Bring Back Topo Surfaces

[markfRECZU]

The new Topo Solids are inaccurate, inefficient, and produce very poor graphics. Editing a single point on a 15 acre site takes 10-15 seconds and you can't see the resulting change in topography until exiting the edit mode. The triangulation between points creates big errors, especially at the toes and crests of slopes. Adding new points to correct errors tends to create other errors elsewhere. The graphics create rough, jagged edges which can't be presented to clients and introduce errors in the contours of the surface. Topo solids also greatly increase 3D view regeneration time when dealing with large sites with thousands of points.

Please bring back topo surfaces (maybe as an "add-in" patch?) and let users decide which element, topo solids or topo surfaces, to use in their models.

[f_santana]

I would like to be able to compose TOPOSOLIDS the same way we could do it before version 2024.

until 2023 I could insert a DWG with contour lines and add a CSV file to this information

and even managed to change the topography point cloud

I believe we lost a lot with this new element

[wr.marshall]

Agree

I'm using Toposurfaces (Doing Topo in Revit 2022 and linking to a Revit 2024 Model) on a project at the moment as I find the layering system lacking for requirements. The slope of the side is going up and slope of a layer below is going down. They have indicated height at various points for each which not uniform. Easier to control using topo surfaces

On side note regarding the above mention, see this idea: More control of Levels of SEVERAL layers in topography - Autodesk Community

- EDIT - I am retracting this comment and my vote as found out you can have multiple toposolids and just cut one from the other as desired which resolves my issue of of controlling sub layers. would be good to control them within a layered system though (1 toposolid only)

[mhiserZFHXS]

I'd rather they just address the issues in toposolids.

It would be nice if they had both features available for a version or two, as there are some things that make toposolids unuseable for some, but I don't use those features so I'm fine with toposolids.

[ipselute]

I believe both topo surfaces and topo solids are necessary, for their own reasons. First, I would love the topo surfaces to be like the TIN Surfaces in Civil3d, very precise, very fast and very easy to edit. Ideally, we should have/create a TIN surface for the existing topography, and another TIN surface for the proposed landscaping, roads, sidewalks, etc

Finally, when all proposed landscaping is completed, we should be able to create Toposolids between the 2 surfaces (existing+proposed) and Revit should automatically calculate one toposolid for excavation and another toposolid for backfill. 

[dingohot]

I agree.
Autodesk should give us both toposolid and topomesh like they did with staircase, adding new features and keeping the old sketch feature.
If they can't provide both, I'd rather have the old topomesh 100x better.

[ThomasO23]

Toposolid only works for a very simple site, mainly for a single residential project. Toposolid ignores a lot of details when generated using imported CAD. It approximates the topo into a very simplified site. When you cut the section, it is a coarse, ugly solid in which contour lines are connected with straight lines (it is like comparing a traditional portrait vs cubism painting by Picaso). Toposurface, on the other hand, had the ability to make a smooth transition with spline.

Adding individual spot levels is also a nightmare, because the 'point' doesn't snap to imported CAD objects (survey file or proposed site layout in CAD). Added points are sometime ignored or simplified.

Another issue with Toposolid is that We can't create a subregion with zero thickness. This means every time we want to create a different material (grass, concrete driveway etc), we have to split the solid. These splits are not editable or can't be joined back into a single solid so absolutely useless. If we use Sub-divide tool, it will add a layer with a thickness, and the new contour lines will be offset and floating above the original so if you change to wireframe, you see double contour lines. There is also no way of creating a Sub-divided surface that is set down from the rest. It is always a layer with a thickness on top.

Basically, toposolid is a under-developed junk of a tool, and shouldn't be in a highly sophisticated professional software like Revit. Please do something.

[rnorrish]

Agree Thomas.

Trying to cut the solid out around footings, and floors to make sections presentable is tedious,

Joining and un-joining should be possible as the design evolves to prevent re doing sections of work.

As for getting an accurate surface form a survey with a couple of hundred points? Toposolid just gives a small fraction of the surveyed file. Not good enough.

TOPOSURFACE was pretty good once you knew the tricks. It had its issues but it was 100 times better, easier to use for accurate modelling and more flexible for material differentiation. It hosted floors so you didn't need to cut them,

It was great at graded regions and showing changes to surveyed land required to build.

We NEED accurate tools not pretty picture toys please.

I feel I'm stuck on 2023 until this is fixed. paying for yearly "improvements" and upgrades that i cant use.

[markfRECZU]

I agree with ipselute and Thomas023.

Please consider bringing back toposurfaces. The R 2025 attempts at making toposolids better is, at best, a misplaced bandaid. The blurring of the toposolid's facets to address the horrible graphics is a kindergarten tool that doesn't even mask the problem. Editing still takes forever and the resulting contour lines are not accurate. Our clients used to be impressed with our quick 3D representations of their projects. With toposolids, they question what's going on with the site, why are there triangular forms projecting from the top of slopes, "dams" across drainage channels, or what the sudden drops in elevation are. With toposolids, it takes 3-4 times as long to produce a result that is much less accurate and can't be used in the project's construction or marketing documents.

[desdubs]

Please consider bringing back the previous site tool as an option with the toposolid tool.

[wr.marshall]

@kimberly_fuhrman-jones assume OP is after this idea, please combine 

Bring Back Topo Surfaces - Autodesk Community

[TSwayze]

Yes please bring them back. There is no reason we can't have both. Toposolids have their uses, but they in no way replace the old toposurface.

[markfRECZU]

Agreed.

[최홍섭_과장]

I solved this Toposolid detail problem using Rhinoinside for Revit. I imported contour CAD file into Rhinoceros and making toposolid through Grasshopper did much more accurate job for me. with this walkthrough, toposolid has more than 25k points and contours appears with better graphic

[johnplogue]

yes, please bring back the toposurface!

[kyleS6RER]

Can we please bring back the toposurface tool so we can use it to create topography and then convert it to a toposolid? Modifying/creating toposolids is a big pain because it take forever just to add or modify a point.

[jordan.cantatoreFTGXA]

Please bring back Toposurfaces!
Toposolids are so much more time consuming to create from scratch and also suck when creating a Topo from import. Toposurface was so good for extrapolating topo data where points/contours were missing in the CAD import.

[spowell]

I work for a Landscape Architecture firm and have been using Revit for over 20+ years. I really need Topography back in Revit 2024 version and above, PLEASE!!! We are finding Toposolids is not great and accurate for modelling Site Topography. We currently have a workflow where we use Civil3D to Publish a surface into ACC than link into Revit but for versions 2024 and above, there is no option to link as a Topography. :(( Our work around is to use Revit 2023 to create or link our Topography element than upgrade the model to use in Revit 2024 and above.

This is a very frustrating workflow but it works.

Autodesk, your attention to this would save my day and lessen the pain!!

Thankyou!!

[A passionate Revit user]

[Ric_Weber]

2025 and 2026 have both added (regained?) some more functionalities that were lost when Toposolids were created.  So hopefully those will help you in the future?  I would suggest voting for or posting new ideas to make the Toposolids tool what you want it to be, because that is the direction Autodesk will be taking with that.  

[Susana_Duarte_LMSI]

The section hatch of toposolids should always be behind all other elements (even when they are only in view and not cutted). 

[rcaBTA]

Please bring back toposurfaces!!!!!