8 Useful Tips for

Revit Beginners
 INTRODUCTION
Autodesk Revit is a high-end BIM software that is used by industry
veterans and beginners alike. From architects to structural
engineers, designers to contractors, Revit is preferred by AEC
professionals all over the globe.

If you are starting with Autodesk Revit, things can get quite daunting
at times. Despite having a simple user interface and easy-to-learn
commands and tools, Revit can take years to master. Here are 8
useful tips to help you get started with Revit

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Begin with Avoid
small scale accidental
pilot projects double-Clicks

Don’t just
latch on free
components
Enable
work-
sharing 8
USEFUL TIPS FOR
Learn
keyboard
Never meddle
with backup
REVIT BEGINNERS
shortcuts settings

Ace Take
your object advantage of
selection skills model linking
1. BEGIN WITH SMALL-SCALE PILOT PROJECTS

If you are used to using other BIM software and are trying to transition to
Autodesk Revit or are beginning with BIM design, you need to sharpen
your learning curve. Don’t focus on advanced tools from the beginning. Create a bundle of pilot projects and
Instead, start with small scale projects and expand the scope, gradually. keep playing with your models to
improve your success rates and handle
Once you are acquainted with basic features and have set up your hands issues and failures. Nurture your projects
on your pilot templates, start leveraging advanced tools and features such and create a standard template that
as: would help you quickly learn the nuances
of BIM modeling over the years.
• Data and image visualization
• Virtual/Augmented reality technology
• Cloud backups and cloud-based tools
• Data sharing between different teams

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 2. DON’T JUST LATCH ON FREE COMPONENTS

Several equipment manufacturers and independent resources have started

providing Revit-compliant and ready-to-use components that can be embedded
in your BIM drawings. Though this saves time, you should not depend on such
components when you are starting. These components are created by
unassuming manufacturers who might not understand your project and work
scope.

Most often, these are not built using the same benchmarks you are used to. This
can lead to inconsistencies in the BIM model. Also, many times these free
resources are locked for customization, transforming your model into something
that you don’t want. So, always beware of the free resources and think several
times while adding a component in a BIM drawing, even when it seems simple.

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3. LEARN KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time. If you are thinking to
• Use SPACEBAR during placement to Flip/Rotate an object
build a long-term career in the BIM industry, you need to learn the
• Hold SHIFT key while executing a command to toggle
default Revit shortcuts by heart. As these shortcuts help you execute
orthogonal constraints
many useful commands, keeping them on the tips of your hand will
• Press ENTER key to repeat the last command you executed
help you speed up things.

Also, use custom command and shortcut feature of Revit to build your
own command. You can do so by heading over to User Interface Tab
and finding a command to assign a shortcut to it. Here are some useful
shortcuts to get you started:

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 4. ACE YOUR OBJECT SELECTION SKILLS

One of the biggest problems beginners face using Revit is to exercise control
over the objects they select while working on a crossing selection or window
with a mouse. Revit offers several selection methods to control the things you
want to select. One can use dedicated tools available at the bottom-right of the
screen.

• Select Links: You can turn this off to ensure you don’t select a link
mistakenly
• Select Underlay: Turning this off would lock the underlay element in its
position
• Select Pinned Elements: Turn this off when you don’t want to unpin an
element or investigate an element’s properties.
• Filter: Use this button to avoid selecting elements by mistake.

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5. AVOID ACCIDENTAL DOUBLE-CLICKS

Tackling the accidental double click issue on a component

family is essential for a beginner as it takes the user to the
family editor. To avoid this scenario, one should slow down
the mouse click speed or adjust internal Revit settings to
change the way double-click is treated. To do this, one can
go to the User Interface Tab and change the preferred
Double Click option for family out of the below-mentioned
options:

• Edit Type (Preferred for Beginners)

• Do Nothing
• Edit Family (Default but not Recommended)

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6. ENABLE WORKSHARING

Revit® allows multiple individuals to work on a single model at the

same time. You should make use of this feature to accelerate the pace To enable work sharing you need to head over to:
of model development.
Collaborate -> Manage Collaboration -> Collaborate
This will save your model on the network server. When a user opens
the model, it automatically gets saved to the local system and both
local and networked models get synchronized every 30 minutes.

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 By default, Revit saves 20 backup copies of any model in case
7. NEVER MEDDLE of any problem or data disaster. You should never lower the
number of backups as this will help you restore data in case
WITH BACKUP SETTINGS of an emergency.

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8. TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF
MODEL LINKING & CLOUD-BASED
WORKSHARING SYSTEM

Revit® allows linking models developed by third-party

consultants to a central model. These models are
updated whenever you receive a new version. You can
also import and link models with different file formats
such as .DWG i.e. used by Autodesk.

Also, if you don’t have a networked server for storing the central
model, you can use Collaboration for Revit- a cloud-based system
that uploads the central model on cloud. This can be used by
anyone from anywhere and improves communication and
collaboration for project success.

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 REVIT BEST PRACTICES

• Always keep your Revit software package updated. Quarterly minor

updates and annual updates come with critical patches and fixes for
better user experience.

• Use the same version of Revit throughout your company/team. Revit

is not backward compatible which can prove to be a hindrance for
streamlined communication in case you are not using the same
version.

• Never work directly on the central model without creating a local

copy. Always make sure to open any file from the File menu by
checking ‘Create New Local’ option.

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 FEATURED BLOGS

What is COBie? Guidelines for Outsourcing BIM What is Clash Detection in BIM?
How it is streamlining data collaboration Key Takeaways for AEC Professionals Process, Benefits and Future Scope in Modern
between AEC professionals Day AEC industry

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REVIEW CHECKLIST
FOR PERFECT DESIGN DRAWINGS
Review your design drawings to perfection with this easy to use
drawing checklist, made for Architects and Engineers.

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www.united-bim.com [email protected]

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