Revit pipe slope tag: show slope with a tag or Spot Slope, and set the units

Sloped pipe is everywhere in drainage, condensate, and vent work. The reader needs to know which way it falls and by how much. Revit has two ways to show it, and the choice depends on whether the slope belongs in the tag or in its own symbol.

This guide covers setting the slope, showing it, choosing units, and handling flow direction. RayCAD is a Revit add-in that tags MEP drawings. For the length of each run, see the pipe length tag guide. When a step slows a project down, we show what RayCAD does at that point.

How do you set the slope of a pipe?

1. Go to Systems, then Pipe, to start the Place Pipe command.
2. On the Modify | Place Pipe tab, find the Slope panel.
3. Choose Slope Up or Slope Down, and pick a Slope Value from the list, or set your own.
4. Click the start point, then the end point.

To change the slope on a pipe that is already drawn, select it and edit its Slope value in the Properties palette. If you do not want a slope, choose Disable Slope.

How do you choose percent, ratio, or degrees?

1. Go to Manage, then Project Units.
2. Choose the Piping discipline.
3. Click the format button for Slope.
4. Pick the units. Common choices are percentage, a ratio such as rise over run, and degrees.
5. Click OK.

A tag label can override the project setting. In Edit Label, select the Slope parameter, click the format button, clear Use project settings, and set your own units and rounding.

How do you add slope to a pipe tag?

1. Select a pipe tag in the model and click Edit Family.
2. Save a copy under a new name.
3. Select the label and click Edit Label.
4. Add Slope from the list of parameters, and set its unit format if it needs one.
5. Click Load into Project.
6. Place it with Annotate, Tag, Tag by Category, or switch existing tags in the Type Selector.

A tag with size and slope is a separate family from a tag with size alone. Users report that Revit does not ship a slope tag for regular pipe in its annotation library, so you build this one.

How do you place a Spot Slope on a pipe?

1. Go to the Annotate tab.
2. In the Dimension panel, click Spot Slope.
3. Click the sloped pipe. Move the cursor to where you want the symbol, then click again.

The symbol shows the slope and an arrow that points downhill, so the reader sees both the amount and the direction. Edit its type properties to change the arrow style, the units, and the text.

Use Spot Slope when you want the direction on the drawing. Use a tag label when you want the slope next to the size and the system.

How do you show flow direction on a pipe?

Revit does not draw a flow arrow on a pipe from one command. Offices usually do one of three things.

• Use the Spot Slope arrow. It points in the direction of fall, which is the flow direction on a gravity pipe.
• Add an arrow to the tag family. The arrow is an annotation symbol inside the family.
• Place a detail or annotation symbol by hand. A line with an arrowhead beside the pipe.

Each one needs a decision at every run and a check after every change.

Where do you place slope tags?

A slope label does its job when the reader finds it once per run.

• Put it near the start of each sloped run, close to the size tag.
• Repeat it where the slope changes.
• Skip the flat sections and the short offsets.
• Keep it clear of fittings, valves, and other tags.

What goes wrong with slope tags?

What does RayCAD do with sloped pipes?

RayCAD tags the size and the system abbreviation on sloped and gravity pipes, places them clear of the model and the other tags, and groups parallel lines under one tag block with a row per pipe. A click-saver shortens each click and still leaves the deciding and placing to you. RayCAD takes the placement, and you review the result in a panel that lists anything it could not place.

RayCAD does not place slope labels or Spot Slope symbols today. You add those in Revit, and RayCAD tags the rest of the pipe. For the full tagging steps, see the guide to tagging pipes.

Try RayCAD on Revit 2021 to 2027, or book a demo by email. Elevations on sloped runs are in how to tag pipe elevation.