Adding Layers to the Compound Wall

If you're an AutoCAD veteran, the term layer takes on a different meaning. In Revit, the term layer, as it pertains to a wall assembly, represents a material layer that is assigned an actual thickness as well as its own material.

As you can see in Figure 15.3, Revit understands the difference between interior and exterior. For the following procedure, you'll add materials to both the exterior and interior portions of the wall. Follow these steps:

1. In the Layers area, click the number 1, as shown in Figure 15.3.

   

2. Click the Insert button. Revit creates a new layer above the one you select. The new layer is always set to Function: Structure [1], Material: <By Category>, and Thickness: 0.
3. Change Function to Finish 1 [4].
4. Click into the Material cell and click the […] button.
5. Select Gypsum Wall Board.
6. Click OK in the Material Browser.
7. Change Thickness to 5/8″ (13 mm).
8. Click row 4 (Layers Below Wrap).
9. Click the Insert button.
10. Click the Down button, as shown in Figure 15.4. It's located below the Layers area all the way to the right. Your new layer becomes 5.
11. Change Function to Finish 1 [4].
12. Click into the Material cell and click the […] button.
13. Find and select Gypsum Wall Board.
14. Click OK in the Material Browser.
15. Change Thickness to 5/8″ (13 mm). Your Layers field should resemble Figure 15.4.

Now that the wall is wrapped with one layer of 5/8″ (13 mm) gypsum on each side, let's start placing the veneered plywood layers on the exterior of the wall.

In the next procedure, you'll add a 3/4″ (19 mm) plywood layer to the exterior of the wall. Follow along:

1. Click 1 Finish 1 [4] (the top layer).
2. Click Insert.
3. Change Function to Finish 2 [5].
4. Change Material to Mahogany (it's the mahogany material that has Plywood for the cut pattern). Click OK.
5. Change the Thickness to 3/4″ (19 mm). Your wall's layers should resemble Figure 15.5.
6. At the bottom of the dialog, click the OK button.
7. Click Apply.

Next, let's go back in and split the wall materials in two. It would be nice if you could have cherry at the top and mahogany at the bottom. Revit gives you the ability to do this.

Modifying a Wall's Profile in Place

Although we touched on modifying a wall profile back in Chapter 2, “Creating a Model,” in this section we'll take this technique to the next level. You can make a wall conform to any odd geometric shape you wish if you follow a few simple rules and procedures.

Let's edit the profile of the new walls to conform to the profile of the stairs. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Level 1.
2. On the View tab, click the Elevation button.
3. Place an interior elevation, as shown in Figure 15.17.
4. Open the elevation.
5. Select the wall, as shown in Figure 15.18.
6. On the Mode tab, click Edit Profile (see Figure 15.18).

   

7. In the Draw panel, click the Pick Lines icon.
8. Pick the underside of the stairs. Follow the profile exactly.
9. Delete the existing top magenta line and the existing left magenta line by selecting them and pressing the Delete key. All you should have left is the profile shown in Figure 15.19.
10. Use the Trim/Extend Single Element command to clean up all the corners. Revit won't allow you to continue if you don't. See Figure 5.19.

    

11. Click Finish Edit Mode. Your wall is trimmed to the underside of the stairs. See Figure 15.20.

    

12. Repeat the procedure for each wall under the stairs. Remember to add elevations for each. Your finished walls should look like Figure 15.21.

Now that you can create a compound wall and modify it to fit in an odd place, it's time to learn how to add some sweeps manually.

Manually Adding Host Sweeps

The problem with the wall scenario that you created in the previous procedure is that you have only horizontal wall sweeps. Suppose you need some vertical wall sweeps? This is where host sweeps come into play.

A host sweep is exactly like the sweeps you just added to the wall's properties, but by adding a host sweep, you can add sweeps manually. Next, you'll configure and add a host sweep to the model:

1. Go to the elevation shown in Figure 15.22 (the first one you placed, looking at the stairs).
2. On the Architecture tab, click the down arrow on the Wall button, and select Wall Sweep (see Figure 15.22).

   

3. In the Properties dialog, click Edit Type.
4. Click Duplicate.
5. Call the new sweep Chair Rail Sweep. Click OK.
6. For the profile, choose Casing Profile‐2: 5 1/2″ × 13/16″ (140 mm × 21 mm) from the list.
7. For Material, choose Mahogany Solid. See Figure 15.23.

   

8. Click OK.
9. On the Modify | Place Wall Sweep tab, click Vertical in the Placement panel (see Figure 15.24).
10. Make sure your Chair Rail Sweep is current in the Type Selector menu.
11. Pick the place shown in Figure 15.24.

    

12. Click the Restart Sweep button (next to the Vertical button in the Placement panel).
13. After the trim is placed, press Esc (See Figure 15.25 for the proper placement of the vertical trim).

    

14. Select the vertical trim. Notice the grips on the top and the bottom. Pick the bottom grip and drag it up to meet the top chair rail, as shown in Figure 15.26.
15. Add another sweep about 3′ (900 mm) to the left of the first sweep.
16. When the sweep is in, select it. A temporary dimension appears. Change the dimension to 3′–0″ (900 mm).
17. Drag the bottom up.
18. Repeat the procedure so that your elevation looks like Figure 15.27.
19. Add vertical rails at around 3′–0″ (900 mm) to the other walls as well. Your walls should look like Figure 15.28.

You can now make modifications to a simple wall in any direction. You have experience adding sweeps to the wall's composition, and you can add sweeps freehand when you need to.

One other type of wall that we should cover before we get to curtain walls is a stacked wall. When you need a compound wall, the outside face must always be in alignment. When you run into this situation, you have to construct an entirely new wall.

Adding a Predefined Curtain Wall

The quickest way to model a curtain wall is to use one that has already been created for you. The out‐of‐the‐box curtain walls that are provided with Revit have enough instance and type parameters available to make the curtain wall conform to your needs for each situation.

In the next procedure, you'll add a predefined curtain‐wall system to the radial east entry wall. Follow these steps:

1. In the Project Browser, open the Level 1 East plan view.
2. Zoom in on the east entry.
3. On the Architecture tab, click the Wall button.
4. In the Type Selector, select Curtain Wall: Storefront.
5. Click Edit Type.
6. Click Duplicate.
7. Call the new curtain wall East Entry and click OK.
8. You can configure many parameters. Verify that Automatically Embed is selected. For Vertical Grid Pattern, change Spacing to 4′–0″ (1200 mm).
9. Select Adjust For Mullion Size.
10. For Horizontal Grid Pattern, change Layout to Maximum Spacing, and change the spacing to 4′–0″ (1200 mm).
11. Click OK.
12. In the Instance Properties dialog, change Base Offset to 3′–7″ (1075 mm).
13. Set Top Constraint to Up To Level: Roof.
14. Set Top Offset to ‐1′–0″ (that's minus 1′–0″) (‐300 mm). See Figure 15.32.

    

15. In the Draw panel, click the Pick Lines icon.
16. Pick the radial entry wall, as shown in Figure 15.33. Make sure you're picking the wall centerline.
17. Go to a 3D view. Your curtain wall should resemble Figure 15.34.

The ability to create an automatic curtain wall such as the radial one in the west entryway is quite an advantage when it comes to modeling a curtain system quickly. However, you won't always be presented with a perfectly square, vertical shape. This is where creating a blank curtain wall comes in handy. You can then add grids and mullions at spaces that are at odd intervals.

Adding a Blank Curtain Wall

A blank curtain wall is nothing but a giant chunk of glass. By adding a blank curtain wall, you tell Revit, “Don't bother spacing the panels—I'll do it myself.”

Let's create a blank curtain wall and add it to the model. You'll then go to an elevation and edit the profile of the panel. Follow along:

1. In the Project Browser, open the Level 1 West view.
2. In the Work Plane panel of the Architecture tab, click Ref Plane, and then click Pick Lines in the Draw panel.
3. Offset a reference plane 2′–0″ (600 mm) from the face of brick, as shown in Figure 15.35.
4. On the Architecture tab, click the Wall button.

   

5. In the Type Selector, pick Curtain Wall: Curtain Wall 1 from the list.
6. Click Edit Type.
7. Click Duplicate.
8. Call the new curtain system South West Entry and click OK.
9. Select the Automatically Embed check box.
10. Click OK.
11. For Base Offset, change the value to 0′–0″.
12. For Top Constraint, set the value to Up To Level: Level 5.
13. For Top Offset, change the value to 0′–0″.
14. Draw the wall at the centerline of the wall between each reference plane, as shown in Figure 15.36. Note that if you draw from right to left, the exterior face of the new wall will be to the inside.

    

15. In the Project Browser, open South Entry Elevation.
16. In the South Entry Elevation, change Visual Style to Shaded (so that you can see the glass wall better).

Now that you have drawn the wall and are looking at the elevation, you can begin to alter the profile and add some curtain grids of your own. To edit the curtain profile, follow these steps:

1. Select the curtain wall.
2. On the Modify | Walls tab, click Edit Profile.
3. In the Draw panel, click Pick Lines.
4. Using the Options bar, offset the roof down 2′–0″ (600 mm), and trim the edges of the curtain wall to the offset line.
5. Delete the horizontal magenta line that is now floating.
6. Click Finish Edit Mode. Your curtain wall's profile should resemble Figure 15.37.

With the shape of the curtain wall finished, let's create some divisions along the vertical and horizontal plane of the wall. In Revit, these are called curtain grids.

Creating Curtain Grids

Because all you have is a single pane of glass, you need to dice it up. In this situation, you can begin dividing the glass panel by using the Curtain Grid command. When you've finished, you can add mullions, doors, and even materials to the panels.

Begin by adding curtain grids to the glass panel:

1. In the Build panel of the Architecture tab, click the Curtain Grid button, as shown in Figure 15.38.

   

2. On the Modify | Place Curtain Grid tab, click the All Segments button, as shown in Figure 15.31.
3. Move your cursor up the left side of the curtain wall and pick a horizontal point that is 8′–0″ (2400 mm) up from the base of the wall (see Figure 15.39).
4. Press Esc twice.
5. Select the horizontal grid.
6. Click the Copy button in the Modify panel.
7. Copy the grid up 4′–0″ (1200 mm).
8. Copy the 4′ grid up 2′–0″ (600 mm).

   

9. Repeat this pattern until you've reached the top of the wall (see Figure 15.40).
10. Click the Curtain Grid button.
11. Slide your cursor along the base of the panel (the grid is extended in a vertical direction).
12. In the Placement panel, click the One Segment button.
13. Pick the midpoint of the panel. (You should have segmented only the bottom panel.)
14. Click Modify.
15. Select the vertical grid.
16. On the Modify toolbar, click the Move button.
17. Move the grid to the left 3′–0″ (900 mm).
18. Copy the grid to the right 6′–0″ (1600 mm). Your wall should now look like Figure 15.41.

With the panel broken up, you can begin adding materials. One material you may not think of is an actual door! Yes, in Revit curtain walls, you add a door to a curtain panel as a material.

Adding Mullions to the Grid

The next logical step is to create the mullions that will be attached to the grid you just added. Because you have a few areas where there shouldn't be mullions, the job becomes more tedious.

The next example could go one of two ways. One technique adds mullions piece by piece, and the other procedure lets you add mullions all at once and then delete the mullions you don't need. This procedure takes the latter approach; you'll add the mullions all at once and then remove the superfluous mullions:

1. Go to the SOUTH ELEVATION ENTRY view.
2. In the Build panel of the Architecture tab, click the Mullion button, as shown in Figure 15.45.

   

   

3. In the Properties dialog, choose Rectangular Mullion: 2.5″ × 5″ (64 mm × 127 mm) Rectangular.
4. In the Placement panel, click All Grid Lines.
5. Pick the grid above the door, as shown in Figure 15.46.

   

6. Pick anywhere on the grid. The mullions are added to the entire system.
7. Press Esc.

With the mullions added, you've actually gone too far! An aluminum extrusion separates the CMU from the adjacent brick. You also need to delete the mullion that appears under the door. Let's remove these pieces of mullion:

1. Zoom into an area where the CMU meets the brick, as shown in Figure 15.47.

   

2. Select the small mullion piece that lies between the brick and the CMU. (You'll have to press the Tab key several times to accomplish this.)
3. You can either modify the join (as shown in Figure 15.47) or press the Delete key and remove the mullion. In this case, delete the mullion. Repeat the procedure for other similar areas. See Figure 15.48.

What have you accomplished? You've embedded a predefined curtain wall into a radial profile, and you've added a curtain system to a giant glass panel by hand. The only thing left to do is to apply a curtain wall to a sloping surface.

Now you can…

• create custom compound walls by using the Edit Assembly dialog
• create stacked walls by joining compound walls together
• create sweeps in a wall's profile and freeform sweeps
• create curtain walls by using a predefined wall system and from a blank panel