Creating and Adding Views to a Sheet in Revit

In Revit you can add one or more views to a sheet. It can be the following: Floor plans, schedules, site plans, legends, ceiling plans, sheet lists, elevations, 3D views, sections, detail views, drafting views, and rendered views. However, each view can only be placed on one sheet. If you need to place a view on multiple sheets, create duplicate views and place each one on a different sheet.

To create a sheet and add views to it do the following:

1.   Go to your project browser, right click "Sheets (all)" and select "New Sheet...". On the sheet selection, select the title block to be used or click "Load..." to browse for the one to be used. 

2.   To renumber and edit the name of the sheet, select it first then click it or right click and select "Rename...".

3.   To add a view to the sheet, right click on the sheet and select "Add View..." From the drop down Views List, select the desired view. It could be anything from the list mentioned above.

4.   Once you have selected a view, move the cursor over the sheet in the drawing area and click to place it in the desired position. 

5.   To add multiple views to the same sheet repeat Steps 3 and 4.

6.   You can align or move the views as desired by selecting and dragging them. If you want a precise placement you can align the views to grid lines by turning on/creating a grid guide under the view tab.

How to Link One Revit Model to Another

Linking a Revit file to one another is a straight forward process. It is similar to xrefing in AutoCAD.
Follow the simple steps below to effortlessly link your Revit files:

1. While you have your Revit model open, go to the "Insert Tab" on the Revit ribbon and select "Manage Links".



2. When the "Manage Links" dialogue window pops up select the "Add.." button to browse to the linked file location.

3. Once you located the linked file, select "Auto - Internal Origin to Internal Origin" for positioning, which is the best option most of the time. Then click "Open" to link the file.

4. Click "Ok" on the "Manage Links" window to close the dialogue box.

5. Now the linked file should be located at the origin in your model. You can type "ZF" to zoom out to display all visible objects in your model.

6. To remove the linked file, go back to the "Insert Tab" and select "Manage Links". Select the linked file within the dialogue window and click "Remove". You can also click "Unload" to remove the file temporarily if you plan on reusing it later. It will unload the file from your model but will keep the location. That would save you time from having to re-browse for the file later. You will just have to select "Reload" to reuse the linked file.

In conclusion, linking Revit files together is an intuitive process that streamlines collaboration and data management within your project. By following these simple instructions, you can easily integrate design changes from external sources across multiple models.

How to Import a Navisworks file to Revit

Navisworks is a global leader in 3D visualization, providing solutions to customers in architecture, engineering and construction.

The Navisworks software suite allows users to import different file formats into one centralized system. It helps visualize and manage data, coordinate projects, and create detailed reports. This software is compatible with many other programs like Revit or AutoCAD. Navisworks provides an interactive environment for viewing and interacting with large models as well as the ability to use 3D views in order to visualize your design.

The Navisworks application can be integrated with Revit to import files from this program. To import a Navisworks file in Revit do the following:

1. Go to the Insert tab panel and select the Coordination Model button. 
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3. Click the Add... button In the Coordination Model dialogue, and browse for the file. It should be in the format of .wc or .nwd. and click Open.
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5. Select the desired positioning option and click Ok. 
6. The linked Navisworks model will display in your current active view.
7. To make sure you do not accidently move it, you should pin it in place right away.
8. Now the linked file should be ready to be viewed or navigated within Revit. You can cut sections, rotate etc.

The import process is a one-time thing, so once the file is imported in Revit, you can save it and it will be available for future use. However, it cannot be edited inside Revit, it can only be used for viewing purpose only.

Import Text, Notes or Specifications in Revit

 Follow the steps below to import text, notes or specifications from AutoCAD into Revit:

1. First, you need to create a Drafting view for the import. Go to your "View" tab and select the "Drafting View" button.

2. Name the drafting view to whatever you want. Select the appropriate scale below.

3. Now open AutoCAD and select the text, note or specification that you want to import and make a WBLOCK out of it. Save it wherever you want then go back to Revit. You might want to change your text font to a true font type for a better viewing experience, for example Arial or Verdana font etc.

4. Go to the insert tab and select the "Import CAD".

 5. Browse to the folder where the Wblock file is saved. Select the following: "Black and white" for colors. Positioning "Auto - Origin to Internal Origin". Layers/levels "All". Import units "Auto-Detect".

6. Select "Open".

7. The text, note or specifications should be imported into your Revit file. You might need to zoom extend a little by simply typing "ZX" and you are all set.

Revit Snaps Settings

The snaps dialogue in Revit enables you to set which snaps points are active and set dimension increments displayed for both linear and angular dimensions, similar to the OSNAP settings in AutoCAD. The snap setting also displays all the keyboard shortcuts for each snap. You can use these shortcuts for a quick temporary override of the snaps.

To manage the Snap settings in Revit do the following:

1. Go to the Manage tab panel.
2. select the Snaps to open the snaps dialogue box.
3. Select or deselect any desired snap points. Please refer to the attached Figure 1 below.

Figure 1.

Revit Snaps Shortcuts

Shortcuts Oject Snaps         Descriptions

• SI       Intersections          Snaps to intersections.  
• SE      Endpoint                Snaps to endpoint of an element or component.  
• SC     Centers                  Snaps to the center of an arc.  
• SO     Snaps Off               Disables all snap settings.  
• SM     Midpoints               Snaps to to the midpoint of an element or component.  
• SN      Nearest                 Snaps to the neaerest element or component..  
• SP      Perpendicular        Snaps to perpendicular elements or components.  
• SQ     Quadrants              Snaps to quadrant points.  
• ST      Tangents                Snaps tangent to arc.   
• SW     Work Plane Grid    Snaps to a work plane grid.  
• SX      Points                    Snap to site points when editing points using the Move or Copy tool.  
• Tab Key     Cycle through snaps      Cycles through the available snap options.  
• Shift Key   Force Horizontal and Vertical    Force horizontal and vertical constraints.  

Creating Revit Sheets

Follow the steps below to create sheets for your project:

1.    In your Revit project browser,  click the View tab, then go to the Sheet Composition panel and select Sheet.

2.    When the New sheet menu pops up, select a title block if you already have one uploaded into your project. Otherwise, select Load to browse for a title block.. 

            a.   If you wish to create a new sheet without the title block just             select None. 

                          b.    Click OK.

3.    Enter the name and information in the title block for the sheet. 

4.    By default Revit assigns a sequence number to the sheet. You can do right click and rename it.

5.    From your project browser, right click on the sheet you just created and select Add view. 

6.    From the Add view dialogue, select your desired view and click Add view to sheet. Please refer to the adding views to a sheet in Revit tutorial.