Vertical Grids (5:58 min)

Exercise 1–Add Grids

You can add Grids and Reference Planes in plan view. To edit your levels, work in an elevation or section view. We will start here with some grids.

Catch-up file completed to this point: 03_Medical Center_Grids_A.rvt

Add Vertical Grids

Make sure the Level 1 floor plan view is open onscreen. If you are not seeing all four elevation symbols, type: zf to zoom the screen to fit. You can also double-click the wheel on your mouse or right-click and choose: Zoom to Fit instead.

  1. On the Architecture tab, on the Datum panel, click the Grid tool.
  2. For the start point of the Grid, click near the lower-left corner of the view (inside the elevation markers).
  3. Pull the mouse straight up vertically and click again near the upper-left (again inside the elevations) (see Figure 3–1).

Figure 3–1 Add the first grid from bottom of the screen to top

We are going to place several grids. You can continue to place them by clicking points like we did for the first one, but there are other methods as well.

  1. Cancel the command. You do this by clicking the Modify tool on the ribbon or press esc twice (see Figure 3–2).

Figure 3–2 Use the Modify tool to cancel or reset (or press esc twice)

  1. Click on the grid line to select it onscreen.
  2. On the Modify | Grids ribbon tab, on the Modify panel, click the Copy tool.
  3. On the Options Bar (running horizontally across the screen beneath the ribbon) check the Multiple checkbox (see Figure 3–3).

Figure 3–3 Copy with the multiple option

  1. Click onscreen anywhere on the existing grid to set the copy start point. Begin moving horizontally to the right. When the dimension onscreen reads 15'-6" click again (see Figure 3–4).

If the temporary dimensions are not snapping to 6" increments, zoom in slightly.

Figure 3–4 Move to the right and use the temporary dimension to place the copy precisely

Alternatively, you can begin moving in the direction you wish to copy and then type in the distance you want instead. The default template we used automatically snaps to 6" increments, so if your distance is a multiple of 6" the onscreen method can work well, but in cases where the amount is not an even multiple, typing it in can be a better option.

Since we did multiple copy, the command is still active and waiting for your next point. Let’s type it this time.

  1. Start moving to the right again and then simply type in: 13'-3". Press enter to finish (see Figure 3–5).

Figure 3–5 Type in the copy distance as an alternative

If you are new to Revit, here are a few ways you can input Imperial units:

13'3   13'3"  13'-3" 13.25 all yield the same result. You can also type: 13 3, that is 13 spacebar 3. Note that if you type only 13 (no units), Revit will assume it is feet, not inches. So, if you want only inches, use the inch symbol or add 0 space in front of the number. For example, to get 6", you can type: 6", 0 6(zero space six) or .5. There is no right or wrong way to do it. In these instructions, dimensions will be written out longhand for clarity, but feel free to input them using one of the shorter methods.

  1. Keep moving to the right and this time type: 4'-5".
  2. Continue this process copying grids at: 1'-4", 9'-8", 18'-0", 25'-0", 25'-0" and 26'-8". Press enter to finish copying (see Figure 3–6).

Make sure you keep moving the mouse to the right and keep it horizontal or the copied grids will not line up.

  1. Click the Modify tool or press esc twice to finish.

Figure 3–6 Copy several grids—Dimensions added in the figure for clarity

Catch-up file completed to this point: 03_Medical Center_Grids_B.rvt