Levels in Revit for architects

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Levels are finite horizontal planes that act as a reference for level-hosted elements, such as roofs, floors, and ceilings.

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In Revit, you use the level tool to define a vertical height or story within a building.

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More specifically, levels define the floor levels of your building

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or other important datums like the top of a wall, the bottom of the foundation, or the roof plate height.

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To place a single level or multiple levels in Revit, first, open an elevation or section view, such as the one shown.

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Then, on the Architecture ribbon, in the Datum panel, click Level.

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Note that the Level option is only available when an elevation or section view is open.

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With the Level tool selected, click in the drawing area to define the first end, or the head, of the level.

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Drag the cursor horizontally, and then click in the drawing area again to define the second end of the level, also known as the tail.

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Click Modify to end the command.

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Once the level is created, select it to open the Properties palette, where you can adjust its Elevation and Name.

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There are a few quick tips that can make working with Revit levels easier.

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Number one, to change the length of a level, first select it.

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At the end of the line near the bubble, click the open dot control, and then drag to adjust the length.

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Keep in mind that any level lines locked into alignment adjust in length together.

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If you want to move a level line individually, click the locked padlock icon to unlock that alignment first.

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Number two, for better readability of labels and elevations when lines are close together,

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add an elbow, or offset, to relocate the level head.

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Select the level you want to modify, and then click the Add Elbow drag control, which looks like the letter Z.

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Drag the two open dot controls to manually adjust the position of the elbow.

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Keep in mind that this is a 2D override to the level,

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so it will only appear in the view used to make the change.

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Number three, you can display level changes in similar parallel views for more consistency.

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To do this, first make the Crop View visible in the Properties palette

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and extend the extents of the Crop View so that the levels are inside the Crop View boundary.

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Then, select the levels with the 2D changes that you want to make visible in other views.

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Then, on the ribbon, click Propagate Extents.

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In the Propagate Datum Extents dialog, select the views you want to apply the 2D overrides to.

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Click OK and save the file.

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You now know how to quickly and efficiently place levels within your Revit design model