Revit 2021: An Overview of Massing.

by John Flanagan

Massing in Revit

Mass Elements are used to give you a conceptual idea of the space and shape of a building without having to take the time to put in a lot of detail. It allows you to create alternative designs quickly and easily and get approval before you put in a lot of effort.

Massing Tools

Massing & Site tab > Conceptual Mass panel.

Overview of Massing Studies

The focus is the overall shape and footprint of the building, which you develop in a massing study.

Using Mass Elements

Existing massing elements can be inserted into a project using the Place Mass command.

Creating and Modifying Mass Elements

You can create your own mass elements in a project as an In-Place Mass or in a separate Conceptual Mass family.

Making Buildings from Mass Elements

Once you have finished the massing study, you can apply walls, curtain systems, roofs and floors to the faces of the mass element and proceed to the next step in the design process.

• To view mass elements, click Show Mass in the Massing & Site tab>Conceptual Mass panel.
• Masses do not print and cannot be exported unless the Mass category is made visible in the Visibility/Graphic Overrides (VV) dialogue box. This is off by default in the Revit template files.