Whether you are a new or experienced Revit user, there are always new and more efficient ways of doing things. So to start off the new year, here is my top list of tricks for working with views in Revit.

No 1. Work in a 3d View, or at least have one open most of the time. It’s surprising how many problems can be found (and fixed) by simply watching a 3d view.

If I’m working in plan, I will always have a 3d view open as well. After a while, you won’t know how you ever worked without it.

No 2. Cut Sections (and Elevations). There is a reason architects like to use them so much. In the landscape, you are much more likely to see 3d inaccuracies (such as grading discrepancies) in section.

Besides, the Section and Elevation tool make it pretty darn easy. To snap along a specific angle or plane, draw a reference plane (before drawing the section).

No 3. Temporary View Properties & Temporary Hide/Isolate. These are both available at the bottom of any view.

I find Temp View Properties to be a bit more useful, since it can be used to temporarily disable a View Template. This can easily reduce the need for working views, which in the landscape can easily become a mess (due to CAD imports).

Temp Hide/Isolate also has its uses, particularly when trying to modify or simply select overlapping or adjacent elements.

No 4. Rewind! This useful little option is located on the Navigation Wheel (Shift + W).

It allows you to rewind through a view, by scrolling through previous “frames.” Though more frequently used in 3d views (especially after orbiting off the wrong way), it can also be used in 2d views.

No 5. Query to Hide CAD Layers. If you are working with a CAD Survey or a CAD civil file, this can save time and sanity. Just select the CAD import, Query, and Hide in view.

This is particularly useful when new CAD layers starting appearing in all of your views. If using View Templates, I tend to not include Import Overrides in the template (otherwise you cannot use Query to Hide layers).

To turn them back on, you do have to navigate through the long list in Visibility/Graphic Overrides. But use Reveal Hidden Elements with Query to find which layer to turn on.