In brief
- Every element in Revit has two phase parameters: Phase Created and Phase Demolished.
- The combination of these two parameters produces four states: Existing, New, Demolished, Temporary.
- By default, a project includes two phases named Existing and New Construction, and additional phases can be added as needed.
- Phase filters determine which phases are shown in views and with which graphic overrides.
In renovation and remodeling projects, keeping the status of the existing structure, the parts to be demolished, and the new construction within the same Revit model prevents teams from juggling separate files. According to Autodesk's official documentation, the tool that makes this possible is the Phasing system, which relies on four core concepts: the phase of the view, the phase status of a modeling element, the phase filter assigned to the view, and the graphic overrides defined through that filter.
What is a phase, and why is it needed?
A project is divided into phases representing different periods in the existing structure's timeline. Revit provides two phases by default in every project: Existing and New Construction. Additional phases can be created from the Phasing dialog (Manage › Phases) if needed. Every view has a Phase parameter; elements created in that view automatically take on the view's phase. In a newly started project, every view's phase defaults to New Construction, so when modeling the existing building in a renovation project, you need to use a separate working view whose phase is set to Existing.
How are the four phase states formed?
Two parameters are tracked for each element: the phase in which the element was created (Phase Created) and the phase in which it was demolished (Phase Demolished). The combination of these two parameters determines four possible states:
Existing: An element created in a previous phase that has not yet been demolished.
New: An element created in the view's current phase.
Demolished: An element created in a previous phase and demolished in the current phase.
Temporary: An element both created and demolished in the same phase (for example, a dust barrier set up during construction).
According to Autodesk's official help documentation, if an element's Phase Created value matches the view's phase, the status is New; if it comes from a previous phase, the status is Existing. If an existing element's Phase Demolished value matches the view's phase, the status is Demolished; if both creation and demolition fall in the same phase, it is marked as Temporary. If Phase Created is set to a phase later than the view's phase, the element does not appear or get drawn in any state yet.
Visual control with phase filters
Every view also has a Phase Filter parameter. A phase filter is a rule that determines how elements are displayed in the view based on their status (New, Existing, Demolished, Temporary). Depending on the filter setting, elements can be handled in three ways:
| Display option | Description | Where it's used |
|---|---|---|
| By Category | Normal display using the element's category graphic style | Standard display for all phases |
| Overridden | Display with custom line/fill style defined in the Graphic Overrides tab of the Phasing dialog | To display demolished or existing elements differently |
| Not Displayed | The element is not drawn at all in that view | For plans intended to show only a specific phase |
Default phase filters are found in the Phasing dialog, but custom phase filters can also be created based on project needs. For example, in a demolition plan, it's possible to show only elements in the Existing and Demolished states while hiding New elements.
What this means for architecture and interior design workflows
This system directly benefits offices working on renovation, restoration, and remodeling projects. Since the existing structure, elements to be demolished, and new construction are kept separate within a single model, schedules such as door/window lists can also be filtered by phase; for example, in a building with hundreds of doors, separate pre-demolition and post-renovation schedules can be generated so that doors to be demolished are not mixed up with new doors. This is also advantageous for rendering and presentation teams: from the same model, both
Sources
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In many offices in Turkey, renovation projects are still carried out using single-phase, ad-hoc methods (hiding layers, separate files). Yet Revit's built-in phasing system moves the existing-demolition-new distinction into the model's own parameters, saving time at the drafting, scheduling, and visualization stages alike. Especially in large-scale restoration and public tender projects, being able to derive pre- and post-demolition documentation from the same model greatly simplifies revision management.
That said, the system has a learning curve: confusing the view phase with the element phase can cause elements created in the wrong phase to appear unexpectedly in filters. It doesn't add any hardware burden, but setting up phases and phase filters correctly from the start in the project template prevents hours of corrections down the line. Teams are advised to establish a phasing standard before starting work.
Frequently asked questions
How many phase states are there in Revit?
There are four phase states: Existing, New, Demolished, and Temporary. These states are determined by comparing an element's Phase Created and Phase Demolished parameters with the view's phase.
What phases exist by default in a Revit project?
A new Revit project includes two phases by default, named Existing and New Construction; additional phases can be created from the Phasing dialog as the project requires.
What is a phase filter used for?
A phase filter is a rule that determines how elements in a view are displayed—By Category, Overridden, or Not Displayed—based on their phase status, allowing drawings that show different phase stages from the same model.
