What’s new in Revit 2021

Updated 07.21.2020

Revit 2021.1 is now available. Read articles about the release here:

• What’s New in Revit 2021.1
• New Layouts for Generative Design in Revit
• Faster install and deployment experience with Revit 2021.1
• Revit 2021.1 Technology Preview: Load Autodesk Family

Originally Published 04.09.2020

Written by Sasha Crotty, Harlan Brumm, Ian Molloy, Pawel Piechnik, Dan Peticila, Martin Schmid, Gernot Jeromin, and David Smolker

The Revit product management team is thrilled to share with you what’s new in Revit 2021. Revit 2021 includes upgrades suggested by you, our users, continuous improvements to core features, and exciting new functionality, beginning with Generative Design. 

Revit 2021 makes Revit better for all disciplines across three core themes: productivity and ease of use, collaboration and data exchange, and improved visualization. 

Read the highlights and check out the videos below. 

Highlights for Revit 2021

• A showstopping visual experience with real-time realistic views that make communicating design intent easier 

• Generative Design in Revit: Revit 2021 debuts generative design tools for AEC Collection subscribers and Dynamo authors, who access similar capabilities through the Generative Design tools in Dynamo.Use Generative Design in Revit to define goals for view optimization, massing, and layout studies directly from the design model, and explore, evaluate, and rank design options for your project from a wide range of alternatives.  Learn more about Generative Design in Revit 2021 with this companion post.

• The latest version of Dynamo 
   
• An improved Revit Home experience for BIM 360 projects and a UI wizard to help you set up the most intuitive way to work based on your discipline and preferred way to use Revit 
   
• The ability to create slanted walls out of the box in Revit, a long-requested feature that enables you to deliver stunning, creative designs
   
• Across the board ease of use enhancements in working with large schedules, a feature born on the Revit Ideas Forum
   
• High fidelity PDF and raster linking and uploading that make 2D documents easier to work with in the modeling environment

• Structural improvements including new steel stiffeners out of the box and the ability to create new new rebar shapes 
   
• A suite of MEP enhancements focused on usability and globalization, with new units, more flexibility in working with circuits and panels, and worksharing improvements
   
• New Europe data center for hosting cloud models (workshared and non-workshared)
   
• Of note for building product manufacturers and those interested in DfMA: Inventor 2021 supports linking Revit files as part of custom fab workflows. Definitely worth a look. 

Now, let’s dig into the new features: 

Productivity and ease of use

Get Generative Design in Revit

Run generative design studies directly in Revit with the AEC Collection. Use sample studies or create your own with Dynamo. 

Electrical circuit naming

Electrical workflows in Revit 2021 are more adaptable to global requirements with flexible circuit naming schemes. 

Customized Revit workspace

Easily tailor your workspace to your work discipline and job role. 

Slanted walls

Intuitively create and edit slanted walls, and instantly handle slanted doors, windows, and other wall-hosted geometry.   

PDF and image linking

Link PDFs or image files into Revit from local or cloud storage. 

Row striping for schedules

Read schedules more easily with row striping on sheet views. 

Dynamo 2.5 integration

Dynamo Revit 2.5 comes out of the box with Revit 2021. 

New Dynamo Revit nodes

10 new Dynamo Revit nodes for improved task automation support the most commonly-requested conditions for geometry joining, pinning/unpinning, and hosting of Revit elements. 

Enable View Filters in view

Quickly apply or remove view filter graphic overrides from elements in a view. 

Rotate tags with components improvements

Control tag rotation behavior so that you can create more accurate and readable annotations. 

Voids cut family geometry type and instance parameters

Use parameters to better control void functionality in Revit families. 

Improvements to rebar detailing

Create new standard 3D rebar shapes

Structural engineers and detailers can now model standardized 3D rebar shapes, extract bending instructions, and produce shop drawings with full fabrication data for rebar. 

Couplers for arc-shaped rebar 

Model arc-shaped rebar at a higher level of detail for improved reinforcement models and documentation. 

End treatments without couplers for rebar

Get greater control over reinforcement end treatments with the ability to add an end treatment to any rebar without the need for a rebar coupler. 

Override hook lengths by instance

Easily specify the hook lengths for each rebar set in the project for better productivity and accuracy when modeling. 

Steel modeling enhancements

Steel object editing enhancements

Easily create and modify steel components and features for better flexibility and efficiency when detailing steel in Revit. 

Create stiffeners on beams and columns 

A new dedicated stiffener tool will help you efficiently add stiffeners and create more accurate steel design models. 

Insert steel elements in sections and elevation views

Work with steel components in any 2D and/or 3D view. 

Dimensions snapping to steel plates 

With more dimensioning options, you can efficiently create accurate, readable engineering documentation for structural steel. 

Electrical design enhancements

Single phase line-to-neutral panelboards

Revit now properly supports single phase panelboards. 

Switchboard circuit quantity 

Switchboard schedules now show the quantity of circuits rather than the quantity of poles so that you can more easily quantify circuits in your schedules. 

Switchboard circuit phase selection

Now you can choose the desired phase for circuits on switchboards.  

Panel schedule nodes listed under sheets in project browser

Electrical designers get faster, more consistent panel schedule navigation and access.  

More of the functionality you use comes out of the box with Revit

New pipe flow units

We’ve added popular pipe flow units such as liters per hour, to make mechanical designers’ lives easier.  

Integrated precast automation

Structural precast extension is now native to Revit with precast tools available on install. 

Integrated steel connections automation nodes in Dynamo for Revit

Dynamo nodes for placing steel connections now come out of the box with Revit. 

Integrated structural analysis results

Structural analysis results storage and exploration is now native to Revit on install enhancing the connection between design and analysis for structural engineers.

MEP fabrication extension integration 

The Revit Extension for MEP Fabrication is now fully integrated in Revit 2021. 

Collaboration and data exchange 

MEP worksharing

 Improved worksharing provides better collaboration among stakeholders and a more consistent experience.  

P&ID Modeler on BIM 360 Docs

P&ID Modeler for Revit is now hosted on BIM 360 Docs for cloud-based centralization of project information.  

Cloud model hosting in Europe

Host Revit cloud workshared and non-workshared models on European data centers. 

Improved BIM 360 Project Navigation in Revit Home

Locate and access cloud-hosted models more easily with better BIM 360 account and project navigation. 

Infrastructure discipline and bridge categories

Revit 2021 supports bridge and civil structures workflows with InfraWorks, including extended bridge categories for modeling and documentation. 

Revit to Inventor linking

Improved interoperability between Revit and Inventor provides better support for design-to-fabrication workflows. 

Visualization 

Real-time realistic views

Work directly in real time with better, easier, and faster realistic views. 

3D Solid fabric sheets visualization

Improve coordination and reduce clashes through better visualization of reinforcement.

 As you can see there is a lot shipping with Revit 2021. A few more things to note: 

• Building on the launch of Systems Analysis in Revit 2020.1, we have made a couple small fixes ‘under the hood.’ Look out for some valuable additions to Systems Analysis later this year in our 2021 point releases. 

• We must also note a few things that we are retiring with this release:  

• • Revit Model Review has been removed and is not available for Revit 2021. BIM Interoperability Tools will replace this and will be available to download via Autodesk Account or the Autodesk Desktop App. 
  • Site Designer for Revit has been removed and is not available for Revit 2021. We are making ongoing improvements to Revit’s connection to Civil 3D and InfraWorks to support site design workflows.  

Want more information?

Take a look at the comprehensive Revit 2021 release notes and learn more about what’s new.  

Watch the What’s New in Revit 2021 YouTube playlist

Have a question about Revit? See if it’s already out there or submit anew to the AKN.

Have an idea for making Revit better? Better put it up on Revit Ideas. With Revit 2021, we’re near 100 of your ideas added as new features. We’re grateful for your support. 

Start using Revit 2021  

If you subscribe to Revit, you or your Admin will receive an email to access Revit 2021 in your Autodesk Account  once your product(s) are available for download. 

Try Revit 2021 free for 30 days 

Get Revit in the AEC Collection for access to Generative Design in Revit and additional integrated workflows from design to construction.