A mid-sized four-storey building already needs thirty structural sheets. Laid out by hand in CAD, every inserted sheet means renumbering, editing the drawing list and checking which title block still shows the old number.
Structural drawing sets in Revit handle this with three linked pieces: sheet numbers, a drawing list that reads the sheets directly, and a Project Browser tree that groups itself by number. This article walks fifteen steps in Revit 2027 using the 30 sheets KC-00.1 to KC-04.2 of the sample building. For the full path from model to issued set, the Institute runs a Revit Structure course.
What a structural drawing set in Revit contains
The first sheet, KC-00.1, is the drawing list of the set itself. Not one row of it is typed.
| Group | Content | Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| KC-00 | Cover, drawing list, general notes | 4 |
| KC-01 | Columns and foundations: pile layout, footings, columns, DX1 and DY1 beam details | 11 |
| KC-02 | Floors: framing plans, slab reinforcement plans, roof, sections | 10 |
| KC-03 | Beam details | 3 |
| KC-04 | Stairs | 2 |
A number such as KC-02.3 reads at a glance: structure, group 02, third sheet. Everything below is about keeping that convention intact from the first sheet to the last.
Before you lay out sheets
You need two things. First, a loaded title block family with labels that read Sheet Number and Sheet Name; see title blocks in Revit. Second, views ready to print, at the right scale and fully annotated; see structural annotation in Revit. Exporting the set to PDF or DWG comes last and is covered in exporting Revit drawings to CAD.
This article is part of the Institute's Revit Structure series.
Numbering sheets by discipline and creating new ones
Step 1 — Fix the numbering convention before the first sheet
The sample convention is KC-group.order. The first two characters are the discipline code, and that is not cosmetic: step 11 shows the Project Browser grouping sheets by exactly those two characters. A set that also has architectural sheets numbered KT- splits into two branches on its own.
Step 2 — Create a sheet with View › Sheet
On the View tab, Sheet Composition panel, click Sheet.
The New Sheet dialog has two lists. The upper one holds the loaded title block types, with Load to add more. The lower one holds placeholder sheets if the drawing list declared them in advance; the sample model only shows New. Pick a title block and click OK.
Step 3 — Correct the number Revit fills in
This is the step people skip. The new sheet in the sample building does not get KC-04.3; it gets KT-05.11, named Unnamed.
The Project Browser shows the consequence: a KT branch appears beside KC, because the filled-in number starts with KT. Left alone, the sheet sits under the wrong discipline and the drawing list sorts it in the wrong place.
Step 4 — Enter Sheet Number, Sheet Name and the sheet's group
In the sheet's Properties, type Sheet Number and Sheet Name, then click Apply.
The title block picks up the new name and number and the KT branch disappears. Scroll Properties down to Other: the sample building has an extra sheet parameter @AV THU MUC holding the group name, for example KC-04 KẾT CẤU CẦU THANG. That parameter is the key to steps 8 and 12. The same palette has Sheet Issue Date, filled with the creation date, and Appears In Sheet List, which decides whether the sheet enters the list.
Step 5 — Drag a view onto the sheet
Find the view in the Project Browser and drag it into the sheet.
The viewport follows the cursor and the status bar reads Left click to place View. One click places it with a view title underneath, and the ribbon switches to Modify | Viewports.
Sheet list in Revit: a structural drawing list that updates itself
Step 6 — Run View › Schedules › Sheet List
Go to View › Schedules; the menu has six items. Choose Sheet List.
Unlike an element schedule, Revit does not ask for a category and opens Sheet List Properties directly. Autodesk's Sheet Lists page defines it as a schedule of the sheets in a project, usually placed on the title sheet.
Step 7 — Choose columns on the Fields tab
The sample list uses five fields: Sheet Number, Sheet Name, Sheet Issue Date, Ghi chú and @AV THU MUC. The left list still holds 31 fields, including Checked By, Drawn By and Current Revision for sets that record drafter, checker and revision.
Step 8 — Group on the Sorting/Grouping tab
This turns one long list into five readable blocks.
Set Sort by to @AV THU MUC and tick Header, so each group gets a title row such as KC-01 KẾT CẤU PHẦN CỘT MÓNG. Set Then by to Sheet Number. Set Grand totals to Title, count, and totals with Custom grand total title Tổng số. Finally, on Formatting, select @AV THU MUC and tick Hidden field: it still groups the list but does not print as a column.
Step 9 — Place the list on the first sheet and test it
Drag the schedule onto KC-00.1 as in step 5, then add a new sheet.
Sheet KC-04.3 from steps 2–4 appears at the end of group KC-04, the total changes from 30 to 31, and the issue date column shows the creation date. Nobody edits a row.
Organizing the Project Browser by discipline
Step 10 — Open Browser Organization
Go to View › User Interface; Browser Organization is at the bottom of the menu.
The dialog has four tabs: Views, Sheets, Schedules, Panel Schedules. The Sheets tab of the sample building lists five schemes; the ticked one is @P21-PHÂN LOẠI BẢN VẼ. Select it and click Edit.
Step 11 — Read the two-character grouping rule
Browser Organization Properties has two tabs, Filtering and Grouping and Sorting. Open the second. The sample rule is short: Group by Sheet Number, Using Leading characters set to 2; Sort by Sheet Number, Ascending. Revit takes the first two characters of the number as the branch name, so every KC-xx sheet lands in KC. That is exactly why KT-05.11 in step 3 grew its own branch.
Step 12 — Add a second level from a sheet parameter
Thirty sheets in one KC branch is still long. Add a level using the parameter the drawing list already uses.
In the first Then by row choose @AV THU MUC with Using All characters. Click OK twice.
Step 13 — Collapse the tree into five groups
The Project Browser now reads KC › KC-00 … KC-04, the same five titles as the drawing list on the right. Anyone opening the model finds sheets by group, and list and tree never disagree because both read one parameter.
Detail number: the order of views on a sheet
Step 14 — Set the Detail Number and orientation
On the sheet, click the title under a view to select its viewport.
The level 2 framing plan on KC-02.1 has Detail Number 1, and the bubble in its view title reads that value. Rotation on Sheet offers None, 90° Clockwise and 90° Counterclockwise: it turns the view on paper without turning the building. Modify | Viewports also has a Positioning & View group with Save Position, Manage Positions and View Anchor for keeping viewport positions.
Detail Numbers must be unique on a sheet. Type one already in use and Revit refuses at once.
Step 15 — Check the reference marks on plans
The Detail Number is not just a label; every mark pointing to the view reads it.
The section mark on the level 3 plan shows 1 above and KC-02.8 below: view 1 on sheet KC-02.8, the SECTION sheet in the list. Change that section's Detail Number on KC-02.8 to 3 and the mark on the plan reads 3 immediately; set it back to 1 and the mark follows. Nothing is edited by hand.
When it does not work
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A new sheet lands in another Project Browser branch | The filled-in number carries another discipline code | Correct the Sheet Number right after creating the sheet |
| A sheet is in the tree but not in the list | Appears In Sheet List is unticked | Tick it in the sheet's Properties |
| The title block still says Unnamed after typing a name | The new value was not applied | Click Apply under Properties |
| The list prints an extra group-name column | The group field is not hidden | Formatting, select the field, tick Hidden field |
| A Detail Number is rejected | That number is already on the sheet | Pick an unused number, or renumber the other view first |
Five myths about laying out sheets
| What people say | What Revit 2027 actually does |
|---|---|
| A new sheet continues the numbering of the group you are working on | In the sample model Revit filled KT-05.11 in the middle of a KC set; correct it by hand |
| The drawing list is typed or pasted from Excel | Sheet List reads the sheets, so a new sheet is a new row |
| The Project Browser only sorts sheets alphabetically | Browser Organization groups by leading characters or by sheet parameters, on several levels |
| To show a plan vertically you rotate the building | Rotation on Sheet turns the view on paper, the model stays put |
| View numbers are typed in the view title | The title reads the Detail Number, and reference marks read it too |
In short, structural drawing sets in Revit come down to one numbering convention and one group parameter on every sheet; the list and the browser follow.
Frequently asked questions
Does the structural drawing list update when sheets are added?
Yes. Sheet List reads the sheets in the project, so adding, deleting or renaming a sheet changes the table, including the total.
How does a sheet list in Revit group sheets by section?
Add a sheet parameter holding the group name, include it in Fields, choose it in Sort by with Header, then hide the column with Hidden field.
Why did the Project Browser put my sheet in its own branch?
The scheme groups by the first two characters of the Sheet Number. A sheet with a different code, KT instead of KC, goes to another branch.
Can two sheets share a Detail Number?
Yes; the number only has to be unique within one sheet. Reference marks always show the sheet number too.
Do I need to edit section marks after renumbering views?
No. The mark reads the Detail Number and the sheet number where the view sits, so renumbering on the sheet updates the mark.