Interactive View Range

Interactive View Range transforms the abstract concept of plan view ranges into a visual, interactive experience. Instead of entering numbers in a dialog, you see the actual view range boundaries as color-coded planes in 3D and adjust them by simply moving them with Revit’s standard tools.

Getting Started

Find Interactive View Range on the Amorphous ribbon tab in the View Tools panel.

Note

This command is only available when a 3D view is active. The visualization planes appear in your current 3D view, representing the view range of a plan view you select.

Features

• Color-coded visualization - See all four view range boundaries as transparent colored planes
• Interactive adjustment - Move planes vertically using standard Revit move tools
• Real-time validation - Ensures plane hierarchy is maintained before applying
• Reset capability - Snap all planes back to original positions to start over
• Movement feedback - Detailed summary shows exactly how much each plane moved
• Searchable view selection - Filter plan views by name with real-time search

View Range Planes

The tool creates four transparent planes, each representing a view range boundary:

Plane	Color	Purpose
Top Clip	Red	Upper boundary - elements above this are not visible
Cut Plane	Green	Elements are shown in section at this height
Bottom Clip	Blue	Lower boundary - elements below this are not visible
View Depth	Orange	Additional depth for viewing elements below bottom clip

Tip

The planes are sized to match the crop box of the selected plan view, and their position in the 3D view shows exactly where that plan view is located in your model. This makes it easy to understand both the vertical extent (view range) and horizontal extent (crop region) of the plan view at a glance.

How to Use

Basic Workflow

1. Open a 3D view in your project
2. Click Interactive View Range on the Amorphous ribbon
3. Select a plan view from the dialog that appears - use the search box to filter
4. Transparent planes appear in your 3D view at the current view range elevations
5. Move the planes vertically using Revit’s Move command to adjust boundaries
6. Click APPLY to update the plan view, or CANCEL to discard changes

View Selection Dialog

The selection dialog lists all floor plans and structural plans in your project.

Element	Description
Search box	Type to filter views by name in real-time
View list	All available floor and structural plans
SELECT button	Confirm selection and create visualization

Keyboard shortcuts:

• Type to search
• Enter - Select highlighted view
• Double-click - Select and confirm

Control Panel

The control panel stays on top while you work, showing the color legend and action buttons.

Button	Action
APPLY	Update the plan view’s view range and remove visualization
RESET	Return all planes to their original positions
CANCEL	Remove planes without applying changes

Keyboard shortcuts:

• ESC - Cancel and remove planes
• Enter - Apply changes (when control panel is focused)

Adjusting Planes

1. Select a plane in the 3D view (click on the colored surface)
2. Start the Move command (keyboard shortcut or ribbon)
3. Drag vertically to the desired elevation
4. The plane snaps to your placement

Tip

Only vertical movement affects the view range. While you can move planes horizontally, only the Z-axis position matters when applying changes.

Applying Changes

When you click APPLY, the tool:

1. Validates the plane hierarchy (Top >= Cut >= Bottom >= View Depth)
2. Calculates the movement for each plane
3. Updates the plan view’s view range settings
4. Shows a summary of changes made
5. Removes the visualization planes

Use Cases

Understanding View Range

Quickly visualize how a plan view’s current settings relate to the 3D model geometry. See exactly where the cut plane intersects walls and where the bottom clip falls relative to floor elements.

Troubleshooting Missing Elements

If elements aren’t appearing in a plan view, visualize the view range to see if elements are being clipped. Adjust boundaries to include the missing elements.

Coordinating with Levels

See exactly where view boundaries fall relative to floors, ceilings, and other elements. Useful for views that need to capture specific floor-to-floor ranges.

Training New Users

The visual representation makes it much easier to explain view range concepts to team members who are new to Revit or unfamiliar with how view ranges work.

Tips

• Assign a keyboard shortcut to the command for faster access when working with multiple views
• Use Reset often - If your adjustments get confusing, Reset returns all planes to their starting positions
• Work in perspective 3D - Orbit around to see exactly where planes intersect model geometry
• Isolate relevant elements - Hide or isolate elements in the 3D view to see planes more clearly

Limitations

• 3D view required - The command only works when a 3D view is active
• Plan views only - Supports floor plans and structural plans; ceiling plans and area plans are not available
• Unlimited ranges - If a view range parameter is set to “Unlimited,” that plane will not be created
• One view at a time - Only one plan view’s range can be visualized at a time
• Plane hierarchy - Top must be at or above Cut, Cut at or above Bottom, Bottom at or above View Depth

Troubleshooting

All Planes Show as Unlimited

If a plan view has all ranges set to unlimited, the visualization won’t create any planes. Use Revit’s Properties palette to set at least some finite values first.

Cannot See Planes

Make sure you are in a 3D view and that model elements are not obscuring the planes. Try isolating or hiding other elements, or orbiting to a different angle.

Planes Disappeared

If you closed the control panel without clicking Apply or Cancel, run the command again. It will detect any existing visualization planes and reopen the control panel.

Invalid Plane Order Error

If you moved a plane past another (e.g., Cut above Top), click RESET to restore all planes to their original positions, then adjust more carefully.

Related Tools

• Rotate Active View - Rotate plan views to any angle
• Zoom to Selected - Navigate views quickly