In this lesson I’ll show you how you can create a new project using some of the existing templates. These are already included in the basic installation of Revit, but many companies also use templates that are specifically tailored to their needs.

Although the function for creating a new project is located within the File menu, I will use the shortcut of the same name that is already displayed on the screen. After that, I will be able to select one of the available templates from this list, although I could have achieved the same effect by directly selecting the corresponding item from the Project section. I have prepared several additional templates for the purposes of this course, primarily to avoid the use of the Anglo-Saxon measurement system, so for this purpose I will first click on the Browse button and then instead of the folder named US Imperial, select the one in which the customized templates are located metric system (US Metric). After that, it will not be difficult for me to choose from the list the one that contains the default parameters (Default Metric) and complete this procedure with a few more clicks.

If you don’t have this choice on your computer, feel free to use any of the offered templates and try to adapt it to your needs. The template I chose contains very few predefined elements, and this can be seen quite nicely in the Project Browser. As you can see, it includes only two planes and a few facades while all other sections are completely empty. If I select one of the items representing the facades from this list, only level markers will appear on the screen, which means that this project is really completely empty. There are also templates that contain a larger number of elements, and in order to prove it to you, I will start the function for starting a new project from the File menu and select the Browse button to go to the template selection. If I then switch to the metric-adjusted templates folder, it won’t be difficult for me to click on the item called Construction-DefaultMetric and complete this process in a couple of clicks. At this moment, there is a completely new project on the screen, and this is confirmed by its name (Project2). Although everything looks the same at first glance, this template contains significantly more data, as confirmed by the options available to me through the Project Browser. If I now select a facade from this list, significantly more elements will appear on the screen, and each of them represents a separate level.

Apart from the details related to the graphic elements and the construction itself, this template includes a very elaborate system for their specification. To show you how it works in practice, I’m going to go back to Level1 and draw a completely new element. To that end, I can run the function for adding walls and with a few strokes determine the position of the first segment. If I cancel this function by pressing the Esc key, it will not be difficult for me to turn the wheel to enlarge this element a little and immediately move on to adding new details. To that end, I’ll run the function that serves to create a door and simply click on this wall. If I repeat this process a few more times, a number of new elements will appear on the screen, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve. If you want to repeat this procedure yourself, keep in mind that it is not possible to place the door on an empty space, but it must be attached to one of the existing elements, such as this wall.

Since I now have a sufficient number of elements at my disposal, I will click on one door and thereby display its basic parameters. As you can see, the label of this element is M_Single-Flush and the dimensions are 915x2134mm. If I now scroll down to the specifications section and double click on the Door Quantities item, a table will appear on the screen containing data on all existing doors. As you can see, there are currently three such elements on the drawing, and there is also data representing their type and dimension. If I go back to the drawing showing the plan and click on one of the doors, I will be able to resize it. To that end, it is enough to select the appropriate value from this list, and it will automatically be reflected in the drawing itself. This change will also be registered on the specification, and to prove it to you, I will click again on the Door Quantities item. As you can see, there are now two rows in this table, because different doors appear in the drawing as well. From all this, it follows that this template is suitable for use in projects that, in addition to graphic attachments, should also contain a complete specification of built-in elements.

In the continuation of the lesson, I would like to show you another characteristic template, so I will restart the New, Project function from the File menu and by clicking on the Browse button, I will immediately go to the selection of the appropriate file. This time I will not change the default folder, because it contains the template I need – Commercial Default. It differs from other examples in that, in addition to the usual elements such as plans and facades, it also contains predefined sheets. They are of course in the section of the same name, and if I scroll down a bit, you will be able to see what the complete list looks like. To show you what it’s really about, I’ll first zoom in on one of the elements currently displayed on the screen. It is a symbol that contains two numerical data, and the same applies to the element on the opposite side. They are actually A4 and A5 sheet labels, so I’ll go back to the Project Browser and look for the items of the same name. Based on the available data, it can be concluded that each of these sheets is intended to receive two facades, and if I click on the appropriate option, all predefined elements will appear on the screen. As you can see, there is enough free space on the sheet for new elements, so I’ll take the opportunity to define a simple object.

To that end, by selecting the item Level1, I will return to the view that represents the plan of the ground floor and adjust its scale to current needs. In order for the display of future objects to fit into the space on the sheets, its dimensions should not exceed these limits. I’ll start with the function to create walls and immediately combine it with the option to draw rectangles. If after that I define its position with two moves of the mouse, four new elements will appear on the screen, so I can terminate this function by selecting the Modify button and immediately proceed to adding the door. I will place them on the wall that is on the lower side, and that will be enough to make a difference between these two facades. If I now go back to the Project Browser and look for the sheet labeled A4, you’ll see that it shows all the elements I drew a while ago. In the upper part of the drawing, there is no doubt the front facade because the door is drawn on it, while in the lower part the entire building is shown from the opposite side.

I hope by now you understand how important the right template selection is to effectively start a new project. For this very reason, it would not be a bad idea to set aside some time and define a few templates in advance and thus include all the elements that are typical for the work you do.