If your firm is starting with no standard detail library, the goal isn't to build something perfect overnight — it's to get a vetted set of typicals into Pirros without the process stalling out. This guide walks the end-to-end workflow: upload your best projects, group candidate details into stashes by type, export each stash to PDF for a redline review, make the edits in Revit with Mira, and sync the finished details back as typicals.
Mindset first: good is better than perfect. A detail you pull from a past project is already getting you ~90% of the way there — it was drawn, bid, and built on a real job. Your reviewer's job is to confirm it meets firm standards, not to redraw it. The firms that get stuck are the ones treating every detail like a blank-page redesign. Start with what you've already proven in the field.
Who this is for
Use this workflow if your firm doesn't have an existing container file of standard details to mirror into Pirros. If you already have a vetted library, see Implementation Plan: Existing Typical Details instead. For naming, taxonomy, and structure decisions before you begin, read Best Practices for Setting Up Your Detail Library.
Step 1: Upload your top projects
You don't need every project to start — you need your best, most representative ones.
Pick your top 10–25 projects (the ones whose details best reflect how your firm actually draws).
Upload them into Pirros. See Upload Details Directly from Revit.
On the Details page, use search and filters to find which detail types repeat most across those projects. Anything that shows up five or more times is a strong typical candidate — it's already been vetted on multiple jobs.
Why this works: If a wall base or door jamb detail appears across eight projects, it's effectively been reviewed eight times. Standardizing it is mostly confirming it — not rebuilding it.
Step 2: Group details into stashes by type
Rather than trying to standardize everything at once, work one category at a time. A stash is the container for each category review.
Pick one category to start — casework, floor transitions, doors, stairs, or wall types. Starting narrow keeps the review reviewable.
Create a stash named for that category (for example, "Door Jambs — Review" or "Floor Transitions — Review").
From the Details page, select the candidate details for that category and add them to the stash. For full steps, see Create Stashes.
Keep each review stash small — roughly five to ten details. A short, finishable stash is far more likely to actually get reviewed than a 40-detail mega-stash.
Tip: Make it a Firm Stash (or share the stash) so the reviewer and anyone helping can see the same set. See Create Stashes for sharing steps.
Step 3: Export the stash to PDF and redline
This is the review step — the one that's most likely to bottleneck, so make it easy on your reviewer.
Open the stash and click Export to PDF at the top right. Pirros generates a multi-page PDF with one detail per page — ideal for markups.
Send the PDF to the right reviewer. The best reviewer is usually a senior architect or whoever sees these details through construction administration — they know which detail draws an RFI every time. Principals are often too busy; you rarely need them for this.
Have the reviewer redline the PDF — markups, comments, or printed-and-penned, whatever gets it done. Many firms do a single working session where the set is reviewed all at once.
Keep the markups tight. The point is to confirm the detail meets firm standards — correct line weights, line types, naming conventions, and any code-driven changes — not to relitigate the design. Most redlines on a proven detail are minor and cosmetic. If a reviewer wants a full redesign, that detail probably belongs in a separate conversation.
Step 4: Make the edits in Revit with Mira
Once you have redlines, open the detail in Revit and use Mira to make the changes. Mira lives in the Revit Add-Ins tab and edits your live model in plain English — it reads your active selection, proposes a plan, executes it, and captures an after-screenshot so you can verify each change.
Open the detail in Revit. Work from the container model downloaded from Pirros so the detail keeps its Pirros ID and syncs as an update rather than a duplicate.
Select the element you want to change first, then ask Mira. Mira reads your selection, so selecting before asking gives much better results.
Work the redlines one at a time, confirming Mira's after-screenshot before moving on. Be specific about units — numeric targets cut down on back-and-forth.
Example prompts for typical redline fixes:
You: "Rename this view to follow our [Discipline]-[Number]-[Name] convention."
You: "Change these section lines to our medium line weight."
You: "Swap this hollow metal frame for our standard welded frame type."
Every change happens in your live Revit session, so you can undo, save, or discard exactly as you would normally.
A note on live views vs. drafting views: Typicals work best as drafting views. If a candidate is a live Revit view, converting it to a drafting view takes some manual work in Revit — it isn't a one-click change. Factor that effort in when choosing candidates, and lean toward details that are already drafting views where you can.
Step 5: Sync the finished detail back as a typical
With the edits made and verified, push the detail back to Pirros and promote it to your typical library.
In the Pirros plugin, click Sync, filter to Recently Changed Views, select the detail you edited, add a Change Message, and click Confirm. Full steps: Update Existing Typical Details in Pirros.
Promote the reviewed detail into your typical library. See How to Convert a Project Detail into a Typical Detail.
Repeat from Step 2 with the next category. One reviewed stash at a time is how a library gets built without stalling.
Keeping momentum
The hard part is rarely knowing where to start — it's accountability and follow-through. A few things that keep the process moving:
Start with one category and five details. Finish a small stash, promote it, and you've proven the loop works.
Put a standing review on the calendar. A short recurring session with your reviewer keeps redlines from getting stuck "almost done."
Use the library as you build it. Even before your typicals are complete, your uploaded projects are a searchable archive — your team can pull and reuse details from past work right away. The typical library grows on top of value you're already getting.
If a member spots a detail that needs work, have them flag it. See How to Flag a Detail for Review so admins can pick it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many projects should I upload before I start standardizing?
A: Your top 10–25 is plenty to begin. Look for the detail types that repeat most — those are your first typical candidates.
Q: Who should review and approve the details?
A: Usually a senior architect or whoever handles construction administration — they know which details cause problems in the field. You generally don't need a principal for this.
Q: Do I have to convert every detail to a drafting view?
A: Typicals work best as drafting views, but you don't have to convert everything up front. Prioritize details that are already drafting views, and convert live views as the effort is worth it.
Q: Why did my edit create a duplicate in Pirros instead of updating the detail?
A: You likely edited a model that wasn't downloaded from Pirros, so it lacked Pirros IDs. Always edit the container model downloaded from Pirros. See Update Existing Typical Details in Pirros.
Q: Can members do this, or only admins?
A: Members can create stashes, export PDFs, and flag details for review. Syncing edits back to Pirros and promoting typicals is an admin action by default.