using joystick-like motions. Simply attach the device to your computer and install the 3Dconnexion software, and a 3Dconnexion button will be displayed on the Navigation bar. The 3D mouse will automatically navigate in any 2D or 3D view, but the Navigation bar button allows you to toggle between modes.
Figure 2.21 The SpaceNavigator 3D mouse from 3Dconnexion
Defining Project Organization
If you have experience with 2D CAD software, you’re likely familiar with many of the terms and concepts related to designing and documenting a project, but not all of them have exact equivalents in Revit software. You may be comfortable with thinking in terms of what needs to be drawn and coordinated: plans, sections, elevations, details, schedules, and so on. Such information is likely stored in a plethora of separate files that have to be linked together in order to reference other parts of a building design. For teams collaborating on design, you are also likely accustomed to allowing only one person in one file at a time. And finally, maintaining all your project settings and standards is a struggle across so many disconnected files.
Working in the Revit environment affords you much more control and efficiency in managing the aforementioned issues. The four key components of a holistic and efficient design process are relationships, repetition, representations, and restrictions. These concepts are managed in Revit software as datum objects, content, views, and project management, respectively. They are managed from within a single, bidirectional database.
Figure 2.22 shows what we like to think of as a Revit organizational chart, which gives you a visual description of these four top-level categories and what these categories contain. In the following sections, we’ll discuss each of these categories and describe its particular role in your Revit project environment.
Figure 2.22 Revit organizational chart
Data (plural) are sometimes referred to in Revit software as datum objects and consist of references, grids, and levels (Figure 2.23). Datum objects establish geometric behavior by controlling the location and extents of your content (the building, the stuff that goes in a building, and the stuff you need to document your building).
Figure 2.23 Datum objects
Reference planes can be created in any 2D view from the main ribbon tabs (Architecture, Structure, or Systems), but once created, they may not be visible in 3D. After you add reference planes to your project, they can be set and seen from the Work Plane panel. This will allow you to work with respect to the desired work plane.
Grids are used to locate structural elements in your project. You are not required to include grids in your project, but they are quite useful in managing structural walls and columns. Like reference planes, grid lines can be added to any 2D view. Keep in mind that grids can only be perpendicular to levels. Furthermore, grids are only visible in views that are perpendicular to the grid. So if the grid is in a north–south orientation, you’ll be able to see it only in plan and from the east–west orientation.
Levels are datum objects that are parallel to the ground plane. They serve several purposes. First, they are the main method for placing and managing the elevation (or Z-location) of content. Virtually all content placed in a Revit model has a Level parameter. You can even move objects from one level to another simply by changing this property in the Properties palette. Levels also function as constraints for objects such as walls and columns. These objects have top and bottom constraints that can be set to levels so that they will automatically update if the levels are adjusted. Levels may be seen and created only in elevation and section views; therefore, you can’t create levels in plan, and they can’t be diagonal to the ground plane.
Creating any datum is easy. Simply select the desired tool from the Architecture tab, and then pick two points to define the start and end locations. Despite their two-dimensional appearance, all datum objects have three-dimensional extents that help you manage their appearance throughout a project. You will explore this further in the section “Explaining 3D and 2D Datum Extents” later in this chapter.
In the previous section, we discussed the overall purpose of datum objects; however, there are special conditions related to the creation of levels. First, you should understand that a level does not always require an associated plan view. Levels that have plan views will have a blue graphic symbol at the end (double-click it to go to that view), whereas those that don’t will have a black graphic symbol. When you create a new level, you have the option to create a corresponding plan view by using the Make Plan View option from the Options bar.
Copying an existing level will not create the corresponding plan views. This is useful if you are working on a larger project, such as a high-rise, and you want to quickly configure multiple levels without creating them one at a time. You might also want to use levels just as a reference for content but not for a specific plan, such as for an intermediate landing or mezzanine.
Although it is easy to create many levels by copying or arraying, only create the levels that are necessary to manage major parts of your project. You don’t need to create a level for every slab, stair, or floor offset. Too many levels can have a negative impact on your project’s performance.
Let’s explore the creation and duplication of levels with an exercise. First, download and open the file c02-Levels-Start.rvt or c02-Levels-Start-Metric.rvt from this book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/masteringrevitarch2016. Then follow these steps:
1. Open the exercise file and make sure the Project Browser is open – remember that it may be in a tabbed palette with Properties. Expand the Views tree and then expand Elevations. Double-click on South to activate that view in the drawing area.
You will see two levels that are usually present when you create a new project using the default template.
2. From the Architecture tab in the ribbon, find the Datum panel and click the Level tool. In the Options bar, ensure that the Make Plan View option is selected.
3. From left to right, draw a new level exactly 10'-0" (3000 mm) above Level 2.
When you hover the mouse pointer anywhere near either endpoint of the existing levels, you will see alignment guides (dashed lines) that help keep the extents of the datum objects consistent.
4. Click the Modify button or press the Esc key, and you will notice that the new level has a blue target. Double-click the target for Level 3, and the Level 3 floor plan will open.
5. Return to the South elevation view and select Level 3. From the Modify tab in the ribbon, click the Copy tool. In the Options bar, select the Multiple option.
6. Create two copies of Level 3: one that is 2'-0" (600 mm) above Level 3 and one that is 8'-0" (2400 mm) above that one, as shown in Figure 2.24.
7. You can change the names and elevations of levels by selecting a level and then clicking the name or the elevation value. Rename Level 3 to Level 2B, Level 4 to Level 3, and Level 5 to Roof. If you are prompted to rename the corresponding views, click Yes.
