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AECbytes Tips and Tricks Issue #43 (June 29, 2009)

Dan Stine, CSI, CDTRegistered Architect and Author

When using a sophisticated program that can meet the needs of many types of customers whodevelop a number of diverse architectural project types, you can expect to sometimes get lost inthe options and settings. This is true for Autodesks flagship BIM products, the Autodesk Revitseries; Architecture, Structural and MEP. One area of constant frustration for new users iscontrolling what is and is not visible in a given view. This Tips and Tricks article will walk youthrough the common pitfalls when it comes to finding missing elements in a view; you can see theelement in other views (or models) but not in a specific view. The finding process involves workingwith several different aspects of the application.

It is possible to control the visibility of individual worksets on a View by View basis (althoughcontrolling visibility is not why worksets exist). For example, if the furniture is on its own workset ,you will need to make sure that workset is turned on in the problem view. To do this:

Type VV.Select the Worksets tab.Make sure the Furniture Workset is checked.

Looking for Missing Items in Revit

Worksets

Page 1 of 20Looking for Missing Items in Revit: AECbytes Tips and Tricks

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If the Workset is unchecked, it could be that when it was created, the Visible by default in allviews option was unchecked.

Another workset related problem could be that the workset is unloaded (or closed) for the currentproject. When a workset is unloaded, it is not visible in any view in the project. To verify this, clickCollaborate (tab) > Worksets. Make sure that the workset which contains your element(s) is

opened.




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Category Visibility and Overrides should be the most obvious thing to check when something doesnot show up.

Type VV and make sure the elements you are looking for has its category turned on (i.e.checked).

Check both the Model Categories tab and the Annotation Categories tab. Note thatRoom Tags only show up when the Room category (via the Model tab) is turned on,otherwise they will not show up even if the Room Tags category (via the Annotation tab) ischecked. This is also true with Spaces/Space Tags in Revit MEP.

Click the plus next to the category and make sure the sub-categories are checked. Notethat some sub-categories should be off for a specific view. Also, some Families do notmake use of some (or all) of the sub-categories.

Notice the item at the very top of the Model Categories tab: Show model categories inthis view (the annotation tab has a similar option). This will turn off all Model categories in

the current view. This should typically be turned on.

Check the Show categories from all disciplines option if you are working on a multi-discipline model and need to check the visibility status of a structural item or an HVACelement in an architectural view.

Categories




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Category overrides can sometimes play a role in finding hidden elements. Notice that the patternfor the Floors category, in the image above, is set to Hidden (i.e., not visible). Also, some usersset the drawing window background color to black, which makes some Families blend with thebackground color. Other overrides might blend with the traditional white background when openedby a non-customized Revit station.

The category the element falls in may be hard to determine or may just be plain wrong. To verifywhich category a Family is set to, do the following:

Select the Family in a view in which it is visible, then click Edit Family on the Ribbon. Youcould also right-click on the Family in the Project Browser and then select Edit.Select Create (tab) > Category and Parameters (button)Note the category selected, as shown below.




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Items outside of the View Range will not show up. Each view has its own View Range settings. Itis also possible to add one or more Plan Regions to a view which allows the View Range settingsto be overridden in a rectilinear area. Follow this procedure:

Right click in the view and select View Properties.Scroll down and select Edit next to View Range.Verify the settings (see examples below).

Here is the floor plan version of the View Range dialog.

View Range




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The ceiling plan version of the dialog is shown below.

One common problem is with elements not showing up in a recessed floor area, for example, anentry/lobby that is a few feet lower than the main portion of the building. In this case, both theBottom and View Depth options need to be set to a negative number that brings the cut planedown to the recessed floor level.

Elements that are above the Cut Plane and below the Top in the View Range may still not appearin the view while others do. This is mainly by design. For example, in Revit MEP, the Light Fixtureswill show up but in Revit Architecture, Specialty Equipment will not (e.g., a wall mounted TVbracket). There are ways to get the latter to be visible, by adding a vertical line (which would beburied in the wall), so the Family technically now passes through the Cut Plane.

Verify if the view has any Plan Regions. The easiest way to do this is to make sure the category isturned on (type VV, Annotation Categories tab), select the entire plan, and then click the Filtericon to see if any Plan Regions are listed. If any exist, you can select them individually and clickthe View Range button on the Options Bar.

The Help system in Revit 2010 has a few new graphics that help to explain the View Rangefeature.

Discipline Setting for a View




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Each view has a parameter to specify discipline. This setting is more important for Revit Structureand Revit MEP. In an Electrical Lighting Plan, for example, the Light Fixtures will show up if theDiscipline is set to one of the following: Electrical, Mechanical, or Coordination; and only if theLight Fixtures fall within the View Range (as described previously).

Tip: In Revit MEP ceiling plan views, the Underlay Orientation must be set toReflected Ceiling Plan in order to see the ceiling grids, even if the views Underlayis set to none.

Just as the name implies, the Coordination discipline setting can show the most information. If youset the Discipline to Coordination, you may be able to see the missing elements and narrowdown the list of potential problems. For example, the problem would not be with the Phasing if themissing elements show up in a coordination view.

There are a few reasons why section and elevation tags may not show up in a view. First youshould make sure the Section and Elevation categories are on. You can use the Reveal HiddenElements tool (located on the View Control Bar) to quickly check this; this tool is the only way tofind individual elements that have been hidden in the view via the right-click option. Hidden

elements show up in the color magenta, you can select them and unhide them via the OptionsBar. Click the Reveal Hidden Elements toggle again to exit that mode.

If the Crop Region for a section or elevation view does not intersect a plan views Cut Plane,then the section mark/elevation tag will not show up in that plan view.

Sections have a parameter called Hide at scales courser than which allows you to hide wallsections in the overall plan views, or all the sections for a code plan view. Try temporarily settingthe view scale higher to see if the section shows up. You can also go to the section view, enterView Properties, and adjust the Hide at scales courser than value.

Imagine you have grids in your floor plan, someone does some work on the exterior elevations andthen all (or some) of the grids are missing from the plan views. This is a common problem thatevery Revit user needs to experience once to really appreciate what is going on. Grids and Leveldatums are actually 3D planes that, similar to sections and elevations previously discussed, mustintersect the views Cut Plane.

The problem in the situation just stated is that the grid lines were repositioned in the exteriorelevations so the grid graphics only occur above the elevations (i.e., the gird line was repositionedabove the building so it did not extend though it). This change caused the 3D grid plane to nolonger intersect the plan views Cut Plane; thus the grids disappeared.

Grids can be set to a special 2D mode so one can manipulate the graphics in a view withoutchanging the 3D plane of the grid datum in the project. To fix the problem, you need to first

reposition the grids in elevation so they extend throughout the building. Then you select one gridyou will see a 3D symbol near the tail end, as in the first figure below. Clicking on the 3D symboltoggles the grid (and symbol) to 2D mode for the selected grid only. Now you can reposition thegrid end above the building without affecting other views. The second figure below shows arepositioned grid; notice the 2D symbol and the dashed line indicating the extents of the 3D grid(when selected).

Missing Section and Elevation Tags

Missing Grids and Levels




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The Level datum graphics work in a similar fashion.

When a project involves an existing building or future construction, Phases are used to managethe time aspect of the project.

Element Phase Settings: Every model element in Revit has Phase parameters as part of itsProperties, as shown in the dialog below for a wall. You can set when the element was created,whether it is Existing or New Construction. Also, you can set Phase Demolished, which helpsRevit know when to make something disappear or dashed (in the case of a demolition plan).

Note: You can create as many phases as you want in a project, but you shouldnever have any Demolition phases as Revit handles this automatically. Also, if youare working on a totally new building, you can delete the Existing phase to avoidpotential problems with Phasing.

Phasing




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View Phase Settings: Every View in a Revit project has two Phase parameters which allow you tocontrol what is seen in any given view, as shown below. If the Phase is set to Existing, none ofthe elements that are created in the future will be visible. The Phase Filter allows more granularcontrol over what shows up in a view. For example, one view might be set to Phase: NewConstruction and Phase Filter: Show All,which will cause a view to show the new constructionelements, the existing in a shade of gray and the demolished items as dashed lines. Another viewmight be set to Phase: New Construction and Phase Filter: Show Complete, which will showthe new construction elements, the existing (but not gray) and hide the demolished itemscompletely.




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Phase Filter Settings: The natural question, after the previous discussion, is what controls thePhase Filter and how do I know how each one is set? Answer: the Phasing Settings dialog whichis the master control for phase related settings for the entire project. To access this dialog:

Click Modify (tab) > Phase Settings (link in the lower right corner of the Phasing panel).Click the Phase Filter tab, shown below.




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Notice the Show All row in the image above. New is set to By Category and everything else isOverridden. The By Category designation means elements will appear based on their settings in[Manage > Settings > Object Styles] and Overridden causes the elements to take on thesettings found on the Graphic Overrides tab of the Phasing dialog (shown below).

Tip: For every floor plan view, you should have a copy for each phase. For example:Level 1 New, Level 1 Demo, Level 1 Existing, and Level 1 Future (orphase 2). When elements are drawn in the Existing view they are automatically setto the Existing phase.

The use of filters, by design, impacts what is seen (and printed) in a view. If a view is using filters,you need to make sure they are not causing your problem. To verify if filters are being used in aview, do the following:

Type VV while in the problem view.Click the Filters tab.Make sure the Visibility option is not causing the problem (see image below).The Patterns overrides have a Visibility option within them as well.

Filters




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The Lines override does not have a Visibility option, but it is possible to set the line colorto something that blends with the drawing area background, making it invisible.You can try removing the Filter to see if it is part of the problem and then use Undo torestore it.

Revit provides a tool to quickly make hidden elements visible. This tool is located on the ViewControl Bar, below the drawing window. Clicking the icon, which looks like a light bulb, causes allvisible elements to temporarily gray out and any hidden elements appear in a bright magenta color.

If you select a hidden element(s), you can then click one of the Unhide options on the ribbon.

Note: This is the only way to view, and restore, elements that were hidden byelement via the right-click option. For example, you can select a chair (as in theimage below) and then right-click and select Hide in View> Elements; this hides theselected element and not the entire Furniture category.

The view remains in the Reveal Hidden Elements mode until the icon is clicked again on theView Control Bar. Also, only elements within the View Range will appear.

Reveal Hidden Elements Tool




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When a Revit project has one or more Revit files linked into it, you need to understand howvisibility is controlled in order to troubleshoot elements not showing up from the link. You may havea Furniture model, a structural model or a MEP model referenced into your project (or all of theabove). Visibility controls for links are similar to the project as a whole; you just have to drill a littledeeper to access them.

An earlier assumption was that the missing element is visible in another view. So if you can seefurniture in one view but not another, you know the linked model is loaded. However, it is helpful toknow how to verify your model is loaded.

Select Manage (tab) > Manage Links.Click the Revit tab (see image below).

Make sure all links are loaded (via the Status column).

You can click Reload to ensure you have the latest changes. Reload From allows you to swap outa link with a different file, but can also be used to force Revit to reload the same file when Reloadis not behaving.

Missing Items in a Linked Revit Model (when a Revit link exists)




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When a Revit link(s) is present, the Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog will gain a new tab calledRevit Linkscompare the image below with similar ones previously shown in this article.

When the Display Settings for a Revit link are By Host View, as in the image above, the normalcontrols for a specific view also control the link. However, the link often needs to be manipulatedindependently and the Display Settings will say Custom, as shown below.




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When you click on the button in the Display Settings column, the RVT Link Display Settingsdialog box is opened, which provides granular control of the Revit link. Each tab in the dialog hasthree options: By Host, By Linked View and Custom. The default setting is By Host View. ByLinked View allows you to select a view that exists within the linked modelwhich allows view-specific things to show up, such as tags and dimensions. There is no granular control as the linkedview controls what is seen and where things are positioned. Note that Custom must be selectedon the Basics tab before the Custom option can be set on the three subsequent tabs.

Mapped Phasing is an important setting when linked Revit models are present. You should havethe same number of phases as the linked model and the names should match. (See the previousdiscussion on Phases). To verify Mapped Phasing do the following:

Select the link in any view where it is visible.Look at the links Type Properties.Click the Edit button next to Phase Mapping.




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This last comment about linked Revit models does not directly apply to our scenario where we cansee the element in one view and not another, but it is worth noting. If the linked model is employingworksets, it is possible to tell Revit to completely ignore a workset every time the linked model isloaded. The trick with this option is that it can only be set up when the model is being linked inoriginally, and there is no way, after that, to see which ones are being excluded.

There is one trick that allows you to reset or reselect which workset gets excluded withouthaving to Remove the link and re-link itthis way you dont lose your model position and viewoverrides. To do this, follow the steps outlined below:

Go to Manage Links andselect the link in questionClick Reload From.Browse and select the linked model (dont double-click it). Then click the down-arrow nextto Open.Select Specify from the drop-down list.Click Open and adjust the Opened column as desired (Yes = visible).




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Larger image

Similar to linked Revit models, there are a few things to know about AutoCAD DWG files that arelinked in when it comes to controlling visibility. The issues usually relate to how the DWG waslinked in, its position in the Revit model, and the Layer settings in the DWG file.

When initially linking in a DWG file, you may check a box for Current View Only. The DWG willthen only be visible in the view it was linked into. This is appropriate when bringing in drawings forreference or a consultant file. If it turns out that you need to see this information in another view,your only option is to remove the DWG and then re-link it.

Tip: It is best to check the Link option when bringing in a DWG file (in Revit 2010,

Missing DWG Link (when a DWG link exists)




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you click the Link CAD vs. Import CAD tool on the Insert tab). This gives you easyaccess to it via the Manage Links dialog. If the DWG is not linked, the only way toremove it is to select it (if you can find it) and delete it. If you compare the ImportedCategories tab (in the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog for any view) with theManage Link dialog you can determine with DWG files are not linked.

Each view has the ability to control which Layers are visible within each DWG file linked in. Simplytype VV and click on the Imported Categories tab and look for any Layers that are turned off. Youshould also look for any overrides that may be affecting the visibility of line work in the view, asshown below.

If a project has Design Options in it, you need to understand how they are displayed in a view inorder to do some basic troubleshooting. By default, all elements in the Primary Option, for eachOption Set, are visible in all views. If a design team member changes which Option is primary, byusing the Make Primary button in the Design Options dialog, that will have an effect on all views.

Design Options (when present)




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Each view has controls for Design Options when they are present in the model. When you type VVand select the Design Options tab, you can see these controls. When an Option Set is set to, the PrimaryOption will be displayed. When an Option Set is set to a specificOption, only that option will be displayed (even when in the Edit mode for another Option withinthat Option Set).

As with any sophisticated program, the settings to control visibility in Revit are many andsometimes confusing. However, once the power of the various options and features are harnessedby the design team, they can more effectively and efficiently convey their ideas. This discussioncould certainly continue over several more pages; however, the steps described in this tutorialshould be sufficient to solve most problems finding missing elements in Revit.

Conclusion




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Dan Stine, CSI, CDT is a registered Architect with eighteen years experience in the architecturalfield. He currently works at LHB (a 180 person multidiscipline firm) in Duluth Minnesota as the CADAdministrator, providing training, customization and support for two regional offices. In his currentand previous positions, Dan has participated in collaborative projects with several other firms onvarious projects (including Cesar Pelli, Weber Music Hall University of Minnesota - Duluth). Dan

is a member of the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) and the Autodesk Developer Network(ADN) and also teaches AutoCAD and Revit Architecture classes at Lake Superior College for theArchitectural Technology program. Additionally, he is a certified Construction DocumentTechnician (CDT) and certified Revit Architecture User. Mr. Stine has also written the followingtextbooks (published by SDC Publications; www.SDCpublications.com):

Residential Design Using Revit Architecture 2010 : includes video instruction on DVDCommercial Design Using Revit Architecture 2010 : includes video instruction on DVDResidential Design Using AutoCAD 2010 : includes video instruction on DVDCommercial Design Using AutoCAD 2010 : includes video instruction on DVDChapters in Architectural Drawing (with co-author Steven H. McNeill, AIA, LEED AP)

About the Author

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2003-2009 Lachmi Khemlani, AECbytes. All rights reserved.

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