items wont appear unless below cut plane

[fmplatt530]

Hi all

This is a general question about view range

I always seem to have trouble with the view range concept, which is true for most revit beginner's i think. Often I want to see a floor or roof (or any other object for that matter) and assume it will show up because it is above the cut plane elevation and below the top view range elevation. The objects seem to not appear unless i adjust the cut plane to be through or above the object. This seems contradictory to the rules of the view range.

Has anybody experienced this or am I actually just seeing the cut lines and not the projection line style? if so, why dont the projection lines appear when the item is above the cut elevation but below the top elevation?

thanks for any help

[fmplatt530]

I realize that most of the items i've had this problem with are from a linked model. Would that help explain?

[Brian Myers]

I will keep the answer as simple as I can. Imagine you are standing in a room and looking straight ahead at a wall. Where your eyes are located is the Cut Plane.

Now, what do you want to see? The Floor or the Ceiling? If you want to see the floor then you look down. This is considered a Floor Plan View in Revit. Since you are looking down then everything you want to see needs to be between your eyes (looking down at the floor) and the floor. Your Eyes are at the Cut Plane Elevation and your floor is at the Bottom elevation (in View Range).

But what if you want to see a ceiling? You need to look up. Looking up is a Reflected Ceiling Plan (which is just listed as Ceiling Plan in the Project Browser). Once again, your eyes are at the Cut Plane elevation but this time the ceiling is at the Top elevation (in the View Range).

So far, this is pretty easy to imagine. Your eyes are at the Cut Plane. If you are looking down you need to be in a Plan View looking toward the bottom. If you are looking up you need to be in a Reflected Ceiling Plan view looking toward the top. Everything between those elevations is what you can see.

Notice how "view depth" is by itself in the View Range? That's because it isn't actually "at the bottom". That's just how far in the distance you can see. So view depth is how far "beyond bottom" or "beyond top" that you can see....dependent on if you are looking up or looking down. Just think of view depth as objects in the distance beyond what you are directly looking at.

Now for the confusing part:
In reflected ceiling plans Bottom does not matter. Just ignore bottom in reflected ceiling plan views because you are not looking at the floor, just up toward the ceiling. There's no bottom (or floor) to look at!
But top DOES matter in regular plan views. I know, technically you are looking toward the floor, not the ceiling. But certain items (like upper, wall mount cabinets above counters) need to show up in plan view. So as a trick they have Top be functional in plan views because those cabinets need to be documented even if they are above your eyes. So TOP indicates this is the absolute Top of the plan view for a few kinds of objects. But for most objects, your eye level (Cut Plane) is still the cut-off.

I hope this helps!

When I teach it I actually have people look down and I explain it. Then I have them look up and I explain it. Once you look at it with your own eyes (and not program settings) I find it makes a lot more sense.

[fmplatt530]

I will keep the answer as simple as I can. Imagine you are standing in a room and looking straight ahead at a wall. Where your eyes are located is the Cut Plane.

Now, what do you want to see? The Floor or the Ceiling? If you want to see the floor then you look down. This is considered a Floor Plan View in Revit. Since you are looking down then everything you want to see needs to be between your eyes (looking down at the floor) and the floor. Your Eyes are at the Cut Plane Elevation and your floor is at the Bottom elevation (in View Range).

But what if you want to see a ceiling? You need to look up. Looking up is a Reflected Ceiling Plan (which is just listed as Ceiling Plan in the Project Browser). Once again, your eyes are at the Cut Plane elevation but this time the ceiling is at the Top elevation (in the View Range).

So far, this is pretty easy to imagine. Your eyes are at the Cut Plane. If you are looking down you need to be in a Plan View looking toward the bottom. If you are looking up you need to be in a Reflected Ceiling Plan view looking toward the top. Everything between those elevations is what you can see.

Notice how "view depth" is by itself in the View Range? That's because it isn't actually "at the bottom". That's just how far in the distance you can see. So view depth is how far "beyond bottom" or "beyond top" that you can see....dependent on if you are looking up or looking down. Just think of view depth as objects in the distance beyond what you are directly looking at.

Now for the confusing part:
In reflected ceiling plans Bottom does not matter. Just ignore bottom in reflected ceiling plan views because you are not looking at the floor, just up toward the ceiling. There's no bottom (or floor) to look at!
But top DOES matter in regular plan views. I know, technically you are looking toward the floor, not the ceiling. But certain items (like upper, wall mount cabinets above counters) need to show up in plan view. So as a trick they have Top be functional in plan views because those cabinets need to be documented even if they are above your eyes. So TOP indicates this is the absolute Top of the plan view for a few kinds of objects. But for most objects, your eye level (Cut Plane) is still the cut-off.

I hope this helps!

When I teach it I actually have people look down and I explain it. Then I have them look up and I explain it. Once you look at it with your own eyes (and not program settings) I find it makes a lot more sense.

Thanks Brian. That helps a lot. I assumed that the eye position for plan view (looking down) was the top plane, not the cut plane. Since I'm using structural plans and don't work a lot with cabinets, etc., I should assume that the eye is at the cut plane (not at top plane) when looking down.

[Brian Myers]

That's correct, the eye is at the Cut Plane and most of the time you will be looking down at the level indicated for "bottom" in the View Range.