An apartment bathroom has a lavatory, a water closet and a shower. On a CAD drawing the supply to it is a few polylines and a handful of valve symbols. In Revit every segment is a real pipe: it has a diameter, an elevation, a material, it belongs to a system, and elbows and tees grow by themselves where the run turns.
How to draw pipes in Revit comes down to this: run Systems › Plumbing & Piping › Pipe, pick the pipe type and the system, type the diameter and the elevation in the Properties palette, then click the start and end points. This article walks through one bathroom in Revit 2027: fixtures, the main run, a second run made with Parallel Pipes, a branch, a riser, fixture connections, a valve and a final check. To build a full water and drainage model on a real sample building, the Institute runs a Revit MEP course.
What the Pipe tool does
Autodesk's Pipe page puts it in one line: "Use the Pipe tools to draw piping in a project to connect mechanical equipment and fixtures". Pipes can be drawn horizontally, vertically and on a slope.
Three things Revit does for you as soon as you click two points.
It adds fittings. Elbows at turns, tees at branches, reducers at size changes. Which family is used comes from the Routing Preferences of the pipe type, covered in pipe types in Revit.
It files the pipe into a system. The pipe carries the System Type you selected, and any fixture you connect joins the same system. Systems in Revit MEP goes into that.
It keeps the connections. Drag one segment and the fittings at both ends follow; the branch stays attached to the main.
The same panel also holds Pipe Placeholder: a single-line pipe with no fittings, useful while the layout is still provisional, and convertible to real pipe later.
| Command | Where it sits | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Pipe | Systems › Plumbing & Piping | PI |
| Pipe Fitting | Systems › Plumbing & Piping | PF |
| Pipe Accessory | Systems › Plumbing & Piping | PA |
| Flex Pipe | Systems › Plumbing & Piping | FP |
| Plumbing Fixture | Systems › Plumbing & Piping | PX |
Before you start: the file
You need three things: a floor plan of the level you are working on, a linked architectural model so that walls and fixtures give you something to aim at, and pipe types already in the file. Revit MEP sample files explains how to get the Institute's sample file and the Snowdon Towers model that ships with Revit, so you can follow every step.
One note on display: at Coarse and Medium detail a pipe is a single line. Switch the view's Detail Level to Fine to see two lines at the true outside diameter. Detail level belongs to the view, not to the pipe.
How to draw pipes in Revit: fixtures first
Step 1. Open the floor plan. In the Project Browser open Views (Discipline) › Plumbing › Floor Plans and double-click the level, then zoom to the bathroom you are about to model.
Step 2. Place the plumbing fixtures. Go to Systems › Plumbing & Piping › Plumbing Fixture (PX). Type a name into the Search box at the top of the Type Selector to filter the list, then click to place. Press the spacebar before clicking to rotate the fixture by 90°.
Step 3. Read the connectors. Select the fixture you just placed. Revit 2027 writes the connector type, size and flow direction next to each connector, right in the view. The lavatory in the sample file has three: 20 mm cold, 20 mm hot and a 42 mm sanitary outlet. The switch for these labels is at Analyze › MEP Connections › Show Connector Controls.
Draw the main run, then copy it with parallel pipes revit style
Step 4. Start the Pipe command. Systems › Plumbing & Piping › Pipe, or type PI. The ribbon switches to Modify | Place Pipe with three panels: Placement Tools, Sloped Piping and Tag.
Step 5. Pick the pipe type. Open the Type Selector at the top of the Properties palette. The Institute's sample file ships with PPR, uPVC, Steel Pipe(Tap), Steel Pipe(Tee) and Standard. Pick PPR for the supply run.
Step 6. Set the diameter. In the Dimensions group of the Properties palette type 25 into Diameter and press Enter. Revit fills in Outside Diameter 25.0 mm, Inside Diameter 18.0 mm and Wall Thickness 3.5 mm from the segment's size table; you never type those three.
Step 7. Set the elevation. Type 2700 into Middle Elevation. The rows above and below follow: Upper End Top Elevation 2712.5 and Lower End Bottom Elevation 2687.5, the top and bottom of a 25 mm pipe.
Step 8. Choose the system. Scroll the palette down to the Mechanical group and set System Type to Domestic Cold Water. System Classification follows, and every fixture connected to this run afterwards joins the same system.
Step 9. Draw the main. Click a start point in the corridor, drag along it and click the end point, then press Esc twice. To get an exact length, type the number while the temporary dimension is showing and press Enter.
Step 10. Add the hot water run with Parallel Pipes. Go to Systems › Plumbing & Piping › Parallel Pipes, set Horizontal Number to 1 and Horizontal Offset to 150, hover over the run you just drew until it highlights, then click on the side where you want the copy. Press Tab before clicking to take the whole run instead of one segment.
According to Draw Parallel Pipes, the command only works on a run made of pipes and elbows. A run that already has tees, crosses or valves cannot be copied this way, so duplicate the run before you branch off it and before you add valves.
The copy carries the pipe type, size and system of the original. To make it the hot supply, select it, open the Mechanical group in Properties, set System Type to Domestic Hot Water and click Apply.
Branches, how to draw vertical pipes in revit, and fixture connections
Step 11. Branch into the room. Run PI again, click the first point on the centreline of the main and the second point inside the bathroom. Revit inserts a tee where you clicked first and keeps the size, elevation and system of the main.
Step 12. Connect the fixture with Connect Into. Select the lavatory; the ribbon shows Modify | Plumbing Fixtures. Click Connect Into on the Layout panel. The Select Connector dialog lists every connector on the fixture; choose Connector 1 : Domestic Cold Water, click OK, then click the branch pipe. Revit draws the connecting pipework from the fixture connector to the pipe you picked.
Step 13. Drop a riser. A riser is simply the segment that joins two elevations, and there are three ways to get one:
- While a run is in progress, change Middle Elevation in Properties and click Create Riser on the Placement Tools panel; Revit adds the vertical segment from the last point to the new elevation.
- Draw it in a section or elevation view: click the top point, click the bottom point, and you see exactly how far it drops.
- Let Connect Into do it for you, as in step 12.
Step 14. Add a revit valve on the run. Type PA, or go to Systems › Plumbing & Piping › Pipe Accessory, pick a valve that matches the pipe size and click the centreline of the pipe. The valve breaks into the run and connects both ends; delete it and the pipe heals. The sample file carries PL-Accessory-Valve in D20, D25 and D32 and PL-Accessory-PressureValve in D25 and D32.
Step 15. Check the connections. Hover over a pipe and press Tab: Revit highlights the whole connected run, and anything not connected stays unhighlighted. For the whole model, use Analyze › MEP Connections › Check Pipe Systems, which flags systems that are not connected into one network.
Ribbon options worth knowing while you draw revit pipe
The three panels of the Modify | Place Pipe tab decide most of the result. Read them once and you will redraw less.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create Riser | Adds a vertical segment up to the elevation you just typed in Properties |
| Automatically Connect | Snaps to connectors on components at the start and end of a segment |
| Inherit Elevation, Inherit Size | Take the elevation, or the size, of the element you snap to |
| Add Vertical, Change Slope | When meeting a pipe at another elevation: keep the slope and add a vertical, or connect straight and ignore the slope |
| Slope Off / Slope Up / Slope Down | Draw level, uphill or downhill; the box beside them holds the slope value |
| Tag on Placement | Tags each segment as it is placed |
Two justification fields in Properties decide whether the pipe follows its centreline or an edge: Horizontal Justification and Vertical Justification, Center and Middle by default. Set Vertical Justification to Bottom and the elevation you type is the invert, which is what you want for gravity drainage — that is the subject of drawing sloped drainage pipes.
Fitting angles come from Manage › MEP Settings › Mechanical Settings › Pipe Settings › Angles. The default is Use any angle; switch to Use specific angles and Revit only uses 90°, 60°, 45°, 30°, 22.5° and 11.25°, the angles fittings are actually sold in.
From CAD to Revit
On CAD a supply run is a few polylines, while elbows, tees and valves are blocks placed by hand. Change one size and you erase and redraw; the take-off is counted by hand.
| Task | On CAD | In Revit 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Single or double line | two lines, or one line plus a note | one pipe object: single line at Coarse and Medium, double at Fine |
| Elbows, tees, reducers | insert and align blocks | generated from the pipe type's Routing Preferences |
| Valves | a symbol | a Pipe Accessory family that breaks into the pipe |
| Elevation | written as text | a parameter you can tag and schedule |
| Quantities | counted by hand | pipe and fitting schedules that follow the model |
If you already have the CAD drawing, bring it in as a background with Insert › Link CAD and trace over it. Revit has no native command that turns CAD lines into pipes, and the Pipe command has no Pick Lines option like the Wall command, so the tracing is done by clicking.
When pipes refuse to connect
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No elbow at a turn, a gap in the run | The pipe type has no elbow for that size in Routing Preferences | Edit the Routing Preferences of the pipe type |
| A new pipe will not attach to an existing one | Automatically Connect is off, or the two are at different elevations | Turn Automatically Connect back on and click the centreline |
| The fixture stays outside the system | No connector has been joined | Use Connect Into and pick the right connector; hover and press Tab to check |
| Parallel Pipes will not pick up the run | The run already contains tees, crosses or valves | Copy the run before branching and before placing valves |
| The plan shows a single thin line | The view is at Coarse or Medium | Set Detail Level to Fine |
| The pipe is nowhere to be seen | Its elevation falls outside the view range | Adjust View Range, or the Middle Elevation |
Three things you often hear
| What you often hear | What Revit 2027 actually does |
|---|---|
| Size and elevation are typed on the Options Bar | 2027 removed the Options Bar; both fields live in Properties, as Diameter and Middle Elevation |
| The Pipe command is on the Home tab | It is on the Systems tab, Plumbing & Piping panel; PI is the shortcut |
| Elbows and tees have to be inserted by hand, as in CAD | Revit inserts them from Routing Preferences; your job is to set up the pipe type |
In short, drawing pipes is one repeated rhythm: pick the pipe type, set size and elevation, choose the system, click two points. Draw the main first, copy it with Parallel Pipes, branch afterwards, connect fixtures with Connect Into, place valves last and check with Tab and Check Pipe Systems. If you are new to the discipline, what Revit MEP is sets out the three M–E–P systems first.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start when drawing pipes in Revit?
With the main run. Set it out at an elevation that clears beams and ductwork, then branch into each room and connect the fixtures.
How do I change size part way along a run?
Select the segment and edit Diameter in Properties. Revit inserts a reducer at the joint, as long as the pipe type has one in its Routing Preferences.
Can I delete a valve placed in the wrong spot?
Yes. Select it and delete; the two pipes heal back into one if they are the same size.
Why is my pipe only a thin single line?
The view is at Coarse or Medium detail. Switch to Fine and the pipe is drawn at its true outside diameter.
How do I make the elevation refer to the invert?
Set Vertical Justification in Properties from Middle to Bottom before drawing. The elevation you type then applies to the bottom of the pipe.