Advanced modelling: curtain walls, stairs and more
Beyond basic walls and floors: curtain walls, stairs and railings, profiles and masses. These elements have their own logic — learn it and complex buildings become manageable.
In this lesson you will
- Model curtain walls with grids, mullions and panels
- Create stairs and railings that meet requirements
- Add wall sweeps and reveals
- Use masses for early design
Curtain walls
- 1Choose a Curtain Wall type with the Wall tool and draw it like a wall.
- 2Add Curtain Grids (Architecture › Curtain Grid) or set automatic spacing in the type (e.g. vertical grid fixed distance 1500).
- 3Add Mullions on grids, choosing profiles.
- 4Swap individual panels (Tab-select a panel) for door or solid panels.
- 5Embed a curtain wall in a normal wall with the Automatically Embed type property — it cuts its own opening.
Stairs and railings
Architecture › Stair creates component stairs: choose the type, set base and top levels, and Revit calculates riser count from the height and the type's maximum riser. Draw runs (straight, U, L, spiral) and Revit adds landings.
Check the stair against your local building code: riser, going, headroom, landing length, and handrail heights. Stair types have calculation rules you can set to your code.
Railings are added automatically or with Architecture › Railing; their type defines top rail, balusters and posts.
Sweeps, reveals and profiles
Wall Sweeps add continuous profiles along walls (skirting, cornices, string courses); Reveals cut grooves. Define them in the wall type (Edit Structure › Sweeps) so they belong to every wall of that type, or place them per wall. Profiles are small 2D families (.rfa, profile template).
Massing
For early design, conceptual masses (Massing & Site tab) model overall forms. Mass Floors give areas per level for feasibility, and Model by Face creates walls, floors, roofs and curtain systems on mass faces. It's a fast route from massing study to building model.
In-place families: when
Model In-Place is for genuinely one-off elements tied to the building — a sculptural reception desk, an unusual roof feature. For anything repeated or reusable, build a loadable family.
Quick reference
| Command / tool | How to start it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Curtain Grid / Mullion | Architecture tab | Divide and frame curtain walls |
| Stair / Railing | Architecture tab | Component stairs and railings |
| Wall Sweep / Reveal | Architecture › Wall | Profiles along walls |
| In-Place Mass | Massing & Site tab | Conceptual massing |
Common mistakes
Stair has the wrong number of risers.
Check base/top levels, offsets and the type's max riser height.
Curtain wall panel won't change.
Tab to select the panel, then unpin it if it's controlled by the type.
Exercise
Glazed stair hall
- Add a 6 m curtain wall with 1500 vertical grids, one horizontal grid and mullions.
- Swap one panel for a door.
- Model a U-shaped stair between Ground and First with railings.
- Add a skirting sweep to an internal wall type.
- Check riser and going against a code you know.
You should end up with: A curtain wall, compliant-looking stair and wall sweeps.
Checklist
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Lesson quiz
Revit calculates the number of risers from the storey height and the stair type's maximum riser.
Finished this lesson?
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