Revit Design Adventures: Detailing in Revit (15)

Back in 2006 I wrote a post on the subject of detailing in Revit and surprisingly most of it still holds true. Let's apply the methodology to the detail that we produced for this project.

There are some who claim Revit doesn't do detailing well. They are wrong in two areas:
1. Revit doesn't 'do' details, a person does. It seems obvious enough but just because you have the ability to cut sections through components doesn't mean that section will know the specific conditions that you need to communicate...
2. Revit does have a robust set of detailing tools that enable you to draw excellent details.

You need to ask the following question before you start detailing:
1. Should I model this in 3D, 2D or both?
These questions help you answer this:
a. Will this condition be visible from any other views?
b. Is this a generic detail that is used over different projects, or is it specific to this one only?
c. How far are we into the design, will this part of the building change drastically?
A good example is a door section.
Will you see the structural lintel and flashing from other views? No, draw it in 2D on top of the section/callout view.
What about the connection to the wall, insulation, frame extrusion shapes etc? Again, no. Draw it in 2D over top of the section/callout view.
Will I see the masonry lintel from another view? Yes. Model the lintel in the door family in 3D so it shows correctly in sections and elevations.
In the image above I have highlighted where I have used 2D detailing tools like 'Detail Components' or 'Filled Regions'.
If the door manufacturer has sent their own pre-engineered detail in AutoCAD just link (always link if possible) that file into a Drafting View and link it to a callout. Why 'reinvent the wheel'?!
I'm getting less and less comfortable with either linking or importing CAD. If time permits it's better to import the CAD into a blank Revit file, explode it, clean it, purge and then import that drafting view into your model.
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