Are you missing elements in Revit that you have modeled before? Then you probably have hidden the elements accidentally. But how do you unhide elements in Revit?
There are many ways to hide an element in Revit. Perhaps you are working in a view with a category turned off, or using filters that you forgot about. When you get the error “None of the created elements are visible” then you should check your parameters and visibility settings.
Table of Contents
In this article, we will take a look at how to unhide elements in Revit. We will dive into the most common reasons why these elements are hidden and also go more in-depth on the less obvious ones.
Revit Unhide Elements
Before we can unhide an element in Revit we will need to know how it’s hidden. Revit has many reasons why an item could be hidden, such as filters, phases, or other advanced issues. But let’s start with the most common method to unhide an element:
- Reveal Hidden Elements
– Open the view you are working in
– Go to the View Control Bar on the lower left side of Revit.
– Click on the lightbulb icon (1), which is the function for Reveal Hidden Elements (shortcut by default: RH).
The drawing area displays a magenta-colored border to let you know you are in the Reveal Hidden Elements mode. The elements that are hidden are magenta-colored, and the visible elements will be displayed in half-tone.
- Select Hidden Elements
Select the elements that are hidden by clicking on the element itself, or if multiple items are hidden left-click and drag a selection.
- Unhide Element
To unhide the element use one of the following methods:
– Go to Modify > Reveal Hidden Elements panel > Unhide Element or Unhide Category
– Right-click the element > Hover over Unhide in View > Elements or Category (shortcut by default: EU for Elements, and VU for Category).
Note that if the Unhide Element is available it means that the element is hidden individually, and if the Unhide Category is available the whole category is hidden. When both are greyed out and the By Filter… is available, it means that the view can be controlled by a View Template. In that case, use the Visibility/Graphic Overrides via the View Template to change the categories or filters.
- Exit the Reveal Hidden Elements function
After you unhide the elements press the lightbulb icon again to exit the Reveal Hidden Elements mode.
Note: Only elements that are hidden by visibility/graphics controls, and filters can be revealed with this method.
Different methods to Unhide Elements in Revit
Now we have looked at the most common method to unhide elements in Revit, let’s talk about some other reasons why elements could be hidden in Revit. Below you will find a list of common but less known reasons why elements are hidden. These elements can’t be found with the Reveal Hidden Elements method.
- Filters
- Detail Level
- View Range and View Specific Display
- Far Clipping and offset
- Crop Region
- View Scale
- View Discipline
- Worksets
- Phase
- Design Option
- Extents
Filters
The Filter feature in Revit can be used to show or hide elements in the view. These filters exist of categories and filter rules, which are based on different parameters and operators.
When you are missing elements you can always check the filters you are using. The first step is to disable all the Filters by unchecking the Enable Filter. If the hidden item becomes visible you can eliminate the filters one by one until you find the right one, and then change it.
- Go to the View tab
- Click on Visibility/Graphics (VV/VG) or open the View Template when applied
- Go to the Filter tab
- Select the filters and unmark them in the Enable Filter column > Press Apply. The elements that are hidden by filters will now be visible.
Detail Level and View Specific Display
Model categories contain a Detail Level which makes parts or elements visible depending on the settings in the view. There are three kinds of levels, Coarse, Medium, and Fine. With Coarse, the items contain fewer details, while with level Fine everything will show up.
The Detail Level settings can be set individually for each category. If you lost an element you can check the Visibility/Graphic (VV/VG) settings, and look for a category that is set to Coarse for example. Change it to Medium or Fine. By default, the level is set to By View.
When the hidden element is still not visible you could check the family on its Detail Level and View Specific Display. This can be done by opening the family editor, selecting elements that are missing in the model, and then going to Visibility/Graphics Overrides in the Properties browser. Change View Specific Display and Detail Levels by checking the boxes.
View Range
Each of the views in Revit contains a View Range, which controls what will be visible or not. The View Range exists of a Primary Range and View Depth. The Primary Range is divided into three horizontal planes which represent the Bottom, Cut Plane, and Top.
Sometimes elements are modeled below or above the View Range which means they won’t show up and are hidden in the view. For example, modeling a hopper window in a basement is mostly above the default View Range Top.
To make this window visible again it is possible to change the View Range settings in the Properties browser of the view. This setting applies to the whole view. If you want to show single or multiple elements without changing the View Range for the whole view, use the Plan Region function.
Plan Region
- Go to the View tab
- Click on Plan Views > Click on Plan Region
- Draw a region where the element is missing
- Click on Finish Edit Mode
- Select the Plan Region
- Click on View Range (could also be done inside the Properties browser)
- Change the View Range, in this example, I changed the Top > Click on Apply/OK > Element will become visible
Far Clipping and offset
When you lost elements in an Elevation or Section, you could check the Far Clipping and Offset of that view. With the Far Clip Offset, you can specify where to clip the view. Beyond the clip offset, model elements are clipped and removed from the view.
The best way to check this is to set the Far Clipping to No Clip. If elements are visible now, then we know it was hidden by this feature. You can change the Far Clip Offset to a higher value. This could be done within the Properties browser of the view.
Crop Region
Yet another reason why elements could be hidden in a view, is by using a Crop View and Annotation Crop. With this feature, you can crop elements and annotations by the crop boundary: everything outside the crop will become invisible. With the Annotation Crop, you crop annotation elements that are hidden when it touches the elements partially.
To make elements visible you can simply uncheck the Crop View and Annotation Crop parameters in the Properties browser. If the crop is still needed then you can adjust the border by editing the Crop Region.
To make the Crop Region visible and editable, follow the steps below.
- Go to the Properties browser > Check Crop Region Visible
- Click the Region that just became visible > Inner region (A) is the Crop Region, Outer region (B) is the Annotation Crop (if checked)
- Drag the Crop Region by using the blue controls (dots)
View Scale
As you read before, my section was hidden by a filter, but what if it still doesn’t show up? You could check a somewhat hidden built-in parameter, called: Hide at scales coarser than. This parameter controls if the section should be visible or not, depending on the View Scale. The parameter can be found in the Properties browsers graphics section after clicking on a section.
When the “Hide at scales coarser than” Parameter is lower than the View Scale, the section won’t be visible inside the view. By default, the parameter is set to 1:100 in Revit.
If you can’t find the section inside your view, go to another view where it’s still visible or look inside your project browser. Click the section and change the “Hide at scales coarser than” parameter to a higher or equal value to the View Scale.
View Discipline
The View Discipline is a property that can be found in the Properties browsers of a view. This parameter was introduced by Autodesk when other disciplines such as Structural and MEP got integrated. The goal of this parameter is to make a kind of visualization package for all the different disciplines. Each discipline has its usage and representation of a view. For example, a construction engineer only wants to see structural elements.
There are a total of six Disciplines in the View Discipline parameter:
- Architectural
- Structural
- Mechanical
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- Coordination
The View Discipline parameter controls the behaviors of the list below:
- Which element categories should be visible
- Which view tags should be visible
- Whether the view range and cut plane control the representation of elements in plan views
- Whether hidden lines apply to the view
This built-in parameter can’t be changed in the settings. Each discipline is hard-coded into Autodesk Revit.
To check if elements are hidden by the View Discipline you can change it to Architectural or Coordination which represents most of the elements. In the example below, my interior walls and some of the exterior walls are hidden.
Worksets
With Worksets you can organize a set of elements such as Walls, Doors, Floors, etc for collaboration with other participants in your model. These Worksets can be assigned to one person who edits them at a given time. When you are working with some advanced settings and premade Worksets it could be a cause of why elements are not always visible.
When an element is not visible in the Reveal Hidden Elements mode you could check the Worksets in the Visibility/Graphic Overrides (VV/VG) panel. Check for Worksets that are set to Hide or Use Global Setting (Not Visible) and turn them to Show or Use Global Setting (Visible) by changing it first in the Workset.
In the example below, you can see that I mostly hide my furniture with a Workset while modeling, to keep my plan views clean. The screenshot shows that the category Furniture is on, while you can’t see it in the Reveal Hidden Elements mode.
The screenshot below shows that the Workset Furniture will be changed from Use Global Setting (Not Visible) to Show. Notice that that furniture is visible now.
Phase
Phase means that you add a virtual time to the model. For example, when you work on a renovation project you have an Existing Phase and a New Phase. If you do use the Phase Filter incorrectly it could be a reason why you can’t find the elements.
If you are modeling elements in a New Phase they won’t be visible when your view contains a filter that is looking back in time. This is because the new elements do not exist yet.
To change the filters look in the Properties browser and change it at the Phasing tab. Change the filter to None to show everything. If your elements are visible now, you know that it was because of using phases. Now you can adjust your filter to one that fits your needs.
Design Option
Design Options are a great way to show variations in your model. But if the views are not set correctly you probably miss elements you just modeled. When you are missing elements you could check the Design Options feature if you enabled it.
Open the Visibility/Graphic Overrides (VV/VG) panel and go to the Design Options tab. Notice that the view by default is set to <Automatic> which means that the active design options will show. When you are working on the Main Model, the option won’t show up. In that case, change the Design Option to the option in which you created the elements.
In the example below, you can see that I made an option to make a closed hallway with a door. When I change the Design Option in the view from <Automatic> to Option 1 (which contains the elements), it will now properly show up.
Extents
When you are looking at an elevation and still missing your Levels or Grids while you tried all other options to unhide them, then check if the Levels and Grids cross your view. Levels and Grids contain 3D extents and can be modified in elevations and plan views. These extents should cross through the whole model to make them visible in all views.
To unhide the levels for a cropped view, simply Do Not Crop View or uncheck Crop View and select one of the Levels that are visible now. Look for the 3D indicator and drag it all over the model. Make sure you do this for each level or constrain them first before dragging. You can also do this for the side elevation to make it cross the whole model.
Since Revit 2019, you can also check whether your levels cross the whole model in a 3D view. Click a level and notice that it will show up as a Horizontal Plane. You can drag the planes in 3D as well, but this is less preferred because the levels are not constrained in this view.
Wrapping Up
If you are missing elements in Revit that you have modeled before, then elements could be hidden by accident or probably visibility/Graphics overrides. You can unhide elements in Revit by using the Reveal Hidden Elements mode.
When the elements are not showing up in the Reveal Hidden Elements mode then they could be hidden for many other reasons. In this Article, I made a list of the most common and less obvious reasons why elements could be hidden.
Now you know how to Unhide Elements in Revit when you are missing them. You can cycle through each of these reasons and eliminate them.
I hope this article helped you to Unhide Elements in Revit. If you have any questions, just drop a comment below.
