It is essential to understand the basics of how View Range works, and how to use it to set up views for documentation. Understanding the View Range feature will minimise visibility errors and improve the quality of your documentation. This tip is intended for architects, engineers, and builders who are new to Revit or want to improve their documentation skills in Revit. It provides a solid foundation for mastering View Range and creating accurate and detailed documentation in Revit.
What is view range in Revit?
View Range in Revit is a feature to control what parts of a building design can be seen in a specific view. It allows you to set the top, bottom, and cut plane levels for a view, so you can focus on specific areas of interest. It's like taking a picture of a building, you can decide where the camera should be located and what part of the building will be in the picture by adjusting the view range. For instance, if you have a mezzanine level to show in your floor plan, you can adjust the view range without creating an additional level.
Each View Range Keys explained
Primary Range - Top It controls the level of the top of the view, it is the highest point of the view.
Primary Range - Cut Plane It controls the level of the cut plane that is used to show what is inside or outside of a building. It is like an invisible wall that shows the inside or outside of the building.
Primary Range - Bottom It controls the level of the bottom of the view, it is the lowest point of the view.
View Depth Level It controls the level of the view; it defines the bottom and top levels of the view.
Primary Range It controls the level of the view; it defines the bottom and top levels of the view.
View Depth It controls the distance between the cut plane and the bottom and top levels of the view.
View Range It controls the visible area of the view; it defines a rectangular area that limits the visibility of elements in the view.
Each one of these options have different settings and parameters that can be adjusted to control the visibility of elements in the view. You can use them to control the visibility of different parts of the model, making it easier to focus on specific areas of interest.
How to change the view range?
The View Range button can be found in Properties of any views except for 3D view. Once View Range is selected, you can adjust the settings to define the visible portion of the building model that is displayed in the view.
Click on the view that you want to change the view range for. This can be found in the project browser on the left side of the screen.
Click on the View Range button to open the view range settings.
You will see different options that control what is visible in the view. You can adjust these options by clicking on the value next to the option and typing in a new value.
Once you have made the changes you want, press OK to save the changes and close the view range settings.
This change will apply to the view globally, so if you want to show different view range in the specific area, the plan region can be used in this case.
Remember!
You need to ensure that your cut plane is always below the door height at least so that it displays correctly. If it is too low, your windows may not be shown as you expect, so try to cut the element to show properly. There is an option to turn off the sub-category in the visibility Override Setting, but it should be your last choice. Moreover, in order to show any floor below the reference level, your bottom height should be negative to capture the slab or the view depth level should be below the floor if it shall be shown in dashed.
To Sum up
Understanding View Range feature is crucial for users to control the visibility of elements in a view to create accurate and detailed documentation, and it's important to master it in order to achieve the desired results. Additionally, by understanding how to optimise and use this feature, users can minimise visibility errors and improve the overall quality of their documentation.