Introduction to VDCI Revit for MEP: Opening a New Project Template

Setting Up Your Revit MEP Project: Choosing Templates and Linking Architectural Files

Discover the foundational concepts needed to begin the Revit for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design courses. Learn how to open a new project template, link an architectural Revit file, copy monitor levels, create room tags, and more.

Key Insights

  • The VDCI Revit for MEP introductory lesson provides an overview of key steps required in the Revit for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design courses.
  • These steps include opening a new project template, linking an architectural Revit file, copy monitoring levels from that model, and creating room tags.
  • The course also guides learners through the processes of exporting files, transferring project standards, and work sharing.

Note: These materials offer prospective students a preview of how our classes are structured. Students enrolled in this course will receive access to the full set of materials, including video lectures, project-based assignments, and instructor feedback.

Welcome to the VDCI Revit for MEP introductory lesson. This series of videos will introduce you to concepts needed to begin our Revit for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design courses. If you will be taking multiple Revit MEP courses with us, you will only be required to go through these videos once.

However, it's never a bad idea to review this material at the beginning of each course, as these same steps will be needed prior to modeling the various MEP disciplines. So in this lesson, we'll be going over opening a new project template, and the template you choose is going to depend upon the project's MEP discipline. We'll also go over linking an architectural Revit file, and then copy monitoring the levels from that model, and also creating room tags.

We'll also discuss exporting our files, transferring project standards, and work sharing. So with that, let's get started by opening a new Revit file. When you open Revit, here is your opening user interface.

So under models, let's go on ahead and go to new. Now we have a few templates to choose from. We have the option to create a new project or a new project template.

Let's stick with project. And if we go to the drop down here, we don't want to use either of these. So let's go on ahead and choose browse.

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Now we have the electrical template. We have the mechanical template and the plumbing template. So these are the ones we would use for each of those disciplines.

For fire protection, we'd also use the mechanical default template. So for the purposes of this course and demonstration, let's go on ahead and click the mechanical default and click open. It might take a while to load up.

Okay, so as you can see here, we have a blank screen. There's nothing here. We don't have an architectural model yet.

If we look at our project browser, we do see that our discipline is mechanical. And then under HVAC, we already have two floor plans and two ceiling plans. This is by default from the template, but there's no information in any of them.

Because like I mentioned, we still have to bring in our architectural model. And the next video, we'll go over how to do that.

photo of Derek Cutsinger

Derek Cutsinger

BIM Instructor/Coordinator

Derek’s background is in both education and MEP. He earned his BA in Music Education from San Diego State University and is also a TEFL certified English language instructor. In addition to educational roles, he is also an experienced fire protection design engineer and has extensive knowledge in many programs and processes used in AEC industries. He brings his unique and eclectic skillset to VDCI as their Curriculum Coordinator. In his free time he can be found weightlifting in his garage, hanging out with his wife and pug, or painting and drawing in his studio.

  • BA Music Education – San Diego State University
  • MA Applied Linguistics (in process) – San Diego State University
  • TEFL Certified English Language Instructor
  • NICET 1 Certification
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