how to show a topography line in elevation

[mark.98140]

How can one create a site boundary contour line in elevation that represents the topography without having to simply draw a line over the topography in section? The example I have in mind is a triangular or similarly irregular site where the elevation tool marker does not cut across the entire boundary of the topography, and as such one has to create a line manually to represent the topography in section and hide the building content 'under the ground'... is there a better way of doing this which uses more of the parametrics of the program?

[patricks]

I'm not sure I follow... why doesn't your elevation cut all of the topography? Does the topo not completely surround the building? Or is your building so irregularly shaped that you have to move the elevation cut line far back from the building such that it doesn't cut all of the topography?

Can you post an image of what's happening?

[mark.98140]

sorry patrick, but i don't have an example with me at the moment (can do so tomorrow)... but the issue is just as you say, that is;

whilst the topography does extends around the building and the site, the site itself is irregular (not square), meaning the elevation tool is not parallel to the building / boundary and as such the elevation tool cannot cut parallel to the building, this means the topo surface is not showing the ground level at the boundary or building but rather some other point further away... this is not the intention when doing an elevation where one typically shows the levels at the boundary or the building itself.

Any ideas on how to correct this or do a workaround?

[Andre Carvalho]

I don't think the site is a irregular shape, like a triangular shape (unless it is at a cliff edge or something). What propably is in a irregular shape is the property line and probably you've modeled your site to fit the property lines. Now if that's true, why don't yoy just add extra points to the topography to make your site a regular shape?

Andre Carvalho

[mark.98140]

the reason this doesn't work is that elevations are required typically to align with the site boundary or building... on an irregular site / property.. this is not possible to do with the elevation tool... stretching the site only creates levels that are not at the building.. this is not possible to do when the site is sloping..

[patricks]

If your topography generally slopes away from the building, then I'm guessing you have your wall extending down into the topography such that there is no line shown in an elevation to denote where the wall surface is no longer visible and the finished grade is visible. If your wall has a surface pattern, the pattern will just stop at the topography with no visible edge. Is this the problem you're describing?

What I have been doing recently is placing a narrow pad underneath my perimeter walls, aligned to the outside face of wall and extending maybe 12" (or 300mm or so) towards the interior. Make the elevation below your finished grade, and presto! You will now have a line where the topography meets the wall, and then you can just turn off the topo's contour line visibility in the elevation.

[nancy.mcclure]

Perhaps consider two separate elevations, each positioned as desired to show the grade at the building facade, and then cropped and placed side-by-side? This would not be a 'true' elevation view from the boundary, but it sounds like you're attempting a non-true representation anyway...

[mark.98140]

The following example perhaps better depicts the problem we regularly face. If i want to show an elevation with the actual site level at the property boundary, we can't as the elevation tool will only allow me to create an elevation that runs at 90deg to the building or in 1 line. The property line in this case has two sides to it, both facing north. I should be able to show only the ground level at the perimeter wall ( and not the hill in the foreground) on the boundary and the building in elevation to the north for normal documentation / council purposes... but i can't. How can this be best achieved using revit and not destroying the model?

this seems a basic tool requirement that can't be achieved?

[patricks]

For something like that... honestly I would just do a masking region along the bottom of your elevation, with all the topography and site walls turned off. I usually do that anyway for early presentation drawings to show clients (before I get into the actual site grading), but I would just do that for that particular elevation and move on.

Another option would be to just use a section cut with a jogged line, and pull the cut line in close to the section head mark to make it look like an elevation mark. The view will show up under sections in your PB, but you could always make another Section subcategory and call it Elevations.

Jogged elevation cut lines have been on the wish list for quite some time now.

[mark.98140]

The first option is not really ideal as the line tools and masking regions can unfortunately not snap to the site topography. The second option is a reasonable work around, though as you said, on a program supposedly aimed directly at architects it is a bit disappointing and frustrating (much like the lack of a brick coursing tool for use in plans and elevations!). but thanks for your input and clarifying what I assumed is the case.:(

[patricks]

The first option is not really ideal as the line tools and masking regions can unfortunately not snap to the site topography.

Yes true, but does it HAVE to be 100% perfectly exact? I've done it many times and it still gets built correctly.