Interscale Content Hub – Levels affect everything from wall heights and floor plans to section views and schedules. But, do you know how to add levels in Revit?
Getting your levels right is fundamental to getting an accurate design, coordinating with others, and putting together a proper document.
If you know how to work with levels effectively, you’ll make your workflow more efficient, avoid mistakes, and make sure your design ideas are accurately reflected in the model.
So, why do we take too long? Right, let’s get started.
What are Levels?
In Revit, levels represent specific heights within a building model. They’re like horizontal reference planes, which are an essential part of the design.
These planes are the basis for elements like floors, ceilings, roofs, and structural components.
The exact definition of levels is crucial for making sure every vertical measurement in the model is spot on and in line with the design and construction plans.
This is particularly important in Australia, where the construction industry has high building accuracy and safety standards.
Levels help organise the model in space and make it easier to create different views, including plan and section views.
If you manage levels accurately, you can easily make changes to the design and still keep the whole project nice and coherent.
According to Autodesk, levels are key for setting up a project’s spatial framework in line with industry standards and best practices.
Types of Levels
Revit has two main types of levels. The first type is the Story Levels, which are just called “Level” for short.
These levels are used to define the main floor heights in a building. For example, the ground floor, first floor and any subsequent floors are usually marked as story levels.
These levels are fundamental to creating floor plans and reflected ceiling plans, which are essential for both design and construction documentation.
Story levels make sure all the vertical measurements match up with the actual construction of each floor.
Then there are the References Levels, or ‘Ref Levels’ as we sometimes call them.
Reference levels are used to mark specific heights that don’t correspond to an entire floor, but are still important to know.
Examples include things like parapet heights, sill levels, or any other significant vertical datum within the building.
Reference levels are great for aligning elements that need to be at a specific vertical position, but don’t require a full plan view.
Using both story and reference levels lets you model vertical spaces in Revit in a way you can adapt to different situations.
This two-level system makes sure you don’t miss out on any of the vertical dimensions, without making the model too cluttered with floor plans.
You might also find it helpful to read “How to Render in Revit? Or Rendering Feeling Blue? Time for a Makeover!“
How to Add Levels in Revit: Step-by-Step Guide
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add levels in Revit, with some extra tips for Australian users.
Open an Elevation or Section View
If you want to add levels, just start by opening either an elevation or section view.
These views show your model from a bird’s eye view, which makes it easier to place and align levels accurately.
Elevation views are great for seeing the full height of the building, while section views let you zoom in on specific vertical slices of the model.
Select the Level Tool
Just head to the “Architecture” tab on the ribbon. In the “Datum” panel, just choose the “Level” tool.
You can also use the shortcut LL to get to it quickly.
This tool is great for adding levels to your project and making sure they’re placed and aligned with existing elements.
You can also watch this video for more keyboard shortcut references.
Place the Level
Just click in the drawing area to set the starting point for the level. Use your cursor to draw the level line, then click again to set the endpoint.
This is how we define the horizontal plane of the level. It’s a good idea to make sure the level lines are straight and in line with what you’re trying to achieve with your design.
Adjust Level Properties
After placing the level, you can adjust its properties:
Name and Elevation
Just click on the name of the level you want to rename, or on the elevation value to change the height.
Naming levels correctly helps you to organise and navigate through the project browser.
Making sure the elevation is right means the levels will match the design heights you want.
Plan View Creation
By default, Revit automatically creates the floor plan and reflected ceiling plan for each new level.
If you want to change this, just use the “Make Plan View” option in the Options Bar.
This flexibility lets you manage the views you create for each level, which helps keep the project browser tidy.
Align and Lock Levels
When you’re creating multiple levels, it’s a good idea to align them using Revit’s snap and guide features.
This makes sure that the levels are all the same across different parts of the model.
Once you’ve aligned everything, you’ll see a lock icon. This means that if you move one level, all the others will move together.
If you want to get more detailed comparisons or references, you can also have a look at the tutorials on adding levels and creating a project from Autodesk.
Modifying Levels
Change Level Position
If you want to move a level, just select the level line and drag it to a different spot.
Or, if you prefer, you can change the elevation directly in the properties palette. This makes it simple to make changes as the design develops.
Rename Levels and Views
Renaming a level will also prompt you to rename the associated views, which is a great way to keep your project browser organised.
This step makes sure that all references to the level are the same, which helps to avoid confusion during the project lifecycle.
Propagate Extents
Just use the Propagate Extents tool to make sure any changes you make in one view are reflected across all the others.
This tool is great for keeping things consistent, especially in big projects where you’re using lots of different views.
Propagate Extents makes sure your levels are all on the same page. It helps you keep everything aligned and accurate across all views.
You might also find it useful to take a look at “How to Update Revit Without a Headache? Let’s Fast Forward to 2024!“
What is the Revit Management Support System?
As you can see, getting to grips with the ins and outs of BIM can be tricky, especially when you’re dealing with projects of different sizes and levels of complexity.
So, as an Autodesk Gold Partner in the Australian AEC industry, our goal is to make sure you can get the most out of Revit. How do we do that?
We can help you get Revit up and running smoothly with comprehensive support, including setup, training, and ongoing assistance.
Our experts work closely with you to find and implement the best solutions so you get the best value from your investment in Revit.
Yes, it’s fair to say we’ve got a lot to offer. It’s totally understandable if you find it a little confusing.
We’d really appreciate it if you could take a look at what we do for our clients and see for yourself.
Feel free to take a look at our Interscale BIM Management Support Service page.
Or, just drop us a line today to arrange a meeting with our team. We’re here for you 24/7, to help you figure out what you need and to tackle those tech challenges together.
In Closing
Once you’ve got to grips with the techniques, you’ll be able to build the foundation of your building models with confidence.
And consider how working with experts like Interscale can give you extra support and tools.
That way, it’s more about how to add levels in Revit. It’s mainly about making sure you’re working on a precise, efficient, and smooth plan.
