Digital Environment | Revit8330 · University of CanberraRevit Studio
Semester 2, 2026
07
Week 7 · Class: 1h lecture + 2h tutorials

Your first building

Units, grids, levels and building elements

10 review questions ↓

Start a Revit project, set up grids and levels, and add walls, doors and windows.

Learning goals

  • Explain BIM and Revit’s role in it.
  • Set up project units, grids and levels.
  • Check walls and openings in plan and 3D.
Lecture / 28:02

Week 7 · BIM & parametric design

Select a chapter to jump to a topic.

In this video 10 chapters

  1. Lecture introduction
  2. Design and computational thinking
  3. Object-oriented modelling
  4. Parametric geometry and constraints
  5. Smart objects and their information
  6. Revit and BIM: the distinction
  7. The Revit interface
  8. Model, datum and view-specific elements
  9. Category, family, type and instance
  10. Lecture recap
Tutorial / 41:06

Week 7 · Basic Building · Part 1

Select a chapter to jump to a topic.

In this video 16 chapters

  1. Overview
  2. Tutorial introduction
  3. Create a project from the metric template
  4. Check project units
  5. Create and space the horizontal grids
  6. Create and label the vertical grids
  7. Add levels and their plan views
  8. Tile the plan and 3D views
  9. Place exterior walls and change their height
  10. Load and place the exterior door
  11. Load and place windows
  12. Revise window types and remove a duplicate
  13. Inspect the interior with a Section Box
  14. Place interior partitions
  15. Place and orient interior doors
  16. Review and next steps
Three-dimensional view of the basic building used in the tutorials
Your first building — reference model
Your model

Practice

Build the first-level layout. Check grid spacing, wall heights and door swings.

Week 7 review

Check your understanding

Answer first, then open the suggested answer.

10
QUESTIONS
01How is BIM different from Revit?
Suggested answer

BIM is a process for creating and managing building information. Revit is software used within that process.

Review in video · 14:00
02What makes a modelled wall different from a drawn line?
Suggested answer

A modelled wall has geometry, properties and relationships, such as its material and level constraints.

Review in video · 09:32
03How do category, family, type and instance relate?
Suggested answer

Category is the broad group, such as Columns. A family defines a kind of column; a type defines a size or configuration. An instance is one column placed in the model.

Review in video · 24:38
04Why start with a project template?
Suggested answer

It provides prepared views and settings. Check that its units suit the exercise.

Review in video · 02:45
05How do you enter one metre when project length units are millimetres?
Suggested answer

Enter 1000. Check Project Units before entering dimensions.

Review in video · 06:51
06What do grids and levels control?
Suggested answer

Grids provide horizontal reference positions; levels provide vertical reference heights.

Review in video · 07:45
07Which grid moves when you edit a temporary dimension?
Suggested answer

The selected grid moves. Select the grid you want to reposition before changing the dimension.

Review in video · 07:45
08Why might a wall-height change be invisible in plan?
Suggested answer

The plan may still cut through the same part of the wall. Check its Top Constraint and inspect it in 3D or elevation.

Review in video · 19:37
09When do you need to load a door or window family?
Suggested answer

When the required family is not already in the project. Choose a suitable type and place it in a wall.

Review in video · 23:17
10What does Make Plan View do when you add a level?
Suggested answer

It creates a plan view for the new level. If it is unchecked, the level still exists; you can create its plan view later.

Review in video · 15:02