Create Section Boxes in Revit: Perspective Sections

Updated October 2026: A section box is a 3D boundary that limits the geometry shown in a 3D view. You resize it to keep the part of the model you want and cut away the rest. This guide covers the two ways I place one, Selection Box and a perspective section made with Orient to View, then how to resize, rotate, hide and reset the box. The steps are checked against Autodesk’s Revit 2027 help, with a note wherever an older release looks different.

If you only need the shortcut: select the elements you want to see, then press BX.

What a Section Box Does in Revit

A section box clips the viewable part of a 3D view. Autodesk describes it as a 3D boundary that limits the geometry shown in the view. Everything outside the box disappears from that view only, and nothing in the model is deleted or changed.

It is especially useful when you are working with large and complex models and presentations. I use it to look inside one room, to check how a stair meets a slab, and to make 3D sections for sheets.

How to Turn On a Section Box in a 3D View

The section box is a property of the 3D view, not a tool on the ribbon. Every 3D view has its own.

1. Open a 3D view.
2. Click an empty area of the view so the Properties palette shows the view properties.
3. Under Extents, tick Section Box.
4. Select the box. Blue arrow controls appear on its faces.
5. Drag the arrows until the box encloses the part of the model you want to keep.

The box starts around the whole model, so on a big project you will drag for a while. The two methods below get you close to the right size in one step.

Method 1: Selection Box (BX)

Selection Box puts a section box around the elements you have selected. It works from any view, as long as at least one of the selected elements has a 3D representation in the model.

1. Select the elements you want to isolate. To pick every instance of a type at once, right-click one element, open Select All Instances and click Visible in View.
2. Hold Ctrl and click to add other elements.
3. Press BX, or click Modify | [Element] > View panel > Selection Box.

If you start in an orthographic 3D view, the box is applied to that view. From a plan, section or elevation, Revit opens the default 3D view and applies the box there.

Next, clear out what is still in the way:

1. Drag the handles of the box to fine-tune its size.
2. Right-click any element inside the box that blocks your view.
3. Open Hide in View and click 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 Ctrl and select more elements to include in the box.

Tip: Learn how to create groups and use filters to improve this workflow. BX is one of the Revit keyboard shortcuts worth memorising.

Method 2: Perspective Section with Orient to View

A perspective section shows a building cut by a plane, with everything behind the cut drawn in perspective. In Revit you build it from three things: a section view, a camera, and the Orient to View command, which adds the section box for you.

Learn about two different types of 3D views in Revit

Create the section and the camera

1. Open a plan view from the Project Browser.
2. Go to the View tab > Create panel > click Section.
3. Place the section line and adjust its direction. More on section views in Revit.

1. Still in the plan, go to the Create panel > 3D View drop-down > click Camera.
2. Click to place the camera, move the pointer in the direction the section looks, and click again to place the target.

Revit creates a perspective view and names it 3D View 1, 3D View 2, and so on. If you are on Revit 2027 and cannot find the camera’s offset and level settings, see the Revit 2027 notes.

Orient the camera view to the section

1. In the Project Browser, double-click 3D View 1 if it is not already open.
2. Right-click the ViewCube, or click the small arrow below it, to open the ViewCube menu.
3. Open Orient to View > Sections and click your section, for example Section: Section 1.

The camera moves to the same position as the section, and Revit places a section box around the model that matches the extents of that section. That box is what cuts the building.

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

Make the view bigger with Size Crop

If the oriented view is too small, increase the crop size:

1. Zoom out and select the crop boundary of the camera view.
2. Go to the Modify | Cameras tab > Crop panel > click Size Crop.
3. Increase the Width and Height values.
4. Under Change, select Scale (locked proportions) so the view grows without changing what the camera sees.
5. Click OK.

Learn more about cropping

Adjust the camera

To change the height or the projection of the perspective section:

1. Select the crop boundary of the camera view.
2. In the Properties palette, scroll to the Camera group.
3. Set Projection Mode to Perspective or Orthographic.
4. Change Eye Elevation, the height of the camera.
5. Change Target Elevation, the height of the point the camera looks at.
6. Click Apply.

When the view is right, hide the crop boundary and the section box by right-clicking each one, opening Hide in View, and clicking Elements. You can also switch the crop boundary off with Crop Region Visible in the Properties palette.

Happy with the angle? Lock the 3D view so nobody orbits it by accident.

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

How to Orient a 3D View to a Plan or Section

Orient to View is not limited to camera views. According to Autodesk, it can orient a 3D view to any plan, elevation, section or 3D view in the model. Each time, the camera moves to the same position as the view you pick and a section box is placed to match that view’s extents.

To get one level in 3D, cut the way its floor plan is cut:

1. Open the default 3D view. Duplicate it first if you want to keep the original as it is.
2. Right-click the ViewCube.
3. Open Orient to View > Floor Plans and click the plan you want.
4. The view now looks straight down, like the plan. Orbit it to see the level in 3D. How to navigate in Revit.

For a section, choose Orient to View > Sections instead. The box follows the extents of the section view, so set the section’s crop region and depth the way you want them before you orient to it.

If you only wanted the camera angle and not the cut, untick Section Box in the Properties palette afterwards. The same ViewCube menu also has Orient to a Direction, which turns the camera north, south, east, west or to the top without adding a section box.

How to Resize a Section Box

Select the section box to see the handles. Click and drag the blue arrows to change the shape and size of the box. Each face of the box has its own arrow.

Dragging in 3D is not very precise. To line a face up with a wall or a level, edit the box from a plan or elevation instead:

1. Turn on the section box in the 3D view.
2. Open a plan or elevation view.
3. In the Project Browser, right-click the name of the 3D view and click Show Section Box.
4. Drag the blue arrow controls in the plan or elevation to resize the box.

In Revit 2027 the cut updates in real time while you drag, if the view uses Accelerated Graphics. Details are in the Revit 2027 notes.

How to Rotate a Section Box

Select the section box and rotate it. This will change the direction of your section, which helps when a wing of the building sits at an angle to the rest.

1. Select the section box.
2. Go to the Modify tab > Modify panel > click Rotate (shortcut: RO).
3. Click in the view to set the start direction, then move the pointer.
4. Type an angle and press Enter to apply the rotation.

To rotate around a specific point, press Spacebar after starting Rotate and click the new center of rotation.

I find this easier in a plan view. Use Show Section Box as described above, select the box in the plan, and rotate it there against the walls. As far as I have seen, the Rotate tool only turns the box in plan, around a vertical axis. You cannot tilt it.

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

How to Hide a Section Box

Hiding the box removes its outline from the view. The model stays cut. There are two ways to do it.

• Hide this one box: right-click the section box and click Hide in View > Elements.
• Hide the category: go to the View tab > Graphics panel > Visibility/Graphics (shortcut: VG). On the Annotation Categories tab, clear Section Boxes and click OK.

Do this before you place the 3D view on a sheet. The Print Setup dialog has options to hide scope boxes and crop boundaries, but it has no option for section boxes, so the view itself has to hide the box.

To get a hidden box back, click Reveal Hidden Elements on the View Control Bar, select the box, right-click it and choose Unhide in View > Elements. If you hid the category, tick Section Boxes again in Visibility/Graphics.

How to Reset or Remove a Section Box

To remove a section box, click an empty area of the 3D view and untick Section Box in the Properties palette. The whole model comes back.

To reset it, tick Section Box again. Revit does not remember the box you adjusted. It builds a new one around the extents of the model.

That is useful when a box has ended up far from the model, and painful when you only wanted to see the full building for a moment. If you need the box later, hide it or duplicate the view. Don’t turn it off.

How to Style a 3D Section View

Customize the colors, patterns and line styles of your perspective section. The result is a 3D section you can put straight on a sheet.

To enable shadows and improve line quality in the view:

1. In the Properties palette, next to Graphic Display Options, click Edit.
2. Under Model Display, enable Smooth lines with anti-aliasing.
3. Under Shadows, enable Cast Shadows and Show Ambient Shadows.
4. Click OK.

To change line styles, colors and patterns:

1. In the Properties palette, next to Visibility/Graphics Overrides, click Edit.
2. Click Override in the row of each category that appears in the section view and set its lines and patterns.
3. Click OK.

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

Once the view looks right, save the settings as a view template so the next 3D section takes one click.

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

Section Boxes in Revit 2025, 2026 and 2027

The section box itself has worked the same way for years. What changed recently is the interface around it and how fast it redraws.

• Revit 2025: I found no section box changes in Autodesk’s What’s New list.
• Revit 2026: Accelerated Graphics arrived as a tech preview, a faster graphics mode for 2D and 3D views.
• Revit 2027: Accelerated Graphics left tech preview, section boxes became real-time in accelerated views, and the Options Bar was removed.

Real-time section box in accelerated views

In a standard view, placing the box can take a few tries. Autodesk says that in a Revit 2027 accelerated view, dragging the section box planes is instantaneous, the model is cut in real time on the GPU, and all elements are cut properly, including linked Revit models.

To use it:

1. Go to File > Options > Graphics tab. Under Accelerated Revit Graphics, check that Enable the Accelerated Graphics is selected.
2. Open the 3D view.
3. Click the Accelerated Graphics control on the onscreen toolbar, or right-click in the view and select Accelerated Graphics. The view gets a colored border.
4. Select the section box and drag its arrows.

A few limits to know before you rely on it, all from Autodesk’s help:

• It needs a graphics card. Autodesk recommends at least 64 GB of system RAM and a graphics card with 8 GB for the best experience.
• Cast shadows, sketchy lines and depth cueing have no effect in an accelerated view, and lines show without line patterns or lineweights.
• Printing, exporting and rendering always use the standard, non-accelerated display.
• The accelerated state is switched off between Revit sessions, and it does not modify the model.

So I treat it as a working mode: accelerated while I place the box, standard when I style the view and put it on a sheet. For the rest of the release, see what’s new in Revit 2027.

Section Box vs Scope Box, Crop Region and Section View

These four are easy to mix up because they all limit what you see. They do different jobs.

They also work together. A camera view oriented to a section, as in Method 2, uses a section box for the cut and a crop region for the frame of the picture.

Section Box Troubleshooting

The model is cut but I cannot see the section box

The outline is hidden. Open Visibility/Graphics (VG), go to the Annotation Categories tab and tick Section Boxes. If it is already ticked, the box was hidden as an element: click Reveal Hidden Elements on the View Control Bar, select the box, right-click and choose Unhide in View > Elements.

The section box is missing and the whole model shows

The box is turned off. Click an empty area of the 3D view and tick Section Box under Extents in the Properties palette. It comes back around the extents of the model, not where you last left it.

I cannot select the section box

A hidden box cannot be picked. Turn on Reveal Hidden Elements and select it there, or open a plan view, right-click the 3D view in the Project Browser and click Show Section Box, then select and edit the box in the plan.

The Section Boxes checkbox in Visibility/Graphics is greyed out

A view template is probably controlling the Visibility/Graphics settings of the view. Edit the template, or set View Template to None in the Properties palette.

How do I hide the section box for printing?

Hide it in the view before you place the view on a sheet: right-click the box > Hide in View > Elements, or clear Section Boxes on the Annotation Categories tab of Visibility/Graphics. Print Setup has no option for section boxes.

BX opened a different 3D view

That is how Selection Box works. It uses the current view only if that view is an orthographic 3D view. From a plan, section or elevation it opens the default 3D view and applies the box there.

Selection Box is not available

At least one of the selected elements must have a 3D representation in the model.

Orient to View left a section box I do not want

Orient to View always adds a section box that matches the view you picked. Untick Section Box in the Properties palette to remove it and keep the camera position.

I cannot find the Rotate angle or the camera options in Revit 2027

Revit 2027 removed the Options Bar. Its controls are now on the contextual ribbon tab and in the Properties palette.

Shadows disappeared from my 3D section

Check whether the view is in Accelerated Graphics mode, shown by a colored border. Cast shadows have no effect in accelerated views. Switch the view back to standard graphics from the onscreen toolbar or the right-click menu.

That covers the section box from both ends: Selection Box when you already know which elements you want, and a camera with Orient to View when you want a 3D cut that matches a section on your sheets. Resize it in a plan when you need accuracy, hide it before printing, and remember that turning it off resets it.

FAQs

What is a section box in Revit?

A section box is a 3D boundary that limits the geometry shown in a 3D view. You turn it on with the Section Box checkbox under Extents in the view’s Properties palette, then drag its blue arrow controls to cut the model.

What is the shortcut for a section box in Revit?

BX is the default shortcut for Selection Box, which puts a section box around the elements you have selected. The plain Section Box option is a checkbox in the 3D view’s Properties palette, under Extents.

How do I hide the section box but keep the cut?

Right-click the box and choose Hide in View > Elements, or open Visibility/Graphics, go to the Annotation Categories tab and clear Section Boxes. The outline disappears and the model stays cut.

How do I rotate a section box in Revit?

Select the section box, click Rotate on the Modify tab or press RO, click to set a start direction, then type an angle and press Enter. It is often easier in a plan view: right-click the 3D view in the Project Browser and click Show Section Box first.

How do I reset a section box in Revit?

Untick Section Box in the Properties palette of the 3D view, then tick it again. Revit builds a new box around the extents of the model, so your earlier adjustments are gone.

Why is my section box not showing in Revit?

Either the box is turned off or its outline is hidden. Check that Section Box is ticked under Extents in the Properties palette and that Section Boxes is ticked on the Annotation Categories tab of Visibility/Graphics. Then use Reveal Hidden Elements to find a box hidden with Hide in View.

What is the difference between a section box and a scope box?

A section box belongs to one 3D view and limits the geometry shown in it. A scope box controls the extents of levels, grids and views, so several views can share the same boundary.

Is there a Revit practice file for this tutorial?

Yes. The Revit project file for this lesson is available to Mashyo members on Patreon for $5.5/month, together with the practice files for the other Mashyo tutorials. You can cancel at any time. Open the section box practice file on Patreon.