How to Model Wall Protection & Skirtings
The first question you should ask is do I need to model Wall Protection or Skirtings? These will be a lot of work to coordinate, so if they can be avoided you probably should.
Wall Protection/skirtings can be modelled in numerous different ways each with their own Pros & Cons. For example:
Using a Split Region Compound Wall
Information on creating these can be found here.Pros
Small performance impact as there is no thickness
Automatic placement, as they are there as soon as you draw the wall.
As its part of the wall, all the impacts of openings are inherited.
Cons
Not visible in Plan as there is no thickness
No profiles
Requires multiple Wall Types (with and without) the Split Region, for situations where walls do not start at the desired skirting level to avoid random skirting heights.
Using a special short Wall
Pros
There is a plugin that can place these very quickly
BIM 42: Room FinishingProvided your Doors/Windows are built appropriately it will inherit the openings of the adjacent walls
Can hide them in Plans using a Filter
Can display linework differently using Filters
Cons
Painful to update when the room changes layout as you now have multiple elements to coordinate the adjustments of.
Cannot be custom profiles
Cannot make linework display offset from the geometry for clarity
Using Wall Sweeps (Separate - do not use Integral Wall Sweeps)
Pros
Very quick to place, generally.
Can be any custom profile
Can be placed on Subcategories and hidden in Plan or displayed differently
Will move with their Host
Cons
Cannot make linework display offset from the geometry for clarity
Sometimes they don’t properly inherit host cuts, such as at Corner Windows/doors and have to be cut separately using Void Families.
Will assume the Length of the whole wall, so if they need to be partial length or stop offset from openings, this gets very tedious.
Using Slab Edges
Pros
Very quick to place, generally.
Can be any custom profile
Can be placed on Subcategories and hidden in Plan or displayed differently
Will move with their Host (Floor Finishes)
Cons
Cannot make linework display offset from the geometry for clarity
As the openings (doors/windows) have no relationship to the floors, their positions have to be manually coordinated with openings.
Will assume the Length of the whole floor edge, so if they need to be partial length or stop offset from openings, this gets very tedious.
Using a custom Line Based Family
Pros
Precise control over the end points and end conditions
Can be any custom profile
Can be placed on Subcategories and hidden in Plan or displayed differently
Linework can be configured to offset from the geometry for clarity
Can be constrained to the walls/openings to move when the design changes (although too many constraints on the model can create a performance overhead so this isn’t recommended)
Cons
Coordination with walls/opening changes can be tedious (as above, they can be constrained, so the effort to manual coordinate vs the performance impacts need to be weighed up)
The recommended method with the least number of negatives and most room for customisation is using a custom Line Based Family.
Placing/Using a Line Based Family
Below outlines the process for using a Line Based Wall Protection Skirting Family.
Load from Library ► 01 Revit Library\a Architectural\Site\Wall Protection-Skirting-Generic-Rectangle.rfa
Select the most appropriate Profile (this example uses the Rectangle)From the Architecture ► Build ► Component (CM), select the Type from the Type Selector and place the family where it needs to go, by using 2 left mouse clicks. Click to start the line, and click to finish the line.
Then, if required adjust the ends to Mitre as required using the Instance parameters as shown below.
