Book excerpt: Instant Revit!: A Quick and Easy Guide to Learning Autodesk(R) Revit(R) 2018 This book is designed to give the student a basic introduction to the Revit 2018 computer aided design (CAD) program. The book contains step-by-step project tutorials with screenshots using the Revit program. The units for the projects are in Imperial (Feet & Inches) units. The student begins with three warm-up projects designed to familiarize them with the Revit interface. These projects will use the 2D portion of the program that will guide the student through a two-view drawing of a single story house, a one-view drawing of a geometrical component, and a lighting plan with two alternate plans. Once the student completes these projects, they will begin the final project. The project is a two-story residential structure. A three-dimensional model of the project will be developed and used to create views of the: first and second floor plans, section views, interior and exterior elevations, and detail views of the structure. Some of these drawings will be annotated with dimensions and notes. Door, window, and room finish schedules will be also be created. Once these drawings are completed, the student will then create design options of the structure. This allows the design to be presented with multiple styles or options within the same file. There is also a companion website for the book that is maintained by the author. Purchasers of the book will be able to download files that are used in the tutorials. Revit families are presented as part of the project. Families are groups of elements that may be added to the project such as: furniture, cabinetry, appliances, lighting, people, counter tops, and other elements. The student will utilize these files to add various elements to their project. Family files are also provided from manufacturer's sites and the companion website. Students will then be guided through the process of creating perspective views and renderings of the project. Instruction includes use of the Autodesk 360 site to process renderings within a cloud. Cloud rendering utilizes an Autodesk server for processing instead of the student's own computer. This allows for renderings to be created at a much faster rate. At the end of the project, the student has the option of creating a PDF portfolio of the project. This uses an additional, free program to assemble the files. Emphasis is placed on making the learning process as quick and as easy as possible with a minimum of extra information. This way the student may concentrate on completing the project and becoming a productive Revit drafter and designer in a relatively short time.