Visual depth in elevation

[Anonymous]

So here's my question:

How do you guys do to visually represent depth in an elevation?

The only answer I've found is to use linework, but that can't be the way to go in a program such as revit. That's the whole point of it, right? To not have to sit and do things manually and then have to change the lines every time something in the building changes. I know that Archicad can show line thickness depending on distance from elevation line. And god do i dislike Archicad, but that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Another answer I've found is to use shadows, but then you get the problem of only being able to print as raster = no sharp lines.

So, anyone? I can't be the only one with this problem?

Thanks!

Victoria

[Anonymous]

I'm now confused... Am I missing something? I have now gone looking for this button you said nobody will admit to chasing. I can't imagine Autodesk would give us something to make things easy. Doesn't Revit have the ability to know where the camera is in relation to the modeled elements? It sure seems to know where everything is in 3D...Maybe that's why I'm the one paying to use the software and they're rolling in the monies.

[cbcarch]

check this out:

https://youtu.be/n1_ahoP7S4I

[chrisplyler]

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@preynolds wrote:

I'm now confused... Am I missing something? I have now gone looking for this button you said nobody will admit to chasing.

---

Nah. I made it up.

[rrush]

I totally just looked for the blur by distance tool 🙂 Got me!

[Anonymous]

All Autodesk needs to do is build in a secondary and tertiary option within an elevation.  When you pick an exterior elevation that is set to "Clip with or without line", the extents of the elevation show up with a dotted line.  There could be another set of dotted lines with grips so that users could set a "foreground" and "background" distance in the elevation.  Same could be true for sections also.  Like this:

[Anonymous]

I think the glass workaround is kind of a cool idea.  I'm going to have to try that out.  In the meantime - despite being a failry proficient revit user, I had no idea that when you use the linework tool that the little blue grips pop up at the ends of the lines so they can be adjusted.  Learned sometime new!

[cwinches]

Portal for comments I've received in the past:

Here

[jasonium]

Depth cueing does this in revit 2017 now. 

[Anonymous]

Four years later... still nothing?

[loboarch]

2017 Added a depth cueing feature to do this in a view.

http://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2017/ENU/?guid=GUID-114C785D-280D-4B93-940F-E730FEDDB29E

[Anonymous]

Hi,

We are looking for a line weight by depth tool or feature in Revit, I heard that Archicad already has this feature, is this true?

It would only need to work in elevations for construction docs.

Kind regards,

Jack Meov

[ToanDN]

Depth Cueing mentioned above can control it somewhat, not up to snuff in my opinion. So I still resort to using semi transparent masses obscuring different levels of depth.

[jimmydee]

I think it's funny that no one's mentioned that AutoCAD Architecture does this, and has for over a decade.

These kinds of things are my biggest issues with Revit. It's difficult to justify using new and "improved" software that can't do at least what its predecessor did.

In AutoCAD Architecture section cuts and elevations have subdivisions and those subdivisions can be adjusted to fall where I need them, and each sub division can have a line-weight set. It's not perfect and could definitely use some improvements, but it gets close.

In a perfect world it would work like this.

1. Section cuts would have subdivisions that could be adjusted

2. Each subdivision would have a line-weight that is used to SILHOUETTE the elevation that falls within that subdivision. Emphasis on SILHOUETTE only. This is how things were done before computers.

3. Other lines within that subdivision would be set by a secondary weight and even a third weight if they are too close to other lines, i.e. lines on a railing elevation would decrease to a very light weight, based on a minimum distance to other lines.

This is one of the most fundamental tools that Architects use to make a drawing "read" and it is possible to program a solution, so I don't understand why it hasn't been done. Instead Autodesk gives us tools we don't need, when this one would save an enormous amount of time and make drawings more legible. Could it be that they just don't understand the problem. I hear a lot of talk about how drawings from Revit don't read right. The truth is that they can read right with a lot of work, but the point to be made is that it shouldn't take ANY additional work. I should be able to cut an elevation, section or detail and have all line weights and poche display automatically and correctly.

[eshughartJJED9]

You can use depth cueing, see link below. 

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2017/EN...

[cwinches]

The depth cue that Autodesk provided is not useful as it forces a raster of the view when plotted. Autodesk should create a vector based solution to this otherwise the current depth cue should be rejected and this issue should remain open. 

[carolinaAMD]

What would you do in the case of a project that contains 50+ interior elevations? 

I'm also trying to find a way to create depth in our interior elevations with the line weights.

[ThulseDSZRC]

I was an archicad user before as well so I think I know what you're trying to accomplish in revit. If you go to your elevation view and open "Graphic Display Options" you'll find a "Depth Cueing" option that will let you fade out elements that are further away. The depth cueing is dependent on the depth of your view box in plan view so make note of where that is set and adjust it if needed.