Revit is driving me crazy! Help please? (Underlays, view settings)

[jonathanh669363]

Okay, I've got a couple issues with Revit being... Revit... and I'm not getting anywhere with them. Hopefully I can get some help before I lose it! :?

First, not really specific to this project but happening at the same time as my main problem. Does anyone know why sometimes, parts of the Properties Palette will be greyed out? Currently, I can't edit View Range or Depth Clipping on most of my floor plans. Two of them I can, the two I've been working on (floors 4 and 5). At first I thought it was because there wasn't anything on the other levels, so I tossed in a few walls and floors. That didn't help.

On the same floors, when I open View Graphics, everything is greyed out there as well. Its not a shared project, just one file on my machine so its not a worksharing problem.

And, the big one that's making me question my sanity. I'm working on shop drawings for precast floors for an apartment building, and am going off slab edge drawings as well as arch/str dwgs. What I'm trying to do is use underlays to determine when the edge is same as the floors below (meaning we would just produce the same slab again). So, I've gone through and drawn the slab edge for each floor in model lines, except on the 4th floor where I've begun modelling the floor. The outer slabs are currently generic modelled in place components. with the interior being a normal floor.

So now I go to the 5th floor, and turn on the underlay of the 4th floor, to see the slab edge and compare it to the 5thfloor outline. Only, I'm not seeing my generic models! They're not hidden, and I can see the floor slab that's there. This is whether my underlay is a plan or RCP.

Here's where I find it even more confusing. If I set the underlay to 3rd floor, then my 4th floor slabs DO show up. Again, in both plan and RCP.

The same thing happens if I try adding these underlays to the 6th or 7th floors as well (with the added problem of "underlay orientation" also being greyed out).

Now, I can find other ways to do what I want. I'm thinking copying different coloured model lines to compare edges, and then I'll just have to go to the plan to copy the slabs instead of grabbing them right from the underlay. I could just set it to 3rd floor underlay, but that will confusing as I get more floors modelled and the incorrect one is showing up.

I just don't understand why it seems to be showing/ not showing the wrong things?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated :?: Thanks :)

[PijPiwo]

For the first part of the problem, probably a view template is applied. In view properties window, make sure it says <none> under view template.

[tedg]

Boy you have a lot of stuff to work out don't you? :p

I'm no Revit expert, so I'm not qualilfied to answer all your questions.
Maybe you could upload a sample of your model (and supporting files if needed) for others to look at.

Revit is so complex, there's a lot to consider and unless you get asked the right question, you may not get actual help.

Are you linking files? Revit models? AutoCAD files?
Sounds like you have linked AutoCAD drawings you're using to trace over? Are they on the correct level(s) when you attach them?

You know you can copy and paste floor slabs aligned in current views (levels) right? (and anything else for that matter)

[jonathanh669363]

Ahh, ok, the view template was it. I have my floor plans set to apply a view template. If I then change it to none, will it start off with the original template as the base settings?

I've just drawn out the slab outline using model lines, from the dimensions on the hardcopy slab edge drawings. no Cad links, no revit links.

I'm aware of copying/paste aligned, in fact I use it quite a bit. The idea was to figure out which slabs would be common before putting the time modelling them in full. Checking with the model lines is just as easy, that's not the real issue, it's that I have no idea why the underlays are behaving why they are.

I can't get the file small enough to upload right now, I'll have to try tomorrow.

Thanks for the help so far!:)

[PijPiwo]

If I then change it to none, will it start off with the original template as the base settings
If you change it to none, it will keep the template settings that was applied last. But now, you can change the settings in properties and VG without messing up your view template.



I've just drawn out the slab outline using model lines, from the dimensions on the hardcopy slab edge drawings.
Instead of model lines, you can use ref planes. Once drawn, they’re visible on every floor, no need to copy/paste anything. If you have a lot of them, name them to avoid confusion.

With the underlay issue, check this thread (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?46718-Underlay-Behavior-EXPLAINED). Hope it helps.

[dhurtubise]

Did you change the View Range for that view? The original one?

[rosskirby]

Sometimes the view range of the underlay level (as opposed to the view range of the activated view) will affect what is shown from the underlay level in your activated view. Google underlay and view range and see what you come up with.

[MikeJarosz]

95841

Jonathan:

You are learning to play this instrument (see attachment). It will take a while for you to learn what all the settings do. You are flying a 747, not a Piper cub.

Like PijPiwo, I immediately suspected a view template.

[PijPiwo]

You are learning to play this instrument
Nah, it's more like this.

95842


...lol :mrgreen:

[jonathanh669363]

Thanks for the tips guys!

So after reading the thread about underlays, I tried adding intermediate levels above and below Level 4, hoping that it would stop underlays of Level 4 from showing objects from other floors. No luck though. 4th floor underlay in Plan shows the regular floor and generic models on Level 5, and the model lines on Level 4. 4th floor underlay in RCP shows regular floors and model Lines from Level 4, but still shows the generic models on Level 5!