Chapter 1

Exploring the User Interface

Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2014 is similar to the majority of the software produced by Autodesk in that it utilizes a ribbon interface. This allows for not just ease of access to the tools needed for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design and modeling, but also a familiarity between those different software packages, making the transition between them easier.

Although this book is titled Mastering Autodesk Revit MEP 2014, having a good knowledge of where tools are located and how to access the commands easily is the best way to efficiently use Revit MEP 2014, hence this chapter on the user interface. Improvements and changes have been made to the user interface for this version, through the addition of tools in contextual tabs and improved functionality.

If you are transitioning to Revit MEP 2014 from a release prior to Revit MEP 2010, the ribbon-style interface will be totally new to you. The ribbon works well in Revit because it allows many of the tools to be organized in one area of the interface, which gives you more screen real estate for viewing the model. Although the user interface is customizable, you are limited in the amount of customization and number of features that you can change. At first this may seem a bit restrictive but, like any software, with familiarity comes an increased proficiency.

Some features have been added to improve workflow and efficiency, and typical workflow features that were previously accessed through buttons in the interface are now available as part of the interface itself.

With the 2013 release came the availability of another version of Revit. This is Autodesk® Revit® and it combines all the features of Autodesk® Revit® Architecture, Autodesk® Revit® Structure, and Autodesk® Revit® MEP. This version is available to those who purchase the Building Design Suites packages released by Autodesk, and gives users the option to deploy/install either each separate version of Revit or the all-inclusive one, giving them all the available Revit tools in one box. Knowing your way around the Revit MEP 2014 user interface is the first step to reaping the benefits of utilizing a building information modeling (BIM) solution for your building projects.

In this chapter, you will learn to do the following:

• Navigate the ribbon interface
• Utilize user interface features
• Use settings and menus

The Ribbon

If you are familiar with the Revit MEP user interface prior to the 2010 version, transitioning to the ribbon-style interface may indeed take some getting used to. Once you understand the way that the ribbon is set up and how you can customize it to better suit your workflow, though, you will see that it is an optimal interface for a BIM and design application. If you are transitioning from an earlier ribbon interface, you will inevitably notice some changes to the location and order of the tabs and the introduction of additional tabs/commands.

Using Tabs

The ribbon portion of the user interface consists of several tabs, each organized by panels that relate to the topic of the tab. Each panel contains one or more buttons for the relevant features available in Revit MEP 2014. You can access a tab by simply clicking the name at the top of the ribbon. Although each tab is designed to provide a unique set of tools, some of the features of Revit are repeated on different tabs. Depending on your screen resolution, some of the buttons on the panels may become compressed to fit on your screen. The panels and tools for each tab are described here (not all panels are shown for each tab):

Figure 1-1 The Systems tab

Figure 1-2 The Architecture tab

Figure 1-3 The Insert tab

Figure 1-4 Import Line Weights dialog box

Figure 1-5 The Annotate tab

Figure 1-6 Text Type Properties dialog box

Figure 1-7 The Analyze tab

Some new tools on the Energy Analysis panel allow for choosing a mass model or the building components to establish an energy analysis model.

Figure 1-8 Building/Space Type Settings

Figure 1-9 The Massing & Site tab

Figure 1-10 Site Settings

Figure 1-11 The Collaborate tab

Figure 1-12 The View tab

Figure 1-13 Graphic Display Options

Figure 1-14 The Manage tab

Figure 1-15 The Modify tab

If you are running any external applications or macros, the Add-Ins tab appears on your ribbon as the next-to-last tab. The buttons or other features provided by the external application appear on the tab as configured. Some third-party applications create an additional tab on the ribbon.

The Modify button appears in the Select panel on every tab. This button allows you to exit from any active command, giving you an alternative to using the Esc key multiple times or selecting another tool. A new feature to this panel is the drop-down that contains options for selection in the drawing area. These options also appear as icons on the status bar. Figure 1-16 shows the various selection options available. Notice that you can now select elements by clicking anywhere on the element by using the Select Elements By Face option. However, this option does not work when a view is set to Wireframe.

Figure 1-16 New selection settings

You may need to experiment with combinations of these settings to achieve the results that suit your workflow. Note that if you deselect the Select Underlay Elements check box, you cannot select non-MEP components such as doors, walls, or windows that may exist in your model.

Using Contextual Tabs

In addition to the tabs provided by default on the ribbon, other tabs appear when you select objects in your project. These contextual tabs contain tools specific to modifying the selected object. Contextual tabs appear in the location of the Modify tab and are identified by their green color and a name that applies to the selected object. A contextual tab for a selected object is an extension of the Modify tab, which is why the base Modify tab is so compact compared to the other tabs. This allows for the selection-specific tools to appear on the right side of the Modify tab. The top of Figure 1-17 shows the contextual tab for an electrical distribution board selected in the model of a project. The standard tools on the Modify tab are available to the left, but are not shown in this figure for clarity.

Figure 1-17 Contextual tab for an electrical distribution board (top), and contextual tab for an electrical system (bottom)

When you select an object in the model that is part of a system, an additional contextual tab appears with tools for editing the system. These tabs are completely separate from the standard Modify tab and contain only tools for system editing. If you select an object on a system, the system tab appears along with the contextual Modify tab, as shown at the bottom of Figure 1-17. However, if you select an actual system, only the system tab appears. The panels and buttons on contextual tabs cannot be removed or rearranged on the ribbon. The buttons cannot be added to the Quick Access toolbar.

Using Family Editor Tabs

The tabs in the Family Editor environment differ from those in the Project File environment. When you open a family file, the tabs on the ribbon contain some familiar tools, but many of them are specific to the creation and modification of family components. The tabs available in the Family Editor environment are as follows:

Figure 1-18 The Family Editor—Create tab

Figure 1-19 The Family Editor—Insert tab

Figure 1-20 The Family Editor—Annotate tab

Figure 1-21 The Family Editor—View tab

Figure 1-22 The Family Editor—Manage tab

Figure 1-23 The Family Editor—Modify tab

Customizing the Ribbon

You can customize the ribbon interface to better suit your workflow. For example, you can rearrange the order of the tabs by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking a tab name to drag it to a new location.

You can move panels on a tab to different locations on the tab by clicking a panel name and dragging it to a new location. Figure 1-24 shows the Mechanical panel being dragged from its location on the Systems tab. The panels to the right slide over to fill in the space left by the moved panel.

Figure 1-24 Moving a tab panel

You cannot move a panel from one tab to another, however. If you attempt to drop a panel onto another tab, it returns to its original location on its original tab.

You can remove panels from a tab and place them in another location on your screen. You can dock floating panels together by dragging one panel over the other, and you can move the docked panels as a group by clicking and dragging the gray grip that appears when you hover your mouse pointer over a floating panel. If you use dual monitors, you can even drag a panel to the second monitor. The panel’s new position is maintained when you restart the software, but the panel does not appear until a file is opened. Keep in mind that moving tools to another screen may actually hinder your workflow, your efficiency, and possibly the stability of the program itself.

Back to Normal

You can return a floating panel to its default location by clicking the small button in the upper-right corner of the panel.

If you want to return the entire ribbon interface to its default settings, you can do so by browsing to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit 2014, and deleting the UIState.dat file, and then reopening the application. Deleting this file also removes any customization done to the Quick Access toolbar.

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You can control the visibility of the ribbon tabs by clicking the small button to the right of the tabs. This button cycles through the different display options. You can also click the small arrow next to the button to display and select a specific option, as shown in Figure 1-25.

Figure 1-25 Ribbon visibility

You can establish the switching behavior of the tabs on the ribbon to determine which tab is displayed when you exit a tool or command. When you click a tool, the contextual Modify tab for that tool appears. The interface stays on the Modify tab when you exit the tool, or you can set it to return to the previous tab. These settings are located on the User Interface tab of the Options dialog box, which is discussed later in this chapter.

Quick Access Toolbar

Figure 1-26