A site foreman who reads DY3.1-(220x400) on a plan knows it is beam number 1 on level 3, running along a lettered grid, 220 by 400. All structural drawing symbols work like that: a short string that packs element type, location and size.
In Revit those symbols have to be built into the model so it prints them correctly: numbers live in parameters, line styles and colours in Object Styles and filters, units in the dimension types. This article turns the conventions of a real Vietnamese structural drawing set into a lookup table, then walks fifteen steps to make Revit 2027 produce each one. For the full modelling and documentation workflow, the Institute runs a Revit Structure course.
Structural drawing symbols and where Revit builds them
| Convention | Example on the set | Built in Revit with |
|---|---|---|
| Column: C + level + dot + number | C2.1, C2.1a | The Mark parameter |
| Beam on numbered grid, on lettered grid | DX3.1a, DY3.1 | The beam's Mark |
| Section size in brackets | (220x400) | Type name, through the tag |
| Slab: S + thickness, top level | S120 (+7.450) | Floor tag reading parameters |
| Stirrups: count, diameter, spacing | 10 Ø8 a100 | Structural Rebar Tags |
| Grouped main bars | 3x Ø18 | Multi-Rebar Annotations |
| Beams under slab | Dashed | Object Styles, <Hidden Lines> row |
| Dropped slab | Cross hatch | Filter on slab offset |
| Levels | +3.90, -0.05 m | Level type, spot elevation type |
| Dimensions | 3800, no unit | Dimension type |
| Grid lines | 1–4 along the length, A–B across | Grid names |
| Sheet number | KC-02.4 | Sheet Number |
Hand-drawn symbols such as section arrows, material hatches and steel shapes are covered in building drawing symbols; reading a whole set is covered in how to read structural drawings.
Relevant Vietnamese standards, with status checked on the portal of the Vietnam Standards and Quality Institute. Most of the table above is Vietnamese drawing practice of the design office, not a clause of any standard.
| Number | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| TCVN 5572:2012 | Concrete and reinforced concrete structures – Construction drawings | Active |
| TCVN 6084:2012 | Construction drawings – Simplified representation of concrete reinforcement | Active, replaces TCVN 6084:1995 and TCVN 5898:1995 |
| TCVN 5570:2012 | Symbols for gridlines and lines on drawings | Active |
| TCVN 5571:2012 | Construction drawings – Title blocks | Active |
| TCVN 7286:2003 | Technical drawings – Scales | Active |
Preparing the model before you set up symbols
You need a model with real columns, beams, slabs and foundations. This article uses the Institute's three-storey townhouse, with the level 3 plan at 1 : 50. Beam tags, floor tags and opening marks are taught step by step in structural annotation in Revit; here we cover the conventions behind them.
This article is part of the Institute's Revit Structure series.
Element marks and rebar tags: Mark, type name, tag
Step 1 — Put the element number in Mark
Select a column on the column layout plan. In the Properties palette, scroll to Identity Data.
Mark reads C2.1: column 1 on level 2. The number is an instance parameter. Beams work the same way: the beam on grid A at level 3 has Mark DY3.1. In the sample model DX beams sit on numbered grids and DY beams on lettered grids.
Step 2 — Name the type after its section
Click Edit Type. The Type Properties dialog shows type 220x300 with b = 220 and h = 300.
The type name is the bracketed part of the tag, so naming each type exactly b x h is the cheapest way to keep tags right. For a new section, click Duplicate, name it with the same pattern and a lower-case x, then edit b and h.
Step 3 — Break the column tag onto two lines
Select a column tag, click Edit Family, select the sample label and click Edit Label.
The tag @@PQ-Tag Cột BT combines Mark and Type Name. The Break box ticked after Mark pushes the size onto the next line, giving C2.1 above (220x300). Prefix ( and Suffix ) add the brackets. Close the family tab and answer No when Revit asks to save.
Step 4 — Show rebar symbols with two kinds of tags
Open a beam section, for example detail DX1.1_A1 at 1 : 20.
The two rebar notations come from two different tag categories. Stirrups 10 Ø8 a100 use Structural Rebar Tags, family PQ- Tag Thep T, where a means spacing. Grouped bars 3x Ø18 use Multi-Rebar Annotations, family PQ - Tag Nhom Thep Dam, one tag for several bars. The circled number matches the bar number in the rebar schedule; placing bars is covered in beam reinforcement in Revit.
Lines and colours on plans: Object Styles and filters
Step 5 — Show beams under the slab as dashed lines
Go to Manage › Object Styles and type Framing in Category name search.
Beams hidden by the slab show dashed because of the <Hidden Lines> row of Structural Framing, weight 1, pattern Dash. The level 3 plan has Discipline set to Structural and Show Hidden Lines set to By Discipline, so hidden beams follow this row. Choosing pen weights for printing is covered in line weights in Revit.
Step 6 — Colour DX beams with a filter that reads Mark
Open Visibility/Graphics for the plan, go to the Filters tab and click Edit/New.
This is where a naming convention pays off. The filter @P21=DẦM DX TÔ MÀU has one rule: Structural Framing whose Mark begins with DX. Because every beam on a numbered grid carries the DX prefix, one rule colours the whole family red for checking. Building filters from scratch is covered in filters in Revit.
Step 7 — Mark dropped slabs with an offset filter
In the same Filters dialog, select @P21=MODEL Sàn -100.
The rule catches every floor with Height Offset From Level equal to -100. Level 3 is at +7.50, so this slab tops out at +7.400 and shows cross-hatched on the plan. Raise the slab back to the level and the hatch disappears.
Step 8 — Apply filters to the view and order them
Go back to the Filters tab of Visibility/Graphics.
The Lines column of @P21=DẦM DX TÔ MÀU shows a red line; the Patterns column of the two slab filters shows the hatches. Autodesk's Apply a Filter page states that a filter applies to the current view only, the filter at the top of the list takes precedence, and view templates carry filters to many views. The level 3 plan uses template @P21=MBKC SOÁT DẦM.
Spot elevations and dimensions: metres beside millimetres
Step 9 — Make dimensions read millimetres with no unit
Select a dimension, click Edit Type, scroll to Units Format and click its value.
The Format dialog of type @P21=Dim CT clears Use project settings and picks Millimeters, 0 decimal places and Unit symbol None. The result is a bare 3800, as Vietnamese sets expect. Dimension commands are covered in dimensions in Revit.
Step 10 — Make spot elevations read metres with a plus sign
Select a spot elevation and repeat step 9.
One sheet carries two units, and Revit copes because each annotation type keeps its own Format. The spot elevation type uses Meters, 2 decimal places, symbol m, and ticks Show + for positive values so positive levels always carry a plus sign.
Step 11 — Check levels, column tags and foundation tags on a section
Open the structural section and click empty space so Properties shows the view.
Level heads of type 8mm Head show the name above and the elevation below: 1F +0.00, 2F +3.90, 3F +7.50. Column tags repeat the two-line form of step 3. Foundations read MÓNG M1 and MÓNG M2, yet the Mark of the pile caps in the model is empty; fill in M1, M2 so a foundation tag can read them from the model like columns and beams.
Grid lines, sheet numbering and naming prefixes
Grid lines are numbered 1–4 along the length and lettered A–B across; grid head types and hiding the middle segment are in the annotation article. Worth checking: a grid does not always pass through the column centre. The edge column 220x300 on grid B has a dimension string of 110 and 190 either side of the grid, an offset of 40 mm along its 300 side.
Step 12 — Number sheets by discipline code
Click a sheet in the Project Browser and read Identity Data.
Sheet numbers follow discipline code, hyphen, group, dot, sequence. KC-00 holds the index and general notes, KC-01 foundations, piles, columns and ground floor beams, KC-02 slabs, roof and sections, KC-03 upper floor beam details, KC-04 stairs. Grouping sheets in the Project Browser is covered in structural drawing sets in Revit.
Step 13 — Prefix everything your office creates
Go to Manage › Additional Settings › Line Patterns.
The five patterns @BS-Center, @BS-Dash, @BS-Hidden… sit together at the top, apart from the imported AEC_ patterns. The same idea runs through the model: @P21= for filters, materials and dimension types, @AV-KC for view folders. Names say what they do: @P21=MODEL ẨN SÀN KT hides every floor whose type name does not begin with S, so structural floor types must start with S.
Drawing scale: check every view with a View List
Step 14 — Create a View List with a scale column
Go to View › Schedules › View List. In View List Properties, type into Parameter Name Search and add View Name, Sheet Number and Scale Value 1:. The field is called Scale Value 1:, not View Scale as in the Properties palette.
Step 15 — Sort by scale and read the result
On the Sorting/Grouping tab, set Sort by to Scale Value 1: and click OK.
The schedule shows the scales the set really uses:
| Scale | Used for in the sample model |
|---|---|
| 1 : 15 | Column rebar details |
| 1 : 20 | Foundation details, beam sections |
| 1 : 25 and 1 : 30 | Stairs, slab rebar sections, 3D foundations |
| 1 : 40 and 1 : 45 | Beam details |
| 1 : 50 | Structural plans, slab rebar, pile layout |
| 1 : 60 | Column layout, some structural plans |
| 1 : 70 | Structural section |
| 1 : 75 | 3D views placed on sheets |
| 1 : 100 | Only views not yet on sheets |
Choose the scale before annotating, because text size and print weights follow it.
When symbols do not come out right
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| One DX beam is not red | Mark missing or wrong DX prefix | Correct Mark; the filter picks it up |
Tag prints 300*500 next to 220x500 | Type names use different signs | Rename types with one x |
| Foundation tag does not update | Pile cap Mark is empty | Fill Mark, tag with a Mark-reading tag |
Dimension shows 3800 mm | Unit symbol of the type is not None | Open Format, set Unit symbol None |
| Positive level lacks a plus sign | Show + for positive values unticked | Tick it in Format |
| Dropped slab not hatched | Offset differs from the rule, for example -150 | Add a filter for that value |
Five myths about structural symbols in Revit
| Myth | What Revit 2027 actually does |
|---|---|
| The element symbol is the type name | The number is in Mark; the type name is only the size |
| Grids always pass through column centres | Edge columns can be offset, like the 110 and 190 string on grid B |
| Dashed beams must be drawn by hand | Dashes come from <Hidden Lines> in Object Styles |
| Adding a filter changes the whole set | A filter acts only on the views or templates it is added to |
| Main bars and stirrups share one tag family | Two categories: Multi-Rebar Annotations and Structural Rebar Tags |
In short, structural drawing symbols in Revit are not typed onto the sheet but built into the model: numbers in Mark, sizes in type names, lines and colours in Object Styles and filters.
Frequently asked questions
What does C2.1 mean on a structural drawing?
Column number 1 on level 2; suffixes such as a or kt mark special elements.
What is the difference between DX and DY?
In the sample model DX beams sit on numbered grids and DY beams on lettered grids. Offices may differ, so check the general notes sheet of each set.
Why are levels in metres and dimensions in millimetres?
It is long-standing Vietnamese drawing practice. Revit handles it because each dimension type and spot elevation type keeps its own Format.
What does the a in 10 Ø8 a100 mean?
The spacing of the stirrups, here 100 mm.
Is there a Vietnamese standard for reinforced concrete drawing symbols?
TCVN 5572:2012 covers construction drawings of reinforced concrete structures and TCVN 6084:2012 covers reinforcement representation; both are active. Element numbers such as C2.1 or DX3.1 are the office's own convention.