Let me preface all this by saying this is in Revit Structure 2013. Well, we have an existing model that we are trying to adjust the framing on. As usual, the slope has changed during the course of the project, and we need to adjust the existing framing to the new slope. We're finding it easier to delete the existing framing and place it like new than to modify it. Surely we are missing something here! We would normally draw a reference plane in section, name it, then pick it as the work plane to place joists/beams in plan view. Unfortunately, this roof slopes in 2 directions, so we figured out how to place the reference plane by cutting 2 rotated sections (in this case, rotate the first section 33.69° in plan view, then inside that section, cut another section and rotate it 4.294° so it's looking up precisely along the roof slope). Then we can place the reference plane in that 2nd section (which now no longer shows up on any views other than it's parent section because it's rotated) and use the reference plane for our work plane. However, we can't just "pick new work plane" for a joist or beam because it skews it all weird directions and makes a 10' long beam 60', and breaks all connections between this and any other beams framing into it. Just a mess. Are there issues in Revit when the roof slopes in 2 axes? It sure seems like it. We're pretty sure we've each used the align command to snap a beam to a reference plane in a section view before, and to snap it to a gridline in plan view, but no such luck here.
The other way we found to align to the bottom of the deck was to use "pick new work plane" and choose "Face" placement (only available in 3D view) and pick the underside of the roof deck, but then that causes problems later since that isn't a named reference plane and so it doesn't show up as a work plane option in other views. It also skews the beams strangely. We've been having to manually input offset heights on some beams because we just can't get them to work, and it's slowing us to a crawl. Not exactly how BIM was marketed.... But surely there's some technique we're missing here, because I can't see this being the way most people are having to use Revit.
