For creating professional-looking plan views in Revit, it’s crucial to understand the fundamentals of the View Range, which allows you to control the visibility and representation. The View Range defines the extent of the view, determining which elements are displayed or obscured and how they are displayed.
By familiarizing yourself with the View Range settings in Revit, you can reduce visibility errors and significantly enhance the quality of the documents you create.
Table of Contents
In this article, we are going to take a look at the View Range options in Revit. What terms are used regarding the View Range, and how do we change it?
View Range in Revit
In Revit, every Plan View or Reflected Ceiling Plan (RCP) has a View Range property, also called the visible range. The View Range consists of three primary horizontal planes, which define the Top, Cut Plane, and Bottom. These planes let you control the visibility and display of objects within the view.
Furthermore, Revit includes the View Depth plane, which extends beyond the Primary Range. You can use this View Depth Plane to show elements below the Bottom clip plane.
View Range Terminology
When setting the View Range for a Floor Plan or Reflected Ceiling Plan (RCP), you will encounter the following terms:
| Terminology | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary Range: Top | The Top serves as the upper limit of the view range, determining the highest elements that remain visible within the view. Elements positioned above the Top limit are hidden. |
| 2 | Primary Range: Cut Plane | The Cut Plane is a horizontal plane that determines the height at which elements within the view are displayed as cut. |
| 3 | Primary Range: Bottom | The Bottom serves as the lower limit of the view range, determining the lowest elements that remain visible within the view. Elements positioned below the Bottom limit are hidden. |
| 4 | View Depth: Level | This is the plane beyond the Bottom for Plan Views or the Top for Reflected Ceiling Plans (RCP). |
| 5 | Primary Range | The Top, Bottom, and Cut Plane represent the Primary Range of the View Range. It defines the visibility range within a view, determining the upper and lower boundaries of elements displayed. |
| 6 | View Depth | The View Depth determines the distance from the Cut Plane to the area beyond the Bottom Plane for Plan Views or the Top Plane for Reflected Ceiling Plans (RCP). |
| 7 | View Range | The View Range controls the total visible area of the view. It will only show elements that are limited to this range. |
Note that you can adjust the Level and Offset for the Primary Range: Top, Cut Plane, Bottom, and View Depth: Level.
Element Visibility and Display
When it comes to the visibility and display within the View Range of a view, there are some rules you must know about. First, it is essential to know that elements outside the View Range will not be displayed. If you want to make elements visible that are beyond the View Range, you can use an underlay to display a level outside of the View Range.
Object Styles and Line Styles
Elements that are inside the View Range of a plan view will be displayed using the cut line weight, the projected line weight, or the <Beyond> line style.
You can change the display of the line weights for projection and cut by going to the Manage tab > Object Styles.
For the display of the <Beyond> line style, you can go to the Manage tab > Additional Settings > Line Styles.
Cut Plane Display
The height of the Cut Plane will determine how the elements are displayed.
- When the Cut Plane is positioned above the elements, the projected line weight will be in effect.
- Elements that intersect with the Cut Plane will use the cut line weight.
- Elements above the Cut Plane will not be displayed in the plan view, except for four Revit categories. These categories are Window, Casework, Generic Model, or Structural Column, and use the projection line weight in this case.
Elements Intersected by the Cut Plane:
A. Elements using the cut line weight. (Walls, Door, and Window)
B. Elements using the projection line weight because they are non-cuttable (Furniture).
Elements Below the Cut Plane and Above the Bottom Clip Plane:
C. Elements using the projection line weight because they do not intersect with the cut plane. (table and chair)
Elements Above the Cut Plane and Below the Top Clip Plane:
D. Wall-mounted casework that is drawn using the projected line weight.
E. The wall-mounted lighting squares are not drawn in the plan because their category is not Window, Casework, Generic Model, or Structural Column.
Note that there are two exceptions for the display of elements that intersect with the Cut Plane.
I outlined the exceptions below:
- If the height of a wall is below 2 meters, it will not be cut, regardless of whether it intersects with the cut plane. The 2 meters is measured from the top of the bounding box to the bottom of the Primary View Range. This only occurs when the Top Constraint is set as Unconnected. If the Top Constraint is set to a Level, then the Cut Plane defines if the wall is cut or projected.
- Non-Cuttable families
Non-Cuttable Families
The outlined families below categorize as non-cuttable elements and will always appear in projection line weight within a view.
- Air Terminals
- Cable Tray Fittings
- Cable Trays
- Communication Devices
- Conduit Fittings
- Conduit
- Data Devices
- Detail Items
- Duct Accessories
- Duct Fittings
- Duct Placeholders
- Ducts
- Electrical Equipment
- Electrical Fixtures
- Entourage
- Fire Alarm Devices
- Flex Ducts
- Flex Pipes
- HVAC Zones
- Lighting Devices
- Lighting Fixtures
- Mechanical Equipment
- MEP Fabrication Containment
- MEP Fabrication Ductwork
- MEP Fabrication Hangars
- MEP Fabrication Pipework
- Nurse Call Devices
- Parking
- Pipe Accessories
- Pipe Fittings
- Pipe Insulations
- Pipes
- Planting
- Plumbing Fixtures
- Security Devices
- Shaft Openings
- Sprinklers
- Structural Beam Systems
- Structural Rebar Couplers
- Structural Trusses
- Telephone Devices
- Wires
Enabled Cutting Revit 2023
Since the release of Revit 2023 and beyond, Autodesk has expanded the list of families that users can cut in views by adding four new categories.
The following element categories now support cutting:
- Furniture
- Furniture Systems
- Specialty Equipment
- Plumbing Fixtures
When the cut plane of the view intersects elements in these categories, Revit utilizes the cut line style specific to each category.
To enable cutting for one of these categories, open the Family Editor and then follow the steps below:
- Open the Create tab
- Click on Family Category and Parameters in the Properties panel
- In the Family Category and Parameters dialog go to Family Parameters section > Check Enable Cutting in Views > Click on OK > Load into Project
View Depth Display
When you like to show elements below the Bottom plane, you can adjust the View Depth with an offset from the bottom. Elements that are within the View Depth range will be displayed with the <Beyond> Line Style, regardless of the category of the element.
There are some exceptions to the View Depth, which are for the floors, structural floors, stairs, and ramps. These categories have an adjusted range of about 1.22 meters below the Bottom of the Primary Range. The elements within the 1.22-meter range will display using the projection line weight. Outside this range but within the View Depth, the elements will use the <Beyond> Line Style.
Reflected Ceiling Plan Display
Comparable to other Plan Views, the reflected Ceiling Plans also have View Range settings, yet there are a few notable differences. Instead of the plan’s view direction looking down from the Cut Plane, the view direction is oriented upwards.
Since there is no use for the Bottom Plane for the Reflected Ceiling Plan, the Primary Range is determined by the space between the Cut Plane and the Top Plane. Elements modeled in this Primary Range area will use the projection line weight. In this case, the View Depth is also directed upwards, resulting in elements outside the Primary Range but within the View Depth displayed using the <Beyond> Line Style.
Change the View Range in Revit
Now that you have gained a better understanding of the View Range, let’s delve into the process of adjusting it. You can find the View Range in the Properties Browser once you activate any of the Plan View types (3D views excluded). Follow the steps outlined below:
- Open a Plan View
- Go to the Properties Browser > Extents group > View Range > Click on Edit…
- Adjust the Primary Range and View Depth settings by adding an Offset value, or changing the level
- Click on OK to apply the settings
After you clicked OK, the settings will apply immediately to the Plan View.
Note
When you change the View Range for a Reflected Ceiling Plan, you can’t change the Bottom offset because the bottom Plane is synced to the Cut Plane.
Plan Region View Range
If you have a split level for example and prefer not to create an extra Plan View, you can use the Plan Region feature to change the View Range of a specific area. To create a Plan Region follow the steps below:
- Go to the View tab
- Click on Plan Views in the Create panel > Click on Plan Region
- Draw a region to the specific area
- Click on Finish Edit Mode
- Select the Plan Region
- Click on View Range (Alternative via the Properties browser)
- Adjust the View Range meeting your requirements > Click on Apply/OK
Once you apply the View Range, the elements align appropriately with the rules of the View Range, ensuring optimal display.
Note
The Plan regions are used to control the display of hosts and hosted elements, such as windows in walls, doors in walls, based on their elevation and whether they should be displayed. Moreover, the Plan Region cannot control the display of MEP families.
Wrapping Up
Learning the fundamentals of the View Range in Revit is essential for creating professional-looking Plan Views. By understanding how the View Range controls the visibility and representation of elements, you can enhance the quality of the documents and reduce visibility errors.
Remember to take advantage of the Plan Region feature, which allows you to easily modify the View Range for specific areas according to your requirements.
I hope this article helped you to understand how the View Range works in Revit. If you have any questions, just drop a comment below.
