Explore the process of creating structural elements in Revit Structure to populate a building model. This detailed guide takes you through the steps of aligning architectural backgrounds with grid patterns, setting reference planes, and constructing walls with specific measurements and offsets.
Key Insights
- The article demonstrates how to align architectural linked backgrounds with grid patterns to create accurate and detailed structural elements in a building model.
- The process of creating walls involves selecting the appropriate wall properties, setting the depth and offset, and ensuring continuity across the model. An example given involves creating a 12-inch concrete retaining wall, built top-down with a 2.5-inch offset.
- Upon completion of the wall layout, it is necessary to set a top constraint for the top of the wall. In this example, the top of the wall is set 9 inches below the finished floor, with the bottom of the wall placed a foot below the finished floor to accommodate the coordination of footings.
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Hello and welcome back to Revit Structure. In our previous video, we created a building envelope with grids and levels. Now it’s time to begin adding structural elements to populate our model.
Let’s get started. The first thing we want to do is examine how our architectural linked background aligns with our grid patterns. Here, we can see our grids and building envelope displayed.
However, at the bottom of the model, we don’t have a grid at this wall line. What we want to do is establish a uniform offset for the building wall. To do this, measure from the exterior face of the wall to the nearest grid line.
The measurement shows 3 1/16". From there, go to the Structure tab and create a Reference Plane to work from. Let’s place a Reference Plane along this line.
Press Escape to exit the command. Then, move the Reference Plane vertically by 3 1/16" to create an equal offset. Now let’s examine the other side of the model.
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Again, we see the same condition. We’ll repeat the process: create a Reference Plane at the face of the wall, drag it downward, then move it 3 1/16" away from the wall face.
Now that our references are set, let’s navigate to the top corner and begin layout from that point. As we can see, the architectural model is correctly aligned over our structural grid pattern. To begin placing walls, go to the Structure tab.
Click on Wall, then check the current wall type in the Properties palette.
We currently have an 8" concrete wall selected, but we need a 12" wall, as we’ll be placing a 12" concrete retaining wall at the lower level.
Since the architect hasn't provided us with a basement level, what we’re going to do is create this wall from the top down. Go to the Options Bar, and you'll see the options for Height or Depth. We want Depth, since we’re building the wall downward.
Here, we have an unconnected height. What we want to do is set the base of the wall to Level 0. For the wall's location, we’ll align the Core Face: Exterior with a 2.5" offset to give the architect space to begin the architectural finishes.
We'll input 2.5" as the offset and start at this grid intersection. Click to begin, and drag the wall to the next grid intersection. Because the Chain option is enabled, we can continue placing the wall as a continuous element.
This is where the Reference Plane becomes useful. Now that it’s in place, we can use it as a reference point to draw the wall segments here and here.
This gives us a contiguous wall line that allows us to work efficiently without interruption. There you go. We’ll repeat this process here, and again here.
Now let’s continue. At this next intersection, we don’t see a wall.
Press Escape to exit the Wall command and investigate. At the bottom of the screen, click the Reveal Hidden Elements tool (the lightbulb icon). You’ll see that a curtain wall exists, but it’s not currently shown in the architectural model—it appears as a hidden element.
Now, we can return to the Wall tool, confirm that our settings are still correct—especially the 2.5" offset—and continue. Start at this grid line and drag the wall across to complete the segment.
Click to place the endpoints. Once you're finished with this portion, go back to the Reveal Hidden Elements tool and click it again to return to the normal view.
Next, in a future video, we’ll place a concrete slab atop this wall. Since that slab will be 9" thick, we need to set the top of the walls 9" below the finished floor to accommodate it.
Select one of the walls, press TAB to highlight all connected segments, then click again to confirm selection. In the Properties palette, find the Top Constraint. It currently shows that the wall is constrained to Level 1.
We want to adjust the Top Offset to -9" to place the top of the wall 9" below the finished floor. Since we’re placing a foundation, we also want the Base Offset set to -1'-0" so that there is room to coordinate the footings below.
Now that we’ve completed those changes, let’s take a look in an exterior Elevation View.
You can now see that the structural wall is 9" below the finished floor and extends 12" below the basement level.
Very good. That’s it for this video.
We’ll see you in the next one.