Revit Types

Introduction

In this article we'll explain you the basics of using Types. We'll show you how smart use of Types can help to easily create a correct higher level of detail. This example shows how it's done with walls, but for floors and roofs it's the exact same steps.

Creating Wall Types

To be able to create different kind of walls we can edit the actual Wall Structure. To be able to use different Walls, we create different Types.

We can edit the Structure of a wall by clicking Edit Type in the Properties window. The following window opens:

It is advised to create a duplicate of the current Type without editing the original. We click the Duplicate button and give the new Wall Type a logical name. Now we can start editing the structure. Next to Structure we click the edit button to enter the Edit Assembly window:

Here we can edit the different layers of a wall. Take a good look at the different functions of the different layers. Only give Structure[1] function to parts of the wall that are actually structural. That will make it easy to create the right connections between walls and floors for example. Everything outside the Core Boundary has the possibility to wrap around corners.

To actually change the look of a wall layer in plan view and sections, we need to set the right cut pattern. Clicking the material next to the layer shows a ... button.

Clicking the ... button opens the Material Window. Here we can change the look of the material in rendering, projection and when the material is cut. Surface Pattern is visible in elevations, the Cut Pattern in plan views and sections.

By giving all the layers their material, we can build up the correct wall type. Note that all objects using the same Material get the same Cut Pattern. If a different Cut Pattern is desired for the same Material a new Material has to be made.

Detail Levels

After changing the structure, we still have to change our Detail Level to actually see our wall structure.

The Detail Level in the Properties window has three possible settings: Coarse , Medium and Fine. For walls and floors, changing the Detail Level to Medium or Fine will show the cut patterns. Controlling the Detail Level also gives you the possibility to add more detail to windows for example. Depending on the view scale you either set elements to be viewed only in Coarse, Medium or Fine detail level.

Make sure to also change the View Scale in the Properties window according to the scale of the plan view or section. This will change the Line Weight in the drawing to the correct size.

Creating connections

Correctly using Types gives Revit the possibility to connect objects automatically. Make sure you have the Layer Functions in the Edit Assembly window of the Type set correctly (Structure[1], etc.). Now we have to overlap the different objects in order to give Revit the ability to correctly connect them. In this example we'll use a wall and a floor.

We'll have to extend the floor into the wall so that it ends right above the Structure Layer of the wall. To align the floor correctly to the Structure Layer of the wall, it is handy to set the Detail Level in the plan view to Medium or Fine, so the different layers of the wall are visible and we can snap to the edge of the Structure Layer.

After aligning the floor and the wall correctly, we go to the Modify tab and click (Join) in the Geometry section. Select the wall and the floor. Revit now connects the wall and floor correctly.

Note that the floor finish in this example does not cut the Structural part of the wall. This is because also in the floor a difference has been made between structural and non-structural parts. Revit joins the layers of objects according to their place inside or outside the core, their material and priority (the number between brackets after the layer name).