- Legend views in Revit provide a dedicated space for placing symbolic representations of project elements like doors without affecting the model
- Legend components can display elements in floor plan or elevation view, making it easy to show front elevations of each door type
- Placing the legend view near the door schedule on a sheet lets you cross-reference door types visually while building the legend
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A door types legend gives anyone reading a drawing set a quick visual reference for each door used in the project. Rather than relying solely on a text-based door schedule, the legend shows an elevation view of each door type alongside its identifying mark. Creating one in Revit involves setting up a legend view, placing legend components, and spacing them out with consistent dimensions.
Creating the Legend View
From the View tab, go to Legends and click Legend. In the dialog box that appears, name the legend something descriptive like "Door Types" and confirm the scale. Quarter inch is a common choice that matches the scale of most other views in a residential project. The resulting view is a blank canvas where you can draw detail lines, add text, and place legend components. Start by drawing a horizontal detail line using a wide line weight to serve as the ground line. The length depends on how many door types the project contains; a rough estimate of around 50 feet works for a set of five or six doors.
Placing Legend Components
Legend components are found on the Annotate tab under the Component dropdown. Select Legend Component, and then choose the door family and type you want to display from the type selector. By default, the component may appear in floor plan view. Switching the view direction to "Elevation: Front" displays the door as it would appear from the front, which is the typical representation for a door types legend.
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Place the first component near the left end of the ground line, then use the Align tool to snap its base to the detail line. Repeat this process for each door type in the project: copy the first component horizontally, select the copy, and change its family and type in the Properties panel to match the next door. This method is faster than placing each component individually from the Annotate tab.
Working Alongside the Door Schedule
A helpful workflow is to place the legend view on a sheet directly below the door schedule. This way, you can glance up at the schedule to see which door type comes next and immediately update the legend component to match. Each door type in the schedule corresponds to a specific family and type in the legend, so having both visible at the same time reduces errors and speeds up the process.
Spacing and Alignment
Once all door components are placed, use temporary dimensions to space them evenly. Select a component, draw a dimension to the next one, and type in a consistent value such as four feet between each. Some door types, like garage doors, may be wider and require slight adjustments, but maintaining an even rhythm across the legend keeps it clean and readable. After spacing is set, the temporary dimensions can be deleted.
Adding Annotations
With the door elevations in place and evenly spaced, the final step is to add annotations below each component. These typically include the door type mark (A, B, C, etc.) and the door name. Text elements placed below each legend component complete the visual reference and tie back to the information shown in the door schedule. The result is a concise, visual summary of every door type in the project, ready to be placed on a sheet alongside the rest of the drawing set.
