PROBLEMS WITH WORK PLANES - PART 1

[christopher_c_donovan]

A] I am having trouble setting up Work Planes/Reference Planes in Project mode in order to work on Walls

1] I can't name them.

2] Therefore I can't call them up in order to  "set"/ use them as Work Planes. 

3] I have managed to "find" the WorK Plane/s but then I cannot draw on them [ref 5 below]

4] I can get round this by selecting a Wall and then using Edit Profile BUT the result is not oriented parallel to/ in the same plane as the screen. 

5] This makes setting up model lines/ circles/arcs etc so as to adjust the wall be that controlling accurate cuts through the wall or indeed accurately adjusting the height of or between two abutting walls. 

6] I have also experienced similar problems with Sections - aren't they Work Planes?  Should you not be able to draw

modelling lines/guides on them? 

[Sean_Page]

You need to Name the Reference Plane that creates the Work Plane. The Work Plane itself cannot be named, but is "shown" by the Reference Plane in plan.

[ToanDN]

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@christopher_c_donovan wrote:

A] I am having trouble setting up Work Planes/Reference Planes in Project mode in order to work on Walls

1] I can't name them.

Work planes set by faces of model elements cannot be named.  Only ref planes can be named and you can set them as work planes.

2] Therefore I can't call them up in order to  "set"/ use them as Work Planes. 

3] I have managed to "find" the WorK Plane/s but then I cannot draw on them [ref 5 below]

4] I can get round this by selecting a Wall and then using Edit Profile BUT the result is not oriented parallel to/ in the same plane as the screen. 

Draw a ref plane where you want the work plane is, set the as the work plane, then draw on it.

5] This makes setting up model lines/ circles/arcs etc so as to adjust the wall be that controlling accurate cuts through the wall or indeed accurately adjusting the height of or between two abutting walls. 

6] I have also experienced similar problems with Sections - aren't they Work Planes?  Should you not be able to draw modelling lines/guides on them? 

Section view cut plane is not exactly a work plane to draw model lines/elements.  You need to create ref planes at the section cut line and use it if you want to draw model lines on it.  But based on what you described, detail lines/ detail components are likely what you need.  Fir those, you can draw direcly in the section view without setting any work plane.

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[barthbradley]

Hard to understand what Sections or additional/named Work planes has to do with Editing Wall Profile. When you Edit Profile of Wall in 3D View, you enter into Sketch Mode - a 2D planar mode. You can right-click on the View Cube and Orient View to Profile Plane, activate Work Plane (Show Work Plane) and snap sketch linework to the Work Plane Grid if that's helpful. But you are still restricted to drawing on the 2D profile plane.    

[christopher_c_donovan]

Sorry appreciate response but it doesn't answer my question.

Let me rephrase it in two parts.
The Problem -
I am in a Revit Project - I want to accurately work on the face of an
existing Wall which is on an Odd Angle - I have used the Ref Plane command.
I have drawn a line in plan along the Wall to be worked on - I CANNOT NAME
THE RESULTING PLANE!
The Question -
What is the Work- Flow for this? so that:
a] The Ref/Work plane has a name
b] It is parallel to the screen so it can be accurately worked on

Is there a completely different way to achieve the aim of accurately
working on the face of a wall that is not aligned to one of the four
cardinal directions North South East West ie that can be seen in Elevation
parallel to the screen.

[Sean_Page]

You do not name the resulting Work Plane, you have to select the line (Ref Plane) you drew and name it. Then the Work Plane that results from the Ref Plane line will be accessible by that name. The visible Work Plane itself CANNOT be named.

[barthbradley]

Maybe these screenshots will help...

[christopher_c_donovan]

Think I have found the answer to the Work Plane/ Reference Plane naming problem - quite simple You can't name reference planes in REVIT 2016 certainly within PROJECT MODE - See attached screenshot from Autodesk Help.  Funnily enough, I was able to name one but in all my flaying about can't remember how I got there! 

Think I have found a WorkFlow to solve this for those with earlier versions like 2016 using the VIEW CUBE so you can actually see which particular wall you are selecting in a project with many walls of same type but in different orientations.

1] Select Wall in 3d View

2}] Go to EDIT PROFILE in Modify Menu

3] Right Click View Cube

4] Select Orient to Plane

5] Window comes up with named view [Wall Type]

6] Click OK

View orients to the face of the particular wall in question.

Thanks very much for your help!! 

[barthbradley]

That's exactly what I told you above in Message #4.  Am I missing something new you added? 

[christopher_c_donovan]

Sorry - I am completely and utterly  lost - I cannot name the Reference Plane in 2016 and without a name I cannot orient the View.  The Edit Profile/View Cube avenuie only works in Edit profile and although I have saved the view with an explicit name I then can't find it.  What was the purpose of the explicit name? It shows up in none of the options. 

Re your images they only appear in the Community Post but do not appear in the emails I receive.  Why does Autocad offer the option of emailing?  Simply don't get it  Is my email "front end" inadequate to the task?  Any response I do send from my email comes back with the message it wasn't sent but  it seems you received them. 

I guess I am probably too long in the tooth for this. 

Thanks for your Help Greatly a.ppreciated

Thanks for your help 

[barthbradley]

Can't you set Work Plane using Pick A Plane method?   

Help | Set the Work Plane of a View | Autodesk

[ToanDN]

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@christopher_c_donovan wrote:

Sorry - I am completely and utterly  lost - I cannot name the Reference Plane in 2016

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It doesn't make any sense.  You can always name ref planes regardless of version.

[barthbradley · Accepted solution]

Funny, I was wondering the same thing. Did 2016 NOT have that ability? Hard to believe. I was looking around for a computer with 2016 on it to verify.  No luck. 🙂  

[christopher_c_donovan]

Re Naming Reference Planes in REVIT 2016. This maybe the Art of the Bleeding Obvious but it is a breakthrough for me and therefore possibly for anybody else still using 2016.  I went back over the problem slowly over the Weekend.  Here's my WorkFlow plus where I think I went wrong 

1] Select Reference Plane from Top Menu [architectural]

2] Draw it [ Note NO OPTION TO NAME IT APPEARS EITHER IN THE WORKSPACE or under PROPERTIES see previous attachments]

3] Press Enter

4] A WORKPLANE WINDOW NOW APPEARS in the Workspace WITH THE NAME OPTION HIGHLIGHTED. 

5] As far as I can see this WORK PLANE WINDOW is a Red Herring [where I disappeared down a rabbit hole] so

5] Cancel Out of it

6] Now select Reference Line again

7] Under PROPERTIES  an Option to Name the Reference Plane Now Appears!! 

Once again Thanks to everybody for your Help. 

[barthbradley]