Cascading Join

Automatically join elements in your Revit model based on priority rules you set up.

What It Does

Cascading Join takes care of joining walls, floors, and other elements automatically. You set up rules that say which elements are more important, and the tool makes sure everything joins correctly based on those rules. This saves hours of manually fixing joins and ensures consistent results across your model.

Key Benefits

  • Save Time: Automatically join hundreds of elements in minutes instead of hours
  • Stay Consistent: Rules ensure joins work the same way every time
  • Avoid Errors: No more missed joins or incorrect join order
  • See Results: Get reports showing exactly what was joined
  • Reuse Settings: Save your rules and use them on other projects

How It Works

Two Ways to Join

Switch Join (Recommended for most cases) - Keeps your existing joins and just fixes the order - Faster and makes fewer changes - Good for cleaning up after changes

Clear Join (Start fresh) - Removes all joins and creates new ones - Takes longer but ensures everything is perfect - Good when you want a complete reset

How to Use

Step 1: Set Up Priority Rules

Decide which elements are most important: 1. Structural elements usually get highest priority (Priority 1) 2. Walls and floors come next (Priority 2) 3. Furniture and fixtures are typically lowest (Priority 3)

Example: - Rule 1: Structural Walls (most important) - Rule 2: Architectural Walls - Rule 3: Casework

Step 2: Choose What to Join

Decide where to apply the rules: - All Objects: Join everything in the whole model - Active View Only: Just join what you see in your current view

Step 3: Pick Join Method

Choose how to join: - Switch Join: Fix join order without removing existing joins (faster) - Clear Join: Start fresh and create all new joins (more thorough)

Step 4: Run It

  1. Click Run to start the process
  2. Watch the progress bar
  3. Wait for completion (this may take a few minutes for large models)

Step 5: Check Results

Review what happened: - See how many elements were processed - Check if there were any problems - Save the report for your records

Tips for Success

Setting Up Rules

  • Give rules clear names you'll recognize later
  • Keep priority order simple - usually 3-5 levels is enough
  • Structural elements should almost always be highest priority
  • Write down why you chose each priority level

Before You Run

  • Save your model first (always!)
  • Test on a small area or single view first
  • Check for existing join warnings
  • Make note of any special cases

After Running

  • Review the warnings list
  • Spot-check a few important intersections
  • Make sure views look correct
  • Save the report for future reference

Working Faster

  • Use Active View for quick fixes in one area
  • Save your rules to use on similar projects
  • Run during lunch or at end of day for large models

Common Uses

Coordinating Structure and Architecture

Make sure structural elements (columns, beams) join properly with walls: - Structural elements stay on top - Walls yield to structure - Openings cut through correctly

Interior Walls and Finishes

Organize how interior elements join: - Main walls first - Partition walls second - Ceilings and finishes last

MEP Coordination

Control how pipes and ducts join: - Main distribution first - Branch lines second - Equipment last

Getting Reports

After running, you can save reports in three formats:

Excel - Easy to read and share with team - Open in Excel to review - Filter and sort the results - Share with people who don't use Revit

JSON - For advanced users or custom tools - Use with other software - Process with scripts

CSV - Simple text format - Open in any spreadsheet program - Easy to email - Import into other tools

Common Questions

Nothing got joined. What went wrong? - Check that your filters actually select elements - Make sure elements actually touch or overlap - Verify your priority rules are set up correctly

The joins look wrong. What should I do? - Double-check your priority order - Make sure you didn't have overlapping rules - Try running again with Clear Join mode

It's taking too long. How can I speed it up? - Use Active View instead of All Objects - Work on smaller sections at a time - Use fewer priority rules if possible - Close other programs while it runs

I still have warnings after running. Is that normal? - Some warnings are unavoidable with complex geometry - Review the warnings to see if they're important - You may need to fix some joins manually

Use With Other Tools

  • JoinCutPriority: Use this tool to fix individual joins that need special attention
  • ModelHealthWarning: Check model health before and after joining
  • NeroSpec: Set up rules to check that joins meet your standards