How to Create Filled Region in Revit

The Filled Region tool in Revit is for creating a 2D view-specific region with a fully customizable boundary line style and fill pattern. This feature is beneficial for detail drawings, marking different areas in a plan view, or annotation and detail families.

The Filled Region has two types of patterns available: Drafting and Model. While the Drafting fill pattern is based on the scale of the view, the Model fill pattern is based on the actual dimensions of the model.

In this article, I will explain the Filled Region feature of Revit, covering how to create, edit, and effectively use it.

Filled Region Revit

In Revit, Filled Regions are annotative elements categorized as Detail Items. This feature allows you to generate hatched areas for a range of tasks, including detail drawings, families, and marking specific regions in a plan view. Filled Regions consist of customizable boundaries, line styles and fill patterns.

Filled Regions are always parallel to the sketch plane of the view you are working in. Because this feature is customizable, you can select from two types of fill patterns: Drafting or Model.

Drafting fill patterns are scale-dependent, adjusting to the scale of the view in which they are used.

Model fill patterns are based on the actual dimensions and remain unchanged even when the scale is adjusted (scale-independent). It is useful for tile patterns or brickwork, for example.

You can find a list of Filled Regions when activating the feature (Properties Browser) or inside the Project Browser under Families > Detail Items > Filled Region. In addition to Filled Regions, the surface and cut patterns of materials also employ the same fill patterns.

Create Filled Region

To create a Filled Region in Revit, you have two options: you can either begin by creating a custom type that matches your specifications and then place it, or you can start by placing the Filled Region and later modify its type through editing. In the steps outlined below, I start with placing a Filled Region.

First open a Plan View, Elevation, Section, or Drafting View to enable the Region feature.

1. Open the Annotate tab > Detail panel
2. Click the Region dropdown menu
3. Select Filled Region

4. Select a Sketch tool from the Draw panel
5. Select a Line Style
6. Draw your required boundary (multiple allowed as long as they do not interfere with each other)
7. Click Finish Edit Mode

Note

In hidden line drafting view mode, filled regions with patterns hide elements behind them. For example, a diagonal pattern will block any element between the openings of the pattern.

Edit Filled Region

After placing the Filled Region, you can modify its type in the Properties Browser by following the steps below:

1. Select the Filled Region
2. Go to the Properties Browser > Click Edit Type

3. Click Duplicate…
4. Give the new Filled Region Type a Name > Click OK

5. Change the Graphic settings to your requirements > Click OK when finished

To create contrast, you can modify the Foreground Fill Pattern and Background Fill Pattern. The Line Weight affects the thickness of the pattern lines, but not the boundaries. If you want to change the Line Weight of the boundary, you can select a different Line Style while editing.

The Masking parameter can be used to make a Filled Region a solid surface that masks the elements behind it. Unchecking the parameter will make elements behind the Filled Region visible.

Fill Patterns

To efficiently manage and modify the Fill Patterns in your Revit project, you can go to the Manage tab. There, you can access all the available variants of the Drafting and Model Fill Patterns and even add new ones. Another approach is to access the Fill Region Type Properties and click on the three black dots icon.

1. Open the Manage tab > Settings panel
2. Click the Additional Settings dropdown menu
3. Click Fill Patterns

From the Fill Patterns dialog, you can create or edit Fill Patterns for the Drafting and Model Type. First, select the Pattern Type (Drafting or Model) > Select an existing Pattern > Select Edit or New > Give the Pattern a Name > Change Type to Basic to create lines or set to Custom to import a .pat (hatch pattern) > Click OK when finished.

With the Revit 2024.1 update, it is possible to export Fill Patterns to PAT files.
In the Fill Patterns dialog:

• Select a Pattern Type (Drafting or Model)
• Select one or multiple patterns
• Click Export selected fill patterns to PAT file [A]
• Select a path and give the file a name
• Click Save.

Working with Filled Region

After learning how to create and edit Filled Regions, we can now continue by modifying their size and boundaries. Moreover, it is possible to view the area values of Filled Regions in the Properties Browser.

Resize

To Resize the Filled Region, you can either edit the boundaries of the Filled Region or use the Shape handles outside the editing mode.

1. Select the Filled Region inside the view
2. Click one of the blue Shape handles and hold the cursor > Drag the blue Shape handle to resize

Area

If you want to determine the value of the area within the Filled Region, you can follow the steps outlined below.

1. Select the Filled Region inside the view
2. Go to the Properties Browser > Under Dimensions > check the Area parameter value

The area value is the difference between the area of the region’s closed perimeter and the area of any closed loops within the perimeter. You can change the units to your requirements in the Project Unit settings, such as square meters or feet.

Note

The area value is greyed out because it’s a read-only parameter that you cannot tag or schedule.

Boundary

You can edit the boundary lines of Filled Regions to change the Line Style, size, or add new boundaries.

1. Select the Filled Region
2. Go to the Modify | Detail Items tab > Mode panel > Click Edit Boundary

3. Use the Draw tools to add more boundaries (optional: use modify tools to move lines)
4. Select Lines to change Line Style
5. Click Finish Edit Mode

Tip

Use the <Invisible lines> Line Style to hide the boundaries of the Filled Region. This can be very useful in Detail Item families for example. If you like to learn more about how to make detail drawings in Revit, you can read this article: Detailing in Revit- Everything you need to know.

Wrapping Up

The Filled Region in Revit is a great tool for creating 2D view-specific regions. The regions are customizable with boundaries, lines styles and fill patterns. The Filled Region feature is very useful for detail drawings, detail families, break lines, annotations, and marking different areas in a plan view.

I hope this article helped you to create and customize Filled Regions in Revit. If you have any questions, just drop a comment below.