Here is an article I wrote on some of the cool new features in Revit 2024. Most of the ones I featured are for Architects and Designers. There are a ton of new features for Structural and MEP as well... Enjoy!
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What’s New in Revit 2024
This document highlights some of the major updates in Revit 2024. If you would like to learn more about all of the new features in Revit 2024, please see the help section of Revit 2024 online:
https://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-C81929D7-02CB-4BF7-A637-9B98EC9EB38B
There are a huge number of new updates and enhancements in Revit 2024. Here are just some of the major highlights:
- Toposolids
- Revit Dark Theme
- Align Surface Patterns
- Cut Geometry Enhancements
- Search in Project Browser
- Schedule Revision Clouds
- Link Coordination Models
- Create Energy Analytical Model by Elements in a 3D View
- Textures Visual Styles
- Color Book Dialog
- My Insights on Revit Home
- User Interface Modernization
- New Sample Model and Project Templates
- Revit to Twinmotion Enhancements
- Place Multiple Views and Schedules
Toposolids
Toposolid elements represent the topography and site conditions of your model. Toposolids are created from imported CAD or CSV files. You can also create a toposolid by sketching a boundary and adding elevation points within the boundary. Toposolids support surface patterns of the assigned material and can be cut by other model geometry.
The Massing and Site Tab
The Massing and Site Tab has been revised. Toposurfaces have been killed and replaced by Toposolid. The Split/Merge surfaces tools are also gone. The Subregion tool has been replaced by Sub-Divide. The way you create site elements is completely different. See below…
New Toposolid Tool
The old toposurface tool was only a “surface” element. It had no depth, and you couldn’t set a thickness. I always wanted the toposurface to be more like a system family such as floors. Behold, the new toposolid tool works just like floors. Create your sketch in Sketchmode.
Use Modify Sub Elements in a similar way to Roofs and Floors. Add points at specific heights to create the slopes.
The points contextual menu is a bit different from the standard floors and roofs you are used to. This new menu has been available since Revit 2023.1, but most users didn’t notice. You can pick which origin point you want to use (Internal Origin, Project Base Point, or Survey Point). When adding a point, you can either pick Along Surface or Absolute Height.
You can still import a CAD or CSV file to automatically create the shape of the topography. This tool now works with concave site shapes.
You can modify the structure of the toposolid with materials of various thicknesses. Here are a few examples from Revit’s new default template:
That means you can create fun site elements (such as lakes) without using floors.
Create Toposolid from Toposurface
You can only access the old toposurface tool when opening models from earlier versions. When selecting a toposurface, use Generate Toposolid to convert to the new tool. The old toposurface remains; you’ll have to manually delete it. To be safe, you can keep it in the archives.
As a warning, when generating a toposolid, building pads are ignored completely and subregions are changed into subdivisions.
Subdivision on Toposolid
Subregions in Revit 2023 have been replaced by Sub-Divide. The base idea is the same: draw boundaries over the toposolid. Like sub-regions, you can extend the boundaries beyond the limit of the toposolid without receiving a warning.
Sub-Divisions are placed on top of the toposolid. You can then pick a material and set a thickness in the instance properties. Sub-Division has a thickness instance parameter. You cannot use a negative value or try to “recess” the subdivision into the toposolid. It must be a positive value.
There is another parameter called Inherit Contours. It allows you to decide if you want to see the contours on the subdivision or not. Activating this option doesn’t affect the geometry of the subdivision.
Mass Void Excavation Form
Building pads are gone. Instead, Autodesk recommends using the Massing tool to create void geometry. They allow you to create more complex shapes. In this example, we create a void shape for a parking driveway.
Contour Settings per Types
Each toposolid type can have different kinds of topography contours. In the type properties of a toposolid, you need to click on Contour Display.
You can decide to have a toposolid type with lots of contours. However, the contours are not visible when editing the points.
And maybe you want a water toposolid without any contours.
Cut Toposolid
The new toposolid can be cut using multiple categories, including walls, floors, other toposolid, structural foundations, etc.
In this example, the toposolid is cut to accommodate the foundation wall and footing.
The volume of the toposolid accurately reflects the subtraction of these elements.
Enable Slab Edges on Toposolid
You can use the Slab Edge feature on toposolids. This can be used to create curbs.
However, there is a big caveat! You cannot use this tool in subdivisions, or on very complex shapes. In the example above, you would like to place the slab edge on the subdivision, but Revit won’t allow it.
Split Toposolid
You can now use the Split tool on the new toposolid feature. Since toposolids are like floors, you can switch the composition entirely and have lakes, concrete pads, and other site components while keeping the original topography points. Be careful, though. Once the toposolids are split, you can’t merge them.
Lined Topography Becomes Toposolid
If you link a Topography from Civil 3D, you must now create a toposolid by picking a base level and a family type.
Enable Toposolid to Host Floor-based Family
You can use floor-based families in the new toposolid category.
Toposolid Graded Region
You can use the same Graded Region tool on toposolid. The workflow is simple: select the toposolid, use the Graded Region, then modify the toposolid in the “new” phase.
After you are done modifying the topography points, you should notice Net cut/fill values in the instance properties. These are quite helpful. Be careful: apparently, these values are not always accurate. If the sketch boundaries of the new toposolid are different, the calculated volumes will not be correct.
Point Visual Management for Slab Shape Editor
When you modify the Sub Elements of a toposolid, you can decide if you want a preview of all the topography points or not. Activate the preview this way:
You can see the difference when the option is active.
This feature is available not only with toposolid but also with floors and roofs.
Revit Dark Theme
Revit supports the dark theme for first level user interface, including the Properties Palette, Project Browser, Option Bar, View Control Bar, and Status Bar. You can also set the drawing area (canvas) theme to Dark or Light both from the ribbon and the Options dialog.
You can change the current drawing area theme from the ribbon using the Canvas Theme button under the View tab and select the desired theme: Light or Dark.
Align Surface Patterns
Use the Align tool to align surface patterns on shape-edited elements. Patterns can be aligned across the entire surface, or triangulated faces can be individually aligned.
Model patterns applied to a shape-edited element can be aligned with the Align tool. Use the controls on the contextual tab to specify whether the alignment applies across the entire surface or only applies to the face where the pattern line is selected. If the shape-edited surface contains ruled surfaces, the pattern may appear distorted.
Cut Geometry Enhancements
Additional categories have been enabled to allow cutting in the project environment.
The following categories/sub-categories can now be used to cut and be cut in the project environment:
- Toposolid
- Ceiling
- Floor
- Slab Edge
- Roof
- Fascia
- Gutter
- Roof Soffit
- Structural Foundations
- Walls
- Wall Sweeps
- Mass Void Form
Search in Project Browser
A search function is now available at the top of the Project Browser. The search starts automatically and updates relevant results as you type. The matched keywords are highlighted in the filtered list on all levels of the hierarchy in the Project Browser.
Schedule Revision Clouds
Quickly manage your revision cloud parameter information using revision cloud schedules. Create revision cloud schedules to better review and manage all the revision clouds in your project and see which view or sheet they belong to. This way, you can easily see each revision in your project and make modifications, or directly edit the schedule fields if necessary.
When creating a schedule, you can now pick revision clouds as a category. By default, you will only see three available fields: Comments, Mark, and Revision.
However, you can also use the dropdown menu to pick parameters from the Revision, the Views, the Sheets or the Project Information.
Here’s an example of our completed revision schedule:
In the “Comments” field, you can describe the nature of the revision. Or, you could add project parameters for additional information about each revision cloud. You can also select one of the rows and use the “Highlight in Model” tool to quickly see where the cloud is located.
Overall, this is a simple but greatly helpful addition to Revit. The benefits might be primarily for internal use, helping to control and validate the multiple revisions and keep track of all the clouds.
Link Coordination Models
Visually cross-check between models of various disciplines and phases of a project. In 3D views, visually compare collaboration models created in Revit or other modeling tools for coordination purposes. Link Navisworks files (NWD or NWC file) or link to file formats viewable in Autodesk Docs. You can link directly to views from Autodesk Docs without downloading the file to a local resource. Views linked from Autodesk Docs use permissions from the Autodesk Docs account to manage access, making it easier to use the collaboration workflow when IP protection is important. Coordination model views are lightweight representations that provide context for your Revit model.
Create Energy Analytical Model by Elements in a 3D View
Use a section box, view filters, or Visibility/Graphic Overrides to display elements in a 3D view and include only those elements when you generate the energy analytical model.
Textures Visual Styles
Use the new Textures visual style to apply the texture of render materials without lighting effects. When creating a presentation or view where you want to show the texture of a material but without lighting effects or rendering, use the Textures visual style. The Textures visual style applies the appearance asset of materials to elements in the model but lighting effects are not applied. The texture appears in an even value across all surfaces in the model.
Textures have the same lighting effect as the Consistent Colors style. However, it displays the texture images from the materials instead of the colors and line patterns. This style offers much better performance than the “Realistic” mode. This will be helpful to quickly test material textures and perhaps for presentation views as well.
Color Book Dialog
Specify colors using third-party color books or user-defined color books. Choose a color from the available color books to use in the Windows Color dialog.
My Insights on Revit Home
My Insights are delivered to Revit Home giving you insights on your software use and suggestions to improve your experience. My Insights brings data about your software use to Revit Home. Data is analyzed and personalized Insights are delivered which may help you improve your experience which may include:
- Application performance and file statistic reports
- Command summary usage report
- Command and feature recommendations
- Learning path tips
User Interface Modernization
Over 2000 icons were replaced with new modernized versions. These changes improved the visibility of contextual tabs and the Options Bar for both light and dark themes.
New Sample Model and Project Templates
Use the sample model to learn about features and workflows. The updated project templates make starting projects and developing your own templates easier.
The sample model is an example of a mixed-use project created using Revit. The model shows examples of how many elements are used to create a project. Examples of construction documents as well as coordinated structural, MEP, site, and point cloud files are included to provide a complete model.
Use the Help icons located through the model to learn about specific elements and workflows demonstrated with the model. Track your progress learning about the sample model with the "How Do I?" schedule included in the model.
Revit to Twinmotion Enhancements
Auto Sync functionality has been added to the Twinmotion drop-down menu. When enabled, Auto Sync supports automatic synchronization of changes from the active Revit model to the direct link connection in Twinmotion or Unreal Engine. A 3D view needs to be active to enable Auto Sync, which is then associated to that 3D view. Once Auto Sync is enabled while in a 3D view, all visible geometry in this view is automatically kept in sync.
Place Multiple Views and Schedules
Multiple views and schedules can be placed on a sheet at the same time by either dragging them from the Project Browser or selecting multiple items from the Select View dialog.
You can use the search functionality in the Select View dialog to easily find the views or schedules that you want to place on the sheet. After selection, views and schedules are positioned in a tiled manner on the cursor to allow an easier arrangement on the sheet.
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