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Misc Revit User Intarface Improvements Vol 1.

Misc Revit User Intarface Improvements Vol 1.

Hello Autodesk,

After working in Revit for over 2 years and having experience in other cad programms I notice a lot of bugs in Revit or functions thare programmed in not an user freindly way or places in User Interface that would require improvement to increase productivity. In this topic I would like to share my ideas.


1) Measured distance not readable

There are situations when measuring distance from one point to another the displayed value is hidden through the hint to which point the cursor snapped, and the user cannot read the distance. This should be corrected so that the hint takes position not to have conflict with displayed measured distance. Such situations force the user to repeat the command and this makes work less productive.
01_dimmension_not_readable_2.jpg01_messed_dimmension_not_visible.jpg


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Text not readable.
The highlighted text should have inverted / oposite color to the highlighted blue row. Otherwise it is not readable.
02_NOT_READABLE.jpg02_NOT_READABLE2.jpg

 


3) Too short/ too narrow lists of views.

Example 1:
Too narrow lists result in problems with selecting desired View. When the user whants to select LEVEL 3 which level is it in the list? In the era of large monitors there is no point making windows small. This window in the screenshot should have automatically adjusted width to the length ot the containing text or at least adjustable bottom corner like windows explorer
.
03_to_narrow_fields2.jpg03_to_narrow_fields1.jpg

Example 2:
The same as above applies to the popup window when the user clicks Arrow icon to display opened Views.
03_to_narrow_fields3.jpg

 

4) Full name hint not displayed after mouse hover over elements in the Properties palette
If the Properties Palette is narrow and then the hint with the full name / full text should popout when hovering mouse ofer specified cell in the Properties palette – like in Autocad.
04_full_name_hint.jpg04_full_name_hint.gif

 

 

5) Overlapping fields

Currently I use Revit 2022 and I dont know if this this bug in user interface is fixed in later  versions but I add it to the list. Following fields are overlapping making the „Dimmension” text not readable.
05_overlaping_fields.jpg

6) Too small Menu File

List of items in popup Menu File is too short. Most  Revit users if not all, have large monitors so there is no point making this list short. The user is forced to scroll the list to find a desired item what makes his  work slower. For example I frequently make IFC exports using  [ Menu File->Export-> IFC ]
but that item is allways hidden but visilble sind other types like gbXML or FBX which typical ser never uses.

06_to_small_menu_File.jpg

 

7) Too small „+” Characters to add another pipe
While drafting HVAC and Plumbling installations  the + Character that appears after selecting a fitting is too small, hence dificult to hit, 
and in such a colot that it is often barely visible when displayed avove the pipe.
It should be bigger to avoid missclicklicks thaht make the work slower.

07_too_small_crosses.jpg

 

 

8) Not optimal angle of Disconnection Triangle Leaderline
The Leaderline of the Alert-triangle showing disconnected parts of hvac installations should not be horizontal but at some small angle like 15 or 30°. Otherwise it is difficult to recognise what pipefitting or what element is it exactly pointing.

08_should_be_at_a_small_angle.jpg

 

 

9) Icons to rotate a pipefitting should not be identical
The icons to rotate a fitting 90° clockwise or counterclockwise should not be identical but should show to direction of rotation. It is not intuitive and makes the user often hit the wrong icon, hance waste time to undo the operation.

09_icons_should_not_be_identical.jpg

 

 

10) Typing distance while moving/copying   and holding Shift key not possible
Holding Shift while moving or copying an object activates the ortho mode. Unfortunately the mode works only when the user specifies the distance freely with mouse – but doesn’t work when the user wants additionally type the distance on keyboard.  

So the user has to let go the shoft key and position the moving/copying direction precisely with the cursor, what requires more carefullnes and makes the work slower.

10_typing_distance_and holding_shift_not_possible.jpg

 

 

11) Not possible to select multiple filters in „VG Overrides” window

The possibility of selecting multiple filters with shift or ctrl buton is missing in VG Overides wondow. In some projects I met lists of 50 or more filters. Deleting or changing one by one is time consuming.
Buttons select „select all” or „inverse selection” are missing in this window too.

11_not_possible_to select_with_shifty_filters.jpg

 

 

12) Not possible to quickly isolate objects belonging to specific System Type

This is what is missing me the most and this is actually my biggest complaint about Revit.
When designing hvac installations I ofthen need to isolate in view all objects belonging to one or multiple System Types. I mean here not just one network of connected elements (what can be done with Tab key) but all networks and all elements of a given the System Type.
There is a walkaround like using systembrowser but it requires to many steps. For comparison, in Autocad command LAYISO makes thaht effect in one second.

12_no_layiso.jpg12_no_layiso.gif

 

 

13) Highlightning text in Properties palette
When the user clicks any editable field in properties palette then the whole text should be marked. The cursor to edit text should appear after the second click on this field in the place where the user wants to edit text – just like it is in any field in Firefox, in windows explorer, in Autocad or any other program.
Example below – marking whole text is possible only after placing cursor after the text. When the Text is longer than the cel the it cannot be highlighted with the first click. Sorry, but it is just wrong…

13_property_field_highlight.gif 13_property_field_highlight2.gif

 

14) Hard to move or pull out an opened View out of the main Revit window
It is very hard and it requires many attempts to pull out the opened view from the main Revit window. I could be easily solved – after rightlick on this tab there should be a popup menu with options such as „close” or „move” and maybe some more othe oprions.  This „move” option would activate the mode to drag this window.

14_hard_to_pull_out_the_view.gif

 

 

15) Selecting objects is hard
Having experience from other designing programms (fe. Nova, Autocad) I noticed that selecting objects in Revit doesnt work in as it should – often with no effect, requires many attepmpts and a lot of effort to click preciselly on the pixels representing an edge of the object what really slows the work and is iritating. Whereas in other programms I juct click anywhere on the object and it is selected.

15_difficult_picking_elements.gif 15_hard_to_select.gif 15_hard_to_select3.gif

 

 

16) „Diameter” field unnecessarily highlighted

While drawing hvac installations this field is constantly highlighted. Normally a highlighted field in any other program means thaht there is focus set to this tile and the user can start typing (but not in Revit).  So this field should be highlighted only when the user clicks it.

16_highlighted field.jpg

 

 

17) Not possible to open multiple selected views from Project Browser
It is not possible to open at once all selected Views in Projekct browser. I see no point of such limitation. In Windows Explorer for comparison after selecting multiple files it is possible to open them a tonce with Enter button.

 

18) Defining depth of the section
Drawing the section shoud be a process of specifying 3 points – that is Start, End and Depth.
In such a way it is solved in Autocad MEP or in Nova. In Revit user cannot specify the depth (third point) with the mouse while drawing the section. The Depth is defined randomly. The user can edit it only after the section is already placed, what is time consuming.

18_sections.jpg

4 Comments
RSomppi
Advisor

Most of those things are fixable at the user level. You should try asking about them over in the user help forum.

HVAC-Novice
Advisor

You lost me at "Currently I use Revit 2022"

Before criticizing a software or making suggestions, please use the current version (R2025.4). maybe some of the issues already were addressed. For example, I wasn't able to replicate problem #16 (pipe diameter) in R2025.4. Maybe it is a setting I have correct, or 2025 fixed that already. 

 

Every year Revit introduces some minor UNDOCUMENTED fixes how tools work. things just work a bit better every year, even if those aren't features from the official "new feature" or bugfix list. 

 

And some of the issues seem to be user adjustable.

@andkal ,

Thank you for your in-depth post. As @HVAC-Novice noted, there have been numerous improvements to the software since Revit 2022 was released almost 4 years ago, including several that you have mentioned. In order for an Idea to be marked "Accepted" or "Implemented", each specific Idea must be in a separate post.

Before posting, please read the helpful tips here. Thank you for your Ideas!
ola6n4qrvdsr
Advocate

1) try Revit Options > Graphics > Temporary dimension text appearance, set Size to 10 and background Opaque.

 

I suggest putting each of your suggestions in separate Idea posts, after checking that they're not fixed in the current version.

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