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How to Create Jalie Walls in Revit: Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction: Why Jalie Walls Matter in Revit?

If you’ve ever admired the intricate lattice walls found in traditional Indian or Middle Eastern architecture, you’ve seen Jalie walls—also known as jaali. These perforated brick or stone walls serve more than just a decorative purpose. They let air circulate, reduce heat, filter sunlight, and add a sense of elegance to buildings.

In modern design, jaali is still popular. Architects use it to bring tradition into contemporary spaces, or to create passive cooling strategies. That’s why knowing how to create Jalie walls in Revit is useful for students, professionals, and anyone working on culturally rooted architecture.

This blog will walk you step by step through the process. We’ll use curtain walls, custom panels, materials, and patterns to build realistic Jalie walls in Revit. By the end, you’ll have a reusable workflow that saves time while producing accurate and beautiful results.

Step 1: Understanding Curtain Walls in Revit

When most people hear “curtain wall,” they think of glass façades. But in Revit, curtain walls are far more flexible. They are systems made of panels divided by grids. Instead of using glass, we can replace those panels with custom jaali designs.

Here’s why curtain walls are perfect for Jalie walls:

They let you control grid spacing both vertically and horizontally.
Each panel can be swapped for a custom family.
They work well for both straight and curved walls.
They make editing and repeating patterns much easier than modeling bricks one by one.

So, the first step is to think of your jaali wall as a curtain wall, where each panel is one repeating piece of the lattice.

Step 2: Creating the Curtain Wall Panel Family

Next, we’ll create a family that represents a single jaali unit.

Open Revit and choose New Family → Curtain Wall Panel (Metric).
In the Family Editor, switch to Elevation View. This makes it easier to trace and set up proportions.
Add Reference Planes to mark the boundaries of the panel. For this tutorial, we’ll set a 500 mm × 500 mm panel size, which is easy to repeat.
Add a central reference plane for symmetry—this helps when mirroring patterns.

Now you’ve got a clean workspace, ready to design the perforated wall panel.

Step 3: Importing an Image as Reference

If you have a particular jaali pattern in mind, the easiest way to model it is by importing an image.

Go to Insert → Import Image.
Choose your reference image of a jaali pattern.
Scale the image to fit your 500 × 500 panel.
Lock it in place with reference planes.

This image won’t appear in your final project—it’s only a guide for tracing. Think of it like using tracing paper over a sketch.

Step 4: Modeling the Mortar and Brick Pattern

Now comes the fun part—building the perforated design.

Start with Extrusion to create the mortar frame.
Give it a thickness of 70 mm to match real-world construction.
Add a 10 mm offset to define mortar thickness.
Assign a material parameter named “Mortar.”

Next, create the clay brick segments.

Use extrusion again, this time offsetting by 30 mm.
Trace the pattern using lines, arcs, fillets, and mirror tools.
Apply symmetry wherever possible to save time.
Assign another material parameter named “Clay.”

This separation makes rendering realistic, with mortar and clay showing different colors and textures.

Step 5: Saving and Loading the Family

Once your jaali panel looks good, it’s time to save and reuse it.

Save the family as Main Jalie Panel.
Click Load into Project.
Back in your project, the family is now available as a panel type for curtain walls.

This step is what makes the workflow so powerful. Instead of re-drawing the pattern for every wall, you’ve created a reusable block that can be repeated infinitely.

Step 6: Adding the Panel to a Curtain Wall

Now let’s build the actual wall.

Create a new Curtain Wall.
Go to Edit Type.
Under Curtain Panel, swap the default glazing for Main Jalie Panel.
Set Vertical Grid = Fixed Distance (500 mm).
Set Horizontal Grid = Fixed Distance (500 mm).
Apply, and the wall instantly fills with your repeating jaali panels.

The result looks like a patterned wall with perforations, letting light and air flow through just like a real jaali.

Case Example of a Jalie wall creation in Revit

Create Metric Curtain Wall Panel
How to Import an image as reference
Create the Mortar and the Brick
Save the family and load it into the project
Add a panel to a curtain wall

1. Create Metric Curtain Wall Panel

Curtain walls are made out of panels.
Open new family – Curtain wall panel

Go to exterior elevation
Alter the dimension of the reference as 500 x 500mm which is the panel size
Add a additional reference plane in the mid of the elevation
Insert – Import image ,A pop up dialogue box intimate that this is reference image will be invisible in the project.
Once the image is inserted graphically scale the image to the reference plane dimension.

Elevation View in the family creation

(Hidden lines are the reference planes)

Where to find Reference plane?

Under create - Reference Plane

2.How to Import an image as reference

Importing Reference image

3.Create the Mortar and the Brick

Moving and scaling the image with respect to Reference Plane

Now we have to model the mortar and the clay
Create – Extrusion
Under properties tab make End Extrusion 70 because it is going to be the thickness
Select rectangle under Draw
Create the outer profile
For mortar thickness assign 10mm offset and using rectangle create a offset
Hit finish once the profile of mortar is created.
Assign material using parameter and give the name as "Mortar" and save it.

File - Extrusion

Assign Extrusion Thickness

Mortar profile creation

Assign Mortar material using Parameter

Now we have to create the clay part of the panel

Again move to Extrusion – Use rectangle to create the profile
Create a 30mm offset to for the clay profile
Use Line –Arc – Fillet- Mirror – split to create the pattern
Assign material using parameter and give the name as
Clay and save it.
Hit finish once the profile creation is done.
Now we have the shape created which can be
Viewed using 3D
Set the scale down to 1:2 so can see the line better.

Clay profile cration

Assigning Material to the clay using Parameter

Created panel view

4.Save the family and load it into the project
Save the Family with a name: Main panel
Load into project

Save the family

Load into project

5.Add the panel to a curtain wall

Select the curtain panel in the Project

Under Edit property Type –Set the following

Curtain panel – Main panel (It is the family of the panelWhich was created and loaded into the project)
Vertical Grid

Layout – Fixed Distance
Spacing – 500

Horizontal Grid

Layout – Fixed Distance
Spacing – 500

Hit Apply in the dialogue box once done.

Select the curtain wall

Click Edit Type

Select Curtain panel-name, vertical and Horizontal grid

Once the edit type set is applied final result will be as above

Step 7: Fixing Common Issues in Jalie Walls

Even with the right workflow, problems can happen. Let’s look at common ones and how to fix them:

Misaligned panels: If the pattern doesn’t line up, adjust the grid spacing until everything is symmetrical.
Mortar not visible: Check extrusion values and material assignments.
Materials not rendering: Make sure both “Graphics” and “Appearance” tabs are set in the Material Browser.
Slow performance: If your model lags, simplify geometry by reducing tiny details.

These small adjustments will make your wall look and work as intended.

Step 8: Best Practices for Jalie Walls in Revit

To take your designs further, keep these tips in mind:

Use standard dimensions. Common panel sizes are 500 × 500 mm, but adjust depending on project needs.
Save custom families. Build a library of patterns for future reuse.
Coordinate with structure. Make sure screens don’t clash with beams or columns.
Test light and shadow. Use sun studies in Revit to see how jaali affects daylighting.
Export renders. Check appearance in Enscape, Twinmotion, or Lumion for realistic results.

FAQs on Creating Jalie Walls in Revit

Can I create curved Jalie walls?
Yes, curtain walls can follow curves, but make sure the panels align correctly.

Is it faster to use Revit patterns instead of models?
Yes, but they don’t look as realistic in 3D renders. Custom families give better results.

Can I use different materials for one panel?
Yes, assign separate material parameters for mortar and clay.

Will this workflow work on large façades?
Yes, but keep panel geometry simple to avoid slowing down your model.

Conclusion: Tradition Meets Technology

Jalie walls are proof that architecture can be both functional and beautiful. They bring airflow, reduce heat, and add cultural identity to buildings. With Revit, creating jaali walls doesn’t have to be difficult. By using curtain walls, custom panels, and proper materials, you can build detailed patterns that look great in both drawings and renders.

Whether you’re a student designing your first cultural project or a professional adding a screen wall to a modern façade, this method makes the process efficient and flexible. With practice, you’ll be able to create a library of reusable jaali families that enrich all your designs.