How to Model a Glass Block Wall in Revit

How to Model a Glass Block Wall in Revit 🧱

Glass blocks are experiencing a major architectural revival in modern interiors and facades. They are the perfect solution when you want to maximize natural light transmission while maintaining visual privacy. Plus, they add a distinct, retro-yet-contemporary texture that serves as a beautiful focal point in bathrooms, partitions, and exterior walls.

But modeling glass block walls in Revit can be surprisingly frustrating if you don't have the right tools. Instead of struggling with manual placement or generic textures, we are going to use a highly efficient, BIM-ready workflow using our Revit Glass Blocks (Curtain Walls) Pack.

In this tutorial, we break down exactly how to use these fully parametric families. Watch the full video tutorial below:

🎯 Common Challenges When Modeling Glass Blocks in Revit

Many designers run into the same headaches when trying to model glass blocks using native Revit tools:

• Modeling each block manually (which creates massive file sizes and slows down your model).

• Struggling with mortar joints that don't align, resize correctly, or look realistic in 3D.

• Creating rigid, non-parametric blocks that break or stretch strangely when the wall size changes.

The goal is to use a robust, modular system that flexes perfectly with your design while providing high-quality visual output.

🎒 Chapter 1: How to Model a Standard Clear Glass Block Wall

The most efficient way to model a large, repetitive glass block wall is by utilizing our Curtain Wall System.

Instead of placing individual blocks, you simply select the pre-configured Glass Block Curtain Wall type and draw it like a regular wall. It instantly populates the grid with our specialized clear glass block panels, allowing you to generate a stunning facade in seconds.

How to do it:

1. Go to the Architecture tab and select the Wall tool.

2. In the Properties panel, choose the Glass Block Curtain Wall type from the drop-down menu.

3. Draw the wall as you would any standard wall. Revit handles the block division automatically based on the predefined grid spacing.

📝 Keep in mind: Drawing the walls accurately requires computing the mortar size. When setting up your wall length or curtain grid, you'll need to account for the thickness of the mortar joints in your calculations to ensure your glass blocks fit perfectly without awkward cuts at the ends.

🎒 Chapter 2: How to Embed the Glass Block Wall Directly to a Wall

Often, you want your glass blocks integrated directly into a standard solid wall, acting as a translucent window or architectural insert.

The great thing about our Glass Block families is that our product utilizes Revit's "Automatically Embed" feature right out of the box. This means users don't need to manually cut the wall, edit wall profiles, or create separate openings.

How it works: Simply draw our Glass Block Curtain Wall directly over any basic solid wall in your model. Because our product is already set up to utilize the auto-embed function, Revit will automatically cut a perfect, clean opening for the glass blocks, making fenestration incredibly fast and easy.

🎒 Chapter 3: Changing the Mortar from White to Black to No Mortar

The mortar joints between your glass blocks completely dictate the aesthetic of the design. A dark mortar gives a striking, graphic look, while a white mortar keeps it soft and seamless.

⚠️ Important Note on the "Delete Mullions" Error: When you change an existing wall from having mortar to having no mortar, Revit will pop up a warning message. Don't panic! Simply click the "Delete Mullions" button in the warning box. This tells Revit to safely clear out the existing mortar geometry, giving you that perfect seamless look.

🎒 Chapter 4: Creating a Custom Glass Block Wall Size

Standard glass blocks are typically uniform, but modern designs often call for unique rectangular layouts or large-format architectural glass bricks. Since our families are fully parametric, resizing is a breeze.

How to do it:

1. Select the Curtain Wall and click Edit Type (it's best to duplicate the type first so you don't overwrite the original).

2. Look for the Vertical Grid and Horizontal Grid sections.

3. Change the Spacing dimension to your desired block size.

4. Click OK. The entire wall (both the glass block panels and the mortar joints) instantly flexes and updates to match your new custom dimensions.

🎒 Chapter 5: Creating a Custom Glass Panel Color

Colored or textured glass blocks are fantastic for feature walls and hospitality spaces, adding a unique layer of detail beyond standard clear glass.

How to do it:

1. Create the Color: First, go to the Manage tab on your ribbon and click Materials. Create a new material and set up your desired custom color (like an amber tint or frosted blue), then click OK to exit the Material Browser.
2. Identify the Panel: Select your Glass Block Curtain Wall in the model. Click Edit Type and look at the "Curtain Panel" parameter to see exactly which panel family is currently being used. Copy that panel's name.
3. Find & Duplicate: Right-click anywhere in your Project Browser and select Search. Paste the panel name to find it. Once it highlights under the Curtain Panels category, right-click it, select Duplicate, and rename it to something recognizable.
4. Assign the Material: Double-click this newly created panel type to open its Type Properties. Find the Material parameter and change it to the custom color material you created in step 1. Click OK.
5. Duplicate the Wall Type: Select your Glass Block Curtain Wall in the model again and click Edit Type. Click Duplicate and rename your new wall type so you don't overwrite the original clear glass wall.
6. Swap the Panels: Finally, in this new wall's Type Properties, look for the Curtain Panel dropdown. Change it to the newly created colored panel from step 3.
7. Click OK.
8. Done! The entire wall will instantly populate with your custom-colored glass blocks.

🎒 Chapter 6: Creating a Custom Mortar Size and Color

If standard mortar thickness doesn't fit your design, you can fully customize the mortar geometry (the mullions) using the Project Browser.

How to do it step-by-step:

1. In your Project Browser, scroll all the way down to Families.
2. Expand Curtain Wall Mullions, then expand Rectangular Mullion.
3. Find the mortar profile you are currently using, right-click it, and select Duplicate. Rename it.
4. Double-click your newly created mullion to open its Type Properties.
5. Adjust the Thickness parameter.
6. Adjust the Width on Side 1 and Width on Side 2 parameters. (Note: These two numbers added together equal your total mortar width).
7. Change the Material parameter if you want a custom concrete or grout color. Click OK.
8. Finally, select your Glass Block Curtain Wall in the model, click Edit Type, and swap out the Interior and Border Mullions to your new custom mullion type!

💡 Architect Tip

Make it Glow! Glass blocks look incredible because of how they transmit light, but rendering engines sometimes struggle to capture that thick, luminous quality using just natural daylight.

Here’s a quick visualization hack: Place a hidden, low-intensity area light or linear light family just behind your glass block wall on the interior side. This forces artificial light to refract through the 3D glass geometry, giving you that beautiful, authentic glowing effect in Enscape, Lumion, or Twinmotion - especially for twilight renders!

▶️ Watch the Full Tutorial

Want to see the step-by-step workflow inside Revit? In the full tutorial, we demonstrate all the methods shown above so you can choose the best approach depending on your project requirements.

You'll learn:

• How to quickly build the curtain wall system using our custom families.
• The easiest way to navigate grid spacing and custom dimensions.
• How to swap custom panels and mortar styles on the fly.

📋 Watch the Full Tutorial

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📦 Revit Packs Used in This Tutorial

To create the different glass block walls shown in this tutorial, we used the Revit Glass Blocks (Curtain Walls) Pack. This pack helps you quickly build translucent partitions, feature walls, and daylight-friendly facades without modeling every single block and mortar joint from scratch!