How to Create Site Plans in Revit

A site plan in Revit shows your building in the context of its land: terrain, property lines, roads, parking, and landscaping. In current versions of Revit, the terrain is a toposolid, a real solid that site components, parking, and building pads attach to. This guide walks through all eleven steps, checked against Autodesk’s Revit help for toposolids, site plan views, property lines, and the project base point and survey point.

A Revit site plan is a 2D or 3D representation of the physical features and surroundings of a building project. It is where you set the project base point, survey point, and true north that every other discipline will coordinate against.

A finished Revit site plan includes property lines, roads, parking, landscaping, and site components. Here are eleven essential steps, in the order most projects need them.

1. Create a New Site Plan View in Revit

A site plan is its own view type in Revit. Add one to your project from scratch, so the site, property lines, and survey points display correctly.

To create a new site plan view:

1. Go to the View tab > Create panel > drop-down Plan Views menu.
2. Click Floor Plan.
3. In the New Floor Plan window, select Site Plan as the Type.
4. Click OK.

5. Set the view range so that the cut plane is on top of all other planes.
6. Set up a view template to display all of the categories on your site.

Learn more about adding levels.

✨ Tip: If you have an existing site plan view, skip to the next step.

2. Add a Toposolid (Topography Surface) in Revit

A toposolid is a 3D solid that represents the shape and elevation of the terrain. It replaced the older topography surface (toposurface), which is why site components and building pads now attach to it as real geometry.

You can create a toposolid in Revit by using one of the following methods:

• From sketch.
• From imported data.
• From an old toposurface.

To create one from a sketch, go to the Massing & Site tab, click Toposolid, sketch a closed boundary, and click Finish. Use Modify Sub Elements to change the elevation of the boundary points and edges.

Read our detailed tutorial on how to create, edit, and grade toposolids in Revit:

3. Draw a Property Line in Revit

The property line is a boundary that defines the legal limits of your site. It also lets you show setbacks and the allowable building area.

To draw a property line:

1. Go to the Massing & Site tab > Model Site panel > Click Property Line.
2. Click Create by sketching.
3. Draw lines on the boundary of your property.
4. Click Finish Edit Mode.

Property line not showing? By default, property lines display only in the site plan view. In other views, open Visibility/Graphics, go to the Model Categories tab, expand Site, and check Property Lines.

To learn how to use distances and bearings and how to customize your property lines, see the following tutorial:

4. Define the Project Base Point in Revit

The project base point is a reference point that defines the origin (0,0,0) and orientation of your project coordinates.

This graphical point is important for aligning your model with other models and for site measurements. Initially, the project base point and the survey point sit at the same position.

To define the project base point:

1. Left-click and drag the crossed circle icon to the corner of your project.
2. Or select it and enter exact N/S, E/W, and Elevation values in the Properties palette.
3. Click Apply.

Can’t see it? Open Visibility/Graphics > Model Categories tab, scroll to Site, and check both Project Base Point and Survey Point.

Learn more about the project base point

5. Define the Survey Point in Revit

The survey point is typically used for site analysis and coordination with external references such as the real world.

It’s usually placed at the intersection of two property lines to give the physical context of the site.

To define the survey point:

1. Left-click and drag the triangle icon to an intersection of property lines.

6. Place Your Building on the Site

Show your building or structure on your site model.

You have several options for adding architectural and structural elements:

1. Cut out a building pad and then model your project from scratch.
2. Use Mass In-Place tools to create a conceptual form of the project.
3. Link to a CAD file or a RVT 3D model of your project.

7. Rotate Project North to True North

Rotating your project north means aligning it with true north or project-specific north, depending on your preference.

✨ Tip: Add north arrow symbols to your site plan before rotating the view.

To rotate your project to the true north:

1. Go to the Properties palette > Graphics panel.
2. Select True North as Orientation > click Apply.
3. Go to the Manage tab > Project Location panel.
4. Drop-down Position menu > click Rotate True North.

5. Type the angle in the box.
6. Press Enter to apply the new True North rotation.

Proper project orientation is critical for accurate documentation, coordination with other disciplines, accurate drawings, energy analysis, shading, and sun studies.

8. Add Annotations to the Site Plan

To make your site plan more informative and clear, you need to add text elements that provide additional information or labels for your site plan elements, such as dimensions, tags, notes, symbols, and so on.

Here is our comprehensive review of every annotation tool in Revit:

9. Manage Line Styles for Site Elements

The next step is to manage the line styles for your site plan view. Each line style has appearance and weight settings that apply to elements and annotations.

How to use line styles:

1. Go to the Manage tab > Settings panel > click Object Styles.
2. In the Model Object tab, expand the Site category.
3. Change the values and colors of each site line type.
4. Click OK.

Now that the terrain is a solid (toposolid), you can add any type of family to be instantly attached to the surface of the site.

10. Add a Parking Lot in Revit

If your project includes parking lots, use Revit’s parking tool to view them in both 2D and 3D views.

To add a parking lot:

1. Go to the Massing & Site tab > Model Site panel.
2. Click Parking Component.
3. Go to the Properties palette > Type Selector.
4. Select the appropriate dimensions and degree of rotation.
5. Left-click on the toposolid surface to add the parking component.

11. Add Site Components (Trees, Cars, Landscape)

Add site elements such as vehicles, trees, shrubs, and other landscape features to bring your site plan to life.

To add site components:

1. Go to the Insert tab > Load from Library panel.
2. Click Load Autodesk Family.
3. From the Category menu, choose Site.
4. Select one or more families to load.
5. Click Load.

6. Go to the Massing & Site tab > Model Site > click Site Component.
7. In the Properties palette, select a family from the Type Selector.
8. Left-click on the toposolid surface to add the site component.

You have just created a Revit Site Plan for your project! We wish you good luck with the next steps.

FAQs

How do you create a site plan in Revit?

Go to View > Plan Views > Floor Plan and choose Site Plan as the type. Then add a toposolid, draw the property line, set the project base point and survey point, place the building, rotate true north, and add annotations, parking, and site components.

What is the difference between the project base point and the survey point?

The project base point defines the origin (0,0,0) of the project coordinate system. The survey point identifies a real-world location near the model, such as the intersection of two property lines, and defines the origin of the survey coordinate system.

Should I use a toposolid or a toposurface for a Revit site plan?

Use a toposolid. It is a solid, so site components, parking, and building pads attach to its surface. You can also convert an old toposurface into a toposolid.

Why can’t I see the property line or survey point in my view?

By default they display only in the site plan view. In other views, open Visibility/Graphics, go to the Model Categories tab, expand Site, and check Property Lines, Project Base Point, and Survey Point.

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 site plan practice file on Patreon.

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.