Working with Reference Planes and

Views
Before You Begin…
Navigate to the C:\Autodesk\Training\Revit_Mechanical_2019_Datasets\L5 -
Ensure
WORKINGthat you have
WITH downloaded
VIEWS folderall
forthe
thedataset filesdatasets.
exercise from your course outline, and that they are extracted
to the root of your C: drive.
While this exercise takes place in the Mechanical discipline, you can apply the lessons to
other MEP disciplines (Electrical, Piping and Plumbing).

Lessons:

Before You Begin… .............................................................................................................................. 1

Lessons: ............................................................................................................................................. 1
Objectives:.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Open an Existing Project and Review Levels........................................................................................... 3
Create a Section View .......................................................................................................................... 4
Create a New Level Datum for the Plenum ............................................................................................. 7
Adjust the Plenum Plans View Range – Cut Plane ................................................................................... 9
Adjust a View to Remove a View Template .......................................................................................... 11
Review ............................................................................................................................................. 13

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Objectives:
In this “Let Me Try” exercise you will practice the following:

Open an existing Revit Project

Review the Existing Levels

Create a Section View

Add Plenum Levels

Adjust the View Range Cut Plane for a View

Modify the Plenum Plans to adjust their Discipline

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Open an Existing Project and Review Levels
1. Launch Revit software if it is not already open.
2. Open the WORKING WITH VIEWS.rvt or WORKING WITH VIEWS - METRIC.rvt project from the L5 -
WORKING WITH VIEWS in your class folder on your C: Drive.
3. Review the Project Browser to locate the views that are applicable to your discipline.
4. Open the 1 – Mech Plan View.

• This exercise will take place within the Mechanical portion of the Project
Browser. Please note that you can apply these lessons to the Electrical and
Plumbing disciplines.

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Create a Section View
5. We will now create a Section View to review the Levels that exist in the Project.

• You can use an elevation view to create levels, but Revit Spaces do not display in
elevation views.

6. Click on the Section Tool in the Quick Access Toolbar in the top left corner of Revit.
7. Draw a Section line that cuts through the entire building

8. Locate the Section View in the Project Browser. It should be in the Mechanical portion of the Project
Browser.

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 9. Open the Section 1 View and look at the Properties Window to review the View’s specific properties.
10. Note that the Discipline is set to Mechanical, but the Sub-Discipline is Empty.
11. Select the Sub-Discipline drop-down and select the HVAC Sub-Discipline. (This reorders the Section
View in the Project Browser to place the Section in the correct location.

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 12. Review the Section View and note that there are two existing Levels (Floor 1 and Roof). - You will
create a new Level Datum to represent the Plenum Space between the Ceiling and the Roof.

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Create a New Level Datum for the Plenum
13. From the Architectural Tab, Datum Panel, select the Level tool.
14. This tool allows you to Draw a Level or to Pick a Line that exists and Revit will create a new Level at
the location of the selected line. Select the Pick Line tool from the Ribbon Bar.

15. Before you select anything in the View you will need to set the Level Type to Plenum.
a. In the Properties Window select the Type Selector drop-down and select the Plenum Level
Type.

16. Modify the line that represents the top of the Ceiling element in the Section View.
a. Adjust the new Level line by dragging the ends of the line to new locations.
17. Rename the Level to Plenum and allow Revit to rename the corresponding Views.

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 18. Review the Project Browser to note that the two new Plenum Views have been created.

19. Select the Ceiling Plan – PLENUM View and note that you can change the Properties without
opening the view.
a. Change the View’s Sub-discipline to HVAC.

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Adjust the Plenum Plans View Range – Cut Plane
20. Open the Ceiling View – PLENUM. (You will not see anything except for the Section Line.)
21. The reason that you cannot see anything is due to the View Range that was set for this Ceiling Plan
view. By default, the View is set to cut far above the bottom of the Level. You will need to adjust
the Cut Plane location to allow the View to display correctly.
22. Select the View Range Edit… button.

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 23. In the View Range dialog Box note that the Cut plane Offset is far to high to display the View
correctly.
a. Adjust the Cut Plane to a more appropriate distance and press OK to close the dialog box.

24. Review the updated Plenum Ceiling Plan to notice that the building plan now appears as required.

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Adjust a View to Remove a View Template
25. Open the HVAC – Floor Plan – PLENUM View.
a. Review the Properties for the PLENUM View. Notice that you cannot change most of the
settings in this new View. This is due to a View Template (Mechanical) that was
automatically set to control the display of this View.
b. Locate the Identity Data portion of the View’s Properties. Click where is says Mechanical
Plan.

c. Select the <None> in the Names: portion of the Assign View Template dialog Box.

d. Press OK to exit the dialog box.

e. Note that you can now change the setting for the View in the View’s Property settings.

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 f. Change the View Range – Cut Plane to an appropriate setting for this small space in the
PLENUM between the top of the Ceiling and the Roof.

g. Notice that the View updates to reflect the new Cut Plane location. – Notice that the walls
from the 1st Floor extend above the Ceiling into the PLENUM space.

Your Revit Project is now ready to create Spaces within the Rooms in the Floor Plan and Space within the
Plenum in the Ceiling Plan – PLENUM views. You will create these Spaces in another “Let Me Try”
Exercise.
Note: Make sure to save your Revit Model

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Review
In this “Let Me Try” exercise you Opened an Existing MEP Project that was created by Linking an
Architectural Project into a MEP Discipline Specific Project.
You created a Section View, renamed the View and adjusted the View’s Sub-Discipline.
You created a new Level called Plenum and adjusted the Level’s line.
You adjusted the Sub-Discipline of the new Ceiling View.
You modified the new Ceiling and Floor Plan Views’ View Range – Cut Plane to allow the Plan and
Ceiling Views to display correctly.

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