Best Practices for Creating Architecture Drawings in Revit

[bparrish965]

Hello everyone,

As a professional architect, I am currently engaged in our first project utilizing Autodesk Revit. I am thrilled to delve into the software, but I do have a few inquiries regarding the best practices for creating architectural drawings in Revit. I would be grateful for any insights, tips, or recommendations based on your experience with the software.

- What are some key considerations when setting up the project in Revit for architecture drawings?
- Are there any specific strategies or workflows you follow to ensure accuracy and efficiency in creating architectural drawings?
- Are there any common challenges or issues you've encountered while working on architecture drawings in Revit, and how did you overcome them?
- Are there any useful plugins or add-ons that enhance the capabilities of Revit for creating architecture drawings?

Please feel free to share your thoughts, experiences, and any other tips or tricks you have found helpful when working with Revit for architecture drawings. I'm eager to learn from your expertise and improve my workflow.

Thank you in advance for your contributions!

[denis_borodin]

Welcome aboard =). Basic advice for your case: use good families and create high-quality 3d model from them (check clashes with other disciplines, make shedules, ...). If you will do this, you can easy get correct drawings from the model.

[mhiserZFHXS]

Welcome! 😊

You could write books on all of this stuff. And people have. Its hard to know where to start, because there is so much info that could be provided. It'd be easier if we had more info about what you were doing. What kind of project are you working on and what projects do you plan to work on in the future? Are you a one person show or are you part of a team?

In general, the hardest thing about Revit is figuring out what you don't know you don't know. Once you realize you don't know something, you can pretty easily find resources to learn about it. But if you don't even know that a functionality exists, then you can't really look it up. The best ways to get over this are experience, resources like YouTube, and this forum. Just try to read and watch as much as you can. I read this forum pretty much daily. I'm at the point where finding new things isn't a daily experience anymore, but it still happens somewhat frequently.

[RSomppi]

Take a course for Revit essentials to get the basics. Then do an advanced course. Revit is not user friendly and some things need to be done in a way that may not seem intuitive. Knowing the basics will help you through the learning curve tremendously.

Linked In Learning has some very good ones.

[Lachlan-JWP]

There are always multiple ways to do anything in Revit. Some are more "correct" than others and it'll often depend on who you ask.

Revit 2024 comes with an example project that has been created by some of the best users in the industry to exemplify best modelling practice. That would be a good resource to explore whenever you want to know how something is done.

[andrewssophia262]

Revit is a powerful software tool for architects, and using best practices can help ensure accuracy and efficiency in creating architecture drawings. Here are some key considerations and tips to enhance your workflow.

• Project Setup:

  • Consider scale, units, and coordinate system.
  • Define levels, grids, and drawing sheets.
  • Organize families, templates, and view templates.

• Model Organization:

  • Establish a clear naming convention and structure.
  • Use worksets for collaboration.
  • Utilize design options for alternative designs.

• Template Creation:

  • Develop customized templates aligned with standards.
  • Include predefined views, sheets, and settings.

• Detailing and Annotation:

  • Use Revit's annotation tools for dimensions, text, tags, and symbols.
  • Customize or modify families for specific detailing requirements.
  • Utilize detail components and lines for accuracy.

• Workflows and Standards:

  • Establish standardized modeling and documentation workflows.
  • Train staff for consistency and efficiency.

• Collaboration and Coordination:

  • Utilize Revit's collaboration features and cloud-based tools.
  • Regularly synchronize and reconcile the central model.

• Quality Control:

  • Implement a thorough review process.
  • Use Revit's auditing tools for error checks.
  • Conduct regular model checks for integrity.

By following these best practices, you can optimize your workflow and create accurate architecture drawings in Revit. Remember to adapt them to your specific project and office requirements.

[RSomppi]

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@andrewssophia262 wrote:

Revit is a powerful software tool for architects

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It's for many more people than that. MEP guy here.

[andrewssophia262]

Thank you for your input! You're absolutely right that these best practices can benefit professionals beyond just architects. MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) specialists can also apply these guidelines to enhance their workflow and improve the accuracy of their drawings in Revit. The key considerations and tips mentioned earlier can be valuable for MEP professionals as well. Feel free to adapt these practices to suit your specific needs and requirements in the MEP field.

[RSomppi]

Thanks but I'm already producing quality documents using established best practices and other workflows that I've developed. Fortunately, our final product goes beyond paper and trying to convey all of the information on paper is not as critical in my world and has become less of a priority.

[HVAC-Novice]

- Get this book.

- Switch to Revit 100%

- Do things the Revit way and model properly. Don't treat it like a version of AutoCAD and draw things, model. 

- Re-think some old ways that may or may not have been good for AutoCAD. Too many people here get hung up on trying to make something look exactly like in AutoCAD or to do things the way they "always have done".  Don't. Revit can make great documents, but they are best done the Revit way. 

- Understand paramters, schedules and families.

- Everybody finds their own way to use it (different companies, countries, bid environments). So just take inspiration from how we do things and do your own. 

- IMHO Revit is user-friendly considering the functions it has. AutoCAD doesn't have all the features, so it is hard to say it would be more user-friendly. It is a tool for professionals, not just a fart-noise-app on a phone. So there is a learning curve

- Model to the detail and precision required, don't over-model. 

- Revit has absolutely nothing to do with AutoCAD besides being owned by the same company. Like Hyundai owns shipyards and makes cars. Autodesk purchased Revit Technology corporation in 2002. From a function and user point, consider them 2 totally different software. Some people think Revit is an advanced version of AutoCAD and then wonder why things are so different (layers etc.)

- Use all 3 letters of BIM. I see too many consultants that just use it as a 3D drawing tool to make drawings that look like from AutoCAD. They totally ignore the Information part or the fact that we should model it like the actual building (like they use one-line diagrams of pipes and ducts instead of using the actual size)