Create Section Boxes in Revit (Perspective Sections)

You can call a house out of a mountain in seconds thanks to Revit’s section boxes. Read on to learn how to create a perspective section and control it in three dimensions.

A section box is a tool that allows you to isolate a part of your model and view it in more detail. It is a 3D cube that you can resize to enclose the area you want to view.

It is especially useful when you are working with large and complex models and presentations.

In this post, we will look at two different ways to place a section box and how to visually change the appearance of the 3D section view.

Method 1 – Selection Box

Details: Create a section box around selected elements.

Revit doesn’t deselect elements when you activate a new view. After selecting a group of elements, switch to the next view, hold down the CTRL key and select more elements to insert into the section box.

Steps

1. Right-click an element > Select All Instances drop-down menu.
2. Click “Visible in View”.
3. Hold down the CTRL key and select other elements.
4. Press “BX” on the keyboard to apply a selection box.

5. Hide unnecessary elements by clicking them with the right mouse button.
6. Hide in View drop-down menu > click Elements.

✨ Tip: Learn how to create groups and use filters to improve this workflow.

Method 2 – Perspective Section

Details: Create a perspective section in Revit.

A perspective section is a way of showing a building that is cut by a line and what you can see behind it. It shows a section of a building that is cut by an imaginary plane and everything else that appears in the distance.

Learn about two different types of 3D views in Revit

Steps

1. Open a plan view from the Project Browser
2. Go to the View tab > Create panel > click Section.
3. Insert the section line and adjust its direction.

4. In the Create panel, 3D View drop-down menu > click Camera.
5. Click in the center and move the mouse pointer toward the section view > click to apply the camera.

6. In the project browser, double-click 3D View 1.
7. Below the view cube, click the small arrow (Context Menu).
8. Orient to View drop-down menu > Sections > click “Section: Section 1”.

✨ Tip: Learn how to use the ViewCube to control your perspective views.

If the oriented view is too small, you can increase the scale by changing the crop size values:

1. Zoom out and then select the camera region boundary.
2. Go to the Modify | Cameras tab > Crop panel > click Size Crop.
3. Increase the Width and Height values.
4. In the “Change” widget, select the “Scale” option.
5. Click OK.

Learn more about Cropping

Edit

Select the section box to see the handles. Click and drag the handles to change the shape and size of the box.

To change the perspective elevation:

1. Select the camera region boundary.
2. In the properties palette, change the settings under Camera.
3. Select the Projection Mode.
4. Change the value of the Eye Elevation.
5. Change the value of the camera Target Elevation.
6. Click Apply.

Hide the camera region and the section box by right-clicking each, expanding the “Hide in View” menu, and then selecting “Elements”.

✨ Tip: Use your favorite 3D section to create exploded views.

Rotate

Select the section box and rotate it. This will change the direction of your section.

1. Select the section box.
2. Go to the Modify tab > Modify panel > click Rotate (shortcut: RO).
3. Click in the viewport > move the mouse pointer.
4. Enter an angle degree using the keyboard > press Enter to apply the rotation.

To keep the section box hidden, click the Reveal Hidden Elements icon (shortcut: RH), rotate the box, and then deactivate the feature.

Visibility

Customize the colors, patterns, and line styles of your perspective section. The result is a beautiful 3D section view.

To enable shadows and improve line quality in the view:

1. In the Properties palette, next to Graphics Display > click on “Edit…”.
2. Under Model Display, enable the “Smooth lines with anti-aliasing” option.
3. Under Shadows, enable the Cast Shadows and Show Ambient Shadows options.
4. Click OK.

To change line styles, colors and patterns:

1. In the properties palette, next to Visibility/Graphics > click on “Edit…”.
2. “Override…” the settings of your elements that appear in the section view.
3. Click OK.

You can also change the visual style to another mode while keeping all graphics and visibility settings.

Export your section box in Revit to Autodesk Viewer so others can see it online.

Mohamed Fakhry

Mohamed Fakhry has helped thousands of architects and designers find their next project with step-by-step guidance on his blog, mashyo.com. About Mohamed

His journey began during his university years when he recognized the need for information-rich 3D models to accelerate learning and improve production processes. Now, Mohamed shares his expertise through Revit tutorials that are accessible to all.