Dive into the process of creating a one-line diagram to describe a modeled distribution system in Revit. Learn how to create a drafting view, use annotation symbols and texts to illustrate concepts like utility, transformers, and main distribution boards effectively and accurately.
Key Insights
- The article provides a detailed guide on how to create a one-line diagram for a modeled distribution system in Revit. This involves creating a drafting view, which contains lines and text to form a diagram of the distribution system.
- Transformers and utilities are represented using annotation symbols, which can be easily added to the diagram. These symbols are further clarified using texts, which describe the type of transformer, its voltage, and other specifications.
- The article also explains how to depict a main distribution board and provide its details such as the size of the service, the type of power coming in, and the number of wires in the system. These details are specified using large quarter inch text and other annotation tools available in Revit.
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.
Now that we have our distribution system modeled here in Revit, our next step is to create a one-line diagram describing this system. And to do that, we will create a drafting view, simply lines and text to create a diagram of this distribution system. To help us get started, I've already created a drafting view.
And if you go to the electrical section of our project browser, look for drafting views and double-click the one-line diagram. This opens up the one-line diagram and this is a start of a drafting view that has the title, a couple of guides, and we have our utility. So the power is coming in from the utility and we have a couple of lines showing this utility and it feeds into an outdoor transformer.
And if we want help to see where we're at in our system, we can go back to our analytical systems in the system browser, electrical analytical systems, and we'll see where we are. We have the utility, utility, then we have a transformer. And so this transformer will be lines and we can draw it ourselves or we can create an annotation symbol.
I've also created an annotation symbol to get us started. If we go to the annotate tab and look for symbol, click that symbol button, and the one we're looking for is symbol and it's transformer outdoor. So symbol transformer outdoor, click on that and there it is.
We will click right here and place that transformer. Now click the modify to be done placing the transformer. If I zoom in, we can see it right here.
Learn Revit MEP
- Nationally accredited
- Create your own portfolio
- Free student software
- Learn at your convenience
- Authorized Autodesk training center
We'll add a couple of labels and descriptors to this. We'll start with some text. So in that annotate tab text, I will set the size to one quarter inch and I'll click right here at the top.
I've got caps lock on my keyboard and I'll put in some text. So it's a transformer. And then the type of transformer we have is in this case, 480 volts, and it's transforming the power to eight volts.
So that describes the transformer. Click on the modify button and I can move this to the top of the transformer. That is its label.
And I prefer I could even put it right inside the transformer. So it's super clear what that is. Now I want to provide a label.
So I might add some text and I might drop this down now to eighth inch because this is a, I'm going to describe a portion of the transformer. So I'm going to add the arrow next to my A I'll click, click again and say, provide concrete pad, minimum six inches thickness. All right.
And now I've got this arrow. I can pull the arrow break down and move this over a little bit. And I might even change this to a two line by dragging that right dot.
Now that I've got this, it's labeled, it's clear. It's a transformer sitting on a concrete pad. It's outside.
Now this power will continue to flow. And it's because it's called a one line diagram because the power is symbolized by a line, a line that flows into the building and continues to every portion, every panel. We'll draw another line.
So enter annotate detail line. And the line style I want to run with is a wide line. I'll click right here and take this going into the building three inches enter.
Okay. And now let's take a look at the electrical analytical systems project browser. We have the utility goes to a transformer, open the transformer.
It goes to a main switchboard. And this is typically referred to as a bus that the power flows into, and then it's just distributed into the building. And to represent that bus, it's a thicker line.
We'll do a region, a field region. So annotate field region. And I want solid black as the type and medium lines.
I'll start right where that last line left off. And I'll draw out to the side, a nice long line. This drafting view is at 12 inches equals a foot.
So it's a one-to-one scale. So I'm going to draw a one foot, two inch line out to the right. And then I'll go down, let's say one quarter inch, and then back the one foot to click and up the quarter inch.
And I've created a rectangle that is my bus. I will hit finish edit mode. And there it is.
There's my bus. Now I want to add a label to this as well. So let's go ahead and do some text, annotate text.
And we'll go back to that large quarter inch text right here. And I don't want the leader anymore. So I'll just go to the regular plain, no leader A, and I'll click right here at the bottom.
So my first line will be what this is. And it's the main distribution board, main distribution board. And we can show what the abbreviation is, MDB for main distribution board.
On the next line, we'll put some additional information about this main distribution board. It's 1500 amps and it's 208 Y. We'll describe what that means in just a second. 120 volt, and three phase, and we have four W. All right, so that is our label.
And let's break that down. If that's something new, we have 1500 amp. That is the size of the service, 1500 amps.
And put the A a little closer if we'd like. Then we have 208 Y. That's the type of power that's coming in. So 208 volt essentially coming in.
And I'm going to use some lines. You don't have to draw this. I'm just showing what the Y means.
It essentially means that we have wires in three places with a center wire. And it creates the shape of a Y. So that's why they call it Y. All right, so we have one, two, three wires on the outside and a neutral wire in the middle. And it creates the shape of a Y. So that's where we derive the Y from.
120 volts is what each phase of the power can handle in a three phase system. And then we have four W. And this part might be confusing. You think W in electric is watts, but in this case, it's wire, four wires.
If you count the wires, it's one, two, three, four wires. So it's a four wire system, which would be common here. All right, so now we have that distribution board.
We need to draw a box around that board. And to do that, we will use detail lines again. And we will change the type to a hidden line.
And we'll draw a rectangle around this whole thing. We'll start kind of out here where the transformer is and down below. I'll click and I'll go up, up above the transformer.
I'm going to go about six inches. I'll go to the right. Looks like about one foot five.
I'll go down the same six inches and back to where I started. And that symbolizes a couple of things. Mainly, this is the main distribution board.
And it's inside of our building. So that's where we're at right now. And our next step will be to come back and show the connections to the main distribution board, the panels and the equipment that we are attaching to this main distribution board.
