2025-11-10 Using Groups in Revit for multifamily development
- utechcsa
- Nov 10, 2025
- 5 min read
Quick recap
The meeting focused on Brian Williams' discussion of Hurricane Gilbert's impact on Jamaica and its historical context, followed by updates on students' progress and relaxed due dates due to the hurricane. Brian provided detailed demonstrations and instructions on using Revit software for multifamily projects, including techniques for creating and managing groups, handling nested elements, and working with different levels and alignment tools. The session concluded with guidance on using Twinmotion for rendering and addressing various technical aspects of the current design studio project, including kitchen models and upcoming presentations.
Next steps
All students: Complete Checkpoint 3 ASAP
All students: Submit the class activity on groups
Group 9: Present in today's lecture session
Brian: Follow up with Sarto to check progress on Design Studio to align Computing lessons
Brian: Post tutorial and summary video for today's class activity
Brian: Upload grades for presentations after Groups 9 and 10 present
Evelin: Reach out to Group 9 classmates to remind them about today's presentation
Evelin: Review kitchen design resources on Miro board under Tips section
All students: Have unit design ready for upcoming kitchen interior design lesson
Mikeisha: Update entire building design for Checkpoint 3 using the more complicated timber wall method
Daniella: Load empty curtain panel family into project to resolve glazing issue
Summary
Brian Williams' Affirmation Transcript
The meeting transcript appears to be a series of audio responses from Brian Williams, primarily consisting of affirmations and brief statements in Chinese characters. The content does not contain any substantial discussion, decisions, or action items that would warrant a meaningful summary.
Hurricane Impact on Module Progress
Brian shared his personal experience of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, showing historical photos of the storm's impact. He noted that most Jamaicans have only experienced near misses since then, making the recent hurricane a significant event. Brian then discussed the current module progress, with most students completing checkpoint 3. He announced relaxed due dates due to the hurricane's impact, emphasizing the importance of completing assignments to progress to the next semester.
Staying on Schedule for Graduation
Brian discussed the importance of staying on schedule to avoid delaying graduation and mentioned that he could make due dates flexible and reduce class activities if needed. He emphasized the need for students to focus on completing their models, with Checkpoint 3 being a significant milestone. Brian also provided tips for creating multifamily projects, highlighting the importance of using Revit and other BIM software, and encouraged students to apply lessons learned from previous classes, such as those on stairs and railings.
Revit Groups and Marketing Video
Brian demonstrated a marketing video project he worked on, which included graphics created in After Effects, drone images, and models made in Revit and rendered in Unreal Engine. He explained the process of creating the video, including using multiple versions and overlaying them in Premiere Pro. Brian then discussed the importance of using groups in Revit for multifamily projects, explaining how to create and modify groups to save time and maintain consistency. He assigned a class activity for students to follow along with a Revit 2022 file on the mirror board, focusing on creating and using groups in their multifamily project.
Revit Unit Design Setup Tutorial
The class is working on programming and site analysis for their design studio project, with some students still in the early stages. Brian demonstrated how to set up a Revit file for unit designs, emphasizing the importance of using groups to efficiently manage repeated elements. He also shared tips on using dark mode in Revit 2024 and showed an example of a basic unit design that students can modify for their projects. Brian advised students to start a new production project after completing their initial unit design layouts.
Revit Group Management Demonstration
Brian demonstrated how to create and manage groups in a production project in Revit. He showed how to separate and group different components of a building model, such as furniture, interior walls, and exterior walls. Brian emphasized the importance of separating components before grouping them to make editing easier. He also explained how to rename groups and control them using the project browser. Brian concluded by showing how to align and position groups in a 3D view, and mentioned that some groups would only apply to specific floors of the duplicated units.
Nested Group Design Techniques
Brian demonstrated how to work with nested groups in a design software, emphasizing the importance of keeping the demo group on the outside for easy editing. He showed how to use grid lines, align tools, and mirror functions to position units accurately, highlighting the need for a center line to reference when duplicating elements. Brian also explained how to avoid Z-fighting by ensuring proper alignment when mirroring walls, and he demonstrated the issue by rendering a wall in Twinmotion.
Revit Wall Grouping Techniques
Brian demonstrated how to handle overlapping walls in Revit by using the exclude from group option, which allows walls to be hidden within a group while remaining visible in the overall model. He explained the importance of creating foundation levels when working with grouped elements, as attempting to place walls directly on the ground without a designated level can cause issues. Brian also showed how to use section views to create drawing references when working in projects without pre-defined elevations or sections.
3D Model Level Management Techniques
Brian demonstrated how to create and manage different levels in a 3D model, emphasizing the importance of setting up workplanes and using various tools like section boxes and mirroring. He showed how to copy elements to new levels using the "Copy to Clipboard" feature and aligning to a selected level, and highlighted that different methods can be used depending on the specific needs of the project.
Revit Alignment and Element Management
Brian demonstrated several methods for aligning and pasting elements in Revit, emphasizing the use of mathematical alignment and selecting specific levels. He explained how to attach walls to slabs and avoid Z-fighting issues by creating separate groups for roof elements. Brian also introduced a useful feature for isolating objects in 3D views and showed how to filter and select specific elements within groups. Javail expressed confusion about the attached walls concept, which Brian clarified by demonstrating the process with a simple example.
Rivet Attach Feature Demonstration
Brian demonstrated how to use the attach feature in Rivet, showing how walls and roofs can be attached to slabs and adjusted when moved. He explained the importance of using the attach tool to avoid Z-fighting issues and demonstrated how to create and modify grouped objects. Brian also warned against adding objects to grouped walls outside the group, as this can cause problems later. He concluded by emphasizing the need to master the location of tools and features while in school, as this knowledge will be crucial for creating construction drawings in the professional world.
Twinmotion and Revit Project Updates
The instructor, Brian, discussed the use of Twinmotion for rendering and emphasized the importance of using Revit for the current project. He introduced resources for interior design, particularly focusing on kitchens, and explained that students would build a kitchen model in class. Brian also addressed questions about design changes, deadlines for Checkpoint 3, and technical issues with Revit, providing solutions and guidance for students. He reminded the class about upcoming presentations and encouraged them to complete Checkpoint 3 and the current class activity.
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