How to Group and UnGroup in Revit

ByMohamed Fakhry Updated

The “group” tool in Revit allows you to duplicate multiple elements at once. However, ungrouping finished elements keeps your project files healthy and less bloated.

In this tutorial I will guide you through the steps of working with Revit groups.

I will add the default hotkeys after each step. They will speed up your workflow once you are familiar with the manual process.

Group Model

Group multiple elements under one entity.

Steps

  1. Select elements (Multiple selection of elements: CTRL+ left click).
  2. Go to the Modify | Multi-Select tab > Create panel > click Create Group.
  3. Assign a name for the group > click OK.
revit group

✨ Tip: Use the keyboard shortcut (GP) after selecting elements.

Ungroup Model

Ungroup all elements into individual elements.

Steps

  1. Select a group.
  2. Go to the Modify | Model Groups tab > Group panel > click Ungroup.
revit ungroup

✨ Tip: Use the keyboard shortcut (UG) after selecting a group or more.

Edit Groups

Add or remove elements.

If the Edit Group panel is missing, you can find it off-screen by learning how to unhide all the interface elements. You can also follow the hotkeys in each tip to perform the same action.

Steps

  1. Select a group.
  2. Go to the Modify | Model Groups tab > Group panel > click Edit Group.
revit edit group

✨ Tip: Use the keyboard shortcut (EG) after selecting a group or more.

Exclude Elements

Click Add or Remove in the Edit Group ribbon to control individual elements by clicking them in the viewport.

Click Cancel to undo all changes made in the current edit mode, and then click Finish to assign the changes.

Duplicate Groups

If you duplicate the group type, the group is not duplicated in the view. After duplicating, you can drag previous groups from Project Browser > expand Groups > expand Model.

Steps

  1. Select a group.
  2. In the Properties palette, click Edit Type.
  3. Click Duplicate.
  4. Assign a name for the duplicated group.
  5. Click OK.

Ungroup All Groups

Take apart all groups into individual elements.

Steps

  1. Open the 3D view.
  2. In the View Control bar, click Reveal Hidden Elements (Shortcut: RH).
  3. Click and drag to select all elements in the view.
  4. Go to the Modify | Multi-Select tab > Select panel > click Filter.
  5. Check “Categories: Detail” and/or “Model Groups”.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Go to the Modify | Model Groups tab > Group panel.
  8. Click Ungroup.

Once you have done this, purge them all and select the groups you want to delete or simply delete them from the Project Browser.

Via Dynamo

  1. Create an Element Types: Group node.
  2. Change running mode to Manual > Click Run.
  3. Create All Elements of Type node.
  4. Connect Elements Types to All Elements of Type.
  5. Create a Group.UngroupElements node.
  6. Connect All Elements of Type to Group.Ungroup.
  7. Click Run.
revit ungroup all

Save Groups as Project Files

Save a particular group as a RVT project file.

Steps

  1. Go to the File tab > Drop-down Save As menu.
  2. Drop-down Library menu > click Group.
  3. Rename the group if necessary.
  4. Select the groups to save from the Group to Save drop-down menu.
  5. Check “Include attached detail groups as views”.
  6. Click Save.
Save group as project in Revit

Groups VS Assemblies

Assemblies have the advantage of tracking and scheduling a collection of elements as a single entity, whereas groups are for elements that need to interact with each other. It is easier to manage changes within group entities.

GroupAssembly
– Manage interacting elements together.
– Update instances at the same time.
– Save as combination of elements.

Two types:
1. Detail Groups: contains 2D elements such as annotations and text.
2. Model Groups: contains 3D elements, such as walls, doors, and components.		– Identify and Document elements.
– Filter element combinations.
– Included in schedules.

Export groups to the library and import them as groups into other projects. Groups usually contain Revit families. It is not possible to store both detail and model elements in the same group. You must handle them separately.

The latest version (Revit 2023) provides (type and instance parameter) multi-category tags for model groups and RVT links.

Tips

  • Treat groups like layers: Rename each group according to its role in the project before duplicating or copying it.
  • You automatically create groups when you array elements. Remember to ungroup after using Array to maintain a healthy project file.
  • Keep elements and their hosts in the same group.
  • Do not constrain group elements with non-associated elements.
  • Do not create groups within groups. Nested groups reduce performance.
  • Do not “fix the group” if a warning requires it. This will only cause the group to be broken up or duplicated.
  • How do I exit group edit mode if buttons are lost? Use the keyboard shortcut (FG) to finish and save the group. (CG) cancels the group editing mode.