Create Callouts for Plans and Sections in Revit

ByMohamed Fakhry Updated

Callouts allow you to create larger Revit views of a part from your existing view. They allow you to zoom in on specific areas of your model drawings and create detailed views with annotations and dimensions.

These little annotations are essential for documenting your design and communicating your ideas to others. You can create callouts for plans, sections, and elevations.

Why is it preferred to use reference callouts? and how to create them for multiple views?

Create Callout

Details: Assign a callout to a plan view.

Steps

  1. Go to the View tab > Create panel > drop-down the Callout menu.
  2. Click Sketch.
  3. Sketch the boundaries of the callout area.
reference callout in Revit
Select a sketch tool from the Ribbon to draw the boundaries.
  1. In the options bar, check the “Reference other view” box.
  2. Click Finish Edit Mode.

This associates a blank drafting view with your annotation in the original view. To insert a callout that references another view, type <view name> in the search bar under “Reference Other View” dropdown.

Learn about other annotation symbols

Draw details

  1. In the Project Browser, open the generated view.
  2. In the view control bar, increase the “View Scale” and set the “Detail Level” to Fine.
How to draw a detail from a callout in Revit
How to view callout details
  • (AL) Align it with a wall line by clicking on the wall, then clicking on the parallel boundary lines.
  • (RO) Rotate or use the rotating arrow symbol that appears in the upper left corner.
  • Edit the boundaries. Select the boundary > Go to the Modify | Views tab > click Edit Crop.

Rename

  1. Click the (-) icon to collapse the Drafting Views list, then right-click the view.
  2. Click Rename to change the title.
How to rename a callout in Revit

Avoid duplicates

When you duplicate a view with its details, each callout is duplicated with its unique reference under the parent view.

When you copy and paste a standard callout, the associated view is also duplicated. Therefore, we prefer to link multiple views to an original view and use reference callouts for them.

Learn how match lines can link your views

Sections and Elevations

You can also create callouts for sections and elevations in Revit:

  1. Go to the View tab > Create panel > click Section.
  2. In the Reference panel, check Reference Other View.
  3. Select the view from the drop-down menu.
  4. Draw a section line.
  5. Click Finish Edit Mode.
Add section or plan callout without an existing view

Section and elevation details, unlike plan details, can be switched from detail views to normal views.

Align from Different Views

Callouts contain ‘read only’ parent view parameters. However, the Clockwork node in dynamo is used to find the parent view.

This method returns the view of each level, and it has an output named “firstView”. The output is the name of the view you get when you click on the “Go To Floor Plan” button.  

Dynamo solution: Revit Callout Not Visible In View

Dummy Callouts

  1. Go to the Annotate tab > Detail Line.
  2. In the Draw panel, select the Rectangle tool > Draw around a detail.
  3. Select the Fillet Arc tool and apply it to the edges of the rectangle.
  4. Go to the Manage tab > Settings panel > drop-down the Additional Settings menu.
  5. Click Line Style > Change Line Pattern to Dash Dot to mimic a callout.

You can make them from detail components or detail lines and text. Be aware that this isn’t a good practice:

  • They will not update when you change any information on the view or sheets.
  • Other users in the project may take them for real and not check the references.
  • This method is anti-BIM and Revit capabilities.

Callout Not Showing

If Revit’s callout doesn’t appear, make sure it’s in a parent view and not inserted into a non-independent view/sheet. When a project contains many views and details, the default callout tool becomes less manageable.

Delete their views in the Project Browser and clean up the project. Use the Reference Callout to avoid such problems.