Understanding the User Interface

User Interface

The UI is based on the Windows ribbon framework and is rather elegant compared to similar
CAD or BIM applications. Within Revit, you will find many commands and tools that utilize
similar dialog boxes and workflows. For example, you won’t find disparate dialog boxes for door properties versus window properties. Persistence of tool location is another key to increased usability. Even though tools remain contextually exposed or hidden, the majority of them can be found in the same place relative to the overall UI.

You have the ability to access all three disciplines of the Revit software suite—Architecture,
Structure, and MEP—provided you have licenses to use each. This functionality is addressed in the “Getting to Know the Ribbon” section of this chapter.

Accessing and Using the Application Menu 

Click the big R in the upper-left corner of the UI to open the Application menu and then access commonly used commands such as New, Open, Save, Print, and so on. You can also export your project to a number of 2D and 3D formats from this menu. This menu is also where you manage licensing information. The Publish option lets you upload RFA files (Revit families) to Autodesk® Seek (http://seek.autodesk.com) or utilize a Buzzsaw® connection to share project documents with your team. Use the Close command to quickly close a project or family without closing every open view.

When accessing some of the flyout commands in the Application menu, be aware that there may be additional commands or options on the flyout that are hidden. This is most evident on the Export command flyout in which you must scroll to the bottom of the flyout to access exporting options for IFC and others. Using the Quick Access Toolbar The Quick Access toolbar (QAT) allows you to keep frequently used tools at your fingertips.

Right-click any button in one of the ribbon tabs, and you will find the command Add To
Quick Access Toolbar. By clicking the small, down-facing arrow to the far right of the QAT,
you’ll find that tools may be further customized, grouped, or removed from the toolbar.

By default, the QAT bar is above the ribbon, but you also have the option to show the QAT below the ribbon.

Using the Info Center

To the far right of the QAT is the InfoCenter.

 From left to right, you have the ability to search for help solutions, access the Subscription
Center, open the Communication Center, show Favorites (saved articles and solutions from
the Communication Center), sign in to other Autodesk services (such as cloud rendering), and open the help service (http://wikihelp.autodesk.com/revit). You can customize your
Revit.ini file to force the Help command to open a local file instead of accessing the online
help service; however, Autodesk no longer supplies an offline help file. These instructions are available on the online help service by searching for “Online Help Server.”

Getting to Know the Ribbon The ribbon is the primary location to access all commands and tools you will use in a project. You can launch commands and tools using the ribbon or you can create customized keyboard shortcuts as an alternative. Refer to the section on the View tab for more information on keyboard shortcuts. Throughout this book, we will refer to the ribbon frequently, so you should be familiar with its basic parts: tabs and panels.