Revit Step Pattern Repeaters

I saw a question recently about how to create a step pattern repeater, so of course I had to figure out how to achieve it. You could just use a 1/2 step or 1/3 step curtain panel pattern on a divided surface, but that may not be exactly what you need, and the predefined surface patterns are not always easy to modify if they don't suit your purpose.

Here are a couple of ways to achieve it with Repeaters in Revit:

Method 1

• Create a one point adaptive component, with a box centered on the point;
• Give the box separate width and depth parameters to control its size;
• Create the surface that you want to apply the step pattern to;
• Divide the surface and make its nodes visible

 

• Load and place four instances of the adaptive box on alternate nodes on two rows of nodes

• Select all 4 components and click on the Repeater command, it will generate a checkerboard pattern

• It is actually 4 separate but interlocking repeaters

• Now change the V Grid spacing so that it is half the U grid spacing (or vice versa).  This will tighten the repeaters up into a step pattern

• An alternative would be to leave the U and V grid spacing the same, but change the width of the box to be double its previous width

• If you want to tidy up the edges, you may need to swap out the overhanging components for half-sized types, although they would need an additional offset parameter so that the width is not centered about the insertion point (& node).

Method 2

• Start with the same divided surface but change the rotation angle of one of the grids.  It seems that if you make the V Grid angle 30.95 degrees it offsets the nodes on  alternating rows by half the spacing - I don't have time to figure out the maths but there must be a logical reason.

• Place just one adaptive box component onto a node

• Then repeat it

• The resulting step pattern will have gaps in it, so the width needs to be changed - in this example from 1000mm to 1200 mm

•              
• Changing the grid angle to 45 degrees should give you a one-third step pattern

For more on this topic refer to Step Pattern Repeaters Part 2 : Methods 3 & 4