Tag Archives: Tips

Show Hidden Lines

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This is a tool that seems to be underutilized when I visits firms, yet a tool that is very useful when it comes time to setting up construction documentation.  If there has ever come a need to show one objected hidden behind another, there is a tool for that.  On the View tab in the Graphics panel there is a command called Show Hidden Lines, this tool allows for an element to be picked an that needs to see the dashed line through, then the element to be hidden.

As usually the status bar will always display the steps needed to accomplish a command.

One tip I usually talk about when using this command is to go into Wireframe, other wise it is really hard to get the element that is being hidden. Once the command is done the view can be put back into Hidden Line mode to see the effects.  In the example below I did this with a partial height wall that was being covered with a counter top to display the wall below.

Another little tip about this tool is that is also works with detail components and modeled elements.  A modeled element can be displayed hidden through a detail component that has a masking region built into it.  The example below shows this for a plate detail component over a modeled structural beam.

 

 

Section or Details in Legends

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I run into this question usually on a weekly basis so I thought it would be a good post.

When creating a legend, say a door frame legend, and there needs to be a reference a detail in that legend Revit wont allow it.  The section and callout commands are greyed out.  Don’t use a dummy bubble (never ever use a dummy bubble) instead go to another live view of the model (i.e. section, plan, elevation), choose the correct command section or callout, and do a reference view.

Copy that view reference to the clipboard, switch to the legend view and paste from the clipboard.

Bold Text

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This question came up in my office yesterday so I thought I would share the answer.  If you want bold text, there are two ways to get it.  Of course you can always choose a bold font, such as Arial Bold, but here are the other two options:  The first option is to make a text type that has “bold” checked in the type properties.

 

Alternately, once a particular portion of (or all) text within a text box is highlighted, the bold button appears on the Contextual Tab.

One should note, however, that the bold button will remain grayed out until text is highlighted.  So simply selecting a text box will not make this option available.

The first method should be utilized if all text in a particular text box is to be bold, and the second method should be used for large note blocks where only a portion of the text needs to be bolded.

Move with disjoin

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I found another nice little feature (some might call a bug) about using the Move command while having the disjoin checkbox on.  The point of this option is to allow a user to move an element, say wall or beam, that is joined on either end and break that connection during the move process.

What might not be totally apparent is this will also disjoin it from everthing, if you had dimensioned to that wall the dimensions are gone etc.  If you move a level everything associated with the levels gets deleted (views, walls, columns etc.).  What I discovered recently is that if I move an element and another model has that element being monitored, then that file sees the element as being deleted.   When the coordination review is ran in another model it will see it not as moved but as being deleted. It even disjoins any monitoring.  The moral of the post, if you are using move make sure you have a dang good reason to have disjoin checked.

Color Underlay Elements showing White

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David Light posted about problems with Room Color Schemes and certain elements not letting the color show through like stairs for furniture.  I added a comment to his post then thought I might follow up with this post.  The issue is when you add a color scheme to a plan view certain elements wont show through.

Switching the view to Wireframe is always an option but then the colors go to the center of the walls and this isn’t the result I am looking for. I will into the Visibility Graphics setting and check the Ghosted otion for all offendening categories.  This will allow the color scheme to come through the element categories that are causing the issue.  Plus then I can have this set up in a view template and apply it when needed.