Walls
Walls are the backbone of a Revit model. Learn to place them accurately, choose and create wall types, control height with constraints and fix joins.
In this lesson you will
- Place walls with the right type, height and location line
- Understand base and top constraints
- Create a wall type with its own layer structure
- Edit joins, flip walls and attach tops to roofs
Placing walls
- 1Open a floor plan. Architecture › Wall (WA).
- 2Choose the wall type in the Type Selector.
- 3On the Options Bar: Height (e.g. Up to level: First), Location Line and Chain.
- 4Click points or type lengths (type 5000 and Enter after starting). Use the rectangle or pick-lines tools on the Draw panel for regular shapes or tracing.
- 5Press Esc twice to finish.
Draw exterior walls clockwise. Revit puts the exterior face on the left of the drawing direction, so clockwise drawing puts it outside.
Location line
The location line is the line you draw along: Wall Centerline, Core Centerline, Finish Face: Exterior/Interior or Core Face. Choose the one that matches your dimensions — e.g. Finish Face: Interior when you know internal room sizes, Core Face: Exterior when setting out to structure. Press Space while placing to flip the wall to the other side of the line.
Height and constraints
Each wall has a Base Constraint (a level) and Base Offset, and a Top Constraint — either Unconnected with a fixed height, or Up to level with a Top Offset. Constraining to levels means walls follow when levels change — almost always what you want for storey-height walls.
Wall types and structure
- 1Select a wall › Edit Type › Duplicate and name the new type clearly, e.g.
Ext - Brick veneer 110 + 90 stud. - 2Click Edit next to Structure.
- 3Insert layers and set Function (Structure, Substrate, Thermal, Finish 1/2, Membrane), Material and Thickness.
- 4Keep structural layers between the Core Boundaries.
- 5Use the preview (section view) to check the layers.
Joins and editing
Revit joins walls automatically at corners. Wall Joins (Modify › Wall Joins) switch between butt, miter and square-off. Right-click a wall end › Disallow Join when you need walls to stop short.
Useful editing tools: Align (AL) to line a wall face up with another, Trim/Extend to Corner (TR), Split (SL), and dragging wall ends. To make a wall follow the roof, select it and use Attach Top/Base to the roof.
Quick reference
| Command / tool | How to start it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Wall | WA | Places walls |
| Align | AL | Aligns faces and edges |
| Trim/Extend to Corner | TR | Joins two walls into a corner |
| Split Element | SL | Splits a wall into two |
| Attach Top/Base | Modify | Walls | Attaches walls to roofs/floors |
Common mistakes
Exterior finish is on the inside.
Select the wall and click the flip arrows, or press Space.
Walls are the wrong height after changing levels.
Check top constraint: use Up to level rather than Unconnected.
Using many near-identical wall types.
Keep a clean, named type library; purge unused types.
Exercise
Model the ground floor walls
- Create an external wall type with brick, cavity, stud and plasterboard layers (total about 280).
- Create an internal type: 90 stud + 13 plasterboard each side.
- On Ground, draw a 12 000 × 9000 external outline clockwise, Up to level: First.
- Draw internal walls using Finish Face location lines to hit exact room sizes.
- Change the First level's height and watch the walls follow.
You should end up with: An enclosed ground floor with correct wall types and heights.
Checklist
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Lesson quiz
What is the shortcut for the Wall tool?
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Questions
Should I model walls as one element or separate layers?
For most projects, one compound wall type per build-up is best. Some teams model interior finishes as separate thin walls for sequencing or when finishes vary by room; decide early and be consistent.
Free, independent learning material written for KitWren. Revit is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. KitWren is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Autodesk. We never provide software downloads, licence keys or cracks — use the official sources.