Working with Levels, Plans and Sections

Before You Begin…

Navigate to the C:\Autodesk\Training\Revit_Mechanical_2019_Datasets\L4 - WORKING
WITH LEVELS
Ensure folder
that you have for the exercise
downloaded datasets.
all the dataset files from your course outline, and that they are extracted
to the root of your C: drive.

While this exercise takes place in the Electrical discipline, you can apply the lessons to other MEP disciplines
(Mechanical, Piping and Plumbing).

Lessons:

Lessons
Before You Begin… .............................................................................................................................. 1
Lessons: ............................................................................................................................................. 1
Objectives:.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Open an Existing Project and Review Levels........................................................................................... 3
Create a Reference Plane ..................................................................................................................... 4
Place an Element on the New Reference Plane ....................................................................................... 7
Use the Align Tool and Dimension Equal to Space the Elements............................................................... 8
Hide Elements in a View ..................................................................................................................... 15
Review ............................................................................................................................................. 17

www.globaletraining.ca 1
Objectives:
In this “Let Me Try” exercise you will practice the following:

 Open an existing Revit Project

 Create a Section View

 Create and Name a Reference Plane

 Place Elements onto the Reference Plane

 Use the Align tool to create Rows and Columns of Elements

 Use the Aligned Dimension tool to create equally spaced Rows and Columns of Elements

 Hide and Reveal Elements in Views

www.globaletraining.ca 2
Open an Existing Project and Review Levels
1. Launch Revit software if it is not already open.
2. Open the WORKING WITH LEVELS.rvt or WORKING WITH LEVELS - METRIC.rvt project from the L4
- 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 – Ceiling Elec View if it not already open.

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

www.globaletraining.ca 3
Create a Reference Plane
1. We will now create a Section View to create a Reference Plane that is associated with the Ceiling in
the Kitchen area.
2. Create a Section Line that cuts through the Kitchen area.

3. Locate the new Section in the Project Browser and rename the view to KITCHEN SECTION.
a. Select the new Section View in the Project Browser.
b. Right Click with your mouse on the View and select Rename.
c. Rename the view “KITCHEN SECTION”.

www.globaletraining.ca 4
 4. With the View still selected change the Section View’s Sub-Discipline to Lighting. Notice how the
View moves to a new location in the Project Browser.

5. We will now create a Reference Plane that will be linked to the bottom of the Ceiling in the Kitchen
area.
a. Select the Architecture Tab, Work Plane, Ref Plane tool.
b. Select the Pick Line tool from the Modify|Place Reference Plane Ribbon Bar.

c. Using your cursor, click on the line that represents the bottom of the Kitchen Ceiling.

www.globaletraining.ca 5
 d. A new Reference Plane is created at that location in the MEP Project.
e. Click on the Lock to link the Reference Plane to the Ceiling Element in the Linked Arch
Project.
f. Click on the blue <Click to name> text and name the new Reference Plane “KITCHEN
CEILING”.

www.globaletraining.ca 6
Place an Element on the New Reference Plane
Now that the Reference Plane has been created you can place Elements (Light Fixtures, Air Terminals,
etc.) onto the Reference Plane.

1. Open the Electrical – Lighting – Ceiling Plans – 1 – Ceiling Elec plan.

2. Select the Systems Tab, Electrical Panel, Lighting Fixture command.
a. This command allows you to place an Element into the design. It is similar in function to
other commands that place other types of elements.
3. Make note that the Ribbon Bar has changed to allow you to place the fixture. The Placement option
is set, by default, to Place on Vertical Face.
4. Select the Place on Work Plane option.

5. The Work Plane dialog box appears and prompts you to select the active Work Plane for this View.
a. Select the Name: Reference Plane: KITCHEN CEILING

b. Press OK to exit the dialog box.

6. Please Lighting Fixtures into the Kitchen area of the plan.

www.globaletraining.ca 7
Use the Align Tool and Dimension Equal to Space the
Elements
Now that you have placed the Fixtures you will need to space them equally within the area.

7. Type AL to enter the Align tool. – This tool is very popular and is used hundreds of times a day in
typical practice.
8. Place your cursor on top of one of the Light Fixtures. Move the cursor on top of the Light Fixture to
notice different Alignment lines that appear.
9. Click your mouse when the Vertical Alignment line appears.

www.globaletraining.ca 8
 10. A dashed blue vertical line will appear. This represents the Alignment line that will be used. It a line
appears in a different location, try using the Align command until the vertical alignment line
appears.
11. Once the vertical alignment line appears, select the Multiple Alignment option in the Options Bar.

12. This will allow you to click on Multiple Light Fixtures to bring them into Alignment with the originally
selected fixture.
13. Click on the Light Fixture directly below the first selected Light Fixture. The Light Fixture will move
into alignment.

www.globaletraining.ca 9
 14. A Lock will appear. Click on the Lock icon to lock the two fixtures into Alignment.
15. Repeat this for the remaining fixtures below.
16. Repeat this entire process for the remaining Light Fixtures in each “column” of Fixtures.

17. Repeat this entire Process for the Light Fixtures in each “row” of Fixtures.

18. When you are done, select one of the Light Fixtures. A web of associated Alignment lines should
appear.

www.globaletraining.ca 10
 19. If your Light Fixtures do not appear like this, then repeat the Align tool until it does.

You will now use the Aligned Dimension tool to equally space the Light Fixtures.

20. Type DI to enter the Aligned Dimension command.

21. In the Option Bar: set the Dimension tool to look for Wall faces instead of Wall centerline

22. Click on the right inside face of the left wall of the Kitchen area.

www.globaletraining.ca 11
 23. Click on the Vertical Alignment line for each “column” of Light Fixtures.
24. Click on the left face of the wall on the right side of the Kitchen area.
25. Click in an empty space in the Kitchen to place the Aligned Dimension.

26. Look for the small EQ symbol that is associated with the Aligned Dimension. Click on the EQ line
that has a red line through it.

www.globaletraining.ca 12
 27. This will place the Light Fixtures at equal spacing within the Kitchen area.
28. Repeat this process to equally space the “rows” of Light Fixtures.

www.globaletraining.ca 13
www.globaletraining.ca 14
Hide Elements in a View
Now that you have placed the Equally spaced Aligned Dimension we will hide them from view.

1. Select the two Aligned Dimensions that you created in the prior lesson. – Hold the Ctrl (Control)
key down while selecting. This allows you to select more than one object at a time.
2. With the two dimensions selected, press your Right Mouse Button.
3. Look for the Hide in View – Elements command and click on it.

www.globaletraining.ca 15
 4. The selected Dimensions disappear from the view. – They can be turned back on by clicking on
the small Light Bulb (Reveal Hidden Elements) in the lower left corner of the View. – (Enable the
Reveal Hidden Elements by clicking on the Dim light bulb. Then select the elements that are
hidden and are now revealed in a Magenta color. Once you have selected them, right click to
use the Unhide in View tool.)

a. Practice using this process to Hide and Unhide Elements in your View.
b. Practice using this process to Hide and Unhide entire Categories in your View.

• Controlling the visibility of Elements and Categories in Revit MEP is critical to your
successfully creating working views and construction documentation views. Review
the Revit MEP help to learn how you can create a View Template that can be
applied to numerous views to control their appearance from a central location in the
Manage View Template Dialog box (found on the View Tab).

Practice creating additional Section Views, placing Elements, Creating Reference Planes, Aligning Elements,
Placing Aligned Dimensions and setting the Elements spacing to become equal. This process will be used
many times as you master the use of Revit MEP.

Note: Make sure to save your Revit Model

www.globaletraining.ca 16
Review
 In this “Let Me Try” exercise you Opened an Existing MEP Project.
 You created a Section View.
 You created a Reference Plane with the Pick Line tool. You then renamed the Reference Plane.
 You placed Light Fixtures into a Plan View by utilizing the Reference Plane as the Work Plane.
 You used the Align tool to create locked Rows and Columns of Elements.
 You placed Aligned Dimension and set them to become equally spaced. You noticed that your Light
Fixtures became equally spaced.
 You hide the Aligned Dimensions from view and practiced Unhiding them.
 Hopefully, you practiced this several times to become familiar with this common workflow process.

www.globaletraining.ca 17