Changing Wall Types for Exterior and Interior Walls in Revit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now we're returning to Level 1 to configure our wall types with the actual building materials specified for this project. This critical step establishes three distinct wall assemblies: exterior walls for the building envelope, interior partition walls for space division, and eventually curtain wall systems for our lobby storefront glazing.

We'll begin with the exterior walls—the most crucial element since modifying these assemblies can significantly impact your overall building dimensions and coordination with structural and MEP systems. Before proceeding, verify that the exterior face of your wall faces outward using the direction toggle indicator. Confirm your location line is set to "finish face exterior" to maintain dimensional accuracy and prevent cascade errors that could affect your entire model coordination.

To efficiently select all exterior walls simultaneously, leverage the Tab key selection method—a fundamental Revit workflow that experienced users rely on daily. Hover over any exterior wall segment and tap Tab once to highlight the entire perimeter chain, then left-click to select the complete assembly. This technique saves considerable time compared to individual wall selection and ensures consistency across your building envelope.

When we modify this wall type, the assembly thickness will change substantially, potentially affecting your dimensional relationships with adjacent elements. Despite our location line settings providing protection, always verify critical overall dimensions after making these changes. Select "Exterior Brick on Metal Stud" from the type selector—and note this specification carefully. Many users hastily select the first similar option, but wall assemblies with nearly identical names can have vastly different thermal performance, structural properties, and thickness specifications that impact your design intent.

This wall type change demonstrates the dramatic difference in assembly thickness between generic placeholder walls and actual construction assemblies. Notice how our primary dimensions—40 feet and 100 feet in this case—remain constant, confirming our location line strategy is working correctly. This dimensional stability is essential for maintaining coordination with your structural grid and building systems.

Before addressing interior walls, let's examine our exterior wall construction in detail. This analysis serves a dual purpose: understanding the assembly composition and ensuring our interior walls coordinate properly with the exterior envelope. Professional practice demands this level of integration between building systems to avoid coordination conflicts during construction.

Select any exterior wall and access "Edit Type," then click "Edit" adjacent to the Structure parameter. This reveals the complete wall assembly from exterior face to interior finish, showing all layers beyond the core boundary (which represents the structural element). Pay attention to how manufacturers and specification writers organize these assemblies—exterior cladding and insulation layers, structural core, and interior finishes each serve distinct performance functions.

Here we encounter a common specification inconsistency: the default assembly specifies half-inch interior drywall, but our project standards call for five-eighths inch throughout. When exterior walls intersect interior partitions, these finish thicknesses must align properly for clean visual connections and accurate representation of actual construction conditions. Changing this to five-eighths inch ensures consistency across all wall intersections.

This one-eighth inch difference might seem negligible, but it creates noticeable graphical inconsistencies in plan view due to Revit's line weight algorithms. These small details distinguish professional-quality documentation from amateur work. Apply the changes and verify no unexpected dimensional shifts occur.

Now we'll tackle the interior partition walls using advanced selection techniques that separate seasoned users from beginners.

Rather than tediously selecting individual walls—a time-consuming approach that introduces selection errors—we'll employ crossing selection methods. Revit offers two primary selection modes: window selection (which captures only objects completely enclosed within the selection boundary) and crossing selection (which captures any object the selection boundary touches). For interior walls distributed throughout the plan, crossing selection proves far more efficient.

Position your crossing selection from the upper left, carefully avoiding the exterior wall perimeter to prevent unwanted selections. This technique inevitably captures additional objects like grids and dimensions along with your target walls, which is where the Filter tool becomes invaluable for professional workflows.

The Filter dialog allows precise control over your selection set by unchecking unwanted object categories. This workflow—crossing selection followed by filtering—represents standard practice for complex model modifications and demonstrates the systematic approach that experienced users employ for efficiency and accuracy.

With our filtered selection active, change the wall type to "Interior Four and Seven-Eighths"—a standard assembly featuring three-and-five-eighths inch metal studs with five-eighths inch gypsum wallboard on both faces. This configuration represents typical commercial construction for non-rated interior partitions and provides appropriate acoustic and fire performance for most applications.

The visual change appears subtle but establishes the foundation for accurate quantity takeoffs, construction details, and coordination with other building systems. In our next session, we'll modify the entrance walls to create interior and exterior alcoves, adding architectural interest and functional space at the main building entry—techniques that transform basic rectangular footprints into more sophisticated architectural solutions.