How to create walls in Revit takes only a few clicks, yet the wall is the most parameter-heavy element in the model. It divides space, carries a layered build-up and hosts doors and windows. Get it wrong early and doors, floors, roofs and schedules go wrong with it.
This article follows the order you actually work in, with screenshots from Revit 2027 in English. To learn modelling and documentation in full, see the Revit Architecture course.
Step 1 — pick a wall family and start the Wall tool
Revit has three wall families. Open the Type Selector of any wall and the list is grouped by family.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic Wall | Several flat parallel layers; used for almost all masonry walls |
| 2 | Curtain Wall | A grid of glazed panels with mullions, no layer structure |
| 3 | Stacked Wall | Several basic wall types stacked on top of each other |
The three families cannot be swapped. A basic wall does not become a curtain wall by changing type; delete it and draw again. Put the build-up in the type name: AR-Wall-15-220-15 means 15 plaster, 220 brick, 15 plaster. AR marks the architectural discipline, ST structural.
Start the tool from Architecture › Build › Wall, or type WA. The Wall button has a drop-down with five commands.
| Item | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wall: Architectural | Architectural wall, for the whole architectural set |
| Wall: Structural | Same geometry, with the structural flag on for analysis software |
| Wall by Face | A wall that follows the face of a mass |
| Wall: Sweep | A profile running along the wall |
| Wall: Reveal | A recessed groove running along the wall |
The ribbon switches to Modify | Place Wall. Revit 2027 drops the old Options Bar; every option is on the ribbon.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Draw tools | Line, rectangle, polygons, circle and arcs; the last row has Pick Lines and Pick Faces |
| 2 | Join Status | Whether new walls join adjacent walls automatically |
| 3 | Offset | Distance of the location line from the cursor or the picked line |
| 4 | Radius | Fillet radius between consecutive wall segments |
| 5 | Chain | Draw a chain: each segment starts where the last one ended |
The last two buttons on the bottom row are Place By Segment and Place By Room. Autodesk's Place a Wall page describes them: they place finish walls along an existing wall segment or around a room.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Height / Depth | Height builds up from the current level, Depth builds down, for basement walls |
| 2 | Top level | Unconnected for a free height, or a level for the top to follow |
| 3 | Height value | Editable only when the box above is Unconnected. The Metric template uses 6000 |
Step 2 — set Properties and the Location Line
The Properties palette now reads New Walls: settings apply to the walls you are about to draw. Four groups at the top control position and height.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Location Line | Which plane of the wall follows your clicks |
| 2 | Base Constraint, Base Offset | Level of the wall base and the offset from it; negative goes down |
| 3 | Top Constraint | Top level: Unconnected or a project level |
| 4 | Unconnected Height, Top Offset | Free height, and the offset of the top from its level |
Tie the base and top to levels rather than typing free heights. When a storey height changes later, the whole building follows.
Location Line causes the most misalignment when tracing a background drawing. It decides which way the thickness grows.
| Value | Plane that follows your clicks |
|---|---|
| Wall Centerline | Middle of the full thickness, finishes included. Revit's default |
| Core Centerline | Middle of the core, for example the 220 brick |
| Finish Face: Exterior | Outermost face on the exterior side |
| Finish Face: Interior | Outermost face on the interior side |
| Core Face: Exterior | Exterior face of the core, the bare brick |
| Core Face: Interior | Interior face of the core |
Tip. Vietnamese drawings usually dimension walls to the masonry centre. Set Location Line to Core Centerline and snap to grids, and the model matches the drawing. Autodesk's About the Wall Location Line notes that changing the Location Line of a placed wall does not move it.
Step 3 — draw along grids, draw curved walls and flip walls
This is the core of how to create walls in Revit, in four actions:
- Pick the type in the Type Selector.
- Set Location Line, Base Constraint and Top Constraint in Properties.
- Pick a draw tool on the Draw panel.
- Click points in the view and press Esc twice to finish.
With grids in place, click exactly on grid intersections and Revit snaps. Draw the four exterior walls of a bay before the partitions. When a temporary dimension appears, type the number and press Enter to lock that distance.
With a CAD background, use Pick Lines and click the wall centreline. Hover over one segment and press Tab to pick the whole chain. Match the Location Line to what the picked line means, or the wall shifts by half its thickness.
Revit curved walls use the arc tools on the Draw panel; enter the Radius first. Curved walls keep all their layers and still host doors. Autodesk requires walls drawn with the ellipse tools to use Wall Centerline.
Drawing direction decides which face is exterior. If it looks inverted while drawing, press Spacebar to flip. For a placed wall, select it and click the flip arrows beside it. Doors already placed do not flip with the wall.
Step 4 — the layer structure of Revit walls
Read before you edit. Select an exterior wall on the ground floor of the sample project and Properties tells you how it was built.
| Parameter | Value read |
|---|---|
| Base Constraint / Base Offset | 1F and 150: the base sits 150 above the floor level |
| Top Constraint / Top Offset | Up to level: 2F and −50: the top stops 50 below 2F |
| Room Bounding | Checked: the wall bounds rooms for area calculation |
Click Edit Type to open Type Properties. These parameters belong to the type; change one and every wall of that type follows.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Structure | The Edit button opens the layer editor |
| 2 | Wrapping at Inserts / at Ends | Whether finish layers wrap into openings and wall ends |
| 3 | Width | Total thickness summed from layers, greyed out |
| 4 | Function | Exterior for outer walls, Interior for partitions |
Note. To change the build-up of some walls, click Duplicate, name the new type, then edit. Editing a shared type changes hundreds of walls without warning.
Click Edit on the Structure row to open Edit Assembly.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total thickness | Summed by Revit, here 250 |
| 2 | EXTERIOR SIDE | The top of the table is the outside of the building |
| 3 | Function | Layer role: Structure for the core, Finish 1 and Finish 2 for finishes |
| 4 | Priority | Join order when two walls meet; the lower number wins |
| 5 | Thickness | Thickness of each layer: 15 plaster, 220 brick, 15 plaster |
| 6 | INTERIOR SIDE | The bottom of the table is the inside |
| 7 | Default Wrapping | The sample type uses At Inserts: Both and At Ends: Exterior |
The two Core Boundary rows are not real layers; they only mark the core. They define where Core Centerline and Core Face sit. To add a layer, click Insert, move it with Up and Down, then set Function, Material and Thickness.
Material controls the cut pattern and the row name in material takeoffs. Tick Wraps on both plaster layers, since plaster wraps into door reveals. Structural Material marks the load-bearing layer for analysis software. Variable is for a layer of changing thickness, required for tapered walls below.
Layers only show when the view's detail level is Fine. At Coarse and Medium a wall is a single solid with two outlines.
Revit wall joins: the Wall Joins tool
Two walls only join when their location lines actually touch, not when they merely look close on screen.
To fix an unjoined wall, drag its end grip onto the other wall's centreline, or use Trim/Extend. To change the join type, run Wall Joins from the Geometry panel of the Modify tab and click the grey square at the junction.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Previous / Next | Step through the join options Revit found |
| 2 | Square Off, Butt, Miter | Square cut, butt (default) and mitred corner |
| 3 | Allow Join / Disallow Join | Allow or prevent joining at this wall end |
| 4 | Display | Use view setting, clean join, or don't clean join |
Walls of different types still join; the Priority column decides which layers connect. Correct priorities matter more than hand-editing each junction. Autodesk advises against the Wall Joins tool for junctions of more than four walls.
If a printed plan looks fused, disallow the join at the partition end touching the exterior wall. The walls still touch and quantities stay right, while the plan keeps a line between first-fix and second-fix walls.
Revit slanted walls and stacked walls
Revit 2027 controls slanted walls with the Cross-Section parameter in the Cross-Section Definition group.
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vertical | Upright wall, the default |
| Slanted | Leaning wall with parallel faces. Enter Angle From Vertical between −90° and +90° |
| Tapered | Thickness changes from base to top. The type needs a layer marked Variable |
The sign of the angle follows drawing direction: right of the draw direction is positive. Doors and sweeps on a slanted wall stay vertical and must be adjusted separately.
A stacked wall combines several basic wall types into one element, such as a 900 stone plinth under a plastered masonry wall.
| No. | Item | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Offset | Which face of the component types lines up; the sample uses Core Face: Exterior |
| 2 | TOP | The first row sits at the top |
| 3 | One row per type | One row must have a Variable height to stretch with the wall |
| 4 | BASE | The bottom of the table is the wall base |
Stacked walls reject Edit Profile and schedule as several rows. Most houses only need a basic wall with a different finish painted on the plinth.
Try it: walls for a typical floor
Ground-floor walls of a villa. Work in a project that already has grids and levels 1F and 2F, and build at least three wall types with different layers.
- Open the 1F plan and set the detail level to Fine.
- Duplicate
Generic - 200mmasAR-Wall-15-220-15. In Structure › Edit, add two Finish 1 layers of 15 on each side of the core, core 220 at priority 1. - Duplicate
AR-Wall-100with one 100 core layer, andAR-Wall-15-300-15for retaining walls. - Run Wall, pick
AR-Wall-15-220-15, set Location Line to Core Centerline, Base Constraint 1F, Top Constraint Up to level: 2F. - Draw the exterior walls along the grids clockwise. Hover over a wall and read the type name on the status bar.
- Switch to
AR-Wall-100and draw partitions. Drag each partition end onto the exterior wall centreline until the dividing line disappears. - Select an exterior wall and write down its whole Constraints group.
- Window-select the floor and click Filter. Uncheck everything but Walls and note the wall count.
- Open a 3D view, check wall heights and junctions, and fix any that did not join.
Common wall mistakes
When something looks odd, read the Constraints group in Properties first.
| Mistake | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Two walls not joined, line in between | They do not really touch, or the end is set to Disallow Join. Drag the end onto the other wall, or Wall Joins › Allow Join |
| Wall disappears in plan | The top is below the cut plane. Check Top Constraint and the view's View Range |
| Wall taller or shorter than expected | The top is attached to another element or Top Offset is not 0. Check Top is Attached; use Detach Top/Base if needed |
| Plaster on the wrong side | Drawn the wrong way. Select the wall and click the flip arrows or press Spacebar |
| Edited one type, whole project changed | A shared type was edited. Ctrl + Z now; next time Duplicate first |
| Layers not visible | The view is Coarse or Medium. Switch to Fine |
Frequently asked questions
Which Location Line should I use?
If drawings are dimensioned to the masonry centre, use Core Centerline. On a wall with equal finishes both sides, Wall Centerline and Core Centerline coincide.
Why does a layered wall show only two lines in plan?
The view is at Coarse or Medium. Detail level belongs to the view, not the wall.
How do I turn a basic wall into a glass wall?
Not through the Type Selector, because the family differs. Delete the wall and draw a Curtain Wall.
Why can't I choose Tapered?
The wall type has no Variable layer. Open Edit Assembly and tick Variable on the layer that should change thickness.
Related articles
- How to add doors in Revit — place doors and windows in the walls you just built
- How to create a floor in Revit — sketch floors with Pick Walls
- How to create a roof in Revit — attach wall tops to the roof
- How to create a schedule in Revit — schedule walls and layer materials