How to Scale ANYTHING in Revit

Understanding how to scale in Revit allows you to adjust the size and proportion of elements, views, and sheets in your project.

This ensures that your drawings are accurate and consistent with your design intent and standards.

Revit scale is the proportional system used to represent objects in a drawing. It determines how large or small an element appears in relation to its actual size in the real world.

There are two types of scale in Revit: element scale and view scale.

• Element scale is the size of an element in the model. It is determined by the dimensions and parameters of the element.
• View scale is the ratio of the size of an element in the view to its actual size in the physical world. It is determined by the view scale setting.

You can scale elements and views in Revit using a variety of tools and methods, depending on your goals.

✨ Tip: The scaling tool, image, CAD and PDF methods are all the same. It is enough to learn about the tool itself. But since this is a guide (and for the people who use different keywords), I will show each one separately.

Revit Scale Tool

The simplest way to scale any element in a view is to use the Scale tool on the Modify tab. This tool allows you to select an element and then specify a base point and a scale factor to resize it.

Steps

1. Select the element.
2. Go to the Modify tab > Modify panel > click Scale (Shortcut: RE).
3. Click a base point for the scale operation.

4. Enter a scale factor or drag the cursor to visually scale the element.
5. Click to finish the scale operation.

Using another unit system? Learn how to change units in Revit.

✨ Tip: Use the TAB key to cycle through different reference points on the elements in view.

View

To scale a view, you need to change its View Scale property. This property determines how the view is displayed on the screen and on sheets. You can access the View Scale property from the View Control Bar at the bottom of the view window or from the Properties palette.

Steps

1. Activate the view you want to scale.
2. In the View Control Bar, click the View Scale drop-down menu.
3. Select a predefined scale or click Custom to enter a custom scale.
4. The view will update to reflect the new scale.

To see more layers and detail, select a “Fine” level of detail.

Changing the view scale does not affect the actual size or properties of the items in the view. It only changes how they are displayed. Read on to learn how to change the size of the different elements.

Note that some view settings can be controlled by a view template, which may prevent you from changing the scale value. To confirm that the view template is causing the setting to be greyed out, you can remove the view template from the view.

3D View

Scaling a 3D view in Revit 2024 is similar to scaling a 2D view, except for perspective views, because a perspective view does not have a fixed scale.

Steps

1. Open the 3D view.
2. In the Properties palette, change the View Scale to a new value.
3. Click Apply.

The scale is now applied when you add this 3D view to any sheet.

Unlike orthographic views, perspective views do not have a view scale property. This means that you cannot change their view scale by selecting a predefined or custom scale from the view control bar or properties palette. Learn about Orthographic vs. Perspective

However, you can scale a perspective 3D view using another method: the Size Crop tool.

Steps to scale a perspective view:

1. In the Project Browser, drag and drop a 3D view onto a sheet.
2. Select the 3D view.

3. Go to the Modify tab > Crop tab > click Size Crop.
4. Increase or decrease the width and height of the 3D view in millimeters.
5. Select Scale (Locked proportions).

The Size Crop tool allows us to change the width and height of the 3D view in millimeters. This affects the size of the 3D view on the title block and its dimensions. It makes the 3D view bigger or smaller according to our needs and preferences.

✨ Tip: Use the Crop View tool to define a 3D perspective view that is appropriate for your presentation before following these steps.

Add a Scale Bar (Graphic Scale)

Scale bars are annotation elements that show the scale of a view in Revit. They help the readers to understand the size and proportion of the elements in the view.

The default location for the graphic scale family is C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2024\Libraries\English\US\Annotations.

Steps

1. Open the sheet you want to add a scale bar to.
2. Go to the Annotate tab > Symbol panel > click Symbol.
3. In the Mode panel, click Load Family.

4. Browse to the Annotation Symbols folder > select a scale bar family.
5. Click Open.
6. Left-click to place the scale bar in the view.

Scale bars (graphic scales) are view-specific elements, meaning that they only appear in the view in which they are placed. Learn about annotation symbols

Added by default to new views in the latest version of Revit, they show accurate distance measurements on 2D views and provide a standardized way to display distances.

Family

A family is a collection of elements that share common properties and behaviors. You can create and edit families using the Family Editor. But changing the scale of an entire family at once can be a time-consuming task.

However, Planting is a family category that allows scaling. So if you convert your family to a planting type and then nest it into a plant family, it will be controlled by a scale parameter “height”. This allows you to easily resize a Revit family in any project.

Note that the default location for planting families is C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2024\Libraries\English\US\Planting.

Steps

1. Open the project that contains the family you want to scale.
2. In the Properties panel, click Family Category and Parameters.
3. Select Planting as a Family Category.
4. Click OK.

5. Open the 3D view of the family > select all elements.
6. Press CTRL and C to copy elements.

7. Go to the File tab > drop-down Open menu > click Family.
8. Browse to the plant family > click Open.

9. Left-click on the center line of the plant.
10. In the Mode panel, click Edit Family.

11. Select the tree component.
12. In the Properties palette, check Visible to hide the tree.
13. Click Apply.

14. In the Project Browser, open the Back view.
15. Click CTRL and V to paste the family.
16. Left-click on the ground level to add the family in place.
17. Click Finish.

18. In the Project Browser, open the Reference Level view.
19. Select all elements in view.
20. In the Selection panel, click Filter.

21. Select “Lines Planting”.
22. Click OK.
23. Press Delete on the keyboard to delete all annotation lines.

24. In the Family Editor panel, click Load into Project and Close.
25. Select the main plant family into which you want to load your new family.
26. Click OK.
27. Go to the File tab > drop-down Save As menu > click Family.
28. Type a name for the new scalable family.
29. Click Save.

28. In the Family Editor, click Load into Project.
29. Select one of your Revit projects to load the new scalable family into.
30. Click OK.

31. Go to the Architecture tab > Build panel > click Component.
32. Insert the new family into the view > select the family.
33. In the Properties palette, click Edit Type.

34. Click Duplicate to create a new independent size of the family.
35. Under Dimensions, change the value of Height.
36. Click OK.

Image

An image is a 2D graphical element that you can import into Revit from an external file, such as a JPG or a PNG file. You can use images to add logos, textures, backgrounds, or other types of graphics to your views or sheets.

Steps

1. Go to the Insert tab > Link panel > click Link Image.
2. Browse to the folder that contains the image file.
3. Click Open.
4. Place the image in the view.
5. Select the image and click the Scale tool (Shortcut: RE).
6. Click a base point for the scale operation.

7. Enter a scale factor or drag the cursor to visually scale the image.
8. Click to complete the scale operation.

✨ Tip: You can convert an image to a 3D model without importing or linking it into your project by using the Edit mode.

Selecting the image displays its size settings in the Properties palette:

Scaling an image changes the size of the image in the view. But it does not affect the original image file. Learn how to crop images in Revit

CAD File

A CAD file is a 2D or 3D drawing file that you can import or link into Revit from an external software, such as AutoCAD. You can use CAD files to add details, references, or geometry to your Revit model or views.

Steps

1. Go to the Insert tab > Link panel > click Link CAD.
2. Browse to the folder that contains the file.
3. Change “Import Units” to import the CAD file in the correct scale.

4. Select the CAD and click the Scale tool (Shortcut: RE).
5. Click a base point for the scale operation.

6. Enter a scale factor or move the cursor to visually scale the CAD element.
7. Click to complete the scale operation.

Learn more about importing CAD files

PDF

A PDF file is a document file that you can import or link into Revit from an external source. You can use PDF files to add text, images, or graphics to your views or sheets.

Steps

1. Go to the Insert tab > Link panel > click Link PDF.
2. Browse to the folder that contains the PDF file you want to import.
3. Click Open.

4. Change the resolution according to the desired scale.
5. Click OK.
6. Place the PDF file in the view.

7. Select the PDF file and click the Scale tool (Shortcut: RE).
8. Click a base point for the scale operation.
9. Enter a scale factor or drag the cursor to visually scale the PDF element.
10. Left-click to complete the scaling operation.

Selecting the PDF will display its size settings in the Properties palette:

Note that linking files means that any changes made to the files will be reflected in your project.

Hatch Pattern

Hatch patterns are elements that fill the regions of your model. They can help you to create, modify, or annotate your model. Unlike model patterns, you can scale drafting patterns. Learn more about filled regions

Steps

1. Select the filled region.
2. In the Properties palette, click Edit Type.
3. Click the three dots of Foreground Fill Pattern.
4. Select a pattern > click the pencil icon.
5. In the Settings panel, change the Import Scale to the desired value.
6. Click OK.

Print

Print scale is the ratio of the size of the view on the page to the size of the view on the paper. Creating a title block with the correct dimensions allows you to print to scale.

Then adjust each view scale using the methods above before dragging and dropping them into your title block.

Finally, make sure the print settings match your paper or standards.

Steps

1. Go to the File tab > drop-down Print menu > Click Print Setup.
2. Select a size from the “Page Size” drop-down menu or click “Add” to assign dimensions.

How to export a file to print it to scale:

1. Go to the File tab > drop-down Print menu > Click Print.
2. Select Adobe PDF as a printer > click Properties.
3. Drop-down Adobe PDF page size menu to select a size.

4. Click Add to create a new layout.
5. Adjust the unit and paper size.
6. Click Add/Modify > drop-down the Page Size menu.
7. Select the saved page name.

Want to learn more about printing and PDF files? See our PDF in Revit guide

I hope that this guide has helped you to learn about all the different things you can do with scaling in Revit.

Mohamed Fakhry

Mohamed Fakhry has helped thousands of architects and designers find their next project with step-by-step guidance on his blog, mashyo.com. About Mohamed

His journey began during his university years when he recognized the need for information-rich 3D models to accelerate learning and improve production processes. Now, Mohamed shares his expertise through Revit tutorials that are accessible to all.