Looking for Missing Items in Revit

Dan Stine, CSI, CDT
Registered Architect and Author

When using a sophisticated program that can meet the needs of many types of customers who develop a number of diverse architectural project types, you can expect to sometimes get lost in the options and settings. This is true for Autodesk’s flagship BIM products, the Autodesk Revit series; Architecture, Structural and MEP. One area of constant frustration for new users is controlling what is and is not visible in a given view. This Tips and Tricks article will walk you through the common pitfalls when it comes to finding “missing” elements in a view; you can see the element in other views (or models) but not in a specific view. The finding process involves working with several different aspects of the application.

Worksets

It is possible to control the visibility of individual worksets on a View by View basis (although controlling visibility is not why worksets exist). For example, if the furniture is on its own workset , you will need to make sure that workset is “turned on” in the problem view. To do this:

1. Type VV.
2. Select the Worksets tab.
3. Make sure the Furniture Workset is checked.

If the Workset is unchecked, it could be that when it was created, the Visible by default in all views option was unchecked.

Another workset related problem could be that the workset is unloaded (or closed) for the current project. When a workset is unloaded, it is not visible in any view in the project. To verify this, click Collaborate (tab) > Worksets. Make sure that the workset which contains your element(s) is opened.

Categories

Category Visibility and Overrides should be the most obvious thing to check when something does not show up.

1. Type VV and make sure the elements you are looking for has its category turned on (i.e. checked).

1. Check both the Model Categories tab and the Annotation Categories tab. Note that Room Tags only show up when the Room category (via the Model tab) is turned on, otherwise they will not show up even if the Room Tags category (via the Annotation tab) is checked. This is also true with Spaces/Space Tags in Revit MEP.

1. Click the plus next to the category and make sure the sub-categories are checked. Note that some sub-categories should be off for a specific view. Also, some Families do not make use of some (or all) of the sub-categories.

1. Notice the item at the very top of the Model Categories tab: Show model categories in this view (the annotation tab has a similar option). This will turn off all Model categories in the current view. This should typically be turned on.

1. Check the Show categories from all disciplines option if you are working on a multi-discipline model and need to check the visibility status of a structural item or an HVAC element in an architectural view.

Category overrides can sometimes play a role in finding hidden elements. Notice that the pattern for the Floors category, in the image above, is set to Hidden (i.e., not visible). Also, some users set the drawing window background color to black, which makes some Families blend with the background color. Other overrides might blend with the traditional white background when opened by a non-customized Revit station.

The category the element falls in may be hard to determine or may just be plain wrong. To verify which category a Family is set to, do the following:

1. Select the Family in a view in which it is visible, then click Edit Family on the Ribbon. You could also right-click on the Family in the Project Browser and then select Edit.
2. Select Create (tab) >  Category and Parameters (button)
3. Note the category selected, as shown below.

View Range

Items outside of the View Range will not show up. Each view has its own View Range settings. It is also possible to add one or more Plan Regions to a view which allows the View Range settings to be overridden in a rectilinear area. Follow this procedure:

1. Right click in the view and select View Properties.
2. Scroll down and select Edit next to View Range.
3. Verify the settings (see examples below).

Here is the floor plan version of the View Range dialog.

The ceiling plan version of the dialog is shown below.

One common problem is with elements not showing up in a recessed floor area, for example, an entry/lobby that is a few feet lower than the main portion of the building. In this case, both the Bottom and View Depth options need to be set to a negative number that brings the cut plane down to the recessed floor level.

Elements that are above the Cut Plane and below the Top in the View Range may still not appear in the view while others do. This is mainly by design. For example, in Revit MEP, the Light Fixtures will show up but in Revit Architecture, Specialty Equipment will not (e.g., a wall mounted TV bracket). There are ways to get the latter to be visible, by adding a vertical line (which would be buried in the wall), so the Family technically now passes through the Cut Plane.

Verify if the view has any Plan Regions. The easiest way to do this is to make sure the category is turned on (type VV, Annotation Categories tab), select the entire plan, and then click the Filter icon to see if any Plan Regions are listed. If any exist, you can select them individually and click the View Range button on the Options Bar.

The Help system in Revit 2010 has a few new graphics that help to explain the View Range feature.

Discipline Setting for a View

Each view has a parameter to specify discipline. This setting is more important for Revit Structure and Revit MEP. In an Electrical Lighting Plan, for example, the Light Fixtures will show up if the Discipline is set to one of the following: Electrical, Mechanical, or Coordination; and only if the Light Fixtures fall within the View Range (as described previously).

Tip: In Revit MEP ceiling plan views, the Underlay Orientation must be set to Reflected Ceiling Plan in order to see the ceiling grids, even if the view’s Underlay is set to none.

Just as the name implies, the Coordination discipline setting can show the most information. If you set the Discipline to Coordination, you may be able to see the missing elements and narrow down the list of potential problems. For example, the problem would not be with the Phasing if the missing elements show up in a coordination view.

Missing Section and Elevation Tags

There are a few reasons why section and elevation tags may not show up in a view. First you should make sure the Section and Elevation categories are on. You can use the Reveal Hidden Elements tool (located on the View Control Bar) to quickly check this; this tool is the only way to find individual elements that have been hidden in the view via the right-click option. Hidden elements show up in the color magenta, you can select them and unhide them via the Options Bar. Click the Reveal Hidden Elements toggle again to exit that mode.

If the Crop Region for a section or elevation view does not “intersect” a plan view’s Cut Plane, then the section mark/elevation tag will not show up in that plan view.

Sections have a parameter called Hide at scales courser than which allows you to hide wall sections in the overall plan views, or all the sections for a code plan view. Try temporarily setting the view scale higher to see if the section shows up. You can also go to the section view, enter View Properties, and adjust the Hide at scales courser than value.

Missing Grids and Levels

Imagine you have grids in your floor plan, someone does some work on the exterior elevations and then all (or some) of the grids are missing from the plan views. This is a common problem that every Revit user needs to experience once to really appreciate what is going on. Grids and Level datums are actually 3D planes that, similar to sections and elevations previously discussed, must “intersect” the view’s Cut Plane.

The problem in the situation just stated is that the grid lines were repositioned in the exterior elevations so the grid graphics only occur above the elevations (i.e., the gird line was repositioned above the building so it did not extend though it). This change caused the 3D grid plane to no longer “intersect” the plan view’s Cut Plane; thus the grids disappeared.

Grids can be set to a special 2D mode so one can manipulate the graphics in a view without changing the 3D plane of the grid datum in the project. To fix the problem, you need to first reposition the grids in elevation so they extend throughout the building. Then you select one grid—you will see a 3D symbol near the tail end, as in the first figure below. Clicking on the 3D symbol toggles the grid (and symbol) to 2D mode for the selected grid only. Now you can reposition the grid end above the building without affecting other views. The second figure below shows a repositioned grid; notice the 2D symbol and the dashed line indicating the extents of the 3D grid (when selected).
 
        

The Level datum graphics work in a similar fashion.

Phasing

When a project involves an existing building or future construction, Phases are used to manage the “time” aspect of the project.

Element Phase Settings: Every “model” element in Revit has Phase parameters as part of its Properties, as shown in the dialog below for a wall. You can set when the element was created, whether it is Existing or New Construction. Also, you can set Phase Demolished, which helps Revit know when to make something disappear or dashed (in the case of a demolition plan).

Note: You can create as many phases as you want in a project, but you should never have any Demolition phases as Revit handles this automatically. Also, if you are working on a totally new building, you can “delete” the Existing phase to avoid potential problems with Phasing.

View Phase Settings: Every View in a Revit project has two Phase parameters which allow you to control what is seen in any given view, as shown below. If the Phase is set to Existing, none of the elements that are created in the future will be visible. The Phase Filter allows more granular control over what shows up in a view. For example, one view might be set to Phase: New Construction and Phase Filter: Show All, which will cause a view to show the new construction elements, the existing in a shade of gray and the demolished items as dashed lines. Another view might be set to Phase: New Construction and Phase Filter: Show Complete, which will show the new construction elements, the existing (but not gray) and hide the demolished items completely.

Phase Filter Settings: The natural question, after the previous discussion, is what controls the Phase Filter and how do I know how each one is set? Answer: the Phasing Settings dialog which is the master control for phase related settings for the entire project. To access this dialog:

1. Click Modify (tab) > Phase Settings (link in the lower right corner of the Phasing panel).
2. Click the Phase Filter tab, shown below.

Notice the Show All row in the image above. New is set to By Category and everything else is Overridden. The By Category designation means elements will appear based on their settings in [Manage > Settings > Object Styles] and Overridden causes the elements to take on the settings found on the Graphic Overrides tab of the Phasing dialog (shown below).

Tip: For every floor plan view, you should have a copy for each phase. For example: Level 1 – New, Level 1 – Demo, Level 1 – Existing, and Level 1 – Future (or phase 2). When elements are drawn in the Existing view they are automatically set to the Existing phase.

Filters

The use of filters, by design, impacts what is seen (and printed) in a view. If a view is using filters, you need to make sure they are not causing your problem. To verify if filters are being used in a view, do the following:

1. Type VV while in the problem view.
2. Click the Filters tab.
3. Make sure the Visibility option is not causing the problem (see image below).
4. The Patterns overrides have a Visibility option within them as well.
5. The Lines override does not have a Visibility option, but it is possible to set the line color to something that blends with the drawing area background, making it invisible.
6. You can try removing the Filter to see if it is part of the problem and then use Undo to restore it.

Reveal Hidden Elements Tool

Revit provides a tool to quickly make hidden elements visible. This tool is located on the View Control Bar, below the drawing window. Clicking the icon, which looks like a light bulb, causes all visible elements to temporarily gray out and any hidden elements appear in a bright magenta color.

If you select a hidden element(s), you can then click one of the Unhide options on the ribbon.

Note: This is the only way to view, and restore, elements that were hidden “by element” via the right-click option. For example, you can select a chair (as in the image below) and then right-click and select Hide in View> Elements; this hides the selected element and not the entire Furniture category.

The view remains in the Reveal Hidden Elements mode until the icon is clicked again on the View Control Bar. Also, only elements within the View Range will appear.

Missing Items in a Linked Revit Model (when a Revit link exists)

When a Revit project has one or more Revit files linked into it, you need to understand how visibility is controlled in order to troubleshoot elements not showing up from the link. You may have a Furniture model, a structural model or a MEP model referenced into your project (or all of the above). Visibility controls for links are similar to the project as a whole; you just have to “drill” a little deeper to access them.

An earlier assumption was that the “missing” element is visible in another view. So if you can see furniture in one view but not another, you know the linked model is loaded. However, it is helpful to know how to verify your model is loaded.

1. Select Manage (tab) > Manage Links.
2. Click the Revit tab (see image below).
3. Make sure all links are loaded (via the Status column).

You can click Reload to ensure you have the latest changes. Reload From allows you to swap out a link with a different file, but can also be used to force Revit to reload the same file when Reload is not behaving.

When a Revit link(s) is present, the Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog will gain a new tab called Revit Links—compare the image below with similar ones previously shown in this article.

When the Display Settings for a Revit link are By Host View, as in the image above, the normal controls for a specific view also control the link. However, the link often needs to be manipulated independently and the Display Settings will say Custom, as shown below.

When you click on the button in the Display Settings column, the RVT Link Display Settings dialog box is opened, which provides granular control of the Revit link. Each tab in the dialog has three options: By Host, By Linked View and Custom. The default setting is By Host View. By Linked View allows you to select a view that exists within the linked model—which allows view-specific things to show up, such as tags and dimensions. There is no granular control as the linked view controls what is seen and where things are positioned. Note that Custom must be selected on the Basics tab before the Custom option can be set on the three subsequent tabs.

Mapped Phasing is an important setting when linked Revit models are present. You should have the same number of phases as the linked model and the names should match. (See the previous discussion on Phases). To verify Mapped Phasing do the following:

1. Select the link in any view where it is visible.
2. Look at the link’s Type Properties.
3. Click the Edit button next to Phase Mapping.

This last comment about linked Revit models does not directly apply to our scenario where we can see the element in one view and not another, but it is worth noting. If the linked model is employing worksets, it is possible to tell Revit to completely ignore a workset every time the linked model is loaded. The trick with this option is that it can only be set up when the model is being linked in originally, and there is no way, after that, to see which ones are being excluded.

There is one trick that allows you to “reset” or “reselect” which workset gets excluded without having to Remove the link and re-link it—this way you don’t lose your model position and view overrides. To do this, follow the steps outlined below:

1. Go to Manage Links and select the link in question
2. Click Reload From.
3. Browse and select the linked model (don’t double-click it). Then click the down-arrow next to Open.
4. Select Specify from the drop-down list.
5. Click Open and adjust the Opened column as desired (Yes = visible).

Missing DWG Link (when a DWG link exists)

Similar to linked Revit models, there are a few things to know about AutoCAD DWG files that are linked in when it comes to controlling visibility. The issues usually relate to how the DWG was linked in, its position in the Revit model, and the Layer settings in the DWG file.

When initially linking in a DWG file, you may check a box for Current View Only. The DWG will then only be visible in the view it was linked into. This is appropriate when bringing in drawings for reference or a consultant file. If it turns out that you need to see this information in another view, your only option is to remove the DWG and then re-link it.

Tip: It is best to check the Link option when bringing in a DWG file (in Revit 2010, you click the Link CAD vs. Import CAD tool on the Insert tab). This gives you easy access to it via the Manage Links dialog. If the DWG is not linked, the only way to remove it is to select it (if you can find it) and delete it. If you compare the Imported Categories tab (in the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog for any view) with the Manage Link dialog you can determine with DWG files are not linked.

Each view has the ability to control which Layers are visible within each DWG file linked in. Simply type VV and click on the Imported Categories tab and look for any Layers that are turned off. You should also look for any overrides that may be affecting the visibility of line work in the view, as shown below.

Design Options (when present)

If a project has Design Options in it, you need to understand how they are displayed in a view in order to do some basic troubleshooting. By default, all elements in the Primary Option, for each Option Set, are visible in all views. If a design team member changes which Option is primary, by using the Make Primary button in the Design Options dialog, that will have an effect on all views.

Each view has controls for Design Options when they are present in the model. When you type VV and select the Design Options tab, you can see these controls. When an Option Set is set to <Automatic>, the PrimaryOption will be displayed. When an Option Set is set to a specific Option, only that option will be displayed (even when in the Edit mode for another Option within that Option Set).

Conclusion

As with any sophisticated program, the settings to control visibility in Revit are many and sometimes confusing. However, once the power of the various options and features are harnessed by the design team, they can more effectively and efficiently convey their ideas. This discussion could certainly continue over several more pages; however, the steps described in this tutorial should be sufficient to solve most problems finding “missing” elements in Revit.

About the Author

Dan Stine, CSI, CDT is a registered Architect with eighteen years experience in the architectural field. He currently works at LHB (a 180 person multidiscipline firm) in Duluth Minnesota as the CAD Administrator, providing training, customization and support for two regional offices. In his current and previous positions, Dan has participated in collaborative projects with several other firms on various projects (including Cesar Pelli, Weber Music Hall – University of Minnesota - Duluth).  Dan is a member of the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) and the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) and also teaches AutoCAD and Revit Architecture classes at Lake Superior College for the Architectural Technology program. Additionally, he is a certified Construction Document Technician (CDT) and certified Revit Architecture User. Mr. Stine has also written the following textbooks (published by SDC Publications; www.SDCpublications.com):

Residential Design Using Revit Architecture 2010 : includes video instruction on DVD
Commercial Design Using Revit Architecture 2010 : includes video instruction on DVD
Residential Design Using AutoCAD 2010 : includes video instruction on DVD
Commercial Design Using AutoCAD 2010 : includes video instruction on DVD
Chapters in Architectural Drawing (with co-author Steven H. McNeill, AIA, LEED AP)

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