Levels and grids in Revit are the two things to set out before any element is modelled. They are not decoration: each level is a horizontal plane, each grid is a vertical plane, and the whole model hangs off those two sets of planes.
This article follows the order you actually work in on the 2027 release. To learn modelling and documentation end to end, see the Revit Architecture course.
Where the two tools live, and which view to draw them in
Both tools sit at the end of the Architecture tab.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Draws a new level. Keyboard shortcut LL |
| Grid | Draws a new grid. Keyboard shortcut GR |
| Ref Plane | Draws a reference plane, used for modelling rather than annotation |
| Set, Show, Viewer | Pick, show and look at the current work plane |
The point that catches beginners: a level can only be drawn in a section or an elevation. With a plan open, the Level button is greyed out, because a plan looks straight down and cannot show a horizontal plane. Grids are the opposite: you draw them in plan. Opening a section to draw levels is covered in how to create a section in Revit.
The sample building in this article has eight levels.
| Name | Elevation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| HẦM | −2450 | Basement slab |
| SÂN | −1200 | Yard outside the house |
| 1F | 0 | Ground floor slab, the origin of the set |
| 2F, 3F, 4F | 3900, 7200, 10500 | Storey heights of 3900 then 3300 and 3300 |
| 5F, MÁI | 13500, 14100 | Attic floor and the top of the gable wall |
How to add levels in Revit and add a story
Click Architecture › Datum › Level, or type LL. The ribbon switches to a contextual tab with four things to look at.
| No. | Part | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create Plan View | On by default. On, and each new level comes with a plan view; clear it and the level is a reference level only |
| 2 | Plan View Types | Chooses which plan types are created, for example floor plans and ceiling plans |
| 3 | Draw | Line draws from two points; Pick Lines picks an existing level to make a parallel one |
| 4 | Offset | The offset from the point you click or the line you pick |
The sequence for adding a storey:
- Open a section or an elevation.
- Type LL. Check that the Type Selector shows a type with a head, such as 8mm Head.
- Move the cursor above the topmost level. A temporary dimension shows the distance to it.
- Click the start point, drag across and click the end point. Heads and tails align to the existing levels.
- Click the value to type an exact elevation, and click the name to rename it.
Autodesk sets out the same sequence on Add Levels.
One real trap: the No Head type draws no head symbol, so the level comes out with no name and no value. That is why you check the Type Selector before drawing.
Copy grids in Revit and copy levels: two consequences
Copying is faster than drawing, but it differs in one important way.
A blue head means the level has a plan view and you can double-click it to open. A black head means it has none. A level made with Copy always comes out black, because Copy creates no views.
The fix: click View › Plan Views › Floor Plan. The New Floor Plan dialog lists only the levels still missing a plan; select one and click OK.
For grids, the quick way is to draw one grid and copy it by the structural bay:
- Select the grid and type CO.
- Tick Multiple on the Options Bar to copy repeatedly, and Constrain to lock the direction.
- Click a base point, move towards the side you are copying to, type the bay dimension and press Enter.
Revit numbers grids automatically. Change one number and later grids follow, and changing the first number to a letter switches Revit to letters, as Add Grids explains. Local practice often inserts intermediate grids such as 1* or B*, so name them in order to avoid duplicate names.
Renaming a level that already has a plan view brings up Confirm Level Rename: answer Yes and the plan view name changes with it, which saves doing the job twice.
Reading a selected grid or level
Select a grid and four controls appear. A level behaves the same way.
| No. | Part | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drag grip | Drag to lengthen or shorten the grid, or to offset the head when two heads overlap |
| 2 | The 3D or 2D text | Whether the extent is shared by every view or belongs to this view only |
| 3 | Lock | Aligned grid heads are locked together. Drag one and the whole row follows |
| 4 | Alignment line | The dotted line showing which heads share a row. It appears only while selected |
| No. | Part | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drag grip | Drag to lengthen or shorten the level line. Here it sits on the edge of a scope box |
| 2 | The 2D or 3D text | Whether the extent belongs to this view or to every parallel view |
| 3 | Alignment lock | Aligned level ends are locked. Drag one and the other follows |
| 4 | Alignment line | The dotted line joining level ends that share a row |
| 5 | Name and value | Two editable fields: click the name to rename, click the number to type an elevation |
A level's Properties palette has a few boxes worth knowing.
| Box | What it does |
|---|---|
| Elevation | The elevation value. Safer than dragging; remember to click Apply |
| Story Above | The level above. Left at Default, Revit takes the nearest one above |
| Computation Height | The height at which room areas are computed, usually 0 |
| Building Story | Marks the level as a real storey. It matters for areas and for IFC export |
| Scope Box | A scope box limiting the length of the level |
Levels and grids in Revit: five ways to draw a grid and the head type
Click Architecture › Datum › Grid or type GR, then pick a method on the Draw panel.
| Method | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Line | A straight grid from two points. Most buildings need nothing else |
| Start-End-Radius Arc | An arc grid: click both ends, then pull out the radius |
| Center-ends Arc | An arc grid: click the centre, then both ends |
| Pick Lines | Pick an existing line, often a line in the linked CAD background |
| Multi-Segment | A grid of several segments, sketched then finished with the tick |
Arc and multi-segment grids come with two limits worth knowing in advance. An arc grid never shows in an elevation or a section, and a multi-segment grid cannot be tracked by the Copy/Monitor tool.
The grid type decides how the head is drawn.
| Type parameter | What it does |
|---|---|
| Symbol | The grid head family. Edit this family to match a local drawing standard |
| Center Segment | The middle run: Continuous draws it, None leaves it out, Custom gives it its own line |
| Plan View Symbols End 1 / End 2 | Whether a head is drawn at each end in plan views |
| Non-Plan View Symbols | In elevations and sections, heads at Top, Bottom, Both or None |
Local architectural sheets usually want grid heads on both sides of the plan. Duplicate the type, switch on End 1 and End 2, and use the new type across the project.
2D extents, 3D extents and Propagate Extents
Every grid and level end carries a small label, 2D or 3D. Misreading it causes the classic positioning problem: edit a grid in one plan and every plan changes.
A hollow grip means you are working on 3D extents, a filled grip means 2D. Autodesk states this, with several other tips, on Best Practices: Datum Extents.
To make several plans show grids the same way, use Propagate Extents: select the grid or level and click the button on the Datum panel of the Modify ribbon.
The dialog lists only views parallel to the current one. From a plan you see plans, not elevations. It also copies the position of a gap in the middle of a grid line to the other views.
Hide grids in Revit and fix a grid not showing
To hide the whole grid category in one view, type VG, open the Annotation Categories tab and clear Grids or Levels. That is tidier than selecting grids one by one, and it can go into a view template so the whole set matches; see how to hide elements in Revit.
When a grid disappears with nobody hiding it, check in this order.
In a 3D view, grids and levels always draw at their 3D extents. That makes a 3D view the quickest place to see how long a grid really is.
Try it: the positioning system of a sample house
Eight levels and ten grids. Work in a new project from the Metric template.
- Type UN and check that the length unit is mm.
- Open the South elevation. Select level L1, rename it 1F and answer Yes to Confirm Level Rename.
- Select L2, rename it 2F, click the Elevation box, type 3900 and click Apply.
- Type LL and check Create Plan View and a Type Selector reading 8mm Head.
- Draw four more levels above, set the values to 7200, 10500, 13500 and 14100, and rename them 3F, 4F, 5F and MÁI.
- Select 1F, type CO, move down and type 1200 for the SÂN level. Repeat for HẦM at −2450.
- Click View › Plan Views › Floor Plan and create plans for SÂN and HẦM. Watch the heads turn from black to blue.
- Open the 1F plan, type GR and draw grid 1 vertically.
- Type CO with Multiple ticked and copy grid 1 to the right at 1200, 3300, 3900 and 3900. Rename them 1*, 2, 3 and 4.
- Draw a horizontal grid at the bottom, rename it A, then copy upwards at 1200, 3300, 1930 and 2870. Rename them A, B, B and C.
- Type DI and pick the five numbered grids to place a dimension string, then check it against the bay sizes.
- Select every grid, click Propagate Extents, tick the remaining plans and click OK. Open the third floor plan to check.
Save the project, because this positioning system is the base for every element modelled later.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not draw a level in a plan view?
The Level button is greyed out in plans. Levels can only be drawn in a section or an elevation, where the horizontal plane is visible.
My new level has no plan view?
It was made with Copy, or Create Plan View was cleared while drawing. Use View, Plan Views, Floor Plan to add one.
Can grids be lettered instead of numbered?
Yes. Change the first grid's number to a letter and the grids drawn after it continue with letters.
If I move a grid, do the walls follow?
No. Grids only position and annotate. To make a wall follow a grid, lock a dimension between the two, as shown in how to create walls in Revit.
Related articles
- How to create a section in Revit — opening a section to draw and check levels
- How to hide elements in Revit — switching the Grids and Levels categories off
- Dimensions in Revit — dimension strings across the grid bays
- How to create walls in Revit — modelling walls on the grid you have just set out
- Revit project units and templates — setting the units before the positioning system