selected material.
Symbols
The Symbol command places 2D annotation drawing symbols into your project.
Placing Symbols
1 If necessary, create the symbol family in the Family Editor and load it into your project. To create the
symbol family, use the Generic Annotation template. See “Family Editor Basics” on page 52 and “Load
Family From Library” on page 562.
As you create a symbol family, you notice that you can only see it in one view. It is like other annotations
in that it is view specific.
Resolving Keynote File Errors | 131](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-159-320.jpg)
![The following illustration shows higher priority layers joining before lower priority layers. The priority 1 CMU
layer of the horizontal wall passes through all layers, until it reaches the priority 1 stud layer of the vertical wall.
Note that the insulation in the horizontal wall does not pass through the air space in the vertical wall, because
they are both priority 3 and are outside the core layer.
■ When layers join, the join cleans up if the two layers have the same material. If the two layers have different
material, a line appears at the join.
■ Each layer must have a function assigned to it for Revit Structure to match layers accurately.
■ Layers inside the core of one wall pass through layers of higher priority that are outside the core of the joined wall.
The layers in the core extend to the core of a joined wall, even if the core layers are set to priority 5.
The following illustration shows how a layer of lower priority inside the core passes through layers of higher priority
outside the core. The insulation layer of the horizontal wall has moved inside the core. The insulation layer can
now pass through any layer outside the core, regardless of its priority.
Layer Functions
Layers can be assigned the following functions:
■ Structure [1]: Layer that supports the remainder of the wall, floor, or roof.
■ Substrate [2]: Material, such as plywood or gypsum board, which acts as a foundation for another.
■ Thermal/Air Layer [3]: Insulation and prevents air penetration.
■ Membrane Layer: A membrane commonly that prevents water vapor penetration. The membrane layer should
have zero thickness.
■ Finish 1 [4]: Finish 1 is typically the exterior layer.
■ Finish 2 [5]: Finish 2 is typically for the interior layer.
Inserting Layers into a Compound Structure
1 Access the type properties of the compound element.
2 Click Edit in the value box of the Structure property.
The Edit Assembly dialog appears, allowing you to specify the material for layers and the thickness of those
layers.
Inserting Layers into a Compound Structure | 197](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rst4userguide-160918150743/85/Rst4userguide-225-320.jpg)
Rst4userguide
- 1. Revit Structure 4 User's Guide August 200625504-050000-5020A
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- 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
- 5. Contents Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Copyright Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Network Deployment Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Standalone Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Network License Server Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Install the Network License Manager Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Obtain Host Name ID Using LMTools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Obtain a Network License File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Set Up the Network License File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Configure the Network License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Combining Network License Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Distributed License Server Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Redundant License Server Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Network License Client Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Licensing from Previous Versions of Revit Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Network License Cascading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 License Server Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Licensing Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 License Transferring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 License Borrowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Subscription Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Using Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter 2 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 What is a Project? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Creating a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Beginning a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Element Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Adding Levels and Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Massing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Massing and Building Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Massing Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Typical Uses of Massing Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Using Imported Geometry in Mass Versus Generic Model Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Controlling Visibility of Mass Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Using the Mass Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Working with Loaded Mass Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Working with In-Place Mass Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Multiple Mass Instances in a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Common Mass Instance Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Creating Building Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Building Elements from Massing or Generic Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Structural Templates and Structural Analytical Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Starting a Project with the Structural Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Contents | v
- 6. Creating Custom Project Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Creating and Saving the Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Chapter 3 Sketching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Sketching Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Creating Sketched Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sketching Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sketching Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sketching Design Bar Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Snap Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Jump Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Snapping Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Valid/Invalid Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Modifying Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Creating Ellipses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sketching a Full Ellipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sketching a Partial Ellipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Resizing an Ellipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Resizing with Drag Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Rotating an Ellipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Setting the Work Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Making the Work Plane Visible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Tips for Work Plane Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Elements Associated with Work Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Chapter 4 Constraint Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Constraint Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Creating Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Constraints with Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Equality Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 EQ Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Constraints and Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Removing Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Constraint Elements Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Chapter 5 Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Family Editor Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Family Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Basic Family Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Design Environment for Creating Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Design Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 General Rules for Geometry Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Procedure to Define a Family Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Is Reference Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Reference Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Creating Family Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Within the Family Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Within a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Setting Subcategories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Subcategory Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Families Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Families Included In The Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Editing Loaded Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Edit a Family within a Project or Nested Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Reloading Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Reload a Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Copying Family Types Between Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Copying a Family Type from the Project Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Copying a Family Type from the Document Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Strong and Weak References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 vi | Contents
- 7. Setting Strong and Weak References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Dimensions with Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Automatic Sketch Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Effects on Your Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Dimensioning with Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Labeling Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Dimensioning with Families Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Visibility and Detail Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Setting Family Geometry Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Visibility of Imported Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Visibility During Sketching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Setting Detail Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Instance Parameters and Shape Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Creating Instance Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Adding Shape Handles to a Component Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Family Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Creating Family Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Adding a Type to a Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Using Formulas for Numerical Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Adding a Formula to a Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Valid Formula Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Valid Formula Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Conditional Statements in Formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Adding a Website Link to Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Creating New Family Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Creating New Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Modifying Family Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Profile Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Family Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Creating a Profile Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Loading the Family into a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Family Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Family Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Family Editor Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Duplicating Parameterized Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Solid Geometry Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Creating Solid Revolves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Revolved Geometry Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Creating Solid Sweeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Sweep Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Creating Solid Blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Blend Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Creating a Solid Extrusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Extrusion Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Void Geometry Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Void Extrusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Void Blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Void Revolves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Void Sweeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Cut Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Creating a Subcategory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Creating Subcategories for the Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Assigning the Subcategory to the Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Subcategory Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Family Geometry Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Extrusion Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Blend Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Revolved Geometry Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Contents | vii
- 8. Sweep Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Line Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Family Category and Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Assigning Family Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Specifying the Always Vertical Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Specifying the Always Export as Geometry Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Using the Shared Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Specifying the Work Plane-Based Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Loading a Family into Projects or Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Load into Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Creating Vertical Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Setting the Always Vertical Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Creating Work Plane-based and Face-based Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Creating a Work Plane-based Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Nested Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Family Loading Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Creating a Nested Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Visibility of Nested Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Creating a Nested Family with Interchangeable Subcomponents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Creating and Applying a Family Type Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Shared Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Creating Shared Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Creating a Nested Family of Shared Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Loading Shared Families into a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Working with Shared Families in a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Scheduling Shared Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 In-Place Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Creating an In-Place Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Create Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Editing the In-Place Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 In-Place Families Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Changing the Appearance of the Detail Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Linking Family Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Creating Family Parameter Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Linking Family Parameters Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Loading Generic Annotations into Model Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Example Procedure for Adding a Generic Annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Creating a Column Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Starting a Column Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Specifying How a Column Displays in Project Plan Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Creating a Truss Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Creating a New Family Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Creating a Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Formatting Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Applying the Label to a Tag in the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Applying the Label to a Titleblock in the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Creating a Section Head Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Starting the Section Head Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Setting Parameters for the Section Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Tip for Creating a Section Head Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Creating Additional Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Automatic Cutouts in Floors and Ceilings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Titleblocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Creating Titleblocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Titleblock Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 viii | Contents
- 9. Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Modifying Text Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Changing Text Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Editing the Text Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Adding a Special Character From the Windows® Character Map® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Adding or Removing Leader Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Hiding the Annotation in the View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Modifying Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Changing Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Changing Grid Number and Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Creating a Grid Line Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Hiding the Annotation in the View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Modifying Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Changing Level Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Changing Level Lines in an Elevation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Moving Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Creating a Level Line Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Reference Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Hiding the Annotation in the View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Datum Extents and Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Scope Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Creating the Scope Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Applying the Scope Box to Datums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Controlling Scope Box Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Tag Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Multiple Tags for Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Applying a Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Changing a Tag Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Aligning Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Tag Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Tag Type Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Tag All Not Tagged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Material Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Keynoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Differences Between Keynoting and Tagging a Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Keynoting Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Keynote Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Placing a Keynote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Keynote Placement Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Expected Keynote Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Types of Keynotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Assigning Keynote Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Assigning Keynote Values to Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Assigning Keynote Values to Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Assigning Keynote Values Using Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Keynote Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Filtering Keynotes by Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Filtering Keynotes by CSI Heading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Adding Additional Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Sample Keynote Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Sample User Keynote Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Keynote File Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Contents | ix
- 10. Keynote File Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Resolving Keynote File Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Keynote Tag Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Placing Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Welding Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Detailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Types of Views for Detailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Detail Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Drafting Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Creating Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Detailing Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Inserting a Detail Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Repeating Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Detailing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Detail Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Temporary Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Switching Position of the Temporary Witness Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Suppress Display of Temporary Dimensions and Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Changing Temporary Dimensions to Permanent Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Permanent Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Dimensioning within the Family Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Dimension Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Anchor Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Showing Elements Related by Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Dimension Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Dimension Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Aligned Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Automatic Aligned Dimensions with Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Aligned Dimensions with Arc Wall Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Linear Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Witness Line Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Moving Witness Line to New Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Radial Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Changing Radial Dimension References on Arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Angular Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Arc Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Dimension Command Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Custom Dimension Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Setting the Custom Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Spot Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Placing a Spot Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Changing Elevation Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Changing Spot Elevation Arrowhead Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Spot Elevation Type Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Spot Elevation Instance Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Dimensioning to Core in Compound Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Dimensioning to Core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Modifying Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Changing a Dimension Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Controlling Witness Line Gaps and Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Moving Dimension Line Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Moving Temporary Dimension Witness Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Right-click Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Annotation Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Creating an Annotation Symbol Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Note Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 x | Contents
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Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Structural Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Loading Structural Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Setting Top of Structural System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Structural Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Placing Individual Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Adding Structural Columns Inside Architectural Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Placing Columns at Grid Intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Structural Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Creating a Structural Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Structural Usage of Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Adding Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Using the Grid Tool to Place Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Sloped Beam Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 3D Snapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Moment Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Beam Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Creating a Beam System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 One-Click Beam System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Tagging Beam Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Defining the Boundary of a Beam System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Picking Supports as the Beam System Boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Sketching the Beam System Boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Changing Beam Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Reset Structural Beam System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Specifying Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Cantilevered Beam System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Vertical Bracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Adding Vertical Bracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Controlling Brace Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Slab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Adding a Slab or Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Foundation Slab Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Span Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Sloped Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Creating a Mat Foundation Type within the Slab Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Cutting Openings in Slabs or Decks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Drop Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Continuous Wall Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Creating a Continuous Wall Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Isolated Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Adding Isolated Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Loading Isolated Foundation and Pile Cap Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Rebar Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Adding Rebar to a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Adding Rebar to a Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Adding Rebar to a Slab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Area Reinforcement in Slabs and Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Viewing an Area Reinforcement Cross Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Sketching Path Reinforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Structural Component Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Compound Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Materials in Compound Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Layer Join Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Applying a Function to a Layer of a Compound Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Inserting Layers into a Compound Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Contents | xi
- 12. Layer Wrapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Setting Layer Wrapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Previewing the Compound Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Layers as References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Compound Walls Joined to Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Editing Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Flipping Orientation of Compound Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Adding a Truss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Railings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Ramps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Model Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Host Sweeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Wall Sweep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Wall Sweep Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Returning Wall Sweeps Back to the Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Wall Sweep Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Wall Reveal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Reveal Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Moving Wall Reveals Away from the Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Roof Fascia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Resizing or Flipping Roof Fascias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Adding or Removing Segments of the Fascia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Changing Mitering Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Changing Horizontal and Vertical Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Roof Gutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Resizing or Flipping Roof Gutters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Adding or Removing Segments of the Gutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Changing Horizontal and Vertical Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Floor Slab Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Resizing or Flipping Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Adding or Removing Segments of the Slab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Changing Horizontal and Vertical Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Exterior/Interior Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Exterior/Interior Wall Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Wall Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Wall Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Splitting Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Sketching Wall Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Retaining Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Arc Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Placement Limitations with Arc Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Embedding Walls Into Other Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Embedding a Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Separating Embedded Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Embedding Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Vertically Compound Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Accessing Vertically Compound Wall Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Sample Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Modify Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Split Region Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Merge Region Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Assign Layers Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Layer Assignment Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Wall Sweeps and Reveal Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Vertically Stacked Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Accessing Vertically Stacked Wall Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 xii | Contents
- 13. Defining the Stacked Wall Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Breaking Up a Vertically Stacked Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Vertically Stacked Wall Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Adding Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Door Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Window Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Window Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Architectural Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Creating a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Attaching Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Cut Column Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Cut Target Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Coarse-Scale Cut Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Changing Component Hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Placing a Work Plane-based or Face-based Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Footprint Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Roof Slope Arrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Extruded Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Editing Plan Profile of Extruded Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Tips for Building Extruded Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Sloped Glazing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Sloped Glazing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Eaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Aligning Eaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Creating a Plumb Cut Eave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Creating a Two Cut Plumb Eave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Create a Two Cut Square Eave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Dormer Opening in Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Roof Soffits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Other Finished Soffits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Adding Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Sloped Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Creating Stairs by Sketching Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Creating Stairs by Sketching Boundary and Riser Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Creating a Run of Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Creating Spiral Staircases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Creating Arced Landings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Specifying the Railing Type for New Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Tips for Creating Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Stair Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Using the Stair Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Rule of Thumb Formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Curtain Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Creating Rectangular Curtain Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Non-Rectangular Curtain Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Curtain Grid Snapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Selectively Placing Curtain Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Type-Driven Curtain Element Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Flipping Orientation of Curtain Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Contents | xiii
- 14. Wall Panels in Curtain Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Modifying Curtain Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Corner Mullions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Corner Mullion Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Highlighting and Selecting Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Selecting Multiple Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Removing Elements from the Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Chain Selection of Walls and Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Partial Chain Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Modifying a Selected Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 Selecting Multiple Curtain Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Moving and Resizing Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Moving Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Changing Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Dragging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Move Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Arrow Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Changing Hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Controls and Shape Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Shape Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Moving Lines and Components with Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Modifying Geometry with Formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Tool Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Spelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Linework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Review Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Tape Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Join/Unjoin Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Joining Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Unjoining Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Tips for Joining Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Attach Top/Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Attaching a Floor to a Wall's Structural Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Detach Top/Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Detaching Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Trim/Extend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Join Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Unjoin Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Cut Structural Member with Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Coping and Remove Coping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Split Walls and Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Horizontal Line Splitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Split Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Undo/Abort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Multiple Undos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Multiple Redos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Create Similar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Restrictions on Cutting Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Using the Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 xiv | Contents
- 15. Cutting Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Using the Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Copy to Clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Restrictions on Copying Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Using the Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Copy to Clipboard Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Paste from Clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 Pasting Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 Pasting Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 Edit Pasted Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Paste Aligned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Mirroring Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Resize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Rotate Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Creating an Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Array Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Deleting Instances for Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Changing Dimensions for Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Pin Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Unpin Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Element Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Changing Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Element Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Previewing Family Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Structural Element Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Window Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354 Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Modifying Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Changing the Tag Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Sequential Tag Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Windows and Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Creating Sequential Door or Window Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Modifying Structural Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Modifying Structural Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Changing Column Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Moving a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Modifying Structural Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Modifying Structural Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Defining Wall Shapes or Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 Arc Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358 Modifying Wall Sweeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359 Modifying Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Moving a Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Rotating a Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Shape Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Beam Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Modifying Beam Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Specifying Beam System Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Modifying Bracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 Controlling Brace Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 Contents | xv
- 16. Modifying Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Editing a Slab Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Modifying Wall Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Modifying Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Modifying Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Changing Wall Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Interior and Exterior Wall Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Defining Wall Shapes or Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Modifying Wall Elevations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Defining Wall Shapes or Openings Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Wall Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370 Edit Wall Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370 Disallow Wall Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Mid-End Wall Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 Arc Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Resizing Arc Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Cutting Arc Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Modifying Building Pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Changing Building Pad Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Creating a Building Pad Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Modifying Building Pad Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Modifying Architectural Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Changing Column Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Moving a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Modifying Wall Sweeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Changing Wall Sweep Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Adding to or Removing from a Wall Sweep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Shape Handle on End Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 Changing Horizontal and Vertical Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Cutting Rectangular Openings in Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Cutting Openings in Floors, Roofs, and Ceilings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383 Cutting Shaft Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384 Modifying Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Changing Door Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Modifying Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Changing Floor Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Editing a Floor Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Modifying Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Line Subcategories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387 Resizing Arc Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387 Modifying a Spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387 Modifying Railings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387 Changing Railing Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Modifying Rail Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Modifying Rail Joins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Height and Slope Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 Baluster Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 Controlling the Placement of Balusters and Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 Main Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 Override Main Pattern for Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 xvi | Contents
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Creating a Pattern with Unique Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 Locating and Defining Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Deleting Balusters and Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Removing Balusters and Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Modifying Ramps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Changing Ramp Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Modifying Reveals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Changing Reveal Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Modifying Crop Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Explicit Crop Region Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395 Field of View Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Scale Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Modifying Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Roof Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Changing Roof Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397 Roof Ridge Shape Handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397 Modifying Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398 Boundaries and Riser and Run Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398 Stair Railings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 Moving Stair Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 Zero Tread Thickness for Monolithic Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 Modifying Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 Right-Click Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 Modifying Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 Changing Window Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 Right-click Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 Sorting Detail Element Draw Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402 Chapter 11 Project Wide Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403 Project Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 Shared Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 Shared Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 Categories Allowing Shared Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 Setting up Shared Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Creating a Shared Parameter File and Adding New Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Exporting Shared Parameters to a Shared Parameter File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Modifying Parameter Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Viewing and Deleting Shared Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Adding Shared Parameters to Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Shared and Family Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 Project Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 Creating Project Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 Creating Shared Project Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 Tagging with Shared Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 Creating a Single-Category Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 Creating a Multi-Category Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 Using the Multi-Category Tag in a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 Schedules with Shared Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409 Creating a Single-Category Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409 Creating a Multi-Category Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409 Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409 Windows Color Picker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409 PANTONE Color Picker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 No Color Specified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 Structural Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 Contents | xvii
- 18. Symbolic Representation Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 Load Cases Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 Load Combinations Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 Analytical Model Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 Boundary Conditions Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 Temporary Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 Temporary Dimensions Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 General Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 Graphics Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 File Locations Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 Spelling Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 Rendering Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 Detail Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 Setting the Detail Level Scale Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 Applying the Detail Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 Detail Levels and Display of Structural Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 Chapter 12 Project Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417 Structural Plan View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 Creating the View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 Displaying a Plan View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 View Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 Plan Type Properties for Tags and Reference Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 Detail Levels and Display of Structural Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419 Display of Hidden Lines of Structural Concrete Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419 Showing Hidden Element Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419 Plan Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 Creating a Plan Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 Elevation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 Creating a New Elevation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 Displaying an Elevation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422 Reference Elevations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422 Changing the Elevation Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422 Changing Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Changing Clip Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Elevation Type Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Framing Elevation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Adding a Framing Elevation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Section View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Section Tag Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Section Line Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Controlling View Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Creating a New Section View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Considerations for Sections in the Family Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 Segmented Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 Reference Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427 Hiding the Section Annotation Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428 Displaying a Section View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428 Changing the Section Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428 Changing Section Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428 Section Type Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Resizing Crop Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Finding Referring Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Finding a View Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Walkthrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Creating and Editing Walkthroughs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Creating a Walkthrough Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Editing the Walkthrough Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430 xviii | Contents
- 19. Editing Walkthrough Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 Displaying Walkthrough View During Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 Playing and Exporting Walkthroughs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 Controlling Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 Exporting to an AVI File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 Legends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 Creating a Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 Dimensioning Legend Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433 Legend Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434 Schedules/Quantities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434 Schedules and Key Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434 Creating Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434 Creating the Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434 Schedule Properties Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 Applying a Phase to a Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438 Schedule Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438 Exporting Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438 Creating Key Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439 Creating a Key Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439 Applying a Key to an Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439 Applying the Key to a Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Creating Material Takeoff Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Creating a Material Takeoff Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Modifying Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Updating Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Editing Text in Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Modifying Schedule Tab Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Grouping Column Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Editing Column Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Deleting Schedule Rows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Reusing Schedule Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Saving Schedule Views to an External Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Inserting Schedule Views from Another Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Foundation Footings Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442 Graphical Column Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442 View Parameters of Graphical Column Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Hiding Levels in Graphical Column Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444 3D Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Perspective View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Selecting the Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Perspective View Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446 Orthographic 3D View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446 Creating the Orthographic 3D View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446 Moving 3D Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 Selecting the Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 View Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 Displaying a 3D View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 3D View Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 View Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 Refreshing the Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 Using Dynamic View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 Dynamic View in 2D and 3D Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 3D Dynamic View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 Dynamic View in Perspective Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451 View Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452 View Tag Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454 View Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455 Additional View Range Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 Contents | xix
- 20. Modifying the View Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 View Range Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 Wireframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 Hidden Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458 Displaying Intersecting Geometry with Hidden Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458 Shading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458 Displaying Shading with Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 Silhouette Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460 Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461 Visibility/Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461 Visibility for Linked RVT Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465 Thin Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466 Temporary Hide/Isolate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 Orient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 View Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 View Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 Using the Project Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 Activating the Project Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 Organizing and Filtering Views in the Project Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 Multiple Selections in the Project Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469 Browser Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469 Chapter 13 Site Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473 Site Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 Site Settings Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 Toposurface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475 Creating a Toposurface by Picking Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 Toposurface Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 Toposurface Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 Toposurface Subregions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Split Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Merge Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478 Graded Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478 Property Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Sketching Property Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Creating Property Lines with Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Scheduling Property Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 Tagging Property Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 Exporting Property Line Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 Reporting Cut and Fill Volumes on a Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 Building Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481 Adding a Building Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481 Parking Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Creating a Toposurface from Imported 3D Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Creating a Toposurface from a Points File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Site Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Contour Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Modifying the Label Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484 Contour Label Type Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484 Chapter 14 Construction Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486 Sheet View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486 Sheet Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486 Sheet Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487 Add View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487 Add View Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487 Activate View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488 Deactivate View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488 xx | Contents
- 21. Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488 Viewport Type Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488 Viewport Instance Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488 View List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489 Drawing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489 Adding a Schedule to a Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489 Add and Delete Titleblocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 Adding Sheet Numbers to View Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 Adding the Sheet Number to the View Title Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 Using the View Title Family in a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 Modifying Schedule Appearance on a Drawing Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 Splitting a Schedule into Multiple Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 Moving Schedule Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 Resizing Schedule Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 Joining Split Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492 Adjusting Column Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492 Callout View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492 Creating the Callout View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492 Reference Callouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493 Modifying the Callout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 Opening a Callout View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 Changing the Callout Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 Leader Elbow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 Changing Clip Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 Changing Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495 Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495 Print Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495 Printing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495 Selecting Views to Print or Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496 Print Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496 Saving Print Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497 Print Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498 Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498 Setting up a Revision Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498 Entering Revision Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498 Revision Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499 Sketching Revision Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 Tagging Revision Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 Revision Cloud Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 Revision Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 Adding a Revision Schedule to a Custom Titleblock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 Entering Revision Information on a Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 Issuing a Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 Locking the Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 Unlocking a Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502 Creating Additional Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502 Adding a Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502 Combining Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502 Chapter 15 Shared Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 Shared Positioning in a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 Recommended Uses for Shared Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 Use the Coordinates from One File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 Defining Named Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 Seeing and Creating Named Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 Repositioning Named Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505 Modifying Linked Model Location through Instance Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505 Acquiring and Publishing Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506 Acquire Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506 Contents | xxi
- 22. Publish Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506 Acquiring or Publishing Through Linked Instance Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506 Relocating and Rotating a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Relocating a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Rotating a Project to True North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Relocating a Project by Entering Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508 Reporting Shared Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508 Reporting with Spot Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 Spot Coordinate Type Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 Spot Coordinate Instance Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510 Chapter 16 Project Phasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511 Phasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Phases and Phase Filters for Each View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 View Phase Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Phases with Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Phase Properties for Modelling Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 The Phases Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 Creating Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 Phase Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 Creating Overrides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514 Demolish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514 Phase Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514 Activating the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515 Phasing In-Fill Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516 Chapter 17 Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519 Creating a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 Fill Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 Creating a Simple Fill Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521 Fill Pattern Host Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522 Creating a Custom Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522 Applying a Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Deleting a Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Editing a Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Pattern Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Pattern File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Creating a Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526 Material Appearance Style Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526 Creating Material Appearance Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526 Applying a Material Appearance Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527 Editing a Material Appearance Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527 Material Physical Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527 Creating a Material Physical Parameter Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527 Applying a Material Physical Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527 Editing a Material Physical Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527 Renaming a Material Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 Deleting a Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 Object Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 Creating/Modifying Object Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 Deleting an Object Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 Renaming an Object Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 Line Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 Creating a Line Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 Deleting a Line Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 Line Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 Specifying Model Line Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Specifying Perspective Line Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Specifying Annotation Line Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 xxii | Contents
- 23. Adding Scales to Model Line Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Deleting Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Line Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Creating a Line Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Editing a Line Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531 Deleting a Line Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531 Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531 Arrowheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531 Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Loaded Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Specifying the Default Tag for an Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Project Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Units Grouped by Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Physical Quantities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Slope Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Decimal Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Temporary Overrides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Snaps Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Transfer Project Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534 Creating a New Titleblock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534 View Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534 Applying View Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534 Applying a View Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 Applying Default View Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 View Template Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536 Deleting View Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536 View Template Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536 Chapter 18 Conceptual Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539 Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Creating Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Lights and Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Lights and Shaded Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Light Fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Creating a Light Fixture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Lights in a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 Spotlights and Linear Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 Inserting a Spotlight or Linear Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 Spotlights and Linear Lights Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Light Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Creating the Light Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Turning the Light Group on and off in the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Modifying Lights and Light Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Rendering Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Render Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543 Rendering Scene Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543 Scene Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543 Radiosity Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545 Raytrace Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545 Daylight Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545 Raytrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546 Element Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546 Lighting in a Raytraced Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546 Raytracing Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546 Raytracing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547 Radiosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 Using Radiosity in Your Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 Radiosity Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 Contents | xxiii
- 24. Advantages of Using Radiosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 Disadvantages of Using Radiosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 Restarting Radiosity Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 Radiosity Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 Saving and Loading Radiosity Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 Creating and Viewing Panoramic Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 Creating and Viewing a PAN Panoramic File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 Creating and Viewing IVR Panoramic Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 Adding ArchVision realpeople . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 Loading realpeople for Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 Image Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 Region Raytrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551 Solar Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551 Creating Views for Solar Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551 Orienting Views to True North for Solar Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551 Creating a Solar Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552 Specifying Settings for a Still Solar Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553 Still Solar Studies Based on Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553 Still Solar Studies Based on Azimuth and Altitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554 Specifying Settings for a Single-Day Solar Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554 Specifying Settings for a Multi-Day Solar Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555 Previewing a Solar Study Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555 Exporting a Solar Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556 Chapter 19 File Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559 New (File) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560 Creating a New Project or Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560 Creating a New Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560 Creating a New Titleblock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560 Creating a New Annotation Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561 Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561 Thumbnailing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561 Open Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561 Opening from Windows Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562 Opening Web Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562 Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562 Load Family From Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562 Loading through Element Properties Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563 Reloading Families into a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563 Dragging from Windows Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564 Saving Loaded Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564 Using Type Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564 Loading a Family with a Type Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564 Creating Type Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565 Creating a Type Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565 Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566 File Saving Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566 Saving Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567 Purge Unused . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567 Raster Image Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 Chapter 20 Interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569 Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570 Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570 Exporting Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572 Exporting Intersecting Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572 Export Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572 Exporting Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572 Cleaning out Old Layer Mappings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 xxiv | Contents
- 25. Custom Export Layer Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 Exporting to ODBC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 Exporting to an ODBC Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 Editing the Database After Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574 Exporting to ODBC Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574 Exporting Multiple Times to the Same ODBC Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574 Table Relationships Within the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574 Export Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575 Exporting Project Views to HTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576 Export Room/Area Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576 Export to IFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576 Exporting to 2D or 3D DWF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578 Export to Buzzsaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580 Export to Autodesk Architectural Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580 Import/Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581 Suitability of Imported Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581 Importing or Linking Vector Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581 Snapping to Imported Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582 Exploding Imported Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582 Querying Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582 Import Line Weights DWG/DXF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583 Importing ACIS Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584 Importing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584 Import an IFC File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 Selecting a Template for Imported IFC Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 Loading an IFC Class Mapping File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 Overriding Categories and Subcategories for Imported IFC Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 Import CAD Formats Using i-drop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586 Import SketchUp Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586 Import Options for CAD Formats and Revit Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587 Linking Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588 Tips on Linking RVT Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588 Managing Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 Import/Link a DWF Markup File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590 Import/Link Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591 Querying Linked RVT Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591 Displaying Linked RVT File Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592 Additional Copies of Linked RVT Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592 Structural Interoperability with Autodesk Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems . . . . . . . 592 Importing Structural Elements from Architectural Desktop and Building Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592 Importing Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593 Importing Structural Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595 Importing Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598 Importing Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 Exporting Structural Elements to Architectural Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 Exporting Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 602 Exporting Structural Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603 Exporting Walls, Slabs, Floors, and Non-Structural Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606 Multi-Discipline Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608 Coordination Review on Element Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610 Interference Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611 Chapter 21 The Structural Analytical Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613 Structural Analytical Model Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614 The Relationship of the Physical Model and the Analytical Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614 Physical Views and Analytical Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614 Elemental Analytical Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615 Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617 Project Template and View Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617 Contents | xxv
- 26. View Parameters and Object Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618 Structural Element Creation Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620 Default Position of Analytical Model of Each Structural Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620 Member to Member (Join) Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621 Editing the Analytical Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624 Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624 Adjust/Reset Analytical Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626 Automatic Adjustment of the Analytical Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630 Support and Analytical Consistency Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631 Modifying Elective Checking Criteria and Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631 Loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632 Load Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632 Load Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633 Load Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634 Placing Line Loads on a Sloped Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636 Area Loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639 Loading Load Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640 Tagging Loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640 Boundary Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640 Linking with Analysis and Design Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642 Chapter 22 Advanced Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645 Worksharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646 Creating a Central File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646 Element Borrowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647 Making a Request to Borrow an Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648 Granting a Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648 Checking a Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648 Outdated Borrowed Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649 Seeing Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649 Saving to Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649 Saving to Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649 Getting the Latest Changes While Working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650 Opening Independently from Central File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650 Relinquishing Ownership Without Saving to Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650 Workset Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651 Visibility Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651 Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651 Default Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652 Creating Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653 Selectively Opening Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654 Modifying Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654 Upgrading Workshared Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655 Best Practices with Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656 Project Rollback and Saving Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657 Project Rollback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658 Saving a Specific Backup Version as a New File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658 Project Rollback and Saving Backups Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658 Show History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658 Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659 Design Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659 Design Options Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659 Naming Design Option Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660 Naming Design Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660 Working with Design Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660 Editing a Design Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660 Adding an Element to an Option Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661 Selecting Elements in a Design Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661 Preparing Design Options for Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 xxvi | Contents
- 27. Comparing Design Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 Accepting a Primary Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 Important Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 Views, Levels, and View-Specific Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 Interdependent Elements Must Be in Same Design Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663 Automatic Cleanup of Wall Joins with Design Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663 Design Options and Worksets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664 Main Model Elements and Design Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664 Chapter 23 Window Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665 New Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666 Cascade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666 Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666 Arrange Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666 Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666 Modifying Toolbar Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666 Displaying the Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667 Design Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667 Close Hidden Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667 Chapter 24 Modern Medium Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669 Accessing the Modern Medium Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670 Applying Materials to Modern Medium Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670 Chapter 25 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671 Customizing Keyboard Accelerators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672 Keyboard Accelerators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672 Print Troubleshooting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674 General Printing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674 Graphics Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 PDF Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 Plotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676 System Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 Diagnostic Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 Error Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 Informational Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 More Info Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 Show Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678 Expand Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678 Ignorable Warnings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678 More Info on Errors and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683 Contents | xxvii
- 29. Welcome to Revit Structure 4 This section includes licensing information and any other information pertinent to this release of Revit Structure 4. 1 1
- 30. Copyright Information For contact information, visit us on the web at www.autodesk.com. © Copyright 1998 - 2006 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions © Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 2002; Portions © Copyright 2002 ArchVision, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Autodesk, AutoCAD, Revit Structure, and DXF are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and other countries. AccuRender is a registered trademark of Robert McNeel & Associates. ArchVision, realpeople, and RPC are either registered trademarks or trademarks of ArchVision, Inc. Microsoft and the Microsoft Internet Explorer logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. MicroStation and DGN are registered trademarks of Bentley Systems, Inc. Modern Medium, Just Textures, and Blocks and Materials are trademarks of Modern Medium, Inc. PANTONE® and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the properties of Pantone, Inc. © 2003 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (www.ashrae.org) used by permission ETABS is a registered trademark of Computers and Structures, Inc. RISA is a trademark of RISA Technologies. Third Party Software Program Credits RISA-3D copyright © 1993-2005 RISA Technologies. All rights reserved. ETABS copyright © 1984-2005 Computers and Structures, Inc. All rights reserved. April, 2006 Network Deployment Installation 1 Start the Revit Structure installation. After you accept the license agreement and click Next, the Choose Destination Locations dialog box is displayed. 2 Specify where to install the Revit Structure 4 program files. 3 Select Prepare Network Deployment from this installation. 4 Enter a folder path for Deployment Source Folder. This path must be on a network device. The deployment source folder contains 3 files used for future client installations: an MSI file, a VBS script file, and an LNK file that is a shortcut to the script. It also contains a subfolder that includes the help files. 5 Click Next. 6 In the Choose Content dialog box, enter a network folder for content installation, and click Next. 7 Enter the server name and select the appropriate server type: single server, distributed servers, or redundant servers. For more information on distributed server licensing, see “Distributed License Server Model” on page 8. For more information on redundant server licensing, see “Redundant License Server Model” on page 9. 8 Enter your Revit Structure network license serial number Serial Number, and click Next. The Edit Network Deployment Settings dialog box is displayed. This dialog box resembles the File Locations tab of the Options command. For more information on this tab, see “File Locations Tab” on page 414. 9 Enter the appropriate file location information in the dialog box. The file location information entered here is written to the Revit.ini file. All client machines that install Revit Structure through this network deployment will have this file location information written to their Revit.ini files. 10 Click Next. 2 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4
- 31. 11 In the Edit CAD Manager Control Settings dialog, choose the appropriate settings. All client machines that install Revit Structure through this network deployment will have these settings. 12 Click Next. 13 Click Next again to begin the installation. Revit Structure content is installed once during the network deployment preparation. To install Revit Structure on a client machine, a user can go to the deployment source folder and double-click the LNK file. A system administrator can also use the MSI file to push Revit Structure installations to client machines. Licensing There are three choices for licensing with Revit Structure: ■ Standalone - A standalone license is associated with one computer. In addition, you can transfer a license from one machine to another with a standalone license. For more information, see “License Transferring” on page 11. ■ Network - A network license is not associated with one computer. It can be installed on a network server and then multiple computers on that network can use that license to run Revit Structure. In addition, you can borrow a license from the license server and use it outside the network environment for a specified time. For more information, see “License Borrowing” on page 11. ■ Demo - A demo license allows you to use Revit Structure as a viewer. You can open projects, export them, and print them; however, if you make changes to the project, you cannot export or print it. Standalone Licensing Follow this procedure to obtain a standalone license for Revit Structure. If you have not already run Revit Structure in trial mode, the Product and License Information dialog box is displayed when you first start Revit Structure. If you have already run Revit Structure in trial mode, click Help menu ➤ Product and License Information. 1 In the Product and License Information dialog box, select Standalone-Locked. 2 Enter your product serial number, which is on the CD package. Or, refer to the e-mail you received in advance of the new release of Revit Structure that either gives you a serial number or tells you how to go to the Autodesk web site to get one. This e-mail also explains where to get authorization codes from the Autodesk web site. If you are an existing customer and on a current subscription, enter your existing serial number. 3 Click Register. 4 In the Product Activation dialog box, select Activate the product, and click Next. 5 In the Register Today dialog box, select Register and activate, and click Next. 6 Select whether Revit Structure is registered to a company or an individual. 7 Select your country. 8 Specify if the product is an upgrade, and click Next. 9 Enter your contact information, answer the questions, and click Next. 10 Verify your contact information, and click Next. 11 Select a registration method, and click Next. Network License Server Setup If you already have an Autodesk License server set up, skip to “Obtain a Network License File” on page 4. IMPORTANT Revit Structure supports redundant or distributed server configurations. Licensing | 3
- 32. Install the Network License ManagerTools If an existing version of the license manager is already installed on this computer, you must use Add/Remove Programs on the Control Panel to remove it before reinstalling. Revit Structure requires Network License Manager based on FLEXlm version 10.8 and is not compatible with previous versions of the Network License Manager. If you have a version of FLEXlm other than 10.8, you will have to reinstall it after completing this procedure. IMPORTANT If you are running the network license manager on Windows XP and have upgraded to Service Pack 2, a new software firewall is enabled, which, when left at its default settings, disables the Autodesk License Server installed on the same machine. For more information on this, contact Revit Structure Client Support. 1 Locate the Network License Manager setup file on your Revit Structure CD. 2 In the Autodesk Network License Manager Setup dialog box, click Next. 3 In the License Agreement dialog box, read the license agreement and click I Accept the License Agreement, and then click Next. NOTE If you do not agree to the terms of the license, click Cancel to cancel the installation. 4 In the Destination Folder dialog box, either accept the default folder or click Browse to specify a different location. If you enter a path that does not exist, a new folder is created using the name and location you provide. Click Next. WARNING Do not install the Network License Manager on a remote drive. When you install the Network License Manager files, you must provide a path to a local drive. Specify the drive letter; the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) is not supported. 5 On the Ready to Install the Application dialog box, click Next. 6 Click Finish. NOTE For more information on the Network License Manager, see the associated documentation in the Docs directory with the Network License Manager installation directory. TIP Revit Structure recommends that you create a directory under the Network License Manager directory called Logs. In that directory, you can place any log files that are generated from license server reporting. Obtain Host Name ID Using LMTools 1 In Windows, click Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Autodesk Network License Manager ➤ LMTOOLS. The LMTools utility opens. 2 Click the System Settings tab. 3 Click Save HOSTID Info to a File in the System Settings tab. 4 Save the file. You provide this file to Autodesk to obtain a license file. RELATED If you do not have LMTools installed on your machine, obtain the host name by opening a Command Prompt window and entering ipconfig/all. This provides both host name and Host ID information for your machine. Obtain a Network License File A license file identifies important license information, including license type and behavior, and the number of seats available for use. You must obtain a license file from Autodesk for each license server. 4 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4
- 33. With the Network License Activation utility, you can obtain licenses over the Internet. In addition, this utility registers your product, provides automated support via email if you cannot obtain a license over the Internet, and saves and migrates license files. To use the Network License Activation utility 1 Have the following information available: ■ License server information, including host name(s) and host ID(s) ■ Serial number of previous product (for upgrades only) ■ Access to a location where license files can be saved 2 Insert the Revit Structure 4 installation disk into your computer. 3 When the Navigator screen displays, click Installation Extras. 4 On the next page, click Install Autodesk Network License Manager. A folder will open. 5 Copy the NLA folder to your computer’s hard drive. 6 Open the NLA folder on your computer, and double-click REVITST4NLA.exe. 7 On the Obtain a Network License page, review how this utility works and the requirements for using it, and then click Next. 8 On the Server Information page, enter the product serial number. NOTE If you are modifying an existing license file or obtaining a new license for an existing product, your previously entered information might be displayed. Make sure that the serial number that is displayed is the one you want to license. If it is not, enter the correct product serial number. 9 In the License Server Model section, click a license server model. For more information about each license server model, click the ? button. 10 For Server Host Name, enter a server host name or click the [...] button to locate the name of each server you plan to use. 11 For Host ID, for each server host name you entered in the previous step, click Lookup to have the utility locate the host ID for the server, or enter the host ID manually. NOTE If your server has more than one network adapter, select the one that corresponds to a physical network adapter. To determine which adapters are physical, enter ipconfig /all at a Windows command prompt and view the Description field above each physical address. If there is more than one physical network adapter, you can use any one of them, as long as it was listed when you ran ipconfig /all. Logical devices such as VPN adapters, PPP adapters, and modems may be listed but are not usable for licensing. 12 If you chose Distributed Server as the license server model, the Seats box is displayed. In the Seats box, enter the number of seats for each license server, and click Next. 13 On the Confirm Server Information page, review the server information you entered, and click Next. 14 If the Register and License Your Autodesk Product page is displayed, do all of the following, and then click Next: ■ In the This Product Is To Be Registered To option, select Company or Individual. ■ In the Select Country or Region section, select your country or region of residence. ■ In the Is This an Upgrade section, select Yes or No. 15 If the Registration Information page is displayed, enter your registration information, and click Next. 16 If the Confirm Information page is displayed, review your registration information, and click Next. 17 If the Connecting page is displayed, click Next to connect to the Internet to obtain your network license. Network License Server Setup | 5
- 34. 18 On the Licenses Received page, in the Save License File for [computer name] dialog, enter the location where you want to save your license file, or click Browse to navigate to the location. NOTE It is recommended that you save your license file to the location where you installed the Network License Manager. 19 If you have an existing license file from another Autodesk product, select one of the following options: ■ Insert the New License Information Into It. Adds the new license information into the existing license file. ■ Overwrite the Existing License File. Replaces the entire contents of the existing license file with the new license information. Select this option only if you no longer require any part of the existing license file contents. 20 Click Next. 21 On the License Activation Successful page, click Print to save a printed copy of the license information. 22 Click Done to complete the transaction and exit the Network License Activation utility. If you cannot register the product using the Network License Activation Utility, you may use one of the following options: ■ If you have Internet access, visit the Autodesk Registration website at www.autodesk.com/register. ■ You can also reach the Registration and Authorization office as follows for your region: Contact InformationCountry 800-551-1490 (phone) 800-225-6490 (fax) authcodes@autodesk.comUnited States 415-507-4690 (phone) 415-507-4937 (fax)Canada and Latin America 65-6735-4857 (fax) ap.register@autodesk.comAsia Pacific 03-6221-1791 (fax) japan.register@autodesk.comJapan 41-32-723-9169 (fax) authcodes.neu@autodesk.comEMEA Set Up the Network License File After you receive a license file from Autodesk, you set up the file to configure the license server. NOTE If you already have a license server running for another Autodesk product, such as AutoCAD or Architectural Desktop, you need to combine your Revit Structure license file with your existing license file. Skip this procedure and the procedure on Configuring the License Server, and go to “Combining Network License Files” on page 7. 1 Copy the contents of the license file (supplied by Autodesk in an e-mail) to an ASCII text editor, such as Notepad. WARNING Do not copy your contents into a word processor. A word processor can add hidden formatting that a text editor cannot read. 2 Save the file to the Program FilesAutodesk Network License ManagerLicense folder. You can name the license file in any way, but you must save the file with an LIC extension. NOTE If you use Notepad as your text editor, you must select All Files in the Save As Type box so that a .txt extension is not added automatically. 6 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4
- 35. Configure the Network License Server Using the LMTOOLS utility, configure the license server so you can manage the Revit Structure product license. 1 In Windows, click Start menu ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Autodesk Network License Manager ➤ LMTOOLS. 2 Click the Service/License File tab. 3 Select Configuration using Services. 4 Click the Config Services tab. 5 On the Config Services tab, in the Service Name list, perform one of the following: ■ If a service name is selected, verify that it is the one you want to use to manage licenses. ■ If no service name exists, enter the service name you want to use to manage licenses. Revit Structure suggests that you enter Autodesk_nlm for the service name. NOTE If you have more than one software vendor using FLEXlm for license management, the Service Name list contains more than one option. 6 Enter the path to the Network License Manager daemon (lmgrd.exe), or click Browse to locate the file. By default, this daemon is installed in the Program FilesAutodesk Network License Manager folder. 7 Enter the path to the license file, or click Browse to locate the file. For more information, see “Set Up the Network License File” on page 6. 8 Enter a path to the debug log or click Browse to locate the file. 9 Select Use Services. 10 To automatically start lmgrd.exe when the system starts, select Start Server at Power Up. 11 To run lmgrd.exe as a Windows 2000 or Windows NT service, select Use Services. 12 Click Save Service to save the new configuration under the service name you selected in step 5. 13 Click the Start/Stop/Reread tab. 14 On the Start/Stop/Reread tab, click Start Server to start the license server. IMPORTANT If you need to stop a server, it is not recommended to click Stop Server on this tab. Other processes may be running on this server. Revit Structure recommends that you schedule a reboot instead. 15 To ensure that the license manager has started correctly, wait 30 seconds after starting the license service. Then, on the Server Status tab of LMTOOLS, select Display Everything, and click Perform Status Enquiry. 16 Scroll to the bottom of the results and look for a line similar to the following that displays the feature code and number of licenses: ■ Users of 48400REVITS_2_OF: (Total of 10 licenses issued; Total of 0 licenses in use) If you do not see a similar line displayed in this part of the dialog box, review the installation steps. 17 Exit LMtools. Combining Network License Files If you already have a license server running for another Autodesk product, such as AutoCAD or Architectural Desktop, you need to combine your Revit Structure license file with your existing license file. Before attempting this procedure, see the procedure for obtaining a license file for Revit Structure. To add additional licenses to the license server, you can either combine the license files into one file, or put all of the license files into one folder and then point the license server to that folder, not a specific file. Network License Server Setup | 7
- 36. To combine license files for Autodesk products into one license file, you must edit the existing license file and add lines from the new license file to the existing license file. To edit the existing license file, copy all of the lines from the Revit Structure license file starting at the line beginning with "INCREMENT" into the existing license file. When adding additional licenses of the same Autodesk product to your license file, you must obtain a new license file for the total number of licenses for that feature code, not just the new ones. For example, do not combine two different AutoCAD license files into one file. Obtain one new license file that contains the required total number of AutoCAD seats. If the server computer has more than one network adapter installed, all Autodesk products should be bound to the same adapter. Example Existing License File SERVER PCS770 0012340f10c2 USE_SERVER VENDOR adskflex port=2080 INCREMENT 41100ACD_2002_0F adskflex 1.000 permanent 5 VENDOR_STRING=commercial:permanent SUPERSEDE DUP_GROUP=H ISSUED=27-mar-2001 ck=213 SN=3XX-XXXXXXXX SIGN=123456ABCDEF New License File SERVER PCS770 a1b2c3d4e5f6 USE_SERVER VENDOR adskflex port=2080 INCREMENT 48400REVITS_2_0F adskflex 1.000 permanent 10 VENDOR_STRING=commercial:permanent BORROW=720 SUPERSEDE DUP_GROUP=UH ISSUED=10-Mar-2004 SN=339-12345678 SIGN="1037 7E66 6695 2D57 47D9 C59D FAAB DC45 CC51 1414 A8AB 29F4 2773 CE33 59EC 0397 B326 29FE 16EC 5C95 8213 BE5C A88F 25F5 3FC1 8CB4 C0CD 65D4 C7E5 40BB" SIGN2="1261 B3BF 7D54 0CF4 C84D 9EFD B041 D91A A56D 015B 9A30 20B7 BF73 0766 3674 019F 5D8B 36EE 5B75 86B2 D219 6C86 9900 B297 DD3C C34B 5303 DB46 2533 2222 Combined License File SERVER PCS770 a1b2c3d4e5f6 USE_SERVER VENDOR adskflex port=2080 INCREMENT 41100ACD_2002_0F adskflex 1.000 permanent 5 VENDOR_STRING=nfr:permanent SUPERSEDE DUP_GROUP=H ISSUED=27-mar-2001 ck=213 SN=3XX-XXXXXXXX SIGN=123456ABCDEF INCREMENT 48400REVITS_2_0F adskflex 1.000 permanent 10 VENDOR_STRING=commercial:permanent BORROW=720 SUPERSEDE DUP_GROUP=UH ISSUED=10-Mar-2004 SN=339-12345678 SIGN="1037 7E66 6695 2D57 47D9 C59D FAAB DC45 CC51 1414 A8AB 29F4 2773 CE33 59EC 0397 B326 29FE 16EC 5C95 8213 BE5C A88F 25F5 3FC1 8CB4 C0CD 65D4 C7E5 40BB" SIGN2="1261 B3BF 7D54 0CF4 C84D 9EFD B041 D91A A56D 015B 9A30 20B7 BF73 0766 3674 019F 5D8B 36EE 5B75 86B2 D219 6C86 9900 B297 DD3C C34B 5303 DB46 2533 2222 Rereading the Network License File To initiate the license server, open LMTOOLS, and click the Start/Stop/Reread tab. Click ReRead License File. Distributed License Server Model In the distributed license server model, licenses are distributed across more than one server. A unique license file is required for each server. To create a distributed license server, you must run the Network License Manager on each server that is part of the distributed server pool. 8 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4
- 37. Advantages ■ Servers can be distributed across a wide area network (WAN); they do not need to exist on the same subnet. ■ If one server in the distributed server pool fails, the licenses on the remaining servers are still available. ■ The distributed license server model is supported on Windows XP® Professional and on both the workstation and server editions of Windows® 2000 and Windows® 2003. ■ If you need to replace a server in the distributed server pool, you do not need to rebuild the entire pool. ■ Server replacement is easier than in a redundant server pool, where you must reactivate the entire pool. Disadvantage ■ If a server in the distributed server pool fails, the licenses on that server are unavailable. Example Distributed License File The following is sample code from a distributed license file. SERVER Server2 2a34567f90d3 USE_SERVER VENDOR adskflex port=2080 INCREMENT 46300ACD_2005_0F adskflex 1.000 permanent 3 VENDOR_STRING=commercial:permanent BORROW=720 SUPERSEDE DUP_GROUP=UH ISSUED=22-mar-2004 SN=339-12345678 SIGN="1707 9EAC CBCB 2405 692E 4A89 FC45 C009 E360 944A 14BA E99C 9B24 5A1B 4A44 083A BE5F 3827 AA26 30CC 2AC2 D6B3 A61B AB5E 492E 3EBD 0B48 4E75 193A DA82" SIGN2="004A FC90 AB47 3F6B 59BC 0E6D 6681 6971 A76A BA52 98E2 5671 26B3 0E78 791B 109F 0591 7DC3 F09F 4D8D 4FB7 E341 4A03 CD68 1D77 27F8 8555 9CF7 DEDD 9380" Redundant License Server Model In the redundant license server model, you use three servers to authenticate a single license file. One server acts as the master, while the other two provide backup if the master server fails. With this configuration, licenses continue to be monitored and issued as long as at least two servers are functional. The license file on all three servers is the same. You must install the Network License Manager on each server. In the redundant license server model, all servers must reside on the same subnet and have consistent network communications. (Slow, erratic, or dial-up connections are not supported.) Advantage ■ If one of the three servers fails, all licenses that are managed in the server pool are still available. Disadvantages ■ If more than one server fails, no licenses are available. ■ All three servers must reside on the same subnet and have reliable network communications. The redundant server pool doesn't provide network fault tolerance. ■ The redundant license server model is supported only on Windows 2000 Server Edition. ■ If one of the three servers is replaced, you need to obtain a new license file from Autodesk. Also, on the client machines, the Licpath.lic file should be modified to include the new server name. ■ If your Autodesk product supports license borrowing and licenses are borrowed from a redundant license server pool, you must restart the license server after you stop the Network License Manager. Example Redundant License File The following is sample code from a redundant license file. Network License Server Setup | 9
- 38. SERVER Server1 1a34567c90d2 27005 SERVER Server2 2a34567f90d3 27005 SERVER Server3 3a34567b90d4 27005 USE_SERVER VENDOR adskflex port=2080 INCREMENT 46300ACD_2005_0F adskflex 1.000 permanent 3 VENDOR_STRING=commercial:permanent BORROW=720 SUPERSEDE DUP_GROUP=UH ISSUED=22-mar-2004 SN=339-12345678 SIGN="1707 9EAC CBCB 2405 692E 4A89 FC45 C009 E360 944A 14BA E99C 9B24 5A1B 4A44 083A BE5F 3827 AA26 30CC 2AC2 D6B3 A61B AB5E 492E 3EBD 0B48 4E75 193A DA82" SIGN2="004A FC90 AB47 3F6B 59BC 0E6D 6681 6971 A76A BA52 98E2 5671 26B3 0E78 791B 109F 0591 7DC3 F09F 4D8D 4FB7 E341 4A03 CD68 1D77 27F8 8555 9CF7 DEDD 9380" Network License Client Setup After you have set up a license server, follow this procedure in Revit Structure to license a client machine. NOTE Client Setup is usually completed during product installation or network deployment. 1 Click Help menu ➤ Product and License Information. 2 Select Network. 3 Enter the network server name. 4 Click Apply. 5 Click Close. Licensing from PreviousVersions of Revit Structure Each new release of Revit Structure requires the current version of the standalone or network license. Standalone or network licenses from previous versions do not work with the latest release of Revit Structure. If you do not have a current license, Revit Structure runs in Demo Mode. Network License Cascading For products purchased separately and as part of a Revit Structure Series package, a network license server can be set up with combinations of license seat counts.The mechanism employed by Autodesk cascading will first use the single product license ("non Series"), and then cascade as needed to the Series licenses. License Server Reporting For more information on license server reporting and license server configuration, see the associated documentation on the SAMreport-Lite utility that you can install with Revit Structure. Licensing Extension If you have network licensing and a license outage occurs, you can extend your licensing long enough to save your work. Outage Examples ■ You were using Revit Structure, left your computer for over two hours but forgot to save, and all the floating licenses, including yours, are now assigned to other users. ■ The machine that hosts the license server went down. SavingYour Work in an Outage If an outage occurs, you can save your work by using the Use Extension feature. You use an extension each time you issue a command. For example, you click a command from the Design Bar, the dialog box is displayed, and you click Use Extension. This cycle repeats up to 10 times. 10 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4
- 39. When you connect to the license server at the beginning of a Revit Structure session, you get a set of 10 extensions. If you use up all 10 extensions before saving, you must enter demo mode, but you cannot save your work in demo mode. LicenseTransferring If you are running Revit Structure with a standalone license, you can transfer that license using the Portable License Utility. This transfers a product license from one computer to another and ensures that the product works only on the computer that has the license. Access the Portable License Utility by clicking Start ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Revit Structure 4 ➤ Portable License Utility. For more information on the Portable License Utility, see its online help. License Borrowing If you are running a network-licensed version of Revit Structure, you can borrow a license from a license server so that you can use the software for a specified time when your computer is not connected to the network. Your license is returned to the license server automatically at the end of the day on the return date you set when you borrowed the license. You can also return a license early. NOTE If you have a standalone version of the software, you cannot borrow a license. To view your product license type, click Help menu ➤ Product and License Information. To borrow a license 1 Click Help menu ➤ Product and License Information. 2 Click Borrow next to the Network license option. 3 Click a return date on the calendar in the dialog. Be sure the date is within the valid range as shown in the dialog. 4 Click Borrow License. NOTE There is a limit to the number of licenses available for borrowing. If you try to borrow a license and are notified that no licenses are available, all network licenses may already be borrowed by other users. If you are unable to borrow a license, contact your network administrator. License Returning When the license-borrowing period expires, the borrowed license is returned to the license server automatically. When you reconnect your computer to the network, you may start Revit Structure normally. Successful startup of the software indicates that you have acquired the usual (online) network license. At that point, you may borrow a license again. NOTE To view the expiration date for the borrowed license, click Help menu ➤ Product and License Information. The expiration date is displayed in Current Status. To return a license early 1 Click Help menu ➤ Product and License Information. 2 Click Return next to the Network license option. Subscription Center The Autodesk Subscription Center is available from the Revit Structure interface. It includes several commands that offer web-based resources to subscription customers; Subscription e-Learning Catalog, Create Support Request, View Support Requests, and Edit Subscription Center Profile. If you installed Revit Structure with a network license, the install requires that you enter your network license serial number to enable your subscription access. License Transferring | 11
- 40. Using Help This section provides information on navigation of the online help. HelpViewerTabs ■ Contents.The Contents tab resembles a Table of Contents in a printed book. Instead of chapter and page numbers, there are books and pages with headings. Click a closed book, and it opens to display sub-books or topic pages. When you click an open book, it closes. When you click pages, you select topics to view in the right-hand pane of the HTML Help viewer. Note: Opening a book or page requires only a single click. ■ Index. The Index tab displays keywords for quick information searches on Revit Structure. To open the topic associated with a keyword, either double-click the keyword or select it and then click Display. If the keyword is used with more than one topic, a Topics Found dialog box is displayed so you can select a specific topic to view. ■ Search. Use the Search tab to search for words in the Help system and locate associated topics. After typing the words you want to find, click List Topics. The Search tab also includes advanced search capability. You can search for topics using wildcard (*,?) and boolean characters (AND, OR, NEAR, NOT). To use Boolean searches, click the right arrow button next to the search-string field. ■ Favorites. Use the Favorites tab to bookmark topics that you visit frequently. New Information Markers On the Contents tab, red markers identify new chapters and topics . The Interface Revit Structure is a powerful CAD product made for the Microsoft® Windows operating system. Its interface resembles those of other products made for Windows: it features menus with commands, toolbars with buttons, dialog boxes, and windows in which you complete tasks. It is easy to learn Revit Structure's interface. Many of the model components, such as walls, beams, and columns, are available at the click of a button. You can drop these components right into a window and immediately see if they fit into your design intent. 12 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Revit Structure 4
- 41. Getting Started This chapter includes information on what you need to start a project in Revit Structure. 2 13
- 42. What is a Project? In Revit Structure, a project contains a complete description of a building and all of the information needed to represent it in both two- and three-dimensional views, and in schedules. As you change the building design in one view, Revit Structure propagates those changes throughout the project. This means that the 3D model, any views of the model, the drawing, and the schedules are associative; all update to reflect the changes. The Project Holds the Building Model To create the building model, you add different building components. As you design the building, you can create different views of the building, such as sections, plans, and elevations. Creating a Project 1 Click File menu ➤ New ➤ Project. 2 In the New Project dialog, under Template file, select an existing template file, or select None. Revit Structure includes a default template called Structural Analysis-default.rte , which contains several default settings to help you start designing right away. NOTE If you do not base the project on an existing template, the Select Initial Units dialog appears. Specify either Imperial or Metric for the project. 3 Under Create new, select Project, and click OK. 4 Click OK. TIP To start a new project, you can also click New from the Standard Toolbar, or press CTRL-N. In either case, Revit Structure bases the project on the default template. If no default template exists, an empty project window opens with settings not based on any template file. Beginning a Project There are various ways to begin a project in Revit Structure. You can create a building in any order that makes sense from a design perspective. Levels and Grids A project can begin with the addition of levels and grids. Revit Structure provides tools to place these elements in a project. See “Adding Levels and Grids” on page 15. Importing Data Data can be imported from other CAD programs, such as AutoCAD. Revit Structure imports various CAD formats, including DWG, DXF, DGN, and ACIS SAT files. See “Import/Link” on page 581. Massing You can start a project with a conceptual model made with massing tools. After you have created the basic shapes with the massing tools, you can begin to convert massing faces to real building elements. See “Massing” on page 16. 14 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 43. Element Classifications You create buildings by adding elements to the design. In Revit Structure, elements are separated into two general categories: model and annotation. Model elements include columns, beams, bracing, walls, and slabs. Annotation categories include dimensions, text notes, and section tags. For more information about the different element classifications, see “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Adding Levels and Grids Using the Level command, you can define a vertical height or story within a building. You create a level for each known story or other needed reference of the building; for example, first floor, top of wall, or bottom of foundation. To add levels, you must be in a section or elevation view. When you add levels, you can create an associated plan view. A level is a finite horizontal plane that acts as a reference for level-hosted elements, such as roofs, floors, and ceilings. You can resize the extents of a level, so that it does not display in certain views. Use the Grid command to place column grid lines in your building design. You can then add columns along the column grid lines. Grid lines are finite planes. You can drag their extents in elevation views so that they do not intersect level lines. This means you can control whether they appear in each new plan view that you create for your project. Levels 1 Click Drafting menu ➤ Level, or click Level on the Drafting or Basics tab of the Design Bar. 2 Place the cursor in the drawing area, and click. NOTE If the cursor aligns to an existing level line, a temporary vertical dimension displays between the cursor and that level line. 3 Extend the level line by moving the cursor horizontally. By default, Make Plan View is selected on the Options Bar. As a result, each level you create is a story level and has an associated floor plan view and reflected ceiling plan view. If you click Plan View Types on the Options Bar, you can choose to create only the view types you specify. If you clear Make Plan View, the level is considered to be a non-story level or reference level; no associated plan view is created. Walls and other level-based elements can use reference levels as their top or base constraint. Element Classifications | 15
- 44. As you draw level lines, the extents of the levels can align to one another.If the extents are aligned, a lock displays to show the alignment when you select a level line. If you drag the extent, all other extents move with it. 4 Click when the level line is the correct length. You can change the name of the level by clicking on the name label to select it, and then entering the new name. You can also modify the height of the level by clicking on and changing the dimension. Revit Structure assigns a label, for example Level 1, and the level symbol to the new level. If you rename the level, the associated names for the floor plan and the reflected ceiling plan update as well. Grids 1 Click Drafting menu ➤ Grid, or click Grid on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, click or . Use to snap the grid to an existing line, such as a wall. 3 If you selected the Draw option, you must click a sketching command to create the grid. For more information on these commands, see “Sketching Options” on page 36. 4 Click when the grid is the correct length. 5 Revit Structure autonumbers each grid. To change the grid number, click the number, enter the new value, and then press ENTER. As you draw grid lines, the heads and tails of the lines can align to one another. If aligned, a lock appears to show the alignment when you select a grid line. If you move the grid extents, all aligned grid lines move with it. 16 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 45. Massing Massing is a tool that lets you explore design ideas. You can conceptualize a building model using various shapes. When you create a design you like, you can start adding building elements directly to the massing shapes. Massing and Building Maker Massing is a component of Building Maker. Building Maker is a set of tools that draws a closer association between your massing studies and building elements. It is a powerful conceptual design and modelling environment that takes any overall building form described conceptually and maps it to real-world building elements such as roofs, curtain walls, floors, and walls. This allows for a cumulative understanding of the relationship between expressive and built form as the design develops. Building Maker features include the following: ■ Curtain Systems ■ Floor by Face ■ Roof by Face ■ Wall by Face ■ Mass Editor ■ reusable mass families, including nested mass families ■ multiple mass instances that can be assigned any workset, phase, or design option ■ schedulable mass properties, including gross volume and floor area ■ additional flexible creation and associativity of building elements to mass instances. Massing | 17
- 46. Upgrade of Existing Massing Any massing created in versions of Revit Structure prior to 7.0 are upgraded to in-place mass families. Building elements that were generated by massing are kept but are not associated with the upgraded mass instance. MassingTerminology DescriptionTerm The process of visualizing, studying, and resolving building form using mass instances.Massing A family of category mass.Mass Family An instance of a loaded mass family or an in-place mass family. An in-place mass family is saved with the project. It is not a separate file. Mass Instance or Mass A specific version of the Family Editor used for defining mass families or in-place masses.Mass Editor The overall form of each mass family or in-place mass family as created in the Mass Editor.Mass Form A study of one or more building forms made from one or more mass instances.Massing Study Faces that visually and numerically represent floor area. They are added to a mass instance by specifying levels. Mass Floor Area Faces Walls, roofs, floors, and curtain systems that can be created from mass instance faces.Building Elements A legally defined volume within which a building must be contained. Can be modeled as a mass.Zoning Envelope Typical Uses of Massing Studies ■ Create in-place or family-based mass instances that are specific to individual options, worksets, and phases. ■ Create mass families that represent the forms associated with often-used building volumes. ■ Vary materials, forms, and relations between masses that represent major components of a building or development using design options. ■ Abstractly represent phases of a project. ■ Study zoning compliance, both visually and numerically, by relating a proposed building mass to the zoning envelope and floor area ratio. ■ Assemble various complex masses from a library of predefined mass families. ■ Generate floors, roofs, curtain systems, and walls from mass instances with control over element category, type, and parameter values. Fully control regeneration of these elements when the mass changes. Using Imported Geometry in MassVersus Generic Model Families You can import geometry from external CAD files into a mass instance or mass family in the same way that you import such geometry into other family definitions. However, in some cases, imported geometry is not well suited to mass instances. When imported geometry is not well suited to mass instances, it may be possible to use the generic model category instead. There is overlap between the mass instance and generic model categories in that walls, roofs, and curtain systems can be made from reasonably sized faces in a generic model family, and floors can be created from sketches that reference the geometry in the generic model. Following are recommendations and considerations for using imported geometry in mass and generic model families: ■ Avoid complex geometry in mass instances. Unlike other family categories, mass instances always maintain a separate copy of each internal geometry, plus extra geometry to represent the combined volume of the mass. For complex geometry, the additional data can slow down processing considerably. When a generic model is joined by the Join Geometry command, the software also creates an extra copy of the geometry, which can slow performance. For complex geometry in a generic model, you may join the geometry inside a family definition to avoid extra copies of the geometry. 18 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 47. ■ If the imported geometry in a mass instance (or between generic models) is not well suited to join geometry, then errors, warnings, and unexpected behavior can result. If geometry is combined within a mass definition, it should be solid geometry with either a strong connection or no connection. Examples of geometric characteristics that are ill suited to joining include odd tangencies, edge-only overlaps, open meshes, and ambiguous connectivity. ■ Some CAD files do not have geometry in a form that a mass instance can use to compute volumetric information and floor area faces. When such files are used, errors and warnings will result. For more information about imported CAD files, see “Import/Link” on page 581 and “Suitability of Imported Geometry” on page 581. ■ Host by face tools (available for roofs, floors, walls, and curtain systems), associate a single host with one face or a number of reasonably sized faces. For example, detailed geometry that contains cornices, reveals, windows, casework, tessellated approximations of surfaces, and so on, is likely to have many small faces that will fail to produce meaningful host objects and may produce errors. This is a consideration for both mass and generic model families. ControllingVisibility of Mass Instances The visibility of mass instances is controlled in two ways: ■ Using the Show Mass button on the View Toolbar. It controls the visibility of all mass instances in the project. If you click the button, all mass instances (both the mass form and floor area faces) are visible in all views, even if mass category visibility is turned off in the view. ■ Specifying view-specific mass category visibility. The view-specific setting determines if the mass prints, and if it is visible when the Show Mass button is not selected. To display mass in a view, click View menu ➤ Visibility/Graphics and on the Model Categories tab, select the mass category. If Mass is selected, the subcategories Form and Floor Area Face can be controlled independently. Printing Mass Elements To print mass elements, be sure the Mass category visibility is turned on. Mass elements will not print or export if category visibility is turned off, even if the Show Mass command is active. Using the Mass Editor Mass families are created similarly to other Revit Structure families. Click File menu ➤ New ➤ Family. In the New dialog, select the Mass.rft template, and click Open. Revit Structure opens a specific version of the Family Editor called the Mass Editor. The family category is automatically set to Mass. You can nest other mass families into the mass family you are creating. For additional information on Family Editor commands and creating solid geometry, see “Family Editor” on page 74. The Mass Editor also opens after you click the Create Mass command on the Massing tab of the Design Bar. Working with Loaded Mass Families Loaded mass families are typically used for massing studies when you place multiple instances of the family in a project or use the mass family in other projects. Predefined mass families are available in the Mass folder of the family content library that was loaded when you installed Revit Structure. Adding Mass Family Instances 1 Load the mass families. For more information on loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 2 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Place Mass, or click Modelling menu ➤ Massing ➤ Place Mass. 3 In the Type Selector, select the desired mass type. 4 Click in the drawing area to place the mass instance. ControllingVisibility of Mass Instances | 19
- 48. 5 Because the mass family is work plane-based, you can place it on a face or on a work plane. See “Placing a Work Plane-based or Face-based Component” on page 235. Pyramid mass family Working with In-Place Mass Families In-place mass families should be used for mass forms that are unique to a project. Creating In-Place Massing 1 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Create Mass, or click Modelling menu ➤ Massing ➤ Create Mass. NOTE In order to create mass, the Show Mass command must be selected. If Show Mass is not selected when you click Create Mass, the Show Mass command is activated for you. If a dialog displays telling you that Show Mass has been selected, click OK, and, if desired, you can select to not show it again. 2 Enter a name for the in-place massing, and click OK. 3 Create the desired shapes using the Solid Form and Void Form tools. For more information on these tools, see “Solid Geometry Tools” on page 77 and “Void Geometry Tools” on page 82. 4 When finished creating the desired shape, click Finish Mass on the Design Bar. Sample in-place massing family 20 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 49. Multiple Mass Instances in a Project Using Revit Structure, you can include multiple mass instances in a project. Each mass instance can be joined to other mass instances to eliminate overlap. In the project, mass instances can be placed in worksets, included in phases, and added to design options. Joining Mass Instances in the Project When you join mass forms, their gross volume and gross floor area values are adjusted to eliminate overlap. To join two mass instances, use the Join Geometry command. Select the first mass instance and then the second; the overlapping form of the first mass cuts into the second mass. This results in the floor area faces of the second mass being adjusted so gross floor area in a mass schedule is accurately reported. If you move the joined mass forms, their properties are updated. If you move the mass forms such that they no longer intersect, Revit Structure warns you that the joined elements are no longer intersecting. You can unjoin them using the Unjoin Geometry command. Overlapping Mass Faces In the project environment, any joined and overlapping mass faces split into two faces: interior and exterior. This allows you to create hosts by face that are either interior or exterior. In the following illustration, two masses are joined and the overlapping faces have two different hosts. The exterior face has a curtain system by face, and the interior face has a wall by face with a door. Mass Instances in Design Options, Phases, and Worksets Mass instances can be assigned to any workset, range of phases, and design options; however, there may be some restrictions. For example: ■ If you want to join geometry of two masses and then vary the relationships in different options, both masses must be copied into each option. ■ If you want to modify relationships between two masses and they are in different worksets, you may need both worksets editable or may need to borrow one or both of the masses from the owner of their worksets. ■ If the relationships between masses vary from phase to phase, you may need to include each mass in each phase. Working with In-Place Mass Families | 21
- 50. Common Mass Instance Parameters Mass families and in-place masses have the following instance parameters, accessed in the Element Properties dialog;: ■ Floor Area Definition. This parameter has an Edit button, which opens the Floor Area Faces dialog. The dialog displays all the levels in the project. When you select levels, Revit Structure generates a floor area face. After generating floor area faces, it calculates the gross floor area. For more information, see “Creating Floor Area Faces” on page 22. ■ Gross Volume Read-only value. ■ Gross Surface Area Read-only value. ■ Gross Floor Area Read-only value. Value changes when you add floor area faces to a mass. Gross Volume, Gross Surface Area, and Gross Floor Area are all parameters that can be scheduled. Creating Building Elements You can create building elements from mass instances using Revit Structure Building Maker commands. Building elements created with the Revit Structure Building Maker commands do not automatically update when the massing face changes. You need to remake the element to adjust to the current size and shape of the massing face. For more information, see “Remaking Element Shapes” on page 30. Building Elements from Massing or Generic Models Revit Structure building elements can be created from the faces of mass instances, and from the faces of generic models. You should use mass instances when you want to model a building abstractly, or if you want to schedule gross volume, surface, and floor area. Use generic models if you need to create a unique, unusual shape, and you do not need to model the entire building abstractly. For more information, see “Using Imported Geometry in Mass Versus Generic Model Families” on page 18. Building Elements on Imported Solids and Polymeshes You can make building elements on imported solids and polymeshes. To create elements from faces of imported solids, they must be imported into the Mass Editor while you are creating a mass family, or into the Family Editor while you are creating a generic model. Polymesh objects can also be imported from various file types. Generic model families are recommended for polymesh geometry because mass families cannot extract volumetric information from polymeshes. For more information about Revit Structure import capabilities, see “Import/Link” on page 581 and “Suitability of Imported Geometry” on page 581. TIP Architectural Desktop mass elements can be imported into Revit Structure, after they are exploded in Architectural Desktop. As Revit Structure import symbols, they are polymesh objects. Optionally, you can convert mass elements to solid AutoCAD objects before importing into Revit Structure. RelatedTopic For more information on exporting Revit Structure geometry into polymeshes or ACIS solids, see “Export” on page 570. Creating Floors Use either the Floor by Face command or the Floor command to create floors. For more information on the Floor command, see “Floors” on page 248. Creating Floor Area Faces To add floors quickly to a mass instance, first create floor area faces on which to add the floors. Floor area faces track gross floor area in a mass instance. 1 Select the desired mass instances. 2 On the Options Bar, click Floor Area Faces. NOTE You can also access the properties of the mass instances, and click Edit for Floor Area Faces. 22 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 51. 3 In the Floor Area Faces dialog, select each level that needs floor area faces, and click OK. If a selected mass instance does not intersect all specified levels, no floor area face is created initially. If you resize the mass instance such that it intersects the specified levels, floor area faces display. Using the Floor by Face Command You can use the Floor by Face command to create floors by selecting floor area faces in a mass form. 1 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Floor by Face. 2 Select a floor type from the Type Selector. 3 If desired, specify an offset for the floor. If you enter an offset value, the floor is offset that amount from the edges of the floor area face. A positive value makes a smaller floor; a negative value makes a larger floor. 4 To select more than one face, select Multiple. Otherwise, clear this option. 5 Place the cursor on a floor area face. Creating Building Elements | 23
- 52. Cursor highlighting floor area face 6 Click to select the face. A floor is placed on the face immediately if the Multiple option is cleared. 7 If you selected Multiple, continue selecting floor area faces. You can add or remove faces from the selection by clicking on them. The cursor indicates, by displaying either a plus or a minus sign, if you are adding or removing a face. To clear the selection of all faces and start selecting again, click Clear on the Options Bar. TIP You may want to select floor area faces using a pick box selection, particularly if your massing has a large number of floor area faces. 8 When finished selecting faces, click Create Floors on the Options Bar to create a floor on all selected faces. 24 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 53. Created floors 9 On the Design Bar, click Modify to exit the Floor by Face command. Floors created from floor faces do not automatically update if you change the massing face. To update the floor, use the Remake command. See “Remaking Element Shapes” on page 30. Also, if you edit the sketch of a floor created from a floor face, and then remake the floor, you lose all edits to the floor sketch. Creating Walls Use one of the following methods to create walls: ■ select faces ■ select edges If you edit the profile and add dimensions and alignments, the wall updates when the corresponding mass face changes. For more information on creating walls with the Wall command, see “Walls” on page 212. Using the Wall by Face Command The Wall by Face command places walls on non-horizontal faces of a mass or generic model. Access the command by clicking Wall on the Basics tab of the Design Bar and then selecting Pick Faces on the Options Bar. Because it is typical to place a wall on the inside of the mass, specify Core Face: Exterior. The Wall by Face command on the Massing tab of the Design Bar activates the Wall command with the Pick Faces option selected and the Loc Line value set to Core Face: Exterior. 1 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Wall by Face. 2 Select a wall type from the Type Selector. 3 Specify the level, height, and any property values for the wall. For more information on these settings, see “Exterior/Interior Walls” on page 212. 4 Place the cursor on a non-horizontal face. TIP After you highlight one face, you can press TAB to highlight all faces on the mass. Then with one click, all walls are placed simultaneously on each highlighted face. Creating Building Elements | 25
- 54. Cursor highlighting planar vertical face Cursor highlighting non-vertical face 26 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 55. 5 Click to place the wall. Placed wall on vertical face Placed wall on non-vertical face Walls created with the Wall by Face command do not automatically update if you change the massing face. To update the wall, use the Remake command. See “Remaking Element Shapes” on page 30. TIP To create a non-rectangular wall on a vertical cylindrical face, use Openings and in-place cuts to adjust its profile. Creating Roofs You can create roofs using the Roof by Face, Roof by Footprint, or Roof by Extrusion command. If you want to edit the sketch of the roof, use either Roof by Footprint or Roof by Extrusion. For more information on footprint or extruded roofs, see “Roofs” on page 235. Using the Roof by Face Command Using the Roof by Face command, you can create roofs on any non-vertical faces of a mass. You cannot select faces from different masses for the same roof. Creating Building Elements | 27
- 56. The Roof by Face command is available either on the Massing tab of the Design Bar or from the flyout menu of the Roof command on the Basics or Modelling tab of the Design Bar. 1 On the Massing tab of the Design Bar, click Roof by Face. 2 Select a roof type from the Type Selector. 3 If desired, specify the level of the roof. For more information on roofs, see “Roofs” on page 235. 4 To select more than one face, select Multiple. Otherwise, clear this option. 5 Place the cursor on a face. Cursor highlighting cylindrical face 6 Click to select the face. A roof is placed on the face immediately if the Multiple option is cleared. 7 If you selected Multiple, continue selecting faces. You can add or remove faces from the selection by clicking on them. The cursor indicates, by displaying either a plus or a minus sign, if you are adding or removing a face. To clear the selection of all faces and start selecting again, click Clear on the Options Bar. NOTE You should not select upward- and downward-pointing faces for the same roof. If you do, Revit Structure issues a warning that it is placing a roof on the upward pointing faces only. If you want to make roof panels that cover both upward and downward faces, factor the mass into two so each face is either completely upward or downward, then create one or more roof from the downward faces and one or more from the upward faces. To clear the selection of a single face, click the face again. To clear the selection of all faces and start the selections again, click Clear on the Options Bar. 8 When finished selecting faces, click Create Roof on the Options Bar. 28 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 57. Placed roof TIP By default, roofs created from faces are created below the face. To create the roof to be above the face, change the value of the roof’s Picked Faces Location property. 9 To extend the face roof, on the Design Bar, click Modify, and select the roof. When you select the face roof, roof shape handles display and allow the side surfaces to be dragged. Shape handles are available for all non-horizontal side surfaces. 10 Drag the shape handles to extend the face roof. These extensions remain in effect after a remake. Extending face roof using shape handles NOTE Shape handles are not available for surfaces created by openings placed in face roofs. NOTE Roofs created by the Roof by Face command do not automatically update if you change the massing face. To update the roof, use the Remake command. See “Remaking Element Shapes” on page 30. Roofs on NURB Surfaces You can create roofs on NURB surfaces in generic model or mass families. While you are creating a generic model or mass family, you can import a DWG or SAT file containing NURB surfaces. After saving the family, use the Roof by Face command to place a roof on the NURB surfaces. Creating Building Elements | 29
- 58. Roof created on NURB surface NOTE Open geometry should be used in generic model families rather than mass families. This applies to isolated NURB surfaces, as shown in this example, as well as other open geometry. For optimal performance in a mass instance, use only geometry that can be recognized by Revit Structure as oriented 3D geometry. Open geometry in a mass instance can slow processing and generate warnings, but it will provide no additional capabilities beyond those available in the generic model family. Updating Face Selections for Roofs and Curtain Systems If you have created a roof or curtain system on a mass or generic model, you can add faces to or subtract faces from the existing roof or curtain system. Select the element, and click Edit Face Selection on the Options Bar. Select the desired faces, and then initiate the Create Roof or Recreate System command. Remaking Element Shapes Building elements created by face do not update when you change the massing face. To adjust to the current size and shape of the massing face, remake the element. WARNING If the element has explicit constraints on it (for example, walls with a Top Constraint set to Up to Level) then the Remake command has no effect. Wall on massing face 30 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 59. Massing resized To update the wall to the size of the massing, select the wall, and click Remake on the Options Bar. Wall updates to massing size Walls and floors lose any sketch edits when you use the Remake command. Selecting Face-Based Hosts from Mass When remaking face-based hosts, such as walls, floors, and roofs, you may find it easier to select the mass or generic model with which the elements are associated first, and then select the face-based hosts. To do this, select any mass or generic model instances that have associated face-based elements. On the Options Bar, click Related Hosts. The selection changes from the mass or generic model instance to selection of face-based hosts. Creating Building Elements | 31
- 60. StructuralTemplates and Structural AnalyticalTemplates Structural templates are provided with the installation of Revit Structure. In these templates, the view properties and view ranges have been modified to work with structural components. NOTE Although you can work with structural components in projects that are based on non-structural templates, you will notice that modification to view ranges will be necessary in order for the structural components to display within the view. This is because structural components such as beams and columns are placed on the level below the view you are working in. Therefore, they may fall below the bottom cut plane of the view range and may not display. A structural analytical template loads automatically into the default drawing when Revit Structure is opened. In addition to the view settings mentioned, this template provides default analytical views. Starting a Project with the StructuralTemplate You may also specify the project template when you begin a new project. Specify the structural template. 1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Project 2 In the New Project dialog, under Template File, click Browse. 3 In the Choose Template dialog, browse to the Imperial or to the Metric Template directory. NOTE The location of the structural templates will vary depending on your install options and system settings. To view or modify file locations, go to the Settings menu, select Options, and click the File Locations tab. 4 Select the Structural-Default template or the Structural Analysis-Default template, and click Open. 5 In the New Project dialog, click OK. For more information on analytical views, see “Visualization” on page 617. Creating Custom ProjectTemplates Custom project templates are files that provide initial conditions for a project. Any new project based on the template inherits all families, settings, and geometry from the template. There are various ways to create a custom project template: ■ Open a metric or Imperial template (RTE) file. Define settings for it and save it as a different RTE file. ■ Start with a blank project file, define all settings for it, and then save it in RTE format. ■ Start with a blank project file and specify all names for views, levels, viewports. You can create a set of drawings by creating sheets and adding views to the sheets. As you start to draw the geometry in those views, the views on the sheets will update. See “Sheet View” on page 486 and “Add View” on page 487. ■ Start with a project that includes existing geometry; geometry that can be used as a base for new projects. For example, if you have defined geometry for a college campus and want to include that geometry in multiple new projects for the college, save the project with the geometry as a template. Each time you open a project with this template, the geometry is included. ProjectTemplate Settings There are various settings you can define in Revit Structure for a template: ■ Colors: define colors for line styles and families. See “Colors” on page 409. ■ Titleblocks: create a set of titleblocks for your project and then load them like families. See “Titleblocks” on page 108. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 32 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 61. ■ Families: load families you use most often. See “Load Family From Library” on page 562. ■ Line Styles: define line styles for components and lines in a project. See “Line Styles” on page 529. ■ Line Weights: define line weights for model and annotation components. See “Line Weights” on page 529. ■ Fill Patterns: define fill patterns for materials. Fill patterns are commonly used in walls. See “Fill Patterns” on page 520. ■ Materials: define materials for modelling components, including how the image looks after rendering. See “Materials” on page 525. ■ Units: specify the unit of measurement for length, angles, and slope angle. See “Project Units” on page 532. ■ Snaps: specify snapping increments for the model views, such as 3D and plan views. See “Snaps” on page 533. ■ Dimensions: define the look and size of dimensions for the project. See “Dimensions” on page 532. ■ Temporary Dimensions: specify display and placement of temporary dimensions. See “Temporary Dimensions” on page 143. ■ Object Styles: define the display of components in various views. See “Object Styles” on page 528. ■ Modifying Wall Types: define custom wall types for a project. See “Modifying Walls” on page 368. ■ Specify text properties for various modelling and annotation components. See the appropriate family properties section for information on specifying text properties. NOTE You cannot include worksets in project templates. Creating and Saving theTemplate 1 Open an existing project or create a new project. For more information about opening a project, see “Open” on page 561. For more information about creating a new project, see “New (File)” on page 560. 2 Define settings from those listed above. 3 Create any geometry that will be used as a base in future projects. 4 Save the custom template as an RTE file. See “Save” on page 566. TIP Save the Revit Structure default template as a new template file (RTE). You can then apply custom settings while retaining many of the default settings. Creating and Saving the Template | 33
- 62. 34 | Chapter 2 Getting Started
- 63. Sketching 3 35
- 64. Sketching Overview To create some elements in Revit Structure, you must first sketch them in a sketch editor. Examples of elements that require sketches include roofs, floors, stairs, and railings. Sketches are also required to define other types of geometry, such as extrusions, openings, and regions. Creating Sketched Lines To create sketch lines, you can either draw them by clicking and moving the cursor or by picking existing lines and edges. There are various sketching options to assist you in creating the sketch lines. Sketching Options The Sketching Toolbar is active whenever you need to create a 2D sketch. NOTE Only 3 of the line sketching options (line, rectangle, circle) are visible at a time. The rest are listed in a menu next to the third sketching option. Click the menu to select a different line sketching option. When you click a new option, it replaces one of the existing options that you have used least. It does not replace the single line option. —Draw option to sketch the lines. —Use the Pick option to sketch the lines or walls.You can select existing edges, or lines. When you use Pick, there is a lock option on the Options Bar that locks the picked line to the edge. TIP When using Pick, you can use the Tab key to toggle to available chains. —The Pick Face tool is available only when sketching walls. It allows you add walls by picking the face of a mass element or generic component. See “Using the Wall by Face Command” on page 25. Chain—Chains line segments when sketching so that the last point on the previous line becomes the first point on the next line. The option is available for straight lines, 3-point arcs, and tangent arcs. —Creates a straight line segment by clicking one end point and then clicking the second end point. —Creates a rectangular sketch by clicking one corner and then moving the pointer and clicking the diagonal corner. —Creates a circle by selecting the center point and a point on the circumference. —Creates an arc by clicking the two endpoint locations of the arc and then dragging the line to define the radius. Click to create the arc. —Creates an arc up to 180 degrees by selecting the center point and then the two endpoints of the arc. After clicking to place the first endpoint, the system rubber bands the arc as you move the pointer to make it easy to get the correct size. If you move the pointer so the arc is over 180 degrees, Revit Structure flips the arc to the other side. —Creates a tangent arc by selecting an end point on an existing wall or line and then freely moving the pointer until the desired arc appears. Click to place the arc. —Creates a fillet by selecting a start point and an end point on an existing wall or line and then moving the pointer around until the desired arc radius appears. After you place the fillet, Revit Structure automatically trims the walls and lines to the fillet. NOTE You can only create convex arcs with the fillet tool. 36 | Chapter 3 Sketching
- 65. —Creates a spline by clicking control points along the spline path. Click on the last control point to finish the spline. You can not create a single closed loop with one spline. You can close the loop with a second spline. See “Modifying a Spline” on page 387. —Creates a full ellipse. The ellipse command is available for model lines, detail lines, and sketch-based elements, such as roofs, floors, and ceilings. See “Sketching a Full Ellipse” on page 42. —Creates a partial ellipse. The partial ellipse command is available for model lines, detail lines, and sketch-based elements, such as roofs, floors, and ceilings. See “Sketching a Partial Ellipse” on page 43. —Creates a polygon. The polygon command is available for walls and model and detail lines. After you select the command, you specify the number of sides for the polygon. You also set whether the polygon is inscribed or circumscribed. With an inscribed polygon, the radius of the circle is measured to a vertex between sides of the polygon. With a circumscribed polygon, the radius of the circle is measured to a side of the polygon. If desired, you can set an offset or set the radius prior to sketching the polygon. The polygon is not parametric, meaning you cannot change the number of sides on it after creating it. Offset—The offset option works for drawing and picking. If you select Draw for lines or reference planes, you can offset them from the pointer by specifying a value in the Offset text box that appears on the Options Bar. When you select Pick and enter an offset, Revit Structure offsets lines from the selected edges. This is a useful way to create a footprint roof: specify an offset and then pick walls to create the footprint sketch. See “Footprint Roofs” on page 236. Radius—The radius option is available for walls or lines if you are drawing circles, arcs, or polygons. Type a value for the radius in the text box to preset it. With the radius specified, you can create a circle in one click or a fillet with two clicks. SketchingTips To sketch orthogonal lines, press the SHIFT key while sketching. While you press the SHIFT key, only horizontal or vertical lines can be created. For a two- or three-point arc, it limits the arc to 90, 180, or 270 degrees. When you draw walls, you can offset them from the pointer using the Offset option. Also, you can specify if the offset is measured to the near edge, centerline, or far edge of the wall by clicking in the drop-down menu. Listening dimensions. As you sketch a line, you can quickly set its length by keying in a value on your keyboard. This changes the length of the temporary dimension that appears as you sketch. When sketching lines, you should try to use the simplest lines to achieve the desired results. This sample picture shows a line in a profile created as a spline. You should create this part of the profile by using two arcs and a line, or an arc and a spline. Control polygons as in this example can cause problems. The sample picture shows a spline created by choosing many control points along the desired line. This kind of spline can cause problems. Sketching Options | 37
- 66. You should use as few control points as possible, as shown in the next picture: NOTE On the Options Bar, you can use to pick a spline or spline face. Sketching Design Bar Commands When you enter sketch mode in Revit Structure, the Design Bar changes and gives you only the commands you need for sketch mode. ■ Click Dimension to place dimensions in your sketch. The Options Bar updates accordingly to allow you to place linear, radial, or angular dimensions. ■ Click Lines to place sketch lines. The “Sketching Options” on page 36 display on the Options Bar. ■ Click Ref Plane to add reference planes to your sketch. ■ Click Pick Walls to add sketch lines by prehighlighting walls and clicking; when you prehighlight a wall, a preview of the sketch line appears. Click and the actual sketch line appears. Lines added with this command can be added to the inside or outside faces of the wall. If you want to switch between the two faces, click the double control arrows that appear on the line. To add lines to a chain of walls with one click, prehighlight a wall, press TAB and click. ■ Click Set Work Plane to set the sketching work plane. ■ Click Align Eaves (footprint roofs) to realign the eave heights of different boundary lines of a roof footprint. ■ Click Slope Arrow (footprint roofs, floors, and ceilings) to add slope arrows to the sketch. Slope arrows offer more flexibility when creating sloped geometry. ■ Click Auto Ceiling (ceilings only) to quickly place a ceiling above the sketched walls. ■ Click Boundary (stairs and ramps) to sketch the boundary lines for stairs or ramps. ■ Click Riser (stairs and ramps) to sketch the risers for stairs or ramps. ■ Click Run (stairs and ramps) to create a run of stairs or a ramp. ■ Click [Element] Properties to display properties for the specific element you are sketching: roof, ceiling, floor, detail-filled region, or family geometry, such as extrusions or blends. NOTE If you access properties from the Options Bar, you do not see the same list of properties. Clicking this command displays the properties for the lines in the sketch only. ■ Click Finish Sketch to save your changes and exit sketch mode. ■ Click Quit Sketch to quit sketch mode and not save changes. 38 | Chapter 3 Sketching
- 67. Snap Points When sketching or modifying lines (straights, arcs, and circles), Revit Structure displays snap points and snap lines to aid in the construction and location of components. They are useful in lining up lines, arcs, and circles with existing geometry. Line ends snap to any reference near the pointer. Draw a line. While specifying an end, move the pointer close to geometry; the line end will snap. Lines, walls, reference planes, and family instances snap to other local geometry. For example, in a plan view, a wall can snap to a floor or a roof. This makes it easy to draw a wall directly over a floor or to join a wall to a roof. Components snap to reference planes and other components of the same category. The following is a list of snap conditions for first and second points. First or Second Point Snapping Snap Collinear to Existing Line—Snaps a point to be collinear to existing geometry. Snap to Line—Snaps point to an existing line or geometry. Pointer also snaps to the midpoint of a line. Snap Tangent to an Arc—Snaps a point tangent to an existing arc end. Snap to Endpoint or Center Point—Snaps a point to endpoint of straight or arc, or to arc or circle center. Second Point or Whole Line Snapping Only Horizontal or Vertical snap—When sketching a straight line, Revit Structure snaps the line to be perfectly horizontal or vertical when the pointer approaches horizontal or vertical. Horizontal snap Snap Points | 39
- 68. Vertical snap Snap Parallel to Existing Line—Snaps a line parallel to existing geometry. Snap Perpendicular to Existing Line—Snaps a line perpendicular to existing geometry. TIP The status bar indicates the snap points when you move the pointer. Jump Snaps Jump snaps are any snap points that are away from the current position of the cursor. For example, if you are resting the cursor on the midpoint of a wall, a jump snap might display at the endpoint of the wall. Jump snaps occur in one of two ways. ■ In the Snaps dialog under Object Snaps, clear the check box next to the value Nearest. The cursor no longer snaps to the point nearest the cursor. Select other object snaps, such as midpoints, endpoints, or centers. Rest the cursor on an element, such as a wall, and press TAB to watch the cursor jump to different snap points. ■ You type a keyboard override and the cursor jumps to that snap point for one click only. The keyboard overrides are defined in the keyboardshortcuts.txt file, and you can edit them as desired. SnappingTips ■ You can set snapping increments for sketching and moving a sketch so that the line increments by this snap distance. The snap distance is indicated by the dimension. See “Snaps” on page 533. ■ Snap points initially locate the sketch geometry. To permanently align the two elements, click the graphical lock that appears to lock the alignment. You may also use the Align command and then lock the alignment. See “Align” on page 293. ■ When placing a wall insert, such as a window, door, or opening, you can use the Midpoint jump snap, SM, to snap the insert to the midpoint of the wall segment. 40 | Chapter 3 Sketching
- 69. Valid/Invalid Sketches Sketches must be closed loops with no disconnected lines. You can have closed loops within other closed loops; however, different closed loops cannot be coincident or intersecting. The following are examples of valid and invalid sketches. In general sketches for sketch-based elements like slabs, floors, footprint roofs, and ceilings must have closed loops. Two exceptions are rebar and extruded roofs where the sketch cannot be a closed loop. See “Extruded Roofs” on page 240. Open sketch, not valid Closed sketch, valid Two intersecting closed sketches, not valid Two non-intersecting closed sketches, valid Valid/Invalid Sketches | 41
- 70. Modifying Sketches Sketches can be modified by clicking Modify, selecting the sketched elements, and clicking Edit. You can modify the lines by moving the entire line, by dragging the sketch with the pointer, or by changing the dimension. You can also move end points by dragging them. To move an entire element by dragging, select it, then click and hold the mouse button on top of the selected element. Move the pointer and release the button at the desired location. If another element is attached to the one being moved, it also updates accordingly. If desired, you can drag just an endpoint. There are two possible methods to do this. You can select the entire element and then place the pointer over the end control that appears. When you click and drag here, you move just the end. If you are moving the end control of a straight line segment, you can change the angle of the line or change the length of the line. For a selected arc, if you click on the end control to move it, you change the number of degrees for the arc. Another method to move just the endpoint of a line segment is to select just the endpoint (do not select the entire line segment). If you select just the endpoint and then click and drag from the endpoint, you change just the length of a straight line. The angle remains the same. For an arc, you move the entire arc to a new location. Automatic Dimensions By default, automatic sketch dimensions are turned off when you edit a sketch. You can turn them on by choosing them in the Visibility/Graphics Override dialog. You cannot edit sketch dimensions directly by clicking on them. You have to select an element to which the dimension refers to determine what you want to change. The dimension number becomes a control. Creating Ellipses Revit Structure has ellipse commands available for model lines, detail lines, and sketch-based elements. Sketching a Full Ellipse 1 On the Options Bar, click and place the cursor in the drawing area. The first click defines the center of the ellipse. 2 Click in the drawing area to set the center. Snapping is enabled for the ellipse, and a preview ellipse displays. The second click defines the direction and extent of the major axis. 3 Move the cursor away from the center. You can move the cursor horizontally or vertically or in a diagonal direction. You can also enter values for the listening dimensions that appear in bold. 4 Click to finish the major axis. You can also enter a value for the linear dimension that displays. The third click defines the minor axis. 5 Move the cursor to get the desired ellipse shape and click. You can also enter a value for the linear dimension that displays. 42 | Chapter 3 Sketching
- 71. NOTE On the Options Bar, you can use to pick an elliptical edge or face. If you pick a full ellipse while applying an offset, the resulting ellipse will be two half ellipse offsets. Sketching a Partial Ellipse 1 On the Options Bar, click, click and place the cursor in the drawing area. The first click defines one side of the major axis. 2 Click in the drawing area to set the first point. Snapping is enabled for the partial ellipse, and a preview ellipse displays. The second click defines the direction and extent of the major axis. 3 Move the cursor away from the first point. You can move the cursor horizontally or vertically or in a diagonal direction. You can also enter values for the listening dimensions that appear in bold. 4 Click to finish the major axis. You can also enter a value for the linear dimension that displays. The third click defines the shape of the partial ellipse. 5 Move the cursor to get the desired partial ellipse shape and click. You can also enter a value for the linear dimension that displays. Resizing an Ellipse When you click the third point of an ellipse, temporary linear dimensions display and allow you to resize the ellipse. One dimension resizes the major axis radius; the other dimension resizes the minor axis radius. If you click onto white space, the temporary dimensions no longer display. Resizing with Drag Controls You can resize one axis at a time or resize them proportionally to maintain the ratio between the two axes. 1 Click Modify and select the ellipse. Drag controls display at the ends of the axes of the ellipse. 2 Drag a top or bottom control to resize the minor axis radius. Sketching a Partial Ellipse | 43
- 72. 3 Drag a left or right control to resize the major axis radius. 4 To change the radii proportionally, on the Options Bar, select Modification keeps ratio and drag one of the controls. You can rotate an ellipse while resizing it using the drag controls. Rotating an Ellipse Place the cursor on a drag control and move the control around. The ellipse rotates. Setting the Work Plane Each view in Revit Structure has a Work Plane associated with it. In some views, such as floor plan, 3D, drafting view, the Work Plane is automatically defined. In other views, such as elevation and section views, you need to define the plane. The Work Plane is necessary for some sketching operations, such as creating an extruded roof, and for enabling some commands in a view, such as enabling Rotate and Mirror in a 3D view. See “Rotate” on page 304. The Work Plane command defines the Work Plane for the view. Once set, you do not need to keep defining a plane for sketching. You can change the plane when you want. For example, when you enter sketch mode, you can change the Work Plane before sketching lines. Once you have sketched lines, you cannot change the plane. Accessing the command ■ On the Tools menu, click Work Plane. ■ Click the Plane command from the toolbar. Be sure that the Tools toolbar is displayed. See “Toolbars” on page 666. ■ As you create some sketch-based elements, such as roofs, floors, and ceilings, you can click the Plane command from the Design Bar. When you activate the command, the Work Plane dialog appears. The options for choosing a Work Plane are: Name—Revit Structure lists the available work planes by name. Choose the work plane from the drop-down menu. The drop-down menu is active even if you have not selected the Name option. If you choose a name from the list, Revit Structure automatically selects the Name option. TIP You can select names of levels, grids and named reference planes as the work plane. Pick a Plane—Revit Structure creates a plane coincident to the selected plane. You can select any plane that can be dimensioned, including wall faces, faces in linked RVT files, extrusion faces, levels, grids, and reference planes. Pick a Line and use the Work Plane it was sketched in—Revit Structure creates a plane coplanar with the original work plane of the line. NOTE If the plane you chose is perpendicular to your current view, the Go to View dialog appears: The dialog gives you a choice of which view to open based on your selection. For example, if you choose a north-facing wall, the upper pane in the dialog lets you choose either an east or west elevation, or in the lower pane, a 3D view. NOTE Work planes differ based on views and in which mode of Revit Structure you are in. When you create a work plane, Revit Structure saves it with that view. Work planes are created automatically for plan and reflected ceiling plan views and 3D views. Each view in the Family Editor has a predefined work plane. 44 | Chapter 3 Sketching
- 73. Making the Work PlaneVisible You can make the work plane visible in a view by clicking from the toolbar. The work plane appears as a grid in a view. Work plane grid set at the level of a depression in a composite deck system. Tips for Work PlaneVisibility ■ If desired, you can change the spacing of the grid. Select the grid and type the desired value for spacing in the text box on the Options Bar. ■ When sketching, you can snap to the grid. You can move and rotate the grid. See “Move” on page 299 and “Rotate” on page 304. ■ You cannot align or dimension to the work plane grid. See “Align” on page 293 and “Dimension Command” on page 146. ■ The work plane grid orientation affects placement of components and the rectangle option with walls and lines. For example, if you rotate the grid and then place a component, the component is oriented the same way as the grid. If you create a chain of walls with the rectangle option, you can sketch them in the orientation of the grid only. ■ If you are zoomed in on a work plane grid, you can select the grid by clicking Workplane, Select Work Plane Grid from the Tools menu. Elements Associated with Work Planes If you create a family that is work-plane based, or sketch an element that is not level-based, they are associated with a work plane. Work plane association controls how an element moves in the view. Consider the following family. Three simple extrusions stacked on each other. Each has a height that is controlled by a parameter. Making the Work PlaneVisible | 45
- 74. If you reduce the height of the bottom extrusion and the top and middle extrusions did not have work planes set differently from the bottom extrusion, they would not move appropriately with the bottom extrusion. Modifying Element Association with a Work Plane If an element is associated with a work plane, you can modify its association. This means you can dissociate an element from a work plane or change its work plane. NOTE Sketch-based elements, such as stairs, floors, footprint roofs, and ceilings, are sketched on a work plane, but that work plane must be a level. You cannot dissociate these elements from their work plane, and the work plane must always be a level. Elements whose work plane can be modified have a read-only instance parameter called Work Plane. The parameter displays the current work plane of the element. To Modify the Work Plane 1 Select the work-plane-based element in a view. Elements you can select include any solid geometry in the Family Editor or extruded roofs in the project. 2 Click Edit Work Plane on the Options Bar. The Work Plane dialog displays, and the work plane for the element displays in the view. 3 If desired, click Show to display other views that can show the work plane for the element. 4 If enabled, click Dissociate to dissociate the work plane from the element. When an element is no longer associated with a work plane, its Work Plane parameter displays <not associated>. The element is now free to move irrespective of a work plane. TIP You can also dissociate an element graphically by clicking the control that display near the element in the view. 5 To change the work plane of the element, select another work plane using the work plane options listed in “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. The new work plane must be parallel to the existing work plane. 46 | Chapter 3 Sketching
- 76. Constraint Elements Constraint elements are non-view specific constraints that can function independently of dimensions. You can modify and delete them either independently of dimensions or remove them when you delete dimensions. Creating Constraints You create constraints by either placing dimensions and locking them or by creating equality constraints. See “Dimension Command” on page 146 and “Equality Constraints” on page 48. Constraints with Dimensions When you place permanent dimensions, you can lock those dimensions. When you lock a dimension, you create a constraint that appears as a padlock with dashed green lines. A constraint appears when you select its references. See “Permanent Dimensions” on page 144. Constraint from locked dimensions Equality Constraints An equality constraint appears as a blue equal sign (=) control near the entire dimension line in a multisegmented dimension. If you select the dimension line, the = control displays near the dimension line. If you select one of the references for the dimension line, such as a wall, the = control appears with a dashed green line at the middle of the references. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. The = symbol represents an equality constraint element applied to the references for this dimension. The references, which are walls in the graphic, remain at equal distances from one another while this constraint is active. If you select one of the walls and move it, all walls move together at a fixed distance. Click the = symbol to delete it: a slash appears through the constraint, indicating the constraint is deleted. Click the symbol again to reactivate the constraint. Note that in the example graphic that if you delete the equality constraint, you can only move the left wall away from the center wall. The center wall is still constrained to the right wall. 48 | Chapter 4 Constraint Elements
- 77. EQ Label Multisegmented dimensions have an EQ label that displays directly above each segment of the dimension line. The label displays when the values for all segments in the dimension are equal, or if the values for the first and last segments of the dimension are equal. If neither of these conditions is satisfied, then the dimension segment cannot display the EQ label and instead displays the value If desired, you can change the display of the label from EQ to the dimension value: 1 Select the dimension and click . 2 Change the value of the Equality Display instance parameter to Value and click OK. The labels now show the dimension value. Constraints and Worksets Constraints belong to the worksets of the elements they constrain. To add a constraint requires that the worksets of all the elements that can be moved by the constraint to be editable. See “Worksets” on page 651. Removing Constraints You can remove constraints in one of the following ways: ■ To remove a lock constraint, click the lock to unlock it. ■ To remove an equality constraint, click the = sign: it will appear with a slash through it. ■ Delete the dimension that corresponds to the constraint. When you delete the corresponding dimension, a warning appears that you are not deleting the actual constraint. Click Unconstrain in the warning dialog to remove the constraint. Constraint Elements Notes ■ Many dimensions may correspond to the same constraint. For example, if you place a dimension between two walls and lock it, you have created a constraint. If you place another dimension between the same two walls and lock it, no additional constraint is created. ■ Constraint elements appear in all views in which their references are visible. Dimensions are view specific. ■ You can control visibility of constraint elements by turning them on or off in the Visibility/Graphics command. Constraints appear under the Annotation Categories tab. See “Visibility/Graphics” on page 461. Constraints and Worksets | 49
- 78. 50 | Chapter 4 Constraint Elements
- 79. Families All elements in Revit Structure are “family based.” The term, family, describes a concept used throughout Revit Structure to help you to manage your data and to make changes easily. Each Family element can have multiple types defined within it, each with a different size, shape, material set, or other parameter variables as designed by the family creator. Changes to a family type definition propagate through a project and are automatically reflected in every instance of that family type within the project. This keeps objects coordinated and saves you the time and effort of manually keeping components, and schedules, up to date. 5 51
- 80. Family Editor Basics Family A Family is a collection of objects, called types. A family groups elements with a common set of parameters, identical use, and similar graphical representation. Different types within a family may have different values of some or all parameters, but the set of parameters - their names and their meaning - are the same. All elements in Revit Structure are family-based. Type A Type is a member of a Family. Each Type has specific parameters that are constant for all instance of the Type that exist in your model. These are Type Properties. Types have other parameters called Instance parameters, which may vary over the various instances of this type in your model. Revit Structure provides a large number of predefined families for use in your project. If you need to create families for a certain project, Revit Structure gives you that facility. Creating a new family is easy, because Revit Structure provides many templates, including templates for structural members and lets you graphically draw the new family. In addition, you can create a nested family by loading additional families and inserting instances within the new family. You do not need to be a programmer to create the families because the templates contain all of the programming, and all you need to do is fill in the geometry information. See “Nested Families” on page 93. There are two methods for creating a new family: ■ Creating In-Place Families: This method of family creation is for families that are unique to the current project. They are useful for custom families. You can design the family in the context of existing geometry of the project. The family updates automatically if the project changes and those changes affect the family. ■ Standard Component Families: Typically these families are standard sizes and configurations of common components and symbols used in the building design. You define the geometry and size of the family by using the standard family template. You can then save the family as a separate file (RFA) and load it into any project you want. There are many templates available to use to create different families. After you select the template to use, you define the appearance of the family in the various views. The geometry you put in the family is up to you and your design requirements. In some cases, such as a symbol, you may wish to see only sketched lines. In other cases, you may want to see the actual geometry of the component in a 3D view; however, in the plan and elevation views, you may want just a 2D symbolic representation to appear. You decide what geometry to create. If your project uses metric measurements, you should use family templates from the Metric folder. Similarly, if your project uses Imperial measurements, you should use family templates from the Imperial folder. All family templates are stored under the Templates folder, Imperial or Metric. The Templates folder includes two subfolders: Annotations, for creating annotation families, and Titleblocks, for creating new titleblocks. The Library folder contains subfolders to organize different families: either ones you created or predefined families. FamilyTemplates When you create a family, Revit Structure provides you with a template that serves as a building block and contains most of the information needed by Revit Structure to place the family in the project. Among other elements, the template can include reference planes, dimensions, and pre-defined geometry. Basic FamilyTemplates The following are the basic kinds of family templates: ■ wall-based ■ floor-based ■ roof-based ■ standalone Wall-based, floor-based, and roof-based templates are known as host-based templates. A host-based family can only be placed in a project if an element of its host type is present. The floor-based template is for components inserted into floors. Floor components can include openings, so that when you place the component on a floor, it also cuts an opening in the floor. An example of a floor-based family is a heating register. 52 | Chapter 5 Families
- 81. The roof-based template is for components inserted into roofs. Roof components can include openings, so that when you place the component on a roof, it also cuts an opening in the roof. Examples of roof-based families include soffits and fans. The standalone template is for components that are not host-dependent. A standalone component can appear anywhere in a model and can be dimensioned to other standalone or host-based components. Examples of standalone families include columns, furniture, and appliances. Design Environment for Creating Families After selecting a template, Revit Structure starts the Family Editor and opens the commonly used views for that family creation. In some families, Revit Structure modifies the view names to make it easier to create the family geometry. The renamed views allow for easier orientation of the geometry. Also, the template includes any common references that are needed to create the family. This includes reference planes to define the origin and sketching references, common dimensions to help you capture design intent, and any solid geometry needed or commonly used to complete the family. Revit Structure offers several different methods of geometry creation to use when defining your families. You can combine these methods to create your family. The geometry forms available are lines, extrusions, sweeps, blends, revolves, and regions. You can also add text and tags to the families. For a complete description on each of the geometry creation methods, see “Family Editor” on page 74. Design Considerations Before creating the family, consider the following: ■ What should the family look like in the different views: floor plan, 3D, elevations? Typically, when defining a family, the geometry of the component changes, depending on the view of the building. In the plan view, you may want to see a 2D representation of the family. In a 3D view or elevation view, you may want a fully detailed 3D representation of the family. You have the flexibility to display different geometry. For more information about visibility of family geometry, see “Visibility and Detail Levels” on page 63. ■ How detailed should the family model appear? In some cases, you may not need 3D geometry. You may only need to sketch a 2D shape to represent your family. Also, you may simplify the 3D geometry of your model to save time in creating the family. You decide how much detail is enough. ■ Are there going to be additional sizes of the family? Plan for this as you create and dimension the geometry. Add reference planes and dimensions to the family to aid in sketching the required geometry. You will need to create the dimensions and label them so they can be modified for the different sizes. ■ When the family is placed in the model, how do you want it to attach to the pointer during placement? This is important because you will want to create the geometry of the family relative to the origin in the template. ■ When the family is placed in the project, what parts of the family would you like to dimension. You need to know this because you need to create reference planes/lines and set the properties of the reference planes/lines to enable that location to be dimensioned. If you consider this list of requirements before creating your family, you will have an easier time creating families. Of course, there are bound to be changes as you create the families. The Family Editor is flexible enough to allow you to make those changes without having to start over. General Rules for Geometry Creation Revit Structure provides tools to allow you to create 2D and 3D geometry to define your family. These tools are described in detail in the Family Editor commands. See “Family Editor Commands” on page 74. As you start to create your geometry, there are a few rules you should remember. Use reference planes and reference lines when sketching—Reference planes/lines are useful sketching aids for family creation and are also used to help capture your design intent. When you sketch a line on top of a reference plane/line, Revit Structure snaps it to the reference plane/line. If the reference plane/line ever moves, the sketched line moves with it. TIP You should add reference planes before creating any family geometry. You can then reference those reference planes as you create geometry and snap sketches and geometry to them. Design Environment for Creating Families | 53
- 82. NOTE Reference lines have specific start and end points that you can use to control angled dimensions and complex geometry. You can set properties for reference planes/lines to capture design intent. For example, you can apply the property Defines Origin to a reference plane. This origin is the point at which Revit Structure loads the family into the project. By default, Revit Structure uses the center of the space when you create the family. Some families actually have the reference plane origins already set in the template. Procedure to Define a Family Origin 1 Sketch the reference plane. 2 Click Modify and select the reference plane. 3 Select the check box for Defines Origin. Reference planes also have a property called Is Reference. By setting this property, you specify that the reference plane can be dimensioned to when you place a family into a project. Only a reference plane defined as an origin or as Is Reference can be dimensioned to when the family is placed in a project. Is Reference also sets a reference point for dimensions when you use the Align command. Setting Is Reference allows you to select different lines of aligned components for dimensioning. See “Align” on page 293. Is ReferenceValues When you set Is Reference for a reference plane, you have several choices for its value. They are: ■ Not a reference ■ Strong reference. See “Strong and Weak References” on page 60. ■ Weak reference. See “Strong and Weak References” on page 60. ■ Left ■ Center (Left/Right) ■ Right ■ Front ■ Center (Front/Back) ■ Back ■ Bottom ■ Center (Elevation) ■ Top When you give Is Reference a name from the list, if you ever swap a family member out of a project and replace it with another family member, any dimensions automatically switch to the new family member, if you create the same property name in the second family. ■ Dimensions to Control Design Intent: Revit Structure creates automatic dimensions to help control your design intent. These automatic dimensions are not displayed by default. To turn them on, check Automatic Sketch Dimensions in the Visibility dialog box. See “Visibility/Graphics” on page 461. You can then modify these dimensions or create your own dimensions using the Dimension command. You can also lock dimensions to keep a distance constant. This is very useful if you plan to have several sizes of the family and want to keep certain dimensions constant while the family changes size. ■ Label Dimensions for Multiple Size Families: If you are going to have families with different size types, you need to label the dimensions that are going to vary with each new type. This is done using the Edit Label command. See Dimensioning with Families. 54 | Chapter 5 Families
- 83. Reference Lines You can use reference lines to create a parametric family skeleton that elements of the family can attach to. Angular parameters applied to a reference line also control the elements attached to its face. In both look and behavior, reference lines are very similar to model lines. However, there are significant differences between model lines and reference lines. For example, reference lines are annotation objects with their own category. When selected, they display dual faces. When printing, their visibility is affected by the Hide ref/work planes option. Straight reference lines provide two planes for you to sketch on. One plane is parallel to the work plane of the line itself; the second plane is perpendicular to that plane. Both planes go through the reference line. The planes display in the following three situations: when the reference line is selected, when the reference line is highlighted, or when using the Work Plane tool. When selecting a work plane, you can place the cursor over a reference line and use the Tab key to switch between the two faces. The plane in which the line was sketched always displays first. You can also create arc reference lines, however, they do not define any planes. Reference Line Behavior in the Project Once a family is loaded into a project, the behavior of Reference Lines is identical to that of Reference Planes. Reference Lines have no Visibility property. They are generally invisible within the project and do not highlight when the instance is selected. They will highlight and generate shape handles in the same contexts as Reference Planes currently do, depending on their Reference property. Selected reference line in multiple views Adding a Reference Line While in the Family Editor, you can add a reference line in any view and use the same drawing tools and techniques used when adding model lines. When you sketch a reference line, it displaces as a single line. In a view where the model graphics are set to hidden line or wireframe, the sketched line displays as a solid line and the plane extents display with dashed lines. Adding a reference line 1 On the Design Bar, click Reference Lines. 2 Using the drawing tools on the Options Bar, sketch the line. The line display as a solitary solid line until selected or when highlighted during preselection. General Rules for Geometry Creation | 55
- 84. Example of reference lines sketched as a polygon When selected or highlighted during preselection, the associated planes display according to the active view. Example of reference line chain highlighted during pre-selection in a 3D view Using reference lines and linear dimensions to control model geometry 3 Align the face of a model element to the reference line and lock it. 4 Add a dimension line referring to the reference line and label it as an instance or type parameter. RELATED For more information regarding working with dimensions, see “Dimensioning” on page 143. 5 Flex the model by changing and applying a new value within the Family Types dialog box. Controlling Angular Dimensions with Reference Lines The preferred method to control the angular dimensions of a family is to apply a labelled angular dimension to a reference line. Unlike reference planes which have infinite extents, a reference line has a specific start and end point which allows it the flexibility to control the angular constraints within components. A truss type with angular dimensioned reference line 56 | Chapter 5 Families
- 85. Add and dimension reference line. 1 In the drawing area, add a reference line with the point of origin located at the point of expected rotation. 2 Add an angular dimension referring to the reference line. 3 Label the dimension. 4 On the Design Bar, click Family Types. 5 Change the angular value for the labelled dimension and click Apply. This is known as flexing the model. It is important to make sure the reference line adjusts as expected before adding model geometry to it. Add and align model geometry to reference line 6 Set the current work plane to one of the faces of the reference line and add the model geometry that you intend to have controlled by the angular dimension. The geometry moves with the reference line as the angle changes. 7 Flex the model to make sure the design works as expected. Modifying Reference Line Properties You can modify the properties of a reference line. Modify reference line properties 1 Select the reference line. 2 On the Options Bar, click the Properties button. 3 In the Element Properties dialog, you can specify the following: Reference line parameters ■ Workplane: This is read only and reports the workplane that the reference line resides on. To change this, you can click Edit Work Plane on the Options Bar when the reference line is selected. ■ Length: This is read only and reports the length of the line. To control the line length, drag the shape handles in the drawing area or add a labelled dimension to the reference line. ■ Visible: Select this setting if you want the reference line to be visible. ■ Reference: You have three options: Not a reference, Strong Reference, and Weak Reference. RELATED See “Strong and Weak References” on page 60. 4 Click OK. Creating FamilyTypes Generally, there are multiple types of standard families. The power of Revit Structure allows you to create a single family and create many types from the one family. To do this you need to label the dimensions that are going to change. See “Dimensioning with Families” on page 62. Within the Family Editor The Family Types command available in the Family Editor sets up new types. Each new type has a set of properties that include the labeled dimensions and their values. Enter the new values for the labeled dimensions. You can also add additional values for standard parameters of the family, such as Material, Model, Manufacturer, Type Mark, and others. For more information about defining family types within the Family Editor, see “Family Types” on page 67. Creating Family Types | 57
- 86. Within a Project After loading a family into a project, you can create different family types from within the project. Save changes and Load the family into a project. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 1 In the Project Browser, expand Families. 2 Expand the family category. 3 Locate the family name and expand it. 4 Right-click on the family type you created and click Properties. The Type Properties dialog box opens. You can define a new type in this dialog. Setting Subcategories A subcategory sets the display for the family that you create. Revit Structure includes several predefined subcategories for different families, or you can create your own subcategory. See “Creating a Subcategory” on page 87. While you create the geometry for your family, you should assign a subcategory to the geometry. This means that if your family includes 2D and 3D geometry, you should assign a subcategory to both. By assigning a subcategory to the geometry, you control the line pattern, line weight, line color, and material used when the geometry displays in a project. See “Wireframe” on page 457 and “Shading” on page 458. Subcategory Procedure 1 Select the geometry you are creating in the Family Editor. If the geometry you want to select does not highlight, use the TAB key to switch to the correct selection. 2 Click from the Options Bar. 3 In the Value field for the subcategory property, click once in the box to bring up the arrow for the drop-down menu. Click on the arrow to bring up a listing of the subcategories. Click the appropriate subcategory. 4 Click OK. 5 In your project, define the display for the family in the Object Styles dialog box. See “Object Styles” on page 528. FamiliesTips ■ When creating the sketched geometry, use the reference planes. You can then modify the dimensions for the reference planes to modify the sketch. The dimensions of the reference plane become properties of the family and can be used to create other family types of varying sizes. ■ If there are other dimensions you wish to add to the properties of the family, create a permanent dimension on the sketch and add a label to the dimension. See “Dimensioning with Families” on page 62. Families Included InThe Library Revit Structure provides many predefined family types within the library folder. The Families included are: ■ Annotations ■ Architectural ■ Detail Components ■ Doors ■ Openings ■ Profiles 58 | Chapter 5 Families
- 87. ■ Site ■ Structural ■ Titleblocks ■ Windows The family files provided are fully editable and can be loaded into any project. Editing Loaded Families Within a project or family, you can edit a loaded family and reload it into the same project or any other open projects or families. Before or after reloading the family into the project, you can save the family to a library with the same or a new name. Edit a Family within a Project or Nested Family 1 Within a project or family, select the component family that you want to edit. 2 On the Options Bar, click Edit Family. TIP You can also right-click the component family within the drawing area or Project Browser and select Edit Family from the context menu. 3 A dialog box displays asking if you want to open the family for editing; click Yes. The selected family opens within a session of the family editor. The original project is still open in the background. 4 Complete the modifications of the family. 5 If you want to save a copy of the modified family, click Save on the File menu. 6 On the Design Bar, click Load into Projects. If only one project or family is open in the background, the family is loaded into it. If multiple projects or families are open, a dialog displays where you can select the projects or families to load the modified family into. 7 Select the projects or families you want to load the edited family into, and click OK. 8 If the modified family is used in the project, the dialog box, Reload Families, displays asking if you want to overwrite the existing version. Click Yes. NOTE You also have the option to overwrite the existing parameter values. For more information, see “Reloading Families into a Project” on page 563. 9 Close the family file. IMPORTANT Families originally created before version will not have the ability to be edited within the project, even if the project is updated to the most recent version. Reloading Families Within the Project Browser of a project or a family, you can right-click a loaded family name and select Reload from the context menu. A navigation dialog displays where you can select only one file. Loaded families remember the full path from which it was originally loaded. If you select a family with a different name than the one you selected in the Project Browser, the family within the project will be renamed. Editing Loaded Families | 59
- 88. NOTE You cannot reload system families. You can also reload a family from the File ➤ Load from Library menu. For more information on reloading families, see “Reloading Families into a Project” on page 563. Reload a Family 1 In the Project Browser of a project or family, right-click a loaded family and select Reload from the context menu. 2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to and select the family you want to reload. 3 Click OK. 4 When prompted, click Yes to overwrite the existing version or No to cancel. For more information regarding reload options, see “Reloading Families into a Project” on page 563. Copying FamilyTypes Between Projects Revit Structure lets you copy family types from one project into another. If the family does not already exist in the target project, Revit Structure loads it when you paste the type. See “Family Types” on page 67. The copied family type must have a unique name. If the family type already exists in the target project, rename the type and then copy and paste it. See “Paste from Clipboard” on page 300. Copying a FamilyType from the Project Browser 1 Select the family type to be copied. 2 On the Edit menu, click Copy to Clipboard. You may also press CTRL-C. 3 Open the target project. 4 On the Edit menu, click Paste from Clipboard or press CTRL-V. Copying a FamilyType from the Document Window You can also copy family types directly from the document window. This functionality works in most views. such as floor plan, ceiling plan, 3D View. 1 In the document window, select the family type to be copied. To select multiple family types, press CTRL and select each type. 2 On the Edit menu, click Copy to Clipboard or press CTRL-C. 3 Open the target project. 4 Click once in the document window. 5 On the Edit menu, click Paste from Clipboard or press CTRL-V. 6 In the drawing area, drag the object where needed within the document window. 7 On the Options Bar, click Finish Paste. The family type appears in the Project Browser under its designated family. Strong and Weak References To dimension families placed in a project, you need to define family geometry references in the Family Editor. You set geometry references as either strong references or weak references. 60 | Chapter 5 Families
- 89. A strong reference has the highest priority for dimensioning and snapping. As you are placing the family, temporary dimensions will snap to any strong references in the family. When you select the family in the project, temporary dimensions appear at the strong references. A weak reference has the lowest priority for dimensioning. When you place the family into the project and dimension to it, you may need to press TAB to select a weak reference, as any strong references highlight first. NOTE You may also be able to zoom in on the model to highlight weak references, as elements in the model appear farther apart as you zoom in. Setting Strong and Weak References This procedure changes references for selected line instances. It does not set reference values for any new lines. 1 Sketch a line or reference plane. 2 Select the line or reference plane and click . 3 In the Instance box of the Element Properties dialog box, set the value of Reference to Strong Reference. For reference planes, set the value of Is Reference to Strong Reference. NOTE By default, Revit Structure sets the reference property for all reference planes and sketched lines to Weak Reference. 4 Click OK. You can sketch lines and set them to strong references. To create strong references for solid geometry, such as extrusions, sketch reference planes and set them to strong references. Then sketch the solid geometry to the reference planes. Dimensions with Families Automatic Sketch Dimensions Revit Structure creates automatic sketch dimensions in the Family Editor to define where every sketch line is, relative to reference planes or other sketch lines. The automatic sketch dimensions implicitly constrain sketch lines, until you explicitly dimension those sketch lines. As you add dimensions, you are telling Revit Structure your design intent. Visibility Automatic sketch dimensions are turned off by default in a view. They appear if there is at least one labeled dimension in the family. Notice in this next image that there is a dimension added to this geometry, but the dimension has no label. No automatic sketch dimensions are visible. Turning on Visibility 1 While you are in sketch mode, click Visibility/Graphics on the View menu, or press VG on your keyboard. See “Visibility/Graphics” on page 461. 2 Click the Annotation Categories tab. 3 Expand the Dimensions category and select Automatic Sketch Dimensions below it. Setting Strong and Weak References | 61
- 90. 4 Click OK. 5 Label the dimension. The automatic sketch dimensions appear. Revit Structure now knows where each line of this geometry exists with respect to reference planes or other sketch lines. As you explicitly add locked dimensions, the automatic sketch dimensions go away in favor of the dimensions. In the next image, explicit dimensions appear with locked padlocks. Effects onYour Geometry Until you are aware of automatic sketch dimensions and that they are constraining your geometry to reference planes, you may see some unexpected behavior. The automatic sketch dimensions are Revit Structure's way of solving how to grow or shrink your geometry based on changes in value of a family parameter. Key: 1 Auto sketch dimension to right reference plane. 2 Auto sketch dimension to center reference plane. To achieve the desired results with your geometry, add locked dimensions. Dimensioning with Families Families in Revit Structure are not parametric until you explicitly add labeled dimensions to them. By adding labeled dimensions, you are creating new parameters for the family. Labeling Dimensions 1 Click Modify and highlight the dimension text. 2 Right-click the dimension, and click Edit Label from the context menu. 3 Select a name from the drop-down menu or choose <Add parameter...> and create a new parameter. See “Family Types” on page 67. 62 | Chapter 5 Families
- 91. Alternate Procedure for Labeling 1 Click Modify and select the dimension text. 2 On the Options Bar, choose a name from the Label: drop-down menu or create a new parameter. See “Family Types” on page 67. 3 If desired, select Leader to create a leader line for the dimension. Dimensioning with FamiliesTips ■ You cannot type text as a label when you select a dimension. You can only select from a list of family parameters that are of the correct type, or you can create a new parameter. ■ Labeled dimensions become modifiable parameters for families. You can modify their values using the Family Types command. See “Family Types” on page 67. When the family is loaded into a project, you can also modify them through the Element Properties dialog box. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. ■ Values for labeled parameters can be calculated using formulas. You create the formulas in the Family Types dialog box. See “Using Formulas for Numerical Parameters” on page 69. ■ An array number can be a parameter for a family. After you create the array, select it and then label it. The array number becomes a parameter for the family. You can then modify the parameter value and increase or decrease the number of members in the array. See “Array” on page 305. Visibility and Detail Levels Visibility determines in which view the family displays and what it looks like in that view. Typically, when defining a family, the geometry of the component changes, depending on the view of the design. In the plan view, you may want to see a 2D representation of the family. In a 3D view or elevation view, you may want a fully detailed 3D representation of the family. You have the flexibility to display different geometry. Detail Level determines the visibility of elements at different levels of detail. Setting Family GeometryVisibility 1 Click Modify and select the family geometry. 2 Click Visibility from the Options Bar. 3 Select the views in which you want the geometry to appear: ■ Plan/RCP ■ Front/Back ■ Left/Right NOTE The geometry automatically appears in 3D views. 4 If desired, select When cut in a Plan/RCP view. If you select this option, the geometry appears cut if it is intersected by the cut plane of the view. See View Range for information on cut planes. If the element is cut by a section view, it also shows if you select this option. See the table below to determine if you can show a family category as cut in plan or RCP views. Visibility and Detail Levels | 63
- 92. 5 Select the detail level at which you want the geometry to display in a project: Coarse, Medium, or Fine. Detail levels are dependent upon view scale. See Detail Level for more information. NOTE The Visibility dialog box is different for profile and detail component families. For those families, you can set only the detail level 6 Click OK. TIP You can set family elements to be visible or not visible in the project by associating the Visible parameter of solid geometry tools with a family parameter for that element. The Visible parameter is available for solid and void geometry tools (blends, sweeps, revolves, and extrusions). This lets you create one family type with optionally visible geometry on it. For more information on this, see the tutorial associated with this parameter. Note that the family geometry still exists in the project, it is just invisible. For example, it may still be involved when you join geometry in the project. Visibility of Imported Geometry The Visibility command is also available for imported geometry; it functions very similarly to the line visibility command. After importing the geometry, select it and click Visibility on the Options Bar. Specify the views and detail levels in which the imported geometry should appear, for example, plan and 3D views and coarse and medium detail levels. When you load the family into a project and place an instance of it, the imported geometry will appear based on the settings you specified. Visibility During Sketching You can set geometry visibility during sketch mode. Sketch the geometry, select it, and click Visibility from the sketching toolbar. Setting Detail Level 1 Click Modify and select the family geometry. 2 Click Visibility from the Options Bar. 3 In the Family Element Visibility Settings dialog box, select the detail level at which you want the geometry to display in a project: Coarse, Medium, or Fine and click OK. Instance Parameters and Shape Handles As you create families, you can set labeled dimensions as instance parameters; the parameters are modifiable when the family instance is placed in the project. Labeled dimensions set as instance parameters can also have shape handles that appear when the family is loaded into a project. Creating Instance Parameters 1 Sketch family geometry using Family Editor tools. 2 Create dimensions for the family geometry. 3 Label the dimensions. See “Labeling Dimensions” on page 62. 4 Select the dimensions and select the Instance Parameter option on the Options Bar. NOTE If you label dimensions by entering the name in the Options Bar, you can check the Instance Parameter option right away without re-selecting the dimensions. 64 | Chapter 5 Families
- 93. 5 Click Family Types from the Design Bar and notice that the new instance parameter appears in the Family Types dialog box. The (default) label indicates the value for the instance parameter when you place the family in the project. For example, if you create an instance parameter called length with a default value of 3000 mm, the family instance will have a length of 3000 mm when placed in the project. 6 Save changes and load the family into a project and click . For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Notice that the labeled dimensions appear as parameters in the Instance pane of the Element Properties dialog box. You can change the values in the dialog box. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Adding Shape Handles to a Component Family You can add shape handles to a component family that display when loaded into a project. The shape handles allow you to resize the component in the project, which means you can make many different sized instances in the project without the need to create multiple types beforehand in the family editor. For more information about shape handles, see “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Example of a generic component with shape handles added.This component has been loaded into a project and the plan and 3D views are shown. To add shape handles to a component family, you must do the following: ■ Add reference lines or reference planes to the Family. ■ Align the reference lines or reference planes to the edge of the component where you want the shape handle to display. ■ Add a dimension to the reference lines or reference planes. ■ Label the dimension as an instance parameter. ■ Save the family and load it into a project. When you select the component, shape handles display where the reference lines are aligned and dimensioned. Adding Shape Handles to a Component Family | 65
- 94. Creating shape handles 1 Within the Family Editor, add reference planes or reference lines parallel where you want the shape handles to display. In the following image, a generic component with a simple extrusion is shown in plan and 3D. Reference lines have been added parallel to the left and right edges. Example of generic component family consisting of extrusion and two reference lines 2 Select each of the reference lines or reference planes, click Properties in the Options Bar, and verify that the Is Reference value is anything other than Not a Reference. 3 Align and lock the reference lines or reference planes to the parallel edges of the component. When loaded into a project, the shape handles will display at this location. Generic component family with reference lines aligned and locked to the extrusion edges 4 Add a dimension between reference lines or reference planes that you aligned in the previous step. 5 Select the dimension. 66 | Chapter 5 Families
- 95. 6 On the Options Bar, select a label from the Label drop-down list or click Add Parameter, and create a new parameter for this dimension. For more information, see “Creating New Family Parameters” on page 71. 7 On the Options Bar, select Instance Parameter. NOTE When adding a new parameter, you can select Instance for the type in the Parameter Properties dialog box. 8 Save changes and Load the family into a project. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. After the family is loaded into the project, select the component. Shape handles display and allow you to resize the family without the need for creating new sizes in the Family Editor. Generic component family loaded into a project, selected, with shape handles displayed Adding Shape Handles to a Component Family | 67
- 96. FamilyTypes The Family Types command applies predefined properties to different types within a family. You use this command during creation of a user-defined family. The command is useful for labeling several different sizes of the same component. When you load the family with the different types into a project, you can then place any components of that family type. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. This command is enabled only while Revit Structure is in the Family Editor. Creating FamilyTypes 1 In the Family Editor, create the family component and label the permanent dimensions that appear. See “Family Editor” on page 74. 2 On the Settings menu, click Family Types, or click Family Types from the Design Bar. 3 In the Family Types dialog box, click New and enter a name for the new type. NOTE You should create a type for each of the sizes of the component. 4 Continue creating types by choosing New and entering different values for the properties as needed. Adding aType to a Family Add a Pilecap Type 1 On the File menu, click Open. 2 In the left pane of the open dialog box, click Imperial or Metric Library. 3 Navigate to the 3-pile pilecap family file, and click Open. 4 In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click on Reference Level. 5 On the Family tab of the Design Bar, click Family Types. 6 In the Family Types dialog box, click New. 7 In the dialog box, provide a name for the new pilecap Type. 8 As an example, change the length parameter value to a new length. NOTE You should create a type for each of the sizes of the component. 9 Click OK. The display of the Family Type will change according to the new parameter value entered. Pile CapType 1 and new Pile CapType 2 68 | Chapter 5 Families
- 97. Using Formulas for Numerical Parameters Formulas allow you to create parameters that depend on other parameters for their values. A simple example would be a width parameter set to equal twice the height of an object. In practice, formulas can be used in many ways, both simple and sophisticated. Typical uses include embedding design relationships, relating a number of instances to a variable length, and setting up angular relationships. For example, formulas can be used to: ■ Calculate area or volume of geometry ■ Create a clearance dimension parameter controlled by element size ■ Convert continuously variable values into integer values ■ Add shelves as the height of casework increases ■ Add diagonals in an open web joist as the length increases For information about entering formulas, see “Adding a Formula to a Parameter” on page 69. Adding a Formula to a Parameter Use the following procedure to add a formula to a parameter: 1 In the Family Editor, lay out reference planes. 2 Add dimensions, as required. 3 Label the dimensions. See “Labeling Dimensions” on page 62. 4 Add the geometry, and lock the geometry to the reference planes. 5 On the Design Bar, click Family Types. 6 In the Family Types dialog, in the Formula column next to the appropriate parameter, type the formula for the parameter. For more information about entering formulas, see “Valid Formula Syntax” on page 69 and “Valid Formula Abbreviations” on page 70. Valid Formula Syntax Formulas support the following arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, logarithms, and square roots. Formulas also support the following trigonometric functions: sine, cosine, tangent, arcsine, arccosine, and arctangent. For information about using these functions in formulas, see “Valid Formula Abbreviations” on page 70. You can enter integers, decimals, and fractional values in formulas, using normal mathematical syntax, as shown in the examples below: ■ Length = Height + Width + sqrt(Height*Width) ■ Length = Wall 1 (11000mm)+ Wall 2 (15000mm) ■ Area = Length (500mm) * Width (300mm) ■ Volume = Length (500mm) * Width (300mm) * Height (800 mm) ■ Width = 100m * cos(angle) ■ x = 2*abs(a) + abs(b/2) ■ ArrayNum = Length/Spacing Parameter names in formulas are case sensitive. For example, if a parameter name begins with a capital letter, such as Width, you must enter it in the formula with an initial capital letter. If you enter it in a formula using lower-case letters instead, for example, width * 2, the software will not recognize the formula. Using Formulas for Numerical Parameters | 69
- 98. Valid Formula Abbreviations The following are valid formula abbreviations: ■ Addition— + ■ Subtraction— - ■ Multiplication—* ■ Division—/ ■ Exponentiation—^: x^y, x raised to the power of y ■ Logarithm—log ■ Square root—sqrt: sqrt(16) ■ Sine—sin ■ Cosine—cos ■ Tangent—tan ■ Arcsine—asin ■ Arccosine—acos ■ Arctangent—atan ■ e raised to an x power—exp ■ Absolute Value—abs Conditional Statements in Formulas You can use conditional statements in formulas to define actions in a family that depend on the state of other parameters. With conditional statements, the software enters values for a parameter based on whether a specified condition is satisfied. Conditional statements are useful in certain circumstances; however, they make families more complex and should be used only when necessary. For most type parameters, conditional statements are unnecessary, because the type parameter itself is like a conditional statement: If this is the type, then set this parameter to a specified value. Instance parameters are a more productive place to use conditional statements, particularly when they are used to set a parameter that does not vary continuously. Syntax for Conditional Statements A conditional statement uses this structure: IF (<condition>, <result-if-true>, <result-if-false>) This means that the values entered for the parameter depend on whether the condition is satisfied (true) or not satisfied (false). If the condition is true, the software returns the true value. If the condition is false, it returns the false value. Conditional statements can contain numeric values, numeric parameter names, and Yes/No parameters. You can use the following comparisons in a condition: <, >, =. You can also use Boolean operators with a conditional statement: AND, OR, NOT. Currently, <= and >= are not implemented. To express such a comparison, you can use a logical NOT. For example, a<=b can be entered as NOT(a>b). The following are sample formulas that use conditional statements. Simple IF: =IF (Length < 3000mm, 200mm, 300mm) IF with a text parameter: =IF (Length > 35', “String1”, “String2”) IF with logical AND: =IF ( AND (x = 1 , y = 2), 8 , 3 ) IF with logical OR: =IF ( OR ( A = 1 , B = 3 ) , 8 , 3 ) Embedded IF statements: =IF ( Length < 35' , 2' 6" , IF ( Length < 45' , 3' , IF ( Length < 55' , 5' , 8' ) ) ) IF with Yes/No condition: =Length > 40 (Note that both the condition and the results are implied.) 70 | Chapter 5 Families
- 99. Examples of Conditional Statement Usage Typical uses for conditional statements in formulas include calculating array values and controlling an element’s visibility based on a parameter value. For example, you can use conditional statements to: ■ Prevent an array parameter from taking a value less than 2. In Revit Structure, arrays can only have an integer value of 2 or greater. In some situations, it may be useful to create a conditional formula that maintains an array parameter of 2 even if the calculated value is 1 or 0. With such a formula, if the calculated array value is 2 or greater, the formula retains the value. However, if the calculated value is 1 or 0, the formula changes the value to 2. Formula: Array number = IF (Arrayparam < 2, 2, Arrayparam) ■ Make muntins visible only when the number of window lights is greater than 1. For example, if you have a Lights parameter that you want to use to control the visibility of muntin geometry, you can create a Yes/No parameter like MuntinVis, and assign it to the Visible parameter in the Element Properties dialog of the muntin geometry. Because the MuntinVis parameter is a Yes/No (or Boolean) operation, both the condition (IF) and the results are implied. In this example, when the condition is met (true), the MuntinVis parameter value is selected, and the muntin geometry is visible. Conversely, when the condition is not met (false), the MuntinVis parameter is cleared, and the muntin geometry is not visible. Formula: MuntinVis = Lights > 1 Adding a Website Link to Families You can add a website link to the Type or Instance properties of a family in both the Family Editor and the project. Selecting the URL opens the default web browser to the selected location. Creating New Family Parameters You can create new Instance or Type parameters for any family type. By adding new parameters, you have more control over the information contained in each family instance or type. You can create dynamic family types for increased flexibility within the model. Creating New Parameters NOTE This procedure assumes you are in the Family Editor. 1 On the Settings menu, click Family Types, or click Family Types from the Design Bar. 2 In the Family Types dialog box, click New Type and enter a name for the new type. This creates a new family type that will be available in the Type Selector when you load it into a project. 3 Under Parameters, click Add. 4 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, under Parameter Type, select Family Parameter. 5 Type a name for the parameter. 6 Select a Discipline: Common or Structural. 7 On the Type menu, click the appropriate parameter type. Choices are: DescriptionValueName Completely customizable. Can be used to collect unique data.user-defined/alpha-numericText A value that is always expressed as an integer.user-defined/integerInteger Adding a Website Link to Families | 71
- 100. DescriptionValueName Used to collect miscellaneous numeric data. Can be defined by a formula. Can also have real numbers. user-defined/numericNumber Can be used to establish the length of an element or sub- component. Can be defined by a formula. user-defined/numericLength Can be used to establish the angle of an element or sub-component. Formulas can be used in this field. user-defined/numericAngle Can be used to establish the area of an element or sub-component. Formulas can be used in this field. user-defined/numericArea Provides web link to user defined url.user defined urlURL Can be used to establish the length of an element or sub- component. Formulas can be used in this field. user-defined/numeric fieldVolume Establishes parameters in which a specific material can be assigned.Selection of materials within the project Material Used most often for instance properties when the parameter is defined with either a Yes or No. Yes or NoDefault = YesYes/No Used with nested components and allows you to swap components after family is loaded into a project. User selects categoryFamily Type 8 For Group parameter under, select a value. After the family is loaded into a project, this value determines under which group header the parameter falls under in the Element Properties dialog box. 9 For Value Stored by:, select either Instance or Type. This defines whether the parameter is an Instance or Type parameter. 10 Click OK. NOTE To assign a material to a family element, save the family and load it into a project. Place the family in the project and select it. Click and set a value for the material parameter. Modifying Family Parameters Select the desired parameter and click Modify in the Family Types dialog box. You can rename the parameter and change whether it is a type or instance parameter. You can also replace it with a shared parameter. See “Adding Shared Parameters to Families” on page 406. Profile Families When you create a profile family, you are sketching a two-dimensional loop shape that you load into your project and then apply to certain building elements. For example, you can sketch the profile loop for a railing and then use that shape on a railing in your project. Elements for which you can define profiles include wall sweeps, reveals, railings, mullions, stair treads, and sweep profiles. When you define one profile family, you can reuse it multiple times on building elements in the project. Loaded profiles appear as a leaf under the Families branch in the Project Browser. You sketch profile families using lines, dimensions, or reference planes. The profile can then be applied to any type of solid geometry in the project. 72 | Chapter 5 Families
- 101. FamilyTemplates You create profile families using templates supplied with Revit Structure. Those templates are Profile.rft, Profile-Rail.rft, Profile-Reveal.rft, Profile-Stair Nosing.rft, and Wall Sweep Profile.rft. Creating a Profile Family This procedure describes creating a generic profile shape that is available to multiple building elements in the project. Your specific building and design intentions may differ. 1 Click File menu ➤ New ➤ Family. 2 In the Open dialog box, select a profile template, and click Open. The Family Editor opens a plan view that includes two reference planes. There are no other views available in which to sketch geometry. 3 If necessary, sketch reference planes for constraining the lines in the profile. 4 Click Lines and sketch the profile loop. For more information about the sketching tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. 5 Click Detail Component to place a detail component into the profile family. TIP You can change the sorting order of any detail components in the family by using the detail component draw order commands. For more information, see “Sorting Detail Element Draw Order” on page 402. 6 To set the detail at which the profile family displays in the project, select any of the lines of the profile sketch and click Visibility on the Options Bar. 7 Select the desired detail levels, Fine, Medium, or Coarse, and click OK. TIP You can also set the detail level for detail components using the same methods. 8 The profile usage needs to be defined. Click Settings menu ➤ Family Category and Parameters. 9 Click next to Profile Usage and click the profile usage type from the menu. For example, if you are creating a mullion profile, click Mullion on the menu. TIP This setting ensures that only relevant profiles are listed when using profiles within a project. For example, when selecting a mullion profile, stair nosing profiles do not display. 10 Add any dimensions required. Family Templates | 73
- 102. Sample crane rail profile sketch 11 Save the family. Loading the Family into a Project 1 On the File menu, click Load From Library ➤ Load Family. 2 Navigate to the profile family file you created and select it and click Open. 3 In the Project Browser, expand the Families leaf. Expand the Profiles leaf. The family you created and loaded appears under the Profiles leaf. The profile you created is now available to building elements in the project. Family Editor All elements in Revit Structure are “family based.” The term, family, describes a powerful concept used throughout Revit Structure to help you manage your data and make changes easily. Each Family element has the ability to have multiple types defined within it, each with a different size, shape, material set, or other parameter variables as designed by the family creator. Even though various types within a family can look completely different, they are still related and come from a single source, thus the term, family. Changes to a family type definition ripple through the project and are automatically reflected in every instance of that family or type within the project. This keeps everything coordinated and saves you the time and effort of manually keeping components, and schedules, up to date. Family Editor The Family Editor is a graphical editing mode in Revit Structure that allows you to create families to include in your project. When you start creating a family, you open a template to use in the editor. The template can include multiple views, such as plan and elevation views. The editor has the same look and feel as the normal working environment in Revit Structure, but it features different commands on the Design Bar and can open multiple views, depending on the template chosen. Family Editor Commands Revit Structure features a Design Bar for creating the actual representation of the family. Command Descriptions ■ The Family Types command opens the Family Types dialog box. You can create new Family Types or new Instance and Type parameters. See “Family Types” on page 67. 74 | Chapter 5 Families
- 103. ■ The Dimension command adds permanent dimensions to the family, in addition to the ones Revit Structure automatically creates as you sketch the geometry. This is important if you wish to create different sizes of the family. See “Dimension Command” on page 146. ■ The Model Lines command lets you sketch two-dimensional geometry for when you do not need to show solid geometry. For example, you could sketch door panels and hardware as two dimensional rather than sketch solid extrusions. Model lines are always visible in 3D views. You can control their visibility in plan and elevation views by selecting the lines and clicking Visibility from the Options Bar. See “Setting Family Geometry Visibility” on page 63. ■ The Symbolic Lines command lets you sketch lines that are meant for symbolic purposes only. Symbolic lines are not part of the actual geometry of the family. Symbolic lines are visible parallel to the view in which you sketch them. You can control symbolic line visibility on cut instances. Select the symbolic line and click Visibility from the Options Bar. Select Show only if instance is cut. In this dialog box, you can also control the visibility of lines based on the detail level of the view. For example, if you select coarse, that means that when you load the family into a project and place it in a view at the coarse detail level, the symbolic lines are visible. See “Detail Level” on page 415. TIP Use this dialog box to control visibility of generic annotations loaded into model families. See “Loading Generic Annotations into Model Families” on page 99. ■ The Lines command sketches lines to define the geometry of the family. See “Model Lines” on page 202. ■ The Opening command is available in host-based family templates only. You create an opening by sketching its shape to the reference planes and then modifying its dimensions. After creating an opening, you can select it and set it to appear transparent in 3D and/or elevation views when loaded into the project. From the Options Bar, select the 3D and/or Elevation check boxes next to Transparent in: ■ The Ref Plane command creates a reference plane, which serves as a guide for sketching lines. See “Reference Planes” on page 118. ■ The Control command lets you place arrows to rotate and mirror the geometry of the family, after you add it to your design. In the Options Bar, choose from a Vertical or Horizontal arrow, or from a Double-Vertical or Double-Horizontal arrow. You can also select more than one choice. Revit Structure rotates or mirrors the geometry about the origin. With two opposite-facing arrows, you can mirror back and forth horizontally or vertically. You can place the controls anywhere in the view. It is best to place them where it is obvious what they control. ■ The Text command allows you to add text notes to the family. This is typically used in an annotation family. The text is just simply a text note. For more information about adding text, see “Text” on page 112. ■ The Components command selects the type of component to be inserted into the Family Editor. After clicking this command, the Type Selector becomes active and you can select the component. ■ The Solid Form command provides access to tools that let you create solid geometry in the family. ■ The Void Form command provides access to tools that let you cut solid geometry in the family. ■ The Label command allows you to place intelligent text in the family. This text actually represents a family property. When the property value is specified it will show up in the family. Note: This command is available for annotation symbols only. See Creating a Label for more information. ■ The Load into Projects command allows you to load a family directly into any open project or family. RelatedTopic: “Family Editor Basics” on page 52 Family Editor Commands | 75
- 104. Duplicating Parameterized Elements When creating a component in the Family Editor, you often need to create identical elements that are controlled by the same parameters, such as labelled dimensions or visibility parameters. If you copy, Array, or group a parameterized element, the parameters that control that element are also copied. In the example shown below, a generic family was created with two extrusions. The bottom of both extrusions are aligned to the horizontal reference plane. The height of the large extrusion on the left is controlled by the labelled dimension, H. The height of the smaller extrusion on the right is controlled by the labelled dimension, (H/2). In the Family Types dialog box, a formula was added to the (H/2) parameter to make it equal to Height/2. In addition, a visibility parameter was created and applied to the small extrusion. The smaller extrusion also has a split and painted face. Elements controlled by parameters (labelled dimensions in this case) Continuing with the example shown above, to create a series of elements identical to the sub-height element, you can copy, array, or mirror the element and the associated parameters are copied with it. In the image below, you can see the smaller element was arrayed and the labelled dimension, painted face, and visibility parameters is applied to each arrayed element. Array of parameterized elements In the Family Types dialog box, if the Height value in this example is changed from 6 to 8, notice the arrayed elements adjust to the new values. 76 | Chapter 5 Families
- 105. Arrayed elements adapt to changed parameter values Solid GeometryTools The Family Editor provides tools for creating solid geometry shapes to build your families. Those tools are solid revolves, solid blends, solid extrusions, and solid sweeps. For more information on each tool, see “Creating Solid Revolves” on page 77, “Creating Solid Blends” on page 79, “Creating Solid Sweeps” on page 78, and “Creating a Solid Extrusion” on page 81. Creating Solid Revolves The Solid Revolve command creates solid geometry that revolves around an axis. The following procedure is a general method for creating revolved geometry. Steps may vary depending on your design intent. You can also create massing shapes using the Revolve command. Access massing commands through the Massing tab of the Design Bar. For more information on massing, see “Massing” on page 16. 1 In the Family Editor, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Revolve on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 If the Select a Work Plane dialog box appears, choose a work plane to draw the revolved geometry. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 3 In sketch mode, click Axis to place a revolving axis. 4 Sketch an axis by clicking a start and an end point at the orientation desired. TIP If you want the revolve profile shape to abut the rotation axis, first sketch the profile shape and then sketch the axis on one of the lines of the shape. 5 Click Lines from either the Modelling menu or from the Sketch tab of the Design Bar and sketch a shape to revolve around the axis. The sketch must be a valid closed sketch: single closed loop or multiple closed loops that do not intersect. 6 Click Finish Sketch to save changes and exit sketch mode. 7 Click 3D to switch to a 3D view to see the results. 8 If necessary rotate the component to see it better. See “Using Dynamic View” on page 449. 9 Select the view visibility of the revolved component. See “Setting Family Geometry Visibility” on page 63. Solid Geometry Tools | 77
- 106. Revolved GeometryTips If the axis touches the revolve shape, the result is a solid. You can change the start and end points of the revolved geometry by clicking and setting the degrees for the start and end angle properties. You can also achieve the same effect by dragging the start and end faces of the revolved solid. NOTE You cannot drag the start and end faces of a 360-degree revolution. Creating Solid Sweeps A sweep is a tool for creating families that requires you to sketch or apply a profile (shape) and extrude that profile along a path. The following procedure is a general method for creating a sweep. Steps may vary depending on your design intent. You can also create massing shapes using the Sweep command. Access massing commands through the Massing tab of the Design Bar. For more information on massing, see “Massing” on page 16. 1 In the Family Editor, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Sweep on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 If the Select a Work Plane dialog box appears, choose a work plane to draw the sweep. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 3 To sketch a path, click Sketch 2D Path from the Design Bar. The sketching tools become available. The path can be either a single-closed or single-open path. You cannot have multiple paths. The path can be a combination of straight lines and arcs, or it can be a circle. If you choose the Pick option while sketching the path, the path is confined to one work plane. 4 To pick a path, click Pick Path from the Design Bar. The Pick tool is selected. You can select edges of other solid geometry, such as extrusions or blends, or you can pick existing sketch lines. Watch the Status Bar to know what you are picking. This method of picking automatically locks the sketch lines to the geometry you are picking. Also, using the Pick Path method allows you to sketch the path in multiple work planes, hence allowing for a 3D path. If you click existing sketch lines, you actually delete them. See “Displaying the Status Bar” on page 667. 5 Click Finish Path to complete the path. 6 After creating the path, you can click Profile to start sketching the profile, or you can select a profile from the drop-down menu on the Options Bar. If you need additional profiles or have created and saved a different one, click Load profiles to load in the additional profile families. See “Profile Families” on page 72. 7 If you are sketching a profile, choose a view in the Go To View dialog box in which to sketch the profile. For example, if you sketched the path in a plan view, you would choose an elevation view to sketch the profile. The profile sketch can be a single-closed loop or multiple closed loops that do not intersect. Sketch the profile near the intersection of the profile plane and the path (the intersection is indicated in red in the following picture). 8 Click Finish Sweep to complete the sketch of the sweep. Creating a Segmented Sweep You create a segmented sweep by setting two sweep parameters and sketching a path with arcs. The parameters affect only arcs in the path. The minimum number of segments for a sweep is 2. 1 Follow the steps from the Creating a Sweep procedure to access the sweep tool. 2 On the Sketch Design Bar, click Sweep Properties. 3 Select the check box for Trajectory Segmentation. 4 Enter a value for Maximum Segment Angle. Valid values are between 0 and 360 degrees. 78 | Chapter 5 Families
- 107. 5 Sketch or pick a path with arcs. 6 Click Finish Path to complete the path. 7 Create a profile or use a pre-loaded profile. 8 Click Finish Sweep to complete the sketch of the sweep. Sample segmented sweep with 30 degree Maximum Segment Angle. TIP You can change a segmented sweep to a non-segmented sweep by clearing the check box for Trajectory Segmentation. Editing the Sweep You can quickly edit either the path or the profile of the sweep from the Options Bar. Click Modify, select the sweep geometry, and then click either of the following: ■ Edit Path to edit the path sketch. ■ Edit Profile to edit the profile sketch. SweepTips When creating a sweep with a tangent arc in the path, be sure the profile is small enough to sweep around the arc without the resulting geometry intersecting itself. An error occurs if the geometry intersects. For more information about sweep error messages, see “Error Handling” on page 677. If you create a sweep path by using the Pick Path command, you can drag the end points of the path lines as you are sketching it. Creating Solid Blends The Blend command blends two profiles together. For example, if you sketch a large rectangle and a smaller rectangle on top of it, Revit Structure blends the two shapes together. The following procedure is a general method for creating a blend. Steps may vary depending on your design intent. You can also create massing shapes using the Blend command. Access massing commands through the Massing tab of the Design Bar. For more information on massing, see “Massing” on page 16. Be sure to read “Blend Tips” on page 81 for blends. 1 In the Family Editor, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Blend on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 If the Select a Work Plane dialog box appears, choose a work plane to draw the blend. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. Solid Geometry Tools | 79
- 108. 3 Sketch the base shape of the blend, for example sketch a square. For more information about the sketching tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. TIP Prior to sketching the shape, you can specify the depth of the blend by setting values for the first end and second end points. While in sketch mode, click . In the Element Properties dialog box, specify values for the two end points. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. 4 When finished with the sketch, click the Top command to sketch the top of the blend. 5 Sketch a shape for the top of the blend, for example another square. Sample base and top profiles for a blend 6 Click Finish Sketch. Revit Structure completes the blend. If you did not specify a first and second end point, Revit Structure uses the default depth setting. Finished blend 7 Select the view visibility of the blend. See “Setting Family Geometry Visibility” on page 63. 8 When you have created the blend you like, save it or click Finish Family if you are creating an in-place family. Editing the Blend 1 Select the blend and several options become available. 2 Click Edit Top to directly edit the top of the blend. 3 Click Edit Base to directly edit the base of the blend. 4 Enter a value in the Depth text box to change the blend's depth. EditingVertex Connections After you complete the top and base sketches, the Vertex connect command becomes enabled on the sketch Design Bar. By editing vertex connections, you control the amount of twist in the blend. You can edit vertex connections in plan or 3D views. 1 Click Vertex connect on the Design Bar. Vertex points become available on the blend sketch: 80 | Chapter 5 Families
- 109. The dotted lines with blue open-dot controls on their ends are suggested connections. The control is a switch between adding and removing connections. 2 Click the control, and the line becomes a solid connection. A filled blue control appears on the connection. 3 Click the solid control to remove a connection; the line reverts to a dashed line with an open dot control. As you click the controls, some possible edges disappear and other ones appear. 4 When you are satisfied with vertex connections, click Finish Sketch. BlendTips ■ You cannot sketch more than two closed loops: one for the base and one for the top. ■ You can set the depth of the geometry before sketching it. In sketch mode, enter a value in the Depth field on the Options Bar. This value changes the end point of the blend. Depths can be negative values. ■ You can dimension from lines at the top of the blend to lines at the base of the blend. You cannot dimension from lines at the base of the blend to lines at the top of the blend. See “Dimension Command” on page 146. ■ You can modify the depth of the blend after creating it, by selecting it and then clicking Properties. Specify values for the start and end points. You can also resize the blend in a 3D view by selecting it and then dragging it to resize it. ■ If specified, Revit Structure does not retain the end point value during creation of the blend. If you need to make multiple blends with the same end point, first sketch the blends, then select them, and then apply the end point. Creating a Solid Extrusion Revit Structure uses extrusions to define 3D geometry for families. You create an extrusion by defining a 2D sketch on a plane; Revit Structure then extrudes that sketch between a start and an end point. The following procedure is a general method for creating an extrusion. Steps may vary depending on your design intent. You can also create massing shapes using the Extrude command. Access massing commands through the Massing tab of the Design Bar. For more information on massing, see “Massing” on page 16. 1 In the Family Editor, click Solid Form ➤ Solid Extrusion on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 If the Select a Work Plane dialog box appears, choose a work plane to draw the extrusion. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 3 Sketch a shape. The profile sketch can be a single-closed loop or multiple closed loops that do not intersect. For more information about the sketching tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. Solid Geometry Tools | 81
- 110. TIP By default, Revit Structure uses a start point of 0. You can change this value and the end point value prior to sketching the shape. While in sketch mode, click . In the Element Properties dialog box, specify values for the extrusion end and start. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. 4 After creating a sketch shape, click Finish Sketch. Revit Structure completes the extrusion and returns you to the view in which you started the extrusion. If you did not specify a start and end point, Revit Structure calculates a depth for you, based on the size of the shape you sketched. To see the new extrusion, switch to a 3D view. Sample polygonal concrete isolated foundation extrusion 5 Select the view visibility of the extrusion. See “Setting Family Geometry Visibility” on page 63. 6 When you have created the extrusion you like, save it or click Finish Family if you are creating an in-place family. ExtrusionTips ■ The work plane does not have to be either the start or the end of the extrusion depth. It is only used to sketch on and set the extrusion direction to be perpendicular to the plane. ■ You can set the depth of the geometry before sketching it. In sketch mode, enter a value in the Depth text box on the Options Bar. This value changes the end point of the extrusion. Depths can be negative values. ■ You can modify the depth of the extrusion after creating it, by selecting it and then clicking Properties. Specify values for the start and end points. You can also resize the extrusion in a 3D view by selecting it and then dragging it to resize it. ■ If specified, Revit Structure does not retain the end point value during creation of the extrusion. If you need to make multiple extrusions with the same end point, first sketch the extrusions, then select them, and then apply the end point. Void GeometryTools Revit Structure provides tools in the Family Editor to cut solid geometry. The tools are grouped under Void Forms. Void Extrusions You can create an extrusion cut through any solid geometry. 1 In the Family Editor, click Void Form ➤ Void Extrusion on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 Sketch a shape to cut out of the geometry. For more information about the sketching tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. 82 | Chapter 5 Families
- 111. TIP Prior to sketching the shape, you can specify the depth of the extrusion cut by setting values for the Extrusion start and Extrusion end points. While in sketch mode, click . In the Element Properties dialog box, specify values for the extrusion end and start. You can also specify a depth by clicking in the depth field on the Options Bar. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. 3 After creating a sketch shape, click Finish Sketch. 4 To see the new extrusion cut, open a 3D view. Solid geometry Solid geometry with extrusion cut NOTE If you rest the cursor near the cut, you see the extrusion shape highlight. You can then select the extrusion cut and edit the sketch if necessary. Void Blends You can create a blend to cut through any solid geometry. 1 In the Family Editor, click Void Form ➤ Void Blend on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 Sketch a blend to cut into the geometry. See “Creating Solid Blends” on page 79. Void Geometry Tools | 83
- 112. TIP Prior to sketching the shape, you can specify the depth of the blend cut by setting values for the start and end of the blend. While in sketch mode, click . In the Element Properties dialog box, specify values for the first end and the start end. You can also specify a depth by clicking in the depth field on the Options Bar. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. 3 To see the new blend cut, open a 3D view. Solid geometry with blend cut NOTE If you rest the pointer near the cut, you see the blend shape highlight: You can then select the blend cut and edit the sketch if necessary. Void Revolves You can create a revolved shape to cut solid geometry. 1 In the Family Editor, click Void Form ➤ Void Revolve on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 Sketch the revolved geometry. See “Creating Solid Revolves” on page 77. 3 To see the new revolve cut, open a 3D view. 84 | Chapter 5 Families
- 113. Solid geometry with revolve cut TIP If you rest the cursor near the cut, you see the revolve shape highlight: You can then select the revolve cut and edit the sketch if necessary. Void Sweeps You can cut a sweep shape through any solid geometry. 1 In the Family Editor, click Void Form ➤ Void Sweep on either the Modelling menu or the Family tab of the Design Bar. 2 Sketch the sweep. See “Creating Solid Sweeps” on page 78. 3 To see the new sweep cut, open a 3D view. Solid geometry cut by sweep TIP To see the void after cutting the geometry, move the cursor around the solid geometry until the void shape highlights. Void Geometry Tools | 85
- 114. Cut Geometry With the Cut Geometry command, you can pick and choose which geometry gets cut and which does not, regardless of when you created the geometry. 1 Create some solid geometry; it can be a single primitive or some joined primitives. 2 Create a void through the solid geometry. 3 Create another solid geometry shape and join it to the existing geometry. 4 On the Tools menu, click Cut Geometry and select the void you created. Notice the pointer changes shape. 5 Select the geometry you created in Step 3. Revit Structure cuts the selected geometry. Don't Cut Geometry 1 On the Tools menu, click Don't Cut Geometry and select the void. 2 Select the appropriate solid primitives that you do not want to cut. NOTE If you select all geometry to not be cut, then the void appears at all time in the view. 86 | Chapter 5 Families
- 115. Creating a Subcategory A subcategory is a property of a family that defines its display by setting up the line weight, line color, and line pattern. Revit Structure features some preconcerted subcategories for different categories of families. You can use these when assigning subcategories. Other families have no subcategories, which means you can define your own. The Object Styles dialog box lists family categories and subcategories. It also shows the line weight, line color, and line pattern, assigned to each category and subcategory. Creating Subcategories for the Family Revit Structure selects the appropriate family category based on the family template you chose. If you wish to change the family category, choose the Family Category command from the Settings menu and select the appropriate category from the dialog box. 1 On the Settings menu, click Object Styles. 2 Click New Subcategory. 3 Enter a new name for the subcategory in the Name: text box. Revit Structure automatically selects the appropriate category in the Subcategory of: drop-down menu. 4 Click OK. 5 Click the Line Weight box and select a number from the drop-down menu. For more information on line weights, see “Line Weights” on page 529. 6 Click the button in the Line Color box and select a color from the Windows Color Picker. If desired, define a custom color. For more information on creating colors, see “Colors” on page 409. 7 Click the Line Pattern box and select a line pattern from the drop-down menu. If desired, define a new line pattern for the line display. See “Line Patterns” on page 530. Assigning the Subcategory to the Family 1 Click Modify and select the geometry on the family. 2 Click . 3 In the Instance box of the dialog box, click the Subcategory value box and select the subcategory name you just created from the drop-down menu. SubcategoryTip You can apply a drafting pattern to a family. When you create and define a subcategory to apply to the family, you can set its material to have a drafting pattern. You cannot apply a model pattern to a family. Only flat or cylindrical surfaces can have drafting patterns. For more information, see “Fill Patterns” on page 520. Family Geometry Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for family geometry: extrusions, lines, sweeps, blends, and revolved geometry. Values are modifiable. Extrusion Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the end point for the extrusion. A positive value projects the extrusion away from the work plane. A negative value projects the extrusion toward the work plane. user-definedExtrusion End Sets the start point of the extrusion. For example, a start point of - 2000 mm and an end point of 3000 mm creates an extrusion with a depth of 5000 mm. A positive value projects the extrusion away from the sketching plane. A negative value projects the extrusion toward the sketching plane. user-definedExtrusion Start Creating a Subcategory | 87
- 116. DescriptionValueName Sets whether the extrusion is visible in a project. If the check box is selected, the extrusion is visible. If the check box is cleared, the extrusion is not visible. check boxVisible Sets the geometry as a subcategory to a family category. See “Creating a Subcategory” on page 87. Default is NoneSubcategory Blend Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the depth for the blend. A positive value projects the blend away from the sketching plane. A negative value projects the blend toward the sketching plane. user-definedSecond End Sets the start point of the blend. For example, a start point of -2000 mm and an end point of 3000 mm creates an extrusion with a depth of 5000 mm. A positive value projects the blend away from the sketching plane. A negative value projects the blend toward the sketching plane. user-definedFirst End Sets the geometry as a subcategory to a family category. See “Creating a Subcategory” on page 87. Default is NoneSubcategory Sets whether the blend is visible in a project. If the check box is selected, the blend is visible. If the check box is cleared, the blend is not visible. check boxVisible Switches solid geometry from a cut to a solid. This switch is effective if you create a complex geometry cut and want to copy the shape of that cut and change it to a solid. For example, if you cut a complex sweep out of an extrusion, you might want to copy that sweep shape and use it as a solid. Default is solidSolid/Void Revolved Geometry Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the size of the arc for the revolved geometry.Default is 360 degreesEnd angle Sets the start point of the arc.Default is 0Start angle Sets the geometry as a subcategory to a family category. See “Creating a Subcategory” on page 87. Default is NoneSubcategory Sets whether the revolve is visible in a project. If the check box is selected, the revolve is visible. If the check box is cleared, the revolve is not visible. check boxVisible Switches solid geometry from a cut to a solid. This switch is effective if you create a complex geometry cut and want to copy the shape of that cut and change it to a solid. For example, if you cut a complex sweep out of an extrusion, you might want to copy that sweep shape and use it as a solid. Default is solidSolid/Void Sweep Properties DescriptionValueName Sets whether the sweep is visible in a project. If the check box is selected, the sweep is visible. If the check box is cleared, the sweep is not visible. check boxVisible Sets the visibility of the sweep family in the project views.user-definedVisibility A subcategory of the family you are creating.user-definedSubcategory A material for the surface of the family for rendering purposes.user-definedMaterial Sets whether the sweep appears as a solid or void.Solid Void Solid/Void 88 | Chapter 5 Families
- 117. DescriptionValueName Sets the profile family for the sweep. Values depend on which profile families are loaded in the project. See “Profile Families” on page 72. user-definedProfile Horizontal offset value for profile.user-definedHorizontal profile offset Vertical offset value for profile.user-definedVertical profile offset Rotation angle for profile.value in degreesAngle Line Properties DescriptionValueName Sets whether the model line is visible in a project. If the check box is selected, the model line is visible. If the check box is cleared, the model line is not visible. check boxVisible Determines whether the line is a reference and whether the line can be dimensioned when the family is placed in a project. Not a Reference Weak Reference Reference Strong Reference Sets the geometry as a subcategory to a family category. See “Creating a Subcategory” on page 87. Default is NoneSubcategory Family Category and Parameters The Family Category and Parameters command assigns the properties of a predefined family category to the component you are creating. The command is only available within the Family Editor. If the Always Vertical parameter is selected, this means the family always appears vertical at 90 degrees, even if it is on a sloping host. RELATED When creating column families, you can specify how the column displays in a project’s plan view. This parameter option is only available with column families. For more information, see “Specifying How a Column Displays in Project Plan Views” on page 102. Assigning Family Categories 1 While in the Family Editor, click Family Category and Parameters on the Settings menu. 2 From the dialog box select a Family Category whose properties you wish to import into the current family. 3 Specify the Family Parameters. NOTE Family parameter options vary depending on family category. 4 Click OK. Family Category and Parameters | 89
- 118. Specifying the AlwaysVertical Parameter You can use the family parameter, Always vertical, to ensure a component remains vertical at 90 degrees even when added to a sloped host or plane. Example ofVertical and Non-Vertical Families; three columns are set to AlwaysVertical, two columns are not. 1 Open or create a family component. 2 In the Family Editor, select Family Category and Parameters from the Settings menu. 3 Under Family Parameters, select Always Vertical. 4 Click OK. RELATED See “Creating Vertical Families” on page 92. Specifying the Always Export as Geometry Parameter You can use the family parameter, Always export as geometry, to ensure that structural member families are exported as geometry at all times. This parameter setting overrides the Export as Architectural Desktop and Building System Objects option in the Export Options dialog box. For more information on this export option, see “Exporting Structural Members” on page 603. 1 Open or create a structural family member component. 2 In the Family Editor, select Family Category and Parameters on the Settings menu. 3 Under Family Parameters, select Always export as geometry. 4 Click OK. Using the Shared Parameter This parameter is used primarily to control family behavior when nested into another family. When selected, nested, and loaded into a project, nested sub-components are also loaded into the project and can be selected, tagged, and scheduled. When a project using shared families is exported to ODBC, the nested sub-components display in the export tables. 1 Open or create a family component. 2 In the Family Editor, select Family Category and Parameters from the Settings menu. 3 Under Family Parameters, select Shared. NOTE Selecting Shared in a non-hosted family has virtually no impact on its behavior when loaded into a project. 4 Click OK. RELATED See “Shared Families” on page 95. 90 | Chapter 5 Families
- 119. Specifying the Work Plane-Based Parameter You can use the family parameter, Work Plane-Based, to create a family that is hosted by the active work plane. This can be very useful both in a project environment and within a nested family where you may need a nested sub-component to reside on a particular plane. You can make any non-hosted family a work plane-based family. Example of generic component family nesting a work plane-based component. On the left, the work plane is selected; on the right, the work plane-based component was added. 1 Open or create a non-hosted family component. 2 In the Family Editor, click Family Category and Parameters on the Settings menu. 3 Select the check box to enable the Work Plane-Based parameter. 4 Click OK. RELATED See “Creating Work Plane-based and Face-based Families” on page 92. Flip Control for Work Plane-based Families After you save and load a work plane-based family into the project, you can flip it about its work plane in a view. Select the family instance in the project, and a Flip Work Plane control displays . Click the Flip Work Plane control to rotate the family instance 180 degrees about the x-axis of the work plane. You can also right-click the instance, and click Flip Work Plane on the context menu. Loading a Family into Projects or Families After you have completed the creation or modification of a family, you can save the family to a library or load it directly into any open project or family (this would create a nested family). When you select Load into Projects on the Design Bar, if only one other project or family is open in the background, the family is automatically loaded into it. If multiple projects or families are open, a dialog displays allowing you to select which projects or families you want to load the family into. Load into Projects 1 After you modify or create a new family, on the Design Bar, click Load into Projects, or on the File menu, click Load into Projects. If there is only one other open project or family, the family is loaded directly into it. 2 If there is more than one open project or family, the Load into Projects dialog box displays. Select which projects and families you want to load the family into, and click OK. 3 If the family is being used within the project you are loading it into, a dialog displays asking if you want to overwrite the existing family. Click Yes to overwrite or No to cancel. Loading a Family into Projects or Families | 91
- 120. CreatingVertical Families You can create vertical or non-vertical families. This option pertains only to families hosted by walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, and site surfaces. You can set a family component, such as a tree or a chandelier, to Always Vertical; once loaded into a project, the component remains vertical regardless of the slope of the host. In the case of a car or a park bench, you can set the Always Vertical option to No; this allows the car and the park bench to adapt to the slope of the host. NOTE The Always Vertical parameter does not apply to families created in non host-based templates. Example ofVertical and Non-Vertical Families; three columns are set to AlwaysVertical, two columns are not. Setting the AlwaysVertical Parameter 1 In the Family Editor, select Family Category and Parameters from the Settings menu. 2 Select the check box to enable the Always Vertical parameter. 3 Click OK. Creating Work Plane-based and Face-based Families You can create a family that is hosted by the active work plane. This can be very useful both in a project environment and within a nested family where you may need a nested sub-component to reside on a particular plane. You can make any non-hosted family a work plane-based family. For example, a generic component, a furniture component, and a site component can all be work plane-based families because they are not required to be hosted by another component. Doors and windows cannot be work plane-based because they are wall-hosted components. Example of generic component family nesting a work plane-based component. On the left, the work plane is selected; on the right, the work plane-based component was added. Another way to create components that can be placed with any orientation is to use face-based families. A face-based family must be created from the Generic Model face based.rft template. A face-based component can be placed on any surface, including walls, floors, roofs, stairs, reference planes, and other components. If the family contains a void cutting the host, the component will cut its host, but only if the host is a wall, floor, roof, or ceiling. When a component with a void is placed on any other host, it will not cut. 92 | Chapter 5 Families
- 121. Creating a Work Plane-based Family Open or create a non-hosted family 1 Make sure the family component that you have created or opened is a non-hosted component. IMPORTANT Only non-hosted components can become work plane-based families. Doors and windows, for instance, are hosted by walls and cannot become work plane-based components. 2 In the Family Editor, click Family Category and Parameters on the Settings menu. 3 In the Family Category and Parameters dialog box, under Family Parameters, select Work Plane-Based. 4 Click OK. NOTE You can make a family both work plane-based and always vertical. Examples of both are shown below. In the nested family below, the rectangular extrusion is a work plane-based component. On the left, the extrusion is work plane-based but not always vertical.On the right,the same extrusion was reloaded into the family after designating it work plane-based and always vertical. Nested Families Families can consist of other families. You can load families and insert instances of them into your new family. This allows you to build upon previous work while creating families suited to your needs. RELATED For more information, see “Shared Families” on page 95. You can also add Family Type parameters to create interchangeable subcomponents that can be swapped after it is loaded into a project. When creating a nested family, you can set the parameters of individual instances only within the Family Editor. After you load the family into a project, each instance acts as a unit. The same is true regarding selection. You can select the instance as a whole but you cannot select only the nested instance. Family Loading Restrictions There are certain restrictions regarding the type of families that can be loaded into other families. ■ Only annotation families can be loaded into other annotations. ■ Only detail families and generic annotations can be loaded into details. Creating a Work Plane-based Family | 93
- 122. ■ Model families, details, generic annotations, section heads, level heads, and grid heads can be loaded into model families. Creating a Nested Family 1 In the Family Editor, select Load from Library, Load Family from the File menu or click Load from the Options Bar. 2 Select families and click Open. 3 In the Design Bar, click Component. 4 In the Type Selector, choose the component type and place the instance within the family editor using your mouse. 5 After inserting a family instance within the Family Editor, you can set its parameters by selecting it and clicking Properties. NOTE Within a project, nested families composed of “unshared” families do not automatically provide access to the parameters of their nested sub-instances. To create unique family type parameters, see “Creating New Family Parameters” on page 71. For more information regarding family creation, see “Family Editor Basics” on page 52. Visibility of Nested Families You can control the visibility of nested family instances in the host model. Select the nested family and click Visibility. For more information about family geometry visibility, see “Visibility and Detail Levels” on page 63. NOTE You cannot set the option When cut in Plan/RCP for nested families. Creating a Nested Family with Interchangeable Subcomponents You can create families with interchangeable subcomponents. If you need the subcomponents of the nested family to tag and schedule individually, make sure each family that you load into the host family is “shared.” See “Shared Families” on page 95 for more information. Creating and Applying a FamilyType Parameter You can create a Family Type parameter to control the type of family within a nested family. The Family Type parameter can be an instance or type parameter. Once you label a nested component as a family type parameter, subsequently loaded families of the same type automatically become interchangeable without any further work. Nest components in family 1 Open or start a new family. 2 Load the components that you want to nest within the family. For example, if you are in a door family, load several transom types. Position nested component 3 On the Design Bar, click Component and place the first component at its desired location. 4 Select the nested component. 5 On the Options Bar, in the Label drop-down list, select Add Parameter. NOTE When adding a parameter in the Family Types dialog box, click Add Parameter, select Family Type as the Category, and select the category from the Select Category dialog box. When you add the parameter using the Options Bar, the parameter is automatically assigned to Family Type and the respective family category is assigned. 94 | Chapter 5 Families
- 123. 6 Select Family Parameter. 7 Enter a name for the Parameter, and select either Instance or Type parameter. 8 Select a value for Group Parameter under. This designates under which group the parameter displays in the Element Properties dialog box. 9 Click OK. 10 Save the file and load it into a project. 11 Add the component to the building model, select it, and on the Options Bar, click the Properties button. 12 Locate the family type parameter and select a different component from the drop-down list. Shared Families When creating nested families, you have the option to make the sub-components “shared.” Within a project environment, a nested family comprised of shared sub-components allows you to do the following: ■ Select each sub-component separately. ■ Tag and renumber each sub-component separately. ■ Schedule sub-components separately. ■ When exporting the project to ODBC, the nested family subcomponents display in relative export tables. One of the important features of a shared family is the ability to select a sub-instance once the nested family is loaded into a project. In the example shown below, you can see the nested family (left) pre-selected in a 3D view. In the image next to it, see the sub-instance is pre-selected. You can use the TAB key to toggle to a sub-instance of any nested family of shared subcomponents. Once a sub-instance is selected, you can modify its element properties by clicking the Properties button on the Options Bar. NOTE Nested Families created before version Revit Structure do not consist of “shared” families. You can edit the nested families within the host family. For more information, see “Editing Loaded Families” on page 59. Creating Shared Families In the Family Editor, you create a shared family by selecting Shared in the Family Categories and Parameters dialog box of the family to be shared. Although you can make most families a shared family, it only becomes relevant when the family is nested into another family and then loaded into a project. The information from the nested family (sub-instance) is accessible to schedules after the nested family is loaded into a project. NOTE Annotation, profile, and in-place families cannot be shared families. Creating a Nested Family of Shared Components You can make most family components a shared family by selecting the option in the Family Categories and Parameters dialog box. Until you load the shared family into another family to create a nested family, it has no real context. Therefore, when you decide to create a nested family of shared sub-components, the first decision you need to make is what category will the host family be. NOTE The host family does not have to be shared. As you can see in the examples shown, the first decision you make when designing a nested family comprised of shared subcomponents has many downstream implications for tagging, scheduling, and ODBC information. You should consider these implications before you make the decision to create a new family as the host family or use one of the subcomponents as the host. Shared Families | 95
- 124. Nest shared families into the host family 1 Open the host family or start a new one. 2 Open the subcomponent families and, within each one: ■ On the Settings menu, click Family Categories and Parameters. ■ Under Family Parameters, select Shared. ■ Click OK. ■ On the Design Bar, click Load into Projects. ■ In the Load into Projects dialog box, select the host family, and click OK. NOTE There are various methods to load the shared family into the host family. After saving the shared family, you can return to the host family and click Load from Library from the File menu. The result is the same no matter which method you select. 3 Place the subcomponent within the host family. 4 Repeat this process for each shared subcomponent. 5 Save the family. Loading Shared Families into a Project You load a shared family into a project using the same methods as any other family. Within the project, you can select Load from Library from the File menu. Within the family, you can select Load into Projects from the Design Bar. RELATED See “Load Family From Library” on page 562. When you load a nested family comprised of shared sub-components into a project, the following applies: ■ The host family, along with all shared sub-components, are loaded into the project. Each are available within the Project Browser under their respective family category. ■ A sub-component family can exist within a project and be shared by more than one host family. ■ When loading shared families, if a version of one of the families already exists within the project, you have the option to use the version from the project or from the family you are loading. IMPORTANT Once a shared family is loaded into a project, you cannot reload an “unshared” version of the same family and overwrite it. You must delete the family and reload it. Working with Shared Families in a Project A shared family works as any other family within a project. However, you can use the TAB key to toggle to the nested, shared sub-components. If you select a sub-instance, you can do the following: ■ You can select Properties on the Options Bar and modify limited instance properties, such as Mark and Comments. ■ You can modify Type properties and all instances of that type update parametrically. If you select a sub-instance, you cannot do the following: ■ You can’t select and delete a sub-instance. ■ You can’t mirror, copy, move, or array a sub-instance. If you do this, the entire host family adapts, not just the sub-instance. 96 | Chapter 5 Families
- 125. ■ You can not modify the position, the size, or shape of a sub-instance. The biggest advantage to using shared families is the ability to schedule shared families as individual instances. Scheduling Shared Families A nested family comprised of shared family sub-components allows each sub-component to be scheduled separately. This is in contrast to a simple nested family where none of the nested elements is shared. Non-shared nested families schedule as one instance; with shared families, each sub-component is scheduled as an individual instance. Within the schedule, you can renumber each sub-instance. If a nested family is comprised of multiple categories, each sub-component will display in its respective schedule and all components will display on a multi-category schedule. How a shared family schedules is dependent on how it was designed in the Family Editor. See “Creating Shared Families” on page 95 for more information. To create a schedule containing shared families, you use the same method as any other schedule. See “Schedules/Quantities” on page 434. In-Place Families An in-place family is a family created within the context of the current project. The family exists only in this project and cannot be loaded into other projects. By creating in-place families, you create components unique to a project or components that reference geometry within the project. In a structural model, you may use the in-place family tool to create a thickened slab, or a wall extrusion that conforms to a uniquely shaped architectural wall that it supports. Thickened slab plan of custom foundation wall Scheduling Shared Families | 97
- 126. Creating an In-Place Family 1 From the Modelling menu, choose Create or click Create from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. The Family Category dialog box appears. NOTE This dialog does not appear if you are creating an in-place family of a specified component. 2 Select the appropriate family category. 3 Choose the family category and click OK. 4 In the Family Name box, type in a family name and click OK. 5 Use the tools on the Design Bar to add components, massing geometry, and lines. 6 When you finish creating the in-place family, click Finish Family to end creation of the new in-place family. NOTE You can click Quit to quit making the family. All changes are lost. Create Command The Create command also creates an in-place family. 1 From the Modelling menu, choose Create or click Create from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. The Family Category dialog box appears. 2 Select the appropriate family category. 3 Choose the family category and click Proceed. 4 In the Family Name box, type in a family name and click OK. 5 When you finish creating the in-place family, click Finish Family to end creation of the new in-place family. Editing the In-Place Family After you finish the family, you can edit it by clicking Edit Family from the Options Bar or by right-clicking on the family and choosing Edit from the pop-up menu. In-Place FamiliesTip When you edit an in-place family in a project, you select the entire family first and then click Edit Family. This brings you into the Family Editor. To then edit individual elements of the in-place family, select that element, and then click Edit. You are now in sketch mode editing that element. Changing the Appearance of the Detail Component Detail Components are included as a category you can define using the Object Styles command. See “Object Styles” on page 528. Linking Family Parameters By linking family parameters, you can control the appearance of families nested inside host families from within a project view. You can control either instance or type parameters. To link parameters, they have to be the same type. For example, link a text parameter in the host family to a text parameter in the nested family. 98 | Chapter 5 Families
- 127. Creating Family Parameter Links 1 Create a family with either instance or type parameters of the available types. See “Creating New Parameters” on page 71. 2 Save that family and load it into a host family. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 3 With the new family open, click Component from the Design Bar and place as many instances of the loaded family as desired. 4 From the Settings menu, choose Family Types or click Family Types from the Design Bar. 5 Under Parameters, click Add. 6 Follow the steps for creating a new parameter of the same type as the parameter you wish to control in the nested family. See “Creating New Parameters” on page 71. 7 Click OK to close the Family Types dialog box. 8 Select an instance of the loaded family in the host family and click . There is a column for both instance and type properties that has an equal sign (=) in the column heading. There are also gray buttons next to certain parameters, indicating that they can be linked to other parameters. 9 Click the button next to a parameter, either instance or type, that is of the same type as the one you created in Step 6. For example, if you created a text parameter, you must select a text parameter here. 10 In the dialog box that appears, select the parameter you created in Step 6 to associate it with the current parameter and click OK. NOTE When you associate two parameters, an equal sign appears in the button: . 11 Click OK to close either the Type and Element properties dialog boxes or both. 12 Continue creating the host family and save it. 13 Load that family into a project and place a few instances of it. 14 Select an instance of the family and click . 15 Locate the type or instance property you created. 16 Set it to the desired value and click OK. The nested family changes according to the value you entered. Linking Family ParametersTip You can link a host-family parameter to more than one nested family parameter of the same type. Also, you can link this parameter to multiple nested families. Loading Generic Annotations into Model Families You can nest generic annotation families inside host model families, so that the annotations appear in the project. This is useful if you want to include a label with a model family and display that label in the project. Generic annotations hosted by model families scale with the view when they are loaded into the project. When you place these generic annotations on a sheet, they appear at the same size, regardless of view scale. For example, a 3/32" text label in a model family always prints at that size on a sheet, even if that label appears on the sheet in a view with a 1/8" = 1'0" scale or a view with a 1/4" = 1'0" scale. You can also control their visibility in the project separately from the host model family. Creating Family Parameter Links | 99
- 128. Example Procedure for Adding a Generic Annotation You can create your own generic annotation family or load one from the available annotation families in the Revit Structure library. This procedure uses an existing annotation family. See “Creating an Annotation Symbol Family” on page 157. NOTE Though this procedure uses specific family files, the steps are common to any generic annotation you want to add to a model family. 1 Open the folder in the Imperial library. 2 From the File menu, choose Load From Library, Load Family. 3 Navigate to the Annotations folder and select the Label Annotation 3-32.rfa family. For metric, choose the M_Label Annotation.rfa family. 4 Open a floor plan view in the microwave.rfa file. You can place a generic annotation in plan only. 5 Click Symbol from the Design Bar and place an instance of the label at the intersection of the two reference planes in the center of the microwave. Label snapping to intersection of reference planes Now you need to associate this label with a parameter in the host family. 6 From the Design Bar, click Family Types. 7 In the Family Types dialog box, click Add... under Parameters. 8 In the Parameter Properties dialog box, select Family parameter. 9 Type a name for the parameter. In this case, type Label. 10 From the Type drop-down menu, choose Text and click OK. This parameter will be stored by type. For more information about type and instance properties, see “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. New family parameter appear in Family type dialog box 11 Click OK to close the Family Types dialog box. 12 Select the label instance you placed on the microwave and click . 13 Click Edit/New and locate the Label parameter. 14 Click the button under the equal sign (=) column next to the Label parameter. 100 | Chapter 5 Families
- 129. 15 In the Associate Family Parameter dialog box, select the parameter Label. This is the parameter you created in steps 6-10. 16 Click OK to close the dialog box. 17 Click OK to close the Type Properties dialog box. 18 If desired, you can set at which detail level the label appears in a project. Click the Edit button next to the Visibility instance parameter. Select coarse, medium, or fine detail levels. If you do not select a detail level, the label does not show in a project view set at the same detail level. 19 Save the family and load it into your project. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 20 Click Component from the Design Bar and place the microwave in a plan view. 21 Go to the Type Properties of the microwave and type MW for the value of the Label parameter. You see the microwave now has this label in the view. 22 If desired, change the detail level of the view to change the visibility of the label. See “Detail Level” on page 415. NOTE You can also change the visibility of the label by turning off Generic Annotations in the Annotation Categories tab of the Visibility/Graphics command. See “Visibility/Graphics” on page 461. Creating a Column Family You create column families by defining what the column looks like in the plan view, elevation view, and 3D view. Before reading this topic, you should already have read “Family Editor Basics” on page 52. The following diagram shows what a column might look like in a 3D view. 3D view of structural column Creating a Column Family | 101
- 130. Starting a Column Family When you start creating the column family, you see one of three views: a front elevation view of a lower reference level tag and an upper reference level tag with three reference planes, a plan view with six reference planes and two sets of equality dimensions, and a 3D view. The view in which you start creating geometry does not matter. You can define geometry in both views. You may want to add an overall width and depth dimension to the plan view and label it. This is useful if you are going to have a list of different-size columns. When you create a column, Revit Structure automatically adds a rotation control symbol to the lower left corner of the geometry in the plan view. You notice it when you add the column to a project. You can rotate the column in the plan view by clicking Modify, selecting the column geometry, and then dragging the rotation control arrow. The following procedure is a general procedure for creating a column. Your steps may differ based on design intent. 1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Family. 2 In the Open dialog box, select column.rft from the templates folder and click Open. 3 In the plan view, use the tools on the Design Bar to create the geometry for the family. Create the solid geometry of the column by clicking Extrusion. 4 If desired, you can label the automatic permanent dimensions or any permanent dimensions that you may have added. Place the pointer over the dimension text and click the right-mouse button to bring up the pop-up menu. Choose Edit Label and enter a name for the dimension. This name appears in the properties of the family. You can modify the name to change all occurrences of that family type in the project or you can use it to create other family types with varying sizes. 5 Set the reference planes and sketch lines properties for Defines Origin and Is Reference properties. 6 Add any additional family types by using the Family Type command on the Settings menu. 7 Save the family by choosing Save from the File menu. Revit Structure saves the file with an RFA extension. Specifying How a Column Displays in Project PlanViews Within a column family, within the Family Category and Parameters dialog box, you can select the option, Show family pre-cut in plan views. When you select this option and load the family into a project, the column displays within the project plan view using the cut plane specified within the plan view of the family. Using this feature 1 Open a column family or start a new one. 2 On the Settings menu, click Family Category and Parameters. 3 In the Family Category and Parameters dialog box, under Family Parameters, select or clear the parameter, Show family pre-cut in plan views. thenWhen loaded into a project, if you want the column to display in plan view clear the parameter, Show family pre-cut in plan views.based on the cut plane of the project’s plan view, select the parameter, Show family pre-cut in plan views. The column displays using the cut plane specified within the Family Editor plan view. consistently, regardless of the cut plane of the project’s plan view, 4 Click OK. 5 Save the column family. After you load the column family into a project, the column displays based on the parameter settings you specified within the Family Editor. 102 | Chapter 5 Families
- 131. In the two examples shown below, the same column is loaded into a project. A horizontal line has been added to the elevation representation so you can see the location of the plan view’s cut plane. In the first image, the parameter, Show family pre-cut in plan views, is not selected; the column displays in plan using the cut plane of the project’s plan view. In the second image, the same column family has the parameter, Show family pre-cut in plan views, selected. Notice the change in the column’s plan view display even though the project’s plan view is using the same cut plane as the previous image. Creating aTruss Family You may generate two and three dimensional truss families in your model by employing one of several Truss Family template files. Use of reference planes make the job easier; reference planes supply constraints for type and instance variables. To learn more about reference planes, see “Reference Planes” on page 118 and “Strong and Weak References” on page 60. You can create a truss family by using the Structural Framing - Complex and Trusses Template. This template requires that a finished truss type be placed in plan view of your model. However, user parameters can be developed that allow for instance modification of truss length, height, or width in plan or elevation view of the truss. Creating a New FamilyType Make a new family file. 1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Family. Navigate to the Imperial or Metric Structural template directory and select the Structural Framing - Complex and Trusses rft family template file. Click the Open button to open a new family file. Notice that the Family tab is now available in the Design Bar. 2 On the Family tab of the Design bar, click Family Types. Provide a name for this truss Type. Save this file to your Family directory. Adding Reference Planes 3 Select the Front Elevation View. You will see two reference planes, one vertical, the other horizontal. 4 Click the Reference Plane button in the Family tab and create two new vertical reference planes, one on each side of the existing vertical reference plane. 5 Create an overall dimension of these vertical reference planes. With this new dimension selected, choose Add parameter from the Label drop-down list in the Options bar. In the open dialog box, label the dimension as ‘Length’ and make this Length an instance parameter. 6 Add a horizontal reference plane above the default Level. 7 Draw a dimension between these two horizontal reference planes. Again using the Label drop-down list, name this dimension as ‘Height’, and make this dimension to be an instance parameter. Reference Planes and Dimensions Created in aTruss FamilyType Elevation Creating a Truss Family | 103
- 132. Drawing the Truss Chords 8 Using the Model Lines button in the Family tab of the Design Bar, sketch the first truss chord as shown in the illustration. Be sure that you lock the constraints of this model line to the top horizontal plane and to the left-most vertical reference plane as shown in the illustration. Constraining the First Chord to the Appropriate Reference Planes NOTE Be sure that the endpoints of chords are associated with reference planes and not with the endpoints of other members. This will ensure that the truss members will move as the reference planes move. 9 Continue to draw the remaining chords as in the next illustration, again being sure to lock the vertical and horizontal constraints of these members to the appropriate reference planes. Drawing the Remaining Chords 10 In the Settings drop-down menu, select Object Styles. In the dialog box, create a new object style called Truss Chords and apply a lineweight of 7 for the Projection and Cut Lineweights of this style. 11 Select the chord lines in the Elevation View, and change the Subcategory Property of these elements to Truss Chords [projection].You will see the lineweight change in the view. Drawing the Truss Web Members 12 Add intermediate reference planes, three on each side of the centered vertical reference plane. Dimension them and set the EQ constraint. 13 Draw the vertical and angled web members of the truss. as shown in the next illustration. 104 | Chapter 5 Families
- 133. 14 Create a new Object Style called Truss Webs and apply Projection and Cut lineweights of 4 to this object style. 15 Select each web member and change its Subcategory Property to Truss Web [projection]. 16 Save this file to your Family directory. The truss type is now ready for loading into your model. NOTE For information on loading a truss member into your model, see “Loading Structural Families” on page 162. Remember to drag the truss into a Plan View, not into an Elevation View. Creating a Label A label is a text placeholder added to tags or titleblocks. You create a label as part of a tag or titleblock family while in the Family Editor. When you place the tag or titleblock in the project, you place substitution text for the label, and the text appears as part of the family. 1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Annotation Symbol or New ➤ Titleblock. 2 In the Open dialog box, select the appropriate template for the family you are creating. The Family Editor opens. 3 In the Family Editor, click Label from the Design Bar or choose Label from the Drafting menu. 4 In the Type Selector, select the label type. 5 In the Options Bar, select the vertical and horizontal justification. 6 In the drawing area, click the position the tag: for example, in a generic model tag template, place the pointer at the intersection of the two reference planes. 7 In the Select Parameter dialog box, under Parameters, select the parameter you want in the label. If necessary, you can add a new parameter. TIP If you are creating a label with an external parameter, see “Tagging with Shared Parameters” on page 408. If you select a numerical or dimension value, you can specify the formatting of the value. NOTE If you are creating a generic annotation, you actually create new parameters in the dialog box. Click New and in the Field Properties dialog box, type a parameter name. From the Type drop-down menu, choose Text, Number, or Length. Select to include the parameter in either the annotation's instance properties or type properties. Click OK to complete. 8 Click OK. Specify sample text 9 Select the label, and on the Options Bar, click the Properties button. Creating a Label | 105
- 134. 10 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, enter a value for Sample Text, and click OK. The label appears in the document window with two drag and rotation controls. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Selected label with drag and rotation controls 11 Move the drag controls to set the maximum width of the label text. When you load the annotation family into a project and supply the substitution text value, the text wraps according to the width you set here with the drag controls. 12 Save the family. Formatting Parameters If you create a label with a length, area, volume, angle, or number parameter, you can format the appearance of the parameter. 1 In the Select Substitution Text dialog box, choose a length or area parameter, such as Room area. 2 Next to the Value text box, click Format. The Format dialog box appears. The Use project settings option is selected by default. This means that the value displays according to the Units setting in the project. See “Project Units” on page 532. 3 Clear Use project settings. 4 From the Units drop-down menu, select an appropriate unit. 5 From the Rounding drop-down menu, select a decimal place value. If you choose Custom from the menu, enter a value in the Rounding increment text box. 6 If applicable, select a Unit suffix from the drop-down menu. 7 Select Suppress 0 feet to hide leading zeros on dimensions, such as 0' 6". This option is available only for feet and fractional inches. 8 Click OK. Applying the Label to aTag in the Project 1 In the project, choose Load Family From Library from the File menu to load the newly created family. See “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 2 If prompted to replace a family of the same type, click Yes. 3 If you created a window or door or room tag, place one of those components to see the new tag you created. 4 If the element does not already have a tag associated with it, place the element, then click Tag from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar to place the tag with the element. 5 Select the element that you placed, for example, a window and click . 6 Locate the parameter that you chose when creating the label in either the Instance or Type properties. For example, if you defined the label to include the Manufacturer parameter, click Edit/New to open the Type properties. 7 Enter a value for the parameter and click OK twice. The label value appears in the tag. 106 | Chapter 5 Families
- 135. Applying the Label to aTitleblock in the Project 1 In the project, choose Load Family From Library from the File menu to load the newly created titleblock. 2 Create a sheet using the titleblock. See “Sheet View” on page 486. The new sheet view opens with the label you created in the titleblock family. 3 Select the label and click . 4 From the Instance properties list, locate the parameter you defined for the family and enter a value for it. 5 Click OK. Creating a Section Head Family The Section Head Family creates the symbol that appears at the end of the section line. Revit Structure designates a default symbol, but you may want to use your own symbols to define different sections. By specifying a family for section heads, your project can include more than one symbol. Before reading this topic, you should already have read “Family Editor Basics” on page 52. Starting the Section Head Family When creating a Section Head Family, you define the section head symbol. The section head symbol you create should indicate the viewing direction. You set a viewing direction by sketching an arrow head. The symbol should also include a set of double arrow mirror controls to reverse the viewing direction, if necessary. Setting Parameters for the Section Head There are two parameters you can set for the symbol: the Drawing Number and the Sheet Number. You can set them by placing Tag Text. The Drawing Number is the number of the view on a sheet. The Sheet Number is the number of the drawing sheet. If you add these parameters to a symbol, they automatically are filled out when you add the section view to a project. Applying the Label to a Titleblock in the Project | 107
- 136. The following procedure is a general procedure for creating a section head. Your steps may differ based on design intent. 1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Annotation Symbol. 2 In the Open dialog box, select Section Head.rft from the templates folder and click Open. 3 The section head template includes a predefined head. You can use this head or click Lines on the Design Bar to create a different one. 4 If desired, add text to the symbol by clicking Text. 5 If desired, click Label to add text to the symbol for the Detail Number or Sheet Number. To include the view name with the section head, choose the View Name parameter. 6 Save the family by choosing Save from the File menu. Revit Structure saves the file with an RFA extension. Tip for Creating a Section Head Family The intersection of the two perpendicular reference planes represents the origin of the symbol. The origin is the point at which the symbol attaches to the section line. Sketch the lines accordingly. Creating Additional Families You can create other families, such as columns, foundation, and framing families. Each has its own category. This allows you to keep the families organized and categorized by category type. When defining the families, you define how they appear in the project in a plan, elevation, and 3D view. You use the geometry creation tools on the Design Bar to build the family geometry. When you add one of the families to a project, Revit Structure automatically places a rotation control symbol at the lower left corner of the geometry in the plan view. When you place the family, you can rotate it in the plan view by clicking Modify, selecting the furniture geometry, and then dragging the rotation control arrow. This rotation symbol appears when you add the family to a project and select it for modification. Automatic Cutouts in Floors and Ceilings You can define your structural, electrical or plumbing families with openings. When you go to place the families into a building component in your project, they will automatically create an opening in that component. For example, you could create a light fixture and define it with an opening. When you place that component, the opening in the ceiling or floor would be created automatically. Titleblocks Titleblocks define the size and appearance of the drawing sheet: think of them as templates for the drawing sheet. You create them by specifying the sheet size and then adding borders, company logo, and other information you want to see on the sheet. You save the titleblock as a separate file with an RFA extension. Typically, you create your own customized titleblocks and save them in the Titleblocks folder under the Library folder of the Revit Structure program group. You then add the standard titleblocks to your default project template, so they automatically load when you create a new project. If other architects make changes to the project, the titleblocks in the template are available to them also. If they are not included in the project template, you can load titleblocks by using the Load Family From Library command. See “Load Family From Library” on page 562. CreatingTitleblocks 1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Titleblock. 2 Enter the name for the titleblock and select a sheet size as a template from the dialog box. Click OK. 3 Revit Structure enters the Family Editor. Apply lines, text, and labels to the titleblock. See “Family Editor” on page 74. 108 | Chapter 5 Families
- 137. RELATED You can also add shared parameters to a titleblock. For information regarding adding labels to a titleblock, see “Creating a Label” on page 105. 4 Save the titleblock. See “Save” on page 566. TitleblockTips ■ You can rotate labels in a titleblock. Select the label, and two rotation control symbols appear. Drag the controls to rotate the text. ■ You can also import existing drawing formats from other software packages, by exporting the titleblock page using DXF or DWG formats and then importing them into a Revit Structure titleblock file. ■ You can import JPEG or bitmap images into your titleblock family to use them as logos. ■ When you place the titleblock into a project, you can edit the labels directly on the titleblock. Double-click the label on the titleblock to edit the text for it. Titleblock Tips | 109
- 138. 110 | Chapter 5 Families
- 139. Annotating and Detailing This chapter provides information on annotation elements and detail elements. 6 111
- 140. Text You can insert wrapping or non-wrapping text notes. Text notes are measured in paper space. For example, a 1/4" text note indicates that the text note will appear as 1/4" high on a sheet. Text notes automatically scale with the view. For example, if you reduce the size of the view scale, the text automatically resizes. Text notes without a leader snap to the text origins from nearby text notes/labels. Origin is a point that depends on the text alignment (left, right, center). If you are placing a text note with a leader then the last leader point snaps to all possible leader attachment points from nearby text notes. 1 On the Drafting menu, click Text or on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar click Text. The pointer changes to the text tool: . 2 To add a leader line, click a leader line choice from the Options Bar: ■ No leader line. Selected by default. ■ One-segment leader. ■ Two-segment leader. ■ Arc leader. Arc leaders have an elbow control that you can drag to change the arc shape. TIP When you place a text note with a leader, the last leader point snaps to all possible leader attachment points from nearby text notes. 3 If desired, set the text alignment from the Options Bar: left, center, or right. You next decide whether to create a non-wrapping note or a wrapping one. To create a note with non-wrapping text 4 Click once to place the note, and Revit Structure inserts a text box in which to type. To create a note with wrapping text 5 Place the cursor in the drawing area; do not click. Drag the pointer to form a text box. NOTE If you are placing a leader with the text note, the process differs: One-segment, arc leader: Click once to place the leader end. Move the pointer to draw the leader. Next, click or drag to place the leader and start the text note.Two-segment leader. Click once to place the leader end. Move the pointer and click again to place the leader elbow. Move the pointer and click or drag to place the leader and start the text note. 6 Type the text in the text note box. If desired, you can choose a different look to the text by choosing a new type from the Type Selector, or click to edit the type properties. Click away from the text note to finish it. The text note controls remain active to change the note's position and width. 7 To apply an attribute override to the text, click the attribute buttons on the Options Bar: bold, italic, or underline. You can either select text to apply an attribute or you can click the button before entering text. The attribute is applied only to the text note instance or to any part of the text note you select. 8 To rotate the note, drag the rotate control. To resize the text box, move the drag controls. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. If you resize the text box on a non-wrapping text note, the text note becomes wrapping. To move the text box without moving the arrowhead on the leader line, drag the cross-shaped control. 9 To move a leader line, drag one of the blue sizing handles in the direction you want it to go. If you want to create an elbow with the leader line, drag the text note elbow control. 112 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 141. ModifyingText Notes You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of text notes through their properties. Text note properties are modifiable before or after you place the text note. See “Symbols” on page 131. You set text note properties in the Element Properties dialog. You can open this dialog in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the text note, and click . Another way is to click Text and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying text notes. ChangingText Notes When you activate the Text command to place a text note, you can select different types of text notes from the Type Selector. Editing theText Note After writing the text note, you have several options available for editing the text note. You can: ■ add arrows to the leader lines. Select the text note and click . Click Edit/New. In the Type Properties dialog, set the value for the Leader Arrowhead property. For more information about creating arrowhead types, see “Arrowheads” on page 531. ■ drag the text note ■ adjust its width—Place the cursor on the drag controls to change the width of the note. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. ■ rotate it—place the cursor on the rotate control to rotate the note. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. ■ change text alignment by clicking the Left, Right, or Center Justification buttons in the Options Bar. You can also access Properties and set the Horz. Alignment property to left, right, or center. ■ change the typeface by accessing Properties and then clicking Edit/New. In the Type Properties dialog, you can set the properties Italic, Bold, and Underline. ■ edit the text by selecting the text note and then clicking on the text. ■ change the background of the note. Right-click the text note and click Properties. Click Edit/New. In the Type Properties dialog, set the Background value to either Opaque or Transparent. Adding a Special Character From the Windows® Character Map® 1 On the Windows Start Menu, click Start ➤ Run. 2 In the Run dialog, enter charmap and click OK. The Windows Character Map dialog appears. 3 Choose a character and click the Select button. 4 Click the Copy button. 5 Go back to Revit Structure and select a text box. 6 Click Edit ➤ Paste from Clipboard. The special character appears in the text box. Modifying Text Notes | 113
- 142. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on text notes by selecting the text note and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the text note as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Adding or Removing Leader Lines 1 Select the text note. 2 From the Options Bar, click one of the following options to add leaders: ■ —Add a left leader. ■ —Add a right leader. ■ —Add a left arc leader. ■ —Add a right arc leader. 3 Click as many times as desired to place leaders. The first two options are available for one and two-segment leaders only. The other two options are for arc leaders only. TIP You can convert a text note's leader to an arc leader: select the text note, click , and select the check box for the Arc Leaders instance parameter. 4 From the Options Bar, click Remove a Leader to remove the last added leader line. Click as many times as desired. The command can remove all leader lines in the order in which they were added. Grid The Grid command places column grid lines in your building design. You can then add columns along the column grid lines. Grid lines are finite planes. You can drag their extents in elevation views so that they do not intersect level lines. This means you can control whether they appear in each new plan view that you create for your project. For more information, see “Datum Extents and Visibility” on page 119. Grids can be straight lines or arcs. 1 From the Drafting menu, choose Grid or click Grid from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, select Draw or Pick. Choose Pick if you want the grid to snap to an existing line, such as a wall. 3 If you selected Draw, click a sketching command to create the grid. For more information on these commands, see “Sketching Options” on page 36. 4 Click when the grid line is the correct length. 5 Revit Structure autonumbers each grid line. To enter a new grid number, click the number, type the new value and then press ENTER. As you draw grid lines, the heads and tails of the lines can align to one another. If aligned, when you select a grid line a lock appears to show the alignment. If you move the grid line horizontally, all aligned grid lines move with it. 114 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 143. Hiding the Annotation in theView You can hide the annotation line and bubble from the current view by selecting the annotation, right-clicking, and choosing Hide Annotation in View from the pop-up menu. The annotation is visible when you place the Modify tool near it and highlight it. To display the annotation again, highlight it and select it. Right-click and choose Show Annotation in View. Modifying Grids You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of grids through their properties. Grid properties are modifiable before or after you place the grid lines. See “Grid” on page 114. You set grid properties in the Element Properties dialog. You can open this dialog in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the grid, and click . Another way is to click Grid from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar and then Properties. See “Grid Properties” on page 337. Read about this dialog before modifying grids. Changing Grids When you activate the Grid command to place a column grid, you can select different types of grids from the Type Selector. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on grids by selecting the grid and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the grid as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Changing Grid Number and Length To modify the grid number, click on the grid header and then click on the value in the header. Enter a new value. You can also change the value by selecting the grid line and clicking Properties. In the Name property, enter a new value. Creating a Grid Line Offset There may be times when you sketch a grid line and want to offset its bubble from the rest of the grid line. Sketch a grid line. Note that end of the line near the bubble has drag controls. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Selected grid with drag controls The end drag control near the bubble sizes the grid line. The drag control next to it moves the bubble away from the grid line, creating a segment. Bubble dragged from grid line When you move the bubble end out of line, the effect appears only in that view, no other views are affected. The segments created from dragging the bubble have a solid line style. You cannot change this style. Hiding the Annotation in theView | 115
- 144. Snapping As you drag a control, you will notice the cursor snap at points similar to neighboring grids; the cursor also snaps as the segments form straight lines. Level The Level command defines a vertical height or story within a building. You create a level for each known story or other needed reference of the building; for example, first floor, top of wall, or bottom of foundation. To place levels, you must be in a section or elevation view. Levels are finite horizontal planes that act as a reference for level-hosted elements, such as roofs, floors, and ceilings. You can resize their extents so that they do not display in certain views. For more information, see “Datum Extents and Visibility” on page 119. When you start a new project using the default template in Revit Structure, two levels display: level 1 and level 2. 1 From the Drafting menu, choose Level, or click Level from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 Place the cursor in the drawing area and click. NOTE As you place the cursor to create a level, if the pointer aligns to an existing level line, a temporary vertical dimension appears between the pointer and that level line. 3 Draw level lines by moving the cursor horizontally. By default, Make Plan View is selected on the Options Bar. As a result, each level you create is a story level and has an associated floor plan view and reflected ceiling plan view. If you click Plan View Types on the Options Bar, you can choose to create only the view types you specify in the Plan View Types dialog. If you clear Make Plan View, the level is considered to be a non-story level or reference level; no associated plan view is created. Walls and other level-based elements can use reference levels as their top or base constraint. 4 As you draw level lines, the heads and tails of the lines can align to one another. If aligned, when you select a level line a lock appears to show the alignment. If you move the level line horizontally, all aligned level lines move with it. 5 Click when the level line is the correct length. You can change the name of the level by clicking on the number to select it. You can also change the height of the level by clicking on the dimension. Revit Structure assigns the label, for example Level 1, and the level symbol to the new level. Use the Project Browser to rename the level, if desired. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. If you do rename the level, the associated name for the floor plan and the reflected ceiling plan update as well. Hiding the Annotation in theView You can hide the annotation line and bubble from the current view by selecting the annotation, right-clicking, and choosing Hide Annotation in View from the popup menu. The annotation is visible when you place the pointer near it and highlight it. To display the annotation again, highlight it and select it. Right-click and choose Show Annotation in View. Modifying Levels You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of levels through their properties. Level properties are modifiable before or after you place the level lines. See “Level” on page 116. You set properties in the Element Properties dialog. You can open this dialog in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the level, and click . Another way is to click Level and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying levels. 116 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 145. Changing LevelTypes When you activate the Level command to place a level line, you can select different types of levels from the Type Selector. Change the Level by selecting a different type from the Type Selector. Changing Level Lines in an ElevationView You have the following options for changing level lines: ■ Resize level lines. To do this, click on the blue sizing handles and drag the cursor left or right. ■ Raise or lower levels. To do this, select the level line and click on the dimension value associated with it. Enter a new value for the dimension ■ Relabel the level. To do this, select the level and click on the label box. Enter a new label name for the level. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on levels by selecting the level and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the level as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Moving Levels There are several ways to move level lines: ■ Select a level line and a temporary dimension appears between that level line and any level lines immediately above and below: Selected level line shown in red with temporary dimensions above and below it To move the selected level up or down, enter a new value for the temporary dimensions. ■ Drag the selected level line up or down. ■ To move multiple level lines, select the desired number of level lines and move them up or down. Changing Level Types | 117
- 146. Creating a Level Line Offset There may be times when you sketch a level line and want to offset its bubble from the rest of the level line. Sketch a level line. Note that end of the line near the bubble has drag controls. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Selected level with drag controls The end drag control near the bubble sizes the level line. The drag control next to it moves the bubble away from the level line, creating a segment. Bubble dragged from level line When you move the bubble end out of line, the effect appears only in that view, no other views are affected. The segments created from dragging the bubble have a solid line style. You cannot change this style. Snapping As you drag a control, you will notice the cursor snap at points similar to neighboring levels; the cursor also snaps as the segments form straight lines. Reference Planes The Reference Plane command allows you to draw datum planes to use as a guideline in your design. Reference Planes are a very integral part of family creation. See “Family Editor Basics” on page 52. Reference planes appear in each new plan view that you create for your project. 1 From the Drafting menu, choose Ref Plane or click Ref Plane from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 Place the pointer into the document window. 3 Draw the reference planes by dragging the pointer. 4 When you finish the plane (designated by a green, dashed line), click to end the line. 5 To apply a name to the reference plane, select it and click . Type a name for the Name instance parameter. 118 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 147. Hiding the Annotation in theView You can hide the annotation line from the current view by selecting the annotation, right-clicking, and choosing Hide Annotation in View from the pop-up menu. The annotation is visible when you place the pointer near it and highlight it. To display the annotation again, highlight it and select it. Right-click and choose Show Annotation in View. Datum Extents andVisibility Datum planes, such as those for levels, grids, and reference planes, are not visible in all views. If the datum does not intersect a view’s plane, then it will not be visible in that view. Datum planes are modifiable. You can resize their extents so that they are visible in some views, but not others. You can also change datum extents in one view and then propagate that change to any desired parallel views in which the datum is visible. Datum Extent Controls Select a datum and it is selected in all views in which it is visible. Notice that there is a control titled 3D that displays at the ends of the datum. With the 3D designation, the datum is in model extent mode. This means that if you drag the control to resize the datum extent, it changes the extent of that datum in all other parallel views, provided those datums also have the 3D model extent control. Model extent control Click the 3D control; it changes to display 2D. The control also changes from an open circle to a filled circle. This means the datum is in view specific mode. If you resize the datum the change occurs in that view only. View specific extent control Notice that when you drag the filled circle, the open circle remains. This is showing where the model (3D) extent is. If you want to return to that extent, right-click on the datum and click Reset to 3D Extents. In either 2D or 3D mode, you can show or hide the datum bubble, and you can add a leader to the extent. To add a leader, select the datum and click the leader control . Two spherical controls display. You can drag them to form a leader. To hide the datum bubble, clear the check mark . In either mode, these changes are view specific. They do not affect the datum in other views. NOTE If you drag a datum extent outside the crop boundary of the view, the control on the extent is always in view-specific (2D) mode. You also cannot propagate its extents to other views. NOTE If you move 2d control of a datum on top of a 3d control, the 2d control becomes a 3d control. Hiding the Annotation in theView | 119
- 148. Maximizing 3D Model Extents A datum may be of a certain size, such that it is not visible in all views of the model. You can change the 3D model extents to intersect the boundary of the model, so that the datum will be visible in more views. In the following example, the grid is not visible in the two section views of the model, because its 3D model extents do not intersect either section view plane. Select the datum, and right-click on it. On the context menu, click Maximize 3D Extents. The grid is resized to the boundary of the model. Propagating 2D Datum Extents When you have modified a 2D datum to the desired extent, you may have similar views in which you want it to display the same way. You can use Propagate Extents to accomplish this. With the datum selected, click Propagate Extents on the Options Bar. In the dialog, select the parallel views in which you want the Datum to look the same and click OK.There is no permanent connection between the look of the datum in multiple views. If you modify the datum again, you have to use Propagate Extents again. Propagate Extents does not affect Model (3D) extents. DatumVisibility inViews When you resize model (3D) datum extents, you can control in which view they are visible. If the datum planes do not intersect the view plane, they are not visible in the view. In the following example, the top level line is not visible in the section view, because its model (3D) extents do not intersect it. 120 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 149. In the next example, the grid is visible only in the first two plan views, because its model (3D) extents do not intersect the third level line. You may notice a datum intersecting a view plane but not displaying in view. If you select the datum, you will notice its view-specific extent intersects the view plane, but not its model extent as the next figure shows. The open circle in the figure shows the 3D model extent, which is not intersecting the section. The filled circle is showing the 2D extent, which has intersected the section. Scope Box Scope Boxes control the visibility of datum planes (levels, reference planes, and grids) in views whose cutting plane intersects the scope box. Scope boxes are particularly useful to control the visibility of those datums that are not parallel or orthogonal to a view. When you add grids, levels, and reference lines to a project, they can display in more views than you may want. For example, you add grid lines to a plan view, the grid lines appear in all plan views of the model. You may not want this effect and want to localize the appearance of the datums to certain views. This is exactly what a Scope Box is for: to limit the range in which the datums appear. Scope Box | 121
- 150. You use Scope Boxes by following these steps: ■ Creating the Scope Box ■ Applying the Scope Box to datums ■ Controlling Scope Box visibility Creating the Scope Box You create Scope Boxes in plan views only. 1 In a plan view, click Scope Box from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, enter a name and specify a height for the Scope Box, if desired. Select the scope, click and enter a name for the Name property. TIP You can also change the name of the Scope Box after creating it. 3 Draw a Scope Box by clicking in the upper left-hand corner to start the Scope Box and clicking in the lower right-hand corner to finish the scope. Scope Box (shown in green dashed lines) surrounding a plan view Once placed, the Scope Box is automatically selected, and drag controls appear to size the scope. Also, a rotation control appears for rotating the scope. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Applying the Scope Box to Datums To control the visibility of datums in the Scope Box, you must associate each datum with the Scope Box. 1 Select the appropriate datum, for example, a grid line, and click . 2 Next to the Scope Box property, click the drop-down menu and choose the Scope Box name. For example, for a project with two Scope Boxes named Scope Box 1 and Scope Box 2, choose Scope Box 1 from the drop-down list. 3 Click OK. The datum now displays only in views whose cutting plane intersects the Scope Box. If a view's cutting plane lies outside the scope, the associated datum does not appear in the view. TIP If a section view's cutting plane intersects the Scope Box, the datums will appear in the section view. 122 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 151. Datums Resize with Scope Box You can drag the extent of datums associated with Scope Boxes by selecting the Scope Box and dragging it; the associated datum moves with it. Dragged Scope Box moves level lines associated with it 'To revert the extents of a level datum back to its default, select the level, right-click and click Reset to 3D Extents. The model (3D) extent cannot be moved from the edge of a Scope Box it is assigned to, but the 2D extent can be modified in a view. This command returns the extent to the default position of slightly offset to the outside of the Scope Box. Controlling Scope BoxVisibility Scope Boxes are automatically visible in 3D views and any view whose cut plane intersects the scope; they can also be set to display in elevation views. You can set their visibility for other views by resizing them or changing their visibility property. Resizing Open a plan or 3D view and select the Scope Box. Controls appear on the Scope Box. Drag the handles to resize the Scope Box. As you resize it, you control in which view it appears; if a view plane no longer cuts through the Scope Box, the scope is not visible in that view, and consequently, any datums associated with that Scope Box do not appear in that view. For example, if a building has eight floors, and you resize the scope, such that its top boundary extent is at level 4, the scope and associated datums will not appear in the plan views for levels 5-8. Conversely, if you resize the Scope Box to intersect those levels, the datums will appear in those views. Scope Box in 3D with drag and rotation controls. Visibility Property This visibility property sets the display of Scope Boxes in various views, including elevation views. Controlling Scope BoxVisibility | 123
- 152. 1 Select the Scope Box and click . 2 Next to the Views Visible property, click Edit. The Scope Box Views Visible dialog opens. The dialog lists all the view types and view names in the project and shows in which views the Scope Box is visible. Revit Structure calculates the visibility of the Scope Box when you create it and subsequently change its extents; under the Default Visibility column are the views in which the scope is automatically visible. The Scope Box is not automatically visible in exterior elevations, but you can override this behavior. 3 Locate the appropriate view row, for example, South Elevation, and find its value in the Override column. Click in the text box and from the drop-down menu, choose Visible. 4 Click OK. The Scope Box is now visible in that view. Tags The Tag command attaches a tag to a selected element. A tag is a useful annotation for identifying elements on a drawing. Properties associated with a tag can appear in schedules. Every category in the family library has a premade tag. Some tags automatically load with the default Revit Structure template, while others you need to load. If you want, you can make your own tag in the Family Editor. See “Creating an Annotation Symbol Family” on page 157. Tag Labels When you create a tag, you add text to it using labels. See “Creating a Label” on page 105 for more information. When you load the tag and place it in the project, some label values, such as room area, are automatically generated, while others you must specifically set a value for. Editing the Label of a PlacedTag You can edit the label of a tag that you placed by selecting the tag. The label in the tag becomes a control. Click on the selected tag to edit the label text. Sample in-place editing of a furniture tag MultipleTags for Families Families can have multiple tags. To load multiple tags for a family, see “Loaded Tags” on page 532. Applying aTag Before attempting this procedure, you should load the necessary tags for those elements that need a tag. For example, if you created a furniture tag, you load that furniture tag for furniture. See “Loaded Tags” on page 532. 1 From the Drafting menu, choose Tag or click Tag from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. For generic annotation tags, drag the tag from the Project Browser onto the view. 2 Select Leader on the Options Bar if you want the tag to have a leader line. If the tag has multiple leader options, set the Number of Leaders in the Options Bar. 124 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 153. 3 If desired, enter a value for the length of the leader in the text box next to the Leader check box. 4 Set the orientation of the tag, vertical or horizontal, by choosing a value from the drop-down menu or by pressing SPACEBAR. TIP You can change the orientation of a tag after you place it. When you select the tag, the Orientation drop-down menu becomes available on the Options Bar. 5 Highlight the element you wish to tag, and click to place the tag. Changing aTag Instance 1 Select the tag in the document window. 2 From the Type Selector, choose another tag. NOTE Additional tags must already be loaded. AligningTags You can align tags with other similar tags by dragging them. For example, a room tag can align with another room tag and a generic annotation can align with another generic annotation. As you drag a tag, dashed green lines appear to show when the tag is aligned with another tag: Tag Properties Tags include modifiable properties. To modify the tag properties 1 In the Project Browser, expand Families, Annotation Symbols. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. 2 Expand the appropriate category, for example, wall tag, and right-click the type name. 3 Choose Properties from the pop-up menu. 4 Set values for the properties in the Type Properties dialog. TagType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the arrowhead shape on the leader line.Value is the name of the arrowhead style defined by the Settings, Annotations, Arrowheads command. See “Arrowheads” on page 531. Leader Arrowhead Changing a Tag Instance | 125
- 154. Tag All NotTagged You can tag most visible elements in the current view using the Tag All Not Tagged command. Some elements, such as rooms and walls, must be tagged separately. Revit Structure ignores previously tagged elements. An element must have loaded tags in order to be tagged. You tag elements based on family type, for example, door tags or window tags. See “Loaded Tags” on page 532. 1 Click Tag All Not Tagged on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, or on the Drafting menu, click Tag All Not Tagged. The Tag All Not Tagged dialog opens. 2 Determine which objects you want to tag. ■ Select All objects in current view to tag all visible objects in the current view that do not have a tag. ■ Select Only selected objects in current view to tag only those objects you have selected in the view. 3 Select one or more tag family categories. To select more than one category at a time, hold the SHIFT or CTRL key while selecting categories. NOTE If the tag family category you wish to tag is not displayed, load the applicable tag family. For example, if furniture exists within the plan view, you need to load furniture tags before initiating Tag All Not Tagged. 4 If you want a leader attached to each tag, select Leader and enter a default leader length in the Length text box. 5 Click Apply. All untagged objects of the selected family categories are tagged. 6 Click OK when finished. NOTE If the visibility of the tag category or its object type is turned off, a message displays. Click OK to allow Revit Structure to turn on visibility before that category is tagged. MaterialTags Before using this procedure, you should load the necessary material tags for those elements that need a tag. You can also keynote materials, see “Differences Between Keynoting and Tagging a Material” on page 127. 1 Click Drafting menu ➤ Tag ➤ Material, or on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar click Tag ➤ Material. 2 Click the Leader check box on the Options Bar if you want the tag to have a leader line. 3 Set the orientation of the tag, vertical or horizontal, by choosing a value from the drop-down menu or by pressing the SPACEBAR. TIP You can change the orientation of a tag after you place it. When you select the tag, the orientation drop-down menu becomes available on the Options Bar. 4 Highlight the material you wish to tag within the component, and click to place the tag. You can move the end of the leader to a new material, and the new material will display in the material tag. NOTE You can highlight the material before you select it by moving the mouse over the material. The material must be displayed by setting the detail level to medium or fine. If the material is not visible, the tag will not display properly. 126 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 155. Keynoting A keynote parameter is available for all model elements, detail components, and materials. You can tag each of these elements using a keynote tag family. The keynote value is derived from a separate text file that contains a list of keynotes. If an element already contains a value for a keynote, it appears in a tag automatically. If not, you can choose the keynote value directly. Revit Structure provides 2 sample text files for keynoting. See “Keynote Workflow” on page 128. Keynotes assigned in a project are linked to their source keynote table. When the keynote table is changed, keynotes in the project will reflect the changes when the project is closed and reopened. Differences Between Keynoting andTagging a Material The difference between keynoting and tagging a material is the information that is displayed in the tag and which tag family Revit Structure uses. Revit Structure has separate categories for keynotes and material tags. Using keynotes ■ If you click Drafting menu ➤ Keynote ➤ Material, Revit Structure looks for a tag family assigned to the keynote category. If the tag is not loaded in the project, you are prompted to load one. ■ The keynote family displays one or both of the values available from the keynote table. See “Keynoting Settings” on page 127. Using tags ■ If you click Drafting menu ➤ Tag ➤ Material, Revit Structure uses a tag family assigned to the material category. ■ The default tag displays the value stored for the Description parameter, if it is assigned. Keynoting Settings To access the Keynoting Settings dialog click Settings menu ➤ Keynoting. Keynote Table Full Path Displays the entire path of the keynote file. Saved Path Displays the file name of the keynote file that is loaded. View Opens the Keynotes dialog. This dialog does not permit editing the keynote table. Path Type Absolute Identifies a specific folder located either on your local PC or a network server. The path could be stored in the Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) format such as servernamesharefolderkeynote.txt. Relative Finds the keynote file where the project file or central file is located. If the file is moved to a new location Revit Structure expects to find the keynote file in this new folder location as well. At Library Locations Finds the keynote file where the stand alone installation or network deployment specified. Keynoting | 127
- 156. Numbering Method By keynote Determines the keynote value by the value stored in the keynote parameter or chosen from the keynote table. This value displays in the keynote as well as filling in the keynote parameter. By sheet Numbers keynotes according to their order of creation. A value for the keynote parameter is still stored if one has been chosen. A Keynote Legend displays the Keynote Number according to the order it was created instead. No number appears in the tag until the view bearing Keynote Tags is placed on a sheet view. Keynote Workflow The default keynoting data provided in Revit Structure is based upon the 1995 Construction Specification Institute (CSI) Master format system which uses 16 divisions to organize construction process and materials. This is a widely used system in the United States. See “Keynote File Versions” on page 131. A more recent version of this system has not yet seen wide spread adoption. This newer version is based upon 50 divisions and was introduced in 2004. Support for this new format can be accomplished by adding the additional divisions to the default keynote data files as needed. See “Adding Additional Categories” on page 130. This system is the most effective when objects that are used throughout a project are already assigned their respective keynote value. When these values are not supplied you can assign the value as you place a keynote tag. Materials, system and component families, and detail components can have keynote parameters entered in advance. Placing a Keynote 1 On the Drafting Tab of the Design Bar click Keynote ➤ Element, Material, or User. Alternatively, click Drafting menu ➤ Keynote ➤ Element, Material, or User. 2 Click a keynote style from the Type Selector drop-down list. ■ Keynote Tag : Keynote Number shows the keynote number in the drawing area. ■ Keynote Tag: Keynote Number - Boxed shows the keynote number with a box around it in the drawing area. ■ Keynote Tag : Keynote Text shows the keynote text in the drawing area. 3 On the Options Bar, select the keynote tag orientation (horizontal or vertical), and click the Leader check box to show or hide the keynote tag leader. 4 Click the relevant element or material to identify which element to tag, an arrowhead appears at this location. 5 Click the second point of the first segment for leader. 6 Click the final point for the end of the second segment of leader and location of keynote tag. If the element or material already has a value entered for the parameter keynote, it appears in the tag automatically. If it does not, the Keynotes dialog opens where you can select the keynote value. To add or create your own keynote data, see “Adding Additional Categories” on page 130. Keynote PlacementTips ■ In order for Revit Structure to keynote a material, the element must be visible in the view and the material must be displayed by setting the detail level to medium or fine. For example, you won’t be able to keynote the material of a door's panel that has its visibility settings assigned to not show in plan view. The same door family can have a keynote or tag attached to the door panel's material in an elevation view because the solid geometry is visible in the view. ■ If you are not able to keynote or tag an element in a particular view, check the settings of the family. Nested family components need to be shared in order to place or display a keynote value. See “Nested Families” on page 93 and “Shared Families” on page 95. 128 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 157. Expected Keynote Behavior If a family is created using a keynote table that is different than the one the project is using and ■ the same value exists in each keynote table, the project’s keynote file values are used. ■ there are different values in each keynote table, or there is no corresponding value for the keynote in the project the keynote number will display but the text for the keynote will not display. To resolve these issues, you can either choose a new keynote value that is part of the project's keynote table, or add the keynote value to the keynote table. See “Adding Additional Categories” on page 130. Types of Keynotes ■ Element. A keynote can be applied to an entire element such as a wall, detail component, or door. ■ Material. A keynote can be assigned to a material that has been painted on a surface and to those assigned to the component layers of an element. Keynotes are not supported for the insulation drafting command or the detail components line and filled region. ■ User. This option provides a way to use commonly used notes or phrases to address documentation issues. These additional user notes must be added to the provided keynote text files or included in one you create. See “Adding Additional Categories” on page 130. Assigning KeynoteValues Assigning KeynoteValues to Materials Keynote selection can be applied to materials. Keynotes are assigned to materials on the Identity Tab of the Materials dialog. To access the Materials dialog, click Settings menu ➤ Materials. When materials are assigned a keynote value the objects that use these materials inherit the keynote value accordingly. A great deal of time can be spared if the materials of a project have their keynote values applied before you apply keynote tags to materials. Assigning KeynoteValues to Elements All elements have a Keynote Type Parameter. These can be supplied in advance via the Element Properties dialog (see “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309), or selected when the tag is placed. Assigning KeynoteValues UsingTags After you apply a keynote tag to an element, material, or user you can select the keynote tag and click over the keynote value or empty value to open the Keynotes dialog. When a material has no assigned keynote value, Revit Structure opens the Keynotes dialog so you can pick one. NOTE If you click OK, Revit Structure uses the keynote value that is currently selected; if you click Cancel, the keynote value remains empty. Keynote Legend You can access the Keynote Legend command by clicking View menu ➤ New ➤ Keynote Legend. There are two parameters predefined in the Scheduled fields list, Key Value and Keynote Text. The remaining tabs, Filter, Sorting/Grouping, Formatting, and Appearance are all available as they are for other schedules. See “Schedule Properties Tabs” on page 435. With careful use of keynote headings and filtering it is possible to create keynote legends that group common types of keynotes together. Keynote legends can be placed on multiple sheet views. Types of Keynotes | 129
- 158. Filtering Keynotes by Sheet This option causes the schedule to only display those keynotes that are visible in views on the sheet the schedule is placed on. Use the following procedure to select this option. 1 Open the keynote legend from the Schedules/Quantities category in the Project Browser. 2 Right-click the view and click View Properties. 3 In the Element Properties dialog, click Edit for the filter parameter. 4 In the Keynote Legend Properties dialog, click the Filter by sheet check box. Filtering Keynotes by CSI Heading To filter keynotes scheduled to one main category of keynotes: 1 Open the keynote legend from the Schedules/Quantities category in the Project Browser. 2 Right-click the view and click View Properties. 3 In the Element Properties dialog, click Edit for the filter parameter. 4 In the Keynote Legend Properties dialog, click an option from the drop-down list for Filter By. For example, to filter by CSI Division 15 click Key Value. 5 In the drop-down list next to Filter by is a list of operators. The data must match or abide by the operator and value you enter for it to appear in the schedule. For example, the value of the CSI Division 15's main heading is 15000 so you would select the Begins With operator and enter the value 15 in the text box beneath to display all keynote values that begin with 15. Adding Additional Categories Keynotes are defined in a tab-delimited text file. The first portion of the text file is reserved for major headings/categories (the parent values) and the remainder of the file is for sub-headings/categories (the child values). A tab-delimited file requires the use of the Tab key to create spaces between data entries. Changes made to the keynote table are not available in the current project session of Revit Structure. Changes are available when the project is closed and reopened. You can use Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet application to manage the data, then export it to a tab-delimited file format. Sample KeynoteText File CSI Main Category/Heading (parent value) 11000 [tab] Division 11 - Equipment CSI Master format sSb-Category/Heading [tab] Sub-Category/Heading Description [tab] CSI Masterformat Main Category/Heading Value (parent value) 11060 [tab] Theater and Stage Equipment [tab] 11000 11061 [tab] Acoustical Shells [tab] 11000 For sub-categories of sub-categories 11060.A1 [tab] Counter-Weight Rigging [tab] 11060 Sample User KeynoteText File For User Keynotes you can place them in front of the CSI structure by using the following format: Main/Heading/Parent Category 00000 [tab] Division 00 - User Notes Sub-Category/Heading/Child 00001 [tab] User Note 1 [tab] 00000 00002 [tab] User Note 2 [tab] 00000 130 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 159. For sub-categories of sub-categories 00001.A1 [tab] User Note 1a [tab] 00001 Keynote File Locations Keynote files for the default standalone installation are located in: C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataAutodeskRevit StructureImperial Library The file can be located on a network server so that it is available to all users. See “Keynoting Settings” on page 127 for information on assigning file locations. Keynote FileVersions The following files are provided and installed during deployment: ■ RevitKeynotes_Imperial.txt ■ RevitKeynotes_Metric.txt Resolving Keynote File Errors When the keynote file cannot be found Revit Structure displays the following message when any action that attempts to display the keynote selection dialog occurs: Unable to Load Keynote data. Check keynote table locations in Keynoting Settings. Use the following procedure to resolve either issue 1 Click Settings menu ➤ Keynoting. 2 In the Keynoting Settings dialog, click Browse and navigate to the appropriate keynote text file. KeynoteTag Ends For keynote tags that are associated with elements, the end of the leader is free to be relocated to another location and not connected to just the boundary of an element. Therefore, when placing a keynote you can select the leader option Free End or Attached End. Material tags are assigned Free End and cannot be assigned Attached End. A material keynote tag's leader end identifies the material as you move it over different materials and the keynote value automatically displays the appropriate keynote value, if one is assigned. The leader end for tags associated with ■ an element is attached to the boundary edge of the element. ■ a material is attached to the centroid of the selected material. Symbols The Symbol command places 2D annotation drawing symbols into your project. Placing Symbols 1 If necessary, create the symbol family in the Family Editor and load it into your project. To create the symbol family, use the Generic Annotation template. See “Family Editor Basics” on page 52 and “Load Family From Library” on page 562. As you create a symbol family, you notice that you can only see it in one view. It is like other annotations in that it is view specific. Resolving Keynote File Errors | 131
- 160. 2 From your design window, choose Symbol from the Drafting menu or click Symbol from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 3 Place the pointer in the document window where you want the symbol to appear. 4 Click to place it. Welding Symbols The Symbol command places welding symbols into your project. Placing Welding Symbols 1 If necessary, create the welding symbol family in the Family Editor and load it into your project. To create the welding symbol family, use the Generic Annotation template. See “Family Editor Basics” on page 52 and “Load Family From Library” on page 562. As you create a welding symbol family, you notice that you can only see it in one view. It is like other annotations in that it is view specific. You can place the following types of welding symbols: ■ Fillet ■ Flare Bevel ■ Bevel ■ V ■ Back ■ Flare V ■ J ■ Slot ■ Square ■ U You can specify the following welding symbol properties: ■ Top symbol type, size, and length ■ Bottom symbol type, size, and length ■ Contour symbol type ■ Leader configuration ■ Tail and tail note display ■ Weld all-around and field weld symbol display ■ Left or right symbol orientation 2 From your design window, choose Symbol from the Drafting menu or click Symbol from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 3 Select the appropriate welding symbol from the Type Selector. 132 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 161. 4 Place the pointer in the document window where you want the symbol to appear. 5 Click to place it. 6 On the Design bar, click Modify, and then select the welding symbol. 7 Specify the desired properties for your welding symbol. You can also edit various welding symbol parameters by selecting the welding symbol, then clicking the appropriate blue text value. Enter the desired value in the edit box and press ENTER. Detailing Revit Structure is a building information modeler. You construct your project as a digital representation of the physical objects in the real world. However, not every component needs to be modeled in 3D. Architects create standard details to represent how materials in the larger project are constructed. Details bridge the gap between architectural design and building reality, conveying information to the builders and contractors on how a design should be built. Details are vital additions to your project because they show how materials should interconnect. Types ofViews for Detailing There are two main types of views you can create for detailing, detail views and drafting views. Basically, a detail view contains elements from the building information model while a drafting view is a sheet of paper that is not directly associated with the building information model. DetailViews A detail view is a view of the model that appears as either a callout or section in other views. This type of view typically represents the model at finer scales of detail than in the parent view and is used to add more information to specific parts of the model. Visibility of a detail view tag depends on the scale of the parent view and whether the crop boundary of the detail view intersects or is entirely within that of the parent view. The detail view parameter Hide at Scales Coarser than establishes a scale at which details are either shown or hidden in other views. For example, if a detail tag is set to hide at scales coarser than 1/4”=1’0”, then a view with a scale set to 1/8" = 1'-0" would not show the detail tag. A detail view can be created as either a section or a callout and can have both section and callout annotations assigned to it. In other words, a detail view made as a callout can also show up as a section in views that intersect the callout view extents. For example, you may call out a detail view of a wall intersection. This same callout can appear as a section view with annotations within the overall building section view. You must make sure to select the Intersecting Views option for the Show in instance parameter in order for annotations to display in the overall building section view. You can set this parameter in the Element Properties dialog. Right-click the detail view in the Project Browser and click Properties to open this dialog. All detail views, regardless of whether you draw them as a callout or section, show up in the Project Browser as a detail view. Creating a DetailView You can create a callout from a plan, section, or elevation view and then add detail components while using model geometry as a base. This is a general procedure for creating a callout or section detail from a Revit Structure view. Your design intentions may differ. NOTE You can also use this procedure for imported drawings. See “Import/Link” on page 581. 1 Do one of the following to activate the view creation command: ■ Click View menu ➤ New ➤ Callout (or click Callout on the View tab of the Design Bar). ■ Click View menu ➤ New ➤ Section (or click Section on the View tab of the Design Bar). 2 In the Type Selector, choose Detail View : Detail as the view type. 3 In the Options Bar, select an appropriate detail scale. Detailing | 133
- 162. 4 Choose two points on the plan view to define where the section is cutting. NOTE If this is a Callout View, select the area you wish to include in the Callout View. 5 Click View menu ➤ View Properties. 6 In the Element Properties dialog, for Display Model, select As underlay and click OK. Model elements in the callout view display as halftones, allowing you to visually see the difference between your model geometry and your added detail components. Sample callout with halftoned structural components for background 7 On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Detail Lines. 8 Sketch along lines of the underlay elements or use them as part of your detail. Notice that as you sketch lines, the cursor snaps to the model geometry in that view. 9 Sketch lines that provide applicable construction details. 10 If desired, create filled regions. You might create a region to show concrete, grass, or sealant. While sketching the lines for the region, you can change the line style by clicking and setting a different value for the Subcategory property under Line Parameters. For example, you might want the region boundary to have invisible lines. 11 Add detail components to the detail. See “Creating a Detail Component Family” on page 139. 12 If desired, add text notes, dimensions, and symbols. Sample details created with Revit Structure detailing tools 134 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 163. Sample DetailView The following image shows a sample of a Wall Section Detail with model geometry as the underlay and additional 2D detail components added. DetailView Properties DetailViewType Properties Each detail view has type properties for section tags, callout tags, and reference labels. You can define the look of section tags and callout tags through the View Tags command on the Settings menu. The Reference Label parameter sets the text displayed next to the detail tag when the detail is a reference detail. DetailView Instance Properties This table lists parameters specific to detail views. DescriptionValueName Indicates whether the detail view tag displays in intersecting views or just the parent view. If you create a detail view as a callout, then the callout appears as a section in intersecting views. Intersecting Views Parent View OnlyShow in Depending on the value set for this parameter, the detail view tag does not display in any view whose view scale is coarser than the value specified. user-defined scale valueHide at scales coarser than For descriptions on additional view properties, see “View Properties” on page 452. Reusing Details From Callouts Duplicating a DetailView You can right-click any view in the Project Browser, and click Duplicate to copy the model geometry from that view into a new view. If you right-click, and click Duplicate with Detailing, both the model geometry and the detail geometry are copied into the new view. Detail geometry includes detail components, detail lines, repeating details, detail groups, and filled regions. Referencing a CalloutView When you create a detail callout from a section, plan, or elevation view, you can click Reference other view on the Options Bar to reference any detail or drafting view from the Project Browser. In this way, you can link the view to a particular area of the building information model. SavingViews to an External Project Use the following procedure to save a view to an external Revit Structure project. This operation will save the view and all the elements (model elements and view-specific elements) visible in that view to a new project file. 1 Select a view in the Project Browser. Types ofViews for Detailing | 135
- 164. 2 Right-click the view name, and click Save to New File. 3 Enter a new name for the Revit Structure file. Inserting Detail Components from a Saved DetailView 1 Click File menu ➤ Insert from File ➤ 2D Elements. 2 In the Open dialog, select a project that was saved as a detail view. 3 In the Insert 2D Elements dialog, select a view that contains the 2D elements you wish to insert. This copies the 2D Detail Components (repeating details, detail lines, insulation, and filled regions) to the new detail view. Although model geometry is not copied, Revit Structure tries to map the detail components to the new host geometry in the current project. You will probably have to change and edit some of the 2D geometry, but this will give you a head start on your current detail. The following view specific elements will not be inserted: ■ Edit cut profile elements. ■ Elements that cannot be grouped, for example call out elements that create callout views. ■ Elements that reference stair railing elements. ■ Elements that reference toposurface elements. ■ Elements that reference in-place families. ■ Linked files, linked RVT files, or elements that reference them. ■ Elements that reference any elements in this list, for example dimensions. DraftingViews During the course of a project, you may want to create details in a view that is not directly associated with the model. Rather than create a callout and then add details to it, you may want to create detail conditions where the model is not needed, for example, a carpet-transition detail which shows where carpet switches to tile, or roof-drain details not based on a callout on the roof. You create this unassociated, view-specific detail in a drafting view. The drafting view is not associated with the model. In a drafting view you create details at differing view scales (coarse, fine, or medium) and use 2D detailing tools: detail lines, detail regions, detail components, insulation, reference planes, dimensions, symbols and text. These are the exact same tools used in creating a detail view, however drafting views do not display any model elements. When you create a drafting view in your project, it is saved with the project. All of the detailing tools used in detail views are available to you in drafting views. Similar to other views, drafting views appear in the Project Browser; expand the drafting views in the Project Browser to list the names of all drafting view details in the project. Although not associated with the model, you can still drag the drafting views from the browser onto a sheet. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. 136 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 165. Creating a DraftingView 1 Click View menu ➤ New ➤ Drafting View, or click Drafting View on the View tab of the Design Bar. 2 In the New Drafting View dialog, enter a value for Name, and select a value for Scale. If you select Custom, enter a value for Scale value 1. 3 Click OK. The drafting view opens in the drawing area. 4 In the Project Browser, expand Drafting Views to see the newly created drafting view listed. 5 To create the drafting view, use the detailing tools on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. These include Detail Lines, Insulation, Filled Region, Text, Symbol, and Dimension. See “Detailing Tools” on page 141. Sketching a Detail in a DraftingView You can sketch a detail in a drafting view with the tools provided with Revit Structure. 1 Choose Drafting View from the View Design Bar. 2 Choose a name and appropriate scale for the new drafting view. 3 Use Detail Lines, Repeating Details, Detail Components, and Filled Regions to construct the geometry in this view. See “Detailing Tools” on page 141. Also see “Drafting Views” on page 136 and “Sketching Overview” on page 36. Importing aView From Another CAD Program You can import a view from another CAD program and create a detail from that view. 1 Click Drafting View from the View tab of the Design Bar. 2 Enter a name and appropriate scale for the new drafting view. 3 Click File menu ➤ Import/Link ➤ CAD Formats. 4 Select the detail and CAD format. 5 Select the Current view only option if you are in a detail view. NOTE This is automatically selected if you are in a drafting view. 6 Click Open to place the CAD detail. 7 Drag and drop this view on a sheet, if desired. 8 Reference to this view when placing a callout or section, if desired. Sample of an Imported DraftingView The following image shows a sample of imported CAD detail to a drafting view. Types ofViews for Detailing | 137
- 166. DraftingView Display and Filled Regions The behavior of filled regions changes in drafting views, depending on the display setting. By default, drafting views display in hidden line. See “Hidden Lines” on page 457. You can change the display to wireframe if desired. See “Wireframe” on page 457. When the drafting view is in hidden line, filled regions with fill patterns hide all elements behind them. For example, if the filled region has a diagonal crosshatch pattern and the view is in hidden line, you cannot see an element between the openings of the pattern. If you change the display to wireframe, elements are visible behind openings in the pattern. DraftingView Properties Each drafting view has type properties for section tags, callout tags, and reference labels. You can define the look of section tags and callout tags through the View Tags command on the Settings menu. The Reference Label parameter sets the text displayed next to the view tag when the drafting view is a reference view. Reusing DraftingViews Referencing a DraftingView When you create a detail callout from a section, plan, or elevation view you can click Reference other view on the Options Bar to reference any detail or drafting view from the Project Browser. In this way, you can link the view to a particular area of the building information model. You can link or import standard details from your CAD library into a drafting view. Then, you can create a callout in a section, plan, or elevation view that references or points to this drafting view. View tags and annotations will display correctly. Saving DraftingViews to an External Project Use the following procedure to save drafting views to an external Revit Structure project for use in another Revit Structure project. You can also use this procedure to save sheet views and schedule views to an external project. For information on sheet views and schedule views, see “Sheets” on page 486 and “Schedules/Quantities” on page 434. 1 Select a drafting view in the Project Browser. 2 Right-click the view name, and click Save to New File. 3 Enter a new name for the project. This creates a new Revit Structure project file that contains the selected view and the contents of that view. Inserting a DraftingView from Another Project 1 Click File menu ➤ Insert from file ➤ Views. 2 In the Open dialog select a project file, and click Open. The Insert Views dialog opens, which displays views that are saved in the project. 3 From the drop-down list, select an option for views to display. 4 Select the views you would like to insert, and click OK. Revit Structure creates a new drafting view with all the 2D components and text. If you have duplicate type names, the type name and properties from the current project are used. If you have duplicate type names, a warning message displays. Creating Details After you have created your view for detailing, you can use additional resources provided with Revit Structure to create details and complete your view for inclusion in your construction documents. For information on creating views for detailing, see “Types of Views for Detailing” on page 133. Detailing Library You can add additional detail components by loading them from the family library, or you can create or edit existing ones in the Family Editor. Click on the Detail Components directory and then select the appropriate CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) section to see specific components under that section. Revit Structure contains over 500 Detail Component Families. They are organized by the 16 CSI divisions. 138 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 167. Inserting a Detail Component The Detail Component command places a detail component into a detail or drafting view. A detail component is similar to other annotation elements in that it is visible in that view only. You can keynote detail components. See “Keynoting” on page 127. Use the following procedure to insert a detail component. 1 Click Drafting menu ➤ Detail Component, or click Detail Component on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 In the Type Selector, select the appropriate detail component to place. 3 Press the SPACEBAR to rotate the detail component through its different snap points to other elements. 4 Place the detail component in the detail view. NOTE You can add additional detail components by loading them from the family library or you can create or edit existing ones in the Family Editor. Revit Structure contains over 500 Detail Component Families. They are organized by the 16 CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) divisions. Detail components can be tagged using detail item tags. To load tags into the project, click File menu ➤ Load from Library ➤ Load Family. Creating a Detail Component Family A detail component family consists of components added to detail or drafting views, and they are visible only in those views. They scale with the model, rather than the sheet. Detail components could include a 2X4, a metal stud, or a shim. Before reading this topic, you should familiarize yourself with families by reading “Family Editor Basics” on page 52 and “Creating a New Family” on page 560. The following procedure is a general procedure for creating a detail component family. Your steps may differ based on design intent. 1 In the Family Editor, sketch reference planes for placing the detail component. 2 Use the tools on the Design Bar to create the shape of the detail component. A detail component is displayed in a symbolic form and is not shown in 3D. Click Lines to sketch the symbol. TIP You can change the sorting order of any objects in the family by using the detail component draw order commands. For more information, see “Sorting Detail Element Draw Order” on page 402. 3 For lines and filled regions, click Visibility and select the views in which the object will be visible. 4 Save the detail component. See “Save” on page 566. Creating a 2D Line-based Detail Component Family Detail components are pre-drawn line-based 2D elements you can add to detail or drafting views. They are visible only in those views. They scale with the model, rather than the sheet. Revit Structure allows you to create a 2D detail component based on a line. By selecting the start and stop of the line, you can place the detail. For instance, you might want to place a plywood fill pattern in a section. By selecting the start and end point of the detail component, you can place the detail with the thickness and fill pattern that was created in the 2D detail component. For example, if the plywood was drawn at 1/2” in the 2D detail component, this procedure would place a piece of plywood along the length of the drawn line at 1/2”. If you wanted to adjust the thickness of the plywood, you would first have to edit the 2D detail component. Before reading this topic, you should familiarize yourself with families by reading “Family Editor Basics” on page 52 and “Creating a New Family” on page 560. Following is the general procedure for creating a 2D line-based detail component family. Your steps may differ based on design intent. 1 Create a new family using the Detail Component line-based template. 2 Use the tools on the Design Bar to create the shape of the detail component. A detail component is displayed in a symbolic form and is not shown in 3D. Click Lines to sketch the symbol. Create the component between the two reference planes to have elements contract or expand based on the length. Creating Details | 139
- 168. TIP You can change the sorting order of any objects in the family by using the detail component draw order commands. For more information, see “Sorting Detail Element Draw Order” on page 402. 3 For lines and filled regions, click Visibility and select the views in which the object will be visible. 4 Save the detail component. See Save. Repeating Detail With the Repeating Detail command, you sketch a path defined by two points. The path is then filled in by a pattern of detail components. The pattern is a family type called a repeating detail. You can control the look of the family through its type properties. Those type properties include the detail component family that is applied to the repeating detail and the spacing of the individual detail components that compose the repeating detail. A repeating detail is essentially an array of a detail component. As with other detailing tools, a repeating detail is visible only in the view in which it is drawn. Repeating details are primarily useful in plan and section views. To create a repeating detail: 1 Click Drafting menu ➤ Repeating Detail, or click Repeating Detail on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, click . 3 In the Element Properties dialog, click Edit/New. 4 Click Duplicate, and enter a name for the repeating detail type. 5 Choose a detail component for the Detail parameter. If desired, load in more detail components from the standard Revit Structure library or you can create your own. See “Load Family From Library” on page 562 for more information on loading a detail component family. See “Creating a Detail Component Family” on page 139 for more information on creating a detail component family. 6 Set the Layout for the repeating detail: ■ Fill Available Space—indicates that the detail component is repeated along the length of the path such that the spacing is equal to the width of the component. ■ Fixed Distance—indicates that the detail component is spaced at the exact value specified for the Spacing parameter, starting from the beginning of the path. See the description for Spacing below. ■ Fixed Number—indicates that a set number of detail components are placed along the path while the spacing is adjusted to maintain this number. After setting this type parameter, you need to set the Number parameter in the family’s instance properties. ■ Maximum Spacing—indicates that the detail component is spaced at an even interval along the length of the path and at a distance up to the value specified for Spacing. The actual spacing used may be less to ensure a complete component at either end of the path. 7 Select the Inside parameter to confine the spacing of the detail components to within the length of the path. If you do not select this parameter, the first and last detail components are placed according to the defined origin of the detail component family. This means that the first and last detail components can extend beyond the length of the path. 8 If you set Layout to Fixed Distance or Maximum Spacing, the Spacing parameter becomes enabled. Enter a value for this parameter. 9 If desired, choose how you want the detail component to be rotated in the pattern. 10 Click OK to close the Type Properties dialog. 11 If you set the Layout parameter to Fixed Number, enter a value for Number in the instance properties. 12 Click OK to close the Element Properties dialog. 13 From the Type Selector, choose the repeating detail you created. 14 Sketch the repeating detail component in the family by clicking once for a start point, dragging the mouse, and clicking again for an end point. 140 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 169. The following image shows the addition of a welded wire fabric family to a concrete slab in section view. Repeating pattern placed between two walls. Pattern has a fixed number of 10 and a length of 6 feet. Inside option is selected. Inside option is not selected. DetailingTools ■ Callouts: Create a callout first to get a close-up view of a plan or elevation view. All the detail annotations are added to the callout view. See “Callout View” on page 492. ■ Detail Lines: Use detail lines to add information or sketch over existing elements. See “Detail Lines” on page 142. ■ Dimensions: Apply specific dimensions to the detail. See “Dimension Command” on page 146. ■ Text Notes: Use text notes to specify construction methods. See “Symbols” on page 131. ■ Detail Components: Create and load custom detail components to place in the detail. Detail components might be actual construction components, such as structural steel, jambs, or metal studs. See “Creating a Detail Component Family” on page 139. ■ Symbols: Place a symbol, such as a direction arrow or a break mark symbol to indicate omitted information. See “Symbols” on page 131. ■ Regions: Create detail filled regions and give them a fill pattern to represent various surfaces, including concrete or compacted earth. You draw regions on the default work plane; it is not necessary to select a work plane for them. You can apply a fill pattern to the region by selecting the region lines and clicking Properties. Set a value for the Fill Pattern property. The different fill patterns are defined by the Fill Patterns command. See “Filled Region” on page 141 and “Fill Patterns” on page 520. Filled Region The Filled Region command creates a two-dimensional view-specific graphic with a boundary line style and fill pattern within the closed boundary. The Filled Region is parallel to the view’s sketch plane. The command is useful for defining a filled area in a detail view or for adding a filled region to an annotation family. If you would like to mask out an area, create a Filled Region with the fill pattern set to no fill pattern. You must also make sure the background attribute is set to opaque for the fill to mask and export to CAD correctly. Filled Regions contain a fill pattern. Fill patterns are either Drafting or Model. Drafting fill patterns are based on the scale of the view, while model fill patterns are based on the actual dimensions in the building model. The following procedure is a general method for creating a filled region. Steps may vary depending on your design intent. 1 Click the Drafting menu ➤ Filled Region, or click Filled Region on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 Click Lines, and sketch the region. For example, you might sketch a square region. For more information about the sketching tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. 3 To give the region a fill pattern, click and select a fill for the Fill pattern property. Creating Details | 141
- 170. 4 To set different line styles for the region lines, select the lines, click , and change the value for the Subcategory property for Line parameters. 5 Click Finish Sketch to complete your sketch. Changing Properties 1 Select the completed detail filled region. 2 Click , and click Edit/New to open the Type Properties dialog. TIP You can also open properties through the Project Browser. In the browser under Families, expand Detail Items. Expand Filled Region. Right-click on the region type name (for example, Filled Region 1) and click Properties. 3 You can set Fill pattern, Background, Line Weight Number, and Color for the region. With background, you can set it to opaque or transparent. Resizing the Filled Region 1 Place the pointer near an edge of the region to highlight it, and press TAB. This selects a shape handle on the region. 2 Click to select the shape handle. 3 Drag the handle to resize the region. Fill Pattern Category A filled region created for a detail view is part of the Detail Items category. Revit Structure lists the region in the Project Browser under Families, Detail Items, Filled Region. If you create a filled region as part of an annotation family, Revit Structure identifies it as a Filled Region, but does not store it in the Project Browser. Detail Lines This command creates detail lines for detailing drawings. Detail lines are visible only in the view in which they are drawn. Often they are drawn over the model view. NOTE If you want to sketch lines that exist in 3D space and display in all views, see “Model Lines” on page 202. The detail lines command has the same line styles as the Lines command, but detail lines are view-specific like detail components and other annotations. Detail lines are drawn in the views sketch plane. They can be used to detail a view with part of the model visible, such as in a wall section or callout, or they can be used in a drafting view to draft lines with no reference to the model. Some examples of detail lines in a drafting view are signage or typical details that have no reference to the model. You can also use detail lines for tracing over underlay elements. See “View Properties” on page 452 for more information on setting elements as underlays. Before using this command, you should read “Creating Details” on page 138. 1 Click the Drafting menu ➤ Detail Lines, or click Detail Lines on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 Sketch lines as appropriate. Detail Editing Detail Component Positioning Every detail component, detail line, and filled region has a graphic draw order within the overall detail. Think of it as a stack of papers on your desk that overlap each other. You can click on any detail component and the positioning will highlight on the Options Bar. You can send the detail component to the back of the detail. This is like taking the top paper and placing it at the bottom of the pile. You can also send the detail component one step back at a time. Think of this as taking the top piece paper and placing it behind the next piece of paper in the stack. Of course, you can do the reverse as well. You can bring the detail to the top of the stack or bring it forward one step at a time. 142 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 171. NOTE Detail components always appear on top of model geometry. You cannot send a detail component behind model geometry. The current positioning only works with detail components, insulation, detail lines, detail groups, repeating details, and filled regions. For more information on graphic draw order, see “Sorting Detail Element Draw Order” on page 402. Show Hidden Lines Once you get your detail components in the right graphic draw order, you can use this tool to obscure the lines behind a detail component. 1 Select Tools ➤ Show Hidden Lines. 2 Select the elements that you want to show hidden lines through. Lines from obscured elements will show through these elements. 3 Select element(s) for which you want hidden lines displayed. Obscured edges and lines for these elements will appear as hidden lines. NOTE The object has to be in the correct order. You cannot hide the lines of a bolt that are on top of a 4x6 stud. The bolt must first be sent behind the 4x6 stud in order to be obscured. Select on the 4x6 stud and then on the bolt to show the bolt as hidden lines. See “Remove Hidden Lines” on page 143. Remove Hidden Lines This process reverses the hidden line procedure. In the example below, we have selected Tools ➤ Remove Hidden Lines then selected the 4x6 stud and then the bolt. This removes the hidden lines and the 4x6 stud completely obscures the bolt. Dimensioning Dimensions are view-specific elements that show sizes and distances in a project. There are two types of dimensions: temporary and permanent. Revit Structure places temporary dimensions as you place components. You create permanent dimensions to define a particular size or distance. Each dimension type can be modified and the component that is dimensioned updates accordingly. Temporary Dimensions As you create or select geometry, Revit Structure displays temporary dimensions around the component. This is useful for placing the component in the proper place. The temporary dimensions are created to the nearest component that is perpendicular to the component being placed. The dimension increments by the value set by the Snaps command in the Settings menu. If you set the snap to 6cm, the dimension increments in values of 6cm as you move the component to place it. See “Snaps” on page 533. After placing the component, Revit Structure displays the dimensions. You can select the blue square control on the witness line to modify the temporary dimension. When you place another component, the temporary dimensions disappear. This is to reduce dimension clutter. To get the temporary dimensions of a component back, click Modify and click on the component. Remember, the temporary dimensions displayed are to the nearest component, so the dimensions you see may be different from the original temporary dimensions that were displayed. You can modify temporary dimensions to reference the components you want. If there are dimensions you want to appear at all times, create permanent dimensions. Dimensioning | 143
- 172. Switching Position of theTemporary Witness Line Click the control (blue square) that appears on the witness line to switch the position of a witness line between the wall centerline and wall faces. Two Methods of Moving a Witness Line to New Reference 1 Drag the control (blue square) to a different reference. 2 Right-click the witness line control and select Move Witness Line from the pop-up menu. You can then move the witness line to a new reference. NOTE Modifications to temporary dimension witness lines are not saved. Suppress Display ofTemporary Dimensions and Constraints When you select multiple elements in Revit Structure, temporary dimensions and constraints do not display. If you wish to see the dimensions and constraints, click Activate Dimensions from the Options Bar. System performance can significantly increase when the temporary dimensions and constraints are not displayed. ChangingTemporary Dimensions to Permanent Dimensions You can change a temporary dimension to a permanent one by clicking the dimension symbol that appears near the temporary dimension. You can then modify the properties of the new dimension and change its type. Permanent Dimensions A permanent dimension is a dimension that you specifically place. The dimension is created by selecting the appropriate dimension command and then the geometry. Permanent dimensions can appear in two different states: modifiable and non-modifiable. A permanent dimension is considered modifiable when the geometry that it references is selected for modification. The text for dimensions is then selectable to modify. When geometry is selected for modification, both permanent dimensions and temporary dimensions appear, ready for modification. If the geometry that a permanent dimension references is not selected for modification, the dimension appears at its true size and is not selectable for modification. This is done to eliminate crowding of dimensions when they are not needed for modification. Permanent dimension in a non-modifiable state When dimensioning components such as doors and windows, you can select either the edge of the opening to dimension or you can select the center of the component to dimension. NOTE Dimensions are like other annotation elements; they are view-specific. They display only in the view in which they are added. They do not appear in all other views automatically. 144 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 173. Dimensioning within the Family Editor As you create families, Revit Structure automatically places permanent dimensions to ensure that the sketch remains constrained: Generic family with automatic permanent dimensions If you add dimensions that create the same constraints, the original dimensions go away. If you add redundant dimensions, Revit Structure places the tag REF next to the new dimension value to indicate the dimension is for reference only: If you delete one of the redundant dimensions, you can eliminate the REF label by selecting it and then right-clicking to bring up the pop-up menu. Choose Convert to Non-REF to hide the label: Dimension Locking When you place permanent linear or angular dimensions, a lock control appears with the dimension: ■ It appears when you select a permanent dimension. ■ It appears when you select an element constrained by a dimension. An element is constrained if it is referenced by a locked segment or is a reference in an equality dimension. If the lock is unlocked , the dimension value is modifiable and the element it references is free to move in any direction. You can click on the dimension value and change it. If the lock is locked , the dimension value is fixed, preventing any change to the distance between its referenced components. You cannot click on the dimension value to change it. Selected dimension with locked and unlocked controls Dimension Locking | 145
- 174. Clicking on the lock switches it between the locked and unlocked state. Once a dimension is locked, you must unlock it to change its value. TIP You can also switch the locked and unlocked status of the lock by right-clicking on it and choosing Toggle Lock from the menu. Anchor Symbol Switches which element remains stationary. Create a multisegmented dimension and set it to equal. 1 Select one of the elements it references. An anchor symbol appears near the dimension. Equality dimension with selected element shown in red 2 Move the selected element. The element accompanied by the anchor does not move. 3 Click the anchor to switch its position to another referenced element. Now that element does not move. NOTE If you select a different element, this has the effect of switching the position of the anchor too. Showing Elements Related by Constraints In large-scale projects with many dimensions and alignments, it can be hard to distinguish which locks refer to which element. In the document window, right-click on a lock and choose Show Related from the menu. The appropriate element highlights and a dialog appears. In the dialog the element is identified. Click the arrow buttons to switch between the elements constrained by the lock. Dimension Command The Dimension command lets you place permanent dimensions on components in your project or family. You can choose from linear, radial, or angular permanent dimensions. When you create a permanent dimension, a lock appears on the dimension line. When you first place the dimension, it is unlocked. In the unlocked position, the dimension is modifiable. For example, if you set a dimension between two walls and move one of the walls, the dimension changes. In the locked position, the dimension is fixed. If you then moved the wall as in the previous example, the other wall would move with it, maintaining the fixed distance. Dimension Properties Before placing any dimensions in Revit Structure, you may want to edit the properties for dimensions and predefine aligned, linear, radial, and angular dimensions. 146 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 175. Aligned Dimensions You can place aligned dimensions between two or more orthogonal references or two or more points, such as wall ends. 1 On the Drafting menu, click Dimension, or click Dimension on the Drafting or Basics tabs of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, click . 3 If creating a dimension with walls, select a value for Prefer, which sets a snap point for the cursor. The choices are Wall centerlines, Wall faces, Center of core, and Faces of core. For example, if you select Prefer wall centerlines, the cursor first snaps to the centerline of a wall when you place it over the wall. 4 Select Individual References for Pick. 5 Place the cursor at a reference point on an element, such as a wall. The reference point highlights if you can place the dimension there. TIP You can cycle through the different reference points for walls by pressing TAB. Intersections of internal wall layer boundaries now provide a new references for aligned dimensioning. A grey square reference will display at any intersection of internal wall layers. 6 Click to specify the reference. 7 Place the cursor on the desired location of the next reference point, and click. As you move the cursor, a dimension line appears. You can continue to select multiple references, if desired. 8 When you have reached the last reference point, move the cursor away from the last component and click. The permanent aligned dimension appears. Automatic Aligned Dimensions with Walls With automatic aligned dimensions, you can place a dimension on a wall with one click, eliminating the need to pick all references. You can dimension an entire wall, a wall with intersecting walls, or a wall with openings. 1 On the Drafting menu, click Dimension, or click Dimension from the Drafting or Basics tabs of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, click . 3 On the Options Bar, select Entire Walls for Pick. 4 Place the cursor on a wall so that the wall highlights, and click. If desired, continue to highlight other walls to add them to the dimension string. 5 Move the cursor away from the wall(s) so that a dimension line displays. 6 Click to place the dimension. Auto dimension options 7 To dimension a wall and its intersecting walls: ■ Click Options next to the Pick menu on the Options Bar. ■ In the Auto Dimension Options dialog, select Intersecting Walls, and click OK. ■ When you select a wall to place a dimension, a multisegmented dimension string displays automatically. 8 To dimension a wall and its openings: ■ Click Options next to the Pick menu on the Options Bar. ■ In the Auto Dimension Options dialog, select Openings. Aligned Dimensions | 147
- 176. ■ Select either Centers or Widths to set the references for the openings, and click OK. If you select Centers, the dimension string uses the openings center as a reference. If you choose Widths, the dimension string measures the width of the opening. 9 To dimension a wall and its intersecting grids: ■ Click Options next to the Pick menu on the Options Bar. ■ In the Auto Dimension Options dialog, select Intersecting Grids. ■ When you select a wall to place a dimension, the multisegmented dimension string displays automatically and references the perpendicular grids that intersect the wall centerline. NOTE If a grid line is coincident with another wall reference point, for example, the wall end point, then a witness line is not created for the grid. This avoids the creation of zero length dimension segments. Aligned Dimensions with Arc Wall Centers You can place aligned dimensions from the center of arc walls to other walls or lines. To do this, you place dimensions at a "+" symbol that appears at the center of the arc wall. 1 After sketching the arc wall, select the wall and click . 2 Find the property Center mark visible in the list of Instance Properties and select its check box. 3 If desired, modify the size of the center mark by clicking in the Value field next to the property Center mark size. Enter a value; you do not have to enter the unit. 4 Click OK. A plus sign appears at the center of the arc wall. 5 Click Dimension, and highlight the + symbol. Click to start the dimension. 6 Place the dimension between the arc wall center and any other component you wish to dimension. NOTE By default the arc center mark is invisible. You can dimension to it without displaying it by moving the pointer near the center of the arc wall until the arc center mark highlights. Arc center marks are only visible in a plan view. Linear Dimensions Linear dimensions are placed between selected points, and the dimensions are aligned to either the horizontal or vertical axis of the view. The selected points are endpoints of elements or the intersection of references, for example, the join of two walls. Linear dimensions are available in the project environment only. You cannot create them in the Family Editor. 1 On the Drafting menu, click Dimension, or click Dimension on the Drafting or Basics tabs of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, click . 3 Place the cursor at a reference point on an element, such as a wall or a line, or at the intersection of references, such as a join between two walls. The reference point highlights if you can place the dimension there. You can switch through the different reference points of intersections by pressing TAB. 148 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 177. TIP To place an aligned dimension on a non-orthogonal wall, TAB until you see “Intersection of the two wall layer boundaries”. Repeat the procedure on the opposite end of the wall you would like to dimension. 4 Click to specify the reference. 5 Place the cursor on the desired location of the next reference point, and click. As you move the cursor, a dimension line appears. You can continue to select multiple references, if desired. 6 After selecting a second reference point, press SPACEBAR to align the dimension to either the vertical or horizontal axis. 7 When you have reached the last reference point, move the cursor away from the last element, and click. The linear dimension displays. The following illustration shows the difference between an aligned and a linear dimension at the same reference points. Linear Dimensions | 149
- 178. The following illustration shows horizontal and vertical linear dimensions on an irregular-shaped building. Witness Line Control Click the blue control that appears on the witness line of aligned or linear dimensions to switch the position of a witness line between a wall centerline and the wall faces. The control appears after you select the dimension or while the dimension editor is active and you just placed the dimension. Moving Witness Line to New Reference ■ Click on the control and drag it a different point. ■ Right-click on the witness line control and select Move Witness Line from the pop-up menu. You can then move the witness line to a new reference point. Radial Dimensions 1 From the Drafting menu, choose Dimension or click Dimension from the Drafting or Basics tabs of the Design Bar. 2 Click on the Options Bar. 3 Place the pointer on the arc and click. A temporary dimension appears. TIP You can switch the reference point for the dimension between a wall face and a wall centerline while placing the dimension by pressing the TAB key. 4 Click again to place the permanent dimension. The dimension is now permanent. 150 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 179. Changing Radial Dimension References on Arcs You can change the reference of an existing radial dimension from one arc to another, provided the new arc is concentric with the original arc.Select a radial dimension. A blue square drag control appears at the end of the dimension. Drag the control to another arc. A valid concentric arc highlights when you place the pointer over it. Angular Dimensions Angular dimensions can be placed on multiple reference points sharing a common intersection. You can not drag the dimension arc to display a full circle. 1 From the Drafting menu, choose Dimension or click Dimension from the Drafting or Basics tabs of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, click . 3 Place the pointer on a component and click to create a start point for the dimension. TIP You can switch the reference point for the dimension between a wall face and a wall centerline while placing the dimension by pressing the TAB key. 4 Place the pointer on a component not parallel to the first and click. TIP You can select multiple reference points for the dimension. Each element you are dimensioning must pass through a common point. For example, to create a multiple-reference angular dimension among four walls, each of the four walls must pass through a common point. 5 Drag the pointer to size the angular dimension. Choose the sector where you want the dimension to appear: Wall join with four distinct sectors 6 When sized properly, click to place. Arc Lengths You can dimension arc walls to obtain the overall length of the wall. You first select a radial point on the arc and then select the endpoints of the arc. 1 On the Drafting menu, click Dimension or click Dimension from the Drafting or Basics tabs of the Design Bar. 2 On the Options Bar, select . 3 Next to the Arc Length option, select an option from the drop-down menu to which the pointer will snap. For example, choose Prefer wall faces to have the pointer snap to the inside or outside wall face. This will aid you in selecting the radial point. 4 Place the cursor on the arc and click to select the radial point. Changing Radial Dimension References on Arcs | 151
- 180. 5 Select the end points of the arc and move the cursor up and away from the arc wall. 6 Click to place the arc length dimension. Dimension CommandTips ■ To delete a witness line while placing a dimension or editing a dimension, select the component that the witness line is referencing. For example, click a wall with the dimension tool active to place a dimension; click the wall again at the same point and the witness line is deleted. To delete a line while editing dimensions, click Edit Witness Lines from the right-click menu, click on the component where the witness line starts and click away from the witness line to delete it. See “Modifying Dimensions” on page 156. ■ You can use arcs as references when placing linear dimensions, provided one of the references of the linear dimension is on a straight element. Witness lines appear tangent to the arc. ■ To view a dimension value after placing it, select one of the components it references. See “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270. ■ If you want to dimension to the structural layer of a wall at an insert, be sure that the cut plane offset of the view is set at or lower than the cut plane offset of the insert family. If you want to dimension to the structural layer of a wall at an insert, be sure that the cut plane offset of the insert family is not below the cut plane offset of the view in which it is being inserted. Custom Dimension Units When you create a project, Revit Structure by default assigns specific units and accuracy to dimension styles. You can apply custom unit and accuracy settings to dimension styles that override the default settings. For example, in an Imperial project you can create a dimension style with a metric unit. Custom dimension styles are available for linear, radial, and angular dimensions. Setting the Custom Unit 1 Select Dimension from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar or choose Dimension from the Drafting menu. 2 Click the appropriate dimension command from the Options Bar. For example, if you want to apply custom accuracy to a linear dimension, click the linear dimension command. 3 Click . 4 Click Edit/New. 5 Click Duplicate. Type a name for the new dimension style and click OK. 6 Find the Units Format parameter and click the button next to it. 7 Clear the Use project settings check box. 8 Select an appropriate unit from the Units drop-down menu. 9 From the Rounding drop-down menu, select an appropriate value. If you choose Custom from the menu, enter a value in the Rounding increment text box. 10 If applicable, select a Unit suffix from the drop-down menu. 11 Click OK. 12 Click OK twice to exit the dimension properties. 152 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 181. Spot Elevation Spot elevations are dimension elements that display the elevation of a selected point. You can place them in plan, elevation, and 3D views. They are typically used to obtain a point of elevation for ramps, roads, toposurfaces, and stair landings. Spot elevations share the same properties as dimensions. Placing a Spot Elevation 1 From the Drafting menu, choose Spot Dimension or click Spot Dimension from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 2 From the Type Selector, choose the type of spot elevation to place. 3 On the Options Bar, select Spot Elevation. 4 Select an edge of an element or select a point on a toposurface. 5 If you are placing a spot elevation without a leader, click to place it. 6 If you are placing a spot elevation with a leader, move the pointer away from the element. Click once to place the leader elbow. Move the pointer again and then click to place the spot elevation. 7 To finish placing spot elevations, click Modify. If you select a spot elevation after placing it, you can move it around using the drag controls. If you delete an element that is referenced or turn off its visibility, the spot elevation goes away. To modify the appearance of the spot elevation, select it and click . Changing Elevation Reporting A spot elevation can report elevations relative to project origin, shared origin, or a specified level. 1 Place a spot elevation. 2 Select it and click . Click Edit/New to go to the Type Properties. 3 Set the value of the base parameter. For more information about the values, see “Spot Elevation Type Properties” on page 154. 4 If you set the elevation to Relative, click OK and set the value for the Relative Base instance parameter. Changing Spot Elevation Arrowhead Style 1 From the Settings menu, choose Annotations, Arrowheads. 2 From the Type drop-down menu, choose Filled Elevation Target. 3 Set the value of Arrow Style to Elevation Target. 4 If desired, select Fill Tick. If you select this option, the arrowhead looks like the filled elevation symbol: . If you do not select this option, the arrowhead is a crosshairs symbol: . 5 Click OK. 6 Place a spot elevation. 7 Select the spot elevation, click and click Edit/New. Spot Elevation | 153
- 182. 8 Select the Target w/Leader spot elevation type. 9 Set the value of Leader Arrowhead to Filled Elevation Target. NOTE The Filled Elevation Target type is available for other annotations, such as text note leaders. Spot ElevationType Properties DescriptionValueName Changes the look of the symbol head with the spot elevation. Filled CrosshairSymbol If the origin value is set to project, then the elevation reported is with respect to the project origin. If set to shared, then the elevation reported is with respect to the shared origin. If the base value is set to relative, then the elevation reported is with respect to the level in the Relative Base instance parameter. You can change the shared origin by Relocating the Project. See “Relocating and Rotating a Project” on page 507. Project Shared Relative Elevation Origin A text string you enter with the spot elevation. Can either be displayed as a prefix or suffix. user-definedElevation Indicator Specifies placement of the elevation indicator.Prefix Suffix Indicator as Prefix / Suffix If selected, spot elevation includes a leader line. When not selected, no leader line appears. Check boxLeader Sets the appearance of the leader arrowhead. The value None removes the arrowhead. To define an arrowhead, see Settings, Annotations, Arrowheads. See “Annotations” on page 531. Can be None or any of the available typesLeader Arrowhead Sets the weight of the leader line. The higher the value, the thicker the line. 1-16Leader Line Weight Sets the arrowhead line weight. The higher the value, the thicker the arrowhead line. 1-16Leader Arrowhead Line Weight Sets the size of the elevation text.user-definedText Size Offsets the text vertically from the leader line.user-definedText Offset from Leader Offsets the text horizontally from the leader line. A larger positive value moves the text to the left. A negative value moves the text to the right. user-definedText Offset from Symbol Flips the position of the text between above or below the dimension line. Horizontal Above Horizontal Below Text Orientation Sets the font for the elevation text.user-definedText Font Sets the background for the text. With opaque the background of the text itself covers objects behind it. Transparent allows you to see objects behind the text. Opaque Transparent Text Background Click button to open color picker. Sets the color of the spot elevation. user-definedColor Click button to open Format dialog. Clear the Use Project Settings option and set the appropriate values. user-definedUnits Format 154 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 183. Spot Elevation Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Add a prefix to the text.user-definedPrefix Adds a suffix to the text.user-definedSuffix The actual elevation value reported.read-onlyValue The level from which the elevation is reported.user-definedRelative Base Dimensioning to Core in Compound Structures When constructing a compound wall with inserts, builders often want to know the dimensions of unfinished structural openings for the inserts. You can dimension a structural opening by choosing references on the outer boundary of the core layer in the wall. The structural layer is typically within the core boundary of a wall. Inserts can be either perpendicular or non-perpendicular to the core boundary. Dimensioning to Core To dimension to core in a compound structure, do the following: 1 Draw a compound wall and place an insert into the wall. 2 To view the layers of the wall, set the Detail Level of the view to Medium or Fine. 3 Access the wall's type properties and set the Wrapping at Inserts property to Both. 4 Click Dimension from the Design Bar. From the drop-down menu on the Options Bar, choose Prefer faces of core. 5 Choose the outer core boundary as the references for the dimension. Dimension references for perpendicular insert Dimension references for non-perpendicular insert Spot Elevation Instance Properties | 155
- 184. Modifying Dimensions Revit Structure gives you the capability to customize the look of your dimensions. Changing a DimensionValue To change a permanent dimension value, you must first select a component that the dimension references. For example, if you wish to change the value of a linear dimension between two straight walls, select one of the walls to make the dimension value editable. Controlling Witness Line Gaps and Placement By selecting a linear dimension, you can control its distance from the element it is referencing and the reference point for the dimension. 1 Create a linear dimension between two or more elements, for example, between two walls. See “Aligned Dimensions” on page 147. 2 Select a dimension line. Blue controls appear on the witness line(s). 3 Place the cursor on one of the blue square controls at the end of the witness line and drag to resize the gap between the witness line and the element. If desired, select other controls to resize the dimension gap. Parallel dimension lines snap to the same gaps. TIP As you move the element referenced by the dimension line, the distance of the gap remains constant. 4 Place the cursor on one of the blue square controls in the middle of the witness line and drag to move the witness line to another element. Moving Dimension LineText At times in your design, dimensions may appear so close to one another that readability and comprehension suffers. Revit Structure allows you to drag text away from the dimension line to improve clarity. 1 Select any part of dimension, for example a witness line. The witness lines highlight and square blue controls appear. 156 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 185. 2 Place the cursor on the blue handle below the dimension text. Drag the handle away from the dimension lines. Revit Structure moves the text away from the dimension line. If the dimension text crosses the path of one of the witness lines of the dimension, and it does not cross the center of the dimension segment it is on, an arc leader line appears. You can turn off the leader by clearing the Leader check box option from the Options Bar. 3 To return the dimension text to its original position, drag the handle back toward the dimension line, and it will snap to its original position. NOTE The dimension text controls are available only on permanent dimensions. MovingTemporary Dimension Witness Lines As you place building components into your project, temporary dimensions appear on the components. You can control witness line placement the same way as permanent dimensions. See “Controlling Witness Line Gaps and Placement” on page 156. Right-click Menu If you place the cursor on top of the Drag Witness Line Control and right-click, a context menu appears. The menu allows you to select several commands you can perform on the lines. The commands include Move Witness Line, Delete Witness Line, and Edit Length. You can click to bring up the Element Properties dialog. The right-click menu also allows you to change the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Annotation Symbols Creating an Annotation Symbol Family You create annotation symbol families by choosing the family category with which you want to associate the symbol, sketching the symbol, and applying values to its properties. Some annotation families are for tag purposes; others are generic annotations used for varying purposes. Before reading this topic, you should familiarize yourself with families by reading “Family Editor Basics” on page 52. Moving Temporary Dimension Witness Lines | 157
- 186. The following procedure is a general procedure for creating an annotation symbol. Your steps may differ based on design intent. 1 On the File menu, click New ➤ Annotation Symbol. 2 In the dialog, select the Annotation Symbol template for your project and click OK. The templates are all very similar. Some may already have predefined properties and values. Revit Structure opens the Family Editor. 3 From the Settings menu, choose Family Category and Parameters. See “Family Category and Parameters” on page 89. 4 From the dialog, choose a category, such as generic annotations. 5 Set the Family Parameters and click OK. NOTE Family parameter options vary depending on family category. 6 From the Design Bar, click Label. 7 In the Type Selector, select the label type. 8 In the Options Bar, select the vertical and horizontal justification. 9 In the drawing area, click the position the tag: for example, in a generic model tag template, place the pointer at the intersection of the two reference planes. 10 In the Select Parameter dialog, under Parameters, select the parameter you want in the label. If necessary, you can add a new parameter. If you select a numerical or dimension value, you can specify the formatting of the value. 11 Click OK. 12 To modify the placement of the label, select Modify, select the label, and drag it to the new location. Specify sample text 13 Select the label, and on the Options Bar, click the Properties button. 14 In the Element Properties dialog, under Other, enter a value for Sample Text, and click OK. 15 Next, sketch the shape of the tag symbol, such as a circle. Click Lines and choose a sketching command. See “Sketching Options” on page 36. 16 Save the annotation. See “Save” on page 566. NOTE Generic annotations have multiple leader options when loaded into a project. Note Blocks Note blocks are schedules that can list all instances of annotations that are members of the Generic Annotation category only. See “Creating an Annotation Symbol Family” on page 157. Note blocks are useful for listing notes that are applied to elements in your project. For example, you might want to attach a note to several walls and that note might have a building description for each of the walls. Revit Structure includes two predefined generic annotation families that you can use to tag elements and include in note blocks: keynote.rfa and revision tag.rfa. Both are available in the Annotations folder for Revit Structure families. 1 Load the generic annotation family(ies) into your project and place them where desired. Be sure to enter meaningful information in the parameter values for the annotation. For example, type some comments for the Description parameter. 2 On the View menu, click New ➤ Note Block. 3 In the New Note Block dialog, select a generic annotation from the family pane, for example a keynote. 158 | Chapter 6 Annotating and Detailing
- 187. 4 If desired, rename the Note Block in the Note block name text box. 5 Click OK. 6 From the Note Block Properties dialog, select the parameters in the Available fields: pane you wish to set and then click Add to add them to the Scheduled fields: pane. 7 Fill in any information in the additional Note Block properties tabs. For more information about the tabs, see “Schedule Properties Tabs” on page 435. 8 Click OK when finished. Note Blocks | 159
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- 190. Structural Families Revit Structure provides predefined structural families that you can use to begin your model, or for creating new families that better describe your design. For information on how to create new types in existing structural families, see “Creating Family Types” on page 57 and “Adding a Type to a Family” on page 68. For information on how to create a new structural family, see “Creating a Truss Family” on page 103. When you load structural families, Revit Structure provides a type catalog to assist you with the type selection process. See “Loading a Family with a Type Catalog” on page 564. You can sort through the catalog and load only the specific structural family type that is required for your project. This decreases the length of the Type Selector drop-down list when selecting structural types and streamlines component selection. After you load the family type, it is saved with the project. Loading Structural Families 1 On the File menu, click Load from Library ➤ Load Family. 2 Navigate to the Structural directory, or click Web Library to open the web-based library of Revit Structure families. 3 Select a structural family file (family files have a .rfa extension). In the lower-left corner, the type catalog is populated with family types. 4 In the Type column of the type catalog, select the family type or types to load. You can select multiple types by holding CTRL during selection. You can also filter the list of types by selecting specific parameters from the drop-down list at the top of each column. 5 Click Open. Placing a family instance in your model 6 On the Type Selector on the Options Bar, select a component type, and place the component in the drawing area. SettingTop of Structural System You may set your top of structural system at any elevation relative to a level. 1 Assume that top of finished floor is at the level elevation. 2 Create a steel framing plan with a composite deck type similar to the one shown at the Level elevation. 3 Select all beams. 162 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 191. 4 Right click, and click Properties. 5 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Constraints, specify a Geometry Offset value that sets your framing system to the desired elevation below top of finished floor. 6 Repeat this process for the slab, modifying the Height Offset from Level. Structural Columns You add structural columns in a structural plan or 3D view by placing them individually, or by using a grid to add columns to selected grid intersections. You edit top and bottom column elevations to the requirements of your model. You can also place structural columns inside architectural columns. In addition to having the same properties as architectural columns, structural columns also have other additional properties as defined by engineering standards. You should set up a grid before adding structural columns; all structural components will snap to grid lines. For instructions, see “Grid” on page 114. For a description of structural column properties, see “Structural Column Properties” on page 311. For information on how to tag columns in plan, see “Structural Component Tags” on page 193. Placing Individual Columns 1 On the Modelling menu, click Structural ➤ Structural Column, or on the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Structural Column. 2 If a structural column family has not been previously loaded, Revit Structure prompts you to load one. Load a structural column family or create one in place by selecting Create in Place on the Options Bar. For information on how to load a structural component family, see “Loading Structural Families” on page 162. 3 In the Type Selector, select a column type. 4 To rotate the column after placement, select Rotate after placement on the Options Bar. 5 On the Options Bar: ■ Click to set column parameters. ■ Select either Height or Depth from the drop-down menu. ■ Select a level, or set to Unconnected. If a level is selected, the column’s base or top extends to that level. If Unconnected is selected, enter a value for height or depth in the text box next. This value is relative to the current level. Structural Columns | 163
- 192. 6 To place a single column, place the cursor over a grid intersection, and click that intersection. NOTE You can also place the column without snapping to a grid intersection. RELATED You can place multiple columns at once with the Grid Intersection tool. See “Placing Columns at Grid Intersections” on page 164. Adding Structural Columns Inside Architectural Columns If architectural columns are present in your model, you can place structural columns within architectural columns. Structural columns snap to the centers of the architectural columns. When adding columns, typically you line them up by selecting a grid line or a wall. If you randomly place them and then want to align them, click the Align command on the Tools menu, and select the columns to align. In the middle of the columns you see two perpendicular reference planes that can be selected. Placing Columns at Grid Intersections You can place columns at grid intersections by selecting grid lines individually or by using a pick box to select multiple grids. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Structural ➤ Structural Column, or on the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Structural Column. 2 If a structural column family has not been previously loaded, Revit Structure prompts you to load one. Load a structural column family or create one in place by selecting Create in Place on the Options Bar. For information on how to Load a Structural Component Family, see “Loading Structural Families” on page 162. 3 In the Type Selector, select a column type. 4 On the Options Bar: ■ Click to set column parameters. ■ Select either Height or Depth from the drop-down menu. ■ Select a level, or set to Unconnected. If a level is selected, the column’s base or top extends to that level. If Unconnected is selected, enter a value for height or depth in the text box next. This value is relative to the current level. 5 Select the grid intersections where you want the columns placed. You can use a pick box as shown to pick multiple grid lines. 164 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 193. As you select intersections, the columns display. 6 Press SPACEBAR to rotate the columns to the desired orientation. Placing Columns at Grid Intersections | 165
- 194. 7 To add other columns to grid intersections, hold CTRL , and drag other pick boxes. 8 When you are done placing columns, click Finish on the Options Bar. NOTE After you click Finish, these structural columns function as a set independent of other structural columns you may add. For example, if you rotate other columns, this set of columns does not rotate. Structural Walls The structural wall family type in Revit Structure has four possible structural usage options: Non-bearing, Bearing, Shear, and Structural Combined. You create a wall by sketching the centerline of the wall in a plan view or 3D view. Revit Structure creates thickness, height, and other wall parameters based on the properties that are set in the wall family type. When the wall is created, the elevation of the top of the wall is the current level, and the elevation of the bottom of wall results from the Base Offset value. A structural wall differs from non-structural walls by its Structural Usage instance parameter. When you add a structural wall, Revit Structure sets the Wall Instance Parameter, Structural Usage, to Bearing. You can change this parameter by selecting the wall and then accessing the instance parameters of the wall. The Structural Usage options are: Use for rigid planar surfaces that inherently resist lateral thrusts of shear.Shear Walls that support a vertical load in addition to their own weight.Bearing Walls that support no vertical load except their own weight (used to define and divide spaces).Non Bearing Walls that serve more than one purpose.Structural Combined Creating a Structural Wall 1 On the Modelling menu, click Structural ➤ Structural Wall, or on the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Structural Wall. 2 In the Type Selector, select a wall type. 3 Click . Modify the type parameters of the wall to be placed by clicking the Edit/New button in the Element Properties dialog box. 166 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 195. For a description of structural wall parameters, see “Structural Wall Properties” on page 313. 4 On the Options Bar. ■ Select either Height or Depth from the list box. ■ Select a level or Unconnected. ■ If you select Unconnected, enter the Height or Depth in the text box. This value is relative to the current level. ■ In the Loc Line drop-down list, specify the location of wall. ■ Select chain if you want to create a series of walls. ■ Specify a drawing tool. ■ If you want the wall offset from the line you draw or pick, specify the offset value. ■ When drawing a circular wall, you can specify the radius of the circle. Sketch the wall 5 Sketch the shape of the wall. If walls do not appear after you draw them, you may need to lower the view depth or create a foundation level to use as an underlay for the current level. See “View Range” on page 455 and “View Properties” on page 452. To edit walls, see “Modifying Walls” on page 368 and “Split Walls and Lines” on page 292. To create arc walls, see “Arc Walls” on page 215. For information on walls and hidden lines, see “Display of Hidden Lines of Structural Concrete Components” on page 419. To add openings to walls, see “Cutting Rectangular Openings in Walls” on page 382. Beams Structural Usage of Beams Revit Structure determines the Structural Usage Property of a beam automatically, based on which structural elements you are connecting. The line style for a beam changes based on its structural usage. You can change their structural usage before or after placing beams. This parameter can be included in a structural framing schedule, allowing you to get totals for girders, joists, purlins, and horizontal bracing. The value of the structural usage parameter also determines the line style of the beam in a coarse-scale plan view. You can attach beams to any other structural element, including structural walls. The beams join to structural bearing walls if the Structural Usage parameter of the wall is set to Bearing, Shear, or Structural combined. If a beam end resides on a structural wall, the Beam End Pocket Seat parameter displays in the Element Properties dialog box. Enable this check box if the beam is bearing supported by the wall. When selected, the beam graphics extend to the centerline of the bearing wall. The following table lists the available Structural Usage choices for beams, based on which elements are being connected. OtherPurlinJoistGirderHorizontal Bracing BraceColumn- OtherPurlinJoistGirderHorizontal Bracing OtherGirderWall OtherPurlinJoistGirderHorizontal Bracing OtherGirderColumn OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherBrace OtherHorizontal Bracing Horizontal BracingHorizontal Bracing Horizontal Bracing Horizontal Brace Beams | 167
- 196. OtherPurlinJoistGirderHorizontal Bracing BraceColumn- OtherPurlinJoistJoistGirder OtherPurlinPurlinJoist OtherPurlinPurlin OtherOther For the properties of Beams, see “Beam Properties” on page 315. Adding Beams You should add beams after adding grids and columns. If you are adding a beam to a plan view, be sure to set the bottom clip plane below the current level; otherwise, the beam is not visible in the view. For more information on setting the bottom clip plane, see “View Range” on page 455. You may also want to use a structural template, which has the appropriate view range and visibility settings. See “Structural Templates and Structural Analytical Templates” on page 31. You can add beams using one of the following methods: ■ sketch individual beams ■ create a chain of beams ■ select grid lines that lie between structural elements ■ create a beam system. See “Beam Systems” on page 172. Sketching individual beams 1 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Beam. 2 Load a structural beam family, if one has not been previously loaded. 3 In the Type Selector, select a beam type. 4 On the Options Bar, ■ click to set beam parameters. ■ select the beam's working plane. ■ Click a value from the Usage menu to set the structural usage of the beam or leave it as automatic 5 Sketch the beam by clicking the start and end point. The cursor snaps to other structural elements, such as the centroid of a column or the centerline of a wall when you sketch a beam. Look at the status bar to know where the cursor is snapping. Sketching beams with the chain option 6 When the chain tool is selected, Revit Structure supplies the endpoint of the last beam as the start point of the next beam. To sketch a chain of beams, proceed as when creating individual beams, and on the Options Bar, select Chain. Using the GridTool to Place Beams Using the Grid option, you can select grid lines to place beams automatically between other structural elements (columns, structural walls, and other beams). For example, you might have two structural columns located on a grid line. You can select the grid line, and the beam is created between the two columns. Beams are also added between columns and structural walls. 168 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 197. Sketching beams automatically with grid option 1 On the Basics tab of the Design Bar, click Beam. 2 In the Type Selector, specify the beam type and specify beam options on the Options Bar. 3 On the Options Bar, click Grid. In the image below, you can see assorted columns, a beam, and structural walls in a plan and 3D view. In this case, you can use the Grid tool to add the majority of the beams automatically. 4 Select a gridline along which you want to place a beam. You can hold the CTRL down and select multiple grids. In the image shown below, grids have been selected and beams have been added automatically between all columns, walls, and beams. 5 On the Options Bar, click Finish to place beams along the gridline. TIP You can also draw a pick box to select multiple grid lines. Adding Beams | 169
- 198. In the image below, notice how the beams were added between all columns, walls, and other supporting beams. The pre-existing beam was not cut by the beam perpendicular to it. When Revit Structure places beams along a grid line, it uses the following conditions: ■ Revit Structure scans all the possible supports that intersect the grid line: columns, walls, or beams. ■ If a wall is on the grid line, then Revit Structure does not place a beam in the wall but uses the ends of the wall as support. ■ If a beam intersects and crosses the grid line, that beam is considered to be an intermediate support, because this beam supports new beams created on the grid line. ■ If a beam intersects but does not cross the grid line, this beam is supported by a new beam created on the grid line. Sloped Beam Modelling If your project contains complex sloped members for which you need to add beams, you can match beams to uneven columns, roofs, slabs, or walls using the following procedure. 1 Select a beam that is connected to 2 structural members or warped model objects at different heights. 2 On the Options Bar, click . 3 In the Element Properties dialog, enter a value for the Start Level Offset instance parameter of the beam. 4 Enter a value for the End Level Offset instance parameter of the beam, and click OK. 5 Verify in a 3D or elevation view that you have entered the correct offset values. 170 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 199. Example of sloped beam modelling. NOTE A beam that has adjusted offset values will become disassociated or free from the current work plane. Likewise, any structural element attached to a sloped beam will also become free. Free elements can become attached to another work plane through the existing Edit Work Plane or Rehost buttons located on the Options Bar. 3D Snapping The 3D Snapping option allows you to create a new beam by snapping to other structural elements in any view. This means you can sketch beams outside of the current work plane. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Beam. 2 On the Options bar, click 3D Snapping. 3 Click any structural element to specfiy the start point for the beam. NOTE With 3D Snapping enabled, you can choose the exact end point of any structural element regardless of what plane the end point is in. 4 Click another structural element to specify the end point for the beam. Moment Symbols You display moment frame connections or cantilever connections by changing the moment parameters of a beam: Connection Start and Connection End. These parameters refer to the applicable beam endpoint. The available options for these parameters are, None, Moment Frame, or Cantilever Moment. Displaying a moment symbol 1 Right-click on a beam, and select Properties. 2 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Structural, select a value for Moment Connection Start or Moment Connection End, and click OK. Moment frame symbol made visible by use of moment connection parameter 3D Snapping | 171
- 200. Cantilever connection symbol made visible by use of moment connection parameter Beam Systems Structural beam systems create a number of parallel, equidistant beams that adapt to changes in the design. For the Properties of Beam Systems, See “Beam System Properties” on page 318. Example of a structural beam system and parametric adaptation after column is relocated Creating a Beam System You can create a structural beam system by selecting the structural supporting elements, such as girders and structural walls, or by sketching, using the drawing tools. For information on sketching and drawing tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. Creating a structural beam system 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Beam System. NOTE If One-Click mode starts, click on the Options Bar to enter Sketch mode. 2 Define the beam system boundary by picking supports or sketching lines. 3 Specify beam direction. 4 Specify beam system properties. 5 Click Finish Sketch. For information on Beam System Properties, see “Specifying Properties” on page 177. One-Click Beam System Beam systems can be created quickly and with one mouse click as long as the following conditions are met. ■ The one-click beam system can only be added in plan or ceiling view with a flat sketch plane. If the view or the default sketch plane is not a level and Beam System is clicked you are redirected to Sketch mode. 172 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 201. ■ There must be a closed loop of supporting elements (walls or beams) already drawn, or the program will automatically redirect you to sketch mode. WARNING Curved walls can be used to create a loop, but cannot be the direction defining members in the Beam System. One-click Beam System creation 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Beam System. 2 On the Options Bar, click on the Beam Type drop-down menu to choose a beam. NOTE If you entered the one-click feature accidentally or would like to sketch the beam system by hand, click the Sketch button located on the Options Bar to enter Sketch mode. 3 Click the Just drop-down menu to choose the position that the beam system will align to. 4 Click on the Layout drop-down menu and choose an option that will define how the beam system is created. Enter a number in the box that corresponds with the layout option you choose. 5 If the beam system will be sloped or uneven to the level you’re adding it to, select the 3D option. However, if you want the walls of the structure in your project to define the slope of the 3D beam system, select Walls Define Slope. 6 Move your mouse arrow to the structural members where you would like to add the beam system and click to add it. NOTE The beam system will align its direction based up the structural member you click nearest. For information on Beam System Properties, see “Specifying Properties” on page 177. Tagging Beam Systems Tags are available to tag the span of a beam system. Tags are placed perpendicular to the beam system. 1 Load a beam system tag into the project. There is a default beam system tag family called Structural Beam System Tag.rfa that is installed with Revit Structure. The family is available in the Structural folder under the Annotations folder of the loaded family library. 2 On the Drafting menu, click Beam System Tag, or click Beam System Tag on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 3 On the Type Selector, click the desired beam system tag type. 4 To place the tag automatically, select Auto place on the Options Bar. 5 Place the cursor on a beam system in the view to highlight it. 6 After highlighting the beam system, click to place the tag. If you selected Auto place, the tag is placed at the center of the beam system. Tagging Beam Systems | 173
- 202. If you did not select Auto place, move the cursor to the desired location on the beam system, and click to place it. NOTE The Structural Beam System Tag.rfa family includes a label that changes the beam spacing in the beam system. Click on the dimension value to change the beam spacing. To modify the position of the beam system tag, select the tag, and drag it. Defining the Boundary of a Beam System When sketching the boundary of a structural beam system, you should attempt to align and lock lines when possible. For example, you can align and lock the sketched line to a grid, a reference plane, or any structural element. This ensures that if the referenced element is moved, the beam system adapts to the change automatically. Once the beam system boundary is defined, the joists are placed inside the specified area according to the pattern specified in the beam system properties. Picking Supports as the Beam System Boundary Within a plan or 3D view, you can pick structural beams and walls to define the boundary of structural beam system. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Beam System. This activates sketch mode. The model component line style will display as underlay. 2 On the Design Bar, click Pick Supports. TIP The first support you select specifies the beam direction. The beams within the beam system will be parallel to this beam. You can modify this at any time while creating the beam system by selecting Beam Direction on the Design Bar. 3 Select the first support. A sketch line with two drag handles displays over the picked support. Two shorter parallel lines display on each side of the line; this indicates the beam direction. 174 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 203. First support selected 4 Pick the remaining lines that define the beam system boundary. NOTE The lines must result in a closed loop. Beam system with entire boundary selected After specifying the beam system boundary, you can: ■ Modify the Beam direction if necessary. For more information, see “Changing Beam Direction” on page 176. ■ Modify beam system properties if necessary. For information on changing beam system properties, see “Beam System Properties” on page 318. 5 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch to complete the beam system. Sketching the Beam System Boundary You can use the sketching tools to define a beam system. You can also use these tools to modify a beam system boundary created using the Pick Supports method. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Beam System. This activates sketch mode. 2 On the Design Bar, click Lines. TIP When using the Lines tool to sketch the beam system boundary, you should use locks to constrain the beam system boundary. The boundary will adjust if the supporting structure is relocated. The most reliable method of creating a beam system boundary is using Pick Supports. Defining the Boundary of a Beam System | 175
- 204. 3 Using the sketching tools available on the Options Bar, draw or pick the lines that define the beam system boundary. Sketched beam system boundary with lines locked to supports RELATED For more information, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. After specifying the beam system boundary, you can: ■ Modify the Beam direction if necessary. For setting beam direction, see “Changing Beam Direction” on page 176. ■ Modify beam system properties if necessary. 4 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch to complete the beam system. Changing Beam Direction 1 On the Design Bar, click Beam Direction Edge. 2 Select the sketch line you want all beams to be parallel to. Selected sketch line on left and resulting beam direction on right NOTE You can also sketch a single line that is not part of the beam system boundary definition and select it as the beam direction. 176 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 205. Reset Structural Beam System The Reset Structural Beam System tool recreates a beam system using the original beam system parameters. This tool can be used to undo changes to properties of individual beams in the system. After the beam system is reset, all beams in the system will have uniform parameters and be in the default locations. Specifically, the tools has the following effects: ■ Beams that have been unpinned and moved are returned to their original locations. ■ Beams that have been deleted from the system are restored. ■ Parameters that have been changed on individual beams (such as Beam Type, Offset, Angle) are reset. ■ If the sketch of a beam system is modified, the beams of a system will remain attached to their original supports until the beam system is reset. Using the Reset Structural Beam System tool 1 In the drawing area, click on the beam system you want to reset. 2 On the Options Bar, click Edit. 3 On the Design Bar, click . 4 Click Finish Sketch. Notice that the beam system has been reset. Specifying Properties Among the Properties of a Beam System that you specify are, number of beams, justification, beam type, spacing, and layout rule. Define beam system pattern 1 On the Design Bar, click Beam System Properties. 2 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Pattern, select a value for Layout Rule. Specify the layout rule: ■ Fixed Distance: This value allows you to specify the distance between beams based on the justification you specify. The number of beams in the beam system is calculated based on your selections. ■ Fixed Number: This value allows you to specify the number of beams within the beam system. The beams are evenly spaced and centered within the beam system. ■ Maximum Spacing: This value allows you to specify the maximum distance between beams. The quantity of beams required for the beam system is calculated automatically and centered within the beam system. Specify number of lines 3 Enter a value for the number of beams that you want in the beam system. This option is only active if you select the Fixed Number layout rule. Specify spacing 4 Enter a value representing the distance between each beam. This option is active if you select either of the following layout rules: Fixed Distance or Maximum Spacing. Reset Structural Beam System | 177
- 206. Specify justification 5 Select the justification type from the drop-down list. This value determines the placement of the first beam in the system and each subsequent beam is spaced a fixed distance from that point. This option is active only if you select the Fixed Distance Layout rule. ■ Beginning In a plan view, this places the first beam at the top or to the left of the beam system. ■ End In a plan view, this places the first beam at the bottom or the right of the beam system. ■ Center The places the first beam in the center of the beam system and spaces beams at a fixed distance on each side. Specify beam type 6 Select a value for the Beam Type used in the beam system. NOTE This is the same list available in the Type Selector. If the beam you require is not listed, load the beam into the project before specifying the beam type within the beam system. 7 Click OK. Cantilevered Beam System You can use the beam system family to create various beam systems for bays of varying geometry, including arced, polygonal, and cantilevered. The following example provides a method for creating a cantilevered beam system. Begin with a bay that is similar to the one shown in the illustration. of a partial plan view. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Beam System. 178 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 207. 2 Click Pick Supports to select the beam system boundary or Lines to sketch the beam system boundary. 3 When the boundary has been created, click Finish Sketch. The cantilevered beam system will appear as shown. 4 Select the cantilevered beams and their backspans. Right-click, and click Properties. 5 Use the down arrow next to Moment Connection Start or Moment Connection End as appropriate, to add the moment connection symbol for Cantilevered Moment. The symbol is displayed as shown in the illustration. Cantilevered Beam System | 179
- 208. Vertical Bracing You can add braces in a plan view or framing elevation view. Braces adjust to beams and columns and adjust to changes in the building design. AddingVertical Bracing Like beams, you create vertical bracing by snapping the cursor to another structural element for startpoint selection, and then snapping to another structural element for endpoint selection. You can add braces in a plan view or in framing elevation views. Adding a brace in an elevation view 1 Open a framing elevation view. 2 If necessary, load in additional braces from the Structural/Framing folder under the Library folder. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 3 On the Modelling menu, click Structural ➤ Brace, or on the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Brace. 4 In the Type Selector, choose the appropriate brace. 5 On the Options Bar, click to edit brace parameters. 6 Place the cursor in the drawing area, highlight the snapping point where you want to begin the brace, such as at column, and click to set a start point. 7 Move the cursor in a diagonal direction to sketch the brace, and place the cursor near another structural element to snap it. Click to place the end point. NOTE It is important to have the Work Plane set correctly when drawing bracing in elevation. If your bracing is not visible after you place it, it may be that your current Work Plane is not set in the plane of the brace. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44 for information that will help you to ensure that the Work Plane is set correctly for the placing of your element. Sample brace framing in elevation view Adding a brace in a plan view 8 Open a plan view. 9 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Brace. 10 On the Options Bar, specify the Start Level and offset distance, and the End Level and offset distance. 180 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 209. 11 Click the start point and the end point of the brace. NOTE For information on how to change the appearance of braces in plan view, see “Structural Settings” on page 410. Controlling Brace Attachments After adding a brace element, you can modify the brace Properties to control how the brace maintains position along a beam. Each brace endpoint can be maintained positionally with a beam by either a Distance or a length Ratio from the beam end points. If you modify the position or length of the attached beam, the brace adapts to the change depending on the brace settings you select. Brace Property Terminology ■ Start Attachment Type ■ Start Attachment Distance or Ratio ■ End of Referenced Element ■ End Attachment Type ■ End Attachment Distance or Ratio ■ End of Reference Element Brace Attachment Properties Modify Brace Properties 1 Select a brace. 2 On the Options Bar, click the Properties button. Specify attachment parameters 3 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Structural, select the Start Attachment Type. Start attachment type options ■ Distance: If the brace start point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the distance between the nearest end of the beam and the brace start point. Controlling Brace Attachments | 181
- 210. After selecting this option, enter a value for Start Attachment Distance Property. If the brace start point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. ■ Ratio: If the brace start point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the percentage along the beam where the start point is placed. For example, 0.5 would place the start point half way between each end of the attached beam. After selecting this option, enter a value for Start Attachment Ratio Property. If the brace start point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. End of Referenced Element 4 Select a value for End of Referenced Element Property. This specifies at which end of the Referenced Element (the beam), the Distance or Ratio is measured from. NOTE If the brace end is attached to a column or a wall, you can set the level and offset to specify the height of the point. 5 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, select the End Attachment Type. End Attachment Type options ■ Distance: If the brace end point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the distance between the nearest end of the beam and the brace end point. After selecting this option, enter a value for End Attachment Distance. If the brace end point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. ■ Ratio: If the brace end point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the percentage along the beam where the end point is placed. For example, 0.5 would place the end point half way between each end of the attached beam. After selecting this option, enter a value for End Attachment Ratio. If the brace start point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. End of Referenced Element 6 Select a value for End of Referenced Element Property. This specifies where on the Referenced Element (the beam), the Distance or Ratio is measured from. NOTE If the brace end is attached to a column or a wall, you can set the level and offset to specify the height of the point. Slab The Revit Structure Slab Family provides basic types for the creation of slabs and decks. You can create additional slab and deck types for your model. For information on Revit Structure Families and Types, see “Family Types” on page 67. You may coordinate your structural slab system with the architectural floor of a model. For an explanation of this concept as applied in Revit Structure, see “Setting Top of Structural System” on page 162. 182 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 211. Adding a Slab or Deck You create slabs and decks by sketching them. You can sketch lines for the slab edges by picking walls or by using the Lines command in the sketch editor. You typically want to sketch a floor in a plan view, although you can sketch it in a 3D view, provided the work plane of the 3D view is set to the work plane in which you want to place the slab. Top of slab is offset relative the Level at which it is placed. For information on Height Offset from Level and other Slab parameters, see “Slab Properties” on page 323. For information on slabs and hidden lines, see “Display of Hidden Lines of Structural Concrete Components” on page 419. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Slab. 2 On the Options bar, click . 3 In the Element Properties dialog box, specify slab Type, and click OK. 4 Option 1 ■ Click Pick Walls, and select the walls in your model. On the Options Bar: ■ check Extend into wall if you want the offset to be measured from the wall's core. ■ specify an offset for the slab edges by clicking in the Offset text box. Option 2 ■ Click Lines, and use the sketch tools to form the boundary of the slab. The sketch must form a closed loop or boundary condition. See “Sketching Options” on page 36. 5 On the Sketch tab, click Finish Sketch. NOTE To add openings to a slab, see “Cutting Openings in Slabs or Decks” on page 186. Foundation SlabType A Foundation Slab is a structural concrete element created in the same way a standard structural slab is. A Foundation Slab provides an analytical support for other structural members attached to it when member supports are checked. See “Support and Analytical Consistency Checks” on page 631. Foundation Slabs may be used to model slabs on grade, which do not require support from other structural elements. Foundation slabs may also be used to model complex foundation shapes that cannot be created using Isolated or Wall Foundation tools. The Structural Usage parameter of a Foundation slab may be set to Foundation or Slab on Grade. If set to Foundation, the slab will provide support for other elements connected to it. If set to Slab on Grade, the slab will only support itself. The Foundation Slab Type also has an additional, read-only parameter, Elevation at Bottom. The Elevation at Bottom parameter is used for tagging the Bottom of the Foundation elevation. Add a Foundation Slab 1 Click on the Modelling Menu, Structural ➤ Foundation ➤ Slab. Sketch the foundation in the same manner as you would a Slab by using lines, picking supports, or picking walls. 2 When finished sketching the foundation, click Finish Sketch. The Foundation is placed into the project. 3 Click on the foundation, and choose the desired Foundation family type on the Family drop-down list. Adding a Slab or Deck | 183
- 212. Set the Structural Usage Type of a Foundation 1 On the Options bar, click . 2 Under Structural Analysis, set the Structural Usage parameter to Foundation or Slab on Grade. 3 Click OK to exit the dialog. Span Direction When you place a slab, a span direction component is place in plan view with the slab. The span direction component is used to change the orientation of steel deck in plan. Deck span direction is designated by the direction of the filled half-arrows. Direction of span 1 Select the span direction component. 2 On the Toolbar, click Rotate. 3 Click a start angle for rotation of the span direction. 4 Click an end angle to complete the angle of rotation. The deck is rotated by the angle value that you apply to the span direction component. NOTE You may also apply a span direction component to a slab that does not have one. On the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Span Direction, and select the slab. You can also create new span direction types for deck and for one-way slabs. For information on creating family types, see “Family Types” on page 67. Sloped Slabs Revit Structure provides three independent ways to create a sloped slab: Method 1 While in sketch mode, click Slope Arrow to draw a slope arrow that defines the slope of the slab. 184 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 213. Slab sketch with slope arrow Select the slope arrow, and click . Follow one of the methods described below: Slope by Setting Height at Tail 1 Set the value of Specify to Height at Tail. 2 Specify a value for Height Offset at Tail. This value determines how high above the level the slope arrow begins. 3 If desired, specify a level for Level at Tail to start the slope arrow at a certain level. For example, the floor sketch is on level 1. You could choose to start the slope arrow on level 2. 4 Specify a value for Height Offset at Head. This value determines how high above the level the slope arrow ends. 5 If desired, specify a level for Level at Head to end the slope arrow above a certain level. For example, the floor sketch is on level 1. You could choose to end the slope arrow on level 2. 6 Click OK. For more information about the Slope Arrow, including its properties, see “Roof Slope Arrow” on page 237. Slope by Setting Slope Value 1 Set the value of Specify to Slope. 2 Set the value of Rise/(Run) to set a slope value. 3 If desired, specify a value for Height Offset at Tail. This value determines how high above the level the slope arrow begins. 4 If desired, specify a level for Level at Tail to start the slope arrow at a certain level. For example, the floor sketch is on level 1. You could choose to start the slope arrow on level 2. 5 Click OK. Method 2 Select two parallel floor lines that you sketched and click . Set the Defines constant height property to Yes for both lines. By setting this property to Yes, you will enable the Offset from Base property. Then select the lines individually and specify a value for the Offset from Base property for each of the lines. Method 3 Select a single sketch line and click . Set the Defines constant height property to Yes, select the Defines Slope property, and set a value for the slope angle (rise). For a complete listing of parameters available for setting slopes, see “Roof Properties” on page 344. Sloped Slabs | 185
- 214. Creating a Mat FoundationType within the Slab Family You can create new slab or deck types by using the Revit Structure Slab Family as the design basis. For example, you may use the 6” Concrete Type of the Slab Family to create a new Mat Foundation Type. 1 Place a slab instance in a plan view of your model. 2 Select the new instance, right-click, and click Properties. 3 In the Element Properties dialog box, click the Edit/New button. 4 In the Type Properties Dialog Box, select Type for a concrete slab type. 5 Click the Duplicate button. 6 When prompted for a Name for your new type, enter ‘Mat Foundation’. You may include other information in the name such as mat thickness in order to differentiate this type from others. 7 Click OK and then click the Edit button next to the Structure parameter. 8 Change the Structure Layer to the desired Material and Thickness. The slab that you placed into your view is now of Mat Foundation Type and will have the thickness parameter of the type. This new type is available in the current model only. If you wish to add this type to the Slab Family file, then create the new type by using the Family Editor. For more information on the Family Editor, see “Family Editor Basics” on page 52. Cutting Openings in Slabs or Decks There must be a slab already in the model. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Opening. 2 In the Opening Placement Dialog Box, select Pick a roof, floor or ceiling, and cut vertically. 3 Select a slab. 4 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Lines. 5 On the Options tab, click as necessary to place lines or arcs. 6 Sketch the slab opening. 7 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch. Drop Panels You may insert slab drop panels into your model using the method of creating slabs. With a slab in place, add drop panels as needed at column locations. 1 Make current a plan view that presents a slab in place. 2 On the Modelling menu, choose Structural ➤ Slab, or click Slab from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. 3 On the Sketch tab of the Design Bar, click Lines, and use the sketching tools to complete a sketch of the drop panel. See “Sketching Options” on page 36. The sketch must form a closed loop or boundary condition. 4 Adjust the constraint parameters of the drop panel as needed so that the drop panel is at the correct elevation in your model. 186 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 215. Continuous Wall Foundations A Continuous Wall Foundation is a structural concrete element that is hosted by a structural wall. The wall foundation will resize when the wall is edited, and be deleted when the wall is deleted. A wall foundation provides an analytical support for a wall when member supports are checked. See “Support and Analytical Consistency Checks” on page 631. Continuous wall foundations can be placed along structural walls while in plan, 3D, or section view. Creating a Continuous Wall Foundation NOTE You can use the Join Geometry feature on the Tools Toolbar to represent multiple wall foundation for joined walls as one object. Wall Foundations snap to Walls. Your Model should have a Plan View open with Wall components created. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Foundation ➤ Wall. 2 Select the walls that are in your view. 3 Use the Join Geometry tool to join wall foundations with isolated foundations or with other wall foundations. For the Join Geometry method, see “Join Geometry” on page 290. 4 Edit the Toe Length, Heel Length, and Thickness of the wall foundation as desired. Wall Foundations prior to use of Join Geometry Isolated Foundations Isolated foundations are standalone families that are part of the structural foundation category. Adding Isolated Foundations You load isolated foundations using the Load from Library ➤ Load Family command. They are in the Structural/Foundations folder of the family library. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Foundation➤ Isolated. 2 Place the isolated foundation in a plan or 3D view. Continuous Wall Foundations | 187
- 216. Pile cap isolated foundation The Bottom Elevation of structural foundations (footings) is reported in a read-only instance parameter called Elevation at Bottom. You can then report this value in a view by tagging the foundation with the Structural Foundation Tag with Elevation. The tag is available from the family library, under Structural/Annotations. Loading Isolated Foundation and Pile Cap Families 1 On the File menu, click Load from Library ➤ Load Family. 2 In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click Imperial Library or Metric Library. 3 Navigate to Structural ➤ Foundations. 4 Select a structural family file (rfa extension). In the lower left-corner, the Type Catalog may be populated with family types. 5 If a Type Catalog exists for the component, then in the Type column of the Type Catalog, select the family type or types to load. NOTE You can select multiple types by holding CTRL during selection. You can also filter the list of types by selecting specific parameters from the drop-down list at the top of each column. Click the arrowhead to display the drop-down list. 6 Click Open. Placing a Family instance in your model 7 In the Project Browser, expand Views(all), expand Structural Foundations, and drag the desired component into the drawing area. Rebar Components The Rebar System Family consists of industry standard bar diameters for use in placement and sketching of bars, ties, and stirrups. When you select a structural component such as a concrete beam, are presented within the Options Bar. The first button is the Sketch Rebar button. With Sketch Rebar, you sketch lines in the plane of the rebar. The finished sketch will be a rebar instance that will have the Properties of the rebar type that you select. The second button is the Place Rebar button. This button is used to place rebar in a section such that its length is perpendicular to the section. For Rebar Properties, see “Rebar Properties” on page 327. Adding Rebar to a Column In this example, a section is cut through a concrete column. The vertical bars of the column are placed first, prior to the sketching of a tie in the section. 188 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 217. Place Rebar 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Rebar ➤ Place Rebar. 2 Select the desired bar type on the Type Selector. 3 The Status Bar prompts you to select the host element into which the rebar will be placed. Place the rebar within the column cross section as needed. Rebar lengths will default to the length of the column or other host element in which the rebar is placed. To edit lengths, change to a plan or elevation view, select rebar and revise rebar endpoints as needed. Sketch Rebar 4 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Rebar ➤ Sketch Rebar. 5 Select a concrete column in section. 6 Sketch rebar as needed. If you are sketching ties or stirrups around placed rebar, Revit Structure fillets hooks and bends based on the setting of the Bend Diameter type parameter. Click Finish Sketch when done. Rebar generated by use of sketching and placing NOTE You may apply various pre-defined hooks to the ends of your rebar sketch by editing Construction instance parameters. Select the sketched rebar, right-click, and click Properties. Select the down arrow next to Hook at Start or Hook at End parameters to apply a hook or a bend from the list. Adding Rebar to a Beam In this example, a section is cut through a slab/beam system. The top and bottom bars of the beam are placed first, prior to the sketching of a beam stirrup in the section. Place Rebar 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Rebar ➤ Place Rebar. 2 Select the desired bar type on the Type Selector. 3 The Status Bar prompts you to select the host element into which the rebar will be placed. Place the rebar within the beam cross section as needed. Rebar lengths will default to the length of the beam or other host element in which the rebar is placed. To edit lengths, change to a plan or elevation view, select rebar and revise rebar endpoints as needed. Adding Rebar to a Beam | 189
- 218. Sketch Rebar 4 On the Modelling Bar, click Rebar ➤ Sketch Rebar. 5 Select a concrete beam. 6 Sketch a rebar as needed. If you are sketching ties or stirrups around placed rebar, Revit Structure fillets hooks and bends based on the setting of the Bend Diameter type parameter. Click Finish Sketch when done. Rebar generated by use of sketching and placing NOTE You may apply various predefined hooks to the ends of your rebar sketch by editing the Construction instance parameters. Select the sketched rebar, right-click, and click Properties. Select the down arrow next to Hook at Start or Hook at End parameters to apply a hook or a bend from the list. Adding Rebar to a Slab You can use Place Rebar to add rebar to a slab. Start in an elevation view of the slab so that you may place the rebar perpendicular to your view. The rebar length will default to the length of the slab. You may then edit the lengths and the hooks and bends of the rebar from a plan or elevation view as needed. 1 In the Project Browser, under Sections, open a section view of your slab. 2 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Rebar ➤ Place Rebar, and place one rebar in a top or bottom location of the slab as appropriate. 3 Select the rebar that you placed, and click the Array Tool. Array this rebar throughout the slab using your design spacing distance. For information on how to array elements, see “Array” on page 305. Rebar Arrayed across Slab Area Reinforcement in Slabs and Walls Sketching Area Reinforcement in slabs and walls is extremely useful for large areas that need reinforcement. 1 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Rebar ➤ Sketch Area Reinforcement. 190 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 219. 2 Pick the floor or wall you want to add area reinforcement to. 3 In Sketch Mode, select the lines command. 4 Click once to select a starting point for the Area Reinforcement sketch. 5 Continue to select points until you form a closed loop. Parallel lines will appear on your sketch, indicating the Major Direction Edge of the Area Reinforcement. 6 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch. The Area Reinforcement Sketch is added to the model. Cross section of the above Area Reinforcement in a wall. Area Reinforcement in Slabs and Walls | 191
- 220. Viewing an Area Reinforcement Cross Section 1 Open a Structural Plan View of the model that contains Area Reinforcement. 2 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Section. 3 Create a Section view, either parallel or perpendicular to the Major Direction of the Area Reinforcement. 4 In the Project Browser, double-click on the section view you created to see a graphical representation of the Rebar Area Reinforcement. 192 | Chapter 7 Structural Modelling Components
- 221. Sketching Path Reinforcement Path Reinforcement is used to lay out a large amount of rebar around the boundary of a region when the bars have the same length but are not all parallel to each other. The rebar will be laid out perpendicular to the boundary you specify. The hooked end of the rebar will be placed near your boundary, and the bars will extend to one side of the path. 1 Select a structural wall or slab which you want to add path reinforcement. 2 On the Options Bar, click the Sketch Path Reinforcement button. 3 Sketch the path for reinforcement, making sure not to form a closed loop. Notice the bold lines indicating the area of reinforcement. 4 If necessary, click the flip control so that the rebar extend to the opposite side of the path. 5 On the Design Bar, click Finish Sketch. Revit places a Path Reinforcement symbol and a Path Reinforcement tag on the completed sketch. Structural ComponentTags Structural components can be annotated with tag components as needed. Instances of some structural components are annotated by default when they are placed. For example, beam size is displayed when you add a beam to your model. Structural framing tag families are available in the Annotations folder of the Library folder. You have a choice of loading a several different tags depending upon the component. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Columns and slabs are not annotated by default in plan. You may place their tags by using the Tag button. If for example you wish to tag a column, on the Drafting tab of the Design Bar, click Tag, select a column in your plan view, and the column size tag will be placed in your view. For more information on Tags, see “Tags” on page 124. Sketching Path Reinforcement | 193
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- 223. Additional Modelling Components This chapter includes information on additional modelling components you can add to your building design. 8 195
- 224. Compound Structure Walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs can comprise parallel layers; the layers can consist of either a single continuous plane of material, such as plywood, or multiple materials, such as gypsum board, studs, insulation, air spaces, bricks, and sheathing. In addition, each layer within the component serves a particular purpose. For example, some layers provide structural support while others act as thermal barriers. Revit Structure considers the function of each layer and matches the layers appropriately. You can represent each layer by setting the layer's material, thickness, and function. You typically see compound geometry in floor or reflected ceiling plan views and section views. They display in hidden line and wireframe views. See “Hidden Lines” on page 457 and “Wireframe” on page 457. Seven-layer wall shown in plan view Materials in Compound Geometry Each layer in a compound structure is typically displayed with some type of material; for example, one layer might be the air infiltration barrier, another is plywood, followed by a layer of wood. Revit Structure has several predefined materials, or you can create your own using the Materials command. See “Materials” on page 525. Layer Pattern Display The material on layers displays with fill patterns. To see the fill pattern in a coarse-scale view, set the Coarse Scale Fill Pattern and Coarse Scale Fill Color properties of the compound structure. To see the fill pattern in a medium or fine detail level, change the Detail Level parameter of the View Properties to medium or fine. See “View Properties” on page 452. Layer Join Cleanup Compound layer joins clean up only if the layers share the same material. For example, a compound floor layer can join to a compound wall layer if both layers are drywall. If the layers do not clean up, then a solid line appears between them in the join. See “Materials” on page 525. Applying a Function to a Layer of a Compound Structure You assign each layer a specific function so the layer can join to its corresponding functional layer. Layer functions have an order of precedence. Rules for Layer Joins ■ The structure layer has the highest priority, Priority 1. ■ Finish 2 has the lowest priority, Priority 5. ■ Revit Structure connects high priority layers before connecting layers with the lowest priority. For example, you join two compound walls, a layer in the first wall with priority 1 joins to a layer with priority 1 in the second wall. That priority 1 layer can pass through lower priority layers before joining to the other priority 1 layer; a layer with a lower priority cannot pass through a layer of equal or higher priority. 196 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 225. The following illustration shows higher priority layers joining before lower priority layers. The priority 1 CMU layer of the horizontal wall passes through all layers, until it reaches the priority 1 stud layer of the vertical wall. Note that the insulation in the horizontal wall does not pass through the air space in the vertical wall, because they are both priority 3 and are outside the core layer. ■ When layers join, the join cleans up if the two layers have the same material. If the two layers have different material, a line appears at the join. ■ Each layer must have a function assigned to it for Revit Structure to match layers accurately. ■ Layers inside the core of one wall pass through layers of higher priority that are outside the core of the joined wall. The layers in the core extend to the core of a joined wall, even if the core layers are set to priority 5. The following illustration shows how a layer of lower priority inside the core passes through layers of higher priority outside the core. The insulation layer of the horizontal wall has moved inside the core. The insulation layer can now pass through any layer outside the core, regardless of its priority. Layer Functions Layers can be assigned the following functions: ■ Structure [1]: Layer that supports the remainder of the wall, floor, or roof. ■ Substrate [2]: Material, such as plywood or gypsum board, which acts as a foundation for another. ■ Thermal/Air Layer [3]: Insulation and prevents air penetration. ■ Membrane Layer: A membrane commonly that prevents water vapor penetration. The membrane layer should have zero thickness. ■ Finish 1 [4]: Finish 1 is typically the exterior layer. ■ Finish 2 [5]: Finish 2 is typically for the interior layer. Inserting Layers into a Compound Structure 1 Access the type properties of the compound element. 2 Click Edit in the value box of the Structure property. The Edit Assembly dialog appears, allowing you to specify the material for layers and the thickness of those layers. Inserting Layers into a Compound Structure | 197
- 226. TIP If desired, create a new type in the Type Properties dialog, by clicking New and entering a name for the type. 3 Click Insert to insert layers. 4 Click in the Function field, and select a function for a layer. 5 Click in the Material field, and select a material for a layer. NOTE If you wish to create a new material for the list, see the Materials command. Among other settings, the Materials command includes commands for specifying cut patterns. For more information about materials, see “Materials” on page 525. For more information about creating and setting cut patterns, see “Fill Patterns” on page 520. You cannot choose material or thickness for core boundary layers. 6 Click in the Thickness text box, and specify a thickness for a layer. 7 If you want to move the position of the layer, select the layer, and click either Up or Down. 8 Set the detail level of the view. From the View menu, choose View Properties. Set the Detail level property value to medium or fine. Layer Wrapping Compound wall layers can wrap at inserts and at the end caps of the wall. Wrapping is visible in plan view only. Compound wall with no end-cap wrapping Exterior wrapping at a wall's end caps Interior wrapping at the end caps Wrapping Around Complex Inserts Layers can wrap around complex inserts, such as non-rectangular shapes. Setting Layer Wrapping You can set layer wrapping through the type properties of the wall or by editing its structure. To set through type properties 1 Select a compound wall, and click . 2 Click Edit/New. 3 If you want wrapping at inserts, change the value of the Wrapping at Inserts parameter to Exterior, Interior, or Both. 4 If you want end cap layer wrapping, choose Exterior or Interior for the Wrapping at Ends parameter. 198 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 227. 5 To set individual layers to wrap, select the Wraps check box at the end of each layer. To set through the structure 1 Click Edit in the value box of the Structure property. 2 Follow steps 3 and 4 from the previous procedure. 3 If you want end cap layer wrapping, choose Exterior or Interior from the At Ends drop-down menu. 4 If you want wrapping at inserts, choose Exterior, Interior, or Both from the At Inserts drop-down menu. 5 Click OK. Previewing the Compound Geometry To preview the look of the wall as you add layers, click Preview in the Type Properties dialog. The preview image updates as you edit the layers of the wall. Layers as References You can choose a layer to be a reference point for dimensioning or alignment. Place the cursor on the layer line you wish to use as a reference. Press TAB to select the layer. Each compound component type by default has two layers called Core Boundary. These layers are not modifiable and they have no thickness. They are references for dimensions. Preview of compound geometry with Core Boundaries indicated in red Compound Walls Joined to Columns The compound structure of a wall extends to columns when you join the wall to the column. Compound wall joining to column Resulting join of column to wall Editing Layers In the Type Properties dialog, you can click Edit for the Structure property. The Edit Structure dialog opens inside the Type Properties dialog. You can also preview the effects of edits to the layers by clicking Preview. Previewing the Compound Geometry | 199
- 228. Flipping Orientation of Compound Walls As you are placing a compound wall in a plan view, you can press the Space bar to flip its orientation. You can also select an existing one in a plan view, and control arrows appear: . If you click on the arrows, the first and last layers of the wall change position. NOTE Any cutouts in the wall do not flip their orientation. Compound wall as seen in plan view before flipping Compound wall after flipping. Note that the first and last layers have changed position. Adding aTruss To complete this exercise in adding a truss, you must first create or load a truss to be used in your project. For information on creating a truss family see “Creating a Truss Family” on page 103. 1 Verify that you have a truss family loaded into your project. 2 Go to a view of the building level you wish to add the truss to. 3 Under the Modelling tab, click on Beam. 4 Click on the Family drop-down list and choose the truss you are going to use. 5 Click on the structural model and choose the start and end points for the truss location. You have successfully added a truss to your building model. Finished model with a truss Railings You add railings as free-standing components to levels, or attach them to hosts, such as floors or staircases. When you sketch a railing in Revit Structure, rails and balusters are automatically placed on the railing at evenly spaced intervals. The shape of rails and balusters are determined by profile families loaded in with the project. See “Railing Properties” on page 341. 200 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 229. The placement of balusters is controlled by a type property of the railing. See “Baluster Placement” on page 389. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Railing, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Railing. 2 To choose a floor or a staircase as the host for the railing, click Set Host, and place the cursor near the floor or staircase. As you move the cursor, the appropriate host highlights. 3 Click on the host to select it. NOTE To choose a level, just click in the drawing area to start drawing the railing. 4 Sketch the location of the railing using Revit Structure drawing tools located in the Options Bar. See “Sketching Overview” on page 36. 5 To set the railing properties, click Railing Properties in the Design Bar. Click OK. See “Railing Properties” on page 341. See also: “Modifying Railings” on page 387. 6 Click Finish Sketch when done. 7 Change to a 3D view to see the completed railing. Finished floor and stair railings Ramps You construct ramps in a manner similar to stairs. For more information on creating shapes and landings and in which views you would want to sketch ramps, see “Stairs” on page 250. You can create ramps in plan or 3D views. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Ramp, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Ramp. Revit Structure enters sketch mode, and the Run command is active. 2 If you are sketching a ramp in a 3D view, you can click Work Plane from the Sketch toolbar to choose a different work plane. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 3 On the Options Bar, click either the straight lines tool or the arc tool to create a curved ramp. 4 Place the cursor in the drawing area, drag to sketch the ramp run. 5 Click Finish Sketch when completed. Finished ramp Ramps | 201
- 230. TIP The default settings for the Top Level and Top Offset properties may make your ramp too long. A suggestion is to set the Top Level to the current level and set the Top Offset to a lower value. Model Lines The Lines command creates model lines in the project. Model lines exist in 3D space and are visible in all views. NOTE If you want to draw lines that exist only in the view that they are drawn, see “Detail Lines” on page 142. Like components, model lines can move with nearby elements, provided they are sketched parallel to that element. For example, if you sketch a wall and then sketch a line parallel to that wall, the line can move with the wall if you select the Moves With Nearby Elements option from the Options Bar or choose it from the properties of the line. An arc line can move with an arc wall if the two are concentric. See “Moving Lines and Components with Walls” on page 280. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Lines, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Lines. 2 In the Options Bar, select the appropriate work plane in which to draw the model lines. If the desired work plane is not listed, you can set it using the Work Plane command. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 3 In the Options Bar, select Draw to draw the lines or Pick to create lines by selecting lines or walls within the model. 4 In the Type Selector, choose the type of line to create. Choices include thin, wide, medium, and invisible lines. If desired, you can create additional line types using the Line Styles command. Line Styles are not available for model lines created in Sketch Mode. For more information, see “Line Styles” on page 529. 5 To draw a line, select a line tool from the Options Bar. TIP When drawing, you can chain lines together, select Chain from the Options Bar. 6 To offset the line, set an Offset value on the Options Bar. For example, if you set an offset of 2 meters and then draw the line, the line appears 2 meters from the cursor. If you use the Pick option, the line is offset from the picked edge by the specified amount. 7 Draw or pick the lines. TIP Keyboard focused temporary dimensions. As you create a model line, you can quickly set its length by keying in a value on your keyboard. This changes the length of the temporary dimension that appears with the line. TIP If you join an end of a straight line to the end of another straight line and you select the Radius option on the Options Bar, a fillet is automatically created between the lines at the specified radius. This allows you to create a rounded chain of lines. Exactly one line can join to exactly one other line; you cannot have multiple joins. Host Sweeps Wall Sweep You can add a wall sweep to a wall from any 3D or elevation view. A wall sweep can be horizontal or vertical. 1 Go to a 3D or elevation view. 2 On the Modelling menu, click Host Sweep ➤ Wall Sweep, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Wall Sweep. 202 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 231. 3 Select Horizontal or Vertical on the Options Bar. 4 Place the cursor over the wall. The wall sweep location highlights. Click to place the wall sweep. 5 Add the wall sweep to adjacent walls if needed. Revit Structure preselects the wall sweep location on each adjacent wall. 6 To start a wall sweep in a different location, click Start Next from the Options Bar. Move the cursor to the desired location on the wall, and click to place the wall sweep. 7 To finish placing wall sweeps, click onto space in the view away from the wall. Wall Sweep Profile You can change the wall sweep profile family. 1 With the Wall Sweep command active, click . 2 Click Edit/New. 3 Change the value of Profile to the desired profile type. 4 Click OK twice. Returning Wall Sweeps Back to the Wall After placing a wall sweep, you can return its ends back toward the wall. TIP This procedure works for wall reveals too. 1 Select the wall sweep segment. Be sure it is not already joined to another segment. 2 From the Options Bar, click Change Sweep Returns. Two return options appear on the Options Bar: Straight Cut or Return. The Straight Cut is a perfectly squared off edge. This option is not available if the sweep end is already in this state. 3 Select Return and type an angle value in the text box next to it, for example 45. 4 Highlight the wall sweep end. Highlighted wall sweep end 5 Click to apply the new return value. Wall Sweep | 203
- 232. Applied return value In this example, the option Straight Cut becomes available. Select that option, and click the sweep end to apply a straight cut to the sweep. After you change the return, you can drag the end of the sweep or reveal to extend the return. Select the wall sweep, and use the blue dot drag control. Drag the right blue control NOTE A positive return angle moves the sweep end toward the wall. A negative value moves the sweep end away from the wall. For reveals, a positive return value moves the reveal end away from the wall and a negative value moves the end toward the wall. Wall Sweep Notes ■ In a 3D view, you add a wall sweep to all exterior walls by spinning the view. Click Finish in the Options Bar when done. ■ After creating a wall sweep, you must click Start Next in order to create another sweep. ■ If you create wall sweeps at different heights and then later set them to the same height, the sweeps miter at the joins. Wall Reveal You can add a reveal to a wall from any 3D or elevation view. Reveals can be horizontal or vertical. 1 Go to a 3D or non-parallel elevation view. 2 On the Modelling menu, click Host Sweep ➤ Wall Reveal, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Reveal. 3 Select Horizontal or Vertical in the Options Bar. 4 Place the cursor over the wall. The wall reveal location highlights. Click to place the reveal. 5 Add the reveal to adjacent walls if needed. Revit Structure preselects the reveal location on each adjacent wall. 6 To finish placing wall reveals, click onto space in the view away from the wall. 204 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 233. Reveal Profile You can change the reveal profile family. 1 With the Reveal tool active, click . 2 Click Edit/New. 3 Change the value of Profile to the desired profile type. 4 Click OK twice. Moving Wall Reveals Away from the Wall After placing a wall reveal, you can move its ends away from or toward the wall. See “Returning Wall Sweeps Back to the Wall” on page 203. Roof Fascia You create fascias by selecting edges of roofs, soffits, and other fascias. You can also select model lines. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Host Sweep ➤ Roof Fascia, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Roof Fascia. 2 Highlight edges of roofs, soffits, or other fascias, and click to place the fascia. You can also click model lines. 3 As you click edges, Revit Structure treats this as one continuous fascia. If the fascia segments meet at corners, they miter. 4 To start a different fascia, click Start Next from the Options Bar. Move the cursor to a new edge and click to place. This different fascia does not miter with other existing fascias, even if they meet at the corners. 5 To finish placing roof fascias, click onto white space in the view. Crown molding fascia NOTE Fascia profiles miter correctly only around a square cut roof. The roof in this image was created by running a fascia along the edge of a roof with a Two-Cut Square rafter cut. FasciaTips ■ You can place fascias in either 2D views, such as plan or section, or 3D views. Watch the Status Bar to look for valid references. For example, if you are placing a fascia on a roof, the Status Bar might display: Roofs : Basic Roof : Reference. ■ When you place a fascia in section, place the cursor near the corners of the element to highlight the reference. ■ Roof fascias can miter between the eave and rake edges of a plumb-cut gable roof. Moving Wall Reveals Away from the Wall | 205
- 234. Resizing or Flipping Roof Fascias You can resize roof fascias. Select the fascia and a drag control appears at either end of it. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. You can flip fascias either by using the Flip controls that appear in 3D, or, if you are in a 2D view, such as section, you can right-click on the fascia and choose Flip About Horizontal Axis or Flip About Vertical Axis. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Adding or Removing Segments of the Fascia 1 Select an existing fascia and from the Options Bar, click Add or Remove Segments. 2 Click a reference edge to add a fascia. Click the edge again to remove a fascia. NOTE You may need to press TAB to highlight a reference edge in section. Changing Mitering Options 1 Select an existing fascia and from the Options Bar, click Change Miter Options. 2 Select a mitering option from the Options Bar: ■ Vertical ■ Horizontal ■ Perpendicular to Path 3 Click on the end face of the fascia to change the miter option. Vertical miter Horizontal miter 206 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 235. Perpendicular to Path miter Changing Horizontal andVertical Offset You can change the horizontal or vertical offset of a fascia either through its properties or by graphically moving the fascia. See “Fascia, Gutter, and Slab Edge Properties” on page 346. Horizontal Move To move a single fascia segment, select the fascia and drag it horizontally. To move a multi-segmented fascia, you need to select the shape handle of the fascia. Place the cursor over the fascia and press TAB to highlight the shape handle. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are highlighting the shape handle. Click to select the shape handle. Move the cursor left or right to change the horizontal offset. This affects the horizontal offset of all segments of the fascia, so the segments are symmetrical. Moving fascia on left also moves fascia on the right Vertical Move Select the fascia and drag it up or down. Note that if the fascia is multi-segmented, then all segments move up or down the same distance. Fascia moving vertically in section Roof Gutter You add gutters by selecting horizontal edges of roofs, soffits, and fascias. You can also select model lines. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Host Sweep ➤ Roof Gutter, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Roof Gutter. 2 Highlight horizontal edges of roofs, soffits, or fascias and click to place the gutter. You can also click model lines. As you click edges, Revit Structure treats this as one continuous gutter. 3 To start a different gutter, click Start Next from the Options Bar. Move the cursor to a new edge, and click to place. 4 To finish placing gutters, click onto white space in the view. Roof Gutter | 207
- 236. Gutter in section Tips ■ You can place gutters in either 2D views, such as plan or section, or 3D views. Watch the Status Bar to look for valid references. For example, if you are placing a gutter on a roof, the Status Bar might display: Roofs : Basic Roof : Reference. See “Displaying the Status Bar” on page 667. ■ When placing a gutter in section, place your cursor near the corners of the element to highlight the reference. After placing gutters, you can modify them in several ways. Resizing or Flipping Roof Gutters You can resize gutters. Select the gutter and a drag control appears at either end of it. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. You can flip gutters either by using the Flip controls that appear in 3D, or, if you are in a 2D view, such as section, you can right-click on the gutter and choose Flip About Horizontal Axis or Flip About Vertical Axis. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Adding or Removing Segments of the Gutter 1 Select an existing gutter and from the Options Bar, click Add or Remove Segments. 2 Click a reference edge to add a gutter. Click the edge again to remove a gutter. NOTE You may need to press TAB to highlight a reference edge in section. Changing Horizontal andVertical Offset You can change the horizontal or vertical offset of a gutter either through its properties or by graphically moving the gutter. See “Fascia, Gutter, and Slab Edge Properties” on page 346. Horizontal Move To move a single gutter segment, select the gutter and drag it horizontally. To move a multi-segmented gutter, you need to select the shape handle of the gutter. Place the cursor over the gutter and press TAB to highlight the shape handle. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are highlighting the shape handle. Click to select the shape handle. Move the cursor left or right to change the horizontal offset. This affects the horizontal offset of all segments of the gutter, so the segments are symmetrical. Moving gutter on left also moves gutter on the right Vertical Move Select the gutter and drag it up or down. Note that if the gutter is multi-segmented, then all segments move up or down the same distance. 208 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 237. Gutter moving vertically in section Floor Slab Edges You add slab edges by selecting horizontal edges of floors. You can also select model lines. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Host Sweep ➤ Floor Slab Edge, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Host Sweep ➤ Floor Slab Edge. 2 Highlight horizontal edges of floors and click to place a slab edge. You can also click model lines. As you click edges, Revit Structure treats this as one continuous slab edge. If the slab edge segments meet at corners, they miter. 3 To start a different slab edge, click Start Next from the Options Bar. Move the cursor to a new edge and click to place. This different slab edge does not miter with other existing slab edges, even if they meet at the corners. 4 To finish placing slab edges, click onto white space in the view. Slab added to floor Tips ■ You can place slab edges in either 2D views, such as plan or section, or 3D views. Watch the Status Bar to look for valid references. For example, if you are placing a slab edge on a floor, the Status Bar might display: Floors : Basic Floor : Reference. See “Displaying the Status Bar” on page 667. ■ When placing a slab edge in section, place the cursor near the corners of the floor to highlight the reference. After placing slabs, you can modify them in several ways. Resizing or Flipping Slabs You can resize slabs. Select the slab and a drag control appears at either end of it. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. You can flip slabs either by using the Flip controls that appear in 3D, or, if you are in a 2D view, such as section, you can right-click on the slab and choose Flip About Horizontal Axis or Flip About Vertical Axis. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Adding or Removing Segments of the Slab 1 Select an existing slab and from the Options Bar, click Add or Remove Segments. 2 Click a reference edge to add a slab. Click the edge again to remove a slab. NOTE You may need to press TAB to highlight a reference edge in section. Changing Horizontal andVertical Offset You can change the horizontal or vertical offset of a slab edge either through its properties or by graphically moving the slab edge. See “Fascia, Gutter, and Slab Edge Properties” on page 346. Floor Slab Edges | 209
- 238. Horizontal Move To move a single slab edge segment, select the slab edge and drag it horizontally. To move a multi-segmented slab edge, you need to select the shape handle of the slab edge. Place the cursor over the slab edge and press TAB to highlight the shape handle. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are highlighting the shape handle. Click to select the shape handle. Move the cursor left or right to change the horizontal offset. This affects the horizontal offset of all segments of the slab edge, so the segments are symmetrical. Moving slab edge on left also moves slab edge on the right Vertical Move Select the slab edge and drag it up or down. Note that if the slab edge is multi-segmented, then all segments move up or down the same distance. Slab edge moving vertically in section 210 | Chapter 8 Additional Modelling Components
- 239. Working with Architectural Components Revit Structure provides various familiar building components for building design. Building components include walls, doors, windows, and roofs. No programming language or coding is required to create these building components. 9 211
- 240. Walls Walls can function as interior, exterior, foundation, and retaining. All walls have a structure that can be defined through the type properties of the wall. There are various instance and type properties that can be specified to define the appearance of the wall. For more information, see “Wall Properties” on page 351. 3D view of walls Exterior/Interior Walls You create a wall by sketching the location line of the wall in a plan view or a 3D view. Revit Structure applies the thickness, height, and other properties of the wall around the location line of the wall. The location line is a plane in the wall that does not change, even if the wall type changes. For example, if you draw a wall and specify its location line as Core Centerline, the location line remains there, even if you select that wall and change it to another type or change its structure. 1 In a floor plan view or 3D view, click Modelling menu ➤ Wall or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Wall. 2 In the Type Selector, select a wall. 3 To change the properties of the wall, click , and then click Edit/New in the Element Properties dialog. Change the properties to the desired settings. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. For a description of wall properties and their values, see “Wall Properties” on page 351. 4 On the Options Bar, specify wall design options: ■ Level: When sketching a wall in 3D view, you can choose a level as the base constraint by selecting a value for Level. You can also choose a non-story level. See “Level” on page 116 ■ Height: You can set the height of a wall to go up to a level by choosing a level for Height. The default value in this menu is Unconnected, which allows you to specify a value for Height. NOTE When you sketch a foundation wall type, the option name is displayed as Depth. 212 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 241. ■ Location Line: You can specify the location line of the wall as e Wall Centerline, Core Centerline, Finish Face: Exterior, Finish Face: Interior, Core Face: Exterior, and Core Face: Interior. The position of the location line can vary, depending on the way you sketch the wall. For example, if you specify the location line as Finish Face: Interior and sketch the wall from left to right, the location line displays on the exterior side of the wall. If you sketch right to left, the location line displays on the interior side of the wall. NOTE Because core thickness can vary in vertically compound walls, the core centerline and core face location lines are determined by the core thickness at the bottom of the wall. See “Vertically Compound Walls” on page 216. For example, if the wall core is thicker at the top than at the bottom, and you specify the location line as core centerline, the centerline of the core is measured between the core boundaries at the bottom. 5 You can flip the orientation of the wall about its location line by pressing the Space Bar as you sketch the wall. This works for all wall drawing tools, such as rectangles, circle, and three-point arc. 6 Decide how to create the wall: ■ Click to draw the wall. ■ Click to pick lines. Lines can be model lines or edges of elements, such as roofs, curtain panels, and other walls. ■ Click to select either a massing face or a generic model face. The generic model could be created either as in-place or family file based. See “Using the Wall by Face Command” on page 25. TIP To highlight all vertical faces on the mass or generic model, press tab. Click to place walls simultaneously on each highlighted face. 7 Add dimensions if desired. See “Dimension Command” on page 146. Exterior/Interior WallTips ■ When you are creating the exterior walls of a multi-level building to which you want to add windows before you add the roof, specify Unconnected Height as the height of the wall on the next level. This ensures that the wall is high enough to add windows and doors. ■ To flip the orientation of the wall between exterior and interior, select the wall and click the blue flip arrows that are displayed near it. The flip arrows always are displayed on the side that Revit Structure interprets as the exterior side. ■ Walls do not automatically attach to other modelling components, such as roofs and ceilings. You must explicitly attach them using the Attach Walls and Detach Walls commands. See “Attach Top/Base” on page 286 and “Detach Top/Base” on page 286. ■ As you sketch a wall, you can quickly set its length by entering a value on the keyboard, taking advantage of the listening dimension feature. ■ As you sketch a wall, you can offset it from the cursor by specifying a value for Offset on the Options Bar. Also you can specify if the offset is measured to the near edge, centerline, or far edge of the wall by clicking the drop-down menu. NOTE This functionality is not available for arc walls. Exterior/Interior Wall Tips | 213
- 242. ■ Wall types display in the Project Browser under the Families leaf. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. Click the + next to Families and then click the + next to Walls to display the wall types. Right click on a wall type name and then choose from the pop-up menu: Rename, Select All Instances, Properties (to change properties). You can also change properties of the wall by double-clicking on the name of the wall type. ■ If you rename or create a wall type, include the words "Exterior" or "Interior" in the type name, and set the Exterior wall property appropriately. ■ The top constraint for interior partition walls is set automatically to the level above. ■ You can drag inserts, such as windows and doors, between two walls: Window placed between split wall. ■ If desired, you can resize the thickness of the insert relative to the thickness of the host. Select the insert and click Pick Main Host from the Options Bar. Select the host with the cursor. The insert resizes to that host's thickness. Also, if you delete the host, you delete the insert as well. ■ If you join an end of a straight wall to the end of another straight wall and you select the Radius option on the Options Bar, a fillet is automatically created between the walls at the specified radius. This allows you to create a rounded chain of walls. Exactly one wall can join to exactly one other wall; you cannot have multiple joins. Wall Joins When you create walls, Revit Structure automatically joins them at their intersections. You can edit wall joins if desired. See “Edit Wall Joins” on page 370. Wall Alignment When you sketch two collinear walls of different widths, Revit Structure aligns their centerlines. If you wish to align the side faces of the walls, use the Align command. See “Align” on page 293. Splitting Walls If you need to split walls at any point, you can use the Split walls and lines command. See “Split Walls and Lines” on page 292. Sketching Wall Shapes In Revit Structure you can sketch straight, curved, arc, fillets, tangents, or circular walls. You can add openings or cuts to walls. See “Defining Wall Shapes or Openings” on page 368. You can also set any dimensioning, snapping, aligning, and locking properties for walls. For descriptions of the different sketch tools. see “Sketching Options” on page 36. 214 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 243. Retaining Walls In Revit Structure, walls have four possible functions: Interior, Exterior, Retaining, and Foundation. You create a retaining wall when the Wall Function type property is set to Retaining. See “Exterior/Interior Walls” on page 212. You sketch the retaining wall in a plan or 3D view. 1 In a floor plan view or 3D view, click Wall on the Modelling menu, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Wall. 2 Choose the type of retaining wall you want from the Type Selector on the Options Bar. 3 Change the properties of the wall if desired by clicking and clicking Edit/New in the Element Properties dialog. Change the properties to the desired settings. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. For a description of the wall properties and their values, see “Wall Properties” on page 351. 4 Sketch the shape of the retaining walls. For more information about the sketching tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. 5 Add dimensions if desired. See “Dimension Command” on page 146. Arc Walls When you sketch arc walls, Revit Structure displays a temporary angular dimension to help you precisely place it in your project. 1 In a floor plan or 3D view, click Wall on the Modelling menu, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Wall. 2 Click one of the arc tools. 3 Sketch the arc wall. 4 If desired, change the value of the angular dimension to increase or decrease the size of the arc. Placement Limitations with Arc Walls Revit Structure treats a full-circle wall as two half-cylinders joined together. You can cut inserts at this join, but you cannot drag an insert from one part of the wall onto the join. You can place sketched asymmetrical openings on arc walls using in-place families. Embedding Walls Into Other Walls Walls can be embedded into a host wall, so that the embedded wall is associated with the host wall. If you rotate the host wall, the embedded wall moves with it. The embedded wall does not resize if you resize the host wall. The embedded wall’s behavior is similar to that of a window. With embedded walls, you do not have to edit the host wall’s profile, cut a hole in it, and then insert a wall into that hole. A curtain wall can be embedded into another wall, provided it is parallel to the host wall and the two walls are within 6 inches of each other. Embedding a Wall Walls can be embedded into other walls using the Cut Geometry command. Some curtain wall types automatically embed into a wall. To determine if the curtain wall type automatically embeds into another wall, access the type properties of the wall. If not already selected, select the Automatically Embed type parameter. 1 Sketch a host wall of any type in the drawing area. The host wall can be a straight wall or arc wall. 2 Sketch a wall that is within the boundary of the host wall or that is parallel and within 6 inches of it. If you sketched an arc wall host, the embedded wall must be a concentric arc. Be sure the embedded wall is shorter in length than the host wall. Retaining Walls | 215
- 244. If the embedded wall is within the boundary of the host wall, Revit Structure issues a warning and advises to use the Cut Geometry tool. 3 On the Tools menu, click Cut Geometry. 4 Move the cursor into the drawing area and highlight the host wall first. 5 Click this wall and then highlight the embedded wall. 6 Click the curtain wall. The wall is now embedded. WARNING It is not advisable to select the shorter wall first and then the larger host when using the Cut Geometry command. Undesired results may occur. 7 If desired, you can resize the embedded wall to a desired height and width by selecting the wall and resizing it with the control arrows. Curtain wall embedded in host wall Separating Embedded Walls To separate embedded walls, perform the following task: 1 On the Tools menu, click Don’t Cut Geometry. 2 Highlight the host wall, and click. 3 Highlight the embedded wall, and click. EmbeddingTips ■ You can embed a wall into a curtain panel and then embed a curtain wall into that embedded wall. You can repeat this process as many times as desired. ■ If you edit the elevation profile of the embedded wall, the opening in the host wall is adjusted automatically, and the host wall’s material fills in the adjusted opening. You do not have to edit the elevation profile of the host wall to follow the opening of the embedded wall. ■ Use the embedded wall functionality to create storefronts on your building’s exterior walls. Vertically Compound Walls The following graphics will help you to visualize the concepts of rows, layers, and regions in this topic. 216 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 245. Layer rows: correspond to layers or regions. Wall layer: constant thickness and extends the height of the wall. Regions. Neither region extends the height of the wall. You define the structure of vertically-compound wall types using either layers or regions. In addition you can add wall sweeps or reveals to the wall. See “Wall Sweeps and Reveal Commands” on page 221. ■ A layer is a rectangle assigned to one row, has a constant thickness, and extends the height of the wall. You can change its thickness in the row assigned to it. ■ A region is any other shape appearing in the wall that does not meet the criteria of a layer. Regions can have either constant or variable thickness. You will notice in a row assigned to a region that if region has a constant thickness, a numerical value appears for it. If the region has a variable thickness, then value is variable. ■ You cannot change a region's thickness in the row that is assigned to it: note that the thickness value appears shaded, indicating it's unavailable for modification. You can only change its thickness and height graphically in the preview pane. There are various commands available for modifying the structure of vertically compound walls. AccessingVertically Compound Wall Commands 1 Access wall properties. 2 Click Edit/New to open the Type Properties dialog for the wall. 3 Click Preview to open the preview pane. All changes you make to the wall occur in the preview pane. 4 On the View drop-down menu, choose the section view. 5 Next to the Structure parameter, click Edit. Vertically Compound Walls | 217
- 246. Notice the commands that appear at the bottom right of the dialog. They are in a group box called Modify Vertical Structure. NOTE The vertically compound wall commands are available in the section preview only. They are modifying the wall type only, not an actual wall instance. Sample Height The sample height is a default height set for the wall in the preview pane. You can set the sample height to any value you want. You should set it to a value high enough to allow you to create the desired wall structure. Note that this sample height does not set the height of any walls of that type in the project. Modify Command Click Modify to highlight and select either outer boundaries of the sample wall or borders between regions. Watch for tooltips and status bar messages that indicate what you are highlighting. After you select a boundary, you can change thickness, set layer extension, or constrain a region's distance from the top or bottom of the wall. ChangingThickness If you select an outer vertical boundary of the sample wall, a temporary dimension appears. If you change the value of the temporary dimension, the thickness of the layer or region immediately adjacent to the boundary changes. If you select a vertical border between regions, two temporary dimensions appear. The dimension on the left controls the thickness of the region to the left of the border, and the dimension on the right controls the thickness of the right region. Allowing Layer Extension If you select the horizontal outer boundary at the top or bottom of a layer, you can change whether that layer can be extended or not. Select a horizontal boundary at the top of the layer, and a padlock appears. A locked padlock indicates the layer cannot be extended. Click the padlock to unlock it, and the layer can be extended. Unlocked layer indicating extendability When you unlock layers for extension, two instance properties of the wall become enabled: Top extension distance (for layers at the top of the wall) or Bottom extension distance (for layers at the bottom of the wall). You can type values for these properties, or you can drag the unlocked wall layers in a view. NOTE Unlocked layers must be adjacent. For example, you cannot have one layer locked and its adjacent layers unlocked. To drag the wall layers, you can modify them in section, 3D, and elevation views. 1 Place your cursor at the top or bottom of the wall in section and press TAB to highlight the shape handle for the extendable layers. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are highlighting the shape handle. 2 Click to select the shape handle. 3 Drag the shape handle up or down. 218 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 247. Dragging layers with shape handle Tip If you join two walls and they both have a vertical extension, the extended portions will be horizontally joined. The extension joins must be the same, top to top or bottom to bottom. Constraining Region Distance Select a horizontal border between regions. A control arrow appears. Click the control arrow to alternate the constraint distance from the top or the bottom. Split Region Command The Split Region command divides a layer, or regions, either horizontally or vertically into new regions. When you split a region, the new regions assume the same material. ■ To split a layer or region horizontally, highlight one of the borders. A preview split line appears when you highlight a border. Horizontal split preview After you split a region or layer horizontally, you can select the border between the regions. When you select that border, a temporary dimension appears between the border and the top or bottom of the wall. There is also a blue control arrow; if you click the arrow, it toggles the reference for the temporary dimension between the top or bottom of the wall. Blue control arrow appears when border is selected To split a layer or region vertically, highlight a horizontal boundary. That boundary can be the outside boundary, or an inside boundary created if you previously split horizontally. Vertical split preview Vertically Compound Walls | 219
- 248. TIP It is helpful to zoom in on the outer horizontal boundary to split it vertically. Merge Region Command The Merge Region command merges regions together either horizontally or vertically into new regions. Highlight a border between regions and click to merge them. When you merge regions, the position of the cursor when you highlight a border determines which material prevails after the merge. The material from the right region prevails when you merge The material from the left region prevails when you merge Assign Layers Command The Assign Layers command assigns a row to a layer or region. This means it assigns the number, material, and function of that row. 1 Click a row number to select it. All regions currently assigned to that row appear selected in the preview pane. NOTE If the row does not have any regions assigned to it, it appears as a line in the preview pane, and its thickness is 0. 2 Click Assign Layers. 3 Highlight a region boundary. 4 Click the boundary to assign the row to that region. 5 Continue clicking other regions to continue assigning or click the Assign Layers command to exit. Layer Assignment Rules The following are rules to keep in mind when you assign layers. ■ Rows of the sample wall in the preview pane must remain in a sequential order from left to right. To test your sample wall, select row numbers sequentially and observe which region is selected in the preview pane. If they do not highlight in an order from left to right, Revit Structure cannot produce this wall. ■ A row cannot be assigned more than one layer. ■ You cannot have the same row assigned to regions on both sides of the core. ■ You cannot apply a thickness to a membrane layer. ■ Non-membrane layers cannot have a thickness smaller than 1/8" or 4 mm. ■ A layer in the core must have a thickness greater than 0. You cannot set a layer in the core to be a membrane layer. ■ The exterior and interior core boundaries and the membrane layer cannot rise up and down as shown in the following figure. 220 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 249. Invalid boundary for core boundaries or membrane layers ■ You cannot add thickness to a complex layer, such as the one shown in red in this figure. You can add thickness to a layer that is straight from the top of the wall to the bottom. ■ You cannot split a wall horizontally and then move the outside boundary of one of the regions independently of the other. You cannot widen one region independently of the other region. For example, if you select the left outer boundary of the lower region, the left outer boundary of the upper region is also selected. ■ Layer function priorities cannot ascend from the core boundary to the finish face. For example, you cannot have a finish layer in the core boundary and then a structure layer at the exterior side. Tips for Assigning Layers ■ Assigning layers to regions works best going vertically, rather than horizontally. For example, you might split finish layer 1 into several regions. Then you could assign another finish row to some of those regions and create an alternating pattern, such as brick over concrete. ■ You should familiarize yourself with the layer functions of compound walls. See “Applying a Function to a Layer of a Compound Structure” on page 196. Wall Sweeps and Reveal Commands The Wall Sweeps and the Reveal commands control placement and display of wall sweeps or reveals on the wall. Click the appropriate command to access a dialog that lets you configure the wall sweep or reveal. Adding a wall sweep to the wall structure 1 In the Edit Assembly dialog, click Wall Sweeps. 2 In the Wall Sweeps dialog, click Add. 3 Select the profile for the sweep. For example, choose Parapet Cap-Precast. Vertically Compound Walls | 221
- 250. 4 Specify the material for the sweep. 5 For distance, specify the distance from either the top or bottom of the wall. 6 For side, specify which side of the wall the sweep is on. 7 Specify a value, if necessary, for the offset. A negative value moves the sweep towards the wall core. 8 Select Flip to measure the distance from the top of the sweep profile rather than the bottom. 9 Use the Setback value to specify the sweep setback distance from inserts, such as windows and doors. 10 Select Cuts Wall if you want the sweep to cut geometry out of the host wall. When a sweep is offset and embedded in the wall, it cuts the geometry from the wall. In complex models with many sweeps, you can increase performance by not selecting this option. 11 Select Cuttable if you want the sweep to be cut by wall inserts. In the image below, see how the sweep is cut by the three windows on the left. Wall sweep with “Cuttable” option selected 12 Click OK to close the Wall Sweeps dialog. NOTE When working with reveals, Cuts Wall and Cuttable are not available options. Setting up a sample reveal 1 In the Edit Assembly dialog, click Reveals. 2 In the Reveals dialog, click Add. 3 Follow steps 3-7 from the previous procedure. Note that there is no material choice for reveals. The material for the reveal is the same as the material it is cutting. Vertically Stacked Walls Revit Structure features a wall type called a stacked wall. A stacked wall is one main wall that comprises several different subwalls stacked on top of each other. All subwalls in a stacked wall are attached and have joined geometry to each other. This happens automatically without any extra steps from you. For example, you can have a stacked wall that comprises an Exterior Brick on Metal Stud and an Exterior CMU on Metal Stud. The two wall types are attached and joined. The subwalls you use can only be types in the Basic Wall system family. The stacked wall type lets you define different wall thickness at different heights. You define its structure through its Type Properties. 222 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 251. Specifying Instance Parameters of Subwalls When you define the structure of the stacked wall type, you are actually changing instance parameters of the individual subwalls that compose the stacked wall. That is, when you specify height, offset, top, and base of the stacked wall, you are actually specifying Unconnected Height, Location Line Offset, Top Extension Distance, and Base Extension Distance, respectively, of the subwalls. If you select one of the subwalls of the stacked wall and look at its instance properties, you see that most values are read-only because they are inherited from the stacked wall type. The two instance properties you can set for the subwalls are Room Bounding and Structural Usage. AccessingVertically Stacked Wall Commands You define the composition of vertically stacked wall types using the Edit Assembly editor that is also used for defining compound walls. 1 Access the properties of a vertically stacked wall. For example, right-click on a vertically stacked wall type in the Project Browser and click Properties. 2 Click Edit/New to open the Type Properties dialog for the wall. 3 Click Preview to open the preview pane. All changes you make to the wall occur in the preview pane. The Preview pane displays the wall in section. 4 Next to the Structure parameter, click Edit. A table displays that shows the different wall types that compose the stacked wall. Every stacked wall has at least one subwall in it. Defining the Stacked Wall Structure There are various changes you can make to a stacked wall to change its structure. You can add to or delete walls from the stacked wall. You can move walls up and down the height of the stacked wall. You can also define a reference line for the entire stacked wall and then offset each subwall from that reference line. IMPORTANT It is recommended that you define the structure of vertically stacked walls before placing any instances into your project. You may encounter height conflicts that occur when previously placed instances are lower than the defined height of the type. 1 Specify a value for the Offset menu at the top of the Edit Assembly dialog. This establishes an imaginary reference line in which to align all the subwalls of the stacked wall. For example, if you click Finish Face Exterior, each subwall piece aligns to its finish face. NOTE The value you choose here becomes the Location Line value of each subwall. 2 Specify a sample height for the wall in the preview pane. Note that this value changes when you insert subwalls whose unconnected height is greater than this value. 3 Click a row number to select a subwall in the main wall, or click Insert to add a new subwall to the main wall. 4 Under Name, click a wall type from the menu to choose the desired subwall type. 5 Under Height, specify an unconnected height for the subwall. NOTE One subwall is required to have a variable height. Its height changes relative to the heights of the other subwalls. You cannot edit a subwall’s height field when it is variable. To change its height, change another subwall to Variable by selecting its row and clicking the Variable command. 6 Under Offset, specify a value in which to offset the horizontal location line of the subwall from the reference line (Offset) of the main wall. A positive value moves the subwall toward the exterior side (left side in the preview pane) of the main wall. For example, if the reference line of the main wall is set to Wall Centerline, and you specify 1” for all subwall offsets, each subwall is aligned 1” to the left of the centerline of the main wall. Vertically Stacked Walls | 223
- 252. 7 If enabled, enter a value for the Top or Base Extension Distance. This raises or lowers a wall layer that is unlocked at the top or bottom. Positive values move the layer up; negative values move it down. This value corresponds to the value for the Top or Base Extension Distance instance parameters for the subwalls. For more information on unlocking layers, see “Vertically Compound Walls” on page 216. NOTE If you specify an extension distance for a subwall, the next subwall below it attaches to the subwall. For example, you specify a bottom extension distance of 2 feet for the top subwall. The top of the next subwall down moves up to attach to the modified wall above it. The value for Top Extension Distance of the lower subwall displays Attach. Top wall highlighted in red. It has a positive base extension distance.The lower subwall attaches to it. 8 Select Flip to flip the subwall about the reference line (Offset) of the main stacked wall. 9 To rearrange rows, select a row and click Up or Down. 10 To delete a subwall type, select its row and click Delete. If you delete a subwall with an explicit height, the variable subwall gets taller. If you delete a variable subwall, the subwall above it becomes variable. If there is only one subwall, you cannot delete it. 11 Click OK to save the stacked wall type. Breaking Up aVertically Stacked Wall The subwalls of a stacked wall are closely tied together, however you may want to control them independently. Use the break up command to accomplish this. To access the break up command, right-click a stacked wall instance and click Break Up. Once a stacked wall is broken up, the subwalls become walls on their own. There is no reassemble command to restack such a wall. When you break up a stacked wall, each wall’s base constraint and base offset will be the same as that of the stacked wall. You can then edit each wall’s instance properties. Vertically Stacked Wall Notes ■ All subwalls use the same base constraint and base offset as the stacked wall. This means a subwall can be at a certain level but is actually based on a different level. For example, if a stacked wall is based on Level 1, but one of its subwalls is on Level 7, the Base Level of that subwall is Level 1. ■ To break a stacked wall into its component subwalls, right-click on the stacked wall instance and click Break Up. There is no reassemble command to restack such a wall. When you break up a stacked wall, each wall’s base constraint and base offset will be the same as that of the stacked wall. You can then edit each wall’s instance properties. 224 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 253. ■ You can edit the Type Properties of a basic wall that is a subwall in a stacked wall. Access the type properties of the basic wall by choosing the basic wall type from the Type Selector and clicking . ■ When you create a wall schedule, the vertically stacked wall does not schedule, but its component walls do. ■ When you edit the elevation profile of a stacked wall, you are editing one main profile. If you break the stacked wall up, each piece retains its edited profile. ■ When you highlight a vertically stacked wall for selection, the entire wall highlights first. Press TAB to highlight the component subwalls. Pick box selection selects only the stacked wall. ■ You can embed a vertically stacked wall. ■ Stacked walls cannot host wall sweeps. Subwalls can. ■ Subwalls cannot be in different phases, worksets, or design options from that of the stacked wall. ■ To place inserts in a vertically stacked wall, you may need to use the Pick Main Host command to switch between the vertically stacked wall and one of the walls that compose the vertically stacked wall. For example, the door panel in the following picture is outside the upper wall because the door’s main host is the bottom subwall. To place the door properly, select the door, and click Pick Main Host on the Options Bar. Place the cursor on the wall, and select one of the component walls. You may need to press TAB to select the desired wall. Vertically Stacked Walls | 225
- 254. Doors Door layout in plan You add doors to walls at the desired location on a wall in plan, elevation, or 3D. Revit Structure automatically cuts the opening and places the door in the wall. When placing doors in a plan view, Revit Structure displays the preview door with the swing to the side where the cursor first contacted the wall. In other words, if the cursor first touched the left side of a vertical wall, the door swing would be to the left side. To reverse the swing, move the cursor to the right side of the wall. You can also change the swing by using the control arrows that are created as part of the door family. To flip the door, click Modify and select the door. Click the double arrow to flip the door symbol. Adding Doors 1 On the Modelling menu, click Door, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Door. 2 Choose the type of door you want from the Type Selector. If you need more door types, you need to load them. See “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 3 To tag the door automatically, select Tag on Placement on the Options Bar. If you want a tag leader, select Leader and set the length. Click Loaded Tags to view tag options. 4 Change the properties of the door if desired by clicking and clicking Edit/New. Change the properties to the desired settings. For a description of door properties and their values, see “Door Properties” on page 334. 5 If you are placing the door in a plan view, press the space bar to flip the plan swing. This also works when you are pasting a door. 6 Move the cursor over a wall, and click when the door is in the proper place. NOTE You can place a door on any type of wall, including arc walls. 226 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 255. Finished door in elevation DoorTags Door tags only appear if the entire door is visible. If the door is partially obscured, the door tag is not visible. Notice that as you place doors of the same type, the type number in the tag increments. This is also true if you copy and paste doors; the tag number increments to show how many doors you have placed. Windows Windows in elevation Using the window command, you can add windows to a wall by clicking on it at the desired location. You can place windows in a plan view, elevation view, or 3D view. Revit Structure automatically cuts the opening and places the window in the wall. When placing windows in a plan view, Revit Structure displays the symbol with the outside of the window to the side where the cursor first contacted the wall. In other words, if the cursor first touched the left side of a vertical wall, the outside of the window is to the left side. To reverse the outside of the window to the other side, approach the wall from the right side. You can also reverse the window direction after placing it by using the control arrows that are created as part of the window family. To reverse the window immediately after placing it, click the double arrow to mirror the window geometry. To mirror the window after performing another operation, click Modify and select the window. Click the double arrow to mirror the window geometry. Door Tags | 227
- 256. Window Procedure 1 On the Modelling menu, click Window, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Window. 2 Choose the type of window you want from the Type Selector. If you need more window types, you need to load them in. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 3 To tag the window automatically, select Tag on Placement on the Options Bar. If you want a tag leader, select Leader and set the length. Click Loaded Tags to view tag options. 4 Move the cursor over a wall host, and click when the window is in the proper place. TIP You can place a window on any type of wall, including arc walls. WindowTags Window tags only appear if the entire window is visible. If the window is partially obscured, the window tag is not visible. Notice that as you place windows of the same type, the type number in the tag does not change. This is also true if you copy and paste windows; the tag number remains the same. Architectural Columns Follow this topic to create columns. Creating a Column The column command adds architectural columns to the project. You create columns by clicking in the drawing area. You add columns in the plan view. The height of the column is defined in the properties of the component. The properties allow you to define the Base Level and the Top Level as well as their offsets. 1 Click Modelling menu ➤ Column, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Column. 2 Click the location to place the column. TIP When adding columns, typically you line them up by selecting a grid line or wall. If you randomly placed them and you want them to be aligned, choose the Align command from the Edit menu and select the columns to align. In the middle of the columns are two perpendicular reference planes that can be selected. 228 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 257. Attaching Columns Columns do not automatically attach to roofs, floors, and ceilings. When you select a column (or multiple columns) you can attach it to roofs, floors, ceilings, reference planes, structural framing members, and other reference levels using the Attach and Detach buttons in the Options Bar. When you select one or more columns, the Attach and Detach buttons appear in the Options Bar. From the Options Bar you can attach the Top or Base of a column (or columns) and set the Attachment Style (Cut Column, Cut Target, Do Not Cut), Attachment Justification (Minimum Intersection, Intersect Column Midline, and Maximum Intersection), and Offset from Attachment. Offset from Attachment sets a value to be offset from the target. The target (roofs, floors, ceilings) can be cut by the column, the column can be cut by the target, or neither can be cut. After a column is attached to a target you can edit its properties and reset the values for the Instance Parameters Attachment Justification at Top and Offset from Attachment at Top. NOTE If the column and target are both structural concrete, they will be cleaned instead of cut. If the column is structural and the target is non-structural, a warning message appears. Cut Column Examples Following are examples of the cut column attachment style with different attachment justifications and offsets from attachment. ■ Attachment Style: Cut Column Attachment Justification: Minimum Intersection Attaching Columns | 229
- 258. ■ Attachment Style: Cut Column Attachment Justification: Maximum Intersection ■ Attachment Style: Cut Column Attachment Justification: Minimum Intersection Offset from Attachment: On 230 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 259. ■ Attachment Style: Cut Column Attachment Justification: Intersect Column Midline CutTarget Examples Following are examples of the cut target attachment style with different attachment justifications and offsets from attachment. ■ Attachment Style: Cut Target Attachment Justification: Minimum Intersection Attaching Columns | 231
- 260. ■ Attachment Style: Cut Target Attachment Justification: Maximum Intersection ■ Attachment Style: Cut Target Attachment Justification: Minimum Intersection Offset from Attachment: On 232 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 261. ■ Attachment Style: Cut Target Attachment Justification: Intersect Column Midline Coarse-Scale Cut Patterns If you join a wall and a column, and the wall has a coarse-scale fill pattern defined, the joined column assumes that pattern. See “Wall Properties” on page 351. You see this behavior in coarse-scale plan and section views. The section view plane must cut through the joined face of the two elements. Wall and column joined. Column assumes the fill pattern of the wall. Note that structural columns do not assume the fill pattern. NOTE Structural columns do not assume the walls fill pattern, even when joined. ColumnTips ■ Use architectural columns to model column box outs around structural columns and for more decorative applications. Coarse-Scale Cut Patterns | 233
- 262. Components The Component command inserts free-standing components into your project. Such components can include furniture, site families, and plumbing supplies. Several components are already predefined for you. If you wish to create more, you can define them in the Family Editor. See “Family Editor Basics” on page 52. 1 If necessary, load the component family. For information about loading a family, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 2 On the Modelling menu, click Component, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Component. 3 On the Type Selector, select the appropriate component. 4 Place the cursor in the drawing area where you want the component to appear. Press SPACEBAR to rotate the component through its different snap points to other elements. 5 Click to place the component. If applicable, rotate the component, and click to place it. 6 After placing the component, if you wish to lock it to an element, such as a wall, select the component then select the Moves With Nearby Elements option on the Options Bar. NOTE When you select Moves With Nearby Elements, the component moves with the element. For example, if you lock a bed to a wall and then move the wall, the bed moves with the wall. Revit Structure determines which element the component is locked to; you do not have explicit control. You can also still move the component independently of the element. See “Moving Lines and Components with Walls” on page 280. Changing Component Hosts When you place a component on a host, it remains on the host's infinite plane. For example, you place a component on a floor and then drag the component beyond the confines of the floor. The component appears to float in space, but it remains at the same plane as the floor. Selected component residing on floor host Component dragged away from floor remains on same plane Switching Hosts You may find it useful to work in hidden line mode in an elevation view to perform this procedure. 1 Select the component. 2 On the Options Bar, click Pick Host. 234 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 263. 3 Click on another floor or level to serve as host. For example, the component might sit on a floor on Level 2, and you want it to sit on a floor on Level 5. Select the floor on Level 5. You could also choose a level with no floor. The component moves to the selected level or floor. If the floor has two levels, such as a sunken floor, you need to use this command to move the component from one part of the floor to the other. Placing a Work Plane-based or Face-based Component There are 3 modes for placing work plane-based and face-based components: ■ Place on Face - Move the cursor to the desired location on a face, and click to place the component. You will only be able to place components on faces with this option. ■ Place on Work Plane - To use this option, an active work plane must be defined in the view. You can place the component anywhere on the work plane. ■ Place on Vertical Face (only available for some components) - In a plan view, move your cursor to the desired location on a vertical face, and click to place the component. You will only be able to place components on vertical faces with this option. For more information, see “Creating Work Plane-based and Face-based Families” on page 92. Roofs Various types of roofs can be made in Revit Structure. They can be made as either footprint or extruded roofs. Placing a Work Plane-based or Face-based Component | 235
- 264. Roofs Roofs are building components that define different types of roofs for the building design. There are two methods for creating roofs: by footprint or by extrusion. With the Create roof by specifying footprint method, you specify the footprint or outline of the roof from the plan view. You then define the slopes of the roof by identifying lines in the footprint that are edges of sloping roof planes. With the Create roof by extrusion method, you sketch the profile of the roof from an elevation view and extrude it. You can either specify the depth of the extrusion by setting a start and an end point, or let Revit Structure automatically specify the depth. Footprint Footprint Roofs The roof footprint is a 2D sketch of the perimeter of the roof. You draw the footprint using the Lines tools or you can click the Pick Walls command to define the roof profile. You can specify a value to control the offset from existing walls. The footprint sketch is created at the same level of the plan view where it is sketched. The height of the start of the sloping roof plane is controlled by the Base Height Offset property of the roof properties. The sketch must contain a closed section representing the outside of the roof and may also contain other closed loops inside the perimeter sketch. The inner loops define openings in the roof. Roof Slope The slope of the roof is determined by the (slope) property of roof lines: Rise/12 or Slope angle for Imperial and Rise/1000 for Metric. You set the slope name with the Project Units command. See “Project Units” on page 532. You can define different slopes and overhangs for the roof provided it is geometrically possible to create. Revit Structure warns you if it cannot create the roof geometry based on the values you set for slope and overhang. You can set a selected footprint line to be slope-defining using one of several methods: ■ Click . In the Element Properties dialog, set the property Defines roof slope to Yes. ■ Select Defines Slope on the Options Bar. To set the slope of a slope-defining line, select the line. A numeric control displays with the line. This is the slope value. Enter a value for the slope. You can then change the height and the angle of the roof. If you do not define any of the lines as slope defining, the roof is flat. If you define one side of the sketch to be sloping, the result is a shed roof. If you define two lines on opposite sides, the result is a gable roof. If you define slope lines on four sides, the result is a hip roof. Lines that are not specified as slope defining are considered trimming lines. They are used to trim the surface of the roof by extruding these lines vertically. Creating a Footprint Roof 1 On the Modelling menu, click Roof ➤ Roof by Footprint, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof by Footprint. NOTE If you try to create a roof on the lowest level, a dialog prompts you to move it to a higher level. If you choose not to move the roof to a different level, Revit Structure notifies you later if the roof is too low. 2 Sketch the footprint of the roof using either Lines or Pick Walls. You can edit roof properties prior to sketching by clicking Roof Properties. TIP When using Pick Walls, you can set the Overhang in the Options Bar. Select Extend into wall (to core) if you want the overhang to be measured from the core of the wall. 3 Set the desired lines to be slope defining. For example, if sketching a roof over four walls, you can select the top horizontal line and the bottom horizontal line and select the Defines Slope option; this creates a pitched roof. You can also set arcs to be slope defining. 236 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 265. When a roof line is set to slope defining , the symbol appears above it. 4 Set the slope value for slope-defining lines by selecting the slope-defining line and entering a value for the slope value control. 5 Click Finish Sketch. Completed roof Footprint RoofTips ■ There are various properties you can set for roofs as you create them. Click Roof Properties from the Design Bar to set instance or type properties for the roof itself. You can also right-click sketch lines and click Properties. This allows you to set properties on the sketch lines themselves. For complete information about properties, see “Roof Properties” on page 344. ■ You can quickly create a footprint roof by picking walls with the Pick Walls command. Click Pick Walls and select the walls you wish the roof to cover. Modify properties as desired. When you click and add lines, you can toggle the positioning of the line on the wall by clicking the control arrows on the line. This is particularly useful if the overhang is currently at 0. ■ If you use the Pick Walls command, you should set an overhang value first in the Overhang text box on the Options Bar. ■ If you want to cut off your roof to sketch another roof on top of it, set the Cutoff Level property to specify what level the roof rises to. Then specify a height for the roof cutoff with the Cutoff Offset property. This property specifies the distance above or below the level at which the roof is cut off. ■ If your roof includes a slope-defining arc line, you can divide that line into segments. Select the line and access Properties. Specify a value for the Number of Full Segments property. By default, four segments are created. If you specify zero segments, a conical roof is created. ■ You can change the slope of any slope-defining lines in a roof without editing the roof. Select the roof and access its properties, and you see a parameter for the slope. Its name depends on how you define the slope value in the Project Units command. Roof Slope Arrow The Slope Arrow command creates complex footprint roofs by defining slopes that cannot be created from setting footprint boundary lines as slope defining. For example, to create a flat sloping roof with all footprint boundary lines set as non-slope defining lines, you would sketch a slope arrow from the corners of the roof sketch. What is the Slope Arrow? A slope arrow is an alternative way to define the slope of a roof, floor, or ceiling plane, using a line in the direction of the slope. You can set the height at the head of the slope arrow and either the height at the tail or a slope value (rise over run) using the properties of the slope arrow. The tail of the slope arrow must lie on one of the sketched lines that defines the boundary. The sketched line containing the tail itself cannot be slope defining, unless the slope arrow is at a vertex, because that would specify conflicting slopes for the same segment. You would use the slope arrow primarily when you know the height at the top and bottom of the roof plane rather than the slope. For example, slope arrows can be used to adjust a flat roof to satisfy a particular height at a drainage point. Another good example is creating a hip on gable roof. NOTE The slope arrow tail cannot start from a slope-defining boundary line. Footprint | 237
- 266. Using the Slope Arrow Command Click Slope Arrow in sketch mode to begin creating slope arrows. Slope Arrow Properties Select the slope arrow and click to access the slope arrow properties. DescriptionValueName Choose between entering a slope value or the Height at Tail. If you select Slope, you can enter a slope value for the Rise/12 (Slope Angle) property. If you select Height at Tail, the Level at Head and Height Offset at Head properties become enabled. SlopeHeight at TailSpecify Sets the level for the tail relative to the base level of the roof. user-definedLevel at Tail Sets the start height above the Level at Tail.user-definedHeight Offset at Tail Sets the level for the head relative to the base level of the roof. user-defined (enabled only when Height at Tail is set) Level at Head Sets the end height above the Level at Head.user-defined (enabled only when Height at Tail is set) Height Offset at Head Sets a slope value. With Rise/12, 12 represents 12 inches.user-definedRise/12 or Slope Angle The actual length of the slope arrow.read-onlyLength Proper sketch for creating hip on gable roof with slope arrow Resulting hip on gable roof created from slope arrows TIP In this example, the Height Offset at Tail property is set to 4 feet, the Specify property is set to Slope, and the Rise/12 property is set to 12. NOTE You could obtain the same result by specifying the bottom sketch line as slope-defining and also specifying an appropriate value for the parameter Offset From Roof Base. Creating Dormer with Slope ArrowTool The following is a general procedure for creating a dormer with the roof slope arrow tool. 1 Sketch a footprint for the roof; set the desired lines in the footprint to be slope defining. 2 While still in Sketch Mode, choose the Split Walls and Lines command from the Edit menu, or click Split from the toolbar. 238 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 267. 3 Split one of the lines in the footprint at two points, creating a segment in the line. See “Split Walls and Lines” on page 292. 4 If necessary, toggle the segment to non-slope defining. 5 Click Slope Arrow, and sketch two slope arrows that begin from the endpoints of the segment: Correct placement of cursor for slope line incorrect placement of cursor for slope line Properly sketched slope arrows 6 Click Finish Sketch, and open a 3D view to see the results. Footprint | 239
- 268. Hip roof with dormer. Dormer created with the slope arrow tool Extruded Roofs You create extruded roofs in relation to a level in your project. You can use a combination of straight lines and arcs to create the profile. The height of the roof depends on the location where you sketch the profile in the elevation view. The sketch must be a series of connected lines or arcs, not closed in a loop. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Roof ➤ Roof by Extrusion, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof by Extrusion. 2 In the Work Plane dialog, select an option for specifying the work plane. For more information on work planes, see “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 3 In the Roof Base Level and Offset dialog, select the base level for the roof. The default level is the highest level in the project. 4 If desired, set a value for Offset to raise or lower the roof from the base level, and click OK. Revit Structure enters sketch mode and places a reference plane at the specified offset from the base level of the roof. The reference plane lets you control the position of the extruded roof in relation to a level. 5 Sketch the profile of the roof. The profile must be an open loop. 6 Click Finish Sketch. Revit Structure completes the extruded roof and returns you to the view in which you started the roof. If you did not specify a start and end point, Revit Structure calculates a depth for you, based on the size of the shape you sketched. For more information about start and end points for extrusions, see “Roof Properties” on page 344. To see the new extrusion, switch to a 3D view. 240 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 269. Completed extruded roof After completing the roof, you can change its position by moving its base level. You can also select the roof, click and change its base level and offset. If you are in sketch mode and click Roof Properties, you can edit the Base Level and Offset properties. This changes the position of the reference plane in sketch mode. When you return to a project view, the roof has moved according to the changes to the reference level. If you are in a project view and attempt to move the roof by changing the base level or offset properties, you may see a warning that the geometry cannot move. This may be because there is a constraint on the sketch of the roof. Edit the roof sketch and see if there are any constraints on the sketch. For example, there may be a constraint between a level line and a sketch line of the roof. Editing Plan Profile of Extruded Roof 1 Select the extruded roof, and click Cut Plan Profile from the Options Bar. 2 If the Go to View dialog appears, choose the appropriate plan view to edit the profile. A plan view representation of the roof appears in the document window. Four reference planes appear in the view to define the boundary of the roof. Extruded roof profile shown in plan view 3 You can now make cuts and openings in the roof using this view. Closed-loop sketches as shown become vertical cuts in the roof Tips for Building Extruded Roofs ■ When sketching the profile of the extruded roof, it is helpful to sketch reference planes to guide in the placement of the profile. For example sketch three vertical reference planes parallel to one another and then sketch a horizontal reference plane that intersects all three vertical planes. See the Roof Creation training exercise for more information. ■ Roofs cannot cut through windows or doors. Revit Structure returns an error if this happens. Tips for Building Extruded Roofs | 241
- 270. ■ The extrusion can extend in either direction along the plane perpendicular to the face of the solid component, for example a wall. If the extrusion extends away from the solid, the start and end points are positive values. If the extrusion extends toward the solid component, the start and end points are negative. Sloped Glazing You can create a sloped glazing either using the footprint or extrusion method. Sloped glazing have one or more slope-defining lines. See “Footprint Roofs” on page 236 and “Extruded Roofs” on page 240. 1 On the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof by Footprint or Roof by Extrusion. NOTE If you try to create a roof on the lowest level, a dialog prompts you to move it to a different level. The dialog streamlines the process of creating your roof and ensures that it sits higher than any walls joining to the roof. If you choose not to move the roof to a different level, Revit Structure notifies you later if the roof is too low. 2 Sketch the roof. 3 If the roof is based on the footprint, set roof boundary lines as slope-defining if desired, or use the roof slope arrow to define the slope. See “Roof Slope Arrow” on page 237. 4 Click Finish Sketch to finish the roof sketch. 5 Select the roof, and click Sloped Glazing on the Type Selector. Sloped GlazingTips ■ You can quickly create a footprint sloped glazing by picking walls with the Pick Walls command. Click Pick Walls, and select the walls you wish the roof to cover. Sloped glazings join to curtain walls and basic wall types. When you click and add lines, you can switch the positioning of the line on the wall by clicking the control arrows on the line. This is particularly useful if the overhang is currently at 0. ■ If you use the Pick Walls command, you should set an overhang value first in the Overhang text box on the Options Bar. ■ If you want to cut off your roof to sketch another roof on top of it, set the Up to Level property to specify what level the roof rises to. Then specify a height for the roof cutoff with the Up to Level Offset property. This property specifies the distance above or below the level at which the roof is cut off. ■ When placing curtain grids on the curtain panels of the roof, press TAB to switch between horizontal and vertical grids. Sloped glazing with mullions and grid lines Eaves You create eaves by picking walls or sketching lines to define your roof and then set an overhang value. 242 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 271. Aligning Eaves The Align Eaves command realigns eave heights of different boundary lines of a roof. 1 Click Align Eaves, and then click on one of the eaves of the roof to align the others to. Note that dimensions appear near the eaves to indicate their height. 2 On the Options Bar, you can choose to adjust the eave height or eave overhang. The Adjust Height command changes the Plate height from roof base or Offset from roof base value. The Adjust Overhang command changes the eave height by adjusting the Overhang value. See “Roof Properties” on page 344. 3 In the Options Bar, click Adjust Height or Adjust Overhang and then click on an eave. As you select the remaining eaves, you can choose between adjusting the height or adjusting the overhang if you created the lines using Pick Walls. For lines created with the Lines command, only Adjust Height is available. 4 The results of adjusting the overhang are visible after you finish the roof. Creating a Plumb Cut Eave 1 Select the roof in a section view. 2 Click . 3 Set the Rafter Cut value to Plumb Cut. 4 Click OK. Plumb Cut Eave Creating aTwo Cut Plumb Eave 1 Select the roof in a section view. 2 Click . 3 Set the Rafter Cut value to Two Cut - Plumb. 4 Set the Fascia Depth to a value between zero and the thickness of the roof. 5 Click OK. Two Cut - Plumb Eave Eaves | 243
- 272. Create aTwo Cut Square Eave 1 Select the roof in a section view. 2 Click . 3 Set the Rafter Cut value to Two Cut - Square. 4 Set the Fascia Depth to a value between zero and the thickness of the roof. 5 Click OK. Two Cut - Square Eave Dormer Opening in Roof You can create an opening for a dormer using the Opening tool in a project. 1 Start with your building model that already has a dormer created. 2 Open a plan view in which you can clearly see the dormer roof and the walls attached to it. If the roof is extruded, open an elevation view. 3 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar or on the Modelling menu, click Opening. 4 In the dialog, select Pick a roof to be cut by a dormer opening, and click OK. 5 Highlight the main roof on your building model and click. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are highlighting the main roof. Do not highlight the dormer roof. Revit Structure opens into Sketch Mode. You are going to pick the boundaries that compose the dormer opening. Notice that the Pick command is already active. 6 Place the cursor into the drawing area. You notice that valid boundaries highlight. Valid boundaries are a joined roof or its bottom face, a side face of a wall, a bottom face of a floor, an edge of roof to be cut, or a model line on the face of the roof to be cut. 244 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 273. In this example, side faces of walls and joined faces of the roof were selected. Note that you do not have the trim the sketch lines to have a valid boundary. 7 Click Finish Boundary. 8 When you finish the opening of the dormer, you may want to create a section view through it to see how it makes the cuts in the main roof. Revit Structure makes both vertical and horizontal cuts in the roof. Dormer opening in a 3D view Roof Soffits The Roof Soffit command lets you create roof soffits. NOTE The following is only one example for creating a roof soffit. Design intent can vary widely. In this particular example, the soffit is created from a two-loop sketch between a wall and a roof. The soffit is associated with the walls and the roof. You can also create non-associative soffits using the Lines command while in sketch mode. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Roof ➤ Roof Soffit, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Roof ➤ Roof Soffit. Revit Structure enters sketch mode with a Roof Soffit sketch Design Bar. 2 Click Pick Roofs to select the roof. This command creates locked sketch line. 3 Highlight the roof, and click. Roof Soffits | 245
- 274. Roof selected with Pick Roofs command 4 Click Pick Walls, highlight the outside faces of the wall beneath the roof, and click to select. Wall highlighted for soffit line Sketch lines displaying for soffit after picking walls 5 Use the Trim command to trim the excess sketch lines and close the sketch loop. See “Trim/Extend ” on page 288. 6 Click Finish Sketch. To see the soffit better, create a section view through the plan view that shows the wall meeting the roof. See “Section View” on page 424. 246 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 275. Roof, soffit, and wall in section view NOTE The Join Geometry tool was used to join the soffit and the roof in the previous picture. To complete the image, you could also use the Join Geometry command to join the soffit and the wall and the wall and the roof. See “Join Geometry” on page 290. TIP Use the Slope Arrow tool to create a sloping soffit, similar to the way you create a sloped floor or ceiling. Other Finished Soffits Soffit selected in elevation view Soffits selected on model with gambrel roof Other Finished Soffits | 247
- 276. Floors This topic provides information on floors. Adding Floors You create floors by sketching them. You can sketch lines by picking walls or by using the Lines command in the sketch editor. You typically want to sketch a floor in a plan view, although you can sketch it in a 3D view, provided the work plane of the 3D view is set to the work plane of a plan view. Floors are automatically offset downward from the level on which they are sketched. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Floor, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Floor. 2 Click Pick Walls or if you wish to sketch the profile of the floor, click Lines, and click Draw from the Options Bar. Use the sketching tools to complete the sketch. See “Sketching Options” on page 36. The sketch must be closed. If you wish to have an opening in the floor, you can sketch another closed profile where you want the opening to appear. 3 If you create the floor by picking walls, you can specify an offset for the floor edges by clicking in the Offset text box on the Options Bar. If you want an opening in the floor, you can sketch a closed shape within the perimeter of the floor. NOTE When using Pick Walls, you can select Extend into wall (to core) if you want the offset to be measured from the wall's core. 4 When finished with the sketch, click Finish Sketch to create the floor. TIP Using the Pick Walls command saves you time if you want to align the floor to the walls. Sloped Floors Revit Structure provides three independent ways to create a sloped floor: 248 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 277. Method 1 While in sketch mode, click Slope Arrow to draw a slope arrow that defines the slope of the floor. Floor sketch with slope arrow Select the slope arrow and click . Follow one of the methods described below: Slope by Setting Height at Tail 1 Set the value of Specify to Height at Tail. 2 Specify a value for Height Offset at Tail. This value determines how high above the level the slope arrow begins. 3 If desired, specify a level for Level at Tail to start the slope arrow at a certain level. For example, the floor sketch is on level 1. You could choose to start the slope arrow on level 2. 4 Specify a value for Height Offset at Head. This value determines how high above the level the slope arrow ends. 5 If desired, specify a level for Level at Head to end the slope arrow above a certain level. For example, the floor sketch is on level 1. You could choose to end the slope arrow on level 2. 6 Click OK. For more information about the Slope Arrow, including its properties, see “Roof Slope Arrow” on page 237. Slope by Setting Slope Value 1 Set the value of Specify to Slope. 2 Set the value of Rise/(Run) to set a slope value. 3 If desired, specify a value for Height Offset at Tail. This value determines how high above the level the slope arrow begins. 4 If desired, specify a level for Level at Tail to start the slope arrow at a certain level. For example, the floor sketch is on level 1. You could choose to start the slope arrow on level 2. 5 Click OK. Method 2 Select two parallel floor lines that you sketched and click . Set the Defines constant height property to Yes for both lines. By setting this property to Yes, you will enable the Offset from Base property. Then select the lines individually and specify a value for the Offset from Base property for each of the lines. Method 3 Select a single sketch line and click . Set the Defines constant height property to Yes, select the Defines Slope property, and set a value for the slope angle (rise). For a complete listing of parameters available for setting slopes, see “Roof Properties” on page 344. Sloped Floors | 249
- 278. Stairs This topic provides information on creating stairs. Stairs You create stairs by defining the run of the stairs or by sketching riser lines and boundary lines. You can define straight runs, L-shaped runs with a platform, U-shaped stairs, and spiral stairs. You can also modify the outside boundary of the stairs by modifying the sketch. The risers and runs update accordingly. Revit Structure also generates railings automatically for the stairs. In multi-story buildings, you can design one set of stairs and Revit Structure creates identical sets up to the highest level defined in the stair properties. You create stairs in a plan view. When you click the start point of the stairs, Revit Structure calculates the number of treads, based on the distance between floors and the maximum riser height defined in the stair properties. It creates a rectangle representing the footprint of the run of the stairs. As you move the cursor, the rectangle spins accordingly. If you move your cursor so it is outside the rectangle on the end of the stairs and click, Revit Structure creates a straight run of stairs. When creating new stairs, you can also specify the railing type to be used. See “Specifying the Railing Type for New Stairs” on page 254. Creating Stairs by Sketching Runs Click start point on left side Click endpoint on right end If you want the stairs to have landings, click inside the rectangle to create a short run. Revit Structure displays the number of risers currently created. You can then click another start and endpoint for the remaining stairs. First run of stairs- 9 risers created with 9 remaining Additional run of stairs perpendicular to the original 250 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 279. Completed sketch with landing created automatically You can modify the sketch of the footprint for the stairs. In the next figure the landing of the sketch has been modified. Creating Stairs by Sketching Boundary and Riser Lines You can define your stairs by sketching boundaries and risers. To create stair boundaries and risers, you click Boundary to create a boundary and click Riser to create risers. Sketch the boundary lines first and then connect riser lines between them. Valid stair sketch created using Boundary and Riser commands 3D view of stairs Stairs with Landings If you are creating stairs by sketching boundary and riser lines and the stairs have a landing, you need to split the boundary lines where they meet the landing to achieve the desired results. Stairs | 251
- 280. 1 After you have sketched your stairs, click Split from the toolbar while you are still in sketch mode. 2 Split the boundary lines where they meet the landing. Tips ■ Do not connect left and right boundary lines together. You can sketch them as single lines or multi-segmented lines: for example straight lines and arcs connected together. ■ Connect riser lines between the left and right boundaries. ■ See the online tutorials for practical exercises on creating stairs. ■ The top riser line on a run of stairs represents the actual riser without a tread. Creating a Run of Stairs 1 Open a plan or 3D view where you want the stairs. 2 On the Modelling menu, click Stairs, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Stairs. Revit Structure enters sketch mode and automatically sets to create a run of stairs. 3 If you are sketching the stairs in a 3D view, you can click Work Plane from the Sketch toolbar to choose a different work plane. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 4 Click Run (if not already selected), and place the cursor in the window where you want to start the stairs. 5 Move the cursor to set the angle for the stair footprint. 6 For a straight run of stairs, move the cursor outside the rectangle on the end away from the start point and click the end point. 7 For a jogged set of stairs, click for the end of the first run, move the cursor, and click start and finish of the second run. Continue this process if there is more than one jog. 8 Edit the footprint if desired. 9 Change the properties of the stairs if desired by clicking and clicking Edit/New. Change the properties to the desired settings. For a description of stair properties and their values, see “Stair Properties” on page 347. 10 Click Finish Sketch. Revit Structure generates a staircase with automatic railings. Completed stairs in 3D with default railings and balusters 252 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 281. Creating Spiral Staircases 1 Open a plan or 3D view where you want the stairs. 2 On the Modelling menu, click Stairs, or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Stairs. Revit Structure enters sketch mode and automatically sets to create a run of stairs. 3 If you are sketching the stairs in a 3D view, you can click Work Plane from the Sketch toolbar to choose a different work plane. See “Setting the Work Plane” on page 44. 4 From the sketch toolbar, click to start the spiral staircase. 5 In the document window, pick a center point for the spiral. 6 Pick a start point to start the run of stairs. 7 Pick an end point to complete the spiral. Completed spiral staircase As you draw the spiral stairs, Revit Structure limits the spiral to fewer than 360 degrees. Do not overlap spirals as Revit Structure cannot accurately place the stringers and railings. A warning message appears if you overlap the runs. Draw the arcs separated from one another. Creating Arced Landings Revit Structure creates arced landings if you sketch arced runs with the same center and radius. Spiral arcs with same radius and center Stairs | 253
- 282. Finished arc landing Specifying the RailingType for New Stairs While sketching new stairs, you can specify which railing type to use by selecting Railings Type on the Design Bar. This tool is only available while sketching new stairs. When you select Railings Type, a dialog displays asking you to select the railing type from a drop-down list. The list is populated by the existing types within the project; you also have the option to select None or Default. Specifying the railing type 1 On the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Stairs to begin new stairs. 2 On the Design Bar, select Railings Type. 3 In the Railings Type dialog, select a rail type. NOTE If the type you require is not listed, you can quit the stairs, create the railing type, and then restart the stair process. You can also create the stairs with any railing type and swap them at a later time after you have created the desired railings. For more information, see “Railings” on page 200. 4 Click OK. NOTE If you selected Default for the railing type, Revit Structure will use the railing type that displays when you click the Railing tool and select Railing Properties. The railing that displays in the Element Properties dialog is the default railing. You can change the default railing by selecting a new railing type in this dialog. For more information, see “Railings” on page 200. Tips for Creating Stairs ■ There are various properties you can set to give your stairs the right look. For more information, see “Stair Properties” on page 347. ■ You can change the direction of stairs, but not while editing stairs. First finish the sketch, select the stairs, and then click on the blue flip control arrow to switch the orientation. ■ To create spiral staircases, use the tool available on the Options Bar. ■ To create a spiral staircase to multiple levels, create one helix for the stairs and then copy that helix to the appropriate levels. ■ You can schedule stairs with parameters that include Actual Rise (riser), Actual Number of Risers, Run, and Width. See “Creating Schedules” on page 434. 254 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 283. ■ You can tag stairs with the stair tag family. The stair tag is available from the Annotations folder of the Revit Structure family library. See “Tags” on page 124. ■ If you are creating stairs for a multi-story building and the level height of each floor is the same, you can set your stairs to rise from the base level to the top level in one step, using the Multistory Top Level parameter. Right-click on the stairs and click Properties. Set the Multistory Top Level parameter to the highest level in your building. This works well for stairs in a stair shaft of an office building. Stair Calculator The stair calculator is an additional rule you can apply to calculate the tread depth of your stairs. The additional rule is a common, rule of thumb formula. For example, a formula specified in the Architectural Graphic Standards. The stair calculator is available from the type properties of the stairs. See “Instance and Type Properties” on page 309. Before using the stair calculator, you should already have set values for the minimum tread depth and maximum riser height. See “Stair Properties” on page 347. Using the Stair Calculator 1 In the Type Properties dialog for the stairs, click Edit in the value box for Stair Calculation Rules. The Stair Calculator dialog opens. 2 Select Enable Stair Calculator. 3 Type a value to multiply by the actual riser height. 4 Type a value to multiply by the actual tread depth. Those values are for calculating the formula. 5 In the Threshold Values, set a maximum and minimum result for the stair calculator. NOTE The stair calculator uses the tread depth you typed in the instance properties of the stairs. If the tread depth value you typed causes the calculator to produce outside the range of the threshold values, Revit Structure posts a warning. 6 Click OK. The stair calculator does not affect existing stairs. Revit Structure computes the tread depth for new stairs only. Rule ofThumb Formulas The following is a rule of thumb formula for interior stairs as specified in the Architectural Graphic Standards. ■ Riser + Tread = 17.5 inches: 7.5 inches for the riser height; 10 inches for the tread depth. ■ Riser * Tread = 75 inches ■ 2(Riser) + Tread is greater than or equal to 24 (minimum threshold) or less than or equal to 25 (maximum threshold). Curtain Elements This section provides information on curtain elements. Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions Curtain walls are a wall type consisting of panels. When you draw the wall, Revit Structure inserts a single panel that extends the length of the wall. If you created a curtain wall that has automatic curtain grids, the wall is subdivided into several panels. Stair Calculator | 255
- 284. Curtain wall with curtain grids and panels Creating Rectangular Curtain Walls 1 On the Modelling menu, click Wall or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Wall. 2 Choose a curtain wall type from the Type Selector on the Options Bar. 3 If you want the wall to have automatic horizontal and vertical curtain grids, set the Vertical and Horizontal Layout properties for the curtain wall type. For more information, see “Type-Driven Curtain Element Layout” on page 258. IMPORTANT You cannot move automatic curtain grids after drawing a wall, unless you make them independent. To do this, select a curtain grid and click . Set the Type Association parameter to Independent. Alternatively, you can select the grid and click the pin that displays to unlock the grid. When you set an automatic grid to independent, it is still part of the grid layout calculation, but its position remains fixed if you resize the wall or change the grid layout through the type properties of the curtain wall. This parameter allows you to adjust the position of certain grids after creating even-grid spacing. If you had placed the grid on the curtain wall, it would not be part of the grid layout calculation. 4 Decide how to create the wall: ■ Click to draw the wall. ■ Click to pick lines. Lines can be model lines or edges of elements, such as roofs, curtain panels, and other walls. ■ Click to select either a massing face or a generic model face. The generic model could be created either as in-place or family file based. See “Using the Wall by Face Command” on page 25. TIP You can press TAB to highlight all vertical faces on the mass or generic model. Then click to place walls simultaneously on each highlighted face. 5 If desired, you can change a panel type by clicking Modify and selecting the panel. The Status Bar displays the panel name when you have selected it. From the Type Selector, select the appropriate panel. See “Displaying the Status Bar” on page 667. 6 If the curtain wall you sketched did not have automatic grids (“Type-Driven Curtain Element Layout” on page 258), you can add grids manually. On the Modelling menu, click Curtain Grid or the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. Open a 3D or elevation view. Place the cursor along wall edges and a temporary grid line displays. Click to place the grid lines. Revit Structure automatically fills in each section of the grid (design unit) with a separate curtain wall panel of the type selected earlier. 7 Add the mullions to the grids if needed for the design. On the Modelling menu, click Mullion or click Mullion from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. Highlight the grid line to add the mullions. The mullion automatically sizes itself to the grid line. The mullion automatically splits at an intersection with another mullion. If desired, you can change the properties of mullions. For a complete list of mullion properties and their values, see “Mullion Properties” on page 339. 256 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 285. Completed curtain wall Non-Rectangular Curtain Walls You can create non-rectangular curtain walls by first sketching a straight curtain wall and then editing its elevation profile or by joining a straight curtain wall to any roof. See “Defining Wall Shapes or Openings” on page 368. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Wall or on the Architectural tab of the Design Bar, click Wall. 2 On the Type Selector, click Curtain Wall: Curtain Wall 1. 3 Decide how to create the wall: ■ Click to draw the wall. ■ Click to pick lines. Lines can be model lines or edges of elements, such as roofs, curtain panels, and other walls. ■ Click to select either a massing face or a generic model face. The generic model could be created either as in-place or family file based. See “Using the Wall by Face Command” on page 25. TIP You can press TAB to highlight all vertical faces on the mass or generic model. Then click to place walls simultaneously on each highlighted face. 4 Select the wall and edit its elevation profile as desired or join it to a roof. 5 Add curtain grids (if necessary) and mullions as desired. Curtain Grid Snapping When you are placing curtain grids, they snap to evenly spaced intervals on the curtain wall. For example, as you drag the cursor over the panel, it snaps to the midpoint of the panel or to the 1/3 mark. When you are placing curtain grids on walls, sloped glazings, and curtain systems, the curtain grids snap to visible levels, grids, and reference planes in views. In addition, curtain grids snap to other curtain grids when you select on a common corner edge. For example, if you place the cursor on a joined edge between two curtain walls, the new curtain grid snaps to an existing curtain grid. Selectively Placing Curtain Grids When you go to place curtain grids on curtain panels, a preview image of the curtain grid appears on the panels. The preview indicates where Revit Structure places the curtain grid on the panel. You can control the location of the preview and thus the location of the curtain grid using the three options for the grid segments: ■ All Segments: places grid segments on all panels where preview appears. ■ One Segment: places one grid segment on one panel where preview appears. ■ All Except Picked: places a grid segment on all panels, except the ones you pick to exclude. Excluding Grids from Panels 1 On the Modelling tab, click Curtain Grid. 2 From the Options Bar, click All Except Picked. 3 Place the cursor on a curtain wall, so that a preview of the curtain appears. 4 Click to place the curtain grid. Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions | 257
- 286. The curtain grid line appears in red available for picking. 5 Click segments of the curtain grid line to exclude them from panels. When you click the segments, they appear as dashed lines. 6 When you finish excluding segments, click Start Next from the Options Bar to place a new curtain grid. Type-Driven Curtain Element Layout You can set a curtain element layout for walls, sloped glazings, and curtain systems. By setting the layout by type, you can place many instances that already have panels, grids, and mullions on them. You create a curtain grid layout by setting a combination of type and instance parameters that affect the faces of the curtain element. The following two tables list the properties and provide a description of each. Type Properties DescriptionValueName Construction Determines if the curtain wall embeds into other walls.check boxAutomatically Embed (Curtain walls only) Sets the curtain panel family type for the curtain element. user-definedCurtain Panel Controls which mullions break at intersections on a curtain element type. For example, this parameter makes all horizontal or vertical mullions on a curtain wall continuous, or it can make mullions on grid 1 or grid 2 continuous on a curtain system or sloped glazing. user-definedJoin Condition Vertical Grid Pattern (Grouping name for curtain walls only) Grid 1 Pattern (Grouping name for curtain systems and sloped glazings only) NOTE These descriptions apply to the Horizontal Grid Pattern or Grid 2 Pattern. 258 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 287. Sets an automatic layout for curtain grid lines along the length of a face on a curtain element. When set to a value other than None, Revit Structure automatically adds grid lines to the faces of a curtain element. Fixed Distance indicates that the curtain grids are placed at the exact value specified for the Spacing parameter. If the spacing is not an even factor of the face’s length, Revit Structure inserts space at one or both ends of the face, depending on the justification parameter. For example, if the face is 46 feet long and the spacing is None Fixed Distance Fixed Number Maximum Spacing Layout at a 5 feet fixed distance and the justification is set to beginning, Revit Structure adds 1 foot from the end of the face. See the Justification instance property description under Vertical Pattern for more information on justification. Fixed Number indicates that you can set different numbers of curtain grids for different curtain instances. See the Number instance property description under Vertical Pattern for more information. Maximum Spacing indicates that the curtain grids are placed at even intervals along the length of the face at a distance up to the value specified for Spacing. Enabled when Layout value is set to Fixed Distance or Maximum Spacing. When the layout is set to a fixed distance, Revit Structure uses this exact value you specify for Spacing. When the layout is at a maximum spacing, Revit Structure uses up to the value you specify to lay out the grids. user-definedSpacing This adjusts the position of type-driven gridlines to ensure that curtain panels are of equal size, whenever possible. Sometimes when mullions are placed, particularly on borders of curtain hosts, it can result in panels of unequal size, even if the Layout is set to Fixed Distance. check boxAdjust for Mullion Size Vertical Mullions (Grouping name for curtain walls only) Grid 1 Mullions (Grouping name for curtain systems and sloped glazings only) Specifies the mullion family for interior vertical mullions. Choose from a loaded family type.Interior Type Specifies the mullion family for vertical mullions on the left border. Choose from a loaded family type.Border 1 Type Specifies the mullion family for vertical mullions on the right border Choose from a loaded family type.Border 2 Type Horizontal Mullions Grid 2 Mullions (Grouping name for curtain systems and sloped glazings only) Specifies the mullion family for interior horizontal mullions. Choose from a loaded family type.Interior Type Specifies the mullion family for horizontal mullions on the left border. Choose from a loaded family type.Border 1 Type Specifies the mullion family for horizontal mullions on the right border Choose from a loaded family type.Border 2 Type Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions | 259
- 288. Vertical Grid Pattern NOTE These parameter descriptions are also applicable to the Horizontal Grid Pattern instance parameters. If the Layout type parameter under Vertical Grid Pattern is set to Fixed Number, enter a value here for the number of curtain grids you want on the curtain instance. The maximum value you can enter is 200. user-definedNumber The value determines how Revit Structure adjusts the spacing of grids along the curtain element face, when the grid spacing does not divide evenly into the length of the face. Justification also determines which gridlines are first removed or added when gridlines are added or removed because of parameter changes or changes to the size of the face. Beginning adds space to the end of the face before placing the first grid. Center adds an even amount of space at both the beginning and end of the face. End adds space from the beginning of the face before placing the first grid. Beginning End Center Justification Rotates the curtain grids to the specified angle. Note that you can also specify this value for individual faces. If you specify this parameter for a face, then no value displays in this field. valid values are between 89 and -89Angle Starts grid placement at the specified distance from the justification point of the grids. For example, if Justification is specified as beginning and you enter a value of 5 feet here, Revit Structure places the first grid 5 feet from the beginning of the face. Note that you can also set this value for individual faces. If you specify this parameter for a face, then no value displays in this field. user-definedOffset This is an imaginary line that defines the point at which to measure grid spacing on faces where grid spacing may not be the same across the length of gridlines. Where grids intersect this line, the distance between the grids is equal to the value specified for grid spacing (for Fixed Distance layouts) or up to this value (for Maximum Spacing layouts). Where the grids do not intersect this line, they can be placed at values either higher or lower than the value for Spacing. user-definedMeasurement Line Measurement Line (curtain system only) Grid Layout by Face The structure you are building may require curtain elements to have different grid layouts on the faces of those elements. For example, a sloped glazing with four faces might need four different grid layouts. You can specify grid layout by face, which is similar to changing an element instance. To change curtain grid layouts on faces, you first select the curtain grid element and then click , which displays on each face of the curtain element. You can change the layout either by accessing the Element Properties dialog or graphically through the curtain grid layout interface. The following are instance properties that you can set by face for a curtain element. ■ Number ■ Justification ■ Offset ■ Measurement Line For a description of these properties, see “Type-Driven Curtain Element Layout” on page 258. 260 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 289. Locking the Position of Mullions and Curtain Grids Mullions and curtain grids can be pinned (locked) on a curtain element only if that element has a type-driven curtain grid layout. If the mullion or curtain grid is locked on a curtain element, that means the mullion or curtain grid’s type is defined by the type properties of the curtain element. Graphically Modifying Face Layout When you select a curtain grid element face, you click the control that displays on the face. This opens a curtain grid layout interface over the curtain grid face. The interface lets you graphically change the instance parameter values of the face. There are various controls on the interface that change the layout. DescriptionControl The justification origin. Click the arrows to change the justification scheme of the grids. The horizontal arrow changes Justification (Grid 2). The vertical arrow changes Justification (Grid 1). Shift and angle (Grid 1). Click the controls to change their values. Shift and angle (Grid 2). Click the controls to change their values. Measurement Line (Grid 2). Drag the control left or right to adjust the measuring line for horizontal grids. Measurement Line (Grid 1). Drag the control up or down to adjust the measuring line for vertical grids. Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions | 261
- 290. Flipping Orientation of Curtain Walls As you place a curtain wall or select an existing one in a plan view, control arrows appear: . If you click on the arrows, the interior and exterior surfaces of the wall flip. Curtain wall as seen in plan view before flipping Curtain wall after flipping. Note that the black surface line is now on top. Wall Panels in Curtain Walls You can change a curtain wall panel to any type of wall. Select a panel in the curtain wall and then select a wall type from the Type Selector. The wall panel resizes like any other curtain wall panel: when the entire curtain wall changes size, the panels update accordingly. You cannot explicitly control a wall panel’s size with drag controls, nor by its properties. Wall constraint properties such as base constraint and base offset and the geometry property unconnected height are read-only values for a wall panel. Curtain wall with masonry wall panel type Schedule as Panels or Walls You can control whether the wall schedules as a curtain panel or a wall by setting the Schedule by instance property of the wall panel. Changing the location line of the wall panel changes how it is placed in the curtain wall. Add Inserts to Wall Panels Inserts, such as windows, can be placed into wall panels. The position of inserts is relative to the entire curtain wall. This means that if you resize a wall panel by moving curtain grids, the window does not move with the panel. Its position remains fixed with respect to the curtain wall. Curtain wall with masonry wall panel type and windows in panel 262 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 291. Split Wall Panels with Curtain Grids You can split wall panels into two or more panels by adding curtain grids to the curtain wall. You can also add mullions to the curtain grids on the panel. Curtain wall with masonry wall panels with curtain grids and mullions Curtain Wall as Wall Panel A curtain wall type can be a wall panel, which has the effect of nesting a curtain wall within another curtain wall. Curtain wall with curtain wall panel Modifying Curtain Walls You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of curtain walls through their properties. Curtain wall properties are modifiable before or after you sketch the walls. You set curtain wall properties in the Element Properties dialog. You can open this dialog in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the wall, and click . Another way is to click Wall, choose a curtain wall type and then click . See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying curtain walls. Changing Curtain Wall PanelType You can change curtain wall panel types by selecting an individual panel and then choosing a different type from the family drop-down menu. If there are not enough wall types loaded, you can always load more families using the Load Family command. For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Changing Mullion Material Follow this procedure to change mullion material. 1 Select the mullion type from the Type Selector, and click . 2 Click Edit/New. Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions | 263
- 292. 3 Select a mullion material. You can create a new mullion material if one does not exist. See “Materials” on page 525. 4 Click OK. NOTE Changing the material for a mullion family type changes the material for all mullions sharing that type. Create and apply a new mullion family type if the material changes affect a particular curtain wall. Context Menu You can access properties and perform other functions on curtain walls by selecting the curtain wall and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the curtain wall, such as selecting panels, mullions, and grids on the curtain wall. Cleaning Curtain Wall Joins By default, new curtain walls attach to the face of other walls. You can separate a curtain wall join from other curtain walls or exterior and interior walls; this allows more control over curtain wall joins and mullion placement to ensure proper design intent. Default curtain wall installation to face of joined wall To separate the join, select the curtain wall join shape handle. Press TAB and watch the status bar to be sure you have selected the handle. Drag the handle to separate the curtain wall from the other wall; this does not break the join between the two walls. Curtain wall shape handle selected for dragging TIP You can achieve the same effect by using the Align command and aligning the edge of the curtain wall with the center or edge of the joined wall. See “Align” on page 293. Controlling Mullion Joins You can switch mullion joins between cleaned and uncleaned by selecting a mullion in and clicking the control that appears. Mullions clean up at the join only if there four or fewer mullions meeting at the join, all of them are straight, and all are parallel to the grid lines. Vertical butt join Click on the control, and the join changes to a horizontal butt join: 264 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 293. Horizontal butt join Reshaping Curtain Wall Panels A curtain wall panel may need an opening in it, such as a vent in the panel. You can create an opening in a curtain wall panel by editing the panel as an in-place family. You first create a curtain wall and then select a panel. You can edit the panel in the Family Editor. 1 Sketch a curtain wall. 2 Select a curtain wall panel, and click Edit Curtain Panel from the Options Bar. The In-Place Family Editor opens in Revit Structure. The panel you selected is the only geometry available for editing; the rest of the curtain wall appears grayed out and is unavailable for selection. 3 To edit the shape of the panel, click Edit from the Options Bar. 4 In Sketch Mode, reshape the pane as desired. For example, you could add a door-like opening to the panel. 5 When completed with changes, click Finish Sketch. Mitered Mullions on Curtain Walls If you join two curtain walls together with horizontal mullions, the mullions miter at the join. Mitered mullions on arc curtain wall Mitered mullions between two joined curtain walls NOTE Mullions also miter on sloped glazings. Merging Curtain Wall Panels Curtain walls frequently have patterns with non-continuous grid lines and mullions. Your design may require that grid lines be staggered, rather than continuous. Also, you may want to place a door or other type of insert into the panel, that would only fit if the panel were large enough. Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions | 265
- 294. Revit Structure lets you divide curtain walls into panels with rectangular and non-rectangular shapes. This new functionality provides more design flexibility for your curtain wall project. Joining Curtain Wall Panels 1 Create the curtain wall panels. See “Curtain Walls, Curtain Grids, and Mullions” on page 255. 2 Add curtain grids. See “Creating Rectangular Curtain Walls” on page 256. 3 Select a curtain grid. This enables the Add or Remove Segments command on the Options Bar. 4 Click Add or Remove Segments, and place the cursor on a curtain grid segment. 5 Click on the curtain grid segment to remove it. 6 As you remove segments, adjacent panels join. 7 To exit the command, click Modify. Curtain wall with merged panels Unjoining Panels To separate panels, you add curtain grid segments back. 1 Select a curtain grid, and click Add or Remove Segments. 2 Place the cursor on a dashed curtain grid segment. The dashed lines indicate a segment that was previously removed. 3 Click on the dashed segment to restore the curtain grid. 4 The joined panels revert back to their unjoined state. 5 To exit the command, click Modify. MergingTips ■ You can make non-rectangular curtain wall panels with the system panel type only. ■ If you join panels of different types, the resulting panel is of the type you first selected. ■ Use hidden line view to clearly see which panels are joined. See “Hidden Lines” on page 457. Corner Mullions Corner mullions are single mullions that you can place between the endpoint of two curtain walls, the ridges of sloped glazings, or any internal mullion on a curved curtain element, such as an arc curtain wall. Arc curtain wall with internal mullions 266 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 295. Corner MullionTypes Revit Structure includes four types of corner mullions: ■ L Corner Mullion: Panels of curtain walls or sloped glazing meet the ends of the mullion's legs. You can set the length and thickness of the mullion legs in the type properties of the mullion. See “Mullion Properties” on page 339. L corner mullion between two curtain walls ■ V Corner Mullion: Panels of curtain walls or sloped glazing meet the sides of the mullion's legs. You can set the length and thickness of the mullion legs in the type properties of the mullion. V corner mullion between two curtain walls ■ Trapezoid Corner Mullion: Panels of curtain walls or sloped glazing meet at the sides of the mullion. You can set the center width and length along the sides that meet the panels in the type properties of the mullion. Trapezoid mullion between two curtain walls ■ Quad Corner Mullion: Panels of curtain walls or sloped glazing meet the sides of the mullion's legs. You can set the depth of the mullion in two segments. If the two segments are equal and the join is not at 90 degrees, the mullion has a kite shape: If the join angle is 90 degrees and the segments are unequal, the mullion is a rectangle: Corner Mullions | 267
- 296. If the two segments are equal and the join angle is 90 degrees, the mullion is a square: NOTE The quad corner mullion differs from a rectangular non-corner mullion in this case, because the curtain panels join at adjacent sides of the quad corner mullion. TIP The offset for corner mullions is relative to the panels. 268 | Chapter 9 Working with Architectural Components
- 297. Modifying Revit Structure Elements This topic describes the tools and techniques you can use to modify Revit Structure elements in the drawing area. 10 269
- 298. Highlighting and Selecting Elements Many of the controls and commands you use to modify an element in the drawing area are only available when the element is selected. (A selected element is outlined in red.) You can select an element in the drawing area at any time by clicking it. To help you identify elements and mark them for selection, Revit Structure includes an automatic highlighting feature. When you move the cursor onto or near an element in the drawing area, the outline of the element is immediately highlighted in a heavier line weight, and its description is displayed on the Status Bar at the bottom of the Revit Structure interface. After a brief delay, the element description is also displayed within a tooltip just below the cursor. Wall element before and after highlighting TIP If you have difficulty highlighting a particular element because there are other elements in close proximity, press TAB to cycle through the elements until the one you want is highlighted. The currently highlighted element is identified on the Status Bar. Depending on the type of element that is highlighted and the type of view you are in, you may be able to press TAB to display special drag controls called shape handles, that let you resize an element by dragging one end or edge. For example, you can press TAB to display shape handles for most basic wall types when they are highlighted in elevation or 3D views. In plan views, however, this only works for curtain walls. To display shape handles for a basic wall in plan view, you must select the wall first, and then press TAB. For more information, see “Shape Handles” on page 279. Although you can resize some highlighted elements using shape handles, most modifications require the element to be selected. Once an element is highlighted, you can select it by clicking. Selecting the element has 3 main results: ■ The element is outlined in red. ■ Any element-specific editing controls and dimensions are displayed on or adjacent to the element. (For more information, see “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277.) ■ Any applicable editing commands are now available on the Edit menu or on the element’s context (right-click) menu. Wall after selection NOTE You can also right-click a highlighted element to select it and display its context menu. The element remains highlighted until the menu is closed; the red outline is then visible on the selected element. Note also that if an element is selected in one view, the selection applies to all other views as well. Selecting Multiple Elements You can select more than one element at the same time by using one of the following methods: ■ Hold down the CTRL key while clicking each of the elements you want to select. 270 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 299. ■ Define a pick box by placing the cursor on one side of the elements to be selected and dragging it diagonally to form a rectangular boundary. To select only elements completely within the boundary of the pick box, drag the cursor from left to right. To select any elements that either wholly or partially within the boundary of the pick box, drag the cursor from right to left. ■ Use the TAB key to highlight connected elements, and then click. (For more information, see “Chain Selection of Walls and Lines” on page 271.) ■ Right-click on a family type name in the Project Browser or a family type in the drawing area, and click Select All Instances. This selects all instances of that family type in your project. (For more information, see “Using the Project Browser” on page 468.) NOTE If you are editing a design option, the command name is Select All Instances in Active Option. It selects all elements of that type in the active option only. Removing Elements from the Selection You can deselect any selected element by clicking it while holding down the shift key. In cases where elements of different types are included in the selection, you can edit the selection by type using the following procedure: 1 On the Options Bar, click . The Filter dialog box lists all the element types currently selected. 2 Specify which types of elements you want included in the selection: ■ To exclude all elements of a type, clear the check box for that type. ■ To include all elements of a type, select the check box for that type. ■ To select all the check boxes, click Check All. ■ To clear all the check boxes, click Check None. 3 Click OK. If you want to restore a selection of one or more elements that you have cleared, press the left arrow (<—) key on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can right-click and click Select Previous on the context menu. You can only restore a selection while Modify is active. If you switch to a different command, the selection is cleared. Chain Selection of Walls and Lines If multiple elements such as walls or area separation lines are joined together, forming a continuous chain, you can highlight any one of the elements, and then press TAB to highlight all the elements in the chain. You can then click to select the entire chain. Note that the chain can include different types of elements. The following figures show valid chains for selection. Four walls joined Removing Elements from the Selection | 271
- 300. Four area separation lines joined Walls and area separation lines joined If multiple walls are joined at the same point, the chain continues along the wall that makes the smallest angle with the one currently highlighted. Walls joined at mid-end faces can also be included in a chain selection. For more information, see “Mid-End Wall Joins” on page 375. As shown in the following illustration of a selected chain of walls, drag controls are displayed at the coincident endpoints. You can drag these controls to new locations without unjoining the endpoints. For more information, see “Modifying a Selected Chain” on page 273. Partial Chain Selection To select only part of a chain of connected elements (walls, lines, or a mixture of both): 1 Select the first element in the desired chain. 2 Highlight the last element in the desired chain. 3 Press TAB to highlight all elements in the partial chain. (If you press TAB again, the entire chain highlights; press it a third time to highlight only the second element.) 4 Click to select the highlighted partial chain. If the chain is a closed loop, the elements to be highlighted for partial chain selection are determined by the cursor position when you highlight the element you want to define the end of the partial chain. As shown in the wall layout below, where the wall at the top left is selected first, if you position the cursor near the left endpoint of the upper-right wall, the partial chain includes the walls along the top of the layout. If you place the cursor on the right side of that wall, the walls on both sides and along the bottom are included in the partial chain. 272 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 301. Highlighted partial chain with cursor near left endpoint of last wall in chain Highlighted partial chain with cursor near right endpoint of last wall in chain Chain Selection of Walls and Lines | 273
- 302. Modifying a Selected Chain When a chain of walls or lines is selected, you can use the drag controls that are displayed at the coincident endpoints to perform any of the following edits without unjoining any elements in the chain: ■ To change the layout of the chain, drag a control to a new location. Editing a selected chain of walls. ■ To move the entire chain, preserving its layout, hold down the SHIFT key while dragging one of the controls vertically or horizontally to a new location. Dragging a wall chain to a new location ■ To create and place a copy of the chain, hold down the CTRL key while dragging one of the controls to the desired location. 274 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 303. Copying a wall chain in a 3D view Selecting Multiple Curtain Elements You can select multiple curtain elements on large curtain hosts using selection commands on the context menu. Selecting Panels Curtain panels can be selected in multiple ways. To select all panels on a curtain host element (such as a curtain wall, sloped glazing, or curtain system created by face) right-click the host element, and click Select Panels on Host. You can then select an individual panel, right-click, and click Select Panels to access the following options for selecting multiple panels: ■ Select Panels along Vertical Grid (available for curtain walls only) ■ Select Panels along Horizontal Grid (available for curtain walls only) ■ Select Panels along Grid 1 ■ Select Panels along Grid 2 ■ Select Panels on Face (available for curtain systems created by face only) ■ Select Panels on Host Selecting Mullions The context menu options for selecting multiple mullions vary depending on whether you access them from the curtain host element or a selected mullion. If you right-click a curtain wall, and click Select Mullions, the following options are available: ■ Select Mullions on Vertical Grid. Selects all interior mullions on vertical grids. ■ Select Mullions on Horizontal Grid. Selects all interior mullions on horizontal grids. ■ Select All Mullions. Selects all mullions on the host. If you right-click a curtain system or sloped glazings, and click Select Mullions, the following options are available: ■ Select Mullions on Grid 1. Selects all interior mullions that lie on the grid 1 layout. For more information on grid layouts, see “Type-Driven Curtain Element Layout” on page 258. ■ Select Mullions on Grid 2. Selects all interior mullions that lie on the grid 2 layout. ■ Select All Mullions. Selects all mullions on the host. Selecting Multiple Curtain Elements | 275
- 304. If you right-click an individual mullion, and click Select Mullions, the following options are available: ■ Select Mullions on Gridline. Selects all mullions that lie on the same gridline as the selected mullion. ■ Select Mullions Across Gridline. Selects all interior mullions that lie on gridlines opposite the gridline on which the selected mullion lies. ■ Select Inner Mullions. Selects all interior mullions on the same face as the selected mullion. ■ Select Border Mullions. Selects all border mullions on the same face as the selected mullion. ■ Select Mullions on Host. Available when you right-click on a mullion. Selects all mullions on the host. Moving and Resizing Elements Moving Elements Revit Structure offers a variety of menu options, keyboard actions, and on screen element controls to let you move elements in the drawing area, either independently or in association with other elements. Changing Dimensions Whenever a selected element is dimensioned to another element, either by distance or angle, you can move the selected element relative to the other element by clicking the dimension and entering a new value. Dragging When an element is selected, you can click it and drag it to a new location in the drawing area. If multiple elements are selected, they all move when you drag one, and the spatial relationships among them are preserved. TIP When moving elements one at a time, if you select Press + Drag on the Options Bar, you can drag an element without selecting it first. Note that the element is selected after you move it using this option. Some elements can move only horizontally or vertically by default; Revit Structure gives you visual cues which way a selected element can move. You can remove this constraint by holding the SHIFT key while dragging the element. Conversely, some elements can move in any direction by default, but holding the SHIFT key while dragging will constrain their movement. For example, you can move a window freely in an elevation or a 3D view, but holding down the SHIFT key constrains the movement of the window so that its elevation does not change. Likewise, you can normally move walls, lines, or gridlines freely in any direction, but the SHIFT key lets you constrain their movement to directions perpendicular to the wall or line. In the case of a selected wall or line that has an end joined to another wall or line, unless the joined wall/line is also selected, movement is constrained to a direction perpendicular to the selected wall/line in order to keep the joined end from extending or shrinking. Holding down the SHIFT key removes this constraint. Move Command The Move command, available from the Edit menu, functions similarly to dragging but offers additional functionality on the Options Bar and allows more precise placement. For more information, see “Move” on page 299. Arrow Keys When elements are selected, you can move them vertically or horizontally by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. You cannot use the arrow keys to move a level-based element up or down from the level. Changing Hosts Hosted elements and workplane-based elements (lines, beams, 2-pick families, and family geometry) can be moved from their current host to another host, using the Rehost command. Use the following procedure to change hosts. 1 Select a hosted element, such as a window. 2 On the Options Bar, click Rehost. 3 Move the cursor to another appropriate host, such as a wall for a window, and click to place the element. 276 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 305. NOTE You can also rehost a mass element to other mass elements or reference planes. Controls and Shape Handles Depending on the type of view and the type of element selected, various kinds of controls and shape handles may be displayed on or near the element to let you move it or modify its size or shape. In cases where a control has multiple functions, you can move the cursor over the control and press TAB to toggle between them. Controls Various element-specific moving and resizing controls may be displayed for a selected element in any active view. There are several different types of controls: ■ Drag Controls ■ Flip Control ■ Pin Position Control ■ Rotate Control ■ Dimension Text Control ■ View Control Drag Controls Drag controls are displayed at the ends of selected lines and walls in plan view, and along the ends, bottoms, and tops of selected walls in elevation and 3D views, where they are labeled as shape handles. You can click and drag these controls to resize an element. When a chain of walls or lines is selected, drag controls are displayed at the coincident endpoints, and you can drag the controls to change the layout of the chain (see “Chain Selection of Walls and Lines” on page 271). There are three types of drag controls: ■ Dots ( ), which display when movement is constrained to a plane, as with walls and lines in plan views. By dragging a dot control you can lengthen, shorten, or change the orientation of the element. Drag controls (shown in blue) on a wall in plan ■ Single arrows ( ), which display as shape handles in elevation and 3D views when movement is constrained to a line, but the outside direction is unambiguous. For example, a massing shape with no dimension constraints added displays with single arrows. Single arrow controls on a selected wall in 3D views can also be used to move the wall. Place the cursor over the control and press TAB to toggle the control from a shape handle that lengthens or shortens the wall to a drag control that moves the wall without resizing it. Drag controls on massing form Controls and Shape Handles | 277
- 306. ■ Double arrows ( ), which display when the shape handles are constrained to move along a line. For example, if you add a labeled dimension to a family and make it an instance parameter, it displays with a double arrow after you load it into a project and select it. TIP You can right-click the wall end controls and use the context menu to allow or disallow wall joins. Flip Control You click a flip control to change the orientation of an element. For example, when you flip a compound wall, you reverse the order of its component layers. Doors with a swing have 2 flip controls: Flip the instance facing (which controls whether the door swings in or out) and Flip the instance hand (which controls whether the door swings right or left). Flip controls are displayed only when practical. Flip control TIP You can also flip a selected element by pressing the spacebar. Pushpin Control This user-placed control provides a quick way to allow or prevent changes to an element’s position. After the control is placed, you cannot move the element until you click the pushpin control to unpin it. When the element is unpinned, a red slash is displayed on the control. After moving the element, you can click the control again to pin the element to its new position. For information on placing pushpin controls, see “Pin Position” on page 308. Pushpin control Rotate Control Rotate controls let you drag an element or text note to a desired degree of rotation around a central axis. Rotate control DimensionText Control Dimension text controls are blue squares that are displayed on selected dimension elements that you have added to a drawing. You can drag the control to move dimension text away from the dimension line. Dimension text control shown in blue View Control You double-click a view control to open a new view associated with an element. For example, double-click a view control for level lines, and Revit Structure opens the appropriate floor plan level. Double-click a view control with a section level, and Revit Structure opens the appropriate section view. 278 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 307. View control Using the Spacebar You can use the spacebar to flip elements within the design. You can also select multiple elements and flip them all at the same time. Free standing families, such as furniture and columns, rotate 90 degrees each time you press the spacebar. The following general rules apply to using the spacebar to flip multiple instances: ■ When multiple walls are selected, pressing the spacebar flips the orientation of them all. ■ For elements such as doors, which can be flipped in 2 directions relative to their host, you press the spacebar multiple times as needed to cycle through the 4 possibilities. ■ If elements constrained to flip in only one direction, such as windows, are selected with elements that can flip in multiple directions, such as doors, then all elements flip along the common direction. ■ Pressing the spacebar does not work if the selection contains any element that cannot be flipped, or includes elements that do not share a common flip direction. For example, if you select a door and the host wall, you cannot use the spacebar to flip the selection. Annotations cannot be flipped. Shape Handles When a wall is selected in a plan view, you can place the cursor over an end control (blue dot) and press TAB to display a shape handle. When a wall is highlighted in an elevation view or a 3D view, you can press TAB to make the entire edge closest to the cursor a shape handle that you can drag to resize the wall. The edge functioning as a shape handle is red when you are dragging it and remains selected for further resizing until you press Esc or click elsewhere in the drawing area. Shape handle (shown in red) in plan view Shape handle (shown in red) in elevation view Controls and Shape Handles | 279
- 308. Shape handle (shown in red) for 3D view Resizing Multiple Elements If you select the handles of multiple elements, Revit Structure resizes them simultaneously. When corresponding wall handles are selected, drag one to resize them resize them all simultaneously. Moving Lines and Components with Walls You can specify that lines and components near a wall are moved a corresponding distance whenever that wall is moved toward or away from these elements. To do so, select the Moves With Nearby Elements option, which is displayed on the Options Bar when one or more lines or components are selected. You can also select this option on the Properties palette for one or more selected elements. (Click , or right-click and click Properties to display the Properties palette.) The following restrictions apply to the Move With Nearby Elements option: ■ Only straight lines that are parallel to a wall are affected by this option; it is not available for detail lines, sketch-based elements, and families. ■ For arc lines the radius will remain at a constant offset from the arc wall, even if the radius of the wall changes. For example, if you change a wall radius from 40 to 30 meters, a 20 meter arc line radius would update automatically to 10 meters, maintaining the 20-meter offset. ■ If you copy a line or component that is set to move with nearby elements, the copy also moves with the element. ■ If you move the line or component toward another element, it then moves with that new element. For example, a straight line moves with a wall. You move the line closer to another straight wall with which it is parallel, the line now moves with the new wall; however, if you place a wall closer to the line or component, it does not move with that new wall. It retains its movement with the first wall. Modifying Geometry with Formulas TIP Keep your units consistent. Do not mix units in your formulas. You can use constants with no units assigned to them. 280 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 309. Tool Commands The Tools menu provides various commands you can use to manipulate, modify, and otherwise manage the display of elements in the drawing area. Spelling The Spelling command performs a spell check of text notes in a selection or in the current view or sheet. The command does not check the spelling of other types of text, such as text in element properties. To activate the spell checker, click Tools menu ➤ Spelling, click on the Tools toolbar, or press theF7 key. To view or modify the setting for the Spelling command, click Settings menu ➤ Options, and click the Spelling tab in the Options dialog box. See “Spelling Tab” on page 414 for more information. For a spell check of text notes with worksets, be sure that all the view and sheet worksets are editable. If you make a view editable by right-clicking it in the Project Browser and clicking Make Workset Editable, be sure that you have the view activated, not the Project Browser. TIP If you have text notes in views on a sheet, and you want to spell check them but the sheet workset is not editable, use the Make Workset Editable with All Views option on the context menu. Text notes in groups are ignored by the Spelling command unless you are editing the group. The spell checker notifies you if any groups were skipped when the spell check finishes. If you are editing a group of text notes, the spell checker tests only the notes in that group. Match The Match command lets you convert one or more elements of the same category so that they match another type you have selected in the same category. For example, you can select a generic 12” wall, and then select other walls of various types and convert them all to generic 12” walls. To execute this command, do the following: 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Match, or click on the Tools toolbar. The cursor changes to an empty eyedropper. 2 Select an element of the type to which you want to convert other elements. The cursor eyedropper is now full. 3 Click an element of the same category to convert it to the type you selected. If you want to convert multiple elements, either continue clicking them individually, or select Multiple on the Options Bar, draw a pick box to select the elements, and then click Finish on the Options Bar. 4 If you want to select a new type, click an open space in the drawing area to empty the eyedropper cursor and start over. To exit the command, press Esc. The following restrictions apply to the Match command: ■ You cannot match types between documents. You cannot select multiple element types to change using a pick box. You must change element types by selecting them with the dropper. ■ If you want to match a family type or a group type from the Project Browser, make your selection in the Project Browser first. Then start the Match command, and select the elements to be converted in the drawing area. ■ The Match command copies instance parameters from the source loaded family to the target loaded family. The instance parameters must be defined in the Family Editor. ■ The Match command copies Base Offset, Unconnected Height, Top Extension Distance, and Base Extension Distance from the target wall type to the source wall. If the target wall is on the same level as the source wall, then the values for Top Constraint and Top Offset are also copied. Tool Commands | 281
- 310. Linework The Linework command lets you quickly change the line style (type) for all or part of highlighted edges of walls, floors, components, and other elements in a particular view. For example, you can use this command to do any of the following: ■ differentiate cut and projection edges of your model ■ suppress the display of certain edges ■ reveal edges of elements that are present in the model, but not displayed in the view. ■ differentiate the edges of a building in an elevation view. The Linework command does not create new model or detail lines in the view; it overrides the current line style of the selected edge and applies a different line style. (For information of defining and modifying line styles, see “Line Styles” on page 529.) Use of this command is limited to edges of model elements, edges in family instances, and cut and silhouette edges. You cannot modify the line style of a dimension or any other annotation line. To change line styles with the Linework command, do the following: 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Linework, or click on the Tools toolbar. 2 In the Type Selector, select the line style to apply to the element edge. 3 In the drawing area, highlight the edge whose line style you want to change. NOTE For components with multiple edges you can press TAB to cycle the highlighting from individual edges to the whole component. The tooltip and the status bar identify the currently highlighted entity. 4 Click the highlighted edge(s) to apply the selected line style. If you are changing the line style for a single edge, rather than an entire component, blue controls are displayed at each end of the edge. You can drag these controls so that the new style is applied only to a segment of the edge, as shown in the following example of an elevation view in which a hidden line style is applied to the top edge of one wall that stands behind another. The controls can then be dragged toward each other so that the hidden line style is applied only to the segment that is obscured by the taller wall in the foreground: 282 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 311. TIP While the Linework command is active, you can restore the original line style to an edge you have changed by selecting <By Category> in the Type Selector, and then clicking the edge. 5 Continue applying the selected line style to edges in the view, or select a new style in the Type Selector. Additional Information ■ When you set a level as an underlay in the current view and use the Linework tool on the edges of elements from that level, the elements become part of the current view, and you can modify them. See “View Properties” on page 452. For example, in a Level 1 floor plan view, you could set Level 2 as an underlay. If Level 2 has a roof, you could select the roof in the plan view and then modify it. You could even underlay the same level as the view to select a ceiling or beams or other elements that are not shown in the view. You can use the Overhead line style for tracing underlays or define your own line style. For more information, see “Line Styles” on page 529. ■ If you have an entrance on the south elevation, and you want to show an outline of this entrance in hidden line mode on the north elevation, open the north elevation view, click View menu ➤ Wireframe, and then use the Linework command to apply the desired line style to the entrance. When you switch the view back to hidden line mode (click View menu ➤ Hidden Line), the entrance is visible on the north elevation. ■ When several different edges of model components project onto the same line (for example, a door opening that coincides with some edges of a door frame in an elevation view) the Linework command may not immediately produce the desired results, because each of the coincident edges is treated as a separate line. To apply a dashed line style to one of three coincident edges, therefore, you need to apply the <Invisible lines> style to two of these edges and then apply some dashed style (for example <Demolished>, to the third edge. ■ You can apply linework to perspective views. Each line style can be defined using the “Line Styles” on page 529 command. Review Warnings Unlike error messages, warning messages do not prohibit the current action. They merely inform you of a situation that may not be your design intent. You can choose to correct the situation or ignore it. Revit Structure maintains a list of warning messages that are displayed and ignored while you are working. The Review Warnings command lets you view the list at your convenience to determine if the conditions described in the warnings still exist. To review the current list of warnings that have been displayed and ignored: 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Review Warnings. 2 Click the arrow buttons as needed to scroll through the list of warning messages. 3 Click OK to close the list. NOTE This command is not enabled if there are no warning messages. Tape Measure The Tape Measure tool provides a quick way to measure and temporarily display the length (and angle from the horizontal, if applicable) of individual walls or lines you select in plan views. In elevation views, only the ends of walls running perpendicular to the view direction can be selected with this tool (to display the height of the wall). In both plan and elevation views, however, you have the option of drawing a temporary line or a chain of lines connecting points that you specify. In either case, the dimensions generated by the tool remain on the screen until you start the next measurement or exit the command. Length dimensions are also displayed in the Total Length box on the Options Bar. You can measure between two specific points or select Chain on the Options Bar and select multiple reference points. The chain total displays on the Options Bar. 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Tape Measure, or click on the Tools toolbar. Review Warnings | 283
- 312. 2 On the Options Bar, select a Tape Measure option: Then…If you want to… click , and click the wall or line you want to measure. display temporary dimensions for an existing wall or line click , and specify 2 points, or specify the first point, move the cursor in the direction that you want the line to extend, and enter a value for the length of the line. display dimensions for a temporary line that you draw click , select Chain, and specify a series of points, or specify the first point, move the cursor in the direction that you want the line to extend, and enter a value for the length of the line, repeating until all lines in the chain are drawn. Note that the Total Length box on the Options Bar keeps a running total for the length of the chain. Double-click to end the chain. display dimensions for a chain of temporary lines that you draw 3 Press Esc twice to exit the command. Tape measure line with length and angle measurements Tape measure chain with the total length displaying on the Options Bar Join/Unjoin Roof Use the Join/Unjoin Roof command to join roofs to other roofs or walls, or to unjoin them if they were previously joined. The command is especially useful if you have already sketched roofs and walls and then want to change your design by adding smaller roofs to create dormers or awnings. Joining Roofs NOTE This is a general procedure for joining roofs. You may have variations based on design intent. 1 Sketch walls and roofs for your design. (For more information, see “Exterior/Interior Walls” on page 212 and “Roofs” on page 235.) 2 Sketch a minor roof near your building design, and then use the roof command to create the roof. Note that you cannot add a minor roof by editing the sketch of the major roof. 284 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 313. 3 If desired, set the lines of the minor roof to be slope defining, except the roof line that will be coincident with the major roof or the wall. See “Roof Slope” on page 236. 4 If a 3D view of your sketch has not been created already, click on the View toolbar to create one. 5 Click View menu ➤ Shading. 6 If necessary, spin your design to facilitate selecting the edges of the wall or the major roof and the minor roof. 7 Click Tools menu ➤ Join/Unjoin Roof. 8 Select one of the edges on the end of the minor roof that you wish to join. 9 Select a face on the wall or major roof to which you want to join the minor roof. Revit Structure joins the roof. Joined roofs Unjoining Roofs 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Join/Unjoin Roof. 2 Select an edge of the minor roof that is joined to the wall or major roof. Revit Structure unjoins the roof. NOTE When applied to joined roofs, the Join/Unjoin Roof command works just like Undo; however, the command allows you to unjoin the roof, regardless of how many operations you may have performed since using the command to join the roofs. Tips for Joining Roofs ■ The Join/Unjoin Roof command does not join or unjoin a wall to a roof. To join a wall to a roof, you use the Attach button for the Top/Base command on the Options Bar. See “Attach Top/Base” on page 286. ■ You cannot join a roof to more than one top face of another roof. ■ You can join a roof to the top face of another roof and the wall below that roof if you select the wall as the target. Roof joined to other roof and wall Join/Unjoin Roof | 285
- 314. AttachTop/Base Walls do not directly attach to roofs, ceilings, and other modelling components through their properties. You must use the Attach option of the Top/Base command to explicitly join walls to other modelling components. 1 In the drawing area, select the walls to which you want to attach another modelling component. 2 On the Options Bar, next to the Top/Base label, click Attach. 3 Select a roof, floor, or ceiling to attach. The selected walls attach to the selected modelling component, and Revit Structure returns to the Modify mode. Repeat this procedure as many times as needed to attach the walls. Tips ■ You can attach wall tops to non-vertical reference planes. ■ You can attach walls to in-place roofs or floors. ■ If a wall's top is currently attached to a reference plane, attaching the top to a second reference plane detaches it from the first. ■ You can attach walls that are parallel and directly above or below one another. Attaching a Floor to a Wall's Structural Layer When attaching a wall to a floor, you can specify whether to attach the floor to the wall's finish layer or its structural layer by changing the value for the Floor Attachment parameter in the wall’s type properties (for more information see. Be sure that the Detail Level of the view is set to Medium or Fine. Floor attached to wall's finish layer Floor attached to wall's structural Layer Related Topic: “Detach Top/Base” on page 286 DetachTop/Base The Detach Top/Base command detaches walls from other modelling components or reference planes. This command is most effective if you are in a view where you can select both walls and the components to which they are attached. Detaching Walls 1 In the drawing area, select the walls you want to detach. 2 On the Options Bar, next to the Top/Base label, click Detach. 3 Select the model component(s) that you want to detach from the walls. 4 If you wish to detach the wall(s) from all components at once, or if you are not sure which components are attached to the wall(s), click Detach All on the Options Bar. The walls detach from any component to which they were previously attached. 286 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 315. Offset The Offset command lets you move a selected model line, detail line, wall, or beam a specified distance perpendicular to its length. You can apply the command to single elements or to chains of elements belonging to the same family. You can specify the offset distance by dragging the selected element(s) or by entering a value. In either case, you have the option of offsetting a copy of the element rather than moving the original element. The following restrictions apply to the Offset command: ■ You cannot offset lines, beams, or braces in workplanes other than their own. For example, if you sketch a model line whose workplane is set to floor plan: level 1, you can offset that line only in the plan view plane. ■ You cannot offset walls created as in-place families. ■ You cannot offset elements in a view perpendicular to their move plane: for example, you cannot offset a wall in an elevation view. To offset an element or a copy of an element: 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Offset, or click on the Tools toolbar. 2 On the Options Bar, select the way you want to specify the offset distance: Then…If you want to… select Graphical.drag the selected element to the desired distance select Numerical, and enter a positive number value in the Offset box. enter a value for the offset distance 3 If you want create and offset copies of the selected element, select Copy on the Options Bar. (If you selected Graphical in the previous step, holding CTRL as you move the cursor has the same effect.) 4 Highlight the element or chain you want to offset. If you specified an offset distance using the Numerical option, a preview line is displayed at that distance from the highlighted element(s) on the side where the cursor is positioned, as shown. Cursor at outside face of the wall Cursor at inside face of the wall 5 Move the cursor as necessary to display the preview line at the desired offset position, and then click to move the element or chain to that position or to place a copy there, as applicable. Or, if you selected the Graphical option, click to select the highlighted element, and then drag it to the desired distance and click again. After you start the drag, a listening dimension is displayed, and you have the option of entering a specific offset distance. Offset | 287
- 316. Trim/Extend The Trim/Extend command lets you trim or extend one or more walls or lines to a boundary defined by another wall or line. You can also extend any 2 non-parallel lines or walls to form a corner, or trim them to form a corner if they already intersect. When you select an element to be trimmed, the cursor position indicates the part of the element you want to retain. 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Trim/Extend, or click on the Tools toolbar. 2 On the Options Bar, select one of the Trim/Extend options: Then…If you want to… click , and then select each of the elements. When selecting an element that needs to be trimmed to form the corner, make sure you click the part of the element you want to be retained. trim or extend 2 selected elements to a corner click , select the reference you want to use as a boundary, and then select the element you want to trim or extend. If this element crosses the boundary (or a projection), the part you click is retained, and the part on the other side of the boundary is trimmed. trim or extend one element to a boundary defined by another element click , select the reference you want to use as a boundary, and then select each of the elements you want to trim or extend. For any elements that cross the boundary, the part you click is retained, and the part on the other side of the boundary is trimmed. trim or extend multiple elements to a boundary defined by another element NOTE If you want to change your initial selection under any of these options (before you have made another one), you can click any empty space in the drawing area to clear the selection, and then reselect. You can also select a different Trim/Extend option at any time while the command is active. This also clears any initial selection made with the previous option. 3 Continue trimming/extending elements with the currently selected option, or select a different option. NOTE You can select a different Trim/Extend option at any time while the command is active. This also clears any initial selection made with the previous option. 4 To exit the command, press Esc. Preview forTrim/Extend to Corner option with green dashes showing the part of the upper wall to be retained 288 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 317. Result of operation previewed above Preview ofTrim/Extend Single Element option with horizontal wall selected as the boundary Result of operation previewed above Preview ofTrim/Extend Multiple Elements option with horizontal wall selected as boundary Trim/Extend | 289
- 318. Result of clicking left-most vertical wall above the boundary, clicking next 2 walls below the boundary, and highlighting the wall on the right Join Geometry The Join Geometry command lets you create clean joins between 2 or more host elements that share a common face, such as walls and floors. You can also use the command to join hosts and in-place families or hosts and project families. As shown below, the command removes the visible edge between the joined elements, which then share the same line weight and fill pattern. Uncleaned join between walls and floor Cleaned join between walls and floor after Join Geometry command is applied When you join geometry in the Family Editor, you create a union between different shapes. In a project, however, one of the joined element actually cuts the other according to the following scheme: ■ Walls cut columns. 290 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 319. ■ Structural elements cut host elements (walls, roofs, ceilings, and floors). ■ Floors, ceilings, and roofs cut walls. ■ Gutters, fascias, and slab edges cut other host elements. Cornices do not cut any elements. To join geometry: 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Join Geometry, or click on the Tools toolbar. 2 If you want to join the first selected geometry instance to several other instances, select Multiple Join on the Options Bar. If you do not select this option, you must make a first and second selection each time. 3 Select the first geometry to join, for example, a wall face. 4 Select the second geometry to join to the first, for example, an edge of a floor. 5 If you selected Multiple Join, continue selecting other geometry to join to the first. 6 To exit the command, click Modify. NOTE If you join solids in the Family Editor, you can apply a Visibility (on/off) parameter only to the entire joined geometry, not to the sub-elements that were joined. Use the TAB key to toggle to the combined geometry. Unjoin Geometry Use the Unjoin Geometry command to remove a join between 2 or more elements that was applied using the Join Geometry command. For information on the kinds of elements that can be joined/unjoined with these commands, see “Join Geometry” on page 290. 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Unjoin Geometry, or click on the Tools toolbar. 2 Select the geometry to unjoin. 3 To exit the command, click Modify. Cut Structural Member with Plane You can use the Cut Geometry tool to cut a structural member with a plane. For example, use Cut Geometry to cut a column to a certain height, or use Cut Geometry to stop a beam or bracing at a wall. Cut beam at wall 1 Create a reference plane in the plane of the wall where you want the cut to occur. 2 On the Toolbar, click . 3 Select the beam to be cut. 4 Select the reference plane. If you move the wall or the beam, the cut will persist at the wall unless the beam is no longer joined with the wall. Unjoin Geometry | 291
- 320. Coping and Remove Coping You can apply coping to steel members of your model. For example, in locations where joists frame into girders, Revit Structure can cope the joist around the girder. To view coping, your section view Detail Level must be Medium or Fine. When coping is applied, it is retained in a section view if the view is added to a sheet. Coping 1 Create a section view of your steel framing model, similar to the illustration. Coping added to joist framing into girder 2 On the Tools menu, click Coping. The Status Bar prompts you to select the element to be coped. 3 Select this element. The Status Bar prompts you to select a column or framing with which to cut the cope. 4 Select the column or framing. To adjust the coping distance, select the structural framing member (beam), and click . Specify a value for the Coping Distance instance parameter. For more information on beam parameters, see “Beam System Properties” on page 318. Remove Coping 5 On the Tools menu, click Remove coping. 6 Revit Structure Status Bar prompts you to select the member for coping to be removed. Select this member. 7 Revit Structure Status Bar prompts you to select framing with which the member was coped. Select the member to which the joist frames. Split Walls and Lines The Split Walls and Lines command cuts walls or lines at a selected point, or it removes segments between two consecutively selected points. 1 From the Tools menu, choose Split Walls and Lines or click Split from the toolbar. Be sure that the Tools Toolbar and Text Labels are displayed. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. 2 If desired, select Delete Inner Segment from the Options Bar. If you select this option, Revit Structure removes the segment of the wall or line between selected points. 3 Place the cursor on the wall or line at the point you wish to split and click. If you selected Delete Inner Segment, click at another point to remove a segment. Splitting wall with Delete Inner Segment option selected 4 With the wall or line split, you can select pieces of it and perform some editorial function on that piece. 292 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 321. Horizontal Line Splitting You can split a wall along a horizontal line in either an elevation or 3D view. 1 From the Edit menu, choose Split Walls and Lines or click Split from the Toolbar. 2 Place the cursor on the wall or line at the point you wish to split. A temporary horizontal line appears on the wall when you place the cursor near vertical edges. If desired, you can snap to levels, so you split the wall evenly between levels. Temporary horizontal line appearing 3 Click to place the split. A permanent horizontal line appears on the wall indicating the split. Permanent horizontal split After you split it, Revit Structure treats the wall as two separate walls, which means you can modify one part independently of the other. For example in a two-level building, if you snapped the split to Level 2, the top piece has a base constraint of Level 1. The lower wall has a height constraint of Level 2. If you split the walls at another point away from the levels, the lower wall has an explicit height constraint, while the top wall has a value for the base offset. For more explanation of these properties, see “Wall Properties” on page 351. Align Use the Align command to arrange elements to be collinear or to join a point to a selected line. You can align the same type of elements, or they can be from different families. You can align elements in a plan view or elevation view only. Grid line with four columns Align | 293
- 322. Align columns with grid lines Selected point to align to an element Element and point joined 1 From the Tools menu, choose Align or click Align from the Tools Toolbar. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. The cursor appears with the align symbol . 2 Select the reference element, for example a wall. NOTE If aligning walls, choose whether to align to wall faces or wall centerlines by selecting the choices from the drop-down menu on the Options Bar. 3 Select the element to align with the reference element, or pick a point to extend to the reference element. To make multiple alignments to the same reference element, hold down the CTRL key or select Multiple Alignment on the Options Bar. 4 If you want the element to stay aligned to the first element, click the padlock to lock the element. If the padlock symbol has disappeared because you have done something else, click Modify and select the element to make the symbol appear. 294 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 323. Paint The Paint command applies a material to the selected face of the element or family; it does not change the structure of the element. Elements you can paint include walls, roofs, massing, families, and floors. If the element prehighlights when you place the cursor near it, you can paint it. The Paint command is especially useful for applying materials to Split Faces. See “Split Face” on page 295. 1 From the Tools menu, choose Paint or click the Paint can icon on the toolbar. 2 In the Type Selector choose the material type to apply. 3 Place the cursor on the element face to prehighlight it. You may need to press TAB to select the desired face. NOTE If you prehighlight a face that has already been painted, the status bar indicates what material is applied to it. 4 Click to apply the paint. Tips ■ You cannot apply materials to family instances in a project. You must apply the materials to faces in the Family Editor. ■ To remove the paint, activate the Paint command and choose <By Category> from the Type Selector. Click a face that was painted, and the paint is removed. ■ You can apply paint to the face of a column; however, it is recommended that if you plan to have multiple instances of the painted column in your project that you create the column in the Family Editor and apply the paint there. ■ When you are in the Family Editor, you can create a family parameter of type material. You can then paint that face of the family with that parameter. For more information on creating a parameter, see “Creating New Family Parameters” on page 71. Split Face You can use Split Face on any non-family instance. The Split Face command splits the selected face of the element; it does not change the structure of the element. After splitting the face, you can use the paint command to apply a different material to this section of face. See “Paint” on page 295. 1 From the Tools menu, choose Split Face or click the Split Face icon on the Toolbar. 2 Place the cursor on the element face to prehighlight it. You may need to press TAB to select the desired face. Click to select the face. 3 Sketch the face area to split. For more information about the sketching tools, see “Sketching Overview” on page 36. NOTE Sketch must be in a closed loop inside the face or an open loop that ends on the boundary of the face. 4 Click Finish Sketch. Valid split face sketch Paint | 295
- 324. Valid split face sketch See also: “Paint” on page 295 TIP You can split the face of a column; however, it is recommended that if you plan to have multiple instances of the split-face column in your project that you create the column in the Family Editor and apply the split there. Editing Commands Undo/Abort In Revit Structure you can either undo a past action or abort a current action. The Abort command is active during a current action. For example, click Wall from the Architectural tab of the Design Bar to start placing a wall. Choose Abort from the Edit menu or click Undo from the toolbar to cancel placing the wall. The Undo command is active after you complete the action. After placing the wall, you can undo its placement by choosing Undo from the Edit menu or clicking Undo from the toolbar. When you choose Undo from the Edit menu, Revit Structure inserts the name of the operation after the word Undo. Multiple Undos Revit Structure keeps track of your changes and allows you to undo several commands by clicking the drop-down menu next to the Undo command on the Standard Toolbar. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. 1 Scroll down to find the command to undo. 2 Select the command. Revit Structure cancels all commands up to and including the selected command. TIP Keyboard shortcut: CTRL-Z Redo The Redo command reinstates all commands canceled by Undo or it reinstates the last completed action while another command is active. After reinstating the action, the current command continues. For example, you place a door and then undo the placement. You then choose to place a window; while the window command is active, you can choose Redo, and Revit Structure reinserts the door and then continues the window command. See “Undo/Abort” on page 296. When you choose Redo from the Edit menu or click Redo from the toolbar, Revit Structure inserts the name of the operation after the word Redo. For example, you redo a rotation, the menu reads Redo Rotate. Multiple Redos Revit Structure keeps track of your changes and allows you to redo several commands by clicking the drop-down menu next to the Redo command and on the Standard Toolbar. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. 1 Scroll down to find the command to redo. 2 Select the command. Revit Structure reinstates all commands up to and including the selected command. 296 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 325. Tips ■ The Redo command appears only after execution of the Undo command. ■ If the Redo command is active and you execute a command, the Redo information is lost. ■ Keyboard shortcut: CTRL-Y Create Similar The Create Similar command lets you place or create an element of the exact same type that you selected in the view. You select an element in a view, activate the command, and the appropriate command to create or place the element is activated. For example, select a door in a view and click the Create Similar command, the Door command becomes active with the selected door type already chosen in the Type Selector. The Create Similar command is available for almost all Revit Structure elements. 1 Select an element. 2 Click Edit menu ➤ Create Similar, or click on the Edit Toolbar. (For information on displaying the Edit Toolbar, see “Toolbars” on page 666.) You can also right-click an element in the drawing area and click Create Similar from the context menu. 3 Place the newly created instance where you want it. Repeat as many times as necessary. Tips ■ When Create Similar launches a command for creating other elements like the selected type, each new element created has the same value for family instance parameters that were defined in the Family Editor. It does not copy the values of instance parameters that were not defined in the Family Editor, for example, Comments. Read-only parameters are excluded. These instance parameters values apply to all elements created using that command until the type is changed in the Type Selector. If the selected element is a wall, then its height properties are specified as the default for new walls. Walls created on the same level have the same Base Offset, Unconnected Height, Top Extension Distance, Bottom Extension Distance, Top Constraint, and Top Offset. If the new wall is created on a different level, the Top Constraint is set to the appropriate level. Cut The Cut command removes one or more selected elements from the drawing and pastes them to the clipboard. For more information about selecting several elements, see “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270. Restrictions on Cutting Elements There are some restrictions to cutting elements. For example: ■ An interior elevation arrow cannot be cut without cutting its adjoined elevation symbol. ■ Some combinations of elements cannot be cut. For example, curtain panels and mullions cannot be cut without cutting the entire curtain system. ■ Some elements cannot be cut in any context. For example, you cannot cut the Ref. Level in the Family Editor. ■ Elements that cannot be deleted, such as the last level in a building model, cannot be cut. Using theToolbar If you click Cut from the Standard Toolbar, Revit Structure cuts the selected element. CuttingTips ■ The Cut command is available only after selecting an element. ■ Revit Structure pastes the cut elements to the clipboard where they remain until other elements are pasted to the clipboard. Create Similar | 297
- 326. ■ When you cut and paste new elements to the clipboard, they overwrite any existing elements on the clipboard. ■ You can cut and paste elements between projects. Cut elements in one project and then paste them in another. ■ Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl-X Related Topic: “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270 Delete The Delete command removes selected elements from the drawing. The delete command does not paste deleted elements to the Clipboard. Using theToolbar If you click Delete from the Standard Toolbar, Revit Structure deletes the selected element(s). Tips ■ The Delete command is available only after selecting an element. ■ Keyboard shortcut: DELETE Related Topic: “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270 Copy The Copy command activates the Move command with the Copy and Multiple options selected. See “Move” on page 299. 1 Select an element in the drawing area. 2 From the Edit menu, choose Copy or click Copy from the Edit toolbar. 3 Click once in the drawing area to begin moving and copying the element. 4 Move the cursor away from the original element and toward the area you want to place the copy. 5 Click to place the copy or type a value for the listening dimension. 6 Continue placing more elements or press ESC to cancel the command. Element moved and copied multiple times Copy to Clipboard The Copy to Clipboard command copies one or more elements to the clipboard. For more information about selecting several elements, see “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270. NOTE You can also copy elements using the Move or Rotate commands. See “Move” on page 299 and “Rotate” on page 304. 298 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 327. Restrictions on Copying Elements There are some restrictions to copying elements. For example: ■ An interior elevation arrow cannot be copied without copying its adjoined elevation symbol. ■ Some combinations of elements cannot be copied. For example, curtain panels and mullions cannot be copied without copying the entire curtain system. ■ Some elements cannot be copied in any context. For example, the Ref. Level in the Family Editor cannot be copied. Using theToolbar If you click Copy to Clipboard from the Standard Toolbar, Revit Structure copies the selected element. Copy to ClipboardTips ■ If you select an element, hold the CTRL key, and drag the element, Revit Structure copies it. See “Moving Elements” on page 276. ■ The Copy to Clipboard command is available only after selecting an element. ■ The system pastes the copied elements to the clipboard where they remain until other elements are pasted to the clipboard. ■ When you copy and paste new elements to the clipboard, they overwrite any existing elements on the clipboard. ■ Keyboard shortcut: CTRL-C ■ You can copy elements between projects. Copy elements in one project and then paste them in another. Move Use the Move command to precisely move elements with two mouse clicks. You can also create multiple copies of an element when you move it. 1 Select the element(s) to move. 2 From the Edit menu, choose Move or click Move from the Toolbar. 3 On the Options Bar are four options available during move: ■ Constrain: Select Constrain to restrict the movement of the element along vectors that run either perpendicular or collinear to the element. ■ Disjoin: Select Disjoin to break the association between the selection and other elements before moving. This is useful for moving one wall that is joined to another wall. You can also use the Disjoin option to move a hosted element from its current host to a new host. For example, you can move a window from one wall to another wall. This feature works best when you clear the Constrain option. ■ Copy: Select Copy to move a copy of the component. The original remains in the same place. Note that when you select the Copy option, the Disjoin option becomes selected. You cannot clear it. ■ Multiple: Select Multiple to create multiple copies of an element every time you click the mouse. The option becomes enabled only when the Copy option is selected. See “Copy” on page 298. 4 Click once to enter a start point for moving. A preview image of the element appears. 5 Move the cursor around in the direction you want the element to move. The cursor snaps to snap points. Dimensions appear as guides. 6 Click again to complete the move, or, for more precision, enter a value for the distance you wish to move the element. Related Topic: “Moving Elements” on page 276 Move | 299
- 328. Paste from Clipboard The Paste from Clipboard command inserts elements from the clipboard to the current view or a different view. Pasting Procedure 1 Select some elements. 2 From the Edit menu, choose Cut or Copy to Clipboard. 3 Place the cursor in the appropriate view where you wish to paste. 4 From the Edit menu, choose Paste from Clipboard. If you are pasting a single insert, such as a window or door, into a new wall, Revit Structure completes the paste procedure. If you are pasting multiple elements and it is not clear where you want to paste the elements, Revit Structure enters paste mode. Follow steps 5-8. In paste mode, a preview image of the copied elements appears in the drawing area: 5 Click to place the preview image. The pasted element(s) appear and are selected. Revit Structure is in Modify state. While selected, you can modify the placement of the elements in the following ways: ■ move them. See “Move” on page 299. ■ rotate them. See “Rotate” on page 304. ■ align them. See “Align” on page 293. NOTE Multiple align functionality is not available in paste mode. ■ mirror them. See “Mirror” on page 301. NOTE In the Options Bar, note that the Copy option is not available. See “Mirroring Procedure” on page 302. ■ drag them with the cursor. 6 To continue pasting more elements, continue choosing the Paste from Clipboard command. 7 To quit paste mode, on the Options Bar, click Quit Paste. 8 To exit paste mode, on the Options Bar, click Finish Paste. PastingTips ■ The Paste from Clipboard command is available only after cutting or copying an element. ■ Keyboard shortcut: CTRL-V ■ You can end various actions by pressing ESC or choosing Cancel from the right-click menu: ■ Quit pasting while the elements appear selected. ■ Quit move, rotate, align, or mirror and return to pasting. ■ While in modify state, finish paste and exit paste mode. ■ Undo: ■ Quit pasting after initial paste. ■ After initial paste, undo move or rotation. ■ Leave paste mode and click Undo: Removes entire paste action. 300 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 329. Edit Pasted Elements To ensure that all pasted elements find the right hosts: 1 Paste from the Clipboard (ctrl-v). 2 On the options bar, click the Edit Pasted Elements button. 3 In the Edit Pasted mode, place the copied element onto its proper host. 4 Click Finish Paste to complete the paste process. Paste Aligned The Paste Align command allows you to copy multiple elements, such as walls, components, windows, on one level and paste them to another level exactly above or below where the original elements are located. This command is most useful for multi-story buildings, where you can copy and paste align elements from one level to many other levels. 1 Select the elements to be pasted. 2 From the Edit menu, choose Paste Aligned and then choose from the following: ■ Current View: pastes the copied elements to the current view. For example, you can paste elements from a plan view to a callout view. The view must be different from the view where the elements were copied. ■ Same Place: pastes the copied elements into the same place you copied them from. This is useful for pasting elements between worksets or design options. Also, you can use it to paste between two files that have shared coordinates. ■ Pick Level Graphics: pastes the copied elements in an elevation view. You must be in an elevation view to use this command as it requires you to select a level line on which to paste the elements. NOTE Do not pick levels using the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. ■ Select Levels by Name: If you copy all model elements, you can paste them into one or more levels. After you choose this command, a dialog box appears, and you choose the level(s) by name. To select more than one, hold CTRL while selecting the names. ■ Select Views by Name: If you copy view-specific elements (for example, dimensions) or model and view-specific elements, you can paste them into either floor plan and reflected ceiling plan views. Mirror The Mirror command mirrors a selected modelling component about any line. For example, if you mirror a wall about a reference plane, it will flip opposite of the original. You can pick the mirror axis or draw a temporary axis. There is always an option to make a copy of the mirrored component. Wall and reference plane axis Edit Pasted Elements | 301
- 330. Mirrored wall about reference plane axis Mirroring Procedure 1 Select the component you wish to mirror. See “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270. TIP You can select inserts, such as doors and windows, without their hosts. 2 From the Edit menu, choose Mirror or click Mirror from the Toolbar. Be sure that the Edit Toolbar is visible. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. The mirror cursor appears: . 3 By default Revit Structure makes a copy of the mirrored component. If you do not want a copy, clear the Copy command from the Options Bar. 4 On the Options Bar, select Pick to select the line that represents the mirror axis. Select Draw to sketch a temporary mirror axis line. 5 Choose or draw the axis to mirror about. You can pick only a line or a reference plane that the cursor can snap to. You cannot mirror a component about empty space. Resize Using the Resize command, you can modify multiple elements simultaneously by changing their scale factor. The Resize command is available for lines, walls, images, dwg and dxf imports, ref planes, and position of dimensions. You can scale elements either graphically or numerically. All elements must lie in parallel planes; view-specific elements scale in a view parallel to the view; all walls in the selection must have the same base level. When you resize, you define an origin, which is a fixed point from which the element equally resizes. Resizing Graphically Graphical resize requires 3 clicks. The first click determines the origin; the next two clicks define the scale vectors. Revit Structure calculates a scale factor by taking the ratio of the lengths of the two vectors. For example, you sketch a first vector that is 5 feet, and the second vector is 10 feet. This creates a scale factor of 2. The elements now become twice their original size. 1 Select some supported elements, such as walls and lines. Be sure to select only supported elements. The Resize command is unavailable if your entire selection contains just one non-supported element. 2 On the Edit Toolbar, click or click Resize on the Edit menu. 3 On the Options Bar, select Graphical. 4 In the drawing area, click to enter the origin point. 302 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 331. The cursor snaps to various references, and you can press TAB to change the snap points. 5 Move the cursor to define the first vector. First resize vector 6 Click to enter that length. 7 Move the cursor again to define the second vector. Second resize vector 8 Click to enter that point. The selected element resizes such that the ends of vector 1 now coincide with those of vector 2. TIP You can use listening dimensions to enter values for the lengths of the vectors. Resizing Numerically To resize numerically, you enter a scale factor first and then specify the resize origin. 1 Select some supported elements. 2 On the Toolbar, click . 3 On the Options Bar, select Numerical. 4 Enter a scale factor. 5 Click in the drawing area to specify the origin. The element resizes by the defined scale factor. Resizing Walls Resizing moves the position of the wall’s location line. It does not change wall height or thickness. Note that the origin point can be on a wall’s location line and in which case, that wall’s location line remains fixed. Green dashed line indicates wall location line In the next picture, the origin is not at the location line of the top wall. Its location line moves. The green dashed preview line that is below the top wall represents the wall location line. Resize | 303
- 332. Location line moves when not the origin point In the next picture, the origin is at the location line of the top wall. Its location line does not move. The green dashed preview line in the picture represents the location line. Location line does not move when it is the origin point ResizeTips ■ Inserts in walls remain at a fixed distance from the wall’s midpoint when you resize the wall. ■ Resize changes the position of dimensions but not their values. If you resize an element that a dimension references, the dimension value does change. ■ Import symbols have a read-only instance parameter called Instance Scale. It shows how much the instance size differs from the base symbol. You can change it by resizing the import symbol. Rotate The Rotate command rotates elements about an axis. In floor plan, reflected ceiling plan, elevation, and section views, elements rotate about an axis perpendicular to the view. In 3D views the axis is perpendicular to the Work Plane of the view. Not all elements can rotate about any axis: walls do not rotate in elevation views; windows cannot rotate without their walls. The command is available only after the element is selected. After you rotate the element, Revit Structure returns to the Modify tool. 304 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 333. Rotate Procedure 1 Select the element to rotate. Note: You can also select multiple elements or a part of an element. See “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270. 2 From the Edit menu, choose Rotate or click Rotate from the Toolbar. Be sure that the Edit Toolbar is visible. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. A center of rotation symbol appears at the center of the selected component. 3 If desired, drag the center of rotation symbol. The symbol snaps to points and lines of interests, such as walls and the intersections of walls and lines. You can also drag it onto open space. 4 On the Options Bar are three options available during rotation: ■ Copy: Select Copy to rotate a copy of the selection. The original remains in the same place. ■ Disjoin: Select Disjoin to break the connection between the selection and other elements before rotating. This is useful for rotating one wall that is joined to another wall. ■ Angle: Enter the angle of rotation and press ENTER; Revit Structure automatically performs the rotation. Skip the next two steps. 5 Click to specify the first ray of rotation. A line appears to indicate the first ray. If the cursor snaps while specifying the first ray, the snap line will rotate along with the preview box and snap to angles on the screen while placing the second ray. 6 Move the cursor to place the second ray of rotation. Another line appears to indicate the ray. A temporary angular dimension appears as you rotate, and a preview image shows the selection rotating. 7 Click to place the second ray and finish rotating the selection. The selection rotates between the first and second rays. TIP You can also rotate an element using listening dimensions. After you click to specify the first ray of rotation, the angular dimension displays in bold. Enter a value on the keyboard. Revit Structure returns to the Modify tool with the rotated element still selected. Array The Array command creates a linear or radial array of one or more selected components. For example, you can select a door and a window residing on the same wall and create multiple instances of that door, wall, window configuration. This command is useful if you wish to create several instances of a component and manipulate them simultaneously. Every instance in the array can be a member of a group; therefore, you can add or remove items from the group and ungroup. For example, you can create an array of seven walls and then group a desk with one of the walls; all walls in the array get a desk. Creating an Array To begin creating an array, select one or more components and then choose Array from the Edit menu or click Array from the Toolbar. Be sure that the Edit Toolbar is visible. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. Linear Array 1 Click from the Options Bar. Additional options appear on the Options Bar. ■ Group And Associate: includes each member of the array in a group. If not selected, Revit Structure creates the specified number of copies and does not group them, so each copy acts independently of the others. ■ Number Of Items: specifies the item total of the array. Array | 305
- 334. ■ Move To: ■ 2nd: specifies the spacing between each member of the array. Array members appear after the second member. ■ Last: specifies the entire distance of the array. Array members appear in the space between the first member and the last member. Existing structural grid with column in the A1 position First linear array of columns Second linear array of columns TIP These commands are available before and during creation of an array. 2 Choose whether to Group and Associate the array members and choose the number of copies. NOTE As of 7.0, you cannot group detail components and model components together. 3 If you choose Move to 2nd, click and move the cursor to the desired distance between members. Click again to place the member. If you choose Move To Last, click and move the cursor to the farthest extent of the array. Click again to place the member. As you move the cursor, a box appears around the selected component(s). The array member moves along snap points. When you release the button, an array instance number box appears. 4 You can override the value in Number of Items by entering a value in the number box. 306 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 335. Radial Array 1 Click from the Options Bar. 2 Set up the array as you would a linear array with the Group and Associate, Number of Items, and Move To options. TIP When you create a radial array, the steps are similar to rotating a component and copying it. See “Rotate” on page 304. 3 In most instances of creating a radial array, you want to drag the center of rotation symbol away from the center of the component. The symbol snaps to points and lines of interests, such as walls and the intersections of walls and lines. You can also drag it onto open space. TIP You can quickly define the angle of rotation by entering a value in the Angle text box on the Options Bar. 4 After dragging the rotation symbol to the desired location, click to specify the first ray of rotation. A line appears to indicate the first ray. If the cursor snaps while specifying the first ray, the snap line rotates along with the preview box and snaps to angles on the screen while placing the second ray. First ray of rotation placed for array. Note preview member above arrayed member. 5 Move the cursor to place the second ray of rotation. Another line appears to indicate the ray. A temporary angular dimension appears as you rotate, and a preview image shows the selection rotating. Preview of second ray of rotation. 6 Click to place the second ray and finish the array. Completed radial array of columns Controls appear on the radial array. The two end controls resize the angle of the arc. The middle control lets you drag the array. The top control resizes the radius of the array. Array | 307
- 336. ArrayTips ■ You can change the number of instances of the array by selecting the pattern line and entering a new value in the array instance number box. Controls for arrays are visible in all views in which the array is visible. ■ To mirror an array, first select all the members of an array. Press and hold the CTRL key then click the pattern line associated with the array. Array members selected, then press CTRL + click. ■ Arrays are not supported for most annotation symbols. ■ As you create an array, you can select the Constrain option on the Options Bar. Constrain restricts the movement of the array member along vectors that run either perpendicular or collinear to the selected pattern. Deleting Instances for Arrays You can delete members of an array. After doing so, you lose the array formatting, and each instance of the array becomes an individual component. Changing Dimensions for Arrays You can modify any dimension associated with array members. That change affects that component and proportionally affects the other members of the group, depending on the dimension modified. Pin Position Use the Pin Position command to pin a modelling component in place. When you pin a modelling component, it cannot be moved. If you try to delete a pinned component, Revit Structure warns you that the component is pinned. A graphical pushpin appears near the element to indicate that it is locked. If you pin a component, it can still move if the component is set to move with nearby elements or if the level where it is placed moves up or down. See “Moving Lines and Components with Walls” on page 280. 1 Select one or more components in your project. 2 On the Edit menu, click Pin Position or click from the Edit Toolbar. For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 666. A graphical pushpin displays near the component to indicate that it is pinned. 3 Click the pin to unlock the component. You can now move or delete it. 4 Click the pin again to lock the component. NOTE The pin is displayed only for an element that was recently unpinned. If you perform some other operations and select the element again, you do not see the pushpin. 308 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 337. Unpin Position The Unpin Position command unpins a locked element. You can then move the element around or delete it without being prompted. First select the element to unpin, then click the pushpin control or click this command from the Edit menu. ■ You can select multiple elements for unpinning. If some of the elements you select are not pinned, the Unpin Position command has no effect. ■ There is no Toolbar icon for the Unpin Position command. Element Properties Changing Properties Element Properties Dialog Box The Element Properties dialog box displays properties you can set for Revit Structure elements. Properties affect the appearance and behavior of the element used in the project. You access the dialog box by clicking from the Options Bar or by right-clicking an element and selecting Properties from the context menu. Element Classification Revit Structure classifies elements by categories, families, types, and instances. Categories are the most general class. They are subdivided into model categories and annotation categories. Model categories include beams, columns, doors, windows, and walls. Annotation categories include dimensions, grids, levels, and text notes. Families are classes of elements within a category that group elements with a common set of parameters (properties), identical use, and similar graphical representation. Different elements within a family may have different values of some or all properties, but the set of properties—their names and meaning—is the same. For example, six-panel colonial doors is one family, although the doors that compose the family come in different sizes and materials. Structural members such as w shapes, are another family. The shapes that compose the family come in different sizes. Most families are component family files, which means you can load them into your project or create them from family templates. You can determine the set of properties and the graphical representation of the family. Other families are called system families and are not available for loading or creating. Revit Structure predefines the set of properties and the graphical representation of system families; they include walls, dimensions, roofs, floors (or slabs), and levels. Besides being a class of elements, the family is also a template that allows you to generate new types of items that belong to this family. After families, come types. A type can be a specific size of a family, such as a 30 X 42 titleblock, a 1730 X 2032 door, or an 8x4x1/2 angle. A type can also be a style, such as default linear or default angular style for dimensions. A type, also called a family type, is a class of elements within a family that have exact same values of all type properties. That is, all 32x78 six-panel doors belong to one type, while all 24x80 six-panel doors belong to another type. All 8x4x1/2 angles are one type. All 7x4x3/4 angles belong to another type. Like a family, a type is also a template that generates new instances of this type. Instances are the actual items that have specific locations in the building (model instances) or on a drawing sheet (annotation instances). Instance andType Properties All properties in a family fall into two groups, type properties and instance properties. The properties that are common to many elements in a family are type properties, while the properties that tend to vary with the location of an element in a building or in a project are instance properties. For example, the dimensions of a window are its type properties, while its elevation from the level is an instance property. Similarly, cross-sectional dimensions of a beam are type properties, while beam length is an instance property. An instance property affects only one selected element, or the element you are about to place. For example, you select a door and click . You change one of the instance properties and click OK. Only that door or that beam is affected, even if there are other instances of that exact type in the project. A type property affects all instances of that family in the project and any future instances you place in the project. Unpin Position | 309
- 338. Dialog Box Organization Family The Family drop-down menu lists the families loaded in the project. Select a family from the menu. Type The Type drop-down menu lists the types available for a selected family. Select a type from the menu. Instance The Instance pane lists the instance parameters for the selected instance of the type. Parameter Groupings All parameters are grouped under headings. If you click on the heading name, you can show or hide the parameters under it. When you add parameters to family types in the Family Editor, you can organize them under groups. For more information on this, see “Creating New Parameters” on page 71. ModifyingType Properties To change the type properties click Edit/New in the Element Properties dialog box. The Type Properties dialog box opens, and it lists type properties. TIP This change affects the family for this project only. TIP By changing the values here, you change the family type you are modifying, any existing instances of the same type, and any new instances of that type that you add. Adding a FamilyType You can add a new type to the family and change the parameters for that type. This is a great way to have a whole family of different-sized components within the project. NOTE A new family type created in the project only exists in that project. 1 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Duplicate. 2 Enter a name for the new type in the Name: text box that appears. 3 Click OK. 4 Set any of the properties for the type. 5 Click OK twice to exit the Element Properties dialog box. Previewing FamilyTypes The Type Properties dialog features a preview window that shows an image of the family type. As you set parameters and change values on the type, the image in the window updates accordingly. Image Manipulation There are various ways to control the appearance of the preview image: ■ Click the Zoom commands to zoom the image in or out 2X or to fit it to the size of the preview window. ■ Click the drop-down menu next to the View command to preview the look of the element in various views. ■ Place the cursor in the preview window. Drag the image to move it around. ■ Use the scrollbars to move the image up or down or left or right in the preview window. ■ Click to activate Dynamic View control on the image. See “Using Dynamic View” on page 449. 310 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 339. A preview window opens showing an image of the family type. You can zoom and scroll the image. You can also choose different views in which to preview the image. For example, with a door, your choices include a floor plan view, a 3D view, and various elevation views. Viewing the Preview Image 1 In the Element Properties dialog box, click Edit/New or double-click the type name in the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. 2 In the Type Properties dialog box, click Preview. 3 Change some parameter values in the Type Properties dialog and Apply them. The image updates accordingly. 4 When satisfied with the look of the type, click OK twice. Structural Element Properties Structural Column Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for columns. Values are modifiable. See “Structural Columns” on page 163. Structural ColumnType Properties DescriptionValueName Structural Section Areauser-definedA Nominal Weightuser-definedW Dimensions nominal depth of sectionuser-definedNominal d flange widthuser-definedbf actual depth of sectionuser-definedd k distanceuser-definedk k1 distanceread-onlyk2 flange thicknessuser-definedtf web thicknessuser-definedtw Identity Data Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the shape manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the shape type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the column here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description A value to designate the particular beam; possibly the shop mark. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark the pricing of the beamuser-definedCost Changing Properties | 311
- 340. Structural Column Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Constraints constraining Level of the column baseuser-definedBase Level offset of base from Base Leveluser-definedBase Offset constraining Level of the column topuser-definedTop Level offset of top from Top Leveluser-definedTop Offset toggles column constraint to griduser-definedMoves with Grids Graphics displays a welded connection symbol for column splicinguser-specifiedWelded Connection displays a plate symbol at the column baseuser-specifiedPlate Connection Materials and Finishes structural material as defined by user. See “Material Physical Parameters” on page 527. user-selected from Materials dialog box. Select Value, then down arrow. Column Material Dimensions volume of the selected columnread-onlyVolume Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the column. Possible use: shop mark. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the column component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the column component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Structural Analysis Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six Top Release Conditions. user-selectedTop Release release condition at Top of columnuser-definedTop Fx release condition at Top of columnuser-definedTop Fy release condition at Top of columnuser-definedTop Fz release condition at Top of columnuser-definedTop Mx release condition at Top f columnuser-definedTop My release condition at Top of columnuser-definedTop Mz Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six Bottom Release Conditions. user-definedBottom Release release condition at Bottom of columnuser-definedBottom Fx release condition at Bottom of columnuser-definedBottom Fy 312 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 341. DescriptionValueName release condition at Bottom of columnuser-definedBottom Fz release condition at Bottom of columnuser-definedBottom Mx release condition at Bottom of columnuser-definedBottom My release condition at Bottom of columnuser-definedBottom Mz infinitely rigid frame element with no weight. When rigid links is enabled, an additional analytical segment is engaged in the model between the end of the analytical model of a beam, and the analytical model of a column. user-enabledRigid Links he plane of the column used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. user-specifiedAnalytical Projection Plane Top he plane of the column used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. user-specifiedAnalytical Projection Plane Bottom Structural Wall Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for walls. Values are modifiable. See “Structural Walls” on page 166. Structural WallType Properties DescriptionValueName Construction User selects Edit button to add, change, or delete wall layers. user-definedStructure Sets the layer wrapping of walls at inserts. See “Layer Wrapping” on page 198. Do not wrap/ Exterior/ Interior/ BothWrapping at Inserts Sets the layer wrapping of wall end caps. See “Setting Layer Wrapping” on page 198. None/ Exterior/ InteriorWrapping at Ends sets the width of the walluser-definedWidth wall type functionInterior/ Exterior/ Foundation/ Retaining/ SoffitWall Function Graphics Sets a fill pattern for a wall in a coarse-scale view. See “View Properties” on page 452. Choose from available fill patterns in the project.Coarse Scale Fill Pattern Applies a color to the fill pattern for a wall in a coarse-scale view. Click button to access Color Picker. See “Colors” on page 409. Coarse Scale Fill Color Identity DataI manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the wall manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the wall type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the wall here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code Changing Properties | 313
- 342. DescriptionValueName A value to designate the particular wall. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark fire rating of the element typeuser-definedFire Rating the pricing of the walluser-definedCost Structural Wall Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Constraints Sets a location line for the wall at the specified plane. The wall location line remains the same for that wall, even if the type changes. Wall Centerline/ Core Centerline/ Finish Face: Exterior/ Finish Face: Interior/ Core Face: Exterior/ Core Face: Interior Location Line the name of the level to which the wall base is setspecified levelBase Constraint offset of the base of the wall from its Base Constraint; enabled only when the Base Constraint is set to a level user-definedBase Offset indicates whether the base of the wall is attached to another component such as a slab checked or un-checked, read-onlyBase is Attached the distance you have moved the base of the layers in a wall. See “Compound Structure” on page 196. user-defined (value is enabled only when layers of a wall are set to extendable) Base Extension Distance the name of the level to which the wall top is setspecified levelTop Constraint If Top Constraint is Unconnected, user may set an Unconnected Height of wall here. user-defined but read-only if there is a Top Constraint Unconnected Height offset of the top of the wall from its Top Constraint; enabled only when the Top Constraint is set to a level user-definedTop Offset indicates whether the top of the wall is attached to another component such as a slab check box, read-onlyTop is Attached the distance you have moved the top of the layers in a wall. See “Compound Structure” on page 196. user-defined (value is enabled only when layers of a wall are set to extendable) Top Extension Distance If selected, it means that the wall is part of a room boundary. If not selected, it means that the wall is not part of a room boundary. check box, read-only when the Structural Wall button is clicked; becomes available to the user after wall is created. Room Bounding Related to Mass Structural structural use of the wallNon-bearing/ Bearing/ Shear/ Structural combined Structural Usage Dimensions length of wallread-onlyLength area of wallread-onlyArea volume of wallread-onlyVolume Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments 314 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 343. DescriptionValueName A label created for the wall. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the wall component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the wall component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Structural Analysis check boxAnalytical Model the plane of the wall used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. Center Line/ Exterior Face/ Interior FaceAnalytical Projection Surface the plane of the wall used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. specified levelAnalytical Top Projection Plane the plane of the wall used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. specified levelAnalytical Bottom Projection Plane Beam Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for beams. Values are modifiable. See “Beams” on page 167. BeamType Properties DescriptionValueName Structural Section Areauser-definedA Nominal Weightuser-definedW Dimensions nominal depth of sectionuser-definedNominal d flange widthuser-definedbf actual depth of sectionuser-definedd k distanceuser-definedk k1 distanceread-onlyk2 flange thicknessuser-definedtf web thicknessuser-definedtw Identity Data Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the shape manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the shape type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments Changing Properties | 315
- 344. DescriptionValueName sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the beam here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description A value to designate the particular beam; possibly the shop mark. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark the pricing of the beamuser-definedCost Beam Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Constraints elevation of beam referenced from the Reference Leveluser-definedElevation the constraining levelread-only, dependent upon work plane in which element was placed Reference Level the current plane on which elements are placedread-onlyWork Plane Materials and Finishes structural material as defined by user. See “Material Physical Parameters” on page 527. user-selected from Materials dialog box. Select Value, then down arrow. Beam Material Structural the dimension between the edge of the start end of the beam and the element to which it is connected user-definedStart Extension the dimension between the edge of the finish end of the beam and the element to which it is connected user-definedEnd Extension rotation about the longitudinal axis of the shapeuser-definesAngle user-definedStick View on Top moment frame, or cantilever symbol at start end of beam, if applicable. user-definedMoment Connection Start moment frame, or cantilever symbol at finish end of beam, if applicable user-definedMoment Connection End the physical length of the beam.read-onlyCut Length use may be Girder, Horizontal bracing, Joist, Other, or Purlin user-definedStructural Usage Adjusts spacing between the beam and the element to which it is being coped. user-definedCoping Distance sets the Top, Center, or Bottom of the beam at the beam Elevation user-selectedVertical Justification sets Side 1, Center, or Side 2 as beam location relative to a vertical axis. Offset distance of Side 1 or Side 2 equals the beam width. user-selectedHorizontal Justification beam camberuser-definedCamber Size number of studs per beamuser-definedNumber of Studs 316 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 345. DescriptionValueName Dimensions the length between Beam Handles. See “Beam Handles” on page 362. This is the analytical length of the beam. read-onlyLength volume of the selected beamread-onlyVolume Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the beam. Possible use: shop mark. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the beam component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the beam component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Structural Analysis Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six Start Release Conditions. user-selectedStart Release release condition at start end of beamuser-definedStart Fx release condition at start end of beamuser-definedStart Fy release condition at start end of beamuser-definedStart Fz release condition at start end of beamuser-definedStart Mx release condition at start end of beamuser-definedStart My release condition at start end of beamuser-definedStart Mz Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six End Release Conditions. user-definedEnd Release release condition at finish end of beamuser-definedEnd Fx release condition at finish end of beamuser-definedEnd Fy release condition at finish end of beamuser-definedEnd Fz release condition at finish end of beamuser-definedEnd Mx release condition at finish end of beamuser-definedEnd My release condition at finish end of beamuser-definedEnd Mz the plane of the slab used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. user-definedAnalytical Reference Plane Other set in family parameters; defines maximum distance of start extension parameter read-onlyStart Extension Calculation set in family parameters; defines maximum distance of end extension parameter read-onlyEnd Extension Calculation Changing Properties | 317
- 346. Beam System Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for beam systems. For information on how to add beam systems to your model, see “Beam Systems” on page 172. Beam SystemType Properties DescriptionValueName Identity Data manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the shape manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the shape type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the beam here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code A value to designate the particular beam system. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark the pricing of the beam systemuser-definedCost Beam System Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Constraints elevation of top of beam referenced from the Reference Level user-definedElevation the constraining levelread-only, dependent upon work plane in which element was placed Work Plane Pattern rules for beam spacinguser-definedLayout Rule number of joists in the setuser-definedNumber of lines space between joistsuser-definedSpacing starting axis of layoutuser-specifiedJustification shape typeuser-specifiedBeam Type Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the beam system. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing 318 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 347. DescriptionValueName indicates in which phase the beam system was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the beam system was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Brace Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for braces. Values are modifiable. See “Vertical Bracing” on page 180 BraceType Properties DescriptionValueName Construction Maximum Negative Extension Structural Section Areauser-definedA Nominal Weightuser-definedW Dimensions nominal depth of sectionuser-definedNominal d flange widthuser-definedbf actual depth of sectionuser-definedd k distanceuser-definedk k1 distanceread-onlyk2 flange thicknessuser-definedtf web thicknessuser-definedtw Identity Data Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the brace manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the brace type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the brace here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description A value to designate the particular brace; possibly the shop mark. This value must be unique for each brace in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark the pricing of the braceuser-definedCost Changing Properties | 319
- 348. Brace Instance Properties for when brace is attached to beams DescriptionValueName Constraints the constraining Level.user-definedReference Level Construction the dimension between the edge of the start end of the brace and the element to which it is connected user-definedStart Extension the dimension between the edge of the finish end of the brace and the element to which it is connected user-definedEnd Extension Materials and Finishes structural material as defined by user. See “Material Physical Parameters” on page 527. user-selected from Materials dialog box. Select Value, then down arrow. Brace Material Structural rotation about the longitudinal axis of the braceuser-definesAngle moment frame, or cantilever symbol at start end of brace, if applicable. user-definedMoment Connection Start moment frame, or cantilever symbol at finish end of brace, if applicable user-definedMoment Connection End physical length (not analytical length)read-onlyCut Length use may be Vertical Bracing, Kicker brace, or Other.user-definedStructural Usage Distance or Ratio (percentage relative to beam length); type of separation of brace start end to a designated beam end. user-definedStart Attachment Type Distance from, or Ratio (percentage) of separation of brace start end to a designated beam end. user-definedStart Attachment Distance or Ratio Designated end (start or finish) of Referenced Element (beam) to which start end of brace is attached. user-definedEnd of Referenced Element Distance or Ratio (percentage relative to beam length); type of separation of brace finish end to a designated beam end. user-definedEnd Attachment Type Distance from, or Ratio (percentage) of separation of brace finish end to a designated beam end. user-definedEnd Attachment Distance or Ratio Designated end (start or finish) of Referenced Element (beam) to which finish end of brace is attached. user-definedEnd of Referenced Element Dimensions the analytical length of the braceread-onlyLength volume of the selected brace elementread-onlyVolume Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the brace. Possible use: shop mark. This value must be unique for each brace in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the brace component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created 320 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 349. DescriptionValueName indicates in which phase the brace component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Structural Analysis Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six Start Release Conditions. user-selectedStart Release release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Fx release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Fy release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Fz release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Mx release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart My release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Mz Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six End Release Conditions. user-definedEnd Release release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Fx release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Fy release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Fz release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Mx release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd My release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Mz concrete or steel sub-type as defined in Materials dialog box user-definedMaterial Other set in family parameters; defines maximum distance of start extension parameter Start Extension Calculation set in family parameters; defines maximum distance of end extension parameter End Extension Calculation Brace Instance Properties for when brace is attached to columns DescriptionValueName Constraints the constraining Level.user-definedReference Level Construction the dimension between the edge of the start end of the brace and the element to which it is connected user-definedStart Extension the dimension between the edge of the finish end of the brace and the element to which it is connected user-definedEnd Extension Materials and Finishes structural material as defined by user. See “Material Physical Parameters” on page 527. user-selected from Materials dialog box. Select Value, then down arrow. Brace Material Structural rotation about the longitudinal axis of the braceuser-definesAngle Changing Properties | 321
- 350. DescriptionValueName moment frame, or cantilever symbol at start end of brace, if applicable. user-definedMoment Connection Start moment frame, or cantilever symbol at finish end of brace, if applicable user-definedMoment Connection End physical lengthread-onlyCut Length use may be Vertical Bracing, Kicker brace, or Other.user-definedStructural Usage Constraining Level of Start End of Braceuser-definedStart Attachment Level Reference Elevation of Start End referenced from Start Attachment Level Reference user-definedStart Attachment Elevation Constraining Level of Finish End of Braceuser-definedEnd Attachment Level Reference Elevation of Finish End referenced from End Attachment Level Reference user-definedEnd Attachment Elevation Dimensions analytical lengthread-onlyLength volume of the selected brace elementread-onlyVolume Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the brace. Possible use: shop mark. This value must be unique for each brace in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the brace component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the brace component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Structural Analysis Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six Start Release Conditions. user-selectedStart Release release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Fx release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Fy release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Fz release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Mx release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart My release condition at start end of braceuser-definedStart Mz Fixed, Pinned, Bending Moment or User-defined. User- defined allows user to enable/disable the six End Release Conditions. user-definedEnd Release release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Fx release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Fy release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Fz 322 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 351. DescriptionValueName release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Mx release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd My release condition at finish end of braceuser-definedEnd Mz concrete or steel sub-type as defined in Materials dialog box user-definedMaterial Other set in family parameters; defines maximum distance of start extension parameter Start Extension Calculation set in family parameters; defines maximum distance of end extension parameter End Extension Calculation Slab Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for slabs. Values are modifiable. See “Slab” on page 182. SlabType Properties DescriptionValueName Construction User selects Edit button to add, change, or delete wall layers. user-definedStructure slab thicknessread-only; Type parameterThickness Graphics Sets a fill pattern for a slab in a coarse-scale view. See “View Properties” on page 452 Choose from available fill patterns in the project.Coarse Scale Fill Pattern Applies a color to the fill pattern for a slab in a coarse-scale view. Click button to access Color Picker. See “Colors” on page 409. Coarse Scale Fill Color Identity Data manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the slab manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the slab type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the slab here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code A value to designate the particular slab. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark the pricing of the slabuser-definedCost Changing Properties | 323
- 352. Slab Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Constraints the level that the slab is constrained tospecified levelLevel elevation of top of slab relative to Level parameteruser-definedHeight Offset from Level check box; read-onlyRelated to Mass toggles the Structural/ non-Structural slabcheck box; user selectedStructural Dimensions slope of slab from horizontaluser-definedSlope Angle slab perimeterread-onlyPerimeter area of slabread-onlyArea volume of slabread-onlyVolume identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the slab. Possible use: shop mark. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the slab component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the slab component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Structural Analysis the plane of the slab used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. specified levelAnalytical Projection Plane read-onlyStructural Usage Foundation Slab Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for Foundation Slabs. Values are modifiable. See “Foundation Slab Type” on page 183. Foundation SlabType Properties DescriptionValueName Construction User selects Edit button to add, change, or delete slab layers. user-definedStructure Slab thicknessread-only; type parameterThickness Graphics Sets a fill pattern for a slab in a coarse-scale view. See “View Properties” on page 452. Choose from available fill patterns in the project.Coarse Scale Fill Pattern Applies a color to the fill pattern for a slab in a coarse- scale view. Click button to access Color Picker. See “Colors” on page 409. Coarse Scale Fill Color 324 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 353. DescriptionValueName Identity Data Manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel The slab manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the slab type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments Sets a link to a web page that may contain type specific information. user-definedURL User may provide a description of the slab here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. read-only; dependent on Assembly CodeAssembly Description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code A value to designate the particular slab. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark The pricing of the slabuser-definedCost Foundation Slab Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Constraints The level that the slab is constrained tospecified levelLevel The elevation of top of slab relative to Level parameteruser-definedHeight Offset from Level check-box; read-onlyRelated to Mass If checked, Slab has an Analytical Model and is exported to analysis packages check-box; user-selectedStructural Dimensions Slope of slab from horizontal planeuser-definedSlope Angle Slab perimeterread-onlyPerimeter Area of slabread-onlyArea Volume of Slabread-onlyVolume Width of slab, if rectangularread-onlyWidth Length of slab, if rectangularread-onlyLength Elevation used for tagging Bottom of Foundationread-onlyElevation at Bottom Identity Data User Commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the slab. Possible use: shop mark. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing Changing Properties | 325
- 354. DescriptionValueName Indicates in which phase the slab component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created Indicates in which phase the slab component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Structural Analysis The plane of the slab used for analysis and design. See “Projection Plane Options for each Structural Element Type” on page 624. specified levelAnalytical Projection Plane Foundation or Slab on Grade. If set to Foundation, the slab will provide support for other elements connected to it. If set to Slab on Grade, the slab will only support itself. See “Support and Analytical Consistency Checks” on page 631. user-definedStructural Usage Wall Foundation Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for walls. Values are modifiable. See “Continuous Wall Foundations” on page 187 Wall FoundationType Properties DescriptionValueName Materials and Finishes concrete specificationspecified concrete materialMaterial Dimensions length from center of wall to outside face of foundationuser-definedToe Length length from center of wall to inside face of foundationuser-definedHeel Length foundation thicknessuser-definedFoundation Thickness Identity Data manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the foundation manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the foundation type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the foundation here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code A value to designate the particular foundation. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark the pricing of the slabuser-definedCost 326 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 355. Wall Foundation Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Dimensions overall widthread-onlyWidth volume of foundationread-onlyVolume Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the foundation. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the foundation component was created. “Project Phasing” on page 511 user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the foundation component was demolished. “Project Phasing” on page 511 user-definedPhase Demolished Rebar Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for rebar. Values are modifiable. For information on how to place and sketch rebar, see “Rebar Components” on page 188. RebarType Properties DescriptionValueName Graphics Subcategory material typeuser-selectedMaterials and Finishes Material designated by selecting down arrow; User selects from Materials dialog box. user-selected; Default is Metal-SteelMaterial Dimensions the fillet radius of bends as viewed in section. This parameter can be scheduled. user-definedBend Radius The value you enter for diameter effects the display of the rebar. user-defined; can be used to add type sets that represent different rebar sizing systems Bar Diameter Identity Data manufacturer internal numberuser-definedModel the rebar manufactureruser-definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the rebar type. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedType Comments sets a link to a web page that may contain type-specific information user-definedURL User may provide a description of the rebar here.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection read-only, dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-definedAssembly Code Changing Properties | 327
- 356. DescriptionValueName A value to designate the particular rebar. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark the pricing of the rebaruser-definedCost Rebar Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Construction User selects from list of standard hooksuser-definedHook at Start User selects from list of standard hooksuser-definedHook at End Dimensions length of rebarread-onlyTotal Bar Length Identity Data user commentsuser-definedComments A label created for the slab. Possible use: shop mark. This value must be unique for each element in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Phasing indicates in which phase the slab component was created. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Created indicates in which phase the slab component was demolished. See “Project Phasing” on page 511. user-definedPhase Demolished Load Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for loads. Values are modifiable. LoadType Properties DescriptionValueName Other force symbol at point of applicationuser-selected; similar to leader selectionsForce Arrowhead display size parameter; visually changes display of force symbol. user-defined; scale is for display only.Force Scale plot scale distance between force arrowsuser-definedDistance between arrows moment symbol indicating directionuser-selected; similar to leader selectionMoment arrowhead (Point and Line Loads only) moment symbol indicating directionuser-selected; similar to leader selectionMoment arrowhead (alternate) (Point and Line Loads only) display size parameter; visually changes display of moment symbol. user-defined; scale is for display only.Moment scale (Point and Line Loads only) 328 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 357. Point Load Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Other User selects from various load cases including dead load, live load, wind, and snow. user-selectedLoad Case Project or Work Planeuser-selectedCoordinate System translation in x-directionuser-definedFx translation in y-directionuser-definedFy translation in z-directionuser-definedFz rotation about x-axisuser-definedMx rotation about y-axisuser-definedMy rotation about z-axisuser-definedMz Line Load Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Other User selects from various load cases including dead load, live load, wind, and snow. user-selectedLoad Case non-host = Project or Work Plane. hosted = Project or Host workplane user-selectedCoordinate System translation in x-directionuser-definedFx 1 translation in y-directionuser-definedFy 1 translation in z-directionuser-definedFz 1 translation in x-directionuser-definedFx 2 translation in y-directionuser-definedFy 2 translation in z-directionuser-definedFz 2 rotation about x-axisuser-definedMx 1 rotation about y-axisuser-definedMy 1 rotation about z-axisuser-definedMz 1 rotation about x-axisuser-definedMx 2 rotation about y-axisuser-definedMy 2 rotation about z-axisuser-definedMz 2 uniform or non-uniformuser-selected check boxUniform Load user-selected check boxProjected Load Area Load Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Other User selects from various load cases including dead load, live load, wind, and snow. user-selectedLoad Case Changing Properties | 329
- 358. DescriptionValueName non-host = Project or Work Plane. hosted = Project or Host workplane user-selectedCoordinate System translation in x-directionuser-definedFx 1 translation in y-directionuser-definedFy 1 translation in z-directionuser-definedFz 1 translation in x-directionuser-definedfx 2 translation in y-directionuser-definedFy 2 translation in z-directionuser-definedFz 2 translation in x-directionuser-definedFx 3 translation in y-directionuser-definedFy 3 translation in z-directionuser-definedFz 3 Building Pad Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for building pads. Values are modifiable. See “Building Pad” on page 481. Building PadType Properties DescriptionValueName Allows you to modify the building pad structure. See “Modifying Building Pads” on page 378. user-definedStructure Sets the fill pattern when the view's detail level is set to Coarse. user-definedCoarse Scale Fill Displays the total building pad thickness.read-onlyThickness Building Pad Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the building pad's level.user-selectedLevel Sets the height the building pad is offset from the level.user-definedHeight Offset From Level Sets phase the building pad is created.user-selectedPhase Created Sets the phase the building pad is demolished.user-selectedPhase Demolished Column Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for architectural columns. Values are modifiable. ColumnType Properties DescriptionValueName Specifies the color of the Coarse Scale Fill Pattern in any coarse plan view. user-selected colorCoarse Scale Fill Color Specifies the cut pattern that displays within the column in any coarse plan view. user-selectedCoarse Scale Fill Pattern Sets the depth of columns when placed.depends on the family typeDepth Sets the width of columns when placed.depends on the family typeWidth The model type of the column.user-definedModel The manufacturer for the column materialsuser-definedManufacturer 330 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 359. DescriptionValueName Specific building or design comments about the column.user-definedType comments Sets a link to a web page. For example, a manufacturer's web page. user-definedURL Provides a description of the column.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly code A value to designate the particular column. This value must be unique for each column in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark Cost of the materials for constructing the column. This information can be included in a schedule. user-definedCost NOTE Structural columns may have additional properties required by their specific configuration and industry standards. Column Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Turns on visibility of a weld connection symbol. The symbols are visible only in elevations and cuts parallel to the main axis of the column. check boxWelded Connection (structural columns only) Turns on visibility of a plate connection symbol. The symbols are visible only in elevations and cuts parallel to the main axis of the column. check boxPlate Connection (structural columns only) Specifies which level the base of the column rests on.Default is Level 1Base Level Specifies distance from the base level.Default is 0Base Offset Specifies which level the top of the column reaches.Default is 1Top Level Specifies distance from the top level.Default is 0Top Offset Specific comments you wish to apply to the column instance. user-definedComments Applies a tag to any column for reference purposes. This value must be unique for each column in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Sets the column creation phaseuser-selectedPhase Created Sets the phase the column was demolished.user-selectedPhase Demolished Resets the top justification for the condition. Choices are: Minimum Intersection, Intersect Column Midline, Maximum Intersection. user-selectedAttachment Justification at Top Specifies an offset value for cut target/column conditions.user-selectedOffset From Attachment at Top Changing Properties | 331
- 360. Wall Sweep Properties Wall Sweep Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the distance from the wall face.user-definedOffset From wall Sets the phase the wall sweep was created.selected from drop-down listPhase Created Sets the wall sweep's demolition phase.selected from drop-down listPhase Demolished Sets the level of the Wall Sweep. This property only appears with horizontal Wall Sweeps selected from drop-down listLevel Sets the Wall Sweep's offset from the level. This property only appears with horizontal Wall Sweeps. user-definedOffset From Level Wall SweepType Properties DescriptionValueName When selected, the sweep will cut geometry out of the host wall if there is an overlap. Setting this value to No can increase performance on large building models with many sweeps. Yes/NoCuts Wall When selected, inserts such as doors and windows cut geometry out of the sweep. See “Wall Sweeps and Reveal Commands” on page 221. Yes/NoCut by Inserts This value specifies the distance the sweep is setback from each intersecting wall insert. user-definedDefault Setback Sets the material of the wall sweep.selected from drop-down listMaterial By default, wall sweeps are set to the Wall Sweep subcategory of walls. In the Object Styles dialog box, you can create new Wall subcategories and subsequently select one here. This allows you to modify wall sweep style at a project level using the Object Styles dialog box. User-defined/selected subcategories.Subcategory of Walls Sets the profile family used to create the Wall Sweep.selected from drop-down listProfile Dimension Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for dimensions. Values are modifiable. DimensionTypes Revit Structure has three predefined dimension types: ■ Default linear style ■ Default angular style ■ Default radial style If desired, click New to create a new dimension type. Then set the properties listed here. DimensionType Properties DescriptionValueName The name of the arrowhead style you define using the Settings, Arrowhead command. See “Arrowheads” on page 531. user-definedArrowhead Sets the size of the arc center mark. Enabled only if Show arc center marks is selected. Imperial or MetricCenter Mark Size 332 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 361. DescriptionValueName If Witness Line Control is set to Gap to Element, this parameter sets the distance between the witness line and element being dimensioned. Imperial or MetricWitness Line Gap to Element Sets the extension of witness line beyond tick mark. When you set this value, this is the size at which the witness line plots, if you are printing at 100 percent. Imperial or MetricWitness Line Extension Switches between the fixed gap functionality and the fixed dimension line functionality. Gap to Element. Fixed to Dimension LineWitness Line Control If Witness Line Control is set to Fixed to Dimension Line, this parameter becomes available. Specifies the length of all witness lines in the dimensions. When you set this value, this is the size at which the witness line plots, if you are printing at 100 percent. Imperial or MetricWitness Line Length Sets the distance of text from the dimension line.Imperial or MetricText Distance to Line If you set the value to opaque, the dimension text is surrounded by a box that overlaps any geometry or text behind it in the view. If you set the value to transparent, the box disappears and everything not overlapped by the dimension text is visible. Opaque. TransparentText Background Sets the size of the typeface for the dimensions.Imperial or MetricText Size Moves the dimension text to a horizontal positionHorizontalText Alignment Moves the dimension text to the left of a vertical dimension line. Left of verticalText Alignment Moves the dimension text to the right of a vertical dimension line. Right of verticalText Alignment Dimension text above dimension lineAbovePlace Text Above or Below Dimension Line Dimension text below dimension lineBelowPlace Text Above or Below Dimension Line Sets the color of dimension lines. You can choose from a list of colors defined in Revit Structure or define your own. Default value is blackColor Sets the line weight number that designates thickness of the dimension line. You can choose from a list of values defined in Revit Structure or define your own. You can change the definition of the line weights using the Line Weights command in the Settings menu. See “Line Weights” on page 529. 1-16Line Weight Extends the dimension line beyond the intersection of the witness lines to the specified value. When you set this value, this is the size at which the dimension line plots, if you are printing at 100 percent. user-definedDimension Line Extension You can select any of the annotations symbols loaded in the project. The centerline symbol appears above the witness lines that reference the centerlines of family instances and walls. If the witness line does not reference a center plane, you cannot place a centerline symbol above it. Values depend on which annotation symbol families are loaded into your project. To load additional families, load them from the Annotation Symbols folder. For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Centerline Symbol Changes the line pattern of the witness lines of the dimension, if the dimension references are the center lines of family instances and walls. If the references are not at the centerline, this parameter does not affect the witness line pattern. user-defined. Choices come from Line Patterns dialog box. See “Line Patterns” on page 530. Centerline Pattern Changes the tick mark at the ends of the centerline of a dimension. user-defined.Centerline Tick Mark Changing Properties | 333
- 362. DescriptionValueName Sets the line weight that designates thickness of the tick mark. You can choose from a list of values defined in Revit Structure or define your own. 1-16Tick Mark Line Weight Sets the pen weight of the thick tick mark that is the arrow style Heavy End. 1-16Heavy End Tick Mark Pen Weight Shows or hides arc center mark (X) for radial dimensions.Check boxShow Arc Center Marks Shows or hides prefix (R) for radial dimensions.Check boxShow Radius Prefix Click the button and the Format dialog box opens. You can then set the format of the units with the dimension. See “Formatting Parameters” on page 106. user-definedLinear/Radial units, Format Click the button and the Format dialog box opens. You can then set the format of the units with the dimension. See “Formatting Parameters” on page 106. user-definedAngular Units, Format Sets the Microsoft True Type fonts for the dimensions.Text Font Place a dimension whose witness lines reference the same insert (window, door, or opening) in a plan view. If you select this parameter, the dimension includes a label that shows the height of the opening for the instance. The value appears below the dimension value you initially placed. Note: This parameter is used primarily in the German market. check boxShow Opening Height To use this parameter, set the Witness Line Control parameter to Fixed to Dimension Line. With these parameters set, additional snapping is available that aids in stacking linear dimensions at even intervals. Note: This parameter is used primarily in the European market. user-defined. This value should be greater than the distance between the text and the dimension line, plus the height of the text. Dimension Line Snap Distance Dimension Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Switches the visibility of the dimension. If you clear the check box, the dimension does not appear and does not plot. If you place the cursor near the dimension, it prehighlights and is visible when selected. Check boxVisible A prefix you can add to the dimension label.user-definedPrefix A suffix you can add to the dimension label. The order that these properties appear is Prefix, Value, Suffix. The display of Value is never optional with dimensions. user-definedSuffix All linear and angular dimensions have an Equality Display property. It is set to = by default if there is an equality constraint and to Value by default otherwise. For more information about this property see “EQ Label” on page 48. equal signEquality Display (when a dimension has an equality constraint) or Value Door Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for doors. Values are modifiable. NOTE The following are common properties for doors; however, properties can vary among the different door families. To view the specific properties, load the door family, place an instance of it, select it, and then click . For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 334 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 363. DoorType Properties DescriptionValueName The name of the model type of the door.user-definedModel The name of the door manufacturer.user-definedManufacturer Comments about the door type. Information can appear in a schedule. user-definedType Comments Sets a link to a manufacturer web page.user-definedURL Provides a description for the door.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly code A value to designate the particular door. This value must be unique for each door in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. Assigned sequentially. User-defined. See “Creating Sequential Door or Window Tags” on page 355. Type Mark Sets the thickness of the door.Default depends on family type selectedThickness This parameter sets the layer wrapping around the door. It overrides any settings in the host. By host. Neither. Interior. Exterior. BothWall Closure Sets the width of the door.Default depends on family type selectedWidth Sets the height of the door.Default depends on family type selectedHeight The material for the door: metal, wood, for example.user-definedMaterial Can be scheduled or exported.user-definedRough Width Can be scheduled or exported.user-definedRough Height The door's fire rating.user-definedFire Rating The cost of the door.user-definedCost Door Instance Properties DescriptionValueName The level on which the door is placed.read-onlyLevel The height of the door sill. Note that this does not change the door size. user-definedSill Height The height of the top of the door. Note that this does not change the door size. user-definedHead Height Specific comments related to the door that are not already covered in the description or type comments. user-definedComments The material used for the frame.user-definedFrame Material The type of frame around the door.user-definedFrame Type The finish applied to the frame and door.user-definedFinish Applies a door number to any door for reference purposes. This value must be unique for each door in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. Default is 1Mark Changing Properties | 335
- 364. Floor Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for floors. Values are modifiable. FloorType Properties DescriptionValueName Creates the composition of a compound floor. See “Compound Structure” on page 196. user-definedStructure The fill pattern for a floor displayed at a coarse detail level.Choose from available fill patterns in the projectCoarse Scale Fill Pattern Applies a color to the fill pattern for a floor in a coarse-scale view. Click button to access Color Picker. See “Colors” on page 409. Coarse Scale Fill Color Read only. Indicates the thickness of the floor.determined by cumulative thickness of layersThickness The model type for the floor.user-definedModel The manufacturer of the flooring material.user-definedManufacturer Comments about the floor type.user-definedType Comments Link for a manufacturer web page.user-definedURL Provides a description of the floor.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly code A value to designate the particular floor. This value must be unique for each floor in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark Cost of the flooring. Can be included in a schedule.user-definedCost Floor Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Floor Sketch Line Parameters The actual length of a sketch line for the floor.Variable. Read only.Length The angle at which the line is placed.Variable. Read only.Angle Level at Head Sets a floor line to slope defining.Check boxDefines slope (Enabled only if Defines constant height property is set to Yes) Enables a floor line to have a constant height above the level on which it is sketched. This property is for defining slope. For example, to define slope you can set two parallel lines to be at a constant height and then set an offset for each line, or you can set a single line to be at a constant height, slope defining, and then set its slope. See “Sloped Floors” on page 248. Yes. NoDefines Constant Height Sets the height of the floor line above the level on which it is sketched. Default value is 0Offset from Base (Enabled only if Defines constant height property is set to Yes) 336 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 365. DescriptionValueName Sets the slope angle for the selected floor line.Default value is 0Slope angle or Rise/12 (Enabled only if Defines slope property is set to Yes) Floor Instance Parameters Sets the height of the top face of the floor above the current level. Default value is 0Height above level Specific comments related to the floor that are not already covered in the description or type comments. user-definedComments A user-specified label for the floor. This value must be unique for each floor in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Changes the value of slope-defining lines to the specified value, without the need to edit the sketch. The parameter initially displays a value if there is a slope-defining line. If there is no slope-defining line, the parameter is blank and disabled. user-definedSlope (Slope Angle; Rise/12" for Imperial; Rise/1000 for metric) Sets the phase the floor was created.user-selectedPhase Created Sets the phase the floor was demolished.user-selectedPhase Demolished The perimeter of the floor.Variable. Read-only valuePerimeter The area of the floor.Variable. Read-only valueArea The volume of the floor.Variable. Read-only valueVolume Floor Slope Arrow Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the start height of the slope arrow line.Default value is 0Height Offset at Tail Sets the end height of the slope arrow line. Revit Structure uses both parameters to calculate the rise of the slope line. Height Offset at Head Grid Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions you can set for column grids. Values are modifiable. GridType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the appearance of the grid head. The value None removes the grid head. You can load additional grid heads from the Annotations folder in the Revit Structure library. Look for the grid head families. See “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Can be None or a loaded family fileGrid Head Sets the radius of the grid header. The larger the value, the larger the header. user-definedRadius Sets the line weight that designates the thickness of the grid bubble. 1-16Bubble Weight Number Sets the Microsoft True Type fonts for the text on the gridline. Default is ArialText Font Size of the text for the gridline.user-definedText Size Changing Properties | 337
- 366. DescriptionValueName Sets the line weight that designates the thickness of the gridline. You can change the definition of the line weights using the Line Weights command in the Settings menu. See “Line Weights” on page 529. 1-16Line Weight Number Sets the color of the gridline. You can choose from a list of colors defined in Revit Structure or define your own. Default is blackColor Sets the line style of gridlines. Can be solid or a combination of dashes and dots. You can choose from a list of values defined in Revit Structure or define your own. dash dotLine Pattern Places a bubble by default at the left end of the grid line. When you select a grid line you placed, a check box appears next to the grid bubble. Clear the check box to hide the bubble. Select it again to display the bubble. Note that this affects a grid in plan view only. Check boxBubble at End 1 Default Places a bubble by default at the right end of the grid line. Note that this affects a grid in plan view only. Check boxBubble at End 2 Default Grid Instance Properties DescriptionValueName A value for the grid line.Numeral. First instance defaults to 1.Name The Scope Box applied to the grid. See “Scope Box” on page 121. user-definedScope Box Level Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for levels. Values are modifiable. LevelType Properties DescriptionValueName If the elevation base value is set to project, then the elevation reported on a level is with respect to the project origin. If the base value is set to shared, then the elevation reported is with respect to the shared origin. To change the shared origin, you can Relocate the Project. See “Relocating and Rotating a Project” on page 507. Project. SharedElevation Base Sets the appearance of the level head. The value None removes the level head and level text. It has the same function as the check box control that appears next to the level line when you select it. You can load additional level heads from the Annotations folder in the Revit Structure library. Look for the level head families. See “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Can be None or a loaded family fileLevel Head Sets the line weight for the level type. You can change the definition of the line weight number using the Line Weights command in the Settings menu. See “Line Weights” on page 529. 1-16Line Weight Sets the color of the level line. You can choose from a list of colors defined in Revit Structure or define your own. user-defined. Default is black.Color Sets the line style of level lines. Can be solid or a combination of dashes and dots. You can choose from a list of values defined in Revit Structure or define your own. user-definedLine Pattern 338 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 367. DescriptionValueName Places a bubble by default at the left end of the level line. When you select a level line you placed, a check box appears next to the bubble. Clear the check box to hide the bubble. Select it again to display the bubble. Note that this affects a level in plan view only. Check boxBubble at End 1 Default Places a bubble by default at the right end of the level line. Note that this affects a level in plan view only. Check boxBubble at End 2 Default Level Instance Properties DescriptionValueName A label for the name of the level. You can assign any name you wish to this property. Level numberName The vertical height of the level.Value depends on where you drew the levelElevation The Scope Box applied to the level. See “Scope Box” on page 121. user-definedScope Box Line Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for lines. Values are modifiable. Straight Line Properties DescriptionValueName Comments on the specific line type.user-definedComments A label assigned to the line type.user-definedMark Sets the line style type as defined in the Object Styles dialog. See “Object Styles” on page 528. Default is LinesSubcategory The actual length of the line.Variable. Read only.Length The angle at which the line is placed.Variable. Read only.Angle Arc, Circle,Tangent, and Fillet Line Properties DescriptionValueName Switches whether the center mark for the arc appears. You can dimension to the center mark of an arc. Check boxCenter mark visible Sets the line style for the shape.user selectedLine Style The actual length of the line.Variable. Read only.Length Mullion Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for mullions. Values are modifiable. Common MullionType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the mullion material type.Materials buttonMaterial Constraints Rotates the mullion profile. Works as an adjustment to the Position parameter. Note that this parameter is not enabled for circular mullions. user-definedAngle (not available for corner mullions) Changing Properties | 339
- 368. DescriptionValueName Sets the offset from the panels in the curtain element.user-definedOffset Construction Sets a profile for the mullion. You can create a custom profile family. See “Profile Families” on page 72. user-definedProfile (not available for corner mullions) Rotates the mullion profile. Normal to Face is the usual condition. Parallel to Ground is appropriate for sloped curtain panels, such as in a sloped glazing or a sloped curtain system. Perpendicular to Face Parallel to Ground Position (not available for corner mullions) Circular MullionType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the offset from the panels in the curtain element.user-definedOffset Sets the radius for the circular mullions.user-definedRadius Rectangular MullionType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the offset from the panels.user-definedOffset Sets the thickness. If you have a loaded a custom profile, this value is calculated from the mullion profile. user-definedThickness Sets the width of side 2. If you have a loaded a custom profile, this value is calculated from the mullion profile. user-definedWidth on side 2 Sets the width of side 1. If you have a loaded a custom profile, this value is calculated from the mullion profile. user-definedWidth on side 1 Corner MullionType Properties L and V Corner Mullions DescriptionValueName Sets the mullion to corner mullion.read-only check boxCorner Mullion Length of second leg of mullion.user-definedLeg 2 Length of first leg of mullion.user-definedLeg 1 Sets the offset from the panels.user-definedOffset Sets the thickness.user-definedThickness Trapezoid Corner Mullion DescriptionValueName Sets the mullion to corner mullion.read-only check boxCorner Mullion Width of mullion at the center.user-definedCenter Width Length of the sides of the mullion that meet the panels.user-definedDepth Sets the offset from the panels.user-definedOffset Sets the thickness.user-definedThickness 340 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 369. Quad Corner Mullion DescriptionValueName Sets the mullion to corner mullion.read-only check boxCorner Mullion Length of second leg of mullion.user-definedDepth 2 Length of first leg of mullion.user-definedDepth 1 Sets the offset from the panels.user-definedOffset Sets the thickness.user-definedThickness Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Specific comments about the mullions.user-definedComments Maximum length of the mullion. For example, on a mitered mullion, the value is the pre-cut length. read-only valueLength Sets a label for the mullions. This value must be unique for each mullion in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Railing Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for railings. Some values are modifiable. NOTE If you are upgrading railings from a previous version of Revit Structure, you will not see all the parameters listed here until you duplicate your railing type. RailingType Properties DescriptionValueName The height of the top-most rail in the railing structure.user-definedRailing Height Opens a separate dialog box where you set the number of rails, height, offset, material, and profile family (shape) for each rail. See “Profile Families” on page 72. user-definedRail Structure Opens a separate dialog box where you define baluster patterns. See “Baluster Placement” on page 389. user-definedBaluster Placement Sets the baluster shape.selected from drop-down listBaluster Family Specifies how the balusters should be spaced, either by a distance as specified in the Balusters Separation property or by a set number in the Balusters Per Tread property. Distance. Balusters Per TreadBaluster Spacing Type Spacing between balustersuser-definedBaluster Separation The number of balusters for each tread. This property is active only if the Baluster Spacing Type property is set to Balusters Per Tread. user-definedBalusters Per Tread (Stair railings only) Offsets the balusters from the rail sketch line. By setting a value for this property and rail offsets, you can create different combinations of rails and balusters. See “Modifying Railings” on page 387. user-definedBaluster Offset Changing Properties | 341
- 370. DescriptionValueName This parameter controls the height of railings at landings. If set to No, railings at landings use the same height as they do over stair runs. If set to Yes, the railing height is adjusted up or down by the amount set for Landing Height Adjustment. To get smooth railing connections, you should set the Tangent Joins parameter to Extend Rails to Meet. Yes. NoUse Landing Height Adjustment Raises or lowers the height of the railing from the value indicated in the Railing Height parameter at intermediate or top landings. user-definedLanding Height Adjustment If two railing segments meet at an angle in plan but do not connect vertically, Revit Structure can add vertical or horizontal segments to create a join or add no connector, leaving a gap. This can be used to create a continuous railing where the start of a stair run leading up from a landing cannot be displaced by one tread width.Join methods can be overridden on an connection by connection basis by using the Edit Joins command, which is available when editing the railing sketch. Add Vertical/Horizontal Segments. No ConnectorAngled Joins If two tangent railing segments ar collinear or tangent in plan but do not connect vertically, Revit Structure can add vertical or horizontal segments to create a join, extend segments to meet, or add no connector leaving a gap. This can be used to create a smooth junction when the railing height is modified at a landing or the railing turns out at the bottom of a stair. Join methods can be overridden on a connection by connection basis by using the Edit Joins command, which is available when editing the railing sketch. Extend Rails to Meet. Add Vertical/Horizontal Segments. No Connector Tangent Joins When connections are made between railing segments, Revit Structure tries to create mitered joins. If it cannot make a mitered join, then segments can be trimmed, which means they are cut with a vertical plane, or they can be welded, which means they are joined in a manner as close to a miter as possible. Welded connections work best for circular rail profiles. Trim. WeldRail Connections Defines the railing model.user-definedModel Defines the railing manufacturer.user-definedManufacturer Railing commentsuser-definedType Comments Sets applicable URL.user-definedURL Railing descriptionuser-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly Description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly Code Sets the railing type markuser-definedType Mark Railing costuser-definedCost Railing Instance Properties DescriptionValueName The actual length of the railing you sketched.read-onlyLength Sets the base level for the railing. You can switch this value to any level in the project. user-definedBase Level Offsets the railing to a specified distance above or below the base level. user-definedBase Offset 342 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 371. DescriptionValueName Comments on the railing.user-definedComments A mark applied to a railing. This can be a label that appears in a multi-category tag with the railing. For complete information about multi-category tagging and setting up shared parameters, see “Shared Parameters” on page 404. user-definedMark The specific phase in which the railing was created. See “Phasing” on page 512. user-definedPhase Created The specific phase in which the railing was demolished. See “Demolish” on page 514. user-definedPhase Demolished Ramp Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for ramps. Values are modifiable. RampType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the thickness of the ramp. Property enabled only when Shape property is set to thick. user-definedThickness Specifies the maximum amount of consecutive rise in a ramp before a landing is required. user-definedMaximum Incline Length Sets the maximum slope for the ramp.user-definedRamp Max Slope (1/x) Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly code Material applied to the surface of the ramp for rendering.user-definedMaterial Applies a shape to the ramp for display purposes.Thick. SolidShape Ramp Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Width of the ramp.user-definedWidth Sets the base of the ramp.Level numberBase Level Sets the ramp's height from its base level.user-definedBase Offset Sets the top of the ramp.Level numberTop Level Sets the ramp's offset from the top level.user-definedTop Offset Sets the top of the ramp in a multistory building.Level numberMultistory Top Level Reference Plane Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for reference planes. The Is Reference property specifies whether a reference plane, sketched during the creation of a family, is a reference in a project. This means you can dimension to the family or align to it. If you set a reference plane as a reference for all family types, then you can consistently dimension to that family type when you place it in your project. For example, you create a door family with 24", 30", and 36" types. For each type, you specify a reference plane as left. Then you place the new 24" door type in your project and dimension it 5' from an exterior wall. Then you decide to replace that 24" door with a 30" door. When you swap out the doors, Revit Structure retains the 5' dimension. The Is Reference names are arbitrary and are meant as a convenient method for maintaining consistency across family types. The Defines Origin property specifies where the cursor rests on the object that you are placing. For example, as you place a rectangular column, the cursor rests at the centerline of the column shape. Changing Properties | 343
- 372. Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Not a referenceIs Reference Strong Reference. See “Strong and Weak References” on page 60. Weak Reference. See “Strong and Weak References” on page 60. Left Center (Left/Right) Right Front Center (Front/Back) Back Bottom Center (Elevation) Top The Scope Box applied to the reference plane. See “Scope Box” on page 121. user-definedScope Box When selected, indicates the reference plane defines the origin. Check boxDefines Origin Reveal Properties Reveal Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the distance from the wall face. This setting changes the depth of the reveal. user-definedOffset from wall Sets the reveal's creation phase.selected from drop-down listPhase Created Sets the reveal's demolition phase.selected from drop-down listPhase Demolished Sets the reveal's level. This property only appears with horizontal reveals. selected from drop-down listLevel Sets the reveal's offset from the level. This property only appears with horizontal reveals. user-definedOffset RevealType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the profile family used to create the reveal.selected from drop-down listProfile Roof Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for roofs. Values are modifiable. RoofType Properties DescriptionValueName Creates the composition of a compound roof. See “Compound Structure” on page 196. user-definedStructure 344 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 373. DescriptionValueName The fill pattern for a roof displayed at a coarse detail level.Choose from available fill patterns in the projectCoarse Scale Fill Pattern Applies a color to the fill pattern for a roof in a coarse-scale view. Click button to access Color Picker. See “Colors” on page 409. Coarse Scale Fill Color Sets the thickness of the roof.user-definedThickness The model type for the roof.user-definedModel The manufacturer of the roof.user-definedManufacturer Comments about the roof.user-definedType Comments Link for a manufacturer web page.user-definedURL Provides a description of the roof.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly code A value to designate the particular roof. This value must be unique for each roof in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark Cost of the roofing material. Can be included in a schedule.user-definedCost Specifies the look of the roof in various views, including a raytraced model. For more information on setting a material style, see “Materials” on page 525. user-definedMaterial Roof Boundary Line Properties DescriptionValueName The actual length of the roof boundary line.Variable. Read only.Length Sets a roof line for footprint roofs to be a slope-defining line. Yes. NoDefines roof slope If a sloped footprint roof line has an overhang, the height of the roof at the eave will be different from the height at the wall. With this property, you can specify the height at the wall rather than at the eave. This height is relative to the base level of the roof. The height above the base level at which the wall and the roof meet. default value is 0Plate Offset From Base (Enabled only when a roof line is created by the Pick Walls command.) This parameter sets the offset of the slope line from the base of the roof. user-definedOffset from Roof Base (Enabled when a line is set as a slope-defining line and when a line is not associated with a wall.) User-defined unit for slope value: sets the pitch of the roof. The Slope angle or Rise/12 property sets the slope angle for slope-defining lines. Specify which unit to use in the Units dialog box. See “Project Units” on page 532. user-definedSlope angle or Rise/12 Adjusts the horizontal offset of the line from its associated wall. Available only when picking walls. user-definedOverhang Roof Instance Properties DescriptionValueName The length of the lines defining the fascia.user-definedFascia Depth Changing Properties | 345
- 374. DescriptionValueName The maximum height of the top of the roof above the base level of the building. You can set a maximum allowable ridge height using the Max Ridge Height command. Value is read only. Revit Structure supplies the value when you complete the roof. Maximum ridge height (Enabled only when creating a roof by footprint.) Changes all the values of slope-defining lines to the specified value, without the need to edit the sketch. The parameter initially displays a value if all slope-defining lines are equal. If the slope-defining lines have different values, no value is displayed. If there are no slope-defining lines, the parameter is blank and disabled. user-definedSlope (Slope Angle; Rise/12" for Imperial; Rise/1000 for metric) Sets the height of the roof above or below the level where it is being sketched. user-definedBase Offset From Level (Enabled only when creating a roof by footprint.) Defines the rafter cut on an eave.Plumb Cut. Two-Cut Plumb. Two-Cut SquareRafter Cut This property is a switch for the Plate offset from base property. If you choose Rafter, the Plate offset from base is measured from the inside of the wall. If you choose Truss, the Plate offset from base is measured from the outside of the wall. To see the effects of this property more clearly, you should set a value for Plate offset from base, other than 0. Rafter. TrussRafter or Truss (this parameter affects only roofs created by picking walls) Comments about a particular roof.user-definedComments A label applied to a roof. Usually a numeric value. This value must be unique for each roof in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Specifies the level at which the roof should be cut off. Typically, a new roof will be created to fill in the hole created by cutting off the first roof. This property and the Cutoff Offset property apply to the first roof, not the second roof. Default is noneCutoff Level (Enabled only when creating a roof by footprint.) Height of the cutoff above or below the level specified in Up to Level. user-definedCutoff Offset Sets the level for the footprint or extruded roof.Selectable from drop-down listBase Level Raises or lowers the roof from the Base Level.user-definedLevel Offset (extruded roofs) The area of the roof.Variable. Read-only valueArea The volume of the roof.Variable. Read-only valueVolume Sets the start point of the extrusion. For example, if you pick the outer edge of the wall during creation of the extrusion, the start point starts the extrusion to some point traveling out from the outer edge of the wall. user-definedExtrusion start (Enabled only with extruded roofs) Sets the end point of the extrusion. For example, if you pick the outer edge of the wall during creation of the extrusion, the end point ends the extrusion at some point out from the outer edge of the wall. By default is blank. Can be user-definedExtrusion end (Enabled only with extruded roofs) Fascia, Gutter, and Slab Edge Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for fascias, gutters, and slab edges. Each of these elements are classified under host sweeps. Values are modifiable. 346 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 375. Type Properties DescriptionValueName The profile shape for the particular host sweep. Choose from a list of predefined profiles, or you can create your own profile using the profile-hosted.rft template. See “Profile Families” on page 72. user-definedProfile Specifies the look of the host sweep in various views, including a raytraced model. For more information on setting a material style, see “Materials” on page 525. user-definedMaterial Instance Properties DescriptionValueName The actual length of the host sweep.read-onlyLength The actual volume of the floor slab edge.read-onlyVolume (floor slab edges only) Moves the host sweep above or below the edge on which you created it. For example, if you chose a horizontal roof edge, a fascia moves above or below that edge. user-definedVertical profile offset Moves the host sweep forward of backward from the edge on which you created it. user-definedHorizontal profile offset Rotates the host sweep to the desired angle.user-definedAngle Stair Properties Type and Instance property names, values, and descriptions for stairs. In most cases, values are modifiable. NOTE If you are upgrading stairs from a previous version of Revit Structure, you will not see all the parameters listed here until you duplicate your stair type. StairType Properties DescriptionValueName A value to designate the particular stairs. Useful if you need to identify more than one set of staircases. This value must be unique for each stairway in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedType Mark Click Edit to set the Stair Calculation Rules. See “Stair Calculator” on page 255. user-definedStair Calculation Rules This parameter sets the initial value for the Actual Tread Depth instance parameter. If Actual Tread Depth value exceeds this value, Revit Structure issues a warning. user-definedMinimum Tread Depth Sets the maximum height of each riser on the staircase.user-definedMaximum Riser Height If you select the check box, Revit Structure adds a riser to the beginning of the stairs. If you clear the check box, Revit Structure removes the beginning riser. Note that you may receive a warning about actual number of risers exceeding desired number of risers if you clear this check box. To resolve this either select the End with Riser check box or change the desired number of risers. check boxBegin with Riser Changing Properties | 347
- 376. DescriptionValueName If you select the check box, Revit Structure adds a riser to the end of the stairs. If you clear the check box, Revit Structure removes the end riser. check boxEnd with Riser Set this parameter to extend stringers below the base level of the stair. This is useful for cases where the stringer attaches to the face of a floor opening rather than resting on the surface of a floor. To extend the stringer below the floor, enter a negative number. user-definedExtend Below Base Trim Stringer at Top affects the top end of stringers on a stair run. If you select Do Not Trim, the stringer is cut with a single vertical cut resulting in a point at the top. If you select Match Level, the stringer is curt horizontally, making the top of the stringer flush with the top level. If you select Match Landing Stringer, a horizontal cut is made at the same height as the stringer top on landings.To see the effects of this parameter clearly, you may want to clear the check box for End with Riser. Do not trim. Match Level. Match Landing StringerTrim Stringers at Top Sets the thickness of the tread.user-definedTread Thickness Creates straight or slanted risers or no riser.Straight. None. SlantedRiser Type Sets the thickness of the riser.user-definedRiser Thickness Switches the connection of the riser and tread in relation to each other. The riser can extend behind the tread, or the tread can extend under the riser. Extend Riser Behind Tread. Extend Tread Under Riser Riser to Tread Connection Specifies the amount of the tread depth that overhangs the next tread. user-definedNosing Length The profile for a sweep added to the front of the tread. See “Profile Families” on page 72. Also see “Creating Solid Sweeps” on page 78. Revit Structure has predefined profiles you can use for the sweep. Predefined profile valuesNosing Profile Lets you choose among one-, two-, or three-sided tread nosing. Front Only. Front and Left. Front and Right. Front, Left and Right Apply Nosing Profile Sets the type of stringer for the right side of the stairs. None means there is no stringer. A closed stringer encases the treads and risers. An open stringer exposes the treads and risers. None. Closed. OpenRight Stringer See description for Right Stringer.None. Closed. OpenLeft Stringer Sets the number of stringers that appear underneath the stairs between the left and right of the stairs. user-defined valueMiddle Stringers Sets the thickness of the stringers.user-definedStringer Thickness Sets the height of the stringers.user-definedStringer Height Enabled when the stairs have an open stringer. Moves an open stringer from side to side. For example, if you offset an open right stringer, it moves toward the left stringer. user-definedOpen Stringer Offset Stringer carriage height allows you to control the relationship between side stringers and treads. If you increase the number, the stringer moves down from the treads. Treads do not move. Railings do not change height relative to treads, but balusters extend down to meet the stringer top.This height is measured from the tread end (lower corner) to the bottom side of the stringer, perpen- dicular to stringer. user-definedStringer Carriage Height Allows stringers to have a different height relationship to landings than they do to sloped runs. For example, it lowers a horizontal stringer toward a landing on u-shaped stairs. user-definedLanding Carriage Height Sets the stairs to be made of one material.check boxMonolithic Stairs 348 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 377. DescriptionValueName Enabled when stairs are set to monolithic. When a monolithic stair has a winder, the bottom of the stair can be a smooth shape or stepped. If it is stepped, this parameter controls the distance between the riser face, and the vertical face of the corresponding step on the underside. user-definedLanding Overlap Enabled when stairs are set to monolithic. If a monolithic stair has a winder, the bottom of the stair can be a smooth shape or stepped. Stepped. SmoothUnderside of Winder Click the button in the Value box to open the Materials dialog box. See “Materials” on page 525 for more information on creating a material style. user-definedTread Material See Tread Material description.user-definedRiser Material See Tread Material description.user-definedStringer Material See Tread Material description.user-definedMonolithic Material Specifies whether the cutline of the stairs in plan view has a break line or not. check boxBreak Symbol in Plan Changes the size of the UP-DN symbol in a plan view.user-definedText Size Sets the font of the UP-DN symbol.user-definedText Font The model type for the stairs. May not be applicable.user-definedModel Manufacturer for the stair materials. May not be applicable.user-definedManufacturer Specific comments on the stair type.user-definedType Comments A link to a web page for the manufacturer or other appropriate link. user-definedURL A description for the stairs, such as circular.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly Description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly Code Material cost.user-definedCost Stair Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Width of the stairs.user-definedWidth Sets the base of the stairs.Level numberBase Level Sets the stairs's height from its base level.user-definedBase Offset Sets the top of the stairs.Level numberTop Level Sets the stairs's offset from the top level.user-definedTop Offset Sets the top of the stairs in a multistory building. The advantage to using this parameter as opposed to sketching individual runs is that if you change the railing on one run, that railing is changed on all the runs. Also, if you use this parameter, the Revit Structure project file size does not change as significantly as it would if you sketched individual runs. NOTE The levels in the multistory building should be a uniform distance apart. For example, each level should be 4 meters apart. Level numberMultistory Top Level Changing Properties | 349
- 378. DescriptionValueName The number of risers is calculated based on the height between levels. Default valueDesired Number of Risers Normally, the same as Desired Number of Risers but may be different if you do not complete adding the correct number of risers for the given run of the stairs. read-onlyActual Number of Risers Displays the actual riser height. Value is equal to or less than value specified in Maximum Riser Height. read-onlyActual Riser Height You can set this value to change the tread depth without having to create a new stair type. Also, the Stair Calculator can change this value to satisfy the stair equation. user-definedActual Tread Depth Sets the text for the Up symbol in plan.default is UPUp Text Sets the text for the Down symbol in plan.default is DNDown Text Displays or hides the Up label in plan.check boxUp Label Displays or hides the Up arrow in plan.check boxUp Arrow Displays or hides the Down label in plan.check boxDown Label Displays or hides the Down arrow in plan.Down Arrow Specific comments on the staircase.Comments A label created for the stairs. This value must be unique for each stairway in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Text Note Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for text notes. Values are modifiable. Text NoteType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the Microsoft True Type fonts for the text note.Default font is ArialText Font Sets the size of the typeface.Imperial or MetricText Size Sets tab spacing in a text note. When you create a text note, you can press TAB anywhere in the text note, and a tab appears at the specified size. user-definedTab Size Sets the color of the text and the leader line. You can choose from a list of colors defined in Revit Structure or define your own. Default is BlackColor Sets the thickness of the line that surrounds the text when you select the text and the thickness of the leader line. You can change the definition of the line weights numbers using the Line Weights command in the Settings menu. See “Line Weights” on page 529. 1-16Line Weight Number Sets the text typeface to bold.Check boxBold Sets the text typeface to italic.Check boxItalic Sets the text typeface to underline.Check boxUnderline 1.0 is the default for regular text width. The font width is scaled proportionately to the Width Factor. Height is not affected. 0.1 - 10.0Width Factor 350 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 379. DescriptionValueName Sets the background for the text note. With opaque the background of the note itself covers material behind it. Transparent allows you to see material behind the note. This is useful with text notes placed in color-defined rooms. Opaque. TransparentBackground Sets the arrowhead style for the leader as defined by the Arrowheads command. See “Arrowheads” on page 531. user-definedLeader Arrowhead Text Note Instance Properties DescriptionValueName Converts a text note's leader to an arc leader.Check boxArc Leaders Sets the justification of the text.Left. Center. RightHorizontal Alignment Text in the text note remains readable whenever you rotate it. It never displays upside-down. Check boxKeep Readable Leader Arrowhead Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for text note leader arrowheads. Values are modifiable. Settings are global for the project. NOTE Properties are accessible by choosing Settings, Annotations, Arrowheads. Arrowhead Properties DescriptionValueName Sets the arrowhead shape on the leader line.Diagonal. Arrow. Heavy end tick mark. Dot. Elevation Target. Datum triangle. Box. Arrow Style Fills the arrowhead.Check boxFill Tick Sets the width of the arrowhead. The larger the angle value, the wider the arrowhead appears. user-definedArrow Width Angle Sets the overall size of arrowhead.user-definedTick Size Wall Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for walls. Values are modifiable. WallType Properties DescriptionValueName Sets an automatic vertical layout for curtain grid lines along the length of a curtain wall. When set to a value other than None, Revit Structure automatically adds vertical grid lines to a curtain wall.Fixed Distance indicates that the curtain grids are placed at the exact value specified for Vertical Spacing. If the spacing is not an even factor of the wall's length, Revit Structure inserts space at one or both ends of the wall, depending on the justification parameter. For example, if the wall is 46 feet and the vertical spacing is 5 feet and the justification is set to beginning, Revit Structure None. Fixed Distance. Fixed Number. Maximum Spacing Vertical Layout (curtain walls only) adds 1 foot from the beginning of the wall before placing the first grid. See the Vertical Justification instance property description for more information on justification. Fixed Number indicates that you can set different numbers of curtain grids for different curtain wall instances. See the Changing Properties | 351
- 380. DescriptionValueName Vertical Number instance property description for more information. Maximum Spacing indicates that the curtain grids are placed at even intervals along the length of the curtain wall at a distance up to the value specified for Vertical Spacing. Click Edit to create compound walls. See “Compound Structure” on page 196. Edit buttonStructure Sets a fill pattern for a wall in a coarse-scale view. See “View Properties” on page 452. Choose from available fill patterns in the projectCoarse Scale Fill Pattern Applies a color to the fill pattern for a wall in a coarse-scale view. Click button to access Color Picker. See “Colors” on page 409. Coarse Scale Fill Color Sets the layer wrapping of walls at inserts. See “Layer Wrapping” on page 198. Do not wrap. Exterior. Interior. BothWrapping at Inserts Sets the layer wrapping of wall end caps. See “Setting Layer Wrapping” on page 198. None. Exterior. InteriorWrapping at Ends Sets the width of the wall.user-definedWidth Generally, this is not an applicable property for walls.user definedModel Generally, this is not an applicable property for walls.user definedManufacturer A field for placing general comments about the wall type.user definedType Comments Sets a link to a web page.user definedURL Provides a description of the wall.user definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly code A value to designate the particular wall. Generally, this is not an applicable property for walls. This value must be unique for each wall in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user definedType Mark Cost of the materials for constructing the wall.user definedCost Sets a wall to exterior, interior, retaining, foundation, or soffit. Before creating the wall, you can click , and you see the default instance values for wall function. See “Exterior/Interior Walls” on page 212 and “Retaining Walls” on page 215. The value should be set to Soffit when the wall is attached to a ceiling. In this case the attachment is made to the surface of the ceiling, regardless of the shape of the ceiling. Interior. Exterior. Foundation. Retaining. SoffitWall Function Wall Instance Properties DescriptionValueName The height of the wall when it is sketched.Variable, depending on the wall typeUnconnected Height Specific comments added to describe the wall.user-definedComments 352 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 381. DescriptionValueName A label applied to a wall. Usually a numeric value. This value must be unique for each wall in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Sets a location line for the wall at the specified plane. The wall location line remains the same for that wall, even if the type changes. Wall Centerline. Core Centerline. Finish Face: exterior. Finish Face: interior. Core Face: exterior. Core Face: interior Location Line Indicates whether the wall top is attached to another model component, such as a roof or ceiling. Check box. read-only value, cannot be setWall top is attached Indicates whether the wall bottom is attached to another model component, such as a floor. Check box. read-only value, cannot be setWall bottom is attached Defines which layer the floor is attached to.Finish or Structural layerFloor Attachment Defines the wall type. This property is read-only before creating a wall. After you draw the wall, you can select it and then modify this property. Shear. Bearing. Non-bearing. Structural. combinedStructural Usage Constraints Sets the location line of the wall.user-specifiedLocation Line The base level of the wall. For example, Level 1.specified levelBase Constraint Sets the wall's height from its base constraint. This property is available only when the Base Constraint is set to a level. user-definedBase Offset (Enabled only when the Base Constraint is set to a level) Wall height extends to value specified in Unconnected Height. ExplicitTop Constraint Wall height extends to specified level, for example, level 2. Up to level Sets the wall's offset from the top level.user-definedTop Offset (Enabled only when the Top Constraint is set to a level) The distance you have moved the top of the layers in a wall. See “Compound Structure” on page 196. user-defined (value is enabled only when layers of a wall are set to extendable) Top Extension Distance The distance you have moved the bottom of the layers in a wall. See “Compound Structure” on page 196. user-defined (value is enabled only when layers of a wall are set to extendable) Bottom Extension Distance If selected, it means the wall is part of a room boundary. If not selected, it means the wall is not part of a room boundary. This property is read-only before creating a wall. After you draw the wall, you can select it and then modify this property. Check boxRoom Bounding Structural Sets the structural usage of the wall.Non-bearing. Bearing. Sheer. Structural combinedStructural Usage Geometry Sets the explicit height of the wall.user-definedUnconnected Height The length of the wall.Variable. Read-only valueLength The area of the wall.Variable. Read-only valueArea The volume of the wall.Variable. Read-only valueVolume Other Offsets the wall panel the specified distance and in a direction perpendicular to the face of the curtain wall. user-definedLocation Line Offset (for walls used as panels only) Changing Properties | 353
- 382. DescriptionValueName Sets whether the wall panel should schedule as a curtain panel or a wall. Wall PanelSchedule as Window Properties Parameter names, values, and descriptions for windows. Values are modifiable. WindowType Properties NOTE The following are common properties for windows; however, properties can vary among the different window families. To view the specific properties, load the window family, place an instance of it, select it, and then click . For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. DescriptionValueName The specific model number of the window.user-definedModel The specific manufacturer of the window.user-definedManufacturer Specific comments about the window type.user-definedType Comments A link to a manufacturer's web page.user-definedURL A specific description of the window type.user-definedDescription Description of the assembly based on the assembly code selection. dependent on Assembly codeAssembly description Uniformat assembly code selected from hierarchical list.user-selectedAssembly code A specific value to designate the particular window. This value must be unique for each window in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. Assigned sequentially. User defined. See “Creating Sequential Door or Window Tags” on page 355. Type Mark This parameter sets the layer wrapping around the window. It overrides any settings in the host. By host. Neither. Interior. Exterior BothWall Closure Sets the width of the window.user-definedWidth Sets the height of the window. Height is height of the opening of the window. user-definedHeight Sets the height of the bottom of the window above the level. user-definedElevation The material used for the window.user-definedMaterial Can be scheduled or exported.user-definedRough Height Can be scheduled or exported.user-definedRough Width Cost of the window.user-definedCost Window Instance Properties DescriptionValueName The level on which the window is placed.read-onlyLevel Sets the height above the level for the window sill. Note that this does not change the window size. user-definedSill Height Sets the height above the level for the top of the window. Note that this does not change the window size. user-definedHead Height 354 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 383. DescriptionValueName The height of the window on its host wall.variableElevation Specific comments about the window type.user-definedComments A label applied to the window. Usually a numeric value. This value must be unique for each window in a project. Revit Structure warns you if the number is already used but allows you to continue using it. You can see the warning using the Review Warnings command. See “Review Warnings” on page 283. user-definedMark Tags ModifyingTags You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of tags through their properties. Tag properties are modifiable before or after you place the tag. See “Tags” on page 124. You set tag properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the tag, and click . Another way is to double-click the tag type name in the Project Browser. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying tags. Changing theTag Leader DoTo Select the tag and place the cursor on the sizing handles to change the length of the leader line. Change the length of the leader Select the tag in the Project Browser and click . Specify an arrowhead type in the Value text box for the Leader Arrow Style property. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. Add an arrowhead to the leader line Select the tag in the Project Browser and click . Specify an arrowhead size in the Value text box for the Leader Arrow Size property. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. Set the arrowhead size of the leader line From the Settings menu, choose Object Styles. In the Object Styles dialog box, click the Annotation Objects tab and scroll to the appropriate tag and specify values for Line Weight, Line Color, and Line Pattern. Change the color, weight, and pattern of the leader Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on tags by selecting the tag and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the tag as well as changing the zoom scale. SequentialTag Numbering Rooms, doors, and windows have tags associated with them that can be sequentially numbered as you place these elements in your project. The tags will automatically number when you set specific parameter values for the elements. Values can be alphabetical, numerical, or alphanumeric sequences. Windows and Doors To number window and door tags, you enter a unique value for the Mark parameter. Creating Sequential Door or WindowTags 1 Place a door or window. Tags | 355
- 384. 2 Click Modify, select the instance, and click . (You can also right-click the instance and click Properties.) 3 In the Element Properties dialog box, type a value for Mark. 4 Click OK. 5 Place more instances as desired. All subsequent instances will be numbered sequentially. NOTE All doors and windows number sequentially regardless of type. For example, you place a French door and then a single-flush door into a plan view. The French door is number 1, the single flush door is number 2. Modifying Structural Elements Modifying Structural Columns You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of columns through their properties. Column properties are modifiable before or after you place the column. See “Structural Columns” on page 163. You set column properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the column, and click . Another way is to click Structural Column from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar and then Properties. See “Element Properties” on page 309. For a description of the column properties and their values, see “Structural Column Properties” on page 311. Changing ColumnTypes When you activate the Column command to place columns, you can select different types of columns from the Type Selector. Moving a Column You can move the column by selecting the column and dragging it to the new location. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on columns by selecting the column and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the column as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. To add a splice symbol or a plate symbol 1 Select a column, right-click, and select Properties. 2 In the Element Properties dialog, under Graphics, check on Welded Connection (for top splice), or Plate Connection (for bottom plate), as needed. 3 Click OK to exit. Modifying Structural Walls Modifying Structural Walls You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of walls through their properties. Wall properties are modifiable before or after you sketch the walls. See “Exterior/Interior Walls” on page 212. You set wall properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the wall, and click . Another way is to click Wall and then Properties. See “Element Properties” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying walls. 356 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 385. Changing WallTypes When you activate the Wall command to place walls, you can select different types of walls from the Type Selector: Interior and Exterior Wall Properties Walls have properties based on whether they are interior or exterior walls; you can modify the properties of one wall type and set them for all walls of that type. For example, if you set properties for a basic interior wall type, then all interior walls assume those property values. You can also select an instance of a wall and change its parameters only. NOTE Be aware that the type names do not update upon changing parameters. For example, you could set the width of an 200 mm exterior wall to 250 mm and its name will not change. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on walls by selecting the wall and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the wall as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Defining Wall Shapes or Openings When you sketch a wall by picking two points, Revit Structure draws a rectangular wall. Your design, however, may call for different shapes or even openings in the wall. Revit Structure allows you to modify the shape of the wall or add openings to it by selecting the wall and then editing its elevation profile. To edit a wall's elevation profile, the view must be parallel and can be either a section or elevation view. Modifying Wall Elevations 1 After sketching the wall, click Modify and then click on the wall to select it. 2 Click Edit Profile from the Options Bar to enter into sketch mode. If necessary, select the elevation view you wish to see the wall in. By default, Revit Structure allows you to see the center plane in the appropriate elevation. For example, if you select the north wall, Revit Structure allows you to switch to either the North or South elevation view. Your screen should appear something like this in sketch mode: The four lines that appear represent the wall in an elevation view. 3 Edit the wall as desired. For example, you can delete the lines and then sketch a completely different shape. You can split the existing lines and add arcs. Or you can draw openings or holes in the rectangle. TIP As you move and edit the rectangle, datum planes appear to indicate the original shape and size of the wall when you entered sketch mode. If the lines you sketch snap to the datum planes, the endpoints of the lines automatically align to the planes, unless you explicitly unlock them. If you unlock the sketched lines, you can modify them independently of the datum planes. If you exit sketch mode with the sketched lines still aligned, then as you move a datum handle, the sketched lines move with it. 4 Click Finish Sketch when you are done. Revit Structure returns you to the last active view. After modifying walls shapes, your design might look something like this: Design with non-rectangular walls and cut openings Modifying Structural Walls | 357
- 386. NOTE If you want to revert an edited wall to its original shape, select the wall in a view and click Remove Sketch. Defining Wall Shapes or OpeningsTips ■ If you are defining a wall shape on a wall that is not horizontal or vertical in a plan view, you should draw a section parallel to the wall before going into the elevation sketch mode. When you go into sketch mode, the Go To View dialog box appears. Revit Structure suggests the section view as the optimal view for editing the sketch. Click Open View to open that view. ■ You cannot edit the elevation profile of an arc wall. ■ While you edit the elevation profile of a wall attached to another element, the wall temporarily reverts to its shape and height prior to attaching it. For example, you edit the profile of a wall attached to a roof, the wall assumes its set unconnected height prior to attaching to the roof. As a result, you may find the wall is not at the right height to complete the elevation profile edits. To change the height, click the Properties button from the Sketching Design Bar, while in sketch mode. Change the Unconnected Height of the wall. As you edit the elevation profile, keep in mind that after you finish the sketch, the wall top or bottom attaches only where horizontal lines are coincident with the reference planes in the sketch. Sample edited profile in sketch mode. Note top sketch lines that are coincident with reference planes Finished wall attached to roof. Non-coincidental horizontal lines from sketch did not attach. Arc Walls Resizing Arc Walls You can resize arc walls using middle and end controls. 1 Select the arc wall. 2 Drag the end controls to change the arc length. 3 To change the radius of the arc while keeping the radius concentric, select Changing radius keeps concentric on the Options Bar. 4 Clear Changing radius keeps concentric on the Options Bar to retain existing end condition such as end point location or tangency to a straight wall. 5 Drag the middle control. Cutting Arc Walls You can cut square or rectangular openings into arc walls similar to the way you edit wall elevation profiles. You edit the elevation of the wall. See “Defining Wall Shapes or Openings” on page 368. 1 Select an arc wall in your project in 3D or elevation. 358 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 387. 2 From the Options Bar, click Create Opening. The Rectangles tool becomes active. 3 Sketch rectangular openings in the arc wall. 4 When finished sketching openings, click Modify. As you sketch openings in an arc wall, permanent dimensions appear. If the wall has a top constraint set to a level, dimensions appear from both the top and base constraints. If the wall has a top constraint that is explicit, dimensions appear from the base constraint only. Modifying Wall Sweeps You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of Wall Sweeps through their properties. Wall Sweep properties are modifiable before or after you place a Wall Sweep. You set Wall Sweep properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the Wall Sweep, and click . Another way is to click Host Sweep ➤ Wall Sweep from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar and then click . Read about Wall Sweep properties before modifying a Wall Sweep. Changing Wall SweepTypes When you activate the Wall Sweep command, you can select different types of Wall Sweeps from the Type Selector. If there are not enough Wall Sweep types loaded, you can always load more profile families using the Load Family command. Adding to or Removing from a Wall Sweep You can continue an existing sweep onto new walls: 1 Open a 3D view and select the desired wall sweep. 2 From the Options Bar, click Add or Remove Walls. 3 Select the walls to continue adding to or removing from the wall sweep. Shape Handle on End Faces End faces of wall sweeps and reveals are shape handles that you can dimension or drag. To activate the shape handle 1 Place the pointer near the end of a sweep or a reveal to prehighlight it. 2 Press TAB to prehighlight the shape handle. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are prehighlighting it. 3 Click to select it. 4 To resize the sweep or reveal, drag the shape handle. Modifying Structural Walls | 359
- 388. Dragged wall sweep shape handle To dimension to the shape handle 1 Place a dimension between the end face reference and some other reference. Dimension references between sweep end face and wall 2 To change the dimension value, select the shape handle on the sweep or reveal. The dimension value becomes a control that you can modify. Selected shape handle on sweep. Dimension value is modifiable. Changing Horizontal andVertical Offset You can change the horizontal or vertical offset of a wall sweep either through its properties or by graphically moving the wall sweep. Horizontal Move To move a single wall sweep segment, select the segment and drag it horizontally. To move a multi-segmented wall sweep, you need to select the shape handle of the wall sweep. Place the cursor over the wall sweep and press TAB to highlight the shape handle. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are highlighting the shape handle. Click to select the shape handle. Move the cursor left or right to change the horizontal offset. This affects the horizontal offset of all segments of the wall sweep, so the segments are symmetrical. Moving wall sweep on left also moves wall sweep on the right. Vertical Move Select the wall sweep and drag it up or down. Note that if the wall sweep is multi-segmented, then all segments move up or down the same distance. 360 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 389. Wall sweep moving vertically in section. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on Wall Sweeps by selecting the Wall Sweep and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the Wall Sweep as well as changing the zoom scale. Modifying Beams You modify beams by editing beam properties or by directly changing beam geometry in the drawing area. Beam properties are modifiable before or after you add the beam. To modify before adding, the beam type must be selected in the Type Selector. When you activate the Beam command to place beams, you can select different types of beams from the Type Selector. You set beam properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the beam, and click . See “Element Properties” on page 309. For a description of beam properties and their values, see “Beam Properties” on page 315. Moving a Beam You move a beam by selecting the beam and dragging it to the new location. Rotating a Beam After you place the beam, you can rotate it by selecting the beam and dragging the rotate symbol . As you move the pointer, the beam rotates accordingly. Shape Handles The Shape Handle of a beam is used to change beam geometry. Shape handles appear as small filled back to back triangles at each beam end when the beam is selected by the user. Beam and column in plan with beam shape handle shown You adjust the endpoint location of a beam with shape handles. This lengthens of shortens the beam. The other end of the beam remains fixed. Modifying Beams | 361
- 390. Shape handles change geometry along the axis of the component. To move a beam out of its original axis, place the cursor on the beam itself and drag the beam into a new position. Beam Handles Beam handles are small filled circles that indicate where the end of a selected beam is attached to a column or wall. NOTE Movement of Beam Handles changes cope length. Beam and column in plan with a beam handle at column center Columns have an invisible bounding box that controls the beam handle location. The following illustration shows an example of a beam that is not centered on a column. The beam handle of this beam in the illustration remains within an “invisible” bounding box. 362 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 391. Beam and column in plan with a beam handle not at column center but within “invisible” column bounding box If the column is moved within its bounding box, the beam handle will remain in position, unaffected by column movement. However, if the column is moved outside of its original bounding box, Revit Structure will re-center the beam handle on the column center. Modifying Beams | 363
- 392. The following illustration presents a section view of a beam that is attached to a wall. The beam handle is depicted at the top center of the wall. The beam is constrained by level. As a result, beam attachment can be changed in a horizontal direction only. Right-Click Context Menu You can access beam properties and perform other functions on beams by selecting the beam and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the beam as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Modifying Beam Systems Specifying Beam System Pattern Among the properties of a beam system that you may specify are number of beams, justification, beam type, spacing, and layout rule. You can specify these values when you create the beam system or modify them afterwards. Define beam system pattern 1 On the Design Bar, click . 2 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Pattern, select a value for Layout Rule. ■ Fixed Distance: This value allows you to specify the distance between beams based on the justification you specify. The number of beams in the beam system is calculated based on your selections. 364 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 393. ■ Fixed Number: This value allows you to specify the number of beams within the beam system. The beams are evenly spaced and centered within the beam system. ■ Maximum Spacing: This value allows you to specify the maximum distance between beams. The quantity of beams required for the beam system is calculated automatically and centered within the beam system. Specify number of lines 3 Enter a value for the number of beams that you want in the beam system. This option is only active if you select the Fixed Number layout rule. Specify spacing 4 Enter a value representing the distance between each beam. This option is active if you select either of the following layout rules: Fixed Distance or Maximum Spacing. Specify justification 5 Select the justification type from the drop-down list. This value determines the placement of the first beam in the system and each subsequent beam is spaced a fixed distance from that point. This option is active only if you select the Fixed Distance Layout rule. ■ Beginning In a plan view, this places the first beam at the top or to the left of the beam system. ■ End In a plan view, this places the first beam at the bottom or the right of the beam system. ■ Center This places the first beam in the center of the beam system and spaces beams at a fixed distance on each side. Specify beam type 6 Select a value for the type of beam used in the beam system. NOTE This is the same list available in the Type Selector. If the beam you require is not listed, load the beam into the project before specifying the beam type within the beam system. Modifying Bracing Controlling Brace Attachments After adding a brace element, you can modify the brace Properties to control how the brace maintains position along a beam. Each brace endpoint can be maintained positionally with a beam by either a Distance or a length Ratio from the beam end points. If you modify the position or length of the attached beam, the brace adapts to the change depending on the brace settings you select. Brace Property Terminology ■ Start Attachment Type ■ Start Attachment Distance or Ratio ■ End of Referenced Element Modifying Bracing | 365
- 394. ■ End Attachment Type ■ End Attachment Distance or Ratio ■ End of Reference Element Brace Attachment Properties Modify Brace Properties 1 Select a brace. 2 On the Options Bar, click the Properties button. Specify attachment parameters 3 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Structural, select the Start Attachment Type. ■ Distance: If the brace start point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the distance between the nearest end of the beam and the brace start point. After selecting this option, enter a value for Start Attachment Distance Property. If the brace start point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. ■ Ratio: If the brace start point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the percentage along the beam where the start point is placed. For example, 0.5 would place the start point half way between each end of the attached beam. After selecting this option, enter a value for Start Attachment Ratio Property. If the brace start point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. End of Referenced Element 4 Select a value for End of Referenced Element Property. This specifies at which end of the Referenced Element (the beam), the Distance or Ratio is measured from. NOTE If the brace end is attached to a column or a wall, you can set the level and offset to specify the height of the point. 366 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 395. 5 In the Element Properties dialog box, under Other, select the End Attachment Type. ■ Distance: If the brace end point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the distance between the nearest end of the beam and the brace end point. After selecting this option, enter a value for End Attachment Distance. If the brace end point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. ■ Ratio: If the brace end point is placed on a beam, this value specifies the percentage along the beam where the end point is placed. For example,.5 would place the end point half way between each end of the attached beam. After selecting this option, enter a value for End Attachment Ratio. If the brace start point is placed on a column, this parameter is not available. End of Referenced Element 6 Select a value for End of Referenced Element Property. This specifies where on the Referenced Element (the beam), the Distance or Ratio is measured from. NOTE If the brace end is attached to a column or a wall, you can set the level and offset to specify the height of the point. Modifying Slabs You modify slabs by editing slab properties or by directly changing slab geometry in the drawing area. Slab properties are modifiable before or after you add the slab. To modify before adding, the slab type must be selected in the Type Selector. When you activate the Slab command to place slabs, you can select different types of slabs from the Type Selector. You set slab properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the slab, and click . See “Element Properties” on page 309. Slab properties include slab thickness and elevation of slab relative to associated level. Editing a Slab Sketch You modify slabs in sketch mode. The lines can be moved by dragging them or by modifying dimensions. Select a slab, then on the Options Bar, click Edit. This will place you in sketch mode. Modifying Wall Foundations Wall Foundations are constrained to the wall that they support. They move with the wall when you move a wall. You modify wall foundations by editing their properties. You specify wall foundation properties in the Element Properties dialog box. Click Modify, select the wall foundation, and click . See “Element Properties” on page 309. Wall foundation properties include heel length, toe length, and foundation thickness. NOTE You can join wall foundations using the Join tool. Modifying Slabs | 367
- 396. Modifying Walls Modifying Walls You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of walls through their properties. Wall properties are modifiable before or after you sketch the walls. See “Exterior/Interior Walls” on page 212. You set wall properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the wall, and click . Another way is to click Wall and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying walls. Changing WallTypes When you activate the Wall command to place walls, you can select different types of walls from the Type Selector: Interior and Exterior Wall Properties Walls have properties based on whether they are interior or exterior walls; you can modify the properties of one wall type and set them for all walls of that type. For example, if you set properties for a basic interior wall type, then all interior walls assume those property values. You can also select an instance of a wall and change its parameters only. NOTE Be aware that the type names do not update upon changing parameters. For example, you could set the width of an 200 mm exterior wall to 250 mm and its name will not change. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on walls by selecting the wall and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the wall as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Defining Wall Shapes or Openings When you sketch a wall by picking two points, Revit Structure draws a rectangular wall. Your design, however, may call for different shapes or even openings in the wall. Revit Structure allows you to modify the shape of the wall or add openings to it by selecting the wall and then editing its elevation profile. To edit a wall's elevation profile, the view must be parallel and can be either a section or elevation view. RELATED See “Cutting Rectangular Openings in Walls” on page 382. Modifying Wall Elevations 1 After sketching the wall, click Modify and then click on the wall to select it. 2 Click Edit Profile from the Options Bar to enter into sketch mode. If necessary, select the elevation view you wish to see the wall in. By default, Revit Structure allows you to see the center plane in the appropriate elevation. For example, if you select the north wall, Revit Structure allows you to switch to either the North or South elevation view. Your screen should appear something like this in sketch mode: The four lines that appear represent the wall in an elevation view. 3 Edit the wall as desired. For example, you can delete the lines and then sketch a completely different shape. You can split the existing lines and add arcs. Or you can draw openings or holes in the rectangle. 368 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 397. TIP As you move and edit the rectangle, datum planes appear to indicate the original shape and size of the wall when you entered sketch mode. If the lines you sketch snap to the datum planes, the endpoints of the lines automatically align to the planes, unless you explicitly unlock them. If you unlock the sketched lines, you can modify them independently of the datum planes. If you exit sketch mode with the sketched lines still aligned, then as you move a datum handle, the sketched lines move with it. 4 Click Finish Sketch when you are done. Revit Structure returns you to the last active view. After modifying walls shapes, your design might look something like this: Design with non-rectangular walls and cut openings NOTE If you want to revert an edited wall to its original shape, select the wall in a view and click Remove Sketch. Defining Wall Shapes or OpeningsTips ■ If you are defining a wall shape on a wall that is not horizontal or vertical in a plan view, you should draw a section parallel to the wall before going into the elevation sketch mode. When you go into sketch mode, the Go To View dialog box appears. Revit Structure suggests the section view as the optimal view for editing the sketch. Click Open View to open that view. ■ You cannot edit the elevation profile of an arc wall. ■ While you edit the elevation profile of a wall attached to another element, the wall temporarily reverts to its shape and height prior to attaching it. For example, you edit the profile of a wall attached to a roof, the wall assumes its set unconnected height prior to attaching to the roof. As a result, you may find the wall is not at the right height to complete the elevation profile edits. To change the height, click the Properties button from the Sketching Design Bar, while in sketch mode. Change the Unconnected Height of the wall. As you edit the elevation profile, keep in mind that after you finish the sketch, the wall top or bottom attaches only where horizontal lines are coincident with the reference planes in the sketch. Sample edited profile in sketch mode. Note top sketch lines that are coincident with reference planes Finished wall attached to roof. Non-coincidental horizontal lines from sketch did not attach. Defining Wall Shapes or Openings | 369
- 398. Wall Joins Edit Wall Joins The Edit Wall Joins command changes the display of existing wall joins. The command is most useful in a plan view. NOTE This command is not recommended for complex wall joins. 1 Choose Edit Wall Joins from the Tools menu or click from the Toolbar. 2 Rest the cursor over a wall join and click. A small square encloses the wall join. You now have several choices for editing the wall join. The following are examples of valid wall joins that you can edit: Walls at acute angles Three (or more) walls joined together Walls squared off at angle Walls squared off at 90 degrees You cannot square off the join of one wall joined with the interior of another wall as there is only one configuration for the join. You can change the visibility of the line separating the two walls by cleaning the wall join. 370 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 399. Interior wall join Joining Walls with Insert If you join two parallel walls and one of them has an insert, the insert cuts through the joined wall. Perform this procedure 1 Place the walls less than six inches from one another in a plan view. 2 Use the “Join Geometry” on page 290 command to join the walls. 3 Open a 3D view. The insert from one of the walls cuts an opening in the joined wall. NOTE Any geometry around the insert, such as the frame, does not appear on the joined wall. Selecting Wall Joins You can select from butt joins, miter joins, or squared off joins. With the Edit Wall Joins command active and a wall join selected, select one of the options on the Options Bar: ■ Butt: Creates a butt join between the walls. By default, walls joined in Revit Structure are joined as butt joins. ■ Miter: Creates a miter join between the walls. All wall joins less than 20 are mitered. ■ Square Off: Squares a wall end to 90. Not available for walls already joined at 90. Wall Joins | 371
- 400. Butt join Miter join Squared off join TIP If two walls are joined at an obtuse angle, you can place two inserts, such as windows, near the join, provided the join is mitered. If the join is squared off, Revit Structure will notify you it cannot place both inserts. 372 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 401. Changing Wall Order This command affects the display of a wall join by changing which wall butts up against another. After selecting a valid wall join, click either Previous or Next. This changes the order of the walls. Current wall join Display after changing order Current wall join Display after changing order. Note difference in the imaginary lines depicting the wall ends. Wall Joins | 373
- 402. Cleaning Wall Joins Cleaning up wall joins affects display in a plan view only. If you have multiple plan views open of the same join, the command only affects the plan view in which you issued the command. From the Options Bar, choose an option from the Wall Join Display in View drop-down menu. ■ Clean Join displays a smooth join. Imaginary solid lines appear to indicate where the walls actually end. The lines only appear while editing the wall join; they do not print and go away when you finish cleaning the join. NOTE The wall join looks significantly different in 3D view if the walls are at a different height. Clean join ■ Don't Clean Join displays the wall ends butting up against one another. Don't Clean Join ■ Use View Setting cleans wall joins depending on how the property Wall Join Display is set. See “View Properties” on page 452. NOTE When you finish editing wall joins, click Modify to exit the command. Editing Complex Wall Joins Revit Structure does not recommend using the Edit Wall Joins command to edit a complex join, for example, a wall join with more than four walls or a wall join on many floors, or a wall join that is in more than one workset. See “Worksets” on page 651. A complex wall join can produce a large number of configurations, and you may have to step through hundreds of configurations to find the desired one. It is recommended that you: 1 If applicable, set all involved worksets to editable. See “Making Worksets Editable” on page 654. 2 Use the drag controls on the wall ends to move the walls out of the join. 3 Drag the wall ends back into the join using the snapping feedback to create the desired configuration. 4 Disallow Wall Joins. For more information, see “Disallow Wall Joins” on page 374. Disallow Wall Joins In construction, you might have expansion space between two walls, and that expansion space might be only a fraction of an inch or a few millimeters. To achieve this result, you need to prevent ends of walls from joining. 374 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 403. Two horizontal walls with 3/8-inch expansion space between them Disallowing Wall Joins 1 Select the wall, and right-click the wall end control where you want to disallow the join. 2 Click Disallow Join. The end of that wall cannot join to the end of another wall. Later, if you want to allow the join, you can select the wall, right-click the wall end control, and click Allow Join. Disallow Complex Join The Disallow Join command is useful for resolving complex joins. For example, if you add a wall to a complex join and it produces undesired results, you can disallow joins on the wall you are adding and then use Join Geometry to clean the join between this wall and other walls. Selected wall with disallowed join Wall cleaned up after Join Geometry used Mid-End Wall Joins If you edit the elevation profile of a wall, you can create mid-end wall faces. Those faces will behave similarly to actual end faces of a wall. For example, you can join other walls to them, and shape handles will appear at the end of the faces. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Elevation Profile Sketch a wall with several levels. Edit the wall's elevation profile, and add vertical lines in between the wall ends: Wall Joins | 375
- 404. Sample wall elevation profile Mid-End Faces Open a 3D view. Notice the wall has pieces that are mid-end faces. Wall Joins You can join a wall to a mid-end face. As you drag one of the attached walls, the sketch updates and maintains the join. Adding wall to mid-end face Two walls join with cleaned join Drag one of the joined walls and the wall join moves with it. Wall join updates. Note the join moves with the preview wall. 376 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 405. NOTE Join a wall to another wall with mid-end faces and start to edit the elevation profile of the wall with mid-end faces. The vertical line in the wall's sketch is aligned to the center line of the joined wall, not the actual face of the wall. This is only temporary while you are editing the sketch. When you leave sketch mode, the join cleans up by going to one of the end faces. Sample elevation profile of mid-end face. Note the sketch line in the middle of the joined wall, not at the face Edit Wall Joins You can edit the joined walls using the Edit Wall Joins command. See “Edit Wall Joins” on page 370. Shape Handles Select a mid-end face and shape handles appear on it. Drag the shape handles to resize the elevation profile. Joins with Non-Editable Walls Non-editable walls can be joined and unjoined in the following ways: ■ You can join or unjoin an editable wall to the side face of a non-editable wall or to a corner where two or more non-editable walls are already joined. ■ You can delete an editable wall that is joined to a non-editable wall, except as noted below. ■ You cannot join or unjoin an editable wall to a non-editable wall if that would change the shape of the non-editable wall. ■ You cannot join an editable wall to the end of a non-editable wall. Revit Structure keeps the walls close together but does not join them and issues a warning. At a later time, you can join the walls if they are both editable. ■ A wall can resize even if it is not editable. This happens if the wall it is joined to is moved. For more information on editability status and worksharing, see “Worksharing” on page 646. Arc Walls Resizing Arc Walls You can resize arc walls using middle and end controls. 1 Select the arc wall. 2 Drag the end controls to change the arc length. 3 To change the radius of the arc while keeping the radius concentric, select Changing radius keeps concentric on the Options Bar. Arc Walls | 377
- 406. 4 Clear Changing radius keeps concentric on the Options Bar to retain existing end condition such as end point location or tangency to a straight wall. 5 Drag the middle control. Cutting Arc Walls You can cut square or rectangular openings into arc walls similar to the way you edit wall elevation profiles. You edit the elevation of the wall. See “Defining Wall Shapes or Openings” on page 368. 1 Select an arc wall in your project in 3D or elevation. 2 From the Options Bar, click Create Opening. The Rectangles tool becomes active. 3 Sketch rectangular openings in the arc wall. 4 When finished sketching openings, click Modify. As you sketch openings in an arc wall, permanent dimensions appear. If the wall has a top constraint set to a level, dimensions appear from both the top and base constraints. If the wall has a top constraint that is explicit, dimensions appear from the base constraint only. RELATED You can also use the Opening tool on the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. See “Openings” on page 382. Modifying Building Pads You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of building pads through their properties. Building pad properties are modifiable before or after you add the pad. See “Building Pad Properties” on page 330. You set building pad properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select building pad, and click . Another way is to right-click the building pad and then select Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. While sketching the building pad, you can edit the properties by clicking Pad Properties in the Design Bar. Changing Building PadTypes You can select different types of building pads from the Type Selector: Click on the drop-down arrow and choose a different type from the list. Creating a Building PadType 1 Select a building pad. 2 Click . 3 Click Edit/New. 4 In the Type Properties dialog box, click New and type the building pad name. Click OK. 5 Click OK. 378 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 407. 6 Modify the building pad properties. See “Building Pad Properties” on page 330. 7 Click OK. Modifying Building Pad Structure 1 Select a building pad. 2 Click . 3 Click Edit/New. 4 In the Structure parameter value, click Edit. 5 Set the Function for each layer. NOTE Each layer must have a function assigned to it for Revit Structure to match layers accurately. Layers can be assigned the following functions: ■ Structure: Wall layer that supports the remainder of the wall. ■ Substrate: Material, such as plywood or gypsum board, which acts as a foundation for another. ■ Thermal Barrier: Insulation ■ Vapor Barrier: A membrane commonly less than 5 mil thick which prevents water vapor penetration. ■ Finish: On the wall exterior, it is weatherproofing, on the wall interior, it is primarily decorative. ■ Air Barrier: Prevents air penetration. 6 Set the Material and Thickness for each layer. 7 Click Insert to add a new layer. Click Up or Down to modify the layer order. 8 Click OK. Modifying Architectural Columns You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of columns through their properties. Column properties are modifiable before or after you place the column. See “Architectural Columns” on page 228. You set column properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the column, and click . Another way is to click Structural Column from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying columns. For a description of the column properties and their values, see “Column Properties” on page 330. Changing ColumnTypes When you activate the Column command to place columns, you can select different types of columns from the Type Selector. Moving a Column You can move the column by selecting the column and dragging it to the new location. Modifying Building Pad Structure | 379
- 408. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on columns by selecting the column and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the column as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Modifying Wall Sweeps You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of Wall Sweeps through their properties. Wall Sweep properties are modifiable before or after you place a Wall Sweep. You set Wall Sweep properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the Wall Sweep, and click . Another way is to click Host Sweep ➤ Wall Sweep from the Architectural tab of the Design Bar and then click . Read about Wall Sweep properties before modifying a Wall Sweep. Changing Wall SweepTypes When you activate the Wall Sweep command, you can select different types of Wall Sweeps from the Type Selector. If there are not enough Wall Sweep types loaded, you can always load more profile families using the Load Family command. Adding to or Removing from a Wall Sweep You can continue an existing sweep onto new walls: 1 Open a 3D view and select the desired wall sweep. 2 From the Options Bar, click Add or Remove Walls. 3 Select the walls to continue adding to or removing from the wall sweep. Shape Handle on End Faces End faces of wall sweeps and reveals are shape handles that you can dimension or drag. To activate the shape handle 1 Place the cursor near the end of a sweep or a reveal to prehighlight it. 2 Press TAB to prehighlight the shape handle. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are prehighlighting it. 3 Click to select it. 4 To resize the sweep or reveal, drag the shape handle. Dragged wall sweep shape handle 380 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 409. To dimension to the shape handle 1 Place a dimension between the end face reference and some other reference. Dimension references between sweep end face and wall 2 To change the dimension value, select the shape handle on the sweep or reveal. The dimension value becomes a control that you can modify. Selected shape handle on sweep. Dimension value is modifiable. Changing Horizontal andVertical Offset You can change the horizontal or vertical offset of a wall sweep either through its properties or by graphically moving the wall sweep. Horizontal Move To move a single wall sweep segment, select the segment and drag it horizontally. To move a multi-segmented wall sweep, you need to select the shape handle of the wall sweep. Place the cursor over the wall sweep and press TAB to highlight the shape handle. Watch the Status Bar to be sure you are highlighting the shape handle. Click to select the shape handle. Move the cursor left or right to change the horizontal offset. This affects the horizontal offset of all segments of the wall sweep, so the segments are symmetrical. Moving wall sweep on left also moves wall sweep on the right. Vertical Move Select the wall sweep and drag it up or down. Note that if the wall sweep is multi-segmented, then all segments move up or down the same distance. Wall sweep moving vertically in section. Changing Horizontal andVertical Offset | 381
- 410. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on Wall Sweeps by selecting the Wall Sweep and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the Wall Sweep as well as changing the zoom scale. Openings Use the opening tool to cut openings in walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs. When you cut a floor, ceiling, or roof, you can choose between cutting vertically or perpendicularly. You can also sketch complex shapes using the drawing tools on the Options Bar. When cutting an opening in a wall, you can sketch a rectangular opening in a straight or arc wall. Examples of a roof opening, a dormer cut, and a stairway opening through the floor and ceiling Cutting Rectangular Openings in Walls Use the Opening tool to cut rectangular openings in a straight or curved wall. Before cutting an opening, you should open a view of the prospective host wall where you can sketch the opening, such as an elevation or section view. View of an opening in a wall 1 Within a project, open an elevation or section view where you can access the wall that will host the opening. 2 On the Modelling tab of the Design Bar, click Opening. 382 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 411. 3 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select Pick a wall to be cut by an opening. 4 Select the wall that will host the opening. 5 Sketch a rectangular opening. Wall elevation view with opening being sketched After you specify the final point of the opening, the opening displays. 6 To modify an opening, click Modify, and select the opening. Modifying a selected opening You can use the drag controls to modify the size and location of the opening. You can also drag it to a new location on the same wall, and add dimension constraints to the opening. Cutting Openings in Floors, Roofs, and Ceilings You can cut openings on faces of roofs, floors, or ceilings using the Opening command in a project view. This command is useful for creating an opening in a roof to place a chimney. Openings are cut either in the faces of these elements, or you can select the entire element to make a vertical cut. 1 From the Modelling menu, choose Opening or click Opening from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. 2 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, choose to make either a perpendicular cut or a vertical cut and click OK. Cutting Openings in Floors, Roofs, and Ceilings | 383
- 412. 3 If you are making a perpendicular cut, choose a face in the floor, ceiling, or roof. If you are making a vertical cut, select the entire element. Selected face for perpendicular cut Selected element for vertical cut Revit Structure enters sketch mode where you can create an opening of any shape. For more information about using the sketcher to create opening shapes, see “Sketching Options” on page 36. 4 When you finish sketching an opening, click Finish Sketch. Perpendicular cut Vertical cut Cutting Shaft Openings You can cut openings up the entire height of a building using the Shaft option of the Opening command. Using this option, you can cut faces of roofs, floors, or ceilings simultaneously. If you move the shaft opening on one level, it moves on all levels. Shaft openings can cut horizontal faces in different options. 1 On the Modelling menu, click Opening, or click Opening on the Modelling tab of the Design Bar. 2 In the Opening Placement Options dialog box, select Create shaft opening, and click OK. Revit Structure enters sketch mode. 3 Sketch a shaft opening by drawing lines or by picking walls. TIP Typically you will want to sketch the shaft on a host element, such as a floor, in a plan view. 4 If desired, add symbolic lines to the opening. 5 When you are done sketching the shaft, click Finish Sketch. 384 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 413. Shaft opening with symbolic lines 6 To adjust the levels that the opening cuts, select it, and click . 7 Specify a level for the Base Constraint. This sets the start point of the shaft. 8 Specify a level for Top Constraint. This sets the end point of the shaft. The shaft cuts through and is visible on all intermediate levels. 9 Click OK to close the Element Properties dialog box. You can move the shaft on any level, and it moves on all levels. The symbolic lines are visible on all levels too. Modifying Doors You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of doors through their properties. Door properties are modifiable before or after you place the doors. See “Doors” on page 226. You set door properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the door, and click . Another way is to click Door and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying doors. For a complete listing of door properties and values, see “Door Properties” on page 334. Changing DoorTypes When you activate the door command to place a door, you can select different types of doors from the Type Selector: If there are not enough door types loaded, you can always load more families using the Load Family command. For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Click on the drop-down arrow and choose a different type from the list. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on doors by selecting the door and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the door as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Modifying Doors | 385
- 414. Modifying Floors You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of floors through their properties. Floor properties are modifiable before or after you place the floor. See “Adding Floors” on page 248. You set floor properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the edges of the floor, and click . Another way is to click the Floor and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying floors. Changing FloorTypes When you activate the floor command to place a floor, you can select different types of floors from the Type Selector. Editing a Floor Sketch You can modify floors by modifying the sketch. The lines can be moved by dragging them or by modifying dimensions. You can also change the floor properties by modifying the floor thickness and the height of the floor above the level. For a complete description of the modifiable floor properties and their values, see “Floor Properties” on page 336. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on floors by selecting the floor and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the floor as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Modifying Lines Revit Structure allows you to change the look and appearance of lines before or after you sketch them. For more information about sketching lines, see “Model Lines” on page 202 or “Sketching Overview” on page 36. You set line properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the line, and click . Another way is to click Lines and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying lines. Line Subcategories You can create multiple, custom line styles to depict different conceptual ideas in your design and then apply the line styles to sketched lines in any view. For example, you might want to use one line style for grids and one line style for reference planes. 1 After sketching your lines, select them and click . The Element Properties dialog box appears. 2 In the Instance box, click the Value drop-down menu next to Subcategory. 3 Select the line subcategory you want. 4 Click OK to exit the Element Properties dialog box. NOTE You can change the look of the line choices by editing their styles in the Object Styles dialog. Or you can create new line categories. See “Object Styles” on page 528. 386 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 415. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on lines by selecting the line and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the line as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Resizing Arc Lines You can resize arc lines using middle and end controls. 1 Select the arc. 2 Drag the end controls to change the arc length. 3 To change the radius of the arc while keeping the radius concentric, select Changing radius keeps concentric on the Options Bar. 4 Clear Changing radius keeps concentric on the Options Bar to retain existing end condition such as end point location or tangency to a straight wall. 5 Drag the middle control. Modifying a Spline 1 Select the spline. 2 In the Options Bar, click: ■ Add Control to add a control point to the spline. Place the cursor over a spline chord and watch the Status Bar. When it says Reference, click to place a control. A control point is added to the center of the chord. ■ Delete Control to delete a spline control point. Select a control point for deletion. The spline adjusts after control point deletion. 3 To move a control point, drag it to a new location. 4 To move spline endpoints, select the spline. Drag the end controls, which display as filled blue dots. The end controls resize the spline curve. Press TAB to select the end control points, which change the direction of the end points of the spline. Modifying Railings You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of railings through their properties. Railing properties are modifiable before or after you place the railing. See “Railings” on page 200. You set railing properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the railing, and click . Another way is to click Railing and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying railings. Right-Click Context Menu | 387
- 416. Changing RailingTypes When you activate the Railing command to place a railing, you can select different types of railings from the Type Selector: Change the railing by selecting a different type from the Type Selector. Modifying Rail Structure You can change the height, offset, profile, material, and number of rails within a railing type. 1 Select the railing and click . 2 Click Edit/New. Changes made to railing types apply to all railings of that type. Click New to create a new railing type if needed. 3 In the Rail Structure value, click Edit. 4 In the Edit Rails dialog box, set the Height and Offset of each rail. 5 Select a rail profile for each rail. To create your own rail profile, see “Profile Families” on page 72. 6 Select a material for each rail. To create your own rail material, see “Materials” on page 525. 7 To create an additional rail, click New. Click Up or Down to adjust the railing position. 8 Click Done. Modifying Rail Joins The Edit Joins command lets you override joins methods for a railing type on a join by join basis. Join methods are set by the Angled Joins and Tangent Joins parameters for the railing type. For more information on these parameters, see “Railing Properties” on page 341. You edit rail joins in a plan view while you are editing the railing sketch. 1 From the sketching Design Bar, click Edit Joins. 2 Place the cursor over a railing join in a plan view and click. 3 From the Rail Join menu on the Options Bar, select a different join method. Height and Slope Modification You can control the height and slope of individual rail sketch lines. For example, on a set of U-shaped stairs, you might want to set the height of the inner railings different from the height of the outer railings. With slope adjustment, you can control how the railing segment follows the slope of the stairs. You may want the segment to be flat at some points or sloped at other points. The Height option works similarly to the Landing Height Adjustment type parameter for railings. For more information on this parameter, see “Railing Properties” on page 341. 1 In sketch mode, select a railing sketch line. Note that Height Correction is set to By Type. This means height adjustment is controlled by the railing type. 2 Change the value of Height Correction to Custom. The text box next to Height Correction becomes enabled. 3 Enter a value in the text box. 4 To change the slope, choose a value from the Slope menu. ■ By host means the railing segment follows the slope of its host, for example, stairs or ramps. 388 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 417. ■ Flat means the railing segment is horizontal even if the host is sloped. Note in the following picture that you may need to use height correction or edit the railing join to join the railing where the stairs turn. ■ Sloped means the railing segment is sloped, such that it makes a non-interrupted connection with adjacent segments. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on railings by selecting the railing and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the railing as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Baluster Placement A pattern editor in Revit Structure allows more control over how balusters and posts are arranged along a railing. When you start a new drawing with a template, balusters and posts are added by default as you place the railings. If you start a drawing without a template, the railings have no balusters or posts. Controlling the Placement of Balusters and Posts Revit Structure locates balusters and posts along a railing based on a pattern that you define. There is already a simple baluster pattern with one baluster family loaded in the default Revit Structure template. You can use this pattern, modify it, or create a more complex pattern. When you use the pattern editor in the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, you can specify properties for balusters and posts. Right-Click Context Menu | 389
- 418. Main Pattern Main Pattern displays properties for balusters. DescriptionProperty The name of a specific baluster within the pattern.Name The style of the baluster family. If you select None, no balusters display.Baluster Family Specifies where the bottom of the baluster is placed: at the top of the rail, bottom of the rail, or top of the host. A host can be a a level, floor, stair, or ramp. Base The negative or positive vertical distance between the bottom of the baluster and the base.Base offset Specifies where the top of the baluster is placed (usually a rail). Values are the same as Base.Top The negative or positive vertical distance between the top of the baluster and the Top.Top offset The distance between the start of the pattern and the first baluster, or for subsequent balusters, the distance between the previous baluster in the pattern. Dist. from previous (Name) The distance to the inside or the outside of the railing path.Offset The point along a railing segment at which the baluster pattern stops.Break Pattern at A value specifying the angle at which a pattern breaks. This property is available when Angles Greater Than is selected for Break Pattern at. Angle The sum of all values listed in the Dist. from previous column.Pattern Length Balusters in a pattern are justified along the length of a railing segment. Beginning starts the pattern at the beginning of the railing segment. If the pattern length is not an exact multiple of the railing length, then there is excess space between the last pattern instance and the end of the railing segment. End starts the pattern from the end of the railing segment. If the pattern length is not an exact multiple of the railing length, then there is excess space between the last pattern instance and the beginning of the railing segment. How Revit Structure determines the beginning and end depends on which way you drew the railing, right to left or left to right. Center places the first baluster pattern at the center of the railing segment and any excess space appears evenly at the beginning and end of the railing segment. Spread Pattern to Fit spreads the pattern evenly along the length of the railing segment. No excess space occurs, and the actual placement value of the pattern differs from the value indicated in Pattern Length. Justify If there is extra space along the railing segment, but it cannot be filled with a pattern, you can set how to fill that space. You can specify that a specific baluster family fill the excess space and set a spacing increment for it. You can specify that the baluster pattern be truncated to fill the excess length, or you can specify none so that the excess space remains open. This property is available if Justify is set to Beginning, End, or Center. Excess Length Fill The distance between balusters that fill any excess length along the railing segment. This property is available if a baluster or post family is selected for the Excess Length Fill property. Spacing Override Main Pattern for Stairs If desired, you can override the main pattern and set a specific pattern for stairs by selecting Use Baluster Per Tread on Stairs. DescriptionProperty When set, this overrides the Main Pattern for balusters.Use Baluster Per Tread On Stairs Specifies the number of balusters on each tread.Balusters Per Tread Specifies the baluster family for the stairs.Baluster Family Posts Posts displays the property options for posts. CharacteristicsProperty The post family. Alternately, you can select None or Default.Baluster Family 390 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 419. CharacteristicsProperty Specifies where the bottom of the post is placed: at the top of the rail, bottom of the rail, or top of the host. A host can be a a level, floor, stair, or ramp. Base The negative or positive vertical distance between the bottom of the post and the base.Base offset Specifies where the top of the post is placed (usually a rail). Values are the same as Base.Top The negative or positive vertical distance between the top of the post and the top.Top offset The amount of space you need to move the post left or right from a given position. For example, for a beginning post, you may need to move the post 4 inches to the left to make it flush with the railing. In this case, you would set space to -4 inches. Space The distance to the inside or the outside of the railing path.Offset Specifies where corner posts are located along the railing segment.Corner Posts At A value specifying the angle at which a post is added. This is used when Angles Greater Than is selected for Corner Posts At. Angle Creating a Pattern with Unique Properties Use this procedure when you want to create a custom baluster pattern. TIP You may want to try to the baluster exercise included with the online tutorials. 1 Select an existing railing, right-click, and click . 2 Click Edit/New. 3 Click Edit for Baluster Placement. 4 Enter a name for the first part of the baluster pattern. 5 Select a Baluster Family: Then…If you want to… select None.show rails and posts, but no balusters select one of the balusters from the drop-down menu.use a baluster family that exists in your drawing load additional baluster families before making any selection. For more information on loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. use a baluster family that is not in your drawing 6 Select the Base: Then…If you want to specify that the base of the baluster is… select Host.the floor edge, stair tread, level, or ramp select the named rail from the drop-down list.one of the existing rail structures in your drawing select Cancel, and click Edit for Rail Structure in the Type Properties dialog box.a rail structure that is not defined in your drawing 7 Enter a value for Base offset. 8 Select the Top. Refer to the previous table. 9 Enter a value for Top offset. 10 Enter a value for Dist. from previous. Controlling the Placement of Balusters and Posts | 391
- 420. 11 Enter a value for Offset. 12 Select Break Pattern at: Then…If you want the baluster pattern… select Each Segment End.spread along the length of each railing segment select Angles Greater Than, and enter a value for Angle. If the railing turns at an angle that is equal or greater than this value, the pattern breaks and a post is added. Typically, this value remains at 0. Turn angles are measured in the plan view. Segment breaks in the railing that do not occur at a turn are ignored. to break and place a post at the turn angle of the railing select Never. The balusters are located along the entire length of the railing.to remain unbroken regardless of any separations or turns in the railing 13 Specify justification. Refer to the description of Justify in “Main Pattern” on page 390. 14 Select Excess Length Fill if you selected Beginning, End, or Center for Justify. Refer to the description of Excess Length Fill in “Main Pattern” on page 390. 15 Click OK three times. Locating and Defining Posts The procedure for placing posts is similar to the procedure for placing balusters. For more information on property descriptions, refer to “Posts” on page 390. 1 Select an existing railing, right-click, and click . 2 Click Edit/New. 3 Click Edit for Baluster Placement. 4 Specify a family for start, corner, and end posts. IMPORTANT Baluster families by default are trimmed so they do not intersect a rail. The following figure illustrates this: This is probably not the desired intent for posts. To set baluster families to intersect rails, right-click the baluster family type in the Project Browser and click Properties. Select the Post property. 5 Specify a base for each. 6 If desired, enter a value for Base offset for each. 7 Specify a top for each. 8 If desired, enter a value for Top offset. 9 If desired, enter a value for Space. 10 If desired, enter a value for Offset. 392 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 421. 11 Select the location of corner posts: Then…If you… select Each Segment End.want to place a corner post at the end of each segment of the railing select Angles Greater Than, and enter a value for Angle. If the railing turns at an angle that is greater than this value, a post is placed at the turn. Typically, this value remains at 0. Turn angles are measured in the plan view. Segment breaks in the railing that do not occur at a turn are ignored. want to place a corner post when a railing segment makes a turn greater than a given value select Never.do not want to place a post regardless of any separations or turns in the railing 12 Click OK three times. Deleting Balusters and Posts After placing balusters, you can delete any unwanted posts and balusters. Removing Balusters and Posts Use this procedure when you want to delete balusters and posts. 1 Select an existing railing, right-click, and click . 2 Click Edit/New. 3 Click Edit for Baluster Placement. 4 Click Delete. 5 Click OK three times. Modifying Ramps You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of ramps through their properties. Ramp properties are modifiable before or after you place the ramp. See “Ramps” on page 201. You set ramp properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the ramp, and click . Another way is to click Ramp and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying ramps. Changing RampTypes When you activate the Ramp command to place a ramp, you can select different types of ramps from the Type Selector. Change the ramp by selecting a different type from the Type Selector. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on ramps by selecting the ramp and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the ramp as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Deleting Balusters and Posts | 393
- 422. Modifying Reveals You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of reveals through their properties. Reveal properties are modifiable before or after you place a reveal. See “Wall Reveal” on page 204. You set reveal properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the reveal, and click . Another way is to click Reveal from the Modelling tab of the Design Bar and then click . See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about reveal properties before modifying a reveal. See “Reveal Properties” on page 344. Changing RevealTypes When you activate the Reveal command to place a reveal, you can select different types of reveals from the Type Selector. If there are not enough reveal types loaded, you can always load more profile families using the Load Family command. For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on reveals by selecting the reveal and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the reveal as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Modifying Crop Regions In addition to drag controls that resize a crop region, there are break line controls that can remove visible portions of the view and create multi-region views. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277. Selected elevation view crop region with break line controls As you place the cursor near a break line control, Revit Structure prehighlights the portion that it removes: 394 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 423. Prehighlighted view portion to be removed Click the control to break the view into new regions. Two new crop regions created The new crop regions have their own break-line controls, as well as double-arrow drag controls in the center that allow you to drag the crop regions relative to one another. You can continue creating smaller regions by continuing to click the break line controls. NOTE If you turn off the crop region in the view, all multi-region information is lost. If you turn the crop region back on later, you need to recreate the multi regions. Explicit Crop Region Size You can explicitly set the width and height of a crop region in paper space. This means the size of region in the view is the same size of the region on a sheet. 1 Select the crop region. Its width and height appear in text boxes on the Options Bar. 2 Click Modify to change the values. The Crop Region Size dialog box opens. 3 If modifying a crop region in a perspective view, select either Field of view or Scale. See “Perspective View” on page 445. 4 Change the values for the width or height or both. Note that you cannot change both if you select the scale mode option. See “Scale Mode” on page 396. 5 Click Apply to make the changes or click OK to make the changes and close the dialog box. The new width and height values appear in the text boxes. There are two modes for resizing the crop region: Field of View mode and Scale mode. Field of View mode is for perspective and non-perspective views. Scale mode is for perspective views only. Explicit Crop Region Size | 395
- 424. Field ofView Mode In Field of View mode, you are stretching the crop region to the specified size. For example, you change a crop region from 100 mm wide by 75 mm high to 50 mm wide by 25 mm high, the crop region updates accordingly. Scale Mode In Scale mode, you change either the height or the width, and Revit Structure maintains the aspect ratio. When you change the value, the view scales, but the field of view remains the same. In this picture, the eye elevation is 7500 mm. Here is the result of modifying the eye elevation height to 22500 mm. Modifying Roofs You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of roofs through their properties. Roof properties are modifiable before or after you sketch the roof. See “Roofs” on page 235. You set roof properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select roof boundary lines, and click . Another way is to click Lines and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying roofs. By modifying roof properties, you can change the slope defining lines, angle of the roof, and height of the roof. With the roof selected, you can choose between editing the roof's properties or the roof's sketch. If you edit the roof sketch you can: change the shape of the sketch, change the slope of the roof, add cutouts or holes to a roof, or change the height of the roof. Roof Properties For a complete description of roof properties and their values, see “Roof Properties” on page 344. Changing RoofTypes When you activate the Roof command to place roofs, you can select different types of roofs from the Type Selector. 396 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 425. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on roofs by selecting the roof and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the roof as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Roof Ridge Shape Handle A shape handle is available on a horizontal ridge of a footprint roof. You can use the shape handle for resizing or aligning. Resizing with Shape Handle You can resize with the shape handle in elevation or 3D views. Press TAB to prehighlight the shape handle (watch for the ToolTip to indicate you have prehighlighted it), select it, and drag. Resizing roof with shape handle Aligning with Shape Handle You can align roof ridges in both 3D and elevation views. To align in elevation views, select the Align tool and then select the ridges as references. See “Align” on page 293. To align in a 3D view, you first must set a work plane in the view that is not perpendicular to the ridges of the roof. 1 In a plan view, sketch a reference plane that is not perpendicular to roof ridges. See “Reference Planes” on page 118. Reference plane in plan view 2 Select the reference plane, click , and type a name for the reference plane. 3 Open the 3D view and from the Tools menu, choose Work Plane. Right-Click Context Menu | 397
- 426. 4 From the drop-down menu next to Name, choose the work plane name you created from Step 2 and click OK. 5 Use the Align tool to align roof ridges. See “Align” on page 293. Aligning shape handles of roof ridges Alignment result Modifying Stairs You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of stairs through their properties. Stair properties are modifiable before or after you place the stairs. See “Stairs” on page 250. You set stair properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the stairs, and click . Another way is to click Stairs and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying stairs. Boundaries and Riser and Run Lines Stair boundaries, and riser and run lines can be modified to shape the stairs in a manner you like. For example, you can select the run line and drag it to add or remove risers. See the Revit Structure tutorials for more information. Stair Railings When you add stairs, stair railings are added automatically. You can modify stair railings at any time after their creation. 1 Select a railing. If you are working in a plan view, it may be helpful to use the Tab key to select the railing. TIP Modifying railings in a 3D view allows for easier selection and better view of your changes. 2 To modify the properties of the railing, select the railing, and click . 3 To modify the sketch line of the railing, click Edit from the Options Bar. The railing line is selected, as shown below. 398 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 427. 4 Edit the selected line as desired. You are in sketch mode, so you can modify the shape of the line to suit your design. The railing line can consist of connected straight and arced segments, but it cannot form a closed loop. You can resize it by dragging the blue controls. See “Controls and Shape Handles” on page 277 and “Split Walls and Lines” on page 292. You can move the railing line to a new location, such as the center of the staircase. You cannot draw multiple railings in the same session. Modified stairs with center railing Extending Stair Railings If you extend stair railings, for example, to extend onto a floor, you need to split the railing line so that the railing changes its slope and meets the floor properly. See “Split Walls and Lines” on page 292. Split the rail line as shown in the picture. Stair Railings | 399
- 428. Split the rail line as shown in the picture. Finished result of extending railing Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on stairs by selecting the stairs and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the stairs as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Moving Stair Label You can drag the Up or Down label that appears in plan views with a run of stairs. Dragging the label 1 Place the cursor over the stair text label. A black square drag control appears next to the label. 2 Drag the control to move the label. OR 1 Select the run of stairs. A blue drag control appears 2 Drag the control to move the label. OR 1 Prehighlight the entire run of stairs and press TAB to select the shape handle. Watch the status bar in the lower left-hand corner of the interface as you press TAB until it indicates the shape handle is prehighlighted. 2 Drag the label to a new position. ZeroTreadThickness for Monolithic Stairs You can set the tread thickness of monolithic stairs to 0. 1 In the Type Properties dialog box of the stairs, select Monolithic Stairs under the Construction heading. 400 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 429. 2 Clear the End with Riser parameter under the Risers heading. 3 Set Riser Thickness to 0. 4 Set Tread Thickness to 0. Modifying Symbols You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of symbols through their properties. Properties are modifiable before or after you place the symbol. See “Symbols” on page 131. You set properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click the Modify button, select the symbol, and click . Another way is to click Symbol and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying symbols. Right-Click Context Menu You can access the properties and perform other functions on symbols by selecting the symbol and clicking the right-mouse button. This brings up a context menu allowing you several choices for manipulating the symbol as well as changing the zoom scale. See “Zoom” on page 449. Modifying Windows You have a number of ways of modifying the appearance of windows through their properties. Window properties are modifiable before or after you place the windows. See “Windows” on page 227. You set window properties in the Element Properties dialog box. You can open this dialog box in several ways. One way is to click Modify, select the window, and click . Another way is to click Window from the Architectural tab of the Design Bar and then Properties. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. Read about this dialog before modifying windows. For a complete listing of window properties and values, see “Window Properties” on page 354. Changing WindowTypes When you activate the Window command to place windows, you can select different types of windows from the Type Selector. If there are not enough window types loaded, you can always load more families using the Load Family command. For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. Right-click Menu The right-click menu features several commands you can use to modify the position of the window. 1 Select the window. For more information about selecting, see “Highlighting and Selecting Elements” on page 270. 2 Right-click to open the context menu. Modifying Symbols | 401
- 430. 3 Choose from the following commands: ■ Flip Hand: flips the window horizontally. Note: available only if the particular window family was created with horizontal controls. ■ Flip Facing: flips the window vertically. Note: available only if the particular window family was created with vertical controls. ■ Delete Selection Sorting Detail Element Draw Order You can sort the draw order of detail elements in a view with several commands from the Options Bar. The commands are available when you place or select detail elements in the view. 1 Place or select a detail element. The following commands become available on the Options Bar. ■ —Immediately places detail element in front of all detail elements in the view. ■ —Immediately places detail element behind all detail elements in the view. ■ —Moves the detail element one step closer to in front of all other detail elements. ■ —Moves the detail element one step closer to in back of all other detail elements. 2 Click the desired command to move the detail element. 402 | Chapter 10 Modifying Revit Structure Elements
- 431. Project Wide Settings This chapter includes information on settings that are global to a project. 11 403
- 432. Project Information The Project Information command globally defines the appearance of titleblocks in your project. You set values for labels in the command, and if the titleblocks contain those labels, then the values appear in the titleblock. 1 Open or create a titleblock. See “Titleblocks” on page 108. Be sure the titleblock includes one or more of the following labels: ■ Project Issue Date ■ Project Status ■ Client Name ■ Project Address ■ Project Name ■ Project Number 2 Load the titleblock(s) into the project. For more information about loading families, see “Load Family From Library” on page 562. 3 From the Settings menu, choose Project Information. 4 In the Type Properties dialog, enter values for the titleblock labels and click OK. All titleblocks that include those labels are now updated. To view the updated labels, create a sheet view using one of the titleblocks as a template. See “Sheet View” on page 486. Shared Parameters Shared Parameters Shared parameters are parameters that you can add to either families or projects and then share with other families and projects. They give you the ability to add specific data that is not already predefined in the family file or the project template. They are particularly useful if you want to create a schedule that displays various family categories. Without a shared parameter, you cannot do this. But if you create a shared parameter and add it to the desired family categories, you can then create a schedule with these categories. This is called creating a multi-category schedule in Revit Structure. Shared parameters are stored in a file independent of any family file or Revit Structure project; this allows you to access the file from different families or projects. Categories Allowing Shared Parameters Only certain categories within Revit Structure allow shared parameters. This table lists those categories that do allow them. Additional CategoriesFamily Categories Allowing AreasCasework Drawing SheetsCeilings: created as in-place families Structural Beam SystemsColumns Structural ColumnsCurtain Panels Structural ConnectionsCurtain Wall Mullions Structural FoundationsDoors Structural FramingElectrical Equipment Structural RebarElectrical Fixtures Floors: created as in-place families Furniture 404 | Chapter 11 Project Wide Settings
- 433. Additional CategoriesFamily Categories Allowing Furniture Systems Generic Models Lighting Fixtures Mechanical Equipment Parking Planting Plumbing Fixtures Railings Ramps Roofs Rooms Site Speciality Equipment Stairs Structural Columns Structural Foundations Walls Windows Setting up Shared Parameters You save shared parameters to a text file; you can then place that text file in a shared area on your network to allow others to access it. You can create shared parameters either in a project view or the Family Editor. Your session of Revit Structure can reference only one shared parameter file at a time. If there are other shared parameters in a different file that you want in the active shared parameter file, you need to export the parameters to the active file. Creating a Shared Parameter File and Adding New Parameters NOTE This procedure is for creating a new shared parameter file. If a file already exists, you can browse to that file and modify it as needed. 1 From the File menu, choose Shared Parameters. The Edit Shared Parameters dialog appears. 2 Click Create to begin creating an external parameter file. Type a file name and save it to the desired location. 3 After creating the file, you create parameter groups. In the Groups box, click New. Type the name of a new parameter group and click OK. Parameter groups help you to categorize your parameters. For example, you might create a group called electrical for specific electrical parameters or a hardware group for specific hardware parameters. You can create as many parameter groups as desired. 4 You can now create parameters that are part of the group. From the Parameter group drop-down menu, select a group to which you want to add parameters. 5 In the Parameters group box, click New. Type a name for the parameter, specify its value type (types include text, integer, number, and length). Create as many parameters as desired. Setting up Shared Parameters | 405
- 434. NOTE You do not specify the parameter to be instance or type. You decide that later when you add the parameter to a family or a project. See “Instance and Type Properties” on page 309. 6 When finished creating parameters, click OK. Exporting Shared Parameters to a Shared Parameter File You can export shared parameters to a new shared parameter file if the old parameter file is deleted, or if there are shared parameters in a family or a project that are not in the current shared parameter file. Before you can export them, you must already have added the shared parameters into a Revit Structure project file or family file. For more information on adding shared parameters, see “Adding Shared Parameters to Families” on page 406 and “Project Parameters” on page 407. 1 Create or open a shared parameter file according to steps 1 and 2 of the previous procedure. 2 Select a shared parameter in either a family or a project. 3 Click Modify. 4 In the Parameter Properties dialog, click Export. NOTE The Export command is never enabled if the selected shared parameter is already in the current shared parameter file. An informational message appears informing you that the shared parameter will be exported to the shared parameter file you set up in Step 1. 5 Click OK to complete the export. Modifying Parameter Groups To rename a parameter group, select it from the Parameter group drop-down menu and click Rename in the Groups box. To delete a parameter group, first delete or move any parameters from the group. Click Delete from the Groups box. Viewing and Deleting Shared Parameters After creating shared parameters, you cannot rename them or change their type. You can view their properties, move them to another parameter group, or delete them. To view the properties of a parameter, such as its value type, select the parameter from the Parameters pane and click Properties from the Parameters group box. To move a parameter to another group, select the parameter from the Parameters pane and click Move To from the Parameters group box. Choose another group from the drop-down menu and click OK. To delete a parameter, select the parameter from the Parameters pane and click Delete from the Parameters group box. WARNING Use care when deleting external parameters. You may be affecting other projects besides your own. If you delete a parameter after having used it and then create another one with the same name, Revit Structure does not consider it to be the same parameter. Adding Shared Parameters to Families You add shared parameters to families in the Family Editor. 1 Start creating a family or open an existing one. 2 From the Settings menu, choose Family Types or click Family Types from the Design Bar. 3 Under the Parameters group box, click Add. 4 In the Parameter Properties dialog, select Shared parameter. If this option is not enabled, check to be sure you are working with a valid family category. See “Categories Allowing Shared Parameters” on page 404. 406 | Chapter 11 Project Wide Settings
- 435. 5 Click Select and choose the appropriate shared parameter from the appropriate parameter group. 6 If desired, click Edit; this returns you to the Edit Shared Parameters dialog, where you can open a different shared parameter file or add new parameters. 7 Choose whether to store the parameter by instance or type. 8 Click OK. The parameter name appears in the Family Types dialog. 9 Enter a value for the shared parameter or create a formula to calculate its value. 10 Click OK when finished entering values. 11 Save the family and load it into a project. Shared and Family Parameters If you click the Modify button in the Family Types dialog, the Parameter Properties dialog opens. You can replace a shared parameter with a family parameter or a family parameter with a shared parameter. Family parameters are specific to one family. You can also replace one shared parameter with another. See “Family Types” on page 67. Project Parameters Project parameters are parameters you define and then add to multiple categories of elements in a project. They are specific to the project and cannot be shared with other projects. You can then use those project parameters in multi-category or single-category schedules. See “Schedules with Shared Parameters” on page 409. Creating Project Parameters 1 From the Settings menu, choose Project Parameters. 2 In the Project Parameters dialog, click Add. 3 In the Parameter Properties dialog, select Project parameter. 4 Enter a name for the project parameter and choose its type. See “Creating New Parameters” on page 71. 5 Determine which discipline it should be grouped by. 6 Under Group parameter under, select the heading under which the parameter should display in the Element Properties dialog. 7 Choose whether the parameter is stored by instance or type. 8 Select the element categories to which you want to apply this parameter. 9 Click OK. Creating Shared Project Parameters 1 From the Settings menu, choose Project Parameters. 2 In the Project Parameters dialog, click Add. 3 In the Parameter Properties dialog, select Shared parameter. 4 Click Select and choose the appropriate shared parameter from the appropriate parameter group. 5 If desired, click Edit; this returns you to the Edit Shared Parameters dialog, where you can open a different shared parameter file or add new parameters. 6 Choose whether to store the parameter by instance or type. 7 Under Group, select the heading under which the parameter should display in the Element Properties dialog. 8 Select the categories to which you want to apply this parameter. 9 Click OK. Shared and Family Parameters | 407
- 436. TIP If you add a shared parameter to the Drawing Sheets category, that parameter becomes part of the view properties for sheets. You also can add that parameter to a titleblock family, so you can have custom parameters on the titleblock. Tagging with Shared Parameters Shared parameters are available for both single- and multi-category tags. You can apply a multi-category tag to any kind of component, regardless of its category, by applying a filter parameter to a tag. Creating a Single-CategoryTag Follow the procedure for creating multi-category tags, substituting the appropriate tag template, for example, a door tag. When you tag instances of the category in the project, the tag label displays a value only if those category instances have the external parameter. For example, you create a door tag with the shared parameter Door Trim Finish. You can then tag all doors with that tag, but the tag displays a value for Door Trim Finish only if the door has that shared parameter, otherwise a “?” appears in the tag. Creating a Multi-CategoryTag 1 From the File menu, choose New, Annotation Symbol and select the Multi-Category Tag.rft template for imperial, or M_Multi-Category Tag.rft for metric. The Family Editor opens. 2 From the Drafting menu choose Label or click Label from the Design Bar. 3 Click in the document window. The Select Parameter dialog appears. 4 Click Add. 5 In the Parameter Properties dialog, select the shared parameter to add to the label and click OK. The selected parameter now appears in the list of parameters that can be displayed in the label. 6 Select the shared parameter from the parameter list and select the Filter parameter option at the bottom of the dialog. With this option set, a tag attaches only to a component with that same filter parameter. NOTE If you do not specify a filter parameter for the tag, the tag cannot attach to any component. A multi-category tag must have a label with a shared parameter set as a filter parameter. 7 Click OK. 8 Create the tag using the Lines command and save the file. TIP If you want to change the filter parameter for the tag, choose Family Category and Parameters from the Settings menu. Change the value of Filter Parameter in the dialog. You can also select the label and click Select Parameter from the Options Bar. Using the Multi-CategoryTag in a Project You can include shared parameters in tags for system families, such as rooms, walls, and stairs. 1 Load the multi-category tag into a project. 2 Place several components into the project that have the specific shared filter parameter. 3 From the Drafting menu choose Tag or click Tag from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. 4 In the Type Selector, notice that the default value is <By Category>, which is the value for single-category tags. Select the multi-category tag you loaded from the Type Selector. 5 As you move your pointer in the document window, you can prehighlight only those components that have the filter parameter. 6 Click to place the tag. 408 | Chapter 11 Project Wide Settings
- 437. TIP You can also use the Tag All Not Tagged command to quickly tag components with the filter parameter. In the Tag All Not Tagged dialog, select the multi-category tag and click OK. Schedules with Shared Parameters You can schedule shared parameters in both single- and multi-category schedules. Creating a Single-Category Schedule Follow the procedure for creating multi-category schedules. In place of <Multi-Category>, choose the appropriate category, such as doors or windows. Also, the Filter tab is not available for a single-category schedule. For more information, see “Creating a Multi-Category Schedule” on page 409. Creating a Multi-Category Schedule 1 Place several components into your project that have a shared parameter(s). 2 From the View menu, choose New, Schedule/Quantities. 3 In the New Schedule dialog, select <Multi-Category> from the Category list. 4 In the Fields tab of the Schedule Properties dialog, you notice that shared parameters are available as schedulable fields. Add the appropriate shared parameter to the scheduled fields list. 5 Click the Filter tab in the Schedule Properties dialog and choose the shared project parameter you just added. Only components that have this parameter display in the schedule. NOTE If you do not specify a filter parameter for the schedule, then all family categories in your project that can have a shared project parameter will appear in the schedule. See “Categories Allowing Shared Parameters” on page 404. 6 Format the rest of the schedule as desired. For more information, see “Creating Schedules” on page 434. 7 Click OK when completed. The schedule lists all components with the shared parameter. TIP You can modify or add a shared parameter in the Fields tab of the Schedule Properties dialog. To modify a shared parameter, select it and click Edit under Scheduled fields. To add a new parameter, click Add Parameter. In both cases, the Parameter Properties dialog opens. Colors You set colors in individual dialogs, such as dialogs for Object Styles, Line Styles, Annotation Symbol Styles, Materials, Room Colors, and Phasing. When you select colors in the dialogs, the standard Windows color picker opens. If you click PANTONE from the Windows Color Picker, the PANTONE Color Picker opens. Windows Color Picker 1 From the appropriate Revit Structure dialog, access the Windows color picker. For example, in the Materials dialog, click Choose Color. 2 In the Color dialog, define the new color using one of the following methods: ■ Basic colors: a table of 48 commonly used colors is available. Click one of the boxes containing the desired color. ■ Hue, Sat, Lum, Red, Green, Blue boxes: type values in these boxes. Schedules with Shared Parameters | 409
- 438. ■ Black and white settings box: Move the slider up and down to alter the amount of white or black in the color. The result displays in the color/solid box. ■ Custom colors: Add up to 16 custom colors. To add a custom color, click one of the 16 color squares under Custom Colors. Mix the new color by clicking one of the Basic Color squares or by choosing a PANTONE color. When you have finished mixing the color, click Add Custom. 3 When you are finished with the color picker, click OK. PANTONE Color Picker 1 From the appropriate Revit Structure dialog, access the Windows color picker. For example, in the Materials dialog, click Choose Color. See “Materials” on page 525. 2 In the Color dialog, click PANTONE. 3 Create a color in the PANTONE Color Picker. 4 Click a color in the pane to select it. The PANTONE preview window displays the selected color. 5 When you find the color you want, click OK. 6 Click OK to exit the Color dialog. Revit Structure assigns the PANTONE color to the dialog. Note that Revit Structure uses the PANTONE name. No Color Specified You can specify No Color in the Windows Color Picker to not associate a color with a particular item. This does not mean the item has no color. A component can assume its color from a parent category or use black. For example, if you specify No Color for Door Panel, but Doors are defined as brown, the Door Panel appears in brown. Structural Settings The Structural Settings dialog lets you modify settings that are specific to documentation and analysis of structural models. These settings include Symbolic Representation Settings, Load Cases, Load Combinations, Analytical Model Settings, and Boundary Conditions Settings. Symbolic Representation Settings For each project, you can control the symbolic representation of structural framing components. You can specify the symbolic cutback distance of beams and columns, brace symbols in plan, moment symbols, and analytical model adjustment. The values you specify are applied to structural framing components throughout the project. You can also save these settings as part of a template. The values that are entered on this tab reflect the plotted representation of the drawings. Therefore, the visible representations that are set with these values will change based on the view scale of the drawing. Open Structural Settings dialog 1 Click Settings menu ➤ Structural Settings. Modify symbolic cutback distance 2 In the Structural Settings dialog, under General, enter a value for the Symbolic brace/beam cutback distance. The cutback distance is the distance between the bounding box of the column and the end of the stick representation of the supported beam. In the case of 2 beams, the cutback distance is the distance between centerline (stick representation) of the supporting beam and the end of the stick representation of the supported beam. The gap changes based on the view scale of the drawing. 410 | Chapter 11 Project Wide Settings
- 439. Cutback distance at larger setting Cutback distance at smaller setting 3 Enter a value for the Symbolic column cutback distance. This setting affects the gap between symbolic representations of joined columns in an elevation view. The gap is visible only if the Top Connection Symbol instance property of the bottom column is set to a value other than None. Modify brace symbol representation settings 4 In the Structural Settings dialog, under Brace Symbols, select a value for Plan representation of bracing. Plan representation options: ■ Brace as Parallel Line: Stick symbol representation of braces in a plan view are represented with a line parallel to and offset from the brace at value specified in the Structural Settings dialog. The line displays below, or to the right to vertical brace centerline if the brace is below the level and above, or to the left to vertical brace centerline if the brace is above the level. NOTE The parallel line brace symbol displays in a symbolic stick plan view only when the structural usage of the brace is set to Vertical Bracing. ■ Brace as Line with Angle: Stick symbol representation of braces in a plan view are represented with an angled line. Line with angle originates from the point of intersection of brace and level if they intersect, and from the closest point to the level on the brace otherwise. The symbol goes upward (downward) for the portion of the brace which is above (below) the level. NOTE The line with angle brace symbol displays in a symbolic stick plan view only when the structural usage of the brace is set to Vertical Bracing. 5 Under Brace Symbols, specify Parallel line offset. This value is available only after selecting Parallel Line for Plan representation. The parallel line is offset the specified value from the vertical brace centerline. NOTE You can create new brace representation symbols using the generic annotation template. In the Family Category and Parameters dialog, set their Family Category to Brace in Plan View Symbols. Brace in Plan View symbols have a Representation Type parameter that can be either Parallel Line, Line with Angle, or Kicker Brace. Show brace above 6 Under Brace Symbols, select Show brace above if you want the brace symbols representing the braces above the current view to display. Symbolic Representation Settings | 411
- 440. 7 For Symbol, select the symbol that represents braces above the current view. NOTE The brace above symbol changes automatically when you change the plan representation from parallel line to angle line. Show brace below 8 Under Brace Symbols, select Show brace below if you want the brace symbols representing the braces below the current view to display. 9 For Symbol, select the symbol that represents braces below the current view. NOTE The brace below symbol changes automatically when you change the plan representation from parallel line to angle line. Kicker brace symbol 10 Under Brace Symbols, select the symbol that represents kicker bracing. NOTE The kicker brace symbol displays in a symbolic stick plan view only when the structural usage of the brace is set to Kicker Bracing. Specify moment symbols 11 Under Moment Symbols, select a symbol for Frame connection. Connection symbols may appear at either end of the stick symbol of beams/braces. For each brace and beam, you can specify the symbol that displays for both the moment connection start and the moment connection end. The value of moment connection start/end can be moment frame, cantilever moment, or none. 12 Under Moment Symbols, select a symbol for Cantilever connection. 13 Click OK. Load CasesTab For information on how to use the Load Case tab in the Structural Settings dialog, see “Load Cases” on page 632. Load CombinationsTab For information on how to use the Load Combinations tab in the Structural Settings dialog, see “Load Combinations” on page 633. Analytical Model SettingsTab The Analytical Model Settings Tab contains properties used in checking tolerances for structural elements. For more information on using these settings, see “Support and Analytical Consistency Checks” on page 631. Boundary Conditions SettingsTab The Boundary Conditions Settings tab is where you choose a symbol to represent each boundary condition type. Symbols have been provided to make this tool easier to use. If you’d like to create and load your own symbol family, see “Families” on page 51. 412 | Chapter 11 Project Wide Settings
- 441. Choose a symbol from the drop-down menu of each of the following boundary conditions: ■ Fixed ■ Pinned ■ Roller ■ User Defined Enter an appropriate value in the Area and Line Symbol Spacing text box. For information on Boundary Conditions, see “Boundary Conditions” on page 640. Temporary Dimensions The Temporary Dimension command sets options for the display and placement of temporary dimensions in the design. You can select temporary dimensions to: ■ measure from wall centerlines, wall faces, center of core, or core faces ■ measure from door and window centerlines or door and window openings Temporary Dimensions Procedure 1 From the Settings menu, choose Temporary Dimensions. 2 From the Temporary Dimension Placement dialog, select the appropriate settings. 3 When finished, click OK. Options The Options command configures global settings for projects. The command is available at all times from the Settings menu, including if the document window is blank. GeneralTab Click this tab to set notifications, worksets, and Journal file cleanup. Notifications ■ Specify a time value for the Save Reminder interval. ■ Specify a time value for the Save to Central Reminder interval. ■ Set the ToolTip Assistance to the desired level. The default is normal. This affects how often tooltips appear in the document window. Worksets User Name ■ Set the user name for checking out worksets in the project. Journal File Cleanup ■ Specifies the number of journal files to retain. Temporary Dimensions | 413
- 442. GraphicsTab Click this tab to configure your video card for improved display performance. On this tab you can also configure colors for selection, background, and errors. Video Card Capabilities Follow the instructions on the tab for video card settings. Some of the benefits of using hardware acceleration are: ■ faster display of large models upon refresh ■ switching between windows of views occurs faster with 3D graphics acceleration ■ creation and modification of annotations is faster Colors ■ Select Invert background color to toggle the display of the background of the view and the elements in the view. For example, if you are drawing black elements in a white background, select this option and the background becomes black and the elements appear in white. ■ To define a new selection color, click the color button next to Selection Color and set the color in the Windows Color Picker. ■ To define a different error color, click the color button next to Alert Color. This sets the color for elements that are selected when a warning or error occurs. File LocationsTab Click this tab to set paths for files and directories. Files and Directories ■ Specify the path for the default template file. The Revit Structure installation automatically sets this path; however, you may want to change it if you need to use either Imperial or Metric units for your project. There are default templates installed in either Revit StructureImperial Templates or Revit StructureMetric Templates. Choose whichever one is appropriate. Also, you can change this path to point to a custom template that you wish to use for all your projects. ■ Specify the default project path where Revit Structure saves the current file. This setting overrides the default path for saving files. When you specify a directory folder, Revit Structure opens that directory folder by default when you save or open a file. ■ Specify the path for the templates and libraries. The Revit Structure installation automatically sets this path; however, you may want to change it if you need to use either Imperial or Metric families for your project. There are default templates installed in either Revit StructureImperial Library or Revit StructureMetric Library. ■ Add secondary libraries that may be specific to your company. To do this click , enter the library name, click in the field for Library Path and click the browse button. Navigate to the appropriate directory and click OK. SpellingTab Click this tab to set options for the spell checker. The tab lets you choose between the main Revit Structure dictionary or the Microsoft® Office dictionary. If desired, you can click Edit to add words to the additional dictionaries. RenderingTab Click this tab to set paths for AccuRender libraries. 414 | Chapter 11 Project Wide Settings
- 443. Materials Locations ■ Specify the location for the AccuRender texture library. The AccuRender installation included with Revit Structure should set this path. If your AccuRender files move, you can specify the new location here. ■ Specify the location for the RPC library. Revit Structure should set this path. If your RPC files move, you can specify the new location here. ■ You can add additional AccuRender and RPC libraries. ■ If you have more than one physical or virtual processor, you can use the Limit Rendering to Single Processor option to control how many processors to use for raytracing and radiosity. By default this option is cleared, which allows Revit Structure to use additional processors, when available. Select this option to limit rendering to only one processor Detail Level The Detail Level command presents a table for setting the detail level for newly created views based on view scale. View scales are organized under the detail level headings Coarse, Medium, or Fine. When you create a new view in your project and set its view scale, its detail level will be set automatically according to the arrangement in the table. You can override the detail level at any time by setting the Detail Level parameter in the View Properties command. See “View Properties” on page 452. By predefining detail levels, you can affect the display of the same geometry at different view scales. So a custom door created in the Family Editor would appear differently in a coarse detail level than in a fine detail level. Setting the Detail Level ScaleValues 1 From the Settings menu, choose Detail Level. 2 Click to move scale values to the right or click to move detail levels to the left. You cannot select scales individually; they move in sequential order only. 3 To return to the original settings, click Default. Applying the Detail Level 1 Create a new view and set its view scale during creation. 2 From the View menu, choose View Properties. Notice that the Detail Level parameter is set according to the arrangement from the table. Detail Levels and Display of Structural Components The display of structural components differs based on the detail level of the view. For example, structural framing appears as a line in coarse scale, but has much more detail at medium and fine scales. Detail Level is a view property. To learn how to set view properties, see “View Properties” on page 452. Detail Level is also view scale dependent. For information on setting scales with detail level and the Detail Level tool, see “Detail Level” on page 415. Detail Level | 415
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- 445. ProjectViews 12 417
- 446. Structural PlanView The Structural plan view is the default view opened in a new project. Most projects include at least one Structural plan. Structural plan views are created automatically as you add new levels to your project. Creating theView 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Floor Plan or from the View tab of the Design Bar, click Floor Plan. 2 From the dialog, choose one or more levels for which you want to create a plan view. 3 If you wish to create a plan view for a level that has an existing plan view, clear Do not duplicate existing views. 4 On the Scale menu, click an appropriate view scale for the new view. 5 Click OK. NOTE If you create duplicate plan views, the duplicate view displays in the Project Browser with the following notation: Level 1(1), where the value in parentheses increases with the number of duplicates. Displaying a PlanView ■ Double-click on its name in the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. ■ Choose the view from the Window menu. NOTE For information on structural analytical views, see “Visualization” on page 617. View Direction Engineers view plans at different orientations in different countries. Revit Structure Provides for this variation with the View Direction Type parameter for Structural Plans. This parameter makes it possible for you to select Up or Down for View direction. Setting View Direction 1 On the Project Browser, right-click on a Level that is an element of the Structural Plan Family, and select Properties. 2 In the Element Properties dialog, click Edit/New. 3 In the Type Properties dialog, click View Direction. 4 Use the down arrow to change the parameter to Up or Down. 5 Click OK to exit the dialogs. PlanType Properties forTags and Reference Labels Each plan view has type properties for callout tags and reference labels. The reference label parameter sets the text displayed in a callout tag when a reference callout is made to the plan view. You can define the look of callout tags through the View Tags command on the Settings menu. 418 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 447. Detail Levels and Display of Structural Components The display of structural components differs based on the detail level of the view. For example, structural framing appears as sticks in coarse detail level, but has much more detail at medium or fine detail level. Detail Level is a view parameter. To learn how to set view parameters, see “View Settings” on page 449. Detail Level is also view scale dependent. For information on setting scales with detail level and the Detail Level tool, see “Detail Level” on page 415. Display of Hidden Lines of Structural Concrete Components Revit Structure provides the facility to control the appearance of structural concrete components that are in a hidden state in a view. The appearance of invisible lines of walls, floors, framing, columns and foundation elements are controlled by these View parameters: ■ Discipline Discipline must be set to Structural for invisible lines to be represented as hidden. ■ Model Graphics Style By setting Model Graphics to either Hidden or to Shading w/Edges, invisible lines will be represented as hidden. NOTE You set the pattern of hidden lines in the Structural Settings dialog. See “Structural Settings” on page 410. Plan of structural slab and beams framed into concrete walls Showing Hidden Element Lines Model and detail elements that are obscured by other elements can be displayed using the Show Hidden Lines command. First, select the element that you want the hidden lines to display on. Next, select the obscured element that has the lines you want to bring through. You can use the Show Hidden Lines tool on all elements that have the Hidden Lines subcategory. The Remove Hidden Lines tool is the inverse of the Show Hidden Lines tool. 1 Click Tools menu ➤ Show Hidden Lines, or on the Tools toolbar, click . 2 Place the cursor on an element that is hiding another element, and click to select it. For example, select a filled region that is overlapping a wall. 3 Place the cursor on the element with lines to be shown, and click to select it. The lines of this element display in a hidden line style through the overlapping element. To change the hidden line style of the element, access the Object Styles command. Detail Levels and Display of Structural Components | 419
- 448. 4 To reverse the effects of this command, click Tools menu ➤ Remove Hidden Lines, or on the Tools toolbar, click . 5 Select the element that will hide the other element. 6 Select the other element to be hidden. Plan Regions The Plan Region command lets you define a region within a plan view that has a different view range from the overall view. Plan regions are useful for split level plans or for displaying inserts above or below the cut plane. Plan regions are closed sketches and cannot overlap one another. They can have coincident edges. Creating a Plan Region 1 While in a plan view, from the View menu, click New, Plan Region or from the View tab of the Design Bar, click Plan Region. Revit Structure enters a sketch mode. 2 Sketch a closed loop, using either lines or rectangles. Use either the draw or pick options for the lines tool. For more information, see “Sketching Options” on page 36. 3 Click Finish Sketch. The plan region sketch is invisible in the view. As you move the cursor over the area where the region was sketched, its boundary highlights. 4 After the boundary highlights, click to select it and then click . 5 Click the Edit button next to the View Range parameter. This opens the View Range dialog, and the Cut Plane menu is active. The value is set to Parent’s View Level. This means the level used to define all the clip planes (Top, Bottom, Cut, and View Depth) is the same as for the entire plan view. 6 If desired, choose a different level from the menu, and enter a value to offset the cut plane from that level. Notice that when you select a different level, the menus for Top, Bottom, and View Depth become enabled. You can set them to the desired values and offsets. Note that values for offsets have to make sense with respect to one another. For example, the Top offset cannot be lower than the cut plane offset, and the cut plane offset cannot be lower than the bottom offset. Plan Region Tips ■ Plan regions do not print or export. ■ You cannot control visibility of the plan region, nor its line color or pattern. ■ You cannot select a plan region using a pick box. You have to highlight it first and then select it. If you activate the Plan Region command, you see any existing plan regions in sketch mode. ■ You do not have to enter sketch mode to edit the shape of a plan region. Each boundary line of the plan region is a shape handle. Move the cursor over the plan region to highlight it. Press the TAB key to highlight a shape handle. Select the shape handle and drag it. ■ Plan regions are view-specific. You can copy and paste them into the same view or different views. When you copy a plan region into a different view, the View Range settings are maintained from the previous view. 420 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 449. ElevationView Elevation Views are part of the default template in Revit Structure. When you create a project with the template, four elevation views are included: north, south, east, and west. It is in elevation views where you sketch level lines. You can also create additional interior or exterior elevation views. Interior elevation views depict detailed views of interior walls and show how the features of that wall should be built. Examples of rooms that might be shown in an interior elevation are kitchens and bathrooms. You designate elevations with an elevation tag . The tag snaps to walls as you drag it around with the cursor. You can set different properties for the tag. See “Changing Properties” on page 423. The elevation view arrowhead is visible in a plan view provided the elevation view’s crop region intersects the view range of the plan view. If you resize the crop region of the elevation such that it no longer intersects the view range, the arrowhead does not appear in the plan view. Creating a New ElevationView 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Elevation, or click Elevation on the View tab of the Design Bar. The cursor appears with the elevation symbol. 2 In the Scale drop-down menu on the toolbar, choose a view scale. 3 Place the cursor near a wall, and click the left-mouse button to place the elevation symbol. NOTE As you move the cursor, you can press the TAB key to change the position of the arrowhead. The arrowhead snaps to walls perpendicular to it. 4 To set different interior elevation views, highlight the square shape of the elevation symbol and click. The elevation symbol displays with check box options for creating views: TIP The rotation control is useful for looking perpendicular to angled elements in plan. 5 Select the check box(es) to create an elevation view. 6 Click away from the symbol to close the check boxes. 7 Highlight an arrow head on the symbol to select it. 8 Click the arrowhead once to view the clip plane: Elevation symbol with clip plane The endpoints of clip planes snap and join to walls. You can resize the width of the elevation by dragging the blue controls. 9 Choose the new elevation view from the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. The elevation view will be designated by a letter and number, for example, Elevation: 1 : a. ElevationView | 421
- 450. Displaying an ElevationView There are several ways to display an elevation view. ■ Select it from the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. ■ Double-click the arrowhead on the elevation symbol ■ Select the elevation symbol arrowhead, right-click on it and choose Go to Elevation View from the pop-up menu Reference Elevations Reference elevations are elevations that reference an existing view; they do not create a new view when you add them to your project. Views in Which You Can Place Reference Elevations ■ Plans ■ Callouts Reference elevations can reference other elevation views or drafting views. 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Elevation, or click Elevation on the View tab of the Design Bar. 2 From the Options Bar, select Reference other view and choose a reference view name from the menu next to it. If there are no existing views to reference, you can choose <New Drafting View> from the menu to create a new drafting view; the reference elevation then references this new drafting view. NOTE If a view from the menu list is on a sheet, the detail number and sheet number display next to the view. For example, if you choose a drafting view to be referenced and it’s on a sheet, its name displays as Drafting View : Drafting 1 (1/A101), where the values in the parenthesis represent the detail number and sheet number. 3 Place the cursor in the drawing area and click to place the reference elevation. Modifying Reference Elevations If you select a reference elevation, you can make modifications to it. Just like with regular elevations, you can add arrowheads to the elevation through check boxes that display near the elevation. With each arrowhead, you create a new reference view. If you select a check box, a dialog displays listing views which the elevation can reference. Select a view in the dialog and click OK. To remove a reference view, select the elevation symbol and clear the desired check box. There are various parameters you can set to modify the display of the reference elevation. On the Settings menu, click View Tags ➤ Elevation Tags. This opens a Type Properties dialog that lets you set appearance by type. The reference elevation head includes a label. To change the label text, you edit the Reference Label parameter. It is a type parameter of the elevation family. To access this property, select the elevation, click and go to the Type Properties of the elevation. Changing the Elevation Symbol 1 Highlight the elevation tag and select it. 2 Click Properties. The Element Properties dialog appears. 3 Click Edit/New. 4 Modify the appropriate property values by clicking in the Value fields. 5 Click OK twice to save your changes. 422 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 451. Changing Properties 1 Click on the elevation symbol arrowhead. 2 Click Properties. 3 In the Element Properties dialog, click in the Value fields to change the detail and sheet numbers, view name and scale, and activate clip planes. See “Element Properties Dialog Box” on page 309. 4 When you finish changes, click OK. Changing Clip Planes Clip planes define the boundaries for the view. You can turn on top, bottom, left, and right clip planes. The endpoints of clip planes snap and join to walls. You can resize the viewing area of the interior elevation by resizing the clip planes. Drag one of the blue dots to resize the clip plane. ElevationType Properties Each elevation has type properties for elevation tags, callout tags, and reference labels. You can define the look of elevation tags and callout tags through the View Tags command on the Settings menu. The Reference Label parameter sets the text displayed next to the elevation tag when the elevation is a reference elevation. Framing ElevationView Revit Structure provides a View Type that is especially useful for adding vertical bracing to your model, or for any task that requires quick work plane alignment to a grid or to a named reference plane. When you add a framed elevation, Revit Structure automatically sets work plane and view range at the selected grid or reference plane. The crop region is also confined to the region between adjacent grid lines that are perpendicular to the selected grid line. Adding a Framing ElevationView 1 On the View tab of the Design Bar, click Framing Elevation. 2 Place a Framing Elevation symbol perpendicular the selected grid line and in the direction of view that you want to display. Changing Properties | 423
- 452. 3 Press ESC once to finish. 4 Double-click on the Framing Elevation symbol. The view represents a full-height view of the area at the work plane of the grid or of the reference plane, and is constrained to the surrounding grids or limits of the reference plane. SectionView Sections are views used to cut through the model. You can draw them in plan, section, elevation, and detail views, and they display as section representations in intersecting views. You can create three types of sections: building sections, wall sections, and detail sections. Each type has a unique graphical appearance, and each displays in different locations in the Project Browser. Building section and wall section views appear in the Project Browser as either wall sections or building sections, and the detail section shows up as a detail view. SectionTagVisibility The section tag is visible in a plan, elevation, or other section view, provided its crop region intersects the view range. For example, if you resize the crop region of the section view such that it no longer intersects the plan view’s view range, the section symbol does not appear in the plan view. TIP The Section instance parameter Hide at Scales Coarser than establishes a scale at which sections are either shown or hidden in other views. For example, a section tag can be hidden at scales coarser than 1/4”=1’0”. Section symbols can appear in elevation views even if their crop boundary is turned off. The section appears in elevation if the section line intersects the elevation clip plane. To view and modify the position of the elevation clip plane, select the arrowhead of an elevation symbol in a plan view, and the clip plane appears with drag controls on it. If you resize the clip plane such that it no longer intersects the section line, the section does not appear in the elevation view. Section Line Breaks You can break section lines by clicking the break control and adjusting the length of the section line segments. The section break is in the middle of the section line in the following figure. To rejoin the section line, click the control again. Note that a break in a section line is view specific and affects the display of the section only in the view where the break was made. ControllingView Depth When you create a section view, Revit Structure sets a default view depth and width. By selecting a section and resizing its crop region, you can more closely control what displays in the section view. Creating a New SectionView 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Section, or click Section on the View tab of the Design Bar. NOTE You can create a section view in the Family Editor. The commands are the same, except the Section command is on the Family tab of the Design Bar. 424 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 453. 2 From the Type Selector, choose Wall Section, Building Section, or Detail View. 3 In the Scale drop-down menu on the toolbar, choose a view scale. 4 Place the cursor at the starting point of the section and drag through the model or family. 5 Click when you reach the end point of the section. The section line and the crop region appear and are selected for modification. TIP When resizing the far clipping plane, set the section view to display in Hidden Line and Shaded modes only. See “Hidden Lines” on page 457 and “Shading” on page 458. Section line with crop region selected for modification 6 If desired, resize the crop region by dragging the blue controls; the depth of the section view changes accordingly. 7 Click Modify or press ESC to cancel the Section command. 8 To open the section view, double-click the section header or choose the section view from the Sections leaf of the Project Browser. The section view changes when the design changes or the section line is moved. Considerations for Sections in the Family Editor ■ Sections are not available for in-place families. See “In-Place Families” on page 97. ■ If the section symbol appears without a head, you need to load the section head. See “Changing the Section Head” on page 428. Segmented Sections You can split sections into segments that are orthogonal to the view direction. This allows you to vary a section view to show disparate parts of the model without having to create a different section. In the following figure, a typical section is drawn on the model. The section produces the following view. Considerations for Sections in the Family Editor | 425
- 454. Modify the section as shown and the resulting section view changes. 1 Sketch a section in a view, for example in plan. 2 Select the section. 3 On the Options Bar, click Split Segment. 4 Place the cursor on the section line at the point it is to be segmented and click. 5 Move the cursor in a direction orthogonal to the view direction. 6 Click to place the section. The new segmented section has several controls on it. There are controls for resizing the crop boundary, which displays as a dashed green line. All segments share the same far clip plane. There are controls for moving the segments of the section line. 426 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 455. There is also a break control that divides the section into smaller segments. The break control displays as a Z on the section line. Click it to break up the section even further. When you do, the section has more controls for resizing segments. Segmented Section Line Style After clicking the Z-break control, you can change the display of the segmented section between either gapped or continuous line style. On the Settings menu, click View Tags ➤ Section Tags. Change the value of the Broken Section Display Style property between Continuous and Gapped. Gapped is the default. If you select Continuous, the section line displays according to the Broken Section Line style that is defined in the Object Styles dialog. Merging the Segmented Line To change the segmented line into a continuous one, move segments toward one another so that they form a continuous line and merge. Reference Sections Reference sections are sections that reference an existing view; they do not create a new view when you add them to your project. Views in Which You Can Place Reference Sections ■ Plan, elevation, section, drafting, and callout views. Reference sections can reference section views, callouts of section views, and drafting views. Creating the Reference Section 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Section, or click Section on the View tab of the Design Bar. 2 From the Options Bar, select Reference other view, and choose a section, callout of a section, or drafting view name from the drop-down menu next to it. If there are no existing views to reference, you can choose <New Drafting View> from the drop-down menu to create a new drafting view; the reference section then references this new drafting view. NOTE If a view from the menu list is on a sheet, the detail number and sheet number display next to the view. For example, if you choose a drafting view to be referenced and it’s on a sheet, its name displays as Drafting View : Drafting 1 (1/A101), where the values in the parenthesis represent the detail number and sheet number. Reference Sections | 427
- 456. 3 Sketch the section line. Reference Section Tips ■ There is no parametric relationship between the reference section and the referenced view. Resizing the clip planes of a reference section has no effect on the crop region of the referenced view. ■ If you double-click the reference section head, the referenced view opens. ■ The reference section head includes a label. To change the label text, you edit the Reference Label parameter. It is a type parameter of the section family. ■ Any sections placed in a drafting view must be reference sections. They do not create a new section view. The Ref this view option is always selected and cannot be cleared. Hiding the Section Annotation Symbol You can hide the annotation line and bubble from the current view by selecting the annotation, right-clicking, and choosing Hide Annotation in View from the popup menu. The annotation is visible when you place the cursor near it and highlight it. To display the annotation again, highlight it and select it. Right-click and choose Show Annotation in View. Displaying a SectionView There are several ways to display a section view. ■ Select it from the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. ■ Double-click the section head ■ Select the section line, right-click on it, and choose Go to View from the pop-up menu Changing the Section Head Several new section head families are available for Revit Structure. They include Section Head - 1 point Filled, Section Head - Filled, and Section Head - no arrow. 1 From the File menu, choose Load Family From Library. 2 Under the Library folder, double-click the Annotations folder to open it and select one or more of the new section head families. Click Open to load the families. 3 Click Section from the View tab of the Design Bar. 4 Click Properties. 5 From the Element Properties dialog, click Edit/New. 6 If desired, click Duplicate to create a new section type and give it a name. 7 Click the drop-down menu under Value next to Section head. Select from the newly loaded section head families. 8 Click OK twice to save your changes. Changing Section Properties 1 Select the section line. 2 Click Properties. 3 Edit Type or Instance properties as desired. See “Instance and Type Properties” on page 309. 4 When you finish changes, click OK. 428 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 457. NOTE You cannot modify the Detail Number and Sheet Number properties for a section. Those values are automatically filled in when the section view is added to a sheet. SectionType Properties Each section has type properties for section tags, callout tags, and reference labels. You can define the look of section tags and callout tags through the View Tags command on the Settings menu. The Reference Label parameter sets the text displayed next to the section bubble when the section is a reference section. Resizing Crop Region The crop region defines the boundaries for the view. You can turn the crop region on or off and resize the bottom, left, and right edges of the crop region by dragging one of the blue controls. Finding ReferringViews The Find Referring Views command locates all views where the generating element is visible. This command is available in both the Project Browser and the document window. Finding aView Symbol 1 In the project browser, right-click the view in which you want to find the generating object. You can also open the view and right-click the document window. 2 Click Find Referring Views. 3 In the Go To View dialog, select a view. 4 Click Open View. The view opens with the view symbol selected for easy visibility. Walkthrough Creating and Editing Walkthroughs A walkthrough is a camera that follows a path that you define. The path comprises frames and key frames. A key frame is a user-modifiable frame where you can change the direction and position of the camera. By default, walkthroughs are created as a series of perspective views, but you can also create them as orthographic 3D views. Creating a Walkthrough Path 1 Open a view in which to place the walkthrough path. Typically, the view is a plan view, but you can also make a walkthrough in other views, including 3D, elevation, and section. 2 On the View menu, click New ➤ Walkthrough, or click Walkthrough on the View tab of the Design Bar. 3 If desired, clear the Perspective option from the Options Bar to create a walkthrough as an orthographic 3D view. Also select a view scale for the 3D view. 4 Place the cursor in a view, and click to place a key frame. 5 Move the cursor in the desired direction to draw the path. Section Type Properties | 429
- 458. 6 Click again to place another key frame. You can place key frames anywhere you want, but you cannot change their position during creation of the path. You can edit the key frames after finishing the path. See “Editing the Walkthrough Path” on page 430. 7 If you are in a plan view, you can vary the height of the camera by offsetting it from a selected level. Type a height in the Offset text box and choose a level from the Level drop-down menu. This can give you the effect that the camera is going up a flight of stairs. 8 To finish the walkthrough path, you can: ■ click Finish from the Options Bar ■ double-click to end the path ■ press ESC ■ click the Modify tool After you finish placing camera key frames, Revit Structure creates a walkthrough view under the Walkthrough branch of the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. Revit Structure assigns the name Walkthrough 1 to the view. A walkthrough path might look something like this. Walkthrough path in plan view. Red dots indicate key frames Editing the Walkthrough Path 1 If you click away from the path, the path is no longer selected and is not visible in the view. To restore selection of the path, right-click on the walkthrough view name in the Project Browser and choose Show Camera. 2 To move the entire walkthrough path, use either the Move command, or click Modify and drag the path with the cursor. See “Move” on page 299. 3 To edit the path, click Edit Walkthrough from the Options Bar. You can choose which control in the path you want to edit from the drop-down menu. Controls affect position and direction of the camera. Dragging the Camera to a New Frame 1 From the Controls drop-down menu, choose Active Camera. 2 Drag the camera along the path to the desired frame or key frame. The camera snaps to key frames. 3 You can also type the frame number in the Frames text box. 4 While the camera is active and located at a key frame, you can drag the target point of the camera and the far clip plane. If the camera is not at a key frame, you can only change the far clip plane. Changing the Walkthrough Path 1 From the Controls drop-down menu, choose Path. The key frames become controls along the path. 2 Drag a key frame to the desired location. Notice that the value in the Frames text box stays constant. 430 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 459. Adding Key Frames 1 From the Controls drop-down menu, choose Add Key Frame. 2 Place the cursor along the path, and click to add a key frame. Removing Key Frames 1 From the Controls drop-down menu, choose Remove Key Frame. 2 Place the cursor on an existing key frame on the path, and click to remove it. Editing Walkthrough Frames 1 Click the Walkthrough frame edit button from the Options Bar. The Walkthrough Frames dialog has five columns that show the frame properties: ■ The KeyFrame column displays the total number of key frames in the walkthrough path. Click a key frame number to display where that key frame appears on the walkthrough path. A camera icon displays at the selected key frame. ■ The Frame column displays the frame at which the key frame displays. ■ The Accelerator column displays numerical controls for changing the speed of the walkthrough playback at a specific key frame. ■ The Speed column displays the speed at which the camera travels along the path at each key frame. ■ Elapsed Time displays the amount of time that has elapsed since the first key frame. 2 By default, there is a uniform speed at which the camera travels along the entire walkthrough path. You can change the speed by increasing or decreasing the total number of frames or by increasing or decreasing the number of frames per second. Enter the desired value for either. 3 To change the accelerator value for key frames, clear the Uniform Speed check box, and enter a value for the desired key frame in the Accelerator column. Valid values for the Accelerator are between .1 and 10. Cameras Along Path To help you visualize the distribution of frames along the walkthrough path, select Display intermediate camera indicators. Enter a value for the increment at which you want to see camera indicators. ResettingTarget Points You can move the position of the camera's target point at a key frame, for example, to create the effect that the camera is looking side to side. To reset the target points back to following the path, click Reset Directions and click OK. Displaying WalkthroughView During Edits As you are editing the walkthrough path, you may want to see the results of your changes on the actual view. Click Open Walkthrough to open the walkthrough view. Playing and Exporting Walkthroughs Several commands are available on the Options Bar to control playback of a walkthrough while you are editing it. See “Editing the Walkthrough Path” on page 430. Controlling Playback ■ Click to move the camera position back one key frame. ■ Click to move the camera position back one frame. Playing and Exporting Walkthroughs | 431
- 460. ■ Click to move the camera position forward one frame. ■ Click to move the camera position forward one key frame. ■ Click to move the camera from its current frame to the last frame. ■ To stop play back, click Cancel next to the Progress Bar or press ESC. Click Yes at the prompt. Exporting to an AVI File 1 Open the walkthrough view. 2 From the File menu, choose Export, AVI... The Save As dialog displays. 3 Accept the default output file name and path or browse to a new location and type a new name. 4 Under Output Length, specify to include all frames of the walkthrough or a frame range. 5 Under Format, set the Display Mode and Pixel Dimensions to the desired values and click Save. NOTE If you choose AccuRender as the display mode, you are prompted to choose a render scene. See “Rendering Scene Setup” on page 543. 6 If desired, choose a video compressor from the list of compressors you have installed on your computer. 7 Click OK. 8 To stop recording the AVI file, click Cancel next to the progress indicator at the bottom of the screen or press ESC. Legends A legend view is a view in which you define symbols for views on a sheet or for your entire project. You can add dimensions to legend symbols. Legends typically look like tables with one column for graphic symbols and one column for explanatory text. Unlike views, legends can be added to multiple sheets. Some typical legends include: ■ Annotation Legend: Displays sheet annotations such as section heads, level markers, spot elevation marks, elevation symbols, keynote symbol, revision tag, element tags, and other symbols that do not represent model objects. Each symbol has an associated piece of descriptive text. All symbols are shown at printed size. ■ Model Symbol Legend: Displays symbolic representations of model objects with some descriptive text. ■ Line Styles Legend: Displays a line in a selected line style and text identifying what that line style represents on drawings. ■ Materials Legend: Displays a sample of a cut or surface pattern and text identifying the material associated with that pattern. ■ Phasing: Shows a section of wall drawn with a selected graphic override and identifying text. ■ Any elements that can be placed in drafting views such as detail lines, text, and filled regions. Creating a Legend 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Legend. A new view is created in which you can add symbols that are visible in that view only. The view displays under the heading Legends in the Project Browser. Model symbols are independent of the building model and have no effect on calculations in schedules. 432 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 461. 2 In the Project Browser, rename the view in a way that describes the symbols you are defining in. For example if you are defining wall types, the name might be Wall Types Legend. 3 Add the desired element symbols to the view: ■ You can drag model and annotation family types from the Project Browser into the legend view. They display as view-specific symbols in the view. ■ You can also add model family symbols by clicking the Legend Component command from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. After activating the Legend Component command, choose a model family symbol type from the Family menu on the Options Bar. Next, specify the view direction for the symbol. Some symbols have more options than others. ■ Annotation symbols can be added by clicking the Symbol command from the Drafting tab of the Design Bar. Choose an annotation type from the Type Selector and place the symbol in the view. Dimensioning Legend Components You can add dimensions to individual legend components. You add them using normal dimensioning techniques. If necessary, see “Dimensioning” on page 143 for more information. You can dimension to most lines within a legend component, however, you cannot dimension to host components, such as walls, ceilings, and floors. Likewise, you cannot dimension system family components within a legend. Dimensioning a legend component 1 Open a legend or start a new legend. Add the component you want to dimension. 2 On the Design Bar, click Dimension. 3 Add dimensions to the component using normal dimensioning techniques. Structural component legend with third wide-flange column dimensioned Dimensioning Legend Components | 433
- 462. LegendTips ■ Model and annotation symbols have parameters you can modify. Select the symbol and click . You can set the detail level, host length (if applicable), symbol type, and the view direction. By default, the symbol acquires its detail level from the view. If the model family type was created to show different geometry at varying detail levels, you can change the look of the model symbol by specifying different detail levels for the view or the symbol itself. ■ You can use legend views as graphical palettes. You can select legend components in the view and then use either Create Similar or the Match command to place them into other views. For more information on these tools, see “Match” on page 281 and “Create Similar” on page 297. ■ You can further modify legend components by turning off the visibility of subcategories in the view. For more information on category visibility, see “Visibility/Graphics” on page 461. Schedules/Quantities Schedules and Key Schedules The Schedule command creates both the schedule and a key schedule. A schedule is a type of view in Revit Structure. It is a tabular display of information, extracted from a project. This information is contained in the properties of certain components. A key schedule lists styles that you can predefine for use in the schedule; this makes it easy to automatically fill in fields in the schedule, rather than enter them every time by hand. Creating Schedules A schedule is a type of view in Revit Structure. It is a tabular display of information, extracted from a project. This information is contained in the properties of certain components. A schedule can list every instance of the type of element you are scheduling, or it can collapse multiple instances onto a single row based on the schedule's grouping criteria. After you create the schedule, it displays in a document window, and the schedule view displays in the list of views saved with the project. To view the schedule, choose it from the Project Browser. See “Using the Project Browser” on page 468. TIP If your schedule is too long to display in one window, you can resize it to improve viewing. See “Modifying Schedules” on page 440. You can create the schedule at any point of the design process. As you make changes to the project that affect the schedule, the schedule updates automatically to reflect the changes. You can add the schedule to a drawing sheet, just like elevation and plan views. Revit Structure can export a schedule to another software program, such as a spreadsheet program. See “Exporting Schedules” on page 438. You have several choices available for formatting the look of the schedule. You can: ■ specify the order and type of properties to display ■ create totals ■ create your own user-defined properties ■ apply phases to a schedule. Creating the Schedule 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Schedule/Quantities or click Schedule/Quantities on the View tab of the Design Bar. 434 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 463. 2 In the New Schedule dialog, select a component from the category pane, for example columns. The Schedule name text box automatically fills in. 3 Select Schedule building components. Do not select Schedule keys. See “Creating Key Schedules” on page 439. 4 Set the phase. 5 Click OK. 6 From the Schedule Properties dialog, select the parameters in the Available fields: pane you wish to set and then click Add to add them to the Scheduled fields: pane. 7 Click OK when finished. Schedule PropertiesTabs After you have specified the type of schedule you want, you need to specify how you want the schedule to appear and what information you want on the schedule. NOTE The description of these tabs are applicable for Note Blocks and Drawing Lists. FieldsTab The Fields tab lists the available headings you can add to the schedule. ■ Click a name in the Available fields: box and then click Add to add it to the Scheduled fields box. The order of the headings in the Scheduled fields box is the order in which they appear in the schedule. ■ To remove a name, select it from the Scheduled fields box and click Remove. ■ Click Move Up or Move Down to move a heading up or down in the list. ■ To add your own custom field, click Add Parameter and choose whether to add a project parameter or shared parameter. For more information, see “Shared Parameters” on page 404. ■ To change custom fields, click Edit and in the Parameter Properties dialog, enter a new name for the field. Click Delete to delete a custom field. When prompted to confirm the deletion, click yes. ■ To create a field whose value is calculated from a formula based on other fields in the schedule, click Calculated Value. Enter a name for the field, set its type, and enter the formula for it using existing fields in the schedule. For example, if you wanted to calculate an occupancy load based on the area of a room, you could add a custom field called Occupancy Load that is calculated from the Area field. Formulas support the same mathematical functions as in the Family Editor. For more information on creating formulas, see “Using Formulas for Numerical Parameters” on page 69. Click OK when completed. The new calculated field displays under the Scheduled fields list. ■ To create a field that is a percentage of another field, click Calculated Value. Enter a name for the field, set its type to percentage, and enter the name of the field to take a percentage of. By default, percentages are calculated based on the total for the entire schedule. If you set grouping fields in the Sorting/Grouping tab, you can choose one of those fields here. For example, if you group a room schedule by level, you can display what percentage of the total area of the level the room occupies. ■ To add room parameters to a non-room schedule, click a room value from the Select available fields from menu. This changes the list of fields in the Available fields box to a list of room parameters. You can then add those room parameters to the list of scheduled fields. ■ Linked elements from RVT files can be included in schedules of model elements, such as doors, rooms, and walls, and in drawing lists. They are not supported for note blocks, view lists, and key schedules. To include elements from linked RVT files, select Include elements in linked files on the Fields tab. All fields that are available for elements in the host project are available to linked elements. The behavior of some fields for linked elements is different. Family, Type, Family and Type, Level, and Material become read-only text. You cannot change their values for linked elements, or for the same elements in the host project. You also cannot filter a schedule using these parameters. Linked file schedules can include Project Information parameters. This can help you identify the project in which the linked elements exist. On the Fields tab, click Project Information from the Select available fields from menu. Add the desired Project Information parameters. These parameters get their values from either the linked or the host project. Creating Schedules | 435
- 464. TIP To include project parameters and area schemes from the linked RVT file into the host RVT file, copy a schedule in the linked RVT file that is on a sheet and that has the desired project parameters or area schemes. Next, paste that schedule onto to a sheet in the project. This brings the project parameters and area schemes into the host project and allows you to schedule them. If you have already loaded the link into the host project, unload the link first, and then copy/paste the schedule into the host project to see the parameters and area schemes. FilterTab The Filter tab includes options to restrict what elements display in single and multi-category schedules, view lists, drawing lists, and note blocks. You can set up to four filters in the filter tab, and all filters must be satisfied for an element to display. You use displayed scheduled fields as filters. You can also use non-displayed scheduled fields, by setting the field as Hidden in the Formatting tab. Many types of scheduled fields can be filters. The types include text, number, integer, length, area, volume, yes/no, level, and key schedule parameters. Filtering is not supported for these scheduled fields: ■ Family ■ Type ■ Family and Type ■ Area Type (in area schedules) ■ From Room, To Room (in door schedules) ■ Material parameters Sorting/GroupingTab The Sorting/Grouping tab sorts and groups the rows of the schedule. It also lets you change the display of the schedule between groups. Sorting places all rows together without headers, footers, or blank lines between them. You can sort by any of the fields in your schedule, except Count. Grouping Options Grouping adds headers, footers, and blank lines to sorted rows. Note that if you do not sort the rows, then you cannot group them. ■ Select Header to add the sorting parameter as a header for the group. ■ Select Footer to add footer information below the group. When you select Footer, a drop-down menu becomes enabled offering different choices of information to display. ■ Title, count, and totals: Title shows the header information. Count shows the number of elements in the group. Both title and count appear left justified below the group. Total shows the subtotal below a column that can have a total. Examples of columns having subtotals are Cost and Count. You add these columns using the Formatting tab. ■ Title and totals: Displays title and subtotal information. ■ Count and totals: Displays both count values and subtotals. ■ Totals only: Displays subtotals only for those columns that can have them. ■ Select Blank Line to insert a blank line between groups. GrandTotals Select Grand Totals to display the sum of the elements from all the groups. Grand totals also displays the sum of any columns with subtotals. 436 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 465. When you select Grand Totals, a drop-down menu appears with the same formatting choices as the Footer. Instance Display Select Itemize every instance to display all instances in the schedule in separate rows. This creates an instance schedule. If you clear this option, multiple instances collapse to the same row based on the sorting parameter. If you do not specify a sorting parameter, all instances collapse to one row. FormattingTab The Formatting tab includes commands for changing the appearance of the schedule view: ■ Under Fields, click a name to display it in the Column heading box. This is the title that appears above the column in the schedule. If desired, you can change this name directly in the Column heading box. ■ In Alignment, select left, right, or center to align the text in the rows under the column heading. ■ In Heading orientation, select Horizontal or Vertical. This option sets the orientation of the column heading on a sheet only. ■ If the schedule includes length, area, volume, angle, or number fields, you can format their appearances: 1 Select the numerical field from the list. 2 Click the Format button. The Format dialog appears. The Use project settings option is selected by default. This means that the value displays according to the Units setting in the project. See “Project Units” on page 532. 3 Clear the Use project settings option. 4 From the Units drop-down menu, select an appropriate unit. 5 From the Rounding drop-down menu, select an appropriate value. If you choose Custom from the menu, enter a value in the Rounding increment text box. 6 If applicable, select a Unit suffix from the drop-down menu. 7 Click OK. NOTE Fields of type Number have formatting choices of General, Fixed, and Percentage. General means the value is displayed with up to 6 decimal places and trailing zeros are removed. Fixed means you can specify the rounding and trailing zeros are kept. Percentage means the value is multiplied by 100 and a percent sign (%) is placed next to the value. ■ Select Calculate Totals to display subtotals for a numerical column in a group. This setting is available only for fields that can be totaled, such as room area, cost, count, or room perimeter. Note that if you clear the Grand Totals option in the Grouping tab, no totals display. ■ Select Hidden field to hide any field in the schedule. This option is useful if you want to sort the schedule by a certain field without actually showing the field in a column. TIP You can show or hide any columns while in the schedule view. To hide a column, select a cell in the column and then right-click. From the pop-up menu, choose Hide Column(s). To display all hidden columns, right-click in the schedule view and choose Unhide All Columns. AppearanceTab The Appearance tab includes commands for changing the appearance of the schedule view added to a sheet. ■ Select Grid lines to display grid lines around the rows of the schedule. When you select the grid lines option, a menu listing different line styles becomes enabled. You can choose a line style for the grid lines from this menu. This sets the grid line style for the entire schedule, unless you override with other settings listed below. Creating Schedules | 437
- 466. ■ If Grid lines is selected, you can select Grid in headers/footers/spacers to extend vertical grid lines between columns into these areas. ■ Select Outline and then click a line style from the menu to display a border style around the schedule segment that is different from the grid line style. Note that if you clear this option, but Grid lines is selected, the grid line style still displays around the border. ■ For Header text you can select a font, font size and bold or italic attributes. ■ Select Title to display the title of the schedule. To create a different line style under the title, select Underline and then click the line style from the menu. ■ Select Column headers to display the scheduled fields as column titles. To create a different line style under the column headers, select Underline and then click the line style from the menu. ■ Select Blank row before data to insert a blank row before the data rows. This option affects both the schedule segment on the sheet and the schedule view. ■ For Body text you can select a font, font size, and bold or italic attributes. To change the look of the text after you create the schedule and add it to a sheet, right-click on the schedule name in the Project Browser. From the pop-up menu, choose Properties. In the Instance properties list, click Edit next to Appearance. Applying a Phase to a Schedule 1 In the Project Browser, click the schedule name. 2 Right-click and choose Properties. 3 Set a value for the Phase and Phase Filter parameters. 4 Click OK. ScheduleTips ■ Mouse-wheel scrolling is available in schedule views. Move the mouse wheel to scroll vertically. Hold SHIFT and move the wheel to scroll horizontally. ■ You can select an element in a non-schedule view by clicking in a cell in a schedule. This works best if you are tiling windows. To change the non-schedule view to see the element more clearly, click Show from the Options Bar in the schedule view. After you click the Show button, the Show Elements in View dialog opens. You can continue to click Show in this dialog to open other views that show the element. Exporting Schedules Revit Structure exports schedules to spreadsheet programs. To export a schedule, first save it as a delimited text file and then open that file in the spreadsheet program. 1 Create a schedule for your project, such as room finish or room area schedule. 2 While in the schedule view, choose Export, Schedule from the File menu. 3 In the Export dialog, specify a name and directory for the schedule. Click Save. Revit Structure saves the file as delimited text, a format that can be opened in spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel or Lotus® 123. The Export Schedule dialog appears. 4 Under Schedule appearance, select the different options for displaying the schedule in a spreadsheet: ■ Export column headers: specifies whether Revit Structure column heads are exported to the output file ■ One row: Only the bottom column header is exported. 438 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 467. ■ Multiple rows, as formatted: All column headers are exported, including grouped column header cells. ■ Export group headers, footers, and blank lines: specifies whether group header rows, footers and blank lines are exported to the output file. 5 Under Output options, choose how you want to display the data in the output file: ■ Field delimiter: specifies whether fields in the output file are separated by tabs, spaces, commas, semi-colons, or a user-defined separator ■ Text qualifier: specifies whether the text in each field of the output file should be enclosed by a single or double quote or no annotation 6 Click OK. Revit Structure creates the text file. You can now open the file in a spreadsheet program. Creating Key Schedules Schedules can comprise multiple items that have the same characteristics. A room schedule in particular might have 100 rooms with the same floor, ceiling, and base finishes. Rather than having to enter all that information by hand into each of the 100 rooms in the schedule, Revit Structure allows you to conveniently define keys that can automatically fill in information. If a room has a defined key, then as that room is added to a schedule, fields in the schedule automatically update, reducing the time required to produce the schedule. Keys are defined and listed in Key Schedules. Key schedules look very similar to component schedules, except you define them to your specifications. When you create a key, it becomes part of the instance properties of the element. If you display that element's properties, you will see the new key name. When you apply a value for the key, then the key's attributes are applied to the element. Creating a Key Schedule 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Schedule. 2 In the New Schedule dialog, select the schedule key category. For example, select rooms. 3 Select Schedule keys. 4 Revit Structure automatically fills in the Key name. This is the name that appears among the element's instance properties. If desired, enter a new name. 5 Click OK. 6 In the Schedule Properties dialog, add the fields that will be predefined for the style. For example, add ceiling finish, floor finish, and base finish. 7 Click OK. The key schedule opens. It looks similar to a component schedule. See “Creating Schedules” on page 434. 8 On the Options Bar, click New next to Row: to add new rows to the table. Each row creates a new value for the key. For example, add five rows to create five key values. 9 Fill in the appropriate information for each of the key values. Applying a Key to an Element 1 Select the element that has a predefined key. For example, you might select a room tag in a plan view. 2 Click Properties. 3 Under the Instance properties, look for the key name, for example, Room Style. 4 Click in the Value box for the property and choose a name from the drop-down menu. When you apply the new style, read-only properties appear in the list of instance parameters. These properties are the same ones defined in the reference table. Creating Key Schedules | 439
- 468. Applying the Key to a Schedule 1 Create a schedule for the appropriate element, such as a room schedule. See “Schedules and Key Schedules” on page 434. 2 Include in the scheduled fields the key name you created. For example, if you created a key name called Room Style, add this key to the schedule. 3 In the schedule, select values for the newly added key. For example, if the key is called Room Style, you add values for it by choosing them from the drop-down menus that appear under the key heading. Scheduled fields update automatically with the information you defined in the key schedule. If you edit and modify any values in the key schedule, they will update automatically in the component schedule. When you apply a key value to a schedule row, you cannot modify any fields defined in the key schedule. Creating MaterialTakeoff Schedules Revit Structure allows you to create family assemblies that contain multiple materials. A typical wall schedule might contain fields in the schedule such as the family and type, assembly description, width, and length of the wall. For example, if you placed 4 concrete walls, a wall schedule would contain a listing of each concrete wall, the width of the overall wall, and the length of each wall. It would give you an assembly description, but not the actual sub-components or materials of that wall. For instance, the concrete wall may contain a vapor barrier. This would not be listed in a general wall schedule, only the overall parent assembly would be listed, such as 10 feet of concrete wall. Material takeoff schedules are a special type of schedule that allow you to create listings of all the sub components or materials of any Revit Structure family. They are just another type of Revit Structure schedule. They have all the functionality and characteristics of any other schedule view. However, they allow you to show more detail about the assembly. Any material that is placed in a component within Revit Structure can be scheduled. Creating a MaterialTakeoff Schedule 1 Click View menu ➤ New ➤ Material Takeoff. 2 In the Material Takeoff dialog, click a category for the material takeoff schedule. 3 Click OK. 4 In the Material Takeoff Properties dialog, select the material attributes from the Available fields list. 5 Optionally, sort and group, or format the schedule. See “Schedule Properties Tabs” on page 435. 6 Click OK to create the material takeoff schedule. The material takeoff schedule displays and the view is listed in the Project Browser under the Schedules/Quantities category. Modifying Schedules There are various ways to modify schedules to improve the readability and to keep them up to date with changes in your project. Updating Schedules All schedules update automatically when you modify the project. For example, if you move a wall, the square footage updates in a room schedule accordingly. Changing the properties of building components in the project updates the associated schedule. You can also edit a property by selecting the field in the schedule and entering a new value. This changes the schedule and also that component type in the project. You can also apply a phase to a schedule. See “Applying a Phase to a Schedule” on page 438. EditingText in Cells You can edit the cells in a schedule by clicking in them. You can either select a value from a drop-down menu (if available) or type in text. As you add new values, they become available in that field's drop-down list. 440 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 469. To enter carriage returns in a text cell, press CTRL+ENTER. Note that you do not see the carriage return immediately. You see it when you place the schedule on a sheet. For schedules grouped by type, changes to a type are propagated to all instances of that type within the project. Modifying ScheduleTab Settings Once a schedule is created, you can modify the different tabs by activating the schedule view and choosing View Properties from the View menu. Click the Edit button next to each tab name in the Element Properties dialog; this will open the Schedule Properties dialog. You can then modify these tabs as you did when creating the schedule. See “Schedule Properties Tabs” on page 435. Grouping Column Headings After you create your schedule, you may want to change its organization and structure by grouping columns. Revit Structure makes it possible to create several layers of headings and subheadings to provide more detail in your schedule. 1 Open a schedule view. If necessary, create the schedule. See “Schedules and Key Schedules” on page 434. 2 In the group header rows, select the headings you wish to group. Be sure the cursor appears as an arrowhead as you select the headings. Selected group headings from a room schedule 3 On the toolbar, click Group or right-click and choose Group Headers from the pop-up menu. A new heading row appears above the grouped column headings. Text in the new heading row is justified center. TIP If you wish to delete the new Column Heading row, click the cell and click Ungroup, or right-click in the cell and choose Ungroup Headers. Editing Column Headings Column group headings are modifiable. Click the heading field to edit the text. Deleting Schedule Rows Click the appropriate row in the schedule. Click Delete from the Options Bar. NOTE The New command on the Options Bar creates new rows. It is available only with room schedules and key schedules. Reusing ScheduleViews Schedule formatting can be saved as a view template and applied/reused in another project. Templates can be applied to selected schedules or to all schedules on selected sheets. By default, new schedules can be based on a template through a setting on the Select View Template dialog. Saving ScheduleViews to an External Project Use the following procedure to save the format of a schedule view to an external Revit Structure file for use in another Revit Structure project. 1 Right-click the view name in the Project Browser, and click Save to New File. 2 In the Save as dialog enter a name for the file, and click Save. This saves the formatting of the schedule, but not the actual scheduled components. Inserting ScheduleViews from Another Project 1 Click File menu ➤ Insert from file ➤ Views. Reusing ScheduleViews | 441
- 470. 2 Select a Revit Structure project that contains the views you want to insert, and click Open. All the views that are saved with the project display in the Insert Views dialog. 3 Select the views to display from the drop-down list. 4 Check the views you would like to insert, and click OK. A new schedule view is created in the Project Browser with all the saved formatting of the original schedule, plus all the added parameter fields that may have been customized for that schedule. Foundation Footings Example In this example, a footing schedule is created. The following illustration is used for the example. Sample structural foundation plan used for creating schedule 1 On the View menu, click New ➤ Schedule/Quantities. 2 In the New Schedule dialog, select Structural Foundation for Category. 3 In the Name text box, type Foundation Schedule. 4 Click OK. 5 In the Schedule Properties dialog, add the following available fields in this order to the Scheduled Fields list box. The fields will appear in this order: Type, Length, Width, Volume, Count, Comments. 6 Click the Sorting/Grouping tab. 7 Set the first Sort by list box to Type. 8 Turn off Itemize by instance. 9 Click OK. 10 You may add this schedule to a sheet. See “Adding a Schedule to a Sheet” on page 489. Graphical Column Schedules Structural Columns are identified in a Column Schedule by intersecting grid lines and by their top and bottom constraints and offsets. They are placed into the Column schedules according to these identifications. 442 | Chapter 12 ProjectViews
- 471. To view the Structural Column Schedule of a Project, select New in the View menu and choose Graphical Column Schedule. A new view is created and this view will appear in the Project Browser. Columns identified by intersections with splicing and base plates visible NOTE In order for a column to appear in a column schedule, a grid intersection must identify a column in a model. That is, the column must be located at a grid intersection. View Parameters of Graphical Column Schedules Many of the parameters for graphical column schedules can be edited directly in the Element properties dialog. You can adjust which columns are displayed, add titles to rows, and edit the appearance of text and the grid. You must have a graphical column schedule open in your project in order to adjust its view parameters. DescriptionParameter Name This read-only parameter displays the total number of column locations on the schedule.Total Column Locations Defines the number of column locations per row. The default setting is 50.Column Location Per Segment Groups similar column locations in the view. Column locations are similar if there is a one-to-one correspondence between columns. Columns are considered similar if they have the same: type, top and bottom levels, offsets, material types, symbolic representation types, and phasing graphics. Group Similar Locations Clicking on the Grid Appearance Edit button opens the Graphical Column Schedule Properties dialog. The Grid Appearance Tab is automatically selected and displays five parameters for adjusting the Horizontal Widths and Vertical Heights of the grid. You can adjust the Horizontal Widths of both the Column Locations and Level Names. You can adjust the Vertical Heights of the space above the Top Level, below the Bottom Level, and between the Segments. Once you have made the proper adjustments to the Grid Appearance, click OK twice to exit. Grid Appearance View Parameters of Graphical Column Schedules | 443
- 472. DescriptionParameter Name Notice the locations that the various parameters can adjust. Clicking on the Text Appearance Edit button opens the Graphical Column Schedule Properties dialog. The Text Appearance tab is automatically selected. The text types used in a Graphical Column Schedule are: Title text, Level text, and Column Location text. The text types correspond to their placement on the Graphical Column Schedule. Here you can edit the properties of the text appearance included in the Graphical Column Schedule. Make the appropriate changes to the text appearance and click OK twice to exit the process. The changes made to your text appear instantly on the Graphical Column Schedule. Text Appearance Click on the Phase Filter drop-down list in order to select which phase of construction you’d like this GCS to get it’s data from. This can be left blank and the GCS will be generated from all of the columns throughout the project. Phase Filter Click on the Phase drop-down list in order to choose between the phases of construction