Open the plan, click Edit next to View Range in the Properties palette (or type VR), and set Top, Cut Plane, Bottom and View Depth. Click Apply, then OK. If View Range is greyed out, change it in the view template.
Or, just ask Mira, a free add-in, to set the cut plane on every plan without a template.
How to do it in Revit
Step 1: Open the View Range dialog
Open a plan view. In the Properties palette, click Edit next to View Range, or type VR (Autodesk Help: Modify the View Range).
Step 2: Know the four planes
Top and Bottom bound the primary range, and the Cut plane is the height where walls, doors and windows draw as cut. View Depth reaches below Bottom to show things like footings in the <Beyond> line style (Autodesk Help: About the View Range).
Step 3: Set each plane
Each plane is a level plus an offset, such as Associated Level (Level 2) with an offset of 4'-0". The offsets have to make sense together: Top can't sit below the cut plane, and the cut plane can't sit below Bottom.
Step 4: Apply and check
Click Apply to see the change without closing the dialog, and << Show for a diagram of the planes. Click OK when it looks right.
Step 5: Show what's below the floor
Set View Depth to the level below, or lower its offset, to show elements under the Bottom plane. By default View Depth sits at the Bottom plane, so nothing below it shows (Autodesk Help: View Range Properties).
Step 6: Fix a greyed-out view range
If View Range is grey, the view's template controls it. Change it in View tab › Graphics panel › View Templates › Manage View Templates, or set the view's View Template to <None>. More in how to create a view template.
Step 7: Cut part of a plan at another height
For a high window or a split level, click View tab › Create panel › Plan Views › Plan Region, sketch a closed loop, set its own View Range in the Properties palette, and click Finish Edit Mode (Autodesk Help: Create a Plan Region).
Step 8: Show another floor as a reference
To see a level outside the range in halftone, set Range: Base Level under Underlay in the Properties palette instead of stretching the view range.
What to watch for
Short walls don't cut. A wall whose top is less than 6 feet above the Bottom plane draws in projection even where the cut plane crosses it, unless its Top Constraint goes to a level.
Above the cut, only three categories show. Between the cut plane and Top, Revit draws windows, casework and generic models, and nothing else. An upper cabinet shows; a wall sconce doesn't. If something is missing for another reason, see how to hide and unhide elements.
Floors and stairs get extra room. Floors, stairs and ramps below the range still draw in projection for 4 feet under the Bottom plane, then switch to the <Beyond> line style.
Levels stay put once picked. Set Top to Level 4 on the Level 2 plan and it stays Level 4, even if you add a level in between. Delete Level 4 and Top falls back to the view's own level.
Reflected ceiling plans look up. In an RCP the range runs up from the cut plane, Bottom isn't used, and the cut plane usually sits above the door and window heads.
Cut heights drift view by view. One person drops a plan's cut plane to catch a high window, another raises a different plan, and the set ends up with walls drawn cut on one floor and in projection on the next. A plan whose view template controls View Range can't drift that way, so the fix starts in the templates your firm standards begin every project with.
Or, just ask Mira to do it.
Mira is an AI thinking partner for Revit that automates the work you repeat and builds tools your team needs.
- Type this in Mira
Set the cut plane to 4'-0" on every floor plan that has no view template.
Mira lists the floor plans, leaves any with a view template alone, and checks that 4'-0" fits between each plan's Bottom and Top before it changes anything. Setting the view range needs a small tool Mira writes, which asks Allow first, and Mira reads every cut plane back.
How do I change the view range in Revit?
What is the shortcut for view range in Revit?
Why is view range greyed out in Revit?
What is the cut plane in Revit?
How do I see elements below the floor in a Revit plan?
How do I set a different cut plane for part of a plan in Revit?
Related Revit how-tos
- How to Create and Apply View Templates in RevitOn the View tab, open View Templates and click Create Template from Current View, or duplicate a template in Manage View Templates. Assign it with the View Template property to link and lock a view's settings; Apply Template Properties copies them once. Or, just ask Mira to assign a template to every plan that doesn't have one.
- How to Hide and Unhide Elements in RevitClick Reveal Hidden Elements, the light bulb on the View Control Bar. Hidden elements show in color. Select one, click Unhide Element or Unhide Category on the ribbon, then click the light bulb again. Clear a temporary hide with Reset Temporary Hide/Isolate. Or, just ask Mira, a free add-in, to list everything hidden in a view and unhide it.
- How to Use Scope Boxes in RevitIn a plan view, click View tab › Create panel › Scope Box, click two opposite corners and name it. Set a view's Scope Box to it and the crop follows the box. Grids and levels assigned to it show only where views cut it. Or, just ask Mira, a free add-in, to apply one to every floor plan.
- How to Add an Elevation in RevitOpen a plan and click View tab › Create panel › Elevation › Elevation. Move the marker near a wall, press Tab to turn the arrow, and click to place it. For interior elevations, click the marker's square and tick each wall. Or, just ask Mira, a free add-in, to add interior elevations to every room you name.
- How to Create a Section View in RevitOpen a plan and click View tab › Create panel › Section. Pick a section type, click the start and end of the section line, and drag the dashed crop to set its width and depth. Double-click the section head to open it. Or, just ask Mira, a free add-in, to cut a named section along a grid line.
- How to Create and Lock a 3D View in RevitClick View tab › Create panel › 3D View › Default 3D View and rename {3D} in the Project Browser. Tick Section Box in Properties to cut it to one level, then click Save Orientation and Lock View on the View Control Bar. Or, just ask Mira, a free add-in, to make a locked 3D view of one level.
Try it yourself.
Or bring it to the firm.
The download is free and takes a minute. The firm conversation is where your standards, your library, and your rollout get built. Start wherever makes sense.