The following article was originally published on My First Architecture Job on 24 October 2021.

So You've Done a Revit Course… Now What?

Part 1: Workflow

Back when I was studying I undertook not one, but two subjects dedicated to Revit. They covered all the basics on how to draw walls, floors, and roofs, along with a few advanced moves like how to make a family and how to use conceptual massing to model complex geometry such as double-curved facades and roofs. But by the time I needed some of these skills I’d forgotten them, and had to teach myself again.

When it came to using Revit at university, I’d follow the general principles that were taught throughout the course. Stuff like making sure elements were constrained to a level, and using different wall, floor and roof types. Nothing was too detailed because the drawings were graphical rather than technical. Since I didn’t understand how Manage > Additional Settings worked, I never set up my line weights properly. As a result I ended up with a tedious workflow of:

  1. Revit;

  2. Illustrator; and

  3. Photoshop.

If something was easier to model as a floor rather than a roof, I just did it. I could fudge it because it was my design and there weren’t any consequences. It got the job done and when it was late at night and I just wanted to sleep, that’s all I could really ask for.

But when it came to using Revit in practice, I discovered a surprisingly large gap in my knowledge. There were so many terms I was hearing for the first time, as well as restrictions — not just because of the program but because of the QM (Quality Management) systems in place. Each firm did things differently so every time I started a new job I had to readjust my workflow. There’s so much to learn in Revit and it can be pretty overwhelming (especially when you’re just starting out) so here is part one, the top four things I wish someone had told me about workflow before starting my first job.

Central / Local File

An architectural firm needs to be able to have multiple people working on a single project at the same time. In Revit, this is enabled by having central and local files.

A central file (let’s call it 000000_AR_MASTER.rvt) sits on the server. No one is supposed to work in the central file. So, before you start working on a project you’ll need to create what’s called a local file, which sits on your computer. Each person working on a project has their own local file. You’ll know if you’ve successfully created one because it’ll (usually) have your name at the end of it e.g. 000000_AR_MASTER_JohnSmith.rvt.

If you’re wondering how the information in your local file gets seen by other team members, then you’re ready to hear about synchronizing.

Synchronizing

Every 15, 30 or 60 minutes (depending on the size of the project and whether anyone has requested access to an element — more on that later) you’ll need to synchronize. When you sync, the changes you’ve made to your local file get incorporated into the central file, and any changes that others have made (and synchronized) get added to your local file.

To prevent multiple users from doing the same thing at the same time, Revit gives ‘ownership’ to the user who modified an element first. When you try to change an element that’s owned, that user will have to relinquish ownership of the element before you can modify it. Most of the time, more than one user will need to sync which is where the worksharing monitor comes in handy.

Worksharing Monitor

It’s important to always have the worksharing monitor open when other people are working on the same project. It’ll notify you when someone has requested you to relinquish an element. It also tells you when someone else is synchronizing. If you need to sync, it’s best practice to double-check if someone else is already synchronizing. If they are, wait until they’ve finished before hitting the sync button.

Office Standards

Office standards govern how to name and number views, sheets, families, files as well as where to save them. Why? There are two reasons behind this. The first is because drawings that leave the office should look graphically consistent, they should be “on brand”. This includes using the same:

  • Annotation styles (font type, size and hierarchy);

  • Tags and keynotes (symbols and methodology);

  • Titleblocks (they should look similar regardless of sheet size); and

  • Graphical representation (hatches, symbols, line types).

The second reason, as put by many current and former colleagues, is “if you get hit by a bus on the way home someone needs to be able to pick up where you left off”. I have no idea who came up with that saying and it still shocks me every time I hear it but it sums it up nicely. Architecture is collaborative. If everyone follows the office standards things work more smoothly and there’s no need to call or email your sick team member to work out where something was saved.

A new version of Revit gets released every year. With it comes new features and improvements, but these four things have remained constant. While they’ll make your transition from using Revit at university to practice smoother, it’s important to remember: you can always ask questions when you’re unsure of how to do something. After all, at the end of the day, isn't architecture all about collaboration?