BIM For Masonry: Modeling Masonry Buildings in Autodesk Revit

BIM for Masonry
Modeling Masonry Buildings in Autodesk Revit
A guide for Autodesk Revit users developed by BIM-M and the TMS BIM Committee.
BIM for Masonry
Modeling Masonry Buildings in Autodesk Revit
Published by The Masonry Society

105 South Sunset Street, Suite Q
Longmont, CO USA 80501- 6172
Copyright 2016 The Masonry Society

February 2016, First Edition
Users are free to read, download, distribute, copy, print, search, or link to the full text for any non-
commercial purpose. However, all intellectual property rights are reserved.
DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY FOR USE
This publication was produced as a TMS Independent Author Publication. The opinions and statements
presented herein are solely those of the authors. The Masonry Society is not responsible for the
statements or opinions of the authors, nor for any errors or omissions that this text may contain. The
Masonry Society disclaims any and all responsibility for the application of the information.
TMS Order No. TMS-5901-16

BIMMEXECUTIVECOMMITTEE
InternationalMasonryInstitute: DavidSovinski
InternationalUnionofBricklayersandAlliedCraftworkers: JamesBoland
NationalConcreteMasonryAssociationFoundation: RobertThomas
MasonContractorsAssociationofAmerica: JeffreyBuczkiewicz
EdwardDavenport
WesternStatesClayProductsAssociation: JeffreyElder
TheMasonrySociety: DarrellMcMillian
DanielZechmeister
BrickIndustryAssociation: BrianTrimble

PROJECTPARTICIPANTS
TMSBIMCommittee
ContributingMembers
JamieDavis,Chair
TomasAmor,Cochair
ScottConwellJeffElderMichaelGustafsonMarkMcGinley
RussPetersonBrianTrimbleTylerWitthuhnDanZechmeister

Consultants
CADTechnologyCenter,Bloomington,MN
MichaelHnastchenkoOliverTuran
ShawnZirbesSaeidBerenjian

IntegrusArchitecture,Seattle,WA
ThomasM.CorcoranMichaelAdams
ClintBaileyMorganWiese
MichaelTagles
RyanBiggs|ClarkDavis,SkaneatelesFalls,NY
RossShepherd
Editors
GeorgiaInstituteofTechnology,DigitalBuildingLaboratory,Atlanta,GA
RussellGentryJeffreyCollins

FundingPartner
CharlesPankowFoundationMarkJ.Perniconi

BIMMProgramCoordinator
DavidT.Biggs
1. Foreword
TheBuildingInformationModelingforMasonryInitiativehascreatedthisguidetoprovidearchitects,engineers,
andmasoncontractorswithtoolsfordevelopingAutodeskRevitmodelsformodelingmasonrybuildings.The
MasonrySociety(TMS)1andtheBuildingInformationModelingforMasonryInitiative(BIMM)2have
collaboratedtofundandoverseetheproductionofthisguide.IndustryexpertsfromCADTechnologyCenter
(CTC)andIntegrusArchitecturedevelopedbuildingmodelsandnarrativesthatsummarizetheirworkand
experience.Theirindependentreportscomprisethemajorityoftheguidecontent.Assuch,readersmaynotice
thatthereportsofferdifferingviewsoncertaintopicsandapproaches.
InNorthAmerica,mostarchitectsandengineersareusingBIMtools,primarilyAutodeskRevit,torepresent
masonrybuildings.ThoughtheoverallapproachofBIMMisdrivenbyanOpenBIMphilosophy,whereavariety
ofBIMtoolsarerelevant,itwasrecognizedthatmostdesignerswereusingRevit,andthatmanynovelsolutions
formodelingmasonryinRevitwerebeingdeveloped.Ourgoal,therefore,isthattheguidewillprovide
instructiononhowtouseBIMwithmasonrytoitsgreatestandbestuseformodelingtoday,andpointtheway
towardsimprovementstotheunderlyingsoftware.
TheguidehasbeenproducedwithinputfromtheTMSBIMCommittee,chairedbyJamieDavisofRyanBiggs|
ClarkDavisEngineering&Surveying,P.C.ThecontributionsfromCTCandIntegrusArchitecturewerereviewed
bytheTMSBIMCommitteeforcontent,andthedocumentwaseditedbyRussellGentryandJeffreyCollinsof
theGeorgiaInstituteofTechnology,DigitalBuildingLaboratory.
Usersoftheguideandtheassociatedbuildingmodelsshouldnotassumethatmasonryconditions
demonstratedinthemodelmeetbuildingcoderequirementsinagivenareaofthecountry.Themodelsand
associateddrawingsarenotrepresentedasdemonstratingappropriatemasonrydetailing,waterproofing,etc.
Thepurposeoftheguideistoshowhowtypicalconditionsencounteredinmasonrybuildingscanbemodeledin
Revit,andnottoprovideguidelinesfordetailingmasonryconstruction.Formoreinformationonmasonry
detailing,readersaredirectedtotheInternationalMasonryInstitutesMasonryDetailingSeries3,theBrick
IndustryAssociationTechnicalNotesandNationalConcreteMasonryAssociationTekNotes4,andtheWestern
StatesClayProductstechnicalpublications5.
TheguideisintendedforRevitusersastheyplanandexecutetheirmasonrymodelingefforts,andforthose
whooverseetheproductionofbuildingmodelsinAECpractices.Inaddition,theguideisintendedtocapture
thecurrentcapabilities(andshortcomings)ofRevit,toguidethefuturedevelopmentofthecoresoftwareand
associatedmasonryapplicationsthatwilloperatewithinRevit.
ThedevelopmentofprojectspecificBIMexecutionplansrequiresthatthedesignandconstructionteamdecide
whatistobemodeledandwhatisnottobemodeledandisbasedontheintendeduseofthemodelthrough
thedesign,procurement,construction,andusephasesofthebuildingproject.Theoutlineofmasonryfeatures
providedinChapter2oftheguidecanbeusedasthebasisfordevelopingprojectspecificBIMexecutionplans.
1
Seewww.masonrysociety.org
2
Seewww.bimformasonry.org
3
Seehttp://imiweb.org/design_tools/masonry_details/index.php
4
Seehttps://ncma.org/
5
Seehttp://www.gobrick.com/

ModelingMasonryBuildingsinAutodeskRevitChapter1Page1
TableofContents
1. Foreword...........................................................................................................................................................1
TableofContents..................................................................................................................................................2
2.1. ListofFigures.............................................................................................................................................5
2. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................7
2.1. LevelofDevelopment................................................................................................................................7
2.2. FundamentalsofWallModelinginRevit..................................................................................................9
2.3. ChallengesofModelingMasonryinRevit...............................................................................................16
2.4. MasonryFeaturesandConditions...........................................................................................................16
2.4.1. BondingPatterns.............................................................................................................................17
2.4.2. ChangesinBondingPattern............................................................................................................17
2.4.3. MasonryOpeningsandLintels........................................................................................................17
2.4.4. MasonryBackupSystem..................................................................................................................17
2.4.5. StoneAccentsandOtherNonStandardMasonryUnits.................................................................18
2.4.6. ShelfAnglesandOtherVeneerSupportsinMultiStoryBuildings.................................................18
2.4.7. MasonryArches...............................................................................................................................18
2.4.8. MasonryPilasters............................................................................................................................18
2.4.9. MovementJoints(controlandexpansionjoints)............................................................................18
2.4.10. MasonryCornerTreatments...........................................................................................................18
2.4.11. TreatmentofOutofPlaneMasonryConditions.............................................................................19
2.4.12. NonPlanarWalls.............................................................................................................................19
2.4.13. WallPenetrations............................................................................................................................19
2.4.14. MasonryModularityandDimensioningPractice............................................................................19
2.4.15. BondBeamsandMasonryWallReinforcing...................................................................................19
2.4.16. InteriorConcreteMasonryWalls....................................................................................................19
2.5. IntroductiontotheIntegrusandCTCModels.........................................................................................19
3. TheIntegrusModels........................................................................................................................................21
3.1. ProjectSummary.....................................................................................................................................21
3.2. Contents..................................................................................................................................................21
3.3. ItemsNotModeled..................................................................................................................................22
3.4. DevelopingConstructionDocuments......................................................................................................22
3.4.1. MasonryElementsinRevit..............................................................................................................23
3.4.2. Walls................................................................................................................................................23

3.4.3. DifferentiatingLoadBearingandNonLoadBearingWalls.............................................................28
3.4.4. SpecialtyCourses.............................................................................................................................30
3.4.5. MasonryOpenings...........................................................................................................................32
3.4.6. Arches..............................................................................................................................................34
3.4.7. StoneAccents..................................................................................................................................34
3.4.8. ShelfAnglesandSupportforVeneer..............................................................................................36
3.4.9. MasonryPilasters............................................................................................................................38
3.4.10. MovementJoints.............................................................................................................................38
3.4.11. MasonryCornerTreatments...........................................................................................................40
3.4.12. TreatmentofOutofPlaneMasonryConditions.............................................................................40
3.4.13. WallPenetrations............................................................................................................................42
3.4.14. MasonryDimensioningPractice......................................................................................................42
3.4.15. BondBeamsandMasonryWallReinforcing...................................................................................42
3.5. RevitFamilies,Customization,andCreationTools.................................................................................46
3.5.1. RevitFamilyCreationBondBeamExample..................................................................................46
3.6. ThePracticalityof3DElements...............................................................................................................55
3.7. MasonryTopics........................................................................................................................................55
3.7.1. MasonryWallsbyDiscipline............................................................................................................55
3.7.2. OpeningsinMasonryWalls.............................................................................................................56
3.7.3. ExportingMasonryElementsintoAnalyticalPrograms..................................................................56
3.7.4. UsingClashDetectioninRevit.........................................................................................................57
3.7.5. SimplifyingMasonryCoordinationinRevit.....................................................................................59
3.7.6. ExportingMasonryElementsforEnergyModeling.........................................................................60
3.7.7. GeneratingShopDrawingsinRevit.................................................................................................60
3.7.8. CostEstimatingMasonryWallsinRevit..........................................................................................61
3.7.9. DifferentiatingCriticalMasonryElements......................................................................................62
3.8. Recommendations...................................................................................................................................62
3.8.1. AccesstoInformation......................................................................................................................62
3.8.2. ReadyMadeFamilies.......................................................................................................................62
3.8.3. BlockModuleAlerts........................................................................................................................62
3.8.4. ReinforcingToolUpdate..................................................................................................................63
3.8.5. MultiDisciplinaryFamilies..............................................................................................................64
3.9. Glossary...................................................................................................................................................65
4. TheCTCModels...............................................................................................................................................73

4.1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................73
4.2. RevitBuildingInformationModelIntroduction.......................................................................................73
4.2.1. PreliminaryModelDescription........................................................................................................74
4.2.2. ObservationsontheUseofRevitforMasonryProjects..................................................................77
4.3. CTCModelingEfforts...............................................................................................................................79
4.3.1. StandardRevitModeling..................................................................................................................79
4.3.2. AdvancedRevitModeling................................................................................................................80
4.3.3. RecommendationsforImprovementsinRevit................................................................................80
4.4. ModelingStandards.................................................................................................................................80
4.4.1. ModelManagement........................................................................................................................80
4.4.2. Worksharing.....................................................................................................................................80
4.4.3. ModelLinking...................................................................................................................................81
4.5. DisciplineOwnership...............................................................................................................................81
4.6. LevelofDevelopment..............................................................................................................................82
4.7. ViewNaming/Organization......................................................................................................................83
4.8. FamilyandTypeNaming..........................................................................................................................85
4.9. ModelingStrategies.................................................................................................................................86
4.9.1. ModelingStrategy(Overview).........................................................................................................87
4.9.2. WallTypesUsed...............................................................................................................................88
4.9.3. BondPatterns..................................................................................................................................88
4.9.4. DesignOptions.................................................................................................................................89
4.9.5. BrickwithCMUBackupModelStrategy..........................................................................................90
4.9.6. BrickwithMetalStudBackupModelStrategy.................................................................................91
4.10. BreakingWallsintoParts.....................................................................................................................92
4.11. ComponentModeling..........................................................................................................................93
4.12. ContentManagementandBIMList.....................................................................................................93
4.13. WhatisintheCTCOfficeModel..........................................................................................................94
4.14. ModelAddendum1.0..........................................................................................................................96
5. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................................98

ListofFigures
Figure21.LOD350forMasonryWallsasProposedbytheBIMForum..................................................................8
Figure22.LOD400forMasonryWallsasProposedbytheBIMForum..................................................................9
Figure23.BasicWallSystemFamilyDefinitioninRevit........................................................................................10
Figure24.AddingComplexitytoBasicWallFamily...............................................................................................11
Figure25.InsertingaStructuralWallintoRevit....................................................................................................12
Figure26.EditingStructuralWalltoProperties....................................................................................................13
Figure27.ApplyingMasonrySpecificPropertiestoWalls....................................................................................14
Figure28.AddingaBrickVeneerLayertotheStructuralWall..............................................................................15
Figure29.CompletedWallSystem........................................................................................................................16
Figure31.IntegrusModelBuilding........................................................................................................................21
Figure32.EditingwallsinRevitStep1................................................................................................................24
Figure33.EditingWallStructureinRevitStep2................................................................................................25
Figure34.MaterialsBrowserGraphicsTab........................................................................................................26
Figure35.MaterialsBrowserIdentityTab..........................................................................................................27
Figure36.MaterialsBrowserAppearanceTab...................................................................................................28
Figure37.WorkAroundforNonLoadBearingWalls...........................................................................................29
Figure38.ExtendingWallstoStructureAbove.....................................................................................................30
Figure39.CreatingSpecialtyCoursingusingWallSweepsPart1......................................................................31
Figure310.CreatingSpecialtyCoursingUsingWallSweepsPart2....................................................................32
Figure311.MasonryOpenings..............................................................................................................................33
Figure312.MasonryArches...................................................................................................................................34
Figure313.ModelingStoneAccentsusingModelInPlace................................................................................35
Figure314.FamilyCreationforaMasonrySill......................................................................................................36
Figure315.VeneerSupportModeledwith2DElements(upperfigure)andPartiallywith3DElements(lower
figure)......................................................................................................................................................................37
Figure316.MasonryPilastersusingThickenedWallSegment..............................................................................38
Figure317.MasonryPilasterusingConcreteColumnandRebarTools................................................................38
Figure318.SimpleControlJointusingModelLine................................................................................................39
Figure319.ControlJointattheBoundaryofTwoWallTypes...............................................................................39
Figure320.TreatmentofNon90degreeCorners.................................................................................................40
Figure321.MasonryQuoinCreatedusingWallSweep.........................................................................................40
Figure322.OutofPlaneMasonryConditions(CorbelingExample).....................................................................41
Figure323.TypicalIntegrusMasonryWallSchedule............................................................................................42
Figure324.3DModelingofRebarinRevit...........................................................................................................43
Figure325.ReinforcinginRevitandDifficultywiththeMasonryModule............................................................44
Figure326.RebarProjectedonMasonryWallElevation......................................................................................45
Figure327.SteppedFootingExamplewithRevit..................................................................................................46
Figure328.CreateReferencesPlanesforBondBeamFamily...............................................................................47
Figure329.RevitBondBeamFamilyPart1........................................................................................................48

Figure334.MasonryOpenings..............................................................................................................................56
Figure335.InterferenceCheckinginRevit............................................................................................................58
Figure336.LiveSectionsinInterferenceCheckingInterface................................................................................59
Figure337.InterfaceforMasonryCoordinationinRevit......................................................................................60
Figure338.DesignPhaseCostEstimatingSchedulesinRevit...............................................................................62
Figure339.IdeaforaMasonryReinforcingToolforRevit....................................................................................64
Figure41.BIMMCTCOfficeBuilding....................................................................................................................73
Figure42.BIMMCTCOfficeBuilding....................................................................................................................74
Figure43.AreasofBuildingDevelopedtoLOD350..............................................................................................82
Figure44.SnapshotofPlansandViewsinCTCModel..........................................................................................84
Figure45.FamilyNamingBestPractices...............................................................................................................85
Figure46.TypeNamingBestPractices..................................................................................................................85
Figure47.SnapshotofArchitecturalComponentFamiliesfromtheRevitProjectBrowser.................................86
Figure48.ModelProgressionfromLOD300toLOD350......................................................................................87
Figure49.DesignOptionsforMasonryBondingPatterns(Setup)........................................................................89
Figure410.DesignOptionsforMasonryBondingPatterns(Rendering)...............................................................90
Figure411.ModelingofBrickWallswithCMUBackup.........................................................................................91
Figure412.ModelingofBrickWallswithMetalStudBackup...............................................................................92
Figure413.CreatingPartsfromWalls...................................................................................................................93
Figure414.BIMListforManagingBIMFamilies....................................................................................................94
Figure415.Organizationofthe3DViewsintheCTCModel................................................................................97

2. Introduction
AdvancesinBIMsoftwareandassociatedpracticeshaveledtobetterbuildingmodelsinmanybuildingmaterial
systems:structuralsteel,reinforcedconcrete,andprecastconcrete,forexample.TheBuildingInformation
ModelingforMasonryInitiative(BIMM)wasformedin2013topursueanindustrywidestrategyfordeveloping
BIMtoolsandprocessesforthemasonryindustry.Theinitiativeincludesstakeholdersfromdesign,materials
supply,andconstructiontradeswithinthemasonryindustry.Inadditiontomasonryindustrystakeholders,
architects,engineers,constructionmanagersandgeneralcontractors,alongwithmajorAECindustrysoftware
providers,havejoinedtoassistthemasonryindustryinachievingtheobjectivessetoutinourBIMM
Roadmap6.
AsthePhaseII(DevelopmentPhase)ofBIMMprogressed,itbecameclearthatarchitectsandengineerswere
alreadyusingBIMtoolstorepresentmasonrybuildings.ItwasalsoclearthatthemajorityoftheBIMusersin
theNorthAmericanmarketwereusingAutodeskRevit.ThoughtheoverallapproachofBIMMisdrivenbyan
OpenBIMphilosophy,whereavarietyofBIMtoolsarerelevant,itwasrecognizedthatdesignerswereusing
Revit,andthatmanynovelsolutionsformeetingthechallengesofmodelingmasonryinRevitwerebeing
developed.Itwasthereforedecidedtofundthedevelopmentofabestpracticesguideformasonrymodelingin
Revit.ThegoalisthattheguidewillprovideinstructiononhowtouseBIMwithmasonrytoitsgreatestandbest
useformodelingtoday,andpointthewaytowardsimprovementstotheunderlyingsoftware,sothatevolving
BIMsoftwarewillbecomemorecapableofrepresentingmasonrydesignandconstruction.
Theguideisintendedtoprovidethedesignprofessionwithdetailedinstructionsandsmallexplanatorybuilding
modelsthatdemonstratehowtouseRevittocreatemodelsthatdepictmasonryintypicallyusedscenarios.Itis
recognizedthatRevitandotherBIMauthoringtoolsarenotfullydevelopedforusewithmasonry,andoften
workaroundsarerequiredforthebuildingmodeltodepictmasonryproperlyinmodels,elevations,and
sections.Inaddition,manydesignpracticesuseBIMtorepresentmasonryonlyatthemostelementallevel,and
transmitthemoredetailedinformationaboutmasonryconstructioninconventional2Ddrawingsthatarenot
tiedtothe3Dbuildingmodel.ThisleadstoreducedcapabilitiesasclashdetectionandothercommonBIM
processesworkonlywith3Dmodels,andnotwith2Ddetails.Theguidecontainssuggestionsthathighlight
thesesituationsanddiscusseshowimprovementstothemasonrymodelsmightbeapplied.
Itistypicalindesignpracticetosubmitdesigndocumentswithincreasinglevelsofresolutionattheschematic
design,designdevelopment,andcontractdocumentstagesoftheproject.Thebuildingmodelsateach
successivestageoftheprojectareexpectedtocontainmoredetailedinformation.Thecontractdocument
buildingmodelsarefrequentlydeliveredaccordingtoaBIMexecutionplan7sothattheownerandcontractors
canusethemodelduringbuildingprocurement,constructionplanning,fabrication,installation,andoperational
phasesofthebuilding.
2.1. LevelofDevelopment
Thetermslevelofdetailandlevelofdevelopment,orsimplyLOD,arebeingusedinBIMparlancetoexplain
whyandhowcertainbuildingelementsareincludedorexcludedfromthebuildingmodel.TheBIMForum,
workingwiththeBIMMInitiative,hasrecentlyupdateditsLODdocument,the2014BIMForumspecification8,
6
Seehttp://www.bimformasonry.org/pdf/aroadmapfordevelopinganddeployingbuildinginformationmodelingbim
forthemasonryindustry.pdf
7
FormoreinformationaboutBIMExecutionPlans,seetheVersion2.0ofthemodelBIMExecutionPlanat:
http://bim.psu.edu/
8
Seehttps://bimforum.org/lod/

toreflecttherecommendationsfromtheTMSBIMMcommitteeforthedevelopmentofmasonrymaterials.
TheBIMForumdocumentisafreedownload,andreadersofthisdocumentareencouragedtoreviewtheLOD
documentanditsdiscussionofmasonrysystems.
There is significant interest in LOD 350, as this has been proposed as appropriate level for contractor
coordination.AsFigure21shows,elementsatLOD350gobeyondthetypicalmodelingofmasonrywallsinRevit
today.
Figure21.LOD350forMasonryWallsasProposedbytheBIMForum
ThechallengeofmasonrymodelingbecomesevengreaterifoneistryingtomodelatLOD400commonly
knownasthefabricationlevelwhichapproachesthecomplexitythatweexpectinvirtualmockups.Most
Revituserswouldlookatthegraphicrepresentationofmasonryatthislevel(seeFigure22)andwouldnot
attempttoproducethecomplexityshownwithRevit.TheonlywaytoapproachthischallengeinRevitis
throughtheinsertionoffamiliesandcomponentstorepresentindividualmasonryelements,wallties,lintels,
etc.Thoughthismaybepossibleusingaplugin,themanualcreationofsuchgeometryisboundtobelabor
intensive,withlittlereward.MostgeneralcontractorsandconstructionmanagerswithstrongVDC(virtual
designandconstruction)teamscreatemodelswiththislevelofcomplexityusingTrimbleSketchUporother
lightweight3Dmodelingtools,andonlyinareasofbuildingswheredetailedcoordinationisrequired.
Inthisguide,wefocusonRevitmodelsformasonrymodelsthatcantakeustoLOD350.TheIntegrusmodelsin
Chapter3aremorealongthelinesofcontractdocumentmodels,reachingLOD300andapproachingLOD350.
SomeoftheCTCmodelsdepictedinChapter4reachandperhapsexceedLOD350.

Figure22.LOD400forMasonryWallsasProposedbytheBIMForum
2.2. FundamentalsofWallModelinginRevit
ThissectionprovidesabasicsummaryofhowwallsaregenerallymodeledinAutodeskRevit.Thepurposeofthis
summaryistoprovideaframeofreferenceforthemoredetailedinstructionsandcommentsintheguide.
InRevit,wallsaredefinedasArchitectural(nonstructural)orStructural(loadbearing,shearwall).Unlike
modelingsteelbeamsystems,onedoesnotselectwallsystemsorcomponentsfromtheRevitFamilyLibrary.
Instead,RevitprovidesaSystemFamilytostartawall9.ThedefaultSystemFamilyprovidedinRevit,isnamed
BasicWallandisan8inchwiderectangularformwithnomaterialpropertiesorgraphics(Figure23).
9
ThedifferencebetweenafamilyinRevitandasystemfamilyinRevitcanbeconfusing.Afamilyisanobjectthatcan
beimportedintoRevitfromanexternalsourcesuchasalibrary.Someaspectsoftheobjectmightbecustomizable(for

Figure23.BasicWallSystemFamilyDefinitioninRevit
FromthisBasicWallSystemFamily,differentWallTypescanbecreatedbymodifyingtheTypePropertiesfor
thewall(Figure24).UndertheStructuretab,thefunctionandbasicmaterialsforeachlayerofthewallare
defined.Thissetstheoverallwidthofthewallsystem.Thematerialselectionprovidestheusertheabilityto
modifyhowthelayersofthewallaregraphicallyrepresentedandtoprovideanalyticaldata.UndertheFunction
tab,theuseofthewallcanbedefinedasInterior,Exterior,Foundation,Retaining,orCoreshaft.TheGraphics
tabsallowthedesigntofurtherspecifyhowthewallisviewed.IdentityDatatabsallowtheusertoprovidesuch
dataasModel,Manufacturer,assemblydescription,assemblycode,cost,etc.
example,thelengthofasteelbeam).AsystemfamilyisinherenttoRevit,isgenerallyamorecomplexobjectthanafamily,
andcannotbeimportedfromalibrary.

Figure24.AddingComplexitytoBasicWallFamily
Wallscanhostelementssuchaslightswitches,outlets,etc.Whenthewallmoves,sodothehostedelements.
Whenthewallisplacedwithinthemodel,thebaseofthewallandheightaredefined,andopeningscanbe
placedthroughthewalls.
Asnotedabove,eachdifferentWallTypeisacustomcreationbuilttoprojectspecificneeds.Wallscanbemade
ofasinglematerialorcompoundstructuresmadeupofmanylayersrepresentingdifferentmaterials.Itshould
benotedthattheselayersarenothingmorethanaformorshapewithasetofdefinedproperties.Whenone
buildsabrickwallwithaconcretemasonrybackup,itisnothingmorethanarectangularform.Itisnotmade
upoftheindividualbricksandblocks.
Thegraphicsarealsonotarealrepresentationoftheactualwallbeingmodeled.Theydonotrepresentthe
individualblocksorbricksandthereforedonotrepresenttheactualcoursingofthemasonry.
Thefollowingexampleshowsthestepstocreateasimplebrickandconcretemasonrywallsystem.Fromaplan
view,picktheStructuretabtocreateanewwall(Figure25).

Figure25.InsertingaStructuralWallintoRevit
Togivethewallmasonryproperties,editthewalltypeasfollows.OnthePropertiesbox,startwithaRevit
defaultwalltype,pickEditTypeandduplicatetocreateanewwalltype.Namethewall:[BasicWallExterior
CommonBrickon8CMU](Figure26).

Figure26.EditingStructuralWalltoProperties
TheEditAssemblydialogueallowstheusertocustombuildhiswallwithallofthecharacteristicsofthatwall.
Forthisexample,itwillfocusonthecorestructuralwallcomponent.Inthiscase,CMUwillbedefinedasthe
StructuralMaterial.UnderThicknesstypeinthewidthofthewalllayer.TheMaterialcolumnallowstheuserto
selectfromalistofprovidedmaterialsthetypeofmaterialtobeusedintheconstructionofthewall.The
materiallistprovidedbyAutodeskincludesmanyofthecommonmaterialsusedinconstruction.Formasonry,
therearelimitedchoicesformaterials;theyincludeBrick,Common,andtwooptionsforCMUwalls,Concrete
MasonryUnitsandMasonryConcreteMasonryUnits.
TheMasonryConcreteMasonryUnitsoptiongivesyoulimitedphysicaldataforthematerial,itidentifiesthe
ClassasConcrete,allowstheusertomodifythegraphicsandappearanceinplanandsections,andprovidesa
WallPaperimagetorendertheCMUwall.
TheConcreteMasonryUnitsoptiongivesthesameIdentity,Graphics,andAppearancetabsbutalsoprovides
twoadditionalmaterialproperties,PhysicalandThermal.ItidentifiestheClassasMasonry.Theadditionaltabs
provideCMUpropertiessuchasthermalexpansioncoefficientanddensity,butthesepropertiesseemtobe
basedoncastinplaceconcrete,notmasonry(Figure27).

Figure27.ApplyingMasonrySpecificPropertiestoWalls
ThebrickveneerisaddedtothewallsystembypickingtheInsertbuttonandaddinganadditionallayertothe
wall.Movethelayertotheappropriateside,exteriororinterior,anddefineitsfunction,material,thickness,and
howthecompoundwallwrapsattheendconditions.Thecommonbrickmaterialshowsthelimitedphysical
characteristicsofthebrickdata.Themechanicaldensityisshownbutitisnotspecifictowhatkindofbrickit
represents(Figure28).

Figure28.AddingaBrickVeneerLayertotheStructuralWall
TheresultisaCommonBrickon8inchCMUwalltypethatisrepresentedinthemodelasasolidrectangular
element.Thelayersofthewallaregraphicallyrepresenteddifferentlyinthemodel,buttheycannotbemodified
independentlyforheight,length,etc.Thereislittletonoaccuratedataassociatedwiththewallsystem.Infact,
intheexampleshownabove,the8CMUhaserroneouslybeendefinedasbeing8incheswide,wheninfactitis
actually75/8wide.
Figure29belowisarepresentationofacompletecavitywallsystem,showingthelayersandtheassociated
graphics.

Figure29.CompletedWallSystem
2.3. ChallengesofModelingMasonryinRevit
Thestructureofthisguideisbasedonthesetofcommonmasonryfeaturesandconditionsthatisfeltshouldbe
easytomodelinmasonrybuildingmodels.TheseconditionsarediscussedindetailinSection2.4below.Two
overallproblemsinherentinmasonrybuildingmodelinginRevitareglobalandthusgoacrossthevarious
masonryconditions.Thefirstlieswiththefactthatmasonryisoftenarchitecturalandstructuralsothe
paradigmofusingfederatedmodelswherebuildingelementsaremodeledeitherbythearchitectorstructural
engineerbutneverbybothconsultantsdoesnotworkwellwithmasonrywithinRevitatleastnotaseasilyas
itdoesforbuildingwithstructuralsteelorconcreteframes.TheCTCmodeldiscussedinChapter4addressesthis
limitation.
ThesecondglobalissueisthatthedefaultpracticeinRevitistomodelallwalls,includingmasonrywalls,with
systemfamilieswhichdefinethethicknessandnatureofthelayerswithinthewall,startingwiththeexterior
finishandworkingthroughtotheinteriorfinish.ThoughwallsinRevitarepowerful,therearemanymasonry
conditionsthatwemaywishtomodelathigherLOD,andthesystemfamiliesdonotaccommodatethese
details.Theuseofstackedwalls,unlockedwalllayers,wallrevealsandsweeps,anddivisionofwallsintoparts
supportrefinementoftheRevitmodel,andmanyofthesefeaturesarediscussedinChapters3and4ofthe
guide.NoneofthesefeaturesovercomethefactthatRevitmodelswalllayersassolidplaneswithagiven
thickness,andissimplynotawareofindividualmasonryunitsandsonotrueinformationonbondingor
coursingisincludedinRevitmodels.
2.4. MasonryFeaturesandConditions
ThesectionsbelowdescribethegenericmasonryfunctionalitythattheTMSBIMCommitteefeltwasrequiredto
supportmasonrymodelinginRevit.TheseconditionsrepresentthesetofchallengesthatwereprovidedtoCTC

andIntegrustoleadtheminthedevelopmentoftheirmasonryRevitmodelsandsupportingnarrative.Someof
theconditionsareprimarilyarchitecturalandaesthetic,andothersdealwithstructuralaspectsofthewall.In
thediscussionbelow,thefocusisondefiningthewishlistanddesiredBIMfunctionality.Themeansof
addressingtheproblemsinRevit,whetherbyexpertuseofexistingRevitfeatures,throughaworkaround,or
throughanexistingplugin,arethesubjectofthediscussioninChapters3and4.Insomecases,thechapter
authorsindicatethatthedesiredfunctionalitycannotbeachievedinthecurrentversionofRevit,andthis
providesguidanceforthefuturedevelopmentofBIMMsoftware.
2.4.1. BondingPatterns
Masonryiscommonlylaidinrunningbondbutisoftenlaidinstackbond,Flemishbond,andmanyother
patterns.Itiscommontoshowthepatternofthemasonryonthewallinelevations,andallBIMapplicationsdo
this.However,thepatternswillbemisalignedrelativetodoors,windows,controljoints,shelfangles,etc.,ifthe
wallisnotdimensionedproperly.MasonryBIMapplicationsshouldprovidetoolstoalignthebondingpatterns
withkeyelementsofthebuilding(floors,corners)andindicatewherebuildingelementsneedtobeadjustedto
staywiththemoduleofthemasonry.
2.4.2. ChangesinBondingPattern
Inmanycasesbondingpatternschangeatlocationsonthewall.Thenewpatternmayoccurinaninsetor
region,likeaherringboneinlay,orasacourselaidwithheadersorsoldiers.Thenewpatternmayneedtobe
indexedrelativetotheprimarypattern,sothatthetwocoordinate,orthechangedpatternmaybecompletely
disassociatedandindependentfromtheprimarypattern.
2.4.3. MasonryOpeningsandLintels
Thedefinitionofmasonryopeningsshouldbedrivenbyastyledefinition,withoperationsdefinedoneachlayer
ofthewallbasedontheactofinsertingthewindow.Ofprimaryconsiderationinabrick/CMUwallisthe
treatmentthattheveneerandstructuralmasonrylayersreceive.Inveneerlayers,asteellintelmightbe
insertedatthetopofamasonrywalltreatmentsuchasaflatarchorstonelintelcouldbeinserted(all
dependingonthewindowstyle).Thesillconditionshouldalsobedefinedinthestyleandtheappropriate
masonryaccessorylikecaststoneshouldbeinsertedaspartofthewindow.Inthestructurallayers,amasonry
lintelorprecastlintelcouldbeinsertedintheCMU.Basedonthesizeofthewindoworonwind/seismic
provisions,itmightbeappropriatetoinsertverticallyreinforcedcellsononeorbothsidesofthewindow.
2.4.4. MasonryBackupSystem
Themasonrybackupsystem,commonlyCMUorsteelstuds,butsometimescastinplaceconcrete,shouldbe
modeled.Theindexingofbackupsystemtoveneershouldbetrackedsothatelementsthatconnectthebackup
totheveneer(likeveneeranchors)canbeaccuratelyplacedinhigherLODmodels.Thecoursingonstructural
layersshouldindexwiththecoursingonveneerlayers.

2.4.5. StoneAccentsandOtherNonStandardMasonryUnits
TheRevitmodelshouldsupporttheinsertionofdiscreetmasonrycomponentsthatarelargeenoughsothat
theirindividualsizeareimportant.Theseelementsincludeparapetcaps,lintels,sillsandquoins.Themasonry
wallsinwhichthesediscreetelementsareinsertedshouldacknowledgethepresenceoftheinsertsinsteadof
propagatingthroughtheunitsthuscreatingaclashwithinthewall.Theuseofwallsweepsmightbeusedto
generatetheseelementswheretheyarecontinuous,butthebuildingmodelshouldincluderulesthatdrivethe
sectionofthesweepintoindividualcomponents.
2.4.6. ShelfAnglesandOtherVeneerSupportsinMultiStoryBuildings
Formultistorybuildingswheremasonryiscarriedonshelfangles,itmaybeadvantageoustomodeltheseas
partofthe3Dmodel,andnotmerelyasdetailedcomponents.Inthiscase,thetopofsteelelevationsofthe
shelfanglesshouldbecoordinatedwiththemasonrycoursing,andthisshouldbelinkedifpossiblewiththe
masonrypatterning.AtthispointautomationofthistaskisimpossiblebecauseRevitisnotawareofthe
masonrycoursing.
2.4.7. MasonryArches
Complexmasonryfeaturesuchassemicircularandflatarchesshouldbedefinedparametricallyandbeinserted
intowallsaspartofdoorandwindowopenings.Insomecasesitmaybeacceptabletotreatthearchasaspecial
patterninsertedintothewall,butinmostinstancesitwillbenecessarytogeneratethesolidunitswhichmake
upthearch,perhapsasanestedfamily.
2.4.8. MasonryPilasters
StructuralmasonrypilastersshouldbeabletobedefinedandplacedintoCMUwalls.Thespacingofpilasters
shouldbecontrolledprogrammatically,andrulesforthecoordinationbetweenpilasterspacingandother
masonryelements(suchasintersectingwalls)shouldbedefined.Pilastersshouldbepartofthewalldefinition
notacolumninterruptingacontinuouswalloraverticalextrusionoverlappingawall.
2.4.9. MovementJoints(controlandexpansionjoints)
Horizontalandverticalmovementjointsshouldbedefinedasstyles,similartowindows.Therulesforapplying
thesejointsshouldbedefinedsothatthejointscanbepropagatedaroundthebuildinginasemiautomated
fashion.Asanexample,verticaljointscouldbepropagatedaroundthebuildingatagivenoffset(say20feet)but
theusercouldbeprovidedtoolstodragthesejointsleftandrightinelevationtoaffixthejointsrelativetoother
elementssuchasdoors,windows,andcorners.
2.4.10. MasonryCornerTreatments
Cornertreatmentsinvolvetwosetsoffunctionality.Thefirstisthecontinuationofmasonryunitspacingasa
wallgoesaroundthecorner(whichisgenerallyachievedthroughthecoordinationofoveralldimensionswith
themasonrymodule).Themasonrymodelpatternononewallshouldassociateitselftothepatternonadjacent
wallsinawaythatprovidesthedesignerfeedbackifthemasonrybondingisnotwrappingaroundthecorner
properly.Inadditiontothiscorefunctionality,itshouldalsobepossibletodefinemasonrycornertreatments
suchasquoins,whichmayinvolvetheplacementofcutorcaststoneasasubstituteforbrick.

2.4.11. TreatmentofOutofPlaneMasonryConditions
ContinuousmasonryrevealsandsweepsarealreadywellsupportedinBIMtoolslikeRevit(buttheyarenot
necessarilycheckedtoseeiftheyworkwiththedefinedwallbondingpattern).Morecomplexpatterningsuchas
corbelingshouldalsobesupported.
2.4.12. NonPlanarWalls
Masonryisknownforitsabilitytoaccommodatenonplanarconditionssuchascorbeling.Inthesimplestnon
planarform,masonryisusedtocladcurvedwalls,whichareotherwiseplumb.Insomecircumstances,masonry
wallsaretiltedoutoftheverticalplane(butstillmightbeplanar).ItisofsomeinterestedtoseeifandhowRevit
canaccommodatetheseconditionsandwhetherthepropagationofmasonryunitsontoanonplanarwallis
possibleinRevit.
2.4.13. WallPenetrations
AkeyfeatureneededinmasonrybuildingmodelsistheLOD350modelenvisionedformasonryclashdetection.
Thiscouldbedefinedforexampleasaclashbetweenmasonryandmechanicalplumbingorductworkatoneof
fourlevels:(1)mechanicalsystemclasheswithunreinforcedareasofCMUwall,(2)mechanicalsystemclashes
withverticallyreinforcedcellsintheinteriorofwalls,(3)mechanicalsystemclasheswithhorizontallyreinforced
bondbeams,and(4)mechanicalsystemclasheswithverticalreinforcementatthejambsofshearwalls.This
exampleisprovidedasasimpleexample,butitwouldbemostusefulifthestructuralengineercouldprovide
rulestodescribethenatureoftheclashtobedeterminedusingtheLOD350buildingmodel.
2.4.14. MasonryModularityandDimensioningPractice
Ofcrucialimportanceisfeedbackbetweentheoveralldimensionofthebuilding,andthepositionofwindows
anddoors,andthemodularityofthemasonrysystemsselectedforthebuilding.Theselectionofmasonryunits
andtheinsertionofdoorsandwindowsatoneandonehalfmasonryunitnominaldimensionsiswellknown.
But,therearemanyotherrulesfordimensioningmasonrybuildingssothatitcanbeconstructedsolelywith
wholeandhalfunits.Thebuildingmodelshouldassistinlayingoutbuildingsaccordingtothemodularlyofthe
masonry.
2.4.15. BondBeamsandMasonryWallReinforcing
Thebuildingmodelshouldfacilitatetherepresentationofbondbeamsandgroutedcells,especiallyforbuildings
modeledatLOD350andabove.Themodelshouldsupportthedefinitionofrulestocontrolthehorizontaland
verticalpropagationofwallreinforcement,alongwiththerulesforadjustingthisreinforcementinthose
instanceswherethepropagationleadstoclasheswithdoorsandwindows.
2.4.16. InteriorConcreteMasonryWalls
Thebuildingmodelshouldalsofacilitatetherepresentationofinteriormasonrywalls,whichmightincludetheir
owndefinitionformovementjointplacements.Rulesforcontrollingtheheightofinteriorwallsshouldalsobe
easilydefineable.
2.5. IntroductiontotheIntegrusandCTCModels
ThetwofirmsprovidingbuildingmodelsfortheRevitBestPracticesGuidecompletedtheirtaskwithadifferent
yetcomplementaryphilosophy.Integrusisanintegratedarchitecturalstructuralengineeringpracticeandtheir
Revitmodelingexampleandrecommendations(Chapter3)reflectthewaythatathoughtfuldesignfirmwould

buildRevitmodels.Integrusdiscussedwhatcanandwhatshouldbemodeledinmasonrygiventheaffordances
andlimitationsofRevit.
CTCisaBIMconsultancyandsoftwareprovider.TheirdeepknowledgeofRevitandadvancedmodeling
techniquesallowedCTCtodevelopmasonrymodelsinRevitathighLODs.Theirmodeldepictsanumberof
componentssuchasties,wallreinforcement,andbondbeamsmodeledas3Delements.Themodelpresented
byCTCisatthelevelthatmightbecreatedbyamasoncontractorwishingtouseRevitfordetailedcoordination
andprojectplanning.
ReadersofthisguideareencouragedtoreadtheIntegruschapterfirst,tounderstandtheapplicationof
masonryinRevitinatypicalbuildingdesignscenariofromboththearchitecturalandstructuralengineering
perspective.ThenreadtheCTCchapter,tolearnmoreabouthowthedetailedmodelingofmasonrycanbe
accomplished,evenwiththelimitationsinthecurrentversionofRevit

3. TheIntegrusModels
3.1. ProjectSummary
TheexampleprojectusedforthisBIMexerciseincludedan800studentmiddleanda650studentelementary
school,bothcombinedintoonefacilityofaround177,000squarefeet(seeFigure31).Forthepurposeofthis
project,theprojectwascondensedtoshowtheelementaryschoolbuildingonly.Thisportionoftheprojectwas
selectedforitswideuseofmasonry,inbothveneerandstructuralapplications.Majorprojectcomponents
includeloadbearingmasonrywallsusedforthecafeteria,andmultipurposespacesandbrickveneerover
metalstudsusedatthetwoclassroomwings,aswellasbrickveneeroverstructuralCMUatashearwall
location.

Figure31.IntegrusModelBuilding
3.2. Contents
ThefollowingisalistofthemasonrycomponentsthattheBIMMInitiativerequestedthatweincludeinthe
model.Unlessnotedbelow,allitemsaremodeledinthreedimensions.Itemsnotmodeledhavebeenpulled,
andthereasonfortheirexclusionisdiscussedinSection3.3.
BondingPatterns
Runningbond
Stackedbond
Flemishbond
ChangesinBondingPattern
Soldiercourses
Headercourses
Watertables
MasonryOpeningsandLintels

ModelingMasonryBuildingsinAutodeskRevitIntegrusReportChapter3Page21
BackupSystem
CMU
Steelstuds
Tiesbetweencavitywallsystems
StoneAccentsandOtherNonStandardMasonryUnitsSuchasCastandCutStone
Stonesills
Stonelintels
Parapets
Foundationdetailssuchasplinthsandwatertables
ShelfAnglesandOtherVeneerSupportsinMultiStoryBuildings
Arches
MasonryPilasters
MovementJoints(controlandexpansionJoints)
MasonryCornerTreatments
Quoins
Non90degreecorners
TreatmentofOutofPlaneMasonryConditions
Corbeling
Insetsandoutsets
NonPlanarWalls
Curvatureinplan
WallPenetrations(mechanical,piping,etc.)
MasonryDimensioningPractice
Wallmodelingwithpropermodulardimensions
Wallmodelingwithoutproperglobalmodulardimensions
BondBeamsandMasonryWallReinforcing
InteriorConcreteMasonryWalls
Wallsthatextendtotheundersideofstructure
Wallsthatextendaboveceilinglevel
TopofWallattachmenttostructure
3.3. ItemsNotModeled
TiesbetweencavitywallsystemsTomodeltiesbetweencavitywallsystemswouldbeaverytimeconsuming
effortrequiringalargeamountofmodelmemory.Minimalvalueisgained,asourtypicaldetailcoversall
changesintiespacingandconfiguration.
FoundationDetailsFoundationdetailscanbeveryrepetitivewithslightvariations.Thus,itismucheasierto
relyontypical/twodimensionaldetailing.Asbuildingelevationschangeinsize,thefoundationdetailalso
changes.Thiswouldrequireanextraordinaryamountoftimetorevise,withverylittlevaluegained.
3.4. DevelopingConstructionDocuments
Initsearliestdesignphases,theprojectisdevelopedinTrimblesSketchUpsoftware.SketchUpisatoolthat
mostdesignersuseasaquickwaytomockupideas.Itiseasytouseandallowsadesignertomodelmany
differentdesignsinarelativelyshorttime.SketchUpalsoallowstheusertocreatetopographyandothersite
conditions(suchasvegetationandentourage)quicklyforrenderingpurposes.Ifourdesignersweretoattempt

thisinRevit,themodelingeffortwouldbemuchmoreindepth.Revithasmassingtoolsbut,theyarenotas
easytouseasthesimpletoolsinSketchUp.OneofthedownsidestousingSketchUpisthatitdoesnotinterface
withRevitinanintelligentway.TheusercanimporttheSketchUpmodelintoRevitbutcannotchangeanything
anditdoesnothaveinformationembeddedwithinit.Therefore,thereisaneedtoremodelthecontentinside
Revit.IfAutodeskhadaneasiertoolbuiltintoRevit,thiswouldsavetime.Thedesignersmodelcouldbe
enhancedastheprojectmatured,insteadofstartingfromscratchafterinitialspatialrelationshipsandbasic
buildingformswerediscovered.
TheRevitmodelistypicallystartedmidwaythroughtheSchematicDesignPhase.Fromthispoint,Revitisthe
primarydocumentationsoftware.Asthedesignphasesprogress,themodelisrefinedandupdated.Partofthis
processincludessheetdevelopmentandtheircorrespondingviews.Eachsheetinthemodelisrepresentativeof
asheetinthefinaldrawingset.Viewsareplacedoneachsheet,demonstratingtherequiredinformation.A
combinationofliveormodelviews,threedimensionalviewsshowingwhatismodeled,anddraftingviews(two
dimensionalviews)areusedintheset.Typically,theonlyplacethatdraftingviewsareusedarefordetails.Itis
currentlystillourfirmstandardtousedraftingviewsforalldetails.Wehaveexperimentedwithusingdetail
views,whicharemodelviews,buthavenotimplementedthatpracticethroughoutthefirm.Thecurrent
thinkingastowhydraftingviewsarepreferabletodetailviewsisthattheyaretwodimensionalandthus,they
canbetransferredfromprojecttoprojectwhiledetailviewscannot.
Theroleofourconsultantstartsearlyinthedesignprocess.Wehaveaninitialkickoffmeetinginwhichmodel
rolesandresponsibilitiesareassigned.Thegoalistoshowmechanicalandelectricalitemsthataffectthe
appearance,suchthattheContractorcanhaveenoughunderstandingtoprovideaproperbidandconstructthe
buildingasintended.Theprocessinvolvesanumberofsteps,allinvolvingahighlydevelopedArchitectural
Modelofthebuilding.First,weaddmechanicalandelectricalelementstothearchitecturalmodel.Then,we
conductteamwidemeetingstocoordinatewithstructuralandarchitecturalelements.Afterthat,werevisethe
mechanicalandelectricalmodelsasaresultofthemeetings.Then,oneononeconsultantmeetingsareheldto
reviewaestheticimpacts(suchaslocationsoflouversandexposedductwork).Finally,themechanicaland
electricalmodelsarerevisedasaresultofthemeetings.
3.4.1. MasonryElementsinRevit
AtIntegrusArchitecture,thearchitectisresponsibleforshowingthreedimensionalmasonry.Thestructural
engineerisresponsibleforshowingstructuralwallelevationsandwallreinforcing,whichistypicallycreatedin
twodimensions.
3.4.2. Walls
ThemostbasicmasonryelementinRevitisthewall.IntheIntegrusapproach,itisinthearchitecturalmodel
whereallofthewallsaremodeled.InRevit,themodelelementofwallsanditspropertiescontrolsthebonding
patternandspecialcoursings,likesoldiercourses.
ThemajorityofmasonryelementsinRevitarerepresentedwithwalltypes.Allwalltypesarecreatedascloseto
accurateaspossible,withalllayersofthewallassemblyrepresentedbyusingtheRevitwalltool.Whenthewall
callsforanaccent,weusethewallsweeptoolorwallrevealtoolwhenappropriate.Thesetoolscanbeusedto
representsoldiercourses,watertables,lintels,corbeling,andsills.
Whenmodelingawall,thatwallisdefinedbyitsproperties,andthesepropertiescanbechangedbyeditingthe
typeproperties.Oncethetypepropertiesmenuhasbeenaccessed,allofthewallmaterialsdefiningawalltype
areincorporatedintheEditAssemblymenubyselectingtheEditTypebutton(seeFigure32).Inthismenu,the

userhasaccesstoeachwalllayer.Thethickness,typeofmaterial,andthematerialsorderinthelayeringofthe
wallareallcontrolledfromthismenu.Thisisalsothelocationwherethebackupsystemisdesignated.By
alteringthethicknessandmaterialofthestructure,onecanchangeawallfromCMUtosteelstudbackup,for
example.Layerscanbedesignatedasstructuralbyusingthecheckboxlocatednexttoeachmaterial(seeFigure
33).Thestructuralcheckboxinthewallassemblywindowisonlyavailableformaterialsthataredesignatedas
aCorematerial.Onlyonestructuralmaterialcanbeselected,evenifmultiplematerialsexistwithinthecore
boundaries.Whenusingthischeckbox,Revitwillknowthattheuserwantsthatmaterialtoshowasastructural
material.
Figure32.EditingwallsinRevitStep1

Figure33.EditingWallStructureinRevitStep2
Thisbecomesimportantwhensettingaviewtothestructuraldiscipline,becausethismaterialwillshowthe
selectedmaterialasbold,andtheremainingpartsofthewallwillbehalftoned(therearelimitstothis
approachbecauseinmasonryconstructionthestructuralfunctionmightbeattributedtomorethanonelayerof
masonry).
Wallmaterialsarealsocontrolledfromthismenu.Byclickingontherighthandsideofanyofthematerialboxes
inthismenu,theusercanchangethematerial.Thisbringsupthematerialsbrowser(seeFigure34).By
changingthematerialintheprojectmaterialspaneofthismenu,itchangeshowthiswalltypeisseen
throughouttheproject.

Oncetheuserisinthematerialsbrowser,anumberofsubmenusareaccessedthroughtabs.TheGraphicstab
(Figure34)controlshowamaterialisshownthroughoutthemodel.Thecolorindicateshowitwillbe
representedintheshadedandconsistentcolorvisualstyles.Thesurfacepatternindicateshowthematerialwill
appearinelevation.Formasonry,thisishowthebondpatternisset.Thealigntoolisusedtopickaninitial
referencepointandsnapstherestofthepatternintoplace.Thecutpatternrepresentshowthematerialwill
lookinsection.Thecolorofboththesurfacepatternandthecutpatternwillonlychangethecoloroftheline
workthatmakesupthepattern.
Figure34.MaterialsBrowserGraphicsTab
UndertheIdentitytab(Figure35),theuserhastheabilitytoenterspecificproductandannotationinformation.
IntegrusArchitecturetypicallydoesnotincludemanufacturerinformationinourmodels,forseveralreasons.
Forone,itisverytimeconsumingtoenterthedata.Second,ourworkisalmostexclusivelypublic,thusweare
notallowedtosolesourcebuildingmaterials.Werelyonourspecificationtogivearangeofmaterialsthatwill
fitthedesignintent.
TheideabehindembeddingthistypeofinformationintothemodelwouldbetoeventuallysubmittheRevit
modeltotheOwnerinsteadoftheOperations&Maintenancemanual.Theclienthasalloftheinformation
aboutwhatwentintotheirbuildingembeddeddirectlyintothemodel.WedousetheRevitAnnotation
Informationportionofthismenu,wheretheusercanenterthematerialdesignator.Oncethisinformationis
embeddedintothematerial,theusercantagorcalloutthematerial,anditwillreadthesameinformation

everywhere.Thismaintainsaccuracyinnotationandallowstheusertochangethematerialdesignationquickly
andinonelocationthroughouttheentireproject.
Figure35.MaterialsBrowserIdentityTab

Figure36.MaterialsBrowserAppearanceTab
TheAppearancetab(Figure36)controlsthematerialappearanceintherealisticandraytraceviewingmodes
withinRevit.Renderingiscontrolledbyuploadingcustomrenderingimagefilesthatarethenassociatedwith
thematerials.
3.4.3. DifferentiatingLoadBearingandNonLoadBearingWalls
ToRevitthereisnodifferencebetweeninteriorwallsandexteriorwalls.Inaddition,Revitdoesnotinternally
trackwhetherawallisloadbearingornonloadbearing(asignificantdeficiencyinthedescriptionofamasonry
building).Integrususesthefollowingworkaround.
Toidentifyawallasnonloadbearing,awalltypewillbemadetoincludethetitleNLB(Figure37)andtagged
usingthetagcommand.Iftherearealimitednumberofnonloadbearingwallsinaproject,thenatextnote
maybeusedontheplan.NeithermethodaltershowRevitmodelsawall.
Structuralwallsaretypicallymodeledtotheundersideofthestructure,andRevitautomaticallyjoinsfloorstoa
wallattheirintersection.Whenawallismodeledwithaspecificheight,ortheroofaboveisslopedsothewall
doesnotattachtotheroof,onecanselectthewallandfindthebuttonAttachTop/Base.Usingthisbutton,the
selectedtargetwillextendtotheundersideofthatlevelsstructure(Figure38).

Figure37.WorkAroundforNonLoadBearingWalls

AtIntegrus,wemodelstructuralwallsinthreedimensionsbutcreatemostofourwallconnectiondetailsintwo
dimensions.Thisrequireslessmemoryusage,andasitemsmoveintheprojectthedetailswillnotbecome
invalid(forexample,thecasewhereaveneerreliefangleisattachedtoaslabedgeandthefloormovesupfour
inches).Itispossibletomodeltheconnectionsthreedimensionally,butthisistimeconsumingandcan
overburdenthemodel.
NonloadbearingCMUwallstypicallycarrytheforcesassociatedwiththeirselfweightandlateralloadsdown
tothefloorbelow(verticallyspanning)orhorizontallytoboundaryelementsateachendofthewall
(horizontallyspanning).Todistinguishdifferentspanningpartitions,therecouldbeatagontheplan(i.e.NLB
1couldbeaverticallyspanningandNLB2couldbehorizontallyspanning).

Figure38.ExtendingWallstoStructureAbove
3.4.4. SpecialtyCourses
Inordertoaddaspecialtycoursetoawall,suchasasoldierorheadercourse,onecancreateanewwalltype
withanintegralsweep.ThisisdoneintheEditAssemblymenu.Toaccessthewallsweeps,theuserexpandsthe
previewpaneandchangesthepreviewviewtypetoSection(Figure39).Thisgivestheuseraccesstothe
ModifyVerticalStructuremenuoptions.OneoftheseoptionsisSweeps.OpentheSweepsMenuand
selectingtheAddbutton.Thisaddsasweeptothewall,whichisamodelorthreedimensionalelementthatis
simplyanextrusionofadesignatedprofileacrossallinstancesofthiswalltype.Whenthesweepisfirstadded,
theprofilewillshowupasdefault.Byselectingtherightsideofthebox,adropdownmenuisrevealed.Here,
theusercanchoosefromoneoftheprofilefamiliesthatareloadedintotheproject.Thematerialofthissweep,
aswellasitsplacementinthewallandallotherparameters,arecontrolledinthismenu.
Forinstanceswhereabandingeffectisdesired,theusercanaddmoresweepstothewall(Figure310).


Figure39.CreatingSpecialtyCoursingusingWallSweepsPart1

Figure310.CreatingSpecialtyCoursingUsingWallSweepsPart2
3.4.5. MasonryOpenings
Masonryopeningsarecontrolledbytheelementsthatfitintothoseopenings,namely,windowsanddoors.
Withinthewindowanddoorfamily,anopeningcutisbuiltintotheseobjects.Thisopeningtellsthatobjectto
cutthewallinwhichitisplaced,accordingtothesizeparametersthathavebeensetupinthefamily(Figure3
11).Theopeningcutdoesnothoweverautomatetheplacementofmasonryspecificitemssuchaslintels,sills,
orfacilitatethechangesinmasonrypatterningthatoftenhappenandwindowanddooropenings.

Figure311.MasonryOpenings

3.4.6. Arches
Archesarecontrolledinmuchthesamewayastypicalrectangularopenings.Thecuttingelementcontrolsthe
shapeoftheopening.Whentruemasonryarchesareconstructed,themasonryunitscreatingthearchcanbe
rectangularortaperedinshape,andthemasonadjuststhebondingpatterntoaccommodatethearch.Revit
doesnotadjustthebondingpatternforarchesitsimplycutsintothedefaultwallpattern(forexample,
runningbondseeFigure312).Ifthedesignerwantstodepictthetruearchcondition,ithastobeshownina
twodimensionaldrawing.Itmaybepossibletoshowthearchedmasonryunitsusingthemodelinplace
approachasdiscussedbelowformasonryaccents.
Figure312.MasonryArches
3.4.7. StoneAccents
Stoneaccentsareuniquemodelelements.Ifthegroupofelementscanbedesignedparametricallyandreused,
suchasacaststonesill,thentheelementsshouldbemodeledascomponentsandinsertedasaparametric
family.Iftheaccentsareuniqueandareunlikelytobereused,thenitiscommonpracticetoutilizeaninplace
component.ThisisfoundontheribbonundertheArchitecturetab.Belowthecomponenticonisadropdown
menuwheremodelinplaceisfound(seeFigure313).

Figure313.ModelingStoneAccentsusingModelInPlace
Iftheaccenthasawideruse,thenwewillmakeafamily.Thispracticewillbecoveredindetailinthefollowing
section.Agoodexampleofthiscanbeseeninthestonesillsfeaturedinthisproject.Theyareactuallywall
sweeps.Wecreatedacustomprofilefamilyandplacedthemasdesiredinelevationview(seeFigure314).

Figure314.FamilyCreationforaMasonrySill
3.4.8. ShelfAnglesandSupportforVeneer
InIntegruspractice,shelfanglesarealmostexclusivelytwodimensionalshownindetailbutnotinthemodel.
Asdiscussedearlier,ourdetailsvary:somearejustcollectionsoftwodimensionalelementsandlines,while
othersaresnapshotsofthemodel,calleddetailviews,whichwedrawovertoenhancethelevelofdetailshown
(Figure315).Inbothinstances,shelfanglesareshowntwodimensionally.Onthestructuralside,thestandard

isalsotodrawtheseastwodimensionalitemsonly.Thisisbecause,asfloorsmoveverticallyorhorizontally,or
aswallfinisheschange,feweritemsneedtobeupdated,whichsavesmodelingtimeandleadstosmallerRevit
models.However,fortheRevitBestPracticesGuideproject,someshelfanglesweremodeledtohelpwith
coordinationeffortsbetweendisciplines.Thesewerecompletedbymodelinganglesatthecorrectelevation,
andthenoffsettingtheseanglesfromthefloorslabtothecorrectelevation,inordertosupportthefinish
(Figure315).Thereliefangleconnectionwasdetailedtwodimensionally,toavoidusingalargequantityof
partsneededtomakethemodel,savingtimeandmodelmemory.
Figure315.VeneerSupportModeledwith2DElements(upperfigure)andPartiallywith3D
Elements(lowerfigure)

3.4.9. MasonryPilasters
Thethicknessofmasonryisdictatedbythewalltype.Inordertoshowamasonrypilaster,wesplitthewallinto
threesections.Thecentersectionisthickertoshowthelocationofthepilaster.Thatsectionofwallisswapped
outtothewalltypethataccuratelyshowsthethicknessrequiredforthepilaster(Figure317).
Structurally,pilastersaremodeledthreedimensionallybyeitherusingacolumnelementorathickerwall
element,dependingontheapplication.Ifitisanisolateditem,thenitismodeledasamasonrycolumn;ifitis
withinawallline,thenitcanbemodeledeitherway,dependingonpersonalpreference.TheIntegrus
Architecturestandardistoshowpilasterreinforcingwithtwodimensionaldetails.However,inthismodel,
Revitsrebartoolwasusedtoreinforcethepilasters(Figure317).Neitheroftheseapproachesaretruetothe
wallpilasterrelationshipinmasonryconstruction.Instead,theyareworkaroundsthatcanbeusedgiventhe
limitationsofRevit.

Figure316.MasonryPilastersusingThickenedWallSegment

Figure317.MasonryPilasterusingConcreteColumnandRebarTools
3.4.10. MovementJoints
Thecomplexityofthejointdictateshowitismodeled.Weuseamodellineforsimplecontroljoints.Inour
drawingswerefertoallexpansionjointsascontroljoints.Theonlyotherjointtypethatwetypicallyshoware

seismicjoints,whicharecalledoutanddetailed.Theseareshowninelevation,and,whiletheyarejustaline,
theyarevisibleinallviewsandarethusthreedimensional(Figure318).Formorecomplicatedjointslike
seismicjoints,weshowasplitintheactualmodelelements,walls,roof,etc.Inbothofthesescenarios,werely
ontwodimensionaldetailstoprovideindepthinformationaboutthecondition.
Structurally,wallcontroljointsarecompletedusingoneoftwooptions.Optiononeistodrawthewallasalong
massandplacedetaillinesandcalloutsintheelevationsdepictingwherecontroljointsneedtobe.Theother
option,whichwasusedinthisproject,istomodelthewallinsectionsandthen,wherethewallstopsandstarts,
showacallouttodenoteacontroljoint(Figure319).

Figure318.SimpleControlJointusingModelLine

Figure319.ControlJointattheBoundaryofTwoWallTypes

3.4.11. MasonryCornerTreatments
Masonrywallsthatcometogetheratnon90degreecornersaretypicallyhandledwiththewalljointool(Figure
320).Thewalljointoolisatoolthathelpstheusercyclethroughvariousarrangementsofhowseveralwalls
(wallsarealwaysthreedimensionalormodelelements)arejoined.Thistoolactuallychangeshowthewall
geometrymeets.Itcanchangebetweenhavingspacebetweenthewalls,miteredcorners,orbuttjoints.The
usershouldnotethatRevithasnoabilitytofacilitatehowmasonryactuallycoursesaroundnon90degree
corners(oranycornersforthatmatter).Itisuptothearchitecttoensurethatthemasonrybondispreserved
aroundthecorner,andtosupply2Ddetailsor2Delevationstosupporttheproperconstructionofcomplex
corners.
ItisunusualforIntegrustoincludequoinsinitsmasonrybuildings.Fortheproductionofthisguide,we
concludedthatawallsweep(Figure321)wasthebestwaytomodelquoining.Eachcourseismodeled
separatelyasitsownsweep.

Figure320.TreatmentofNon90degreeCorners

Figure321.MasonryQuoinCreatedusingWallSweep
3.4.12. TreatmentofOutofPlaneMasonryConditions
Structurally,theseitemsarehandledwithtwodimensionaldetails.Wedothisforacouplereasons:thefinishes
arearchitecturalandtheveneertiespacing/tiesupportistheonlyitemthatisbeingdepicted;andmodeling
theseitemsrequiresbeingverypreciseandleadstolargerRevitmodels,whicharedifficulttoedit.

Inourexample,thearchitecturaloutofplanemasonrywasaccomplishedwithawallsweeptoshowitinthree
dimensions(Figure322).However,allthefinerdetailitemswerecompletedintwodimensions,because
achievingthecomplexityinthreedimensionswouldbetoodifficultandtimeconsuming.
Figure322.OutofPlaneMasonryConditions(CorbelingExample)


Figure323.TypicalIntegrusMasonryWallSchedule
3.4.13. WallPenetrations
Wherepipingandmechanicalelementsmustgothroughorembedinawall,wetypicallyhavetheconsultant
modeltheminplace.Theseelementsareallowedtooccupythesamespaceasthemasonrywallinthemodel.It
istimeprohibitivetomodelanopeningforeverysinglepipeandduct.Theseitemsareexcludedfromanytype
ofinterferencecheckreports.Thiscancausematerialtakeoffsandassemblyquantitiestobecomeless
accurate,though.
3.4.14. MasonryDimensioningPractice
Currently,notoolsexistinRevittoinformthedesignerthatdoorandwindowlocationsareinconflictwiththe
masonrymodularity.Revitsimplydoesnotknowaboutmasonrycoursingverticallyorhorizontally.Itisuptothe
designertokeeptheseconsiderationsinmindwhenlayingoutthebuilding.
3.4.15. BondBeamsandMasonryWallReinforcing
ThreedimensionallyrepresentingbondbeamsisnotacompanystandardatIntegrus,butwemodeledthe
reinforcementinsomewallsforthisprojectbyfollowingtheprocessdescribedbelow.Ourcompanystandard
forbondbeamsandwallsistodepicttheminschedules(Figure323).Eachschedulehasallthewalltypes,
verticalandhorizontalreinforcing,andwhetherthewallrequiressolidgrout.Ifadditionalreinforcementis
requiredforacertainpartofthewall(forinstanceawallpieronthesideofalargeopening),thenitisdepicted
ontheelevation.

Figure324.3DModelingofRebarinRevit
Asafirmstandard,weuseascheduleforourtypicalreinforcingandthennoteanyadditionalreinforcingas
detaillinesortextonanelevation.Herewecalloutlintels,additionalbondbeams,andboundaryelements.
TomodelthreedimensionalreinforcementwithintheRevitenvironment,theuserwillneedtoutilizemultiple
viewtypes(plan,section,threedimensional).Wallreinforcingcanbeplacedusingtheareareinforcingtoolthat
comesnativetoRevit.WeusedtheAutodeskreinforcingextensioninsteadoftheareareinforcingtool,asthe
userinterfaceissimplerandthefinishedproductiseasiertomanipulateifneeded.Thereinforcingextension
wasalsousedtocreatereinforcinginthewallfootings.
Regardlessofthetoolusedtoplacerebar,theuserspendsagooddealoftimeadjustingthebarsonceplacedto
ensureproperspacingandquantities.Beforeusingtheextension,thestandardareareinforcementtooldidnot
allowforoncenterspacing,onlyallowingforamaxspacingoftherebar.Thisdoesnotplacetherebarinthe
CMUcells.TheareareinforcementtoolintheRevitextensionsallowsforoncenterspacingandallowstheuser
toquicklycreaterebarpatterns,adjustingindividualbarsasrequiredforadditionalitems(Figure324).Thisalso
allowsforadequatecoveragestoavoidrebaroverlap,whichcanoccurwiththestandardareareinforcingtool.
Theusercanusetheoutoftheboxrebartooltoplaceextrabarslikejambandlintelbars,andbarsatthe
controljoints.

Figure325.ReinforcinginRevitandDifficultywiththeMasonryModule
Asdiscussedabove,cellsarenotmodeledbyawalltypesoitisimpossibletoensuredowelsareatopencells.If
precisenessisrequired,aworkaroundcouldbeused:placetherebarasdescribedintherebarsectionofthe
report,cutahorizontalsectionthroughthewall,andplacetwodimensionalCMUdetailcomponentsalongthe
lengthofthewall.Thentherebarcanbeadjustedtoalignwiththeopencellsofthedetailcomponent(Figure3
25).
Currently,areinforcementpatternthatcouldberepeatedeasilyinmultipleinstancesisnotpossiblewiththe
rebartoolsandextensionsavailableformodelinginthreedimensions.Therebartoolsarebasedoneach
instance,meaningeveryopeninghastobecompletelymodeledindependently.
Thispatterncanbeachievedwithtwodimensionaldetailing:detailgroups.Thesearetwodimensionallines
assembledtoformacertaingraphicrepresentation(i.e.closedtiesandverticalrebar)onawallelevation(Figure
326).Therebarsizesarecalledoutwithtextnotes,notaggingoptionisavailablewiththeTagbyCategory
function.Beingabletocreatethreedimensioncomponentswhichcouldbeeasilydroppedinafterbeing
modeledoncewouldbeanareaRevitcouldimproveitsmasonryfunctionality.
Forthreedimensionalreinforcement,thetendencyistoletRevitdothethinkingfortheuser.However,to
ensureappropriatereinforcing,theuserisbetteroffplacingindividualbarsintheirrespectiveareas(againnote
thatRevitisnotawareofthemasonrymodule,pilasterspacing,etc.).Placingindividualbarsistheonlywayto
ensureproperreinforcement,andislikelytobeprohibitivelytimeconsuming.UsingthenativeRevittoolsor
extensionswillgettheuserclosetoaccuratenumbersforbarcountsandquantities,buttheonlywaytoensure
accuratenumbersistomanuallyplaceeachbarindividually.

Figure326.RebarProjectedonMasonryWallElevation
Threedimensionalreinforcementgetsmoredifficultforsteppedfootings,asRevitdoesnotmodelthem
correctly.Reinforcingasteppedconditionappropriatelyisimpossible.ThisisbecauseRevitbreaksawallfooting
andlowerstheportionwhereitwastoldanditdoesnotmodeltheslopingsideagainsttheearthoradditional
rebar,perthetypicaldetail(Figure327).Additionally,whenrebarisplacedinthisfooting,Revitwillstopthe
baratthestep,itdoesnotaddanythreedimensionalhooks,bends,orcornersteel.Thismeansthat,atstepped
footings,alltherebarwouldhavetobeenteredmanually,whichbecomesverycumbersome.Overall,Revit
makesnoattempttomodelsteppedfootingscorrectlyandleavesittotheusertomodelitcorrectly,ifchosen
to.Manyofthesesteppedwallreinforcingissuesalsoapplytocornerreinforcingatwallintersections.

Figure327.SteppedFootingExamplewithRevit
3.5. RevitFamilies,Customization,andCreationTools
Revitfamiliesaremodelelementscreatedoutsidetheprojectandloadedinwhenneeded.TheseRevitFamilies
havetheabilitytocontaininformationabouttheirconstruction,cost,identifyingmarks,comments,etc.,and
canbescheduledwithintheprojectmodel.RevitFamiliesareloadedintotheprojectinmultipleways;the
preferredwayistouseLoadFamily,locatedintheInserttabandonmanycontextualtabswhenworking
withinRevit.ForthemasonryportionsofthebuildingsthesetendtobetwodimensionalelementscalledDetail
Components.Theseelements,orfamilies,helptoenhancethetwodimensionalandthreedimensionalviews.
Whenasituationcallsforathreedimensionalelement,wewillcreateaspecialfamilytosuittheneed.Todo
this,wecreateaRevitComponentFamilyusingtheoutoftheboxtemplatesprovidedwithRevit.Fromthere,
webuildthethreedimensionalparametricmodelusingtypicalmodelingpractices.
3.5.1. RevitFamilyCreationBondBeamExample
Thereisalwaysaneedforprojectspecificthreedimensionalcontenttoenhanceourmodels.Whenwehave
exhaustedourresources(outofthebox/customcompanylibraries,trustedonlinesources),wemakeRevit
familiesfromscratch.RevitshipswithanumberofFamilyTemplatesasstartingpointsforthedifferentfamily
categories.Thesetemplatesalsocomeindifferenthostingcategories:wall,floor,ceiling,andfacehosted.To
start,weaskafewquestionsaboutwhatfamilycategoryitneedstobeandhowitwillbehostedinthemodel.
Forinstance,ifweneedtomakeanewpieceoffurniture,weusetheFurniture.rfttemplate.Thiswillanswer
bothquestions,asthetemplatewillautomaticallyassumeyouwantittobelevelhosted,andcreatethefamily
intheFurnitureFamilyCategory.

WeusetheGenericModeloptionforfamilytemplatesoften,aswefinditgivestheusermoreoptions,asthey
arenotlimitedtotherulesofothertemplates.Foranexample,ifyouwantedtomakeanewdoorthatisnot
restrictedtoplacingwithinawall,simplystartwithaGenericModel.rfttemplateandswitchthecategoryto
doorintheFamilyCategoryandParametersdialogbox.Thiswillplaceobjectscreatedfromthisfamilyinthe
doorcategorywhentheyareloadedinthemodelbutwillnotrestricttheobjectscreatedtothosehostedina
wall.
Foramasonryelement,onemightseeaneedforathreedimensionalbondbeaminaproject.Forthistheuser
startswiththeGenericModelwallbased.rfttemplateasastartingpoint.Thisshouldopeninthefloorplan
view,ifitdoesnot,thennavigatetotheFloorPlan:Ref.LevelintheProjectBrowser,saveittothecomputeror
network,andsavethroughoutthisexercise.Startwithsketchingthebasicshapeofthebondbeamwith
referenceplane(Figure328).
Figure328.CreateReferencesPlanesforBondBeamFamily
Fromheretheusercanbuildparameterstocontrolthesizeofthebondbeam.Thistypeofparameterisdriven
bydimensionsappliedtothereferenceplanes.Startbydimensioningthenewlycreatedreferenceplanes,select
thedimensionrunningalongthefaceofthewallandselecttheLabel:dropdownbelowtheribbonthenthe
select<addparameter>option.ThiswillopenthePropertiesParametersdialogboxtocreateanewparameter.
TypeinLengthandmakesuretheInstanceoptionisselected,thiswillallowtheusertoadjustthelength
easierwithintheproject(seeFigure329).

Figure329.RevitBondBeamFamilyPart1
Next,assignaparametertothewidth.ThistimeselecttheTypeoptionratherthantheInstanceaswasdone
withtheLengthparameter.UsingtheTypeoptionwillallowyoutoassignspecificdimensionsandhavethem
beconsistentthroughouttheproject.Next,placeadimensionlinefromonereferenceplanecontrollingthe
widthtothecenterofthewallandthentotheotherreferenceplane.Afterfinishingthedimensionstring,the
userwillseeasymbolthatlookslikeanEQwithalinethroughit,selectthesymbol.Thiswilllockthe
referenceplanestogrowfromthecenterofthewallinequaldistancewhenasizeisassignedtothe
parameter.

Fromhereitisbestpracticetoflexthenewparameterstomakesuretheymovetheintendedway.Selectthe
FamilyTypesbuttonandtheFamilyTypeswindowwillopen.ChangethedimensionforbothLengthandWidth,
thenselectApplyandwatchthereferenceplanesmove.
Nowthattheplanviewparametersaresetandworkingproperly,dothesamefortheverticalplacementand
size.NavigatetothePlacementSideElevationintheProjectBrowser.Drawtwohorizontalreferenceplanesas
wascompletedinplanview.DimensionfromtheRef.Leveltothefirstreferenceplaneandanotherseparate
dimensionforthetworeferenceplanes.JustliketheLengthandWidthparameter,selectthelowerdimension,
addanewparameterandcallitLocationHeight.RepeattheprocessforthenextdimensionandcallitHeight.
Flexthenewparametersinelevationviewtoverifytheyareworkingasintended.


Nowaddgeometrytothefamily.NavigatebacktotheRef.LevelfloorplanandselecttheExtrusionbuttonand
sketcharectanglethenfinishtheEditMode.Next,aligntheedgesoftheextrusiontothereferencelinesand
lockalltheedges.Whentheuseralignstheedgesanopenlocksymbolwillappear,selectonthesymbolandit
willlocktheedgetothereferenceplane.Flextheparametersagaintomakesurethegeometryismovingwith
thereferenceplanes.Ifnot,usethealigntoolagainandclosethelocksymbol.NavigatetothePlacementSide
elevationthroughtheProjectBrowserandalign/lockthegeometrytothereferenceplanescontrollingthe
heightandplacement.Flextheparameterscontrollingtheheighttomakesuretheyoperateasexpected.
Nowthatthegeometryhasbeencreatedanditismovingwiththeparameters,theuserneedstomakeitcut
intothewall.ThisisachievedwithaVoidExtrusion(Figure331).NavigatetotheRefLevelplanview,selectthe
Voiddropdown,andselecttheVoidExtrusionbutton.Justlikethesolidextrusion,sketcharectangle,finishthe
sketch,aligntheedgestothereferenceplanes,andflextheparameters.InthePlacementSideelevation,view
alignandlockthevoidextrusiontothereferenceplanescontrollingtheverticalplacementandflexthe
parameters.Nowthevoidextrusionneedstobecutintothewall.Theeasiestwaytodothisisinathree
dimensionalview:navigatetothedefaultthreedimensionalViewintheprojectbrowser.SelecttheCut
Geometrybutton,selectthewall,thentheVoidExtrusion.Afterthis,thegeometrywillshowtheintersecting
linesinthreedimensions.

Atthispoint,theextrusionissimplyamasswithoutamaterialassigned.Toassignamaterialthattheusercan
controlwithintheproject,theuserneedstomakeanewparameter.SelecttheextrusionandselectAssociate
FamilyParameterbuttoninthePropertiesmenu.Justlikecreatinganewparameterwiththedimensions,select
theAddParameterbuttonandmakeaBondBeamTypeparameter(Figure332).Toassignamaterial,clickon
theFamilyTypesbuttonandselectthebrowsebuttonintheBondBeamparametervalue.Thiswillopenupthe
MaterialBrowser,inwhichtheusercansearchformasonrymaterials(Figure333).Noticemasonrymaterials
arenotpreloadedintothefamilybutthesearchwillindexthedefaultmaterialsfromthedefaultlibrary.Find
thematerialdesired,selecttheaddmaterialtoprojectbutton,andselectOK.Nowthematerialofthebond
beamcanbecontrolledwithintheprojectandcanbesetperfamilytype.


Beforeloadingitintotheproject,itisbestpracticetocreateafamilytypeandassigntheproperdimensions.
SelecttheFamilyTypesbuttonagainandadjusttheHeightandWidthparametervalues,clickontheFamily
TypesNewbutton,nameit8CMUandselectOK.Thenextthingtoassignbeforeloadingintoaprojectisthe
FamilyCategorydesignation.SelecttheFamilyCategoryandParametersbutton,selectthefilterdropdown,and
selectArchitectureandStructuredisciplinestoshowallrelatedcategories.Forthisfamily,thereisnotaclear
choiceforthecategoryasitshouldbepartofthewallcategorybut,sincethewallcategoryisaSystem
Category,itisnotavailablewithinfamilies.SelecttheStructuralFramingcategory,asitistheclosest.
Nowloadthefamilyintotheproject.SelecttheLoadintoProjectbutton.Thiswillswitchtheusertotheir
projectviewandthenewbondbeamfamilywillbereadytobeplaced.Thisparticularfamilyisbetterplacedin
elevation.Placethefamilyanditspartofthewallbydefault.Iftheuserselectsthefamilytheywillseedrag
gripsateachend.ThisisbecausetheLengthisaninstanceparameter,andthisisuniqueperinstance.Ifa
sectionthroughthewallwheretheuserplacedthenewfamilyiscut,itwillshowitiscuttingthroughthewall
andisauniqueelementembeddedwithinthewall.

Thiswasanexampleofasimplemasonryfamilycreatedfromscratch.Itwouldbeusefulforthesizeand
numberofreinforcementbarstoberepresentedinthefamilyandrestrictionstoablockmodule,buttheseare
advancedfamilypracticesandnoteasilyincludedwithinthefamilybytheaverageuser.
3.6. ThePracticalityof3DElements
ThreedimensionalelementsareveryimportantinaBIM,butlimitationsexist.Onecaneasilyovermodeland
createlargemodelsthatbecomedifficulttomaintainandedit.Sometimesapoorlyconstructedmodelfamily
cancorruptthebuildingmodel.Forthesereasons,wetrynottoovermodelasastandardpractice.Wewilluse
thewalltooltoshowthemasonryelements,thenenhancethesectionsanddetailswithlineworkanddetail
components.Thisstillallowsustohavethemasonryrepresentedinthemodel,withoutthemodelgettingtoo
largeanddifficultfortheusertonavigate.
3.7. MasonryTopics
3.7.1. MasonryWallsbyDiscipline
Inourworkwehaveexperimentedwithtwoscenarios.ThefirstinvolvestheArchitecturalandStructuralteams
creatingandmaintainingseparatemodels.Thesecondhasbothdisciplinesusingthesamemodel.
Inthefirstscenario,whereeachdisciplinehasitsownmodel,theArchitecturalteamstartsbylayingoutthe
building.TheStructuralteamcanusetheCopyMonitortoolsinRevit,thenbuildtheirmodelwiththe
Architecturalmodellinkedin.TheStructuralteamcanchoosetorecreatethestructuralwallsandusethe
Architecturalmodelasareference,coordination,andbackgroundgraphics.Thisworkflowispreferredinour
officeandinmostoffices.ItistraditionallythewaythatRevithasbeenused.Themodelsareexchangedat
regularintervalsforcoordination.Whenanewsetofconsultantmodelsisreceived,itislinkedintothefileusing
themanagelinkstoolsinRevit.Eachconsultantmodelsitsownportionofthebuilding.Forexample,Mechanical
Engineersonlymodelductworkandpipes.Theylinkothermodels,architectural,structural,andelectrical,to
givecontexttotheirmodel.Aslongasthecoordinatesarealigned,thisissetuponceattheverybeginningof
theproject,theneachsubsequentnewmodelthatisreceivedcanbeReLinkedandisupdatedautomatically.
WetypicallydonotusetheCopyMonitorbecauseofafewissuesthatwehaveexperiencedwhileutilizingit.
Oneoftheseissuesisopenings.WhenusingtheCopyMonitortoolwiththreedimensionaldetailsorDetail
Views,openingsmoveautomaticallywhentheyaremovedintheothermodel.Itcanbequitelaborintensiveto
monitorandcatchallofthechanges.AnotherissuethatwehaveencounteredwiththeCopyMonitortoolis
relatedtographicsandhowtheStructuralEngineerswanttoshowtheirwalls.Whentheuserhasawall
assemblyanddesignatesitforstructuraluse,Revitwillhalftonethenonstructuralcomponentsofthewall.Our
graphicstandardsforstructuraldrawingsisonlytoshowthestructuralcomponents.Revitdoesnothavea
settingthatwillaccommodatethisstandard.Withthisinmind,rebuildingthestructuralwallsisourpreferred
method.
AswithmostthingsinRevit,therearealotofdifferentwaystoaccomplishthesametask.Wehave
experimentedwithhavingmultipledisciplinesinthesamemodel.WecallthisapproachOneModel.Inthe
OneModelapproach,astructuralwallisbrokenupintostructuralandarchitecturalcomponents.Atypicalwall
willconsistofthreewallsalignedtogetherandjoinedsothedoorsandwindowswillcutthroughalllayersat
once.Thestructuralportionofthewallissettothestructuraldisciplineandplacedonthestructuralworkset,
whilethearchitecturalportionsaredesignatedarchitecturalbydefaultandareplacedonthearchitectural
workset.Thisgivesthestructuralteamtheabilitytoonlyshowthestructuralcomponentofthewallbysetting
theviewtothestructuraldiscipline.However,wehavefoundthatthereareanumberofproblemswiththis

method.Filesizeisincreasedandthusthemodelisslower.Thisisaresultofputtingmoreinformationintoa
singlefile.Anotherissuethatwerunintoisthatdifferentconsultantshavedifferentgraphicstandardsfortheir
drawings.Thispracticerequiressomeconsultantstochangethewaythatcertainitemsareshown,whichcan
haveaneffectontheclarityofthedrawingsorcreateextraworkforthedesignteam,whichmustuseview
overridessothateachconsultantcanseethingshowtheyareusedtoseeingthings.Anotherreasonthatwelike
toseparateourmodelsisthatfewerpeopleareworkingineachmodel,whichmeansthatthereislessofa
possibilityofmodelelementsaccidentallybeingmovedordeleted.Itisthenatureofourworkandclientscan
causelotsoflatephasedesignchanges.ThedifficultyofthesetypesofchangesisexacerbatedbytheOneModel
approachbecauseallofthestructuralwallsaresplitintothreepartsrequiringthatmuchmoreworktomakea
change.
3.7.2. OpeningsinMasonryWalls
Whenthereisanopeninginamasonrywall,weusethewindowtoolordoortooltocuttheopening.Whenthe
openingisnotrelatedtoeitheradoororwindow,theuserhasafewchoices.Revitcomeswithawallopening
tool,butitisnotuserfriendly.Afterplacingitinthewall,itbecomesclumsytomanipulatethetooltoreachthe
propersizeandlocation.AnotherembeddedRevittooltocreateopeningsorirregularwallsistheEditWall
Profile.Wehavelearnedthatusingthistoolwillcompromisethewallandcauseerrorswithattachingthetopor
bottomtootherelements,ornotallowingwallreveals/sweepstobeplacedinthewall.
Becauseoftheseshortcomings,weuseanopeningfamilythatwecancontrolparametrically,aswedowiththe
windowordoorfamilies.Withthisopeningfamily,itbecomeseasytomakeitthepropersizeandlocation
(Figure334).Also,itwillnotcompromisethewallinregardstoattachmentandwallrevealsorsweeps.
Figure334.MasonryOpenings
3.7.3. ExportingMasonryElementsintoAnalyticalPrograms
Currently,wedonotexportmasonryelementsfromBIMintoanalyticalprograms.Wehavetrieddifferent
methodsofexportingourmodelsandeachmethodhasitsownsetofproblems.Extensionsareavailabletotake
aRevitmodeltoastructuralanalysissoftware,buttheseRevitmodelscontainavastamountofinformation,
makingithardfortheprogramtoextracttherequiredinformation(i.e.grids,levels,walls,beams,etc.).As
structuresgetmorecomplex,theinformationcontainedinthemodelgrows,whichcanleadtoadditionalerrors
whenthemodelisexported.
Ifexportingthemodelisdesired,guidesareavailablethatshowastepbystepprocedure(i.e.RevittoRAM).
Afterreadingseveralguides,ithasbeendeterminedthattakingamodelfromRevitwouldbeverycomplexfor

evensmallandsimplestructures.Multipleslopedroofsatdifferentanglesandvariedelevationsoffloorsadd
additionalchancesoferror.Additionally,modelingworkaroundsinRevitaresometimesrequiredtoachieve
visuallycorrectsheets,andtheseworkaroundswouldcauseframingerrors.
OncethemodelmovesfromRevittotheanalysissoftware,internalframingerrorswillneedtobecorrected,
andthiserrorcorrectionprocedureisverytimeconsuming.Sometimes,theonlyerrorcorrectionmethod
availableistorebuildasectionofframing.WhileAutodeskandotherprogramshaveworkedonthese
extensions,areliablesolutionhasnotbeenfound.Ourpreferredmethodistorebuildthemodel,knowingitwill
bedonecorrectly.
IfabetterwaytomoveaBIMtoananalyticalsoftwareexisted,itwouldbehelpfulandusedindustrywide.
Currently,agreatdealoftimeisspentrecreatingmodels.Thisistimethatcouldbespentelsewheretocreate
betterfinalproducts.AstechnologiesadvanceandtheBIMtoothersoftwareextensionscontinuetoimprove,
thisideawillbecomeareality.
3.7.4. UsingClashDetectioninRevit
Whenwearereviewingourmodelsforcoordinationpurposes,weemployanumberofdifferentpractices.One
oftheseistheInterferenceCheckfunctioninRevit.ThisisfoundundertheCollaboratetab.
Whentheuserselectsinterferencecheckintheribbon,themenushowninFigure335comesup.Theuserthen
hastheopportunitytosearchtwomodelsforclashesatonetime.Onecanselectthemfromthedropdown
menusaboveeachchecklist.AsshowninFigure335,wearesearchingthearchitecturalmodelandthe
structuralmodelforcoordinationproblems.Theusercanbeveryselectiveaboutwhatpartsofthebuildings/he
iscomparing.Thisallowsthedesignertochoosewhatitemss/hewantstofocuson.Itallowstheuserto
differentiatebetweenminorclashesandmajorstructuralconflicts.Attheendoftheprocess,Revitprovidesan
itemizedlistofeveryclash.Itgivestheidentificationnumberofeveryiteminconflict,sothoseitemscanbe
searchedandcorrected.


Figure335.InterferenceCheckinginRevit
Anothercoordinationandclashdetectionstrategythatweuse,sometimesindependently,andsometimesin
conjunctionwiththeinterferencecheck,isthelivesection.Thisisoneofthemostpowerfultoolsthat
modelingthebuildinginthreedimensionsoffers.Wecanseehowourconsultantsandstaffenvisioninterfaces
betweenthevarioustrades.Itallowsustheopportunitytovisuallycheckthemodelincomplicatedareaswith
moreaccuracythaneverbefore.Figure336onthefollowingpagedepictsexamplesofsuchasection.Inthe
image,thestructuralmodelishighlightedinorange.Inthisexample,thearchitectcanlookatthissectionand
tellimmediatelyifsomethingiswrong.IftheStructuralEngineerhadthesecondfloorslabatthewrong
elevation,orthefoundationoutofplanewiththewall,theArchitectwouldbeabletoseeitandcoordinatewith
theengineertobringthedesignbackintoalignment.
NavisworksisanotherAutodeskproductthatissometimesusedforclashdetection.Itispossibletoexporta
RevitmodeldirectlyintoNavisworks.Whileitmaybeamoresophisticatedtool,isnotsomethingthatweuse.It
isourexperiencethatmostarchitecturefirmsdonotuseNavisworks.Itrequiresalevelofdetailinthemodel
thatwedontusuallyachieve.Itwasdevelopedasatoolforthefabricator.Bythetimethatlevelofdetailis
beingmodeled,architectureandengineeringfirmshavecompletedtheirmodelingportionoftheproject.

Figure336.LiveSectionsinInterferenceCheckingInterface
3.7.5. SimplifyingMasonryCoordinationinRevit
BasicclashdetectionandoverallcoordinationbetweenconsultantshasimprovedthroughtheuseofBIM.
However,Revithasroomforimprovementonitsothermasonrycoordinationfunctions.Asdiscussedearlier,the
representationofcoursingisverybasicinRevit.Innovativetoolsarenotavailablefortheplacementofopenings
orstructureincoursing.Controljoints,aswecurrentlymodelthem,aresimplymodellinesappliedtothe
surfaceofawallandplacedatthediscretionofthedesigner.Alloftheseitemsmustbecoordinatedthrough
meetingsoremail,justastheywerewhenusingtwodimensionaldrawings.

Figure337.InterfaceforMasonryCoordinationinRevit
3.7.6. ExportingMasonryElementsforEnergyModeling
Currently,wedonotperformenergyanalysisasageneralservice.Whenaprojectdoescallforenergyanalysis,
wehaveacoupleofchoices.IfthereisanMEPconsultantaspartofourteam,theywillcompletetheenergy
analysis.Onthisproject,HultzBHUEngineerswasthemechanicalconsultant.Theyutilizedanenergymodel.
Forprojectsinvolvingmassmasonry,suchasCMU,theyensurethatthelevelofgrouting(orinsulation)isclear
ontheArchitecturalmodel,andreflectedproperlyontheEnergyModel.Itisalsoimportanttousehighquality
energymodelingsoftware(HultzBHUusesTraneTrace)thataccountsforthethermalmassofmasonry,asit
doeshaveapositiveimpactonenergyconsumption.
Ifwehavenotcontractedamechanicalengineertoperformthiswork,thenwewillruntheanalysiswithinRevit,
asRevithasbuiltintoolslocatedundertheAnalysistabandtheEnergyAnalysispanel.Thistoolwillpackagethe
modelforanalysisanduploadittothecloud.Whenitisdone,wewillgetanotification.Themodelis
downloadedandthereportreviewed.Usingthismethod,wehavesomeworktodotopreparethemodel,by
assigningthermalpropertiestoallverticalandhorizontalelementssuchaswalls(includingstairwaysand
shafts),floors,androofs.Openingssuchasdoors,windows,andskylightsalsorequireattention.
3.7.7. GeneratingShopDrawingsinRevit
Currently,shopdrawingsarenotcreatedfromourRevitmodel.Wehaveprovidedourmodelstothecontractor
asacourtesy,butthesubcontractorstypicallyrebuildthemodelintheirsoftwarebecauseoflegalliabilitiesand
theprogramfiletype(i.e.TEKLAvsRevit).Hopefullythischangesinthefuture,duetoagreatdealoftime
wastedrecreatingamodel.Thecaveatis,thiswillrequireanadditionallevelofdevelopmentintheRevitmodel.
Ifitemsaretobeorderedandfabricatedfromourmodel,extradetailingneedstooccur,andthiswillgrowthe

modelsize,whichwillslowthemodel(andproduction)whencreatingconstructiondocuments.Butascomputer
speedsincrease,theadditionaldelaysassociatedwithalargeBIMwillbeminimized.
Noristhisideafeasibleindesignbidbuild.Itismorefeasiblefordesignbuildoraprivateclient.Indesignbuild
orwithaprivateclient,adetailer/fabricatorisontheteamearlyon,whichallowshis/herinputtobegivenon
whatisrequired.Thetimerequiredtoproduceshopdrawingqualityconstructiondocuments/modelscouldbe
coveredinthedesignfees,whichthedesignbidbuildmarketdoesnotallow.
Recently,wehavebeenprovidedwithBIMmodelstoaidusinourshopdrawingreviews.Thismethodgives
threedimensionalviewsofcomplexzonestobetterunderstandwhatwillbebuilt.Currently,masonryisshown
asasolidwall,whichisnotbeneficialinshopdrawings.Ifamasonryblockcouldbemodeledinthree
dimensions(cellopeningsandcorrectwallthicknesses),itwouldbehelpfulforcongestedrebarareas.The
abilitytocheckrebarplacementinacellandtheclearance/covertolerancescouldbeverybeneficialandcreate
aneaseofconstruction,catchinganyissuepriortoerection/fabrication.
Currently,theBIMshopdrawingreviewthatwedoiswithsteelandTEKLABIMsight.Wedonotreviewany
rebarwiththeaidofTEKLA,asidefromweldablerebarattachedtosteel.Havingamodelasareviewtoolmakes
theprocesssimpler,andthisiswhyhavingaBIMwithwhichtoreviewrebarwouldbevaluable.Atsteel
conflicts,thefabricatorwilltypicallyhighlightthebeamredinthemodelandthenaskquestionsontheshop
drawingsheet.Whenreviewingshopdrawings,utilizingthemodelhelpstoensureissuesarefixedandavoids
moreconflictsinthefuture.
Integrationoftherebarandsteelshopdrawingsintoonemodelwouldbebesttohelpdefineadditional
conflicts(likeatembeds).Havingamasonrywallwithcellsaccuratelyshown,andasolidwallforconcrete,
wouldhelpkeepthemseparatedvisuallyduringreview,whichwouldbeabeneficialtool.Thisway,everything
canbeoverlaidanditemsclashingwitheachotheroredgedistancescouldbefixedbeforefabrication.Whilewe
havenoexperiencewithrebarBIMreview,someresearchhasshownthatprogramslikeTEKLAcanmodel
individualblockswithcells,butnotanentirewallwithcells.Additionally,TEKLAalsohasthecapabilitytothree
dimensionallyproducerebarshopdrawings.ThereforetheBIMaidedshopdrawingreviewprocesscouldbea
possibilityinthenearfutureifBIMsoftwareproducersdecidetodevelopit.
3.7.8. CostEstimatingMasonryWallsinRevit
CostEstimatingisnotaservicethatwetypicallyprovide.Occasionally,whenaprojecthasacontractoronboard
early,wewillincludeCostEstimatingSheetsbasedontrackableinformationprovidedbythecontractor.For
wallsthistypicallyconsistsofasquarefootagepricing.Fromhere,wewillcreateaRevitscheduleusingthe
followingparameters(Figure338):
FamilyandType(liststhenameofeachwall)
Function(designatorofinterior,exterior,foundation,etc.)
Description(customdescriptionfield)
Cost(fieldforaunitofpriceperareaofwall)
Area(squarefootagebasedonheightxwidthminusopenings)
TotalWallCost(calculatedvalueofareaxcost)
Thisschedulewillcalculateatotalcostofeachwallassembly,notpermaterial.Wehaveexperimentedwith
materialtakeoffschedulesbuthavefoundthemchallengingforwalltypes.Inourexperience,theareareporting
parametercalculatesallfacesofthethreedimensionalelementandnotasquarefootcalculationbasedon

heightandwidth.Becauseoftheseissues,weprefertousethewallassemblymethod.Forcontractors,this
offersabettercostanalysisaswecanincludelaborcostsperwalltype.Eachwalltypehasadifferentlaborcost
evenifitcontainssomeofthesamematerialsandusingthistypeofscheduleitiseasytoseparatethewall
types.
Figure338.DesignPhaseCostEstimatingSchedulesinRevit
3.7.9. DifferentiatingCriticalMasonryElements
WedonotdifferentiateourelementsspecificallyinBIM.Asdiscussedintheprocesssection,allthedifferent
itemsareshown,howevertheyarenotmodeledseparately.First,thewallismodeledasasolidmass,then
openingsarecut,andlastlythereinforcinginformationisinput.Ontheelevations,reinforcinginformationis
calledout,suchaslintels,additionalbondbeams,orspecialjambreinforcing.Eventhreedimensionally
modeledreinforcingisinclusivefortheentirewall,notindividualizedtojustbondbeams,lintels,etc.
3.8. Recommendations
3.8.1. AccesstoInformation
Theeasieritisforthedesignertogetaccesstoproductinformation,thequickeritcanbetranslatedintoRevit.
Forinstance,havingdatalikecostpersquarefoot,standardsizes,Rvalues,colorswithRGBscales,andimages
ofallofyourproductsinelevationforuseinrenderingimagefiles.Easilyaccessibleinformationwillallowusto
getthemostoutofourmodels.Itwillallowustoaccuratelyrepresentthebuildingtotheclientinrenderings,
accuratelydescribethebuildingtothecontractorinthedrawings,estimatethecostofthebuildingaswe
design,andspeedthedesignprocess.Allofthiscanbeachievedwiththesamemodel,whenproperlyusedand
whentheappropriateinformationisavailable.
3.8.2. ReadyMadeFamilies
Autodeskhassetupaforumforcompanies,toprovidedesignerswithpremadefamiliestostreamlinethe
designanddocumentationprocess.ThisforumiscalledAutodeskSeek.Sincemostmasonryisrepresentedby
wallelements,therearenotalotofopportunitiesforindividualfamilycreation.However,thecreationofdetail
componentscouldprovetobevaluablewhiledetailing.Havinganonlinelibraryofeverysizeandshapeofa
manufacturersmasonryproductswoulddefinitelyspeedthedetailingeffort.Maintainingthefamilylibraryon
Seekwouldallowthemasonrymanufacturertheopportunitytoshowallofitsproductstothedesigneratthe
besttime:whilethebuildingisstillbeingdesigned.
3.8.3. BlockModuleAlerts
Aswehavediscussedearlierinthisreport,nofeaturesorfunctionsinRevitmonitorwhetherornotelements
andwallsareonblockmodule(coursingandbond).Itwouldbeusefultohaveafeaturethatcouldbetoggled

onandoff.Itwouldalertthedesignerwhenthemasonrywallthats/heisdrawingisoffofmodule.Itwouldalso
monitoropeningstomakesurethattheRoughOpeningsfallonmoduleaswell.
3.8.4. ReinforcingToolUpdate
ItwouldbebeneficialtohaveaRevittoolthatallowsuserstodefinetypicalconditionssuchtoas,corner
reinforcing,lintelandsillconditions,steppedfootingconfigurations,etc.Oncethetypicalconditionsare
defined,theuserisabletoselectanobject(ortwoperhaps)andtelltheprogramwhichelementsaretoreceive
agiventypeofreinforcement.Forexample,ifonedefinesatypicalcornercondition,theuserwouldonlyhave
toentertherebarfunctionandthenselectthemodelelementswhichwillbeaffected,andselectoktoapply
changes.
Revitcouldimprovethreedimensionaldetailingbyhavingatwodimensionalwindowtodefineallthethree
dimensionalreinforcing.Inatwodimensionalwindow,onecouldmodelstirrups,definethespacing,anddefine
horizontalrebar.ThesepatternscouldbesavedasJamb/Lintelx.Onelevation,onecouldinsertthisitem
rebarelement.Workingintwodimensionsforrebarismucheasierthanthreedimensions,andthismethod
wouldallowonetoquicklyduplicaterebarsteelfordifferentconditions.Thisideacanbeusedforallopenings.
Thiswouldrequiremultipletwodimensionalwindows,especiallyforcomplexconditions,butitwouldallow
muchfasterandaccuratemanipulationofthesteel(seeFigure339foravisualrepresentationoftheinterface
providedbysuchatool).
Thisreinforcingwindowwouldallowonetomanipulatebarsforanycondition,suchaswithcurvedwallsor
cornerbars.Whilewedonottypicallyworkwithcurvedwalls,Revitmakesreinforcingacurvedwalldifficult.
Beingabletoaccomplishsomethinglikethiswouldverybeneficialformanyshapes.Thiswouldalsomakethe
rebarfunctioninRevitmorerealistictouse.Afirmonlyneedstobuildtypicalshapesforoneproject,andthen
canexportthemtothenext.Currently,itistoocumbersometodothis,whichiswhyitisnotwidelyused.It
couldalsobeusedtocreatecornerbarsanddefinewheretheverticalbarsfallinthattwodimensionalview.
Revitthenwouldtreatthiscornerasasingleelement,whereascurrentlyittreatsacornerastheendextentof
twowalls.

Figure339.IdeaforaMasonryReinforcingToolforRevit
Also,itwouldbebettertobeabletomodelitemswithCMUconstraints.Revitislockedintoaconcretemass
thoughtprocessonwalls,soonecannottellifrebarisconflictingwithaCMUwall.Withincells,thereisnoway
toactuallyseehowlittleroomisavailableifonehasaspliceandhooksoratiealllocatedatthesamelocation.
Whilethreedimensionalmodelingofrebarisgreatforcomplexareas,thecumbersomenaturemakesittoo
hardtouse.Inaddition,therebarcarriesalotofinformationwhichcanincreasefiletypesandslowdowna
model.FindingawaytomakerebareasiertouseinBIMwouldbeverybeneficial.
3.8.5. MultiDisciplinaryFamilies
TheprocessofcoordinatingMechanical/Architecturallouversonthebrickcouldbeimproved.Weusually
prefertohaveMechanicalsupplylouvers,soMechanicalnormallyownsthelouverfamily.However,the
Architectownsthewallfamily.Ideally,therewouldbeawaytocutthemasonrywherethelouverisinstalled.
TheworkaroundinvolvestheArchitectowningthewallandlouverfamilies,andhavinganumberof
coordinationmeetingsaswellasMechanicalreviewoftheArchitecturalLouverspecification.Wewouldsuggest
afamilythatcanbecontrolledbyallpartiesandaffectsallmodelsthatarelinked.

3.9. Glossary
AlignToolUsetheAligntooltoalignoneormoreelementswithaselectedelement.
Thistoolisgenerallyusedtoalignwalls,beams,andlines,butitcanbeusedwithothertypesofelementsas
well.
Forexample,in3Dviewsyoucanalignsurfacepatternsofwallswithotherelements.
Theelementstoaligncanbeofthesametype,ortheycanbefromdifferentfamilies.Youcanalignelementsin
aplanview(2D),3Dview,orelevationview.
Forexample,onecanusetheAligntoolto:
Aligntheendsofwallsorbeamswithaselectedbeam,line,orwall.(Thisactionextendsthelengthsof
thealignedwallsorbeams.)
Alignthecentersofwallsorbeamswithaselectedbeam,line,orwall.(Thisactionmovesthealigned
wallsorbeams.)
Aligntheheightsofwindowswithaselectedlineorwall.
Joinselectedendpoints(ofwalls,forexample)withaselectedline.
AreaReinforcingToolUsetheStructuralAreaReinforcementtoolstoplacelargeamountsofevenlyspaced
rebarinfloors,walls,foundationslabs,andotherconcretehosts.
Areareinforcementcreatesuptofourlayersofreinforcingbarsinthehost.Youcancreatetwolayersofrebar
perpendiculartoeachadjacentface(topandbottomfacesforfloorsandfoundationslabs,interiorandexterior
facesforwalls).Youcandefinethebarsizeandspacingforeachlayer.
Asketchedboundarydefinestheextentsofthereinforcingbars.Applyrebarhooktypestoeachlayerusingthe
Propertiespalette.Ifyoueditthepropertiesoftheareareinforcementsketchline,youcanusehookoverrides.
AssemblyTheAssembliescategoryofRevitelementssupportsconstructionworkflowsbylettingyouidentify,
classify,quantify,anddocumentuniqueelementcombinationsinthemodel.
Onecancombineanynumberofmodelelementstocreateanassembly,whichcanthenbeedited,tagged,
scheduled,andfiltered.
EachuniqueassemblyislistedasatypeintheProjectBrowser,fromwhereinstancesofthattypecanbeplaced
inthedrawingeitherbydraggingorbyusingtheCreateInstanceoptiononthecontextmenu.
OnecanselectanassemblytypeintheProjectBrowseroraninstanceofthattypeinthedrawingareaand
generateoneormoretypesofisolatedviewsoftheassemblyaswellaspartslists,materialtakeoffs,andsheets.
AssemblyviewsarelistedintheProjectBrowser,fromwheretheycanbeeasilydraggedontoprojector
assemblysheetviewsasneeded.
AttachAfterplacingawall,youcanoverrideitsinitialtopandbaseconstraintsbyattachingitstoporbaseto
anotherelementinthesameverticalplane.Byattachingawalltoanotherelement,youavoidtheneedto
manuallyeditthewallprofilewhenthedesignchanges.
Theotherelementcanbeafloor,aroof,aceiling,areferenceplane,oranotherwallthatisdirectlyaboveor
below.Theheightofthewallthenincreasesordecreasesasnecessarytoconformtotheboundaryrepresented
bytheattachedelement.

ColumnUsethestructuralcolumntoolstoaddverticalloadbearingelementstobuildingmodels.
ComponentComponentsareinstancesofloadablefamiliesandarehostedbyotherelements,whichare
instancesofsystemfamilies.
InRevit,componentsareusedtomodelbuildingelementsthatareusuallydeliveredandinstalledonsite,such
asdoors,windows,furniture,andsoon.Forexample,adoorishostedbyawall,whileafreestanding
componentsuchasadeskishostedbyafloororalevel.
CopyMonitorUsetheCopy/Monitortoolwhen:
Thearchitecturalteam,thestructuralteam,andtheengineeringteamuseRevitsoftware.
Eachteammustbeinformedofchangestolevels,grids,andotherelements.
Theteamswilllinkprojectfilestoworkonthesamebuildingdesign.Eachteammaintainsitsown
editionoftheprojectfileandusesRevitsoftwaretodevelopthedesignfortheirdiscipline.Eachproject
fileislinkedtotheotherprojectfilestoshareinformationaboutchangestomonitoredelementsinthe
buildingdesign.
RevitArchitectureRevitStructureExample:
Example:TheArchitectusesRevitArchitecturetodesignthearchitecturalmodel.TheStructural
EngineerusesRevitStructuretocreateanemptystructuralproject.ThentheStructuralEngineeruses
Copy/Monitortocopylevelsandgridsfromthelinkedarchitecturalmodel,providingastartingpointfor
thestructuraldesign.Likewise,theArchitectlinksthestructuralmodelintothearchitecturalprojectto
monitorlevelsandgrids.WhenevertheArchitectorStructuralEngineermovesorchangesalevelor
grid,theotherteammemberisnotifiedofthechange.
RevitMEP:
Example:TheArchitectusesRevitArchitecturetodesignthearchitecturalmodel.TheMechanical
EngineerusesRevitMEPtocreateanemptymechanicalproject.ThentheMechanicalEngineeruses
Copy/Monitortocopylevelsfromthelinkedarchitecturalmodel,providingastartingpointforthe
mechanicaldesign.WhenevertheArchitectmovesorchangesalevel,theMechanicalEngineeris
notifiedofthechange.
CutPatternCutpatternscontroltheappearanceofsurfacesthatarecut.
DetailComponentUsedetailcomponentstoenhancemodelgeometry,providingconstructiondetailsorother
information.
DetailcomponentsareRevitfamiliesthatcanbeplacedindraftingviewsordetailviewstoaddinformationto
themodel.Theyofferafastermethodofdetailingthandrawingindividualdetaillines.
DetailElementsDetailElementsaretwodimensionalelementsseenonlyintheviewtheyarecreatedin.They
aretheinverseofmodelelements.
DetailLinesUsetheDetailLinetooltodrawdetaillinestoprovideadditionalinformationtothemodel
geometryindetailviewsanddraftingviews.
DetailViewsAdetailviewisaviewofthemodelthatappearsasacalloutorsectioninotherviews.Thistype
ofviewtypicallyrepresentsthemodelatfinerscalesofdetailthanintheparentview.

Adetailviewcanbecreatedasasectionoracallout.Itcanhavebothsectionandcalloutannotationsassigned
toit.Thatis,adetailviewmadeasacalloutcanalsoshowupasasectioninviewsthatintersectthecalloutview
extents.Forexample,youmaycalloutadetailviewofawallintersection.Thissamecalloutcanappearasa
sectionviewwithannotationswithintheoverallbuildingsectionview.
Forannotationstodisplayintheoverallbuildingsectionview,youmustselecttheIntersectingViewsoptionfor
theShowIninstanceparameter.YousetthisparameterinthePropertiespalette.
Visibilityofadetailviewtagdependsonthescaleoftheparentviewandwhetherthecropboundaryofthe
detailviewintersectsorisentirelywithinthatoftheparentview.ThedetailviewparameterHideatScales
CoarserThanestablishesascaleatwhichdetailsareeithershownorhiddeninotherviews.Forexample,ifa
detailtagissettohideatscalescoarserthan1/4=10,thenaviewwithascalesetto1/8=10wouldnot
showthedetailtag.
Alldetailviews,regardlessofwhetheryoudrawthemasacalloutorsection,showupintheProjectBrowseras
adetailview.
DoorToolUsetheDoorstooltoplaceadoorinawall.SelectadoortypefromtheTypeSelector.
DraftingViewWhenyouwanttoshowdetailsinaviewthatarenotdirectlyassociatedwiththebuilding
model,createadraftingview.
EditWallProfileInmostcases,whenoneplacesastraightwall,ithasarectangularprofilewhenviewedin
elevationsparalleltoitslength.Ifyourdesigncallsforadifferentshapeofprofile,orforopeningsinthewall,
youcaneditthewallselevationprofileinasectionvieworanelevationview.
ExtrusionIntheconceptualdesignenvironment,anextrusioniscreatedfromclosedprofiles,orthesurfaces
derivedfromclosedprofiles.
FamilyAfamilyisagroupofelementswithacommonsetofproperties,calledparameters,andarelated
graphicalrepresentation.
Differentelementsbelongingtoafamilymayhavedifferentvaluesforsomeoralloftheirparameters,butthe
setofparameters(theirnamesandmeanings)isthesame.Thesevariationswithinthefamilyarecalledfamily
typesortypes.
Examples:
TheFurniturecategoryincludesfamiliesandfamilytypesthatyoucanusetocreatedifferentpiecesof
furniture,likedesks,chairs,andcabinets.
TheStructuralColumncategoryincludesfamiliesandfamilytypesthatyoucanusetocreatedifferent
wideflanged,precastconcrete,angle,andothercolumns.
TheSprinklercategoryincludesfamiliesandfamilytypesthatyoucanusetocreatedifferentdryand
wetsprinklersystems.
Althoughthesefamiliesservedifferentpurposesandarecomposedofdifferentmaterials,theyhavearelated
use.Eachtypeinthefamilyhasarelatedgraphicalrepresentationandanidenticalsetofparameters,calledthe
familytypeparameters.
Whenonecreatesanelementinaprojectwithaspecificfamilyandfamilytype,youcreateaninstanceofthe
element.Eachelementinstancehasasetofproperties,inwhichyoucanchangesomeelementparameters

independentofthefamilytypeparameters.Thesechangesapplyonlytotheinstanceoftheelement,thesingle
elementintheproject.Ifyoumakeanychangestothefamilytypeparameters,thechangesapplytoallelement
instancesthatyoucreatedwiththattype.
FamilyCategoryTheFamilyBase.FamilyCategorypropertyindicatesthecategoryoftheFamilysuchas
Columns,Furniture,StructuralFraming,orWindows.
FamilyTypesUsingtheFamilyTypestool,youcancreatemanytypes(sizes)forafamily.Todothis,youneed
tohavelabeledthedimensionsandcreatedtheparametersthataregoingtovary.
IdentificationNumberEachelementhasacorrespondingID.Itisidentifiedbyanintegervalue.Itprovidesa
wayofuniquelyidentifyinganElementwithinanAutodeskRevitproject.Itisonlyuniqueforoneproject,but
notuniqueacrossseparateAutodeskRevitprojects.
InPlaceComponentacustomcomponentdesignedforaparticularcontextinthebuildingmodel.
InstancePropertiespropertiesassociatedwithspecificinstancesofanelementandthatwillhavenoeffecton
theoveralltype.
IntegralSweepsweepswhicharepartofthewalltypedefinition,cannotbescheduledindependently.
InterferenceCheckLocateinvalidintersectionsbetweenelementsinaproject.
TheInterferenceChecktoolcanfindintersectionsamongasetofselectedelementsorallelementsinthe
model.
LinkedFileTheRevitAPIcandeterminewhichelementsinRevitarereferencestoexternalfiles(linkedfiles)
andcanmakesomemodificationstohowRevitloadsexternalfiles.
AnElementthatcontainsanExternalFileReferenceisanelementthatreferstosomefileoutsideofthebase
.rvtfile.ExamplesincludeRevitlinks,CADlinks,theelementwhichstoresthelocationofthekeynotefile,and
renderingdecals.Element.IsExternalFileReference()returnswhetherornotanelementrepresentsanexternal
file.AndElement.GetExternalFileReference()returnstheExternalFileReferenceforagivenElementwhich
containsinformationpertainingtotheexternalfilereferencedbytheelement.
ManageLinksIfthesourcefileofthelinkinyourprojecthaschanged,Revitautomaticallyupdatesthelink
whenyouopentheproject.Toaccesstoolsforlinkmanagement,clickManagetabManageProjectpanel
(ManageLinks).
MaterialTakeOffSchedulesMaterialtakeoffscheduleslistthesubcomponentsormaterialsofanyRevit
family.Materialtakeoffscheduleshaveallthefunctionalityandcharacteristicsofotherscheduleviews,butthey
allowyoutoshowmoredetailabouttheassemblyofacomponent.Anymaterialthatisplacedinacomponent
withinRevitcanbescheduled.
ModelElementsModelElementsarethreedimensionalelementsthathavethreedimensionalgeometry
associatedwiththem.Theyareseenthroughoutthemodel.Theyaretheinverseofdetailelements.
ModelLineModellinesareworkplanebasedelementsthatexistin3Dspaceandarevisibleinallviews.
Theycanbedrawnstraightorcurved,eithersinglyorinchains,orintheshapeofarectangle,circle,ellipse,or
otherpolygon.Becausetheyexistin3space,youcanusemodellinestorepresentgeometrysuchascordsor
cablessupportingatarp.

Incontrasttomodellines,detaillinesexistonlyintheviewtheyaredrawnin(seeDrawDetailLines).Onecan
convertmodellinestodetaillines,andviceversa.Modellinescanbedrawnintheprojectenvironment,orin
themassingenvironment.
ParameterOnecancreatecustomparametersforaproject,andforanyelementorcomponentcategoryinthe
project.ParametersthatyoucreatedisplayinthePropertiespaletteorTypePropertiesdialogunderthegroup
youdefineandwiththevaluesyoudefine.
Refertothefollowingtablefordescriptionsofthe3typesofcustomparameters:
ProjectParametersProjectparametersarespecifictoasingleprojectfile.Theyareaddedtoelements
byassigningthemtomultiplecategoriesofelements,sheets,orviews.Informationstoredinproject
parameterscannotbesharedwithotherprojects.Projectparametersareusedforscheduling,sorting,
andfilteringinaproject.Aprojectparametercanbeusedtocategorizeviewswithinaproject.
FamilyParametersFamilyparameterscontrolvariablevaluesofthefamily,suchasdimensionsor
materials.Theyarespecifictothefamily.
Afamilyparametercanalsobeusedtocontrolaparameterinanestedfamilybyassociatingthe
parameterinthehostfamilytotheparameterinthenestedfamily.
FamilyparameterssuchasWidthandHeightmaybeusedinaDoorfamilytocontrolthedimensionsof
thedifferentdoortypes.
SharedParametersSharedparametersareparameterdefinitionsthatcanbeusedinmultiplefamilies
orprojects.Afteryouaddasharedparameterdefinitiontoafamilyorproject,youcanuseitasafamily
orprojectparameter.Becausethedefinitionofasharedparameterisstoredinaseparatefile(notinthe
projectorfamily),itisprotectedfromchange.Forthisreason,sharedparameterscanbetaggedand
scheduled.Ifaparameterinafamilyorprojectneedstobescheduledortagged,thatparametermust
besharedandloadedinboththeproject(orelementfamily)andthetagfamily.
Sharedparameterscanbeusedwhenelementsin2differentfamiliesarescheduledtogether.For
example,ifyouneedtocreate2differentIsolatedFoundationfamilies,andneedtheThickness
parameterofbothfamiliesscheduledinthesamecolumn,Thicknessneedstobeasharedparameter
thatisloadedinbothIsolatedFoundationfamilies.
ProfileAprofilefamilycontainsatwodimensionalshape(usuallyaclosedloop)thatyoucanloadintoa
projectandapplytocertainbuildingelements.
Forexample,youcansketchtheprofileloopforarailingandthenusethatshapeonarailinginyourproject.
LoadedprofilesdisplayintheProjectBrowser.
Tocreateaprofilefamily,openanewfamily,andsketchaprofileusinglines,dimensions,andreferenceplanes.
Afteryousavetheprofilefamily,youcanloaditandapplyittosolidgeometryintheproject.
ProjectBrowserTheProjectBrowsershowsalogicalhierarchyforallviews,schedules,sheets,families,groups,
andotherpartsofthecurrentproject.Asyouexpandandcollapseeachbranch,lowerlevelitemsdisplay.
PropertiesEachelementyouplaceinadrawingisaninstanceofafamilytype.Elementshave2setsof
propertiesthatcontroltheirappearanceandbehavior:typepropertiesandinstanceproperties.

TypePropertiesThesamesetoftypepropertiesiscommontoallelementsinafamily,andeach
propertyhasthesamevalueforallinstancesofaparticularfamilytype.
Forexample,allelementsthatbelongtotheDeskfamilyhaveaWidthproperty,butitsvaluevaries
accordingtofamilytype.Thuseveryinstanceofthe60x30inchfamilytype(1525x762mm)withinthe
DeskfamilyhasaWidthvalueof60inches(1525mm),whileeveryinstanceofthe72x36inchfamily
type(1830x915mm)hasaWidthvalueof72inches(1830mm).
Changingthevalueofatypepropertyaffectsallcurrentandfutureinstancesofthatfamilytype.
InstancePropertiesAcommonsetofinstancepropertiesalsoappliestoallelementsthatbelongtoa
particularfamilytype,butthevaluesofthesepropertiesmayvaryaccordingtothelocationofan
elementinabuildingorproject.
Forexample,thedimensionsofawindowaretypeproperties,whileitselevationfromthelevelisan
instanceproperty.Similarly,crosssectionaldimensionsofabeamaretypeproperties,whilebeam
lengthisaninstanceproperty.
Changingthevalueofaninstancepropertyaffectsonlytheelementsinyourselectionset,orthe
elementthatyouareabouttoplace.Forexample,ifyouselectabeam,andchangeoneofitsinstance
propertyvaluesonthePropertiespalette,onlythatbeamisaffected.Ifyouselectatoolforplacing
beams,andchangeoneofitsinstancepropertyvalues,thenewvalueappliestoallbeamsyouplace
withthattool.
RebarToolPlaceindividualrebarinstancesinsectionviewsofvalidhosts.
ReferencePlanesUsetheReferencePlanetooltodrawreferenceplanestouseasaguidelineinyourdesign.
Referenceplanesareanintegralpartoffamilycreation.Referenceplanesappearineachnewplanviewthat
youcreateforaproject.
Renderingaphotorealisticimageofthebuildingmodel.
RenderingImageFileTouseauniquecolor,design,pattern,texture,orbumpmapforarenderappearance,
youcanspecifyanimagefile.Youspecifythefileanditsdisplayproperties(suchasrotationandsamplesize)on
theAppearancetabintheMaterialEditorpaneloftheMaterialBrowser.
RibbonTheribbondisplayswhenyoucreateoropenafile.Itprovidesallthetoolsnecessarytocreatea
projectorfamily.
SchedulesSchedulesareintegraltoolsthatdisplaylistsofanytypeofelementinaproject.
Ascheduleisatabulardisplayofinformation,extractedfromthepropertiesoftheelementsinaproject.A
schedulecanlisteveryinstanceofthetypeofelementyouarescheduling,oritcancollapsemultipleinstances
ontoasinglerow,basedontheschedulesgroupingcriteria.
Onecancreateascheduleatanypointinthedesignprocess.Asyoumakechangestotheprojectthataffectthe
schedule,itautomaticallyupdatestoreflectthosechanges.Youcanaddascheduletoadrawingsheet.
Onecanexportascheduletoanothersoftwareprogram,suchasaspreadsheetprogram.
Onecancreateascheduleatanypointinthedesignprocess.Asyoumakechangestotheprojectthataffectthe
schedule,itautomaticallyupdatestoreflectthosechanges.Youcanaddascheduletoadrawingsheet.

Onecanexportascheduletoanothersoftwareprogram,suchasaspreadsheetprogram.
SheetInRevit,onecreatesasheetviewforeachsheetintheconstructiondocumentset.Youcanthenplace
multipledrawingsorschedulesoneachsheetview.
Whenoneaddssheetstoaproject,theyarelistedintheProjectBrowserunderSheets.
SurfacePatternIntheconceptualdesignenvironment,applyapatterntoasurfacetoquicklypreview,edit,
andpositionthegeneralshapeofaplannedpatterncomponent.
UnliketheUVGridscreatedondivision,patternlinesarestraightsegments.Acollectionofpatternsisavailable
intheTypeSelectorandcanbeappliedontoaselecteddividedsurface.
Intheconceptualdesignenvironment,applyapatterntoasurfacetoquicklypreview,edit,andpositionthe
generalshapeofaplannedpatterncomponent.
TagUsetheTagtooltoattachatagtoaselectedelement.Atagisanannotationforidentifyingelementsina
drawing.Propertiesassociatedwithatagcandisplayinschedules.
TextNoteOnecaninsertwrappingornonwrappingtextnotes,whicharemeasuredinpaperspaceand
automaticallyscalewiththeview.Forexample,a1/4inchtextnoteindicatesthatthetextnotewilldisplayas
1/4inchhighonasheet.Ifyoureducethesizeoftheviewscale,thetextautomaticallyresizes.
TypePropertiesUsetheTypePropertiesdialogtomodifythetypepropertiesof:
Theelementyouareabouttoplaceusingatool.
Oneormoreelementsofthesametypeselectedinthedrawingarea.
Theactiveview(whennotoolisactiveandnoelementsareselected).
Notethatchangestotypepropertiesapplytoallinstancesofthattypewithintheproject.
ViewsViewsareimagesproducedfromaRevitmodelwithprivilegedaccesstothedatastoredinthe
documents.Theycanbegraphics,suchasplans,ortext,suchasschedules.Eachprojectdocumenthasoneor
moredifferentviews.Thelastfocusedwindowistheactiveview.
VisualStylesSixvisualstylescanbesetinanythreedimensionalview:
WireframeVisualStyleTheWireframestyledisplaystheimageofthemodelwithalledgesandlines
drawn,butwithnosurfacesdrawn.
HiddenLineVisualStyleHiddenLinestyledisplaystheimagewithalledgesandlinesdrawnexcept
thoseobstructedbysurfaces.
ShadedVisualStyleTheShadedstyledisplaystheimageinshadedmode,andhastheoptionof
displayingindirectlightandtheirshadows.
ConsistentColorsVisualStyleTheConsistentColorsstyledisplaystheimagewithallsurfacesshaded
accordingtotheirmaterialcolorsettings.
RealisticVisualStyleTheRealisticstyledisplaysmaterialappearancesineditableviews.
RayTraceVisualStyleRenderamodelinaphotorealisticmodethatallowspanningandzooming.
VoidExtrusionAnextrusionthatcutssolidgeometry.

WallJoinToolChangetheconfigurationofajoininvolving4wallsorfewerbychangingthetypeofjoinorthe
orderinwhichthewallsjoin.
WallRevealToolUsetheRevealtooltoaddadecorativehorizontalorverticalcutouttoawallinanelevation
or3Dview.
Toaddarevealforallwallsofatype,youmodifythewallstructureinthewallstypeproperties.
WallSweepToolUsetheSweeptooltoaddabaseboard,crownmolding,orothertypeofdecorative
horizontalorverticalprojectiontoawall.Youcanaddawallsweeptoawallfroma3Dorelevationview.
Toaddasweepforallwallsofatype,modifythewallstructureinthewallstypeproperties.
Onecanschedulewallsweeps.Integralwallsweeps,whicharepartofthewalltypedefinition,cannotbe
scheduledindependently.
Wallsweepscarrymodelinformationofthematerial,length,areaandsize.
WallTypesWhenyoucreateawall,youspecifyitstype.Thistypecontainsalloftheassembly,annotation,and
materialinformation.
WindowToolUsetheWindowstooltoplacewindowsinawallorskylightsinaroof.Selectawindowtype
fromtheTypeSelector.
WorksetWorksetsareawaytodivideasetofelementsintheRevitdocumentintosubsetsforworksharing.
Theremaybeoneormanyworksetsinadocument.

4. TheCTCModels
4.1. Introduction
CTCfocusedalleffortsontheArchitecturalandStructuraldisciplines,creatingtwomodelsthatincorporated
elementsanddesignprocessescoveringbothLevelofDevelopment(LOD)300and350.Fromamodeling
perspective,themodelingteamplacedallstructuralwallelementsinastructuralmodelandallarchitectural
elementsinanarchitecturalmodelthisisoftenreferredtoasafederatedmodelingapproach,wheremultiple
modelsarebroughttogether,andfewifanyelementsareduplicatedbetweenmodels.
TheabovemethodofmodelingisgainingtractionintheAECworld,butduetothemultiplemodels,requires
closeattentiontoelementownership.Forthebrick/metalstudbackupwallsystem,allwallelementswere
placedinthearchitecturalmodel,sincethemainstructuralsystemwasstructuralsteel.Ontheportionofthe
buildingthatwasbrickwithCMUbackupsystem,allwallfinishcomponentsexcludingtheCMUwereplacedin
thearchitecturalmodel,buttheCMUwasmodeledinthestructuralmodel.
4.2. RevitBuildingInformationModelIntroduction
Thebuildingtypeusedforthisproposalisafourstory45,000squarefoot,ClassBofficebuilding.Theoffice
buildinghasbeendividedintotwoprimaryareas:afourstory,steelstructure,withbrickandmetalstudbackup
(blue)andatwostory,masonrystructure,withbrickandCMUbackup(pink)seeFigure41.
Figure41.BIMMCTCOfficeBuilding
Inordertodeliverapracticalmodelenvironmentusableinanyfirm,twodisciplinespecificRevitmodelshave
beengenerated.AnarchitectureandstructuralmodelthatincorporatedbothmetalstudandCMUbackup
systemsforthebrickfaadeseeFigure42.Withinthesetwomodels,themodelgenerationteamintegrated
asmanydifferentmasonryconditionsaspossible.WhiledevelopingtheBIM,theteamfollowedtraditional

ModelingMasonryBuildingsinAutodeskRevitCTCReportChapter4Page73
modeldevelopmenttechniquesbyfirstcreatinggenericfamiliesataLOD200.Themodelwalldefinitionswere
thenupdatedtoLOD300,andinaddition,threedesignoptionswerecreatedwithinthemodelstoillustratethe
variousbrickbondingpatternsaswellasdemonstratetheflexibilityofRevit.ForLOD350,themodelingteam
focusedontwospecificareasofthemodel.BydevelopinglimitedareasofthebuildingtoanLOD350,itis
possibletodiscussanddemonstrateadditionalprosandconsofleveragingRevitbeyondLOD300.
Figure42.BIMMCTCOfficeBuilding
DeliveryRequirementsChecklist
TheoutlinebelowrepresentsthechecklistofmasonrymodelingchallengesandfeaturesasinterpretedbyCTC
fromtherequestforproposalssubmittedbyTMSandtheBIMMinitiative.ItisannotatedfurtherbyCTCto
clarifyourunderstandingofmasonrymodelingchallenges.
4.2.1. PreliminaryModelDescription
a. ProvideabriefdescriptionoftheBIMmodel(s)developedfortheproject.Indicatethesizeand
typeofbuilding,andthetypeofconstruction.
i. Specificallydescribetheuseofmasonryinthebuilding:
Thismodelisanadministrativeofficestructure.
Themasonryinthisfacilitywasleveragedprimarilyastheexteriorofthe
building.
Theactualcomponentsarediscussedlaterinthisguide,butinclude:
a. Theeastern(right)portionisCMUmasonrystructurewithbrick
masonryexteriorfinish.
b. Thewestern(left)portionisprimarysteelstructure,secondarycold
formedlightgaugemetalframingattheexteriorwalls,withmasonry
brickexteriorfinish.
ii. ArchitecturalandStructuralModelswerecreatedwithLOD300andLOD350model
components.
b. Indicatewhattypeofmodelsareavailableforuse:
ArchitecturalandStructuralmodelsareprovided.
Theassemblyandintentofeachmodelisdocumentedlaterinthisguide.

c. Indicatewhetherclashdetectionwasperformedonthemodel.
Clashwasnotperformedonthismodelasdevelopmentwaslimitedtomasonry
modelingandlightarchitecturetosupporttheremaininggraphics.
RevitorNavisworksclashdetectionworkflowsarewelldocumentedinindustryand
neednotberedocumentedhere.
d. Indicatewhetheracomputerprogramwasusedtodesignmasonryelements.(RAMSteelwas
usedforsteelmembersizing.)
e. Indicatewhetherwallsectionsandelevationsweredevelopedusingthemodel(live)orusing2
Dlinework(detached).
i. AlldrawingswerecreateddirectlyfromtheRevitModels.
ii. Detailcomponentswereusedminimallyindraftingviewstoadddetail.
iii. Detailcomponentsarevisibleonlyin2Dviewswheretheyareplaced.
iv. DetailcomponentswereusedonlytorefineLOD350detailcallouts.
f. IndicatewhethertheconstructiondocumentsweredevelopedsolelyinRevit,orwitha
combinationofRevitandAutoCad(orwithanother2D/3DdrawingpackagesuchasSketchUp).
i. Constructiondocumentswerenotapartofourscope;however,wedidcreateafew
planandelevationdrawingsdirectlyfromthemodelfordemonstrationpurposes.Butall
workwascompletedsolelyinRevit.
g. Submitthefollowingcontentchecklistindicatingwhichmasonryconditionsarerepresentedin
themodel(s):
i. Revitmodelsincludetheuseofdesignoptionstodemonstratehowbondingpatterns
canbeaccomplished.
ii. BondingPatterns:
Runningbond,Stackedbond,Flemishbond
iii. Changesinbondingpattern:
Headercourses
iv. Masonryopeningsandlintel
h. Backupsystem:
i. TheRevitModelwasdividedintotwoareas.Oneforabrick/CMUbackupsystem,and
oneforabrick/metalstudbackupsystem.Tiestocavitywallsystemswerealsoshown.
CMU,Metalstuds,Tiesbetweencavitywallsystems
Otherthancontentmanagement(BIMList),nocustomizationwasusedinthe
authoringoftheMasonrymodels.
i. StoneAccentsandothernonstandardmasonryunitssuchascastandcutstone:
i. Stonesills
ii. StoneLintels
iii. Parapets
iv. Foundationdetailssuchasplinths
j. ShelfAnglesandotherveneersupportsinmultistorybuildings:
Anglesupportswereusedonlyinthesupportsatwindowheads.
k. Arches:

Thismodeldidnotaddressarchesasthearchitecturaldesigndidnotlendtoincluding
archesinthemodel.
l. MasonryPilasters:
Theprovidedmodelleveragedentirelycoldformedmetalframingforinterior
partitions,andsincethestructureofthebuildingwasneverincontactwithexterior
masonrywalls,nomasonrypilasterswererequired.
Tomodelamasonrypilaster,thesamewalltypesusedformodelingthemainbuilding
structureorfinishescouldbeused.
Itwouldbeuptotheuserexecutingthemodelingtoensureefficientmasonryspacing,
asinallmasonrymodelinginRevit.
m. MovementJoints:
Controlandexpansionjointsweremodeledusingrepresentative3Dcomponent
familiesthatsubtractfromthevolumeofthewall.
n. Masonrycornertreatments:
i. Quoins:
ThoughnotmodeledintheprovidedBIM,theseobjectscouldeasilybe
generatedusingwallhostedcomponentfamilies.
ii. Non90degreecorners:
Non90degreecornersweremodeledtoanLOD300atthesouthentranceof
thestructure.
Thenon90degreecornersinRevitrequirenoadditionalconditionhandling
unlessthemodelistobeadvancedtoLOD400.
o. TreatmentofOutofPlaneMasonryConditions:
i. Corbeling:
Theprovidedmodeldidnothaveanysituationwherecorbelingwasrequired.
Ifcorbelingwastobeusedforanopening,theopeningfamilywouldbe
configuredtocutanddefinethecorbeling,inmuchthesamewayasanarched
openingwouldcutandmanagethecustombricklayout.
Ifcorbelingwastobeusedforanoverhang,orwallreveal,itwouldhavetobea
wallsweeporverycustomwallprofile.
ii. InsetsandOutsets:
GenerallyinsetsandoutsetsarenothandledtoanLOD400withinRevit;
however,ifitwasrequiredwithinthewalldesigntoachievesuchafeature,it
couldbehandledusingsweepsand/orrevealswithinthewallstructure.
p. Nonplanarwalls:
i. Curvatureinplan:
Themodelprovidedhadnosituationswhereacurvedmasonrywallworkedin
thedesign,assuchitwasnotmodeled.
Ifacurvedmasonrywallwastobemodeled,thesametechniquesusedon
straightwallsandnonplanerwallswouldbeused.
GenerallywallsinRevitaremodeledtoanLOD300,assuchmodelingisquite
fluidandrequiresnospecializedtraining.

q. Wallpenetrations:
WallpenetrationswereincludedandleveragedinbothLOD300andLOD350.
ExamplesofLOD350wallpenetrationsmaybefoundintheareasindicatedlaterinthis
document.
r. Masonrydimensioningpractice:
i. Wallmodelingwithpropermodulardimensions:
Inorderforuserstomodelwallsusingmasonrydimensions,theyshouldfirst
modifydefaultsnapdistancesinRevit.
a. Defaultsnapdistancesare4,1,6,1,
b. Modifiedsnapdistancesmaybe4,8,4
Followingthedrawingofawall,assumingthatthewalldisplaysamasonry
surfacepattern,usersmayalignthesurfacepatterntothelowerleftcornerof
thewall.
ii. Wallmodelingwithoutproperglobalmodulardimensionwhatguidancedoesthe
modelprovideforcuttingofmasonryunits,ifany?
AsthemodelsprovidedaretoanLOD350,nomasonrycuttingisindicatedin
anyfashion.
MasonrycuttingwouldgenerallybeindicatedatLOD400.
s. BondbeamsandMasonryWallReinforcing:
Bondbeams,groutedcells,andreinforcinghavebeenindicatedinthemodelandplaced
usingLOD300LOD350.
ItispossibleusingRevitsstructuralfeaturestomodeltonearLOD400,thoughitis
uncommonandquitetimeconsuming.
Theprovidedmodelintentionallywithheldstructuralreinforcingfromprogressing
beyondLOD300,asthattaskisgenerallynotprovidedbyengineers,butratherbythe
structuralsubcontractor.
Structuralreinforcing,bondbeams,andgroutfilledcellscanbeusedforgeneral
documentation,materialprocurement(estimation),andformodelcoordination
(collisions)indenseorcriticalareasofthebuildingmodel.
t. Interiorconcretemasonrywalls:
i. Wallsthatextendtoundersideofstructure
ii. Wallsthatextendtoaboveceilinglevel
iii. Attachmentoftopofwallstostructure
Generallythismodeldidnotusemasonrywallsasinteriorpartitions.
Wheremasonrywallswereused(Stairwell),thewallsweremodeledtoLOD
300.
AtLOD300,wallsdonotgenerallyindicatefulldetailingforconnections.
4.2.2. ObservationsontheUseofRevitforMasonryProjects
BasedonCTCexpertiseweprovidethefollowinggeneralcommentsregardingthemodelingofmasonrysystems
inRevit.

1. Typically,masonrywallsareshowninbothArchitecturalandStructuralmodels.Thereasonbehindthis
duplicationistheArchitectsneedfordoorandwindowplacementandcoordination,whileStructural
Engineersneedtodetermineiftheyareloadbearingandindicatereinforcingplacement.
TheworkflowCTChasshownremovesthemasonrywallsfromthearchitecturalmodelandhasthem
onlyinthestructuralmodelcreatingahybridarchitecturalandstructuralwallsystemandlinkingthem
togetherforopeningplacement.
Instructuralmasonrywallsystems,thearchitecturalmodelwouldcontaintheexteriorfinishes,interior
finishes,andalldoorsandwindows;definingtheopeningsforusebythestructuralmodel.The
structuralmodelwouldcontainthestructuralmasonrywallandopeningscoordinatedwiththe
Architectsplacedwindowsanddoors.
WhileRevitdoeshaveatoolcalledCopy/Monitorforassistinginthemaintenanceofwindowanddoor
openings,thattoolisflawedandgeneratesinaccurateresultswhenused,eveninthebestof
circumstances.Coordinationofopeningsandwallpositionsshouldbemanagedbytraditionalteam
communication,notbythetoolsavailableinthecurrentRevitversion(2016).
Thiscoordination,whilenotnew,willrequirenewtechniquesandclearcommunicationsopotential
issuesmaybefoundbeforeconstruction.ProgramslikeNavisworkscanhelpwithtrackingthesekindsof
changesaswellasothermodelcomparetoolsouttheretofindthesetypesofissues.
2. Somestructuralfirmswillusethemasonrywallswithintheiranalyticalmodelsthoughmanyengineers
stillusespreadsheetsdevelopedyearsagotodotheiranalysis.Thetechnologyexiststodaytotake
advantageofmasonrywallscreatedintheRevitmodels.Whenmasonrywallsaredefined,thestructural
usageparameterneedstobeappropriatelyset.Thewallsdonotneedtobegraphicallytaggedfor
externalanalysistoolstounderstandthestructuralusage.Thetagisarepresentationoftheproperties
storedwithintheobjectitself.Theobject,inthiscasethemasonrywall,housesthedataandcanbe
extractedbyotherapplications.
Oncetheexternalanalysisiscomplete,theupdatedinformationcanbepushedbackintotheRevit
modelandappropriatelyupdatetheobjectthatisalreadycreatedinthemodel.Ifreinforcinghasbeen
madeavailableintheRevitmodels,itwillappearcorrectly.Insomecircumstances,theRevitaddinthat
updatestheobjectsinRevitfollowinganalysismaygenerateadditionalobjects(ie:rebar,grout,explicit
masonryunits).Thiscapabilityisstrictlylimitedtothecapabilitiesofthespecificaddinbeingusedby
theengineer/technician.
3. ClashdetectioncanberunonanymodeledelementdirectlyinRevit,orinanexternaltoollike
Navisworks.Themoreaccuratethemodelauthorsare,themoreaccuratetheclashdetectionprocess
canbe.Thevalidityofaclashreportdependsontwoprimarypoints.Thereportauthorwillneedto
knowwhattheyarelookingfor,andtowhatfidelitythemodeledelementswerecreated.
Understandingthesepointswillenableameaningfulclashreporttobegeneratedagainstany
combinationofliveelementsandexternallylinkedmodels.
Clashesinvolvingbearingwallsaresetupinasimilarfashion.Aspecificclashreportmaybegenerated
inatoollikeNavisworksbystrategicallyusingfilterstoobtainbearingwallsintheprimarysetandduct

orpipepenetrationsinthesecondaryset.Areportcanthenberuntolocateeveryinterferencewherea
pipeorductpenetratesabearingwall.
4. Masonryelementscanbeexportedtoenergyanalysisprograms,butitistypicallyrecommendedthat
theseenergyanalysismodelsremainfairlygenericindetail.Genericmasselementsandglasssurface
areaarewhatalotoftheenergyanalysisprogramsarelookingforsokeepingitsimplewillhelp.More
complexmodelscandefinitelybeusedforenergyanalysis,butitgetsdifficulttoworkwithduetothe
largeamountofinformationandcomplexgeometrycominginfromtheRevitmodels.
5. Revitcanbeusedfortheplacementofopeningsincoursing,placementofstructureincoursing,
placementofcontroljoints,andthestructuralinterface.However,anumberofsetupstepsarerequired
priortocoordination.Thisincludesthecreationofsurfacepatterns,andtheapplicationofthese
patternstothematerials.Thisisstillnotasimpleprocess,butitisalsonotextremelycomplex,butdoes
requiresomecustomization.
6. MostRevitmodelsarenotbeingusedforshopdrawingstoday.Althoughtheyaremorethancapableof
beingused;however,itisthedetailersandsubcontractorsthatdonothaveaccessoranunderstanding
ofRevit.SotheytypicallyuseAutocadfortheshops.Thisisn'tspecifictomasonrydetails,it'sacrossthe
boardwithsteeldetailsandfabricationdrawings.AllmostlystilldoneinAutocad.
7. Revitcangeneratecostestimatesbyschedulingthemasonryelementsandcreatinganumberof
calculatedvaluestodeterminequantitiesandpotentiallycost.SimilartohowgroupsdothisinExcel,but
thatsameprocesscanbedoneinRevit.Thereisahugepotentialtohavethirdpartypluginscreated
thatcanquantifymasonryelementsintheRevitmodelsandgeneratetheappropriateinformation.
8. Differentiatingbetweendifferenttypesofelementsusuallyhappensinthefamilyname.Masonrypier
ormasonrybondbeamwillbehowindividualscantellthedifference.Revitplacesthoseitemsin
differentcategories,piersarecolumnsandbondbeamsareframingitems.Wecanfilterbyname,size,
Revitcategory,andbyanumberofadditionalpropertieswithintheelementstomakesurethatour
clashreportsonlyincludemasonryobjects.
4.3. CTCModelingEfforts
CTCworkedtofollowstandardmodelingpracticesinthecreationoftheBIMMeffort.Wedid;however,also
incorporatemethodsthatleverageRevitcapabilitiesnotalwayspracticed.
4.3.1. StandardRevitModeling
ThestandardRevitmodelingtechniquesincluded:
1. BasicRevitpracticesinthecreationsoftheBIMMmodels.
2. Customcomponentsweregeneratedbutnospecial,outoftheordinarytrickswereusedtomakethem
function.
3. SpecialfocuswasmadetoensurethatallobjectscouldbeusedbyaverageRevitusers.
4. Detailviewsutilizedpatterns,repeatingdetailcomponents,andannotationsforrepresentationof
masonrymaterials.

4.3.2. AdvancedRevitModeling
AdvancedRevitmodelingtechniquesthatwereusedinthecreationoftheCTCmodelsinclude:
1. Designoptionsusedtorepresentdifferentcoursingtypesofbrick.
2. Anewworkflowthatseparatedthearchitecturalwallsystemfromthestructuralwallsystem.
3. Constructionpartsinwalltypeswereusedtoenhancethe3Ddetaildisplaythusmaintainingasingle
assembly.
4. Customfamilieswerecreatedtoenhancethelevelofdetail.Someexamplesofthisincludecontrol
joints,brickties,andsurfacepatterns.
4.3.3. RecommendationsforImprovementsinRevit
CTCmakesthefollowingrecommendationsforimprovingRevit:
1. Whilethemodelingteamwasabletocoordinatesurfacepatternstoproperlyrepresentmasonry
modularization,itwastedious.Toimproveeaseofuseinmasonrycoursemanagement,either
Autodesk,orathirdpartyaddindevelopercoulddevelopatooltoassistinthisprocess.Butstructural
masonryandfinishmasonrycouldusesignificantimprovements.
2. Inadditiontosurfacecoursing,thesectiondetailingofmasonrymodulesismanualandtedious.2D
componentsmustbeusedinsectiondetailstorepresentcoursingandmustbemanuallycoordinated
withthesurfacepattern.ThereisnoautomatedmethodtomanagethisinRevit.
3. Abettermethodformanagingsurfacepatternalternativeswouldbemuchappreciated.Thecurrent
methodofusingdesignoptionsworks,butrequirestheentireexteriorfinishofthebuildingandall
associatedopeningstobeincludedintheoption.Thisisnotpreferredandcancauseotherworkflow
issueslater.Anoptionlikeexteriorfinishmaybedevelopedearlyinthedesignprocessandmaylinger
untilnearcompletionoftheconstructiondocuments.Maintainingsuchalargeareaofdesignoptionsis
notpreferred,butiscurrentlytheonlyavailablemethodtoachievethedesiredresults.
4.4. ModelingStandards
4.4.1. ModelManagement
PropermodelmanagementiscriticaltomaintainingacleanBIM.Ittakesplanningandtenacitythroughoutthe
lifecycleoftheBIMinanyfirm.Inordertoestablishacommonstandard,thefollowingguidelineshaveben
outlined.Thoughnotanexhaustivelist,itwillprovideasolidfoundationforaneverydayRevituserto
understandBIMMmodelingstrategies.
4.4.2. Worksharing
Originally,worksharingwasthemethodbywhichRevitallowsmultipleuserstoaccessandmodifyasingle
model.NowthatRevithasmatured,itisalsoincrediblyimportanttoleverageworksharingandspecificallythe
worksetstomanagemodelperformance.Strategicallyconfiguringworksetsandensuringthatusersareproperly
maintainingthoseworksetscanbethedefiningfactortoasuccessfulmodelingexperienceforallusersinvolved.
Thefollowingaregeneralguidelines:
AllRevitModellinksshouldbeontheirownworkset.
Grids,levels,referenceplanes,andscopeboxesshouldgenerallyallbeonasingleworkset.

Ataminimum,majordisciplinedivisionswithinasinglemodelshouldbeassignedaworksetanditmay
beappropriatetosubdividethedisciplineworksettomanagelarge/complexmodels.
Nevertheless,trytomaintainasfewworksetsaspossible.
InordertomaintaintheexamplemodelfortheBIMMproject,themodelingteamusedthefollowingworksets:
StructuralModelWorksets

ArchitecturalModelWorksets
4.4.3. ModelLinking
LinkingmodelsinRevitcanbeanimportantstrategywhenworkingwithmultipledisciplines,especiallywhen
thedifferentteamsarefrommultiplecompaniesordifferentlocations.
Whenlinkingexternalmodelsintoanactivemodel,afewimportantconsiderationsandstandardsshouldbe
followedtofacilitateconsistentresultsandsmoothworkflows:
AlwaysactivatethecorrectLinkworksetbeforelinkingamodel,thiswillensurethelinkisfully
associatedtothecorrectworkset.
AlwaysdefaulttolinkingdisciplinespecificmodelsdirectlyrelatedtotheactivemodelAutoOriginto
Origin,thiswillhelpensurethatthemodelsalignproperlyandcanbecrosslinkedinaconsistent
manner.
Alwayspinamodelinplaceonceitislinked,thishelpspreventaccidentalmovementofalinkedmodel
andmanagelivemodelselection.
4.5. DisciplineOwnership
Planningwhichteamownswhichobjectscanbeproblematic;however,understandingdocumentationvs.
designresponsibilitiescanassistinsimplifyingthisprocess.

Theruleofthumbis,Onlymodelanobjectonceifpossible,andonlythepartyresponsiblefordocumentingit
shouldauthorit.Thoughitisnotalwaysclearwhoshouldownanddocumentaparticularobject.Sometimes
thearchitectspecifiestheposition,butanotherdisciplinewillberesponsibleforfinalconfigurationand
documentation.
Inasituationwhereoneteammustdesignacomponentinitially,itmustbemadeclearthatthemodeledobject
isaplaceholderonly,notforuseindocumentation.TheactualresponsibleteamshouldmodeltheactualLOD
300/350object(s).
IntheBIMMsamplemodel,thisismostclearattheexterior,masonrystructurewalls.TheCMUwall
componentsarecontrolledintheStructuralModel.Theexteriorandinteriorfinishwallsareownedand
maintainedbythearchitecturalteam.Inordertofacilitateproperopeningpositionswhenwindowsanddoors
penetratetheexteriorwall,theArchitecturalModelalsohasaplaceholderstructuralwallcomponentinthe
sameareathattheStructuralModelhasarefinedwalltype.
4.6. LevelofDevelopment
LevelofDevelopment(LOD)indicateshowmuchinformationisavailableforagivencomponentorareaina
model.MuchmoredetailaboutLODcanbefoundatthebimforum.org/lodwebsite.
TheLODspecificationendeavorstoprovideastandardbywhichallteammemberscanmeasurethereliabilityof
elementsinamodelatagivenstage.ThemodeldevelopedbytheBIMMmodelingteamhasbeendevelopedto
LOD300forthevastmajorityofthemasonrysystems.Thereweretwokeyareaswherethemodelwasfurther
refinedtoLOD350.
Figure43.AreasofBuildingDevelopedtoLOD350

4.7. ViewNaming/Organization
ViewsinaRevitmodelhavemanyproperties.Thepropertiesofaviewmaybeusedtoorganizetheminthe
RevitprojectbrowserseeFigure44.Havingagoodorganizationstructureallowsuserstoeasilynavigate
viewsandbeproductiveinmodelingefforts.Whiletherearemanydifferentmethodsandtheoriesfor
organizingaprojectbrowserinRevit,themodelingteammadeadecisiontouseatechniquesomewhat
commontotheproductionofamodelforuseasapresentationtoolmorethanuseasabaseforconstruction
documents.Thismethodmayhelpusersunfamiliarwiththemodeltonavigatetoviewsthataremeaningfulto
them.
Thepropertiesoftheviewsthatwereusedfororganizationareasfollows:
GroupedbyViewFamilyandType:
o FloorPlans
o CeilingPlans
o 3DViews
o BuildingElevations
o Sections
o DetailViews
o DraftingViews
o Etc
GroupedbyCustomparameterViewType:
o Coordination
o PresentationViews
o SheetViews
o WorkingViews
o Etc
Sortedwithingroupsalphabeticallybyname

Figure44.SnapshotofPlansandViewsinCTCModel
Theplanviewnamesweregeneratedusinganautomatedtooltoensurethatallviewswereconsistentlynamed
andconfigured.Manyoftheotherviewtypeswerealsomanagedtoensureconsistentnamingconventions.

4.8. FamilyandTypeNaming
Clearlyidentifyingfamiliesandtypesinamodeliscritical.Clearnamingconventionsequipuserswiththeability
torapidlyidentifycontentforadditiontotheBIM(seeFigure45).
TypenameshavebeengeneratedusingtheAutodeskSEEKRevitModelContentStyleGuideandFamily
CreationandBestPracticesdocumentedstandards(seeFigure46).Figure47showsasubsetofthefamilies
includedintheCTCmasonrymodels.
Figure45.FamilyNamingBestPractices
Figure46.TypeNamingBestPractices

Figure47.SnapshotofArchitecturalComponentFamiliesfromtheRevitProjectBrowser
4.9. ModelingStrategies
Wallsdefinedthemajorityofthemodelingstrategyinthisproject.Themodelingteaminvestigatedanumberof
differenttechniquesthatultimatelyallowedtheArchitecturalandStructuralteamstocollaborate.Concepts
aroundthewallconfigurationswerestartedatLOD200withroughdetailingtoestablishownership,then
progressedtohigherdetaillevelstovalidatethattheselectedtechnique(s)wouldbesustainable.Thefinalresult
isdocumentedhereandvisibleintheincludedBIMMsamplemodels.
Themodelsusedinthisexercisewereschematicdesignmodelsthatincludedbotharchitecturalandstructural
components.Theinitialmodelsutilizedgenericwalltypes,whichallowedforquickwalllayoutanddesign
changes.ThemodelgenerationteamfocusedeffortsonmodelingrequirementsforLOD300andaspartofthis
effort,thestrategyemployedbeganwiththeprocessofseparatingthearchitectureandstructuralwallsystems.
Separatingstructuralandarchitecturalwallsystemsallowedeachdisciplinetocontroltheirrespectivedesign
elementsaswellaspreparetheprojectforfutureuseslikestructuralanalysis,clashdetection,andquantity
takeoffs.

AtLOD350theteambrokedownwalltypesintoseparatebuildingcomponents(parts).Thiswasdoneso
accurate3Ddetailscouldbegeneratedwithouttheneedfor2Dlineworkor2Ddetailitems.Ideally,ifall
buildingcomponentsaremodeledusingLOD350,moreaccuratequantitytakeoffsandclashdetectionmaybe
achievedseeFigure48.
Figure48.ModelProgressionfromLOD300toLOD350
4.9.1. ModelingStrategy(Overview)
DesignOptions,whichincludesadefaultconfiguration,andanumberofoptionalconfigurationswereusedfor
modelingbondpatterns.Inaddition,thewallswereseparatedbyconsultantresponsibilityintothearchitectural
andstructuralmodels.

4.9.2. WallTypesUsed
ThefollowingarewalltypesusedintheCMUstructureportionsoftheRevitBIM.Theselistsarebrokenoutby
disciplinearea(structuralandarchitectural).
Structural
Architectural
4.9.3. BondPatterns
BondPatternswerecreatedutilizingpatternsspeciallydesignedforuseinaRevitmodel.Thepatternswere
usedasthesurfacepatternsforthreeexteriorfinishwalltypes.Tofacilitatetheplacementofallthreeexterior
finisheswithinthesamemodel,designoptionswereusedexclusivelyontheexteriorfinishesandanyhosted
componentsthatrequiredmovementbasedontheindividualpatterns.
Pros:
Easypatternadjustmentfor2Ddocumentationandsurfacecoordination
Easytochangebetweenbondpatternswithdesignoptions
Materialspecificationscanbeincluded
Quantitiescanbescheduledbybondtype
Openingpositions/sizescanbemanaged

Cons:
Modularcoursingmayrequireadjustmentatwindowopeningsforeachdesignoption
Quantitiesthatrequireformulasmaynotcaptureallmasonryconditions
Renderedpatternsandgraphicsurfacepatternmaynotmatch
4.9.4. DesignOptions
TofacilitateeaseofmanagementintheRevitBIM,themodelingteamgeneratedasingledesignoptionset,with
threeoptions(seeFigure49).TheoptionsinasetallowforvariationsofaBIMtobeauthoredinthecorrect
positioningandinmanycasesinthesamephysicalspaceasanothervaryingobjectrelatedtotheoptionset.
Figure49.DesignOptionsforMasonryBondingPatterns(Setup)
Inthismodel,optionswereleveragedbythemodelingteamtomanageallthreebondpatternsfortheexact
samewallconditionswhileleavingtheentireinteriorfinishesandinteriorarchitecturallayouttobemanaged
independently(seeFigure410).Thismeansthatwhiletheinteriorsteamismanagingthemodel,the
individual(s)designingthebuildingfacadecanhavethelatestplanlayoutsalwaysavailableforreference.This
makescoordinatingopeningsandmodularlayoutsmorestreamlined.


Figure410.DesignOptionsforMasonryBondingPatterns(Rendering)
Ultimately,whenafinalbondpatternisselected,theotheroptionscanberemovedandtheacceptedlayoutcan
immediatelyprogresswithoutmuchadditionaleffortfromanyoftheteammembers.
4.9.5. BrickwithCMUBackupModelStrategy
Inthediscussionbelow,thebenefitsanddrawbacksoftheCTCmodelingstrategyforbrickveneeronCMU
backuparediscussed(seeFigure411).
Pros:
Byseparatingthewallsystemsbydiscipline
o Futuremodelauthoringteam(s)havetheabilityto:
Achievemodelownershipresponsibilityatthebuildingelementlevel
Assignownershiptoappropriatedisciplineteams
EnsureproperteamscontrolLODintheBIM
Modelingbenefits:
o Allmodeledelementscannowbeusedfordetailviewsandcoordination
o Mandatorycrossdisciplinecoordination
o Significantlyeasiercontrolofinteriorvs.exteriorfinishes
Structure,exteriorandinteriorfinishestypicallyhavevariedtopelevations
Finishelevationcontrolcanbequitedifficulttocontrolacrossmultiplelevelsunless
separatewalltypesareusedforeachsystem
o Ensuresconsistentmodelingbetweenallstructures/systems

Cons:
Byseparatingthewallsystemsbydiscipline
o Openingcoordinationreliesonbothteamscarefullymanaging
Openingexistence
Sizing
Positions
OftenthebuiltinRevitprocessofcopy/monitoristhoughttoassistinthiscoordinationprocess
o Itoftencausessignificantlygreaterissuesthanmanualcoordination.
ModelingCons:
o Perceptionoflessefficientmodelingcrossdiscipline
o Additionalcoordinationrequired
Figure411.ModelingofBrickWallswithCMUBackup
4.9.6. BrickwithMetalStudBackupModelStrategy
Inthediscussionbelow,thebenefitsanddrawbacksoftheCTCmodelingstrategyforbrickveneeronsteelstuds
arediscussed(seeFigure412).
Pros:
Singlemodelcontainswallinformation
o Allowsforeasierdesignprocess
o Allowsforeasiercoordinationofwallcomponents

Modelingbenefits
o Allmodeledelementscannowbeusedfordetailviewsandcoordination
o Significantlyeasiercontrolofinteriorvs.exteriorfinishes
Structure,exteriorandinteriorfinishestypicallyhavevariedtopelevations
Finishelevationcontrolcanbequitedifficulttocontrolacrossmultiplelevelsunless
separatewalltypesareusedforeachsystem
o Ensuresconsistentmodelingbetweenallstructures/systems
Cons:
Managingupto3walltypesforasinglewallmayinitiallyfeelmoredifficultinsomeArchitecturalfirm
workflows
ModelingCons
o Perceptionoflessefficientmodeling
o Additionalcoordinationrequired
Figure412.ModelingofBrickWallswithMetalStudBackup
4.10. BreakingWallsintoParts
InRevit2014,Autodeskintroducedameansofexplodingamodelandbreakingcomplexsystemsinto
individualcomponents.ThistoolwascalledCreateParts.Themainbenefitsinparts,itallowstheoriginal
component,forexampleawall,toalsoallowaccesstotheindividualinternalparts.Themodelingteamfeltthis
methodallowedthegreatestflexibilityformanagingtheLOD300wallsandaddingenoughdetailfortheLOD
350portionsinthemodelseeFigure413.

Figure413.CreatingPartsfromWalls
ThistechniquemayrequiretrainingforteamswhohaveleveragedRevitforanumberofyears.However,the
investmentintrainingwillprovidegreatercomponentcontrolandworkflowefficienciesintheirdailymodeling
taskswhenmanagingmasonryconstructionandotherconstructionstyles.
4.11. ComponentModeling
AnycomponentfamiliesdevelopedforuseintheBIMMbuildingmodelweregeneratedusingstandardized
practicesbasedonAutodeskpublishedmodelcontentstyleguidesandontheRevitFamilyStandardsandBest
Practices3rdEditionbook.ThefamiliesgeneratedwererepresentativeofmodelingappropriateforLOD350
LOD400development.Sincethesecomponentsareplaceddirectlybythedisciplineresponsibleforthewalls,
thecomponentsweredevelopedbasedonselectfamilytemplates.
Thefollowingfamilytemplateshavebeenused:
GenericModelfacebased
GenericModeltwolevelbased
GenericModelwallbased
GenericModel
4.12. ContentManagementandBIMList
Theabilitytofindcontenteasilyandplaceitintothemodelefficientlyiscriticalforuserstohaveagood
experiencewithinRevit.Anycustomcontentmustbeorganizedclearlyandhavetheabilitytobeeasily
searched.Ifuserscannotfindwhattheyarelookingforinalibrary,theywillrapidlyreturntoprevious,and
possiblypoorlybuilt,contenttocompleteaproject.Alternatively,inaworstcasescenario,usersmaychooseto
excludemodeleddesignelementscompletelyanduse2Ddraftingmethodstoindicatedesignintent.
BIMListisaRevitfamilycontentmanagementsolutiondevelopedbyCTC.ItenablesRevituserstosearcha
databaseforfamilyinformation.Oncethedesiredfamilyislocated,theusermaydraganddropthefamilyinto
thedesignenvironment.Similarfunctionalityexistwithother3rdpartyRevitcontentmanagementtools.

TheMasonryStandardsdatabaseandBIMListofferingalsoallowsforadraganddropinterfaceastheproject
requires.ByhavingaBIMListdatabase,notonlycanBIMMdistributeMasonrystandardcontentanddetailsto
alloftheirusers,butthentheuserscanalsotakeadvantageofBIMListtocreatetheirowncompanyspecific
databasewiththeirownlibrary.BIMListallowsformultipledatabasestobeavailableatthesametime.
Ultimately,thiswilldecreasethetimespentlookingforcontentonthecompanynetworkbymakingitalways
availablewithintheRevitinterfaceinadockablewindow.
BIMListwasleveragedthroughoutthedesignprocesstomanageanyindividualcontent,allowingthemodeling
teamtofindandplacecontentintotheBIMefficiently.Ascontentwasdeveloped,itwasaddedtotheBIMList
database,allowinguserstounderstandcontentthathasbeenapprovedforusewithinthisdesignmodel.
Asapartoffuturedevelopment,itmaybepossibletosourceBIMListdatabasesdirectlyfromtheMasonryUnit
DatabaseunderdevelopmentthroughtheBIMMinitiative10.Enablingsuchalinkcouldmakeitveryeasyfor
userstolivesearchtheMasonryUnitDatabase,knownasMUD,whilewithintheirdesignenvironment.Enabling
easyaccesstotheMUDmaybeanexcellentmethodtogainuseracceptanceofthisnewinformationsource.
Figure414.BIMListforManagingBIMFamilies
4.13. WhatisintheCTCOfficeModel
ThoughnotlinkedtotheMUD,themodelingteamfeltitwasimportanttoattempttomaintainsimilarfieldsin
theRevitprojectmodel.Foreachmajorobjecttype,ormaterialinuseintheBIM,themodelingteamensured
thatataminimum,fieldswereavailabletohostdatathatmaybesourcedfromtheMUD.Inthefutureasthe
10
AreportontheMasonryUnitModeldefinitioncanbefoundattheBIMMwebsite:
http://www.bimformasonry.org/pdf/phaseiimasonryunitmodeldefinitionprojectfinalreportfromgeorgiatechjune
2015.pdf

BIMMdevelopsadditionaltools,theMUDandtheBIMmaybecomemoredynamicallylinked.Havingthe
generalinformationfieldsintheBIMwillprovideaplaceholderforthedatamaintainedintheMUD.
ModelGeometry
ModelPhysicalProperties
o SharedFamilyParametershavebeenaddedtoindividualcomponentfamilies
Parameternameshavebeencarefullyplannedtobereusable
ParameternamesmayhavebeencoordinatedwiththeMUDdatatypes
o SharedProjectParametershavebeenassignedtosystemfamilieswithintheproject
environment
Nophysicalpropertyparametersadded
Onlyinformationalparametershavebeenadded
Color/Material/Finishes
o Materials,colorsandtexturesareallassignedusingconfiguredRevitmaterials
Systemfamiliesassignamaterialtoeachlayerofanassembly(IE:Walls)
ComponentfamilieshaveMaterialandFinishparametersaddedandaBIMMmaterial
assigned
BondPattern
o Thebondpatternisactuallyapartofthematerial
Thesurfacepatternandrenderedmaterialhavebeenupdatedtographicallymatchon
selectmaterials
Systemfamilies(IE:Walls)havebeenassignedProjectparameters

4.14. ModelAddendum1.0
All3DviewsincludedinAddendum1.0havebeenextracteddirectlyfromtheBIMMRevitmodel.Theimage
belowshowsarepresentationoftheRevitProjectBrowserwithoneoftheviewshighlighted.
Partofthescopeforgeneratingthesamplemodelincludedadesiretorelyaslittleaspossibleontwo
dimensionalgeometryaspossible.Thefollowingimageswillrepresentboth2Dand3Dimageryextracted
directlyfromthesampleBIMMmodel.Insomeofthetwodimensionalimages,detailitemshavebeenadded
tofurtherthedocumentationandcommunication,inmuchthesamewayasasetofconstructiondocuments
wouldbeaugmented.
Adetailitemisapredesignedtwodimensionalsymbolthatrepresentsaspecifichighlydetailedpartofa
building.Insomecases,the3Dmodelcannoteasilyholdenoughdetailtorepresentthesamegraphicdetaila
twodimensionalitemcan.Inthecaseofthesamplemodel,onlyunitmasonryitemshavebeenrepresentedin
twodimensionalviewsusingdetailitems.
Inthefollowingimages,anyviewthatappearstobethreedimensionalisactuallythreedimensional.Viewsthat
aretwodimensionalarenotallmodifiedwithdetailitems.Anyimagerepresentingatwodimensionalviewthat
wasmodifiedwithatwodimensionaldetailitemwillhavethetwodimensionalareahighlightedina
transparentpink.

Figure415.Organizationofthe3DViewsintheCTCModel

5. Conclusion
ThetransitiontoBuildingInformationModeling(BIM)isthemostsignificantadvancementoftheAEC
communitysincedesignersleftthedrawingboardsandmovedtoComputerAidedDesign(CAD).BIMprovides
theprofessiontheopportunitytocollaborateinadatarich,3Denvironment.Itopensthedoortothepotential
ofalivingbuildingmodelthatcanprogressfrominfancytomaturity,andcanbecomeanintegraltoolinthelife
ofthebuilding.
AutodeskRevitisapowerfulBIMplatformthathasbeeninstrumentalintheBIMworld,butitisuptotheAEC
communitytopushtechnologyfurtherandtoinformthesoftwaredevelopersofthespecificneedsfor
additionalmodelingtoolsthatwillallowustoachievethepotentialofatrulycollaborativeandlivingmodel.
Wallmodeling,ingeneral,currentlyhassomeinherentchallengesinRevit.Forinstance,theinabilitytomodify
separatelayersofawallsystemforcesdesignerstomodellayersindependentlytogetthefunctionality
necessarytocoordinatearchitecturalandstructuralmasonrysystems.
BearingwallsystemsaddanadditionallayerofdifficultysincetheStructuralEngineerandArchitecthave
distinctlydifferentneedsforthewallsystemrepresentation.Theansweristoooftenthatwallsarebeing
duplicatedinarchitecturalandstructuralmodels,whichopensthedoortouncoordinateddesignsanddefeats
thepurposeofBIM.
MasonrysystemshavetheirownspecificcomplexitiesthatcouldbenefitenormouslyfromBIMiftherighttools
aredeveloped.Forinstance,coursingofmasonrywallsisacriticalcomponentofanywelldesignedmasonry
project.IftheBIMcouldrepresentactualcoursingdatathiswouldallowarchitects,engineers,andcontractors
theabilitytoeasilyandseamlesslycoordinatewallopenings,bondbeams,andstructuretoworkwithcoursing
constraints.Thisonesimpletoolwouldsaveanenormousamountoftimefordesignersandwouldreduceissues
inthefield.
BIMisinitsowntransitionintermsoflevelofdevelopment.BIMtoolswillimproveastheindustryprovides
feedbacktothesoftwaredevelopers.TheprimarygoaloftheBIMMInitiativeistoensurethatthemasonry
industryhasavoiceandclearlydefinesitsneedssowecandrivemasonryBIMdevelopmentandpromote
masonryinaBIMenvironment.
ThisguiderepresentsamajorsteptoimproveBIMtoolsformasonryandwillassistusersinmodelingmasonry
structures.ThedetailedmodelsdevelopedbyIntegrusandCTCidentifymeanstomodelmasonrywiththe
currentversionofRevitalongwiththemajorissuesstillneedingfurtherdevelopment.Thereportsoffer
differentopinionsandviewpointsonhowbesttousecurrenttoolstomodelmasonry.Readerscanusethis
informationtoformulatetheirownbestpracticeapproach.
TheTMSBIMMCommitteeiscurrentlyworkingonaseriesofshortvideosthatwilldemonstratesomeofthe
modelingtoolsthatwerepresentedinthisreport.ThesewillbeavailableontheIMIwebsite.
Thankyoutothereadersforyourinterestinmasonrydesignandconstruction.TheCommitteewelcomesyour
feedbackandinput.CommentsmaybesenttoTMSBIMMCommitteeincareofMs.JamieDavis,P.E.;
jdavis@ryanbiggs.com.


BIM For Masonry: Modeling Masonry Buildings in Autodesk Revit

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BIM for Masonry

Modeling Masonry Buildings in Autodesk Revit

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