The Revit interface

• Ribbon: tabs such as Architecture, Structure, Insert, Annotate, View and Manage. A contextual Modify tab appears when you select something.

• Properties palette: instance parameters of the selection or, with nothing selected, of the current view. At the top is the Type Selector.

• Project Browser: every view, schedule, sheet, family and group in the project.

• Options Bar: under the ribbon, options for the active tool (e.g. wall height and location line).

• View Control Bar: bottom of each view — scale, detail level, visual style, crop and temporary hide.

• Status bar: tells you what the cursor will select and what the tool expects.

Roll the mouse wheel to zoom, hold it to pan, and double-click it to zoom to fit. In 3D, Shift + wheel drag orbits, and the ViewCube switches to standard views. Open views by double-clicking them in the Project Browser; switch between open views with Ctrl+Tab. Close hidden views regularly (View › Close Inactive) to keep Revit fast.

Click to select; Ctrl+click to add; Shift+click to remove. Window selection (left to right) takes elements fully inside; crossing (right to left) takes anything touched.

Press Tab while hovering to cycle through overlapping elements — and to select a whole chain of connected walls.

The Filter button (Modify tab) removes categories from a selection, e.g. keep only doors.

Right-click › Select All Instances › Visible in View or In Entire Project selects every element of the same type.

Revit uses two-letter shortcuts typed without Enter. Learn these first: