Mastering Revit Structure 2009

Inside Revit Structure

The Revit Structure interface is designed to be an easy-to-use, organized presentation of com- mands and drawing areas. The basic interface is highly configurable and can be adapted to fit most working needs that may arise as you interact with the computer in order to create a model. Multiple model views can be open at once so that you can see plan, section, elevation, and model views of an element side by side in the drawing area at one time.

This chapter will explore the interface and the arrangement of menus, toolbars, tabs, and other tools available to you in the Revit Structure workspace. The tools found here will be used to model and document your virtual structure, and also help you to achieve a building informa- tion modeling (BIM) solution for your project.

Underlying the graphical interface is a robust database that coordinates the graphical infor- mation through the use of a parametric change engine that controls the display of all elements

in your project. In this way, a change in an element that takes place in a plan or a section view is immediately propagated to all views in the project, which in turn save lots of time for you and allows you to focus on the design of the structure rather than the busywork of having to edit many views in order to correct one element, as occurs in most 2D drafting programs.

To succeed in this venture, you will need to add many tools to your tool chest. Imagine a con- struction worker who goes to work with only a hammer and a screwdriver. In all likelihood the worker will not be able to get much accomplished. So to get started, you need to add the neces- sary tools to your own tool chest so that you can work effectively in the virtual model-building environment.

Once you have learned the basics of the various display and modeling tools available to you in Revit Structure, you will be ready to move on to the actual modeling process in the subsequent chapters of this book.

In this chapter you will learn to: