Skip to content
Mashyo
  • ABOUT
  • ARABIC FORUM
  • REVIT TUTORIALSExpand
    • USER INTERFACE
    • FILES
    • MASSING
    • SITE DESIGN
    • ANNOTATIONS
    • WALLS
    • VIEWS
    • 3D VIEWS
    • PLUGINS
  • Start Revit
Mashyo
Home / Revit Tutorials / Revit 3D Views /

Create Section Boxes in Revit (Perspective Sections)

ByMohamed Fakhry OnNovember 19, 2022January 14, 2025 UpdatedJanuary 14, 2025

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.

  • Method 1 – Selection Box
    • Steps
  • Method 2 – Perspective Section
    • Steps
    • Edit
    • Rotate
    • Visibility

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

Section box in Revit

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.
create selection box in Revit
  1. Hide unnecessary elements by clicking them with the right mouse button.
  2. Hide in View drop-down menu > click Elements.
hide elements in view
selection box

✨ 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.
create perspective section
  1. In the Create panel, 3D View drop-down menu > click Camera.
  2. Click in the center and move the mouse pointer toward the section view > click to apply the camera.
create camera in Revit
  1. In the project browser, double-click 3D View 1.
  2. Below the view cube, click the small arrow (Context Menu).
  3. Orient to View drop-down menu > Sections > click “Section: Section 1”.
orient to view

✨ 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.
crop region settings in Revit

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.
show camera in Revit

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

section perspective

✨ 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.

rotate section box

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.
graphic display options

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.
visibility graphics settings
perspective section in Revit

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

visual style settings of a perspective section

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

Mohamed Fakhry
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.

Post navigation

Previous Previous
How to Split Faces and Lines in Revit
NextContinue
2 Ways To Add Levels in Revit

Hey, I'm Mohamed!

If you love Revit, you'll love Mashyo.com. Join us for free resources, easy-to-follow tutorials, and lots of inspiration!

Meet Mohamed
YouTube Linkedin Facebook Email TikTok

This website is independent of Autodesk, Inc. and is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with, Autodesk.

Some of the links are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Opinions remain my own.

Roadmap

  • For Beginners
  • Shortcuts PDF
  • Project Browser
  • Online Viewer
  • Revit 2024

Top Reads

  • Recover Files
  • Export PDF
  • Spin 3D
  • VR Plugins
  • Revit to Sketchup
  • Mashyo
  • Arabic Forum
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Mashyo

  • ABOUT
  • ARABIC FORUM
  • REVIT TUTORIALS
    • USER INTERFACE
    • FILES
    • MASSING
    • SITE DESIGN
    • ANNOTATIONS
    • WALLS
    • VIEWS
    • 3D VIEWS
    • PLUGINS
  • Start Revit
Search