Datasheet

The Revit Architecture Interface
9
FIGURE 1.10: The Element Properties button gives you access to many
variables associated with the item you are adding to the model.
Clicking the Element Properties button provides you with a new world of choices
and options. You will soon see that the power of Revit is hiding just below the surface.
Element Properties
Hidden within the Options bar is a single button that will gain you access to a
multitude of choices and parameters. Although this dialog will contain different
information for each item, the format will stay the same. One of the many won-
ders of Revit Architecture is the fact that most procedures, dialogs, and processes
are virtually the same as the next. Master how to build a wall, and you have
mastered how to build a roof and a floor.
Within the element properties you will see two categories, as shown in
Figure 1.11. In this figure, the first category, Type Parameters, is grayed out,
and you cannot select anything. In the other category, Instance Parameters,
you can edit settings directly. There is a huge difference between the two.
Instance Parameters
The items that can be immediately edited are called instance parameters. This
means that these parameters will change only the object being added to the
model at this time. Also, if you select an item that has already been placed in the
model and click the Element Properties button, the instance parameters will
change only that item you have selected. This makes sense — not all items are
built equally in the real world. Figure 1.12 illustrates the instance parameters of
a typical wall.
Type Parameters
The type parameters (see Figure 1.13), when edited, will alter every item of that
type in the entire model. To access the type parameters, click the Edit Type but-
ton while still in the Element Properties dialog, as Figure 11.14 shows.
47222c01.indd 9 8/12/10 11:16:17 AM