You will often find yourself in a situation where you use data from another CAD program in your Revit project. The best way to do this is to use the Link CAD function because it allows you to directly link to the corresponding file and download the data contained in it. In addition, you will be able to automatically update all changes, which can also save you a lot of time.

To show you what this all looks like in practice, I’ll first go to the Insert section and look for the icon called Link CAD. If I click on it, a new box will appear on the screen, so it will not be difficult for me to select the file I want to link to. On this occasion, I will opt for the base that comes from AutoCAD and just click once on the corresponding item for now. At that point, a simplified view of this drawing will appear in the upper right corner, and since it confirms that I’ve selected the right file, I can go ahead and check how the options at the bottom of the box are set.

If you want to change the colors used in the original drawing, you can do so with the help of the Colors function. I like to use the Invert option in these situations because it allows me to automatically adjust all colors when switching from a dark AutoCAD background so that drawing elements remain easily visible even on the light surface used in Revit.

The Layer function allows you to insert into the project only those elements that are on the appropriate layers. Since this is a very simple drawing, I won’t mind downloading all the elements in it, so I will stick to the currently selected option – All.

If it turns out that a different measurement system was used when creating the drawing that you want to insert into your project, you can solve this problem by using the Import Units function. For me, these parameters match, but if you are not completely sure, it would be best to activate the Auto-Detect option and leave the possible conversion to the program itself. If it turns out that this method did not bring the desired results, you can always cancel the entire operation and try some other parameters.

With small drawings, you can freely use the function located at the very bottom of the frame and thus correct possible errors, align the lines that slightly deviate from the basic directions. On the other hand, if you are dealing with a large amount of data or if the drawing you want to attach contains a terrain representation with many irregular lines, then applying this option can create additional problems for you, so it is better to leave it turned off.

For correct positioning of the new drawing, you can use the function located on the right side of the frame. I will opt for the option that allows me to overlay the starting points (Origin to Origin) and subsequently correct any defects.

Before I close this box with OK, I would like to draw your attention to the option on the left – Current view only. It is currently included because the drawing I intend to insert does not contain a 3D model but a simple plan. If you have data that represents a complete 3D model, then it is necessary to enable the automatic creation of appropriate attachments (Views) by turning off this option. I’m going to go back to the initial state, because I would like to place this plan on the attachment that represents the first level (Level 1). In this way, I will avoid creating new views and by selecting the OK button, the new content will finally be placed in its place. As you can see for yourself, the position of the new element coincides with the directions that define the main axes, which means that the bottom left corner of the plan is very close to the coordinate origin. If for any reason it does not suit you, there is a possibility to move the entire object to a new location, but before that you have to select it. In principle, only one click of the mouse is sufficient for this, but if, despite the effort invested, a characteristic frame does not appear on the screen, it would be best to check how the options used for the selection of elements are set. You can display them by clicking on the Select item, which is normally located in the upper left corner of the screen, and at this moment it is most important that the Select links and Select pinned elements options are turned on. If any of them are not active, Revit will not allow you to select the element you just inserted into your project. For example, I will turn off the Select links option, and since this plan represents an element that is connected to the main project, it will no longer be available to me. The same applies to the Select pinned elements option, because it enables the selection of the so-called “fixed” elements. This plan falls into that category, as confirmed by the pin-shaped symbol that appears after selection. As long as it is present, this object cannot be moved, but if I turn off this restriction with one click, I will be able to move it to a new location. However, I will undo this change and return all parameters to their previous state because I would not want to accidentally disturb the position of the existing elements.

Before I go any further, I will zoom in on the entire plan with the help of a wheel, because at this scale it will be much easier for me to reconstruct the entire object – this time with elements that come from Revit.

Unfortunately, there is currently no way to directly convert an AutoCAD file into a format that is usable in Revit, so it is best to do this task manually. To that end, I’m going to go to the Architecture section first because it has a feature that allows me to add new walls. If I then select the Generic 300mm option from the palette, I will be able to determine the position of the new element. It will not be difficult for me, because the program easily recognizes the existing geometry and automatically determines the position of characteristic points. This applies even to larger elements like the facade wall, so it is enough to place the cursor between these two lines and automatically determine the position of the core. After that, I just need to press the left mouse button and determine the length of the new wall with one stroke. I will immediately add one horizontal segment because it has the same width.

Before moving on to the next element, I’ll just press the Esc key once and immediately select from the palette the option that represents the 79mm wide wall. After that, it won’t be difficult for me to add a few more new elements over the existing lines, while to move to a new segment it is enough to press the Esc key once. You must have noticed that I deliberately avoided the points located at the ends and that I added relatively short segments. There is a very specific reason for this, because in critical places such as joints, there may be an error in the selection of the characteristic point.

On the other hand, the walls I just constructed can be connected very easily using the Trim/Extend Multiple Elements function. In order to prove it to you, I will run the aforementioned command from the Modify section, where the program expects me to select the boundary element first. That role can be taken by the facade wall on the left, so I will click on it and then select the elements that I want to extend in the same way. As you can see, the program will automatically connect all the selected walls, which means that the task has been successfully completed. To move to the next group, it is enough to click on the free area of the screen and then select a new border. This time it will be the wall that separates the room and the bathroom, because I would like to complete this part of the building in one go. Since the element that represents the border is still current, I can click on this part of the wall and extend it to the opposite end of the room. To set new parameters, it is enough to click on an empty area of the screen, and I will use this opportunity to connect a few more segments. To that end, I will select this horizontal segment as a boundary and then with two clicks extend the walls that separate the bathroom and the wardrobe. Since the border element can also be used for shortening, I will take the opportunity to remove the segment that I no longer need in one go. In doing so, I have to take care of the selection and click on the part of the wall that I want to keep.

In the continuation of the lesson, I would like to show you how to add a door, but before that it is necessary to completely terminate the currently active function by pressing the Esc key twice. After that, I can go to the Architecture section and select the appropriate door type from the palette. You must have noticed that all the walls I drew are continuous elements, which in this case is not a problem because Revit will automatically divide them into independent segments when adding new elements. I could complete the entire facility this way, but it’s better to leave it to you because new skills are best established through practice.

Instead, I’m going to disable the Doors function first and use the wheel to display the entire plan. As you can see, in addition to the elements I have just drawn, the complete content of the AutoCAD file is also on the screen. On the other hand, if I select the Default 3D View icon and switch to the 3D view, I will be able to view my project from any direction, but there will no longer be any elements downloaded from AutoCAD. They can only be seen in the view that was active at the time of connection, which in this case is Level1.

Before I finish this lesson, I’d like to show you how you can track changes that happen to linked files. To that end, I’ll first go to the Insert section and look for a function called Manage Links. As soon as I click on the icon of the same name, a new box will appear on the screen, so it will not be difficult for me to go to the section called CAD Formats and display all the related files. There is currently only one file in this list, so I can click on it to activate the options at the bottom of the box. They allow me to refresh its view with one move (Reload), to temporarily or permanently remove it from the project (Unload and Remove) and much more. Assuming that the plan I used as a base has undergone some changes in the meantime, they will automatically be downloaded as soon as I click the Reload button. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to modify the example I used, so instead I’ll activate the Reload From function and simply replace the associated files. After that, it will not be difficult for me to select the file containing the new version of the plan from the list and complete the entire process with a few clicks. As you can see for yourself, in the modified version, the facade wall has been moved a little to the left, so the position of the elements that I subsequently drew no longer matches the plan. Of course, this requires my intervention, so I will first select the appropriate elements and then use the Move function to move them to a new location.