Autodesk Revit Architecture’s standard project templates contain a stock material named “Gypsum Wallboard”. The problem with the stock material is that there is no surface pattern. This works very well for walls since you typically do not want to see any stipple hatch in an elevation view of gypsum board walls. However, this does not work well for gypsum board ceilings when you actually do want to see a stipple hatch in reflected ceiling plans. The answer to this problem is to create a new material to use for gypsum board ceilings.
In Revit 2010, go to the Manage tab and select Materials from the Project Settings panel. In the Materials dialog box, scroll down to the Gypsum Wall Board listing and highlight that material. Right-click and select Duplicate from the context menu. In the Duplicate Revit Material dialog box, type Gypsum Wall Board – Ceiling, then select the OK button.
In the right pane of the Materials dialog box, go to the Surface Pattern option and select Gypsum-Plaster from the drop-down list. (If the right pane is not visible, select the Properties>> button at the bottom of the dialog box.) Pick the OK button to exit the dialog box.
This new material should be added to your project templates and selected as the material for any gypsum board ceilings.
Applying Technology to Architecture 