Introduction To Revit
Objective
The goal of this exercise is to design a furnished
apartment using Autodesk Revit.
Overview
Autodesk Revit is a Building Information Modeling
(BIM) software for architects, structural engineers,
building engineers, designers, and contractors. The
software allows users to design a building and its
components and share information about the design.
This allows for efficient planning, design, and
construction of buildings and other infrastructure.
To explore the Autodesk Revit platform, consider the
following prompt:
A design firm has contracted with New York City’s
Department of Housing Preservation and Development
to create new affordable housing units for the city's
residents. The firm has decided to model the units in
Autodesk Revit for approval.
Each unit in the apartment building must have the
following specifications:
A 350-400 ft2 floor plan layout of the entire
apartment
A bathroom with applicable furnishings, such as
a shower, toilet, and sink
A bedroom with applicable furnishings, such as a
bed, table, and desk
A kitchen with applicable furnishings
The apartment should be fitted with an entrance
and windows
Design Considerations
Maximize the living space in the apartment
Create a creative and coherent space
Make the apartment comfortable
The apartment does not have to be rectangular
Procedure
1. Sketch a solution to the design considerations
have the sketch approved by a
TA before opening Revit.
2. Open Revit 2025. It's crucial to use the most
up to date version! Select New, then
select Brose... and Default (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Revit 2025
3. There are four major sections used to create
and modify a design in Revit. The Quick
Access Toolbar is highlighted in red,
the Project Ribbon is highlighted in yellow,
the Properties panel is highlighted in green,
and the Project Browser panel is highlighted
in blue (Figure 2). If any of the sections are
accidentally removed from view, they can be
reinserted by going to View → User
Interface (rightmost icon) in the ribbon.
Figure 2: Revit Interface
4. Ensure the Properties panel is open by right-
clicking the project workspace and clicking
on Properties. If the Properties panel is not
visible, select View in the Project Ribbon,
select User Interface, and ensure the project
browser is selected.
5. In the ribbon, go to the Manage tab and
select Project Units (or type UN) under
the Settings section (Figure 3). Click
the Length value and select Feet and
fractional inches with rounding to the nearest
1/32 in. Click OK.
Figure 3: Project Units
6. Ensure the Properties panel is open by right-
clicking anywhere and clicking on Properties.
7. Select the Level 1 floor plan in the Project
Browser on the left side of the window by
double-clicking on Level 1 under Floor Plans.
8. Create the exterior walls by going to
the Architecture tab in the ribbon and
selecting Wall (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Wall Tool
9. Make sure the walls are 8 in thick (Generic
8")and 10 ft high (Unconnected Height 10').
The thickness and height of the walls can be
adjusted in the Properties panel (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Wall Properties
a. The Base Constraint changes where
the bottom of the wall is placed in
reference to the different levels.
b. The Base Offset adjusts the height
difference between the level and the
base of the wall.
c. The Top Constraint determines
where the top of the wall is located.
If the top constraint is unconnected,
then the Unconnected Height can be
used to determine a numerical value
for the height of the wall.
10. Outline the design with the exterior walls
and ensure the total area is between 350-400
ft2 before moving on.
11. Insert the interior walls (6 in thick and 10
ft high) within the walls for the bathroom and
any other walls. The thickness of the wall can
be changed in the drop-down menu in
the Properties panel (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Changing Wall Types
12. Insert the floor by using the Floor tool in
the Architecture tab of the ribbon and
selecting the boundary where the floor will be
placed. The boundary can be made by
selecting the walls or by creating individual
lines using Modify | Create Floor Boundary
→ Draw on the Project ribbon (Figure 7). To
complete the floor, click on the green
checkmark in the ribbon.
Figure 7: Create Floor Boundary
13. Insert doors and windows in the
apartment. Go to Insert → Load
Family → Doors/Windows for a wide range
of doors and windows (Figure 8). Doors
should be 3 ft wide and 7 ft tall (No
specifications for windows).
Figure 8: Load Family Tool
14. Go back to the Architecture tab of the
ribbon and select Door/Window (Figure 9)
and select the loaded door/window from
the Properties panel. They can then be placed
by clicking in the floor plan
Figure 9: Door and Window Tools
15. Once placed, the direction of the doors
and windows can be changed with the paired
arrows (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Door Direction Change
16. When loading furniture or appliances, go
to the Architecture tab of the ribbon and
select Component → Place a Component (or
type CM).
17. Furniture and appliances can be added
with the Load Family tool. Only the furniture
and appliances from the specifications must be
in the floor plan. Table 1 shows the File
Paths for all the files needed in this lab. In the
dialog that appears, the material in
the Override column should be changed.
Table 1: File Paths for all Furniture
Components File Paths
English → Plumbing → MEP →
Sink
Fixtures → Sinks
English → Plumbing → MEP →
Toilet
Fixtures → Water Closets
English → Plumbing → MEP →
Shower
Fixtures → Shower
Bed English → Furniture → Beds
English → Specialty Equipment →
Kitchenette
Domestic
Table English → Furniture → Tables
Desk English → Furniture → Tables
Door English → Door → Residential
15. Add furniture to the floor plan. The
components can be rotated before being
placed by pressing the spacebar.
16. Once the families are loaded, they can be
placed by going to Component → Place a
Component in the Architecture tab of the
ribbon and by switching in
the Properties tab (Figure 11).
Figure 11: Changing Component Families
17. To insert a ceiling or ceiling appliance,
select the Ceiling Plans in the Project
Browser. Go to Level 1 in the Ceiling
Plans (Figure 12).
Figure 12: Ceiling Plans
18. Use the Ceiling tool in
the Architecture tab of the ribbon to create
the ceiling (Figure 13).
Figure 13: Ceiling Tool
19. The ceiling is created with the same
method as the floor, by selecting a boundary
where the ceiling will be placed. The
individual walls can be selected to create the
boundary by creating a Sketch Ceiling tool,
or entire areas can be selected for the
boundary using the Automatic
Ceiling (Figure 14). Complete the ceiling
by clicking the green checkmark in the
ribbon.
Figure 14: Sketch Ceiling and Automatic
Ceiling Tools
20. Navigate back to the Level 1 floor plan in
the Project Browser. Insert the electrical
appliances in the apartment
using Architecture → Component on the
ribbon and using the File Paths provided in
Table 2.
Table 2: File Paths for Electrical Components
Components File Paths
US Imperial → Electrical → MEP
Light Switch → Electric Power → Terminals →
Lighting Switches
US Imperial → Lighting → MEP
Ceiling Light
→ Internal
21. For ceiling lights, go back to
the Level 1 Ceiling Plan in the Project
Browser. Select the lights that are to be
placed with the Component tool in
the Architecture tab. Once the lighting
fixture is selected, select Modify | Place
Component → Placement → Place on
Face tab of the ribbon to place the lights
on the ceiling (Figure 15).
Figure 15: Place on Face Tool
22. In the Quick Access Toolbar,
select Default 3D View (small house
icon) to view the project in 3D (Figure
16).
Figure 16: Default 3D View Tool
23. Save the file as an Autodesk Revit
File (RVT) file. Submit the RVT file on
the EG1004 website by 11:59 PM the
night before the next lab.