spot elevation snaps - how to turn off for topo?

[mpukas]

Is it possible to turn off spot elevation snaps for topography? When I'm adding or adjusting spot elevations for topo annotation on a site plan, spot elevations always jump to a topo point when it's gets within 1'-0" of a point. Same for either adding a new point or adjusting the location of an existing point. 

Using SNAP OFF command doesn't work; Going into MANAGE>SNAPS SETTINGS and turning off all snaps doesn't work; spot elevation will still jump to a point when within 1'-0". 

I've had this issue with every version of Revit 2013-2017 and can't find an answer. When I'm annotating retaining walls and need to label top and bottom of benches, I need to get right to the edge to get the exact elevation, and I can't get close enough without it jumping. And when it jumps, it usually goes to another point in elevation since on a vertical cut using Site Designer, there are more than one point stacked on top of each other. 

[N.Oomen]

@mpukas,

The question you have is not all the way clear to me.

Does it jump to the closest foot when you place it or does it round your value to the nearest foot?

I don't seem to have the problem. I can place my spot elevation anywhere on my toposurface. See attachment.

One Screenshot with rounding to feet, one with rounding to 1/16th.

Is this what you run into?

If my post answers your question, please click the "Accept as Solution" button. This helps everyone find answers more quickly!

[mpukas]

@N.Oomen - Thanks for the reply. What you've described is not the issue I'm having. It's not the elevation above sea level (or whatever reference point) is rounding off. It's the location in plan view that the spot elevation snaps to a topography point when the spot elevation gets to within 1'-0" of a point. And it's not with every point, only some, seemingly randomly. 

In the attached screen shots, I've used Site Designer to make vertical cuts for retaining walls, and manually placed boulders. If you dont' know, Site Designer places spots at increments defined by the user when modifying the topo with tools such as Soft Terrain. I've set by points for this family at 6". 

I'm trying to place a spot elevation at the top edge of the grade at the retaining wall, which is at 8182.25. Bottom of wall is at 8178.25. I drew a line and dimensioned it at 1'-0" for graphics. When the spot elevation gets within 1'-0" of the edge of the grade, it snaps to a point, which is at the bottom of the wall at 8178.25. I can't get the spot elevation close enough to the edge to read 8128.25. 

You can see in the modify topo view that there are other points at a diagonal, where two topo surfaces meet to create a drainage swale, but the spot elevation does not snap to any of those points. 

Again, using SO, or turning off all snaps in manage>settings>snaps does not stop the spot elevation to snapping to a topo point. Also, this is not a Site Designer issue, as I've found the spot elevations will snap to topo points in a native Revit Topo. 

Thanks! mpp

[N.Oomen]

@mpukas,

Sorry, mpukas, I figured out what you mean, but that is something they will need to have a look at with Autodesk development. I tried everything I could think of.

I tried Tab to jump to next closest point but that doens't seem to work.

With what I showed you it works as long as it doesn't have any points close to my tag.

Good luck with it.

If my post answers your question, please click the "Accept as Solution" button. This helps everyone find answers more quickly!

[andrea.kikuchi]

Hi @mpukas, 

I've sent you an email and opened a case for you with our support team. If you are able to upload the model there for us to take a look at, that would be great, thanks!

[gccdesign]

Yes, this is very irritating.

One thing I have used successfully is to edit the topo and place an interior point at the exact location where I want the spot elevation to snap to. Make the point at the height (Z) you want it of course.

Then I was able to get the spot elevation to snap to that X/Y location.

GChapp

[mpukas]

After posting this last year, I talked with tech support and sent them a file that I was having this issue with. Tech support reviewed the issue, acknowledged that the issue exists, but they said the tool is functioning normally. 

I still have the same issue on new projects where I'm trying to place spot elevations on a topo at the top and bottom of retaining wall cuts, and the spot elevation will randomly snap to a point at the bottom of the wall and I can't get close enough tot the edge to notate the top of wall. Completely random as to where it happens. 

To me, that is another completely unacceptable answer/solution to this issue. While I'm no programmer/coder, I like to think that it can't be that hard to fix the command to be able to turn snaps off for spot elevations. Revit is such a monstrous, complex program that has amazing capabilities, this seems like small change. This is just another example of where Revit doesn't get some of the most basic functions right, and forces us to find work-arounds. 

[Andrew_Wilkinson2]

We have exactly the same issue. We need to place elevation levels on toposurface at exactly 3m intervals but like you said it just snaps to the nearest point if you get too close to it. we have to make do with getting as close as possible for the time being. would be good if there was a solution released.

[gccdesign]

Workaround:

In topo edit place topo points where you will need the elevation tags, and put them at the elevation you need them.

Close the edit topo, then you should be able to place your elevation markers on those topo points. It will snap to them.

See if that works.

GChapp

[Andrew_Wilkinson2]

Hi GChapp thanks for your reply. I understand there is the option to insert your own points and snap to them, however we import topo-data and measure the elevation at specific points on the surface - creating your own points and manually inserting a level seems to defeat the point of taking a measurement. using this method, It would be good if you could create a point, and it remembered the elevation on the surface where the new point was created, instead of it reverting back to 0,00.

Thanks for your help anyway 🙂 

[gccdesign]

Yes, when you place a point where you want it, you have to manually determine the elevation you want it at.

Like next to a retaining wall you have to sometimes painstakingly determine the correct elevation you need.

Then place that point close to the wall where you want your marker.

Then the marker will snap to the point as well as the wall, so you can now carefully place the marker on the point.

It kind of defeats the purpose of automation, and Autodesk will hopefully overhaul topos someday. But you can place elevation markers that way.

GChapp

[mpukas]

I'm revising this thread again. After 2+ years from the original post, I'm still having the same issues with spot elevations snapping to random points on a topo surface. Snaps for spot elevations cannot be turned off. The points to which the spot elevation snaps to seems completely random. Tabbing to select different points does not work. There is a 2' distance from the random point to which the spot elevation will snap, and it doesn't matter what the scale or detail level. 

This is still incredibly frustrating! This is an aspect of a tool that does not function properly and the programmers need to investigate and resolve. Topo work in Revit is difficult enough as it is, and this makes it even more frustrating and difficult than it needs be. 

[gccdesign]

The spot elevations show a high preference for snapping to certain points, seems like mostly boundary points. As you say, there does not seem to be a way to turn off the snapping, and I think Autodesk should see if they can address that.

But adding additional points to the topo can often handle that. Add a point where you want your spot elevation at the elevation that you want the spot elevation to display. Sometimes you have to move your new point a bit further away from the point it's snapping to. It's definitely a "work-around" for imperfect spot elevation behavior.

I'm attaching a video on this.

[starfish815]

Same issue. Still no solutions??

[mserranoUA5ZH]

I have the same issue as all of us, please Aurodesk, give us a solution!

[ToanDN]

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@mserranoUA5ZH wrote:

I have the same issue as all of us, please Aurodesk, give us a solution!

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Not sure if I understand.  I can place spot elevations exactly where I want them to be.

[mpukas]

The issue is that spot elevation tags will snap randomly to some topo points when within 2' of the random point. There's no way to turn off the snap. There's no way to indicate which points are being snapped to vs points which are not snapped to. 

[ToanDN]

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@mpukas wrote:

The issue is that spot elevation tags will snap randomly to some topo points when within 2' of the random point. There's no way to turn off the snap. There's no way to indicate which points are being snapped to vs points which are not snapped to. 

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I show the screenshot above to demonstrate that those spot elevations are not snapped to topo points, but to where I wanted them to be.

[mpukas]

Its totally random when a spot elevation will snap to a topo point. There's no rhyme or reason to it. I'll be placing spot elevations on a topo, and then there will be one random point that the spot elevation will snap to, and I can't place it where I want to, because the snap can't be turned off or overridden in anyway. 

[starfish815]

I'm talking about on 2D plans, it snaps to places I don't want.