Apply an underlay
Learn to use underlays of a plan view to help
align objects with other levels and understand
how to apply this useful feature to your
projects.
o View setup and control for architectural
design
Learning objectives:
• Apply the plan underlay feature to a
project.
The completed exercise
1. Open the exercise file Plan-
underlay.rvt.
Figure 1. The opened Plan-underlay.rvt file
Apply an underlay Page | 1
2. Open the Roof floor plan view from the
Project Browser. Note walls below the
roof cannot be seen.
Figure 2. Roof plan view
3. In the Properties palette, click the
Range: Base Level parameter value list
and select Level 3. Note the Level 3
plan view objects are now underlaid
and can be seen in the view.
Figure 3. Underlay Range Base Level
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4. The objects in the underlay cannot be
selected currently. In the Status Bar,
click Select Underlay Elements and
note that underlay objects can now be
selected. To prevent accidental editing
of Level 3, click the Select Underlay
Elements button to disable it.
Figure 4. Select underlay elements
5. In the Architecture tab, Build panel,
click Window. In the Type Selector,
select the Skylight-Pyramid: 36” x 84”
type.
Figure 5. Window tool
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6. Place an instance of the Skylight family
over the lower end of the corridor in
the view. Then click Modify on the
ribbon tab to finish the Window tool.
Figure 6. Place skylight in the view
7. In the Annotate tab, Dimension panel,
click Aligned. Place a dimension string
between the center of the skylight and
the vertical corridor walls in the plan.
Then click the EQ symbol to toggle the
equality constraint.
Figure 7. Place dimensions and toggle
equality
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8. Place a dimension between the
horizontal center of the skylight and
the curtain wall reference below. Click
Modify on the ribbon tab to finish the
dimension tool
Figure 8. Adjust crop region
9. Select the Skylight component in the
view and edit the vertical dimension
value to 6 ft to reposition the skylight.
Figure 9. Edit skylight position
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10. Select both dimension strings in the
view and in the Modify tab, click the
Delete button. Click Unconstrain on the
warning for deleting an EQ constrained
dimension.
Figure 10. Delete and unconstrain
dimensions
11. Select the Skylight component in the
view. In the Modify tab, click the Array
button. In the Options Bar, set the
Number to 4, deselect Group and
Associate, and set the Move To option
to 2nd. Click a start point in the view,
move the cursor upwards, and type 6’
to create the array.
Figure 11. Array skylights
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12. In the Properties palette, click the
Range: Base Level parameter value list
and select None to remove the
underlay from the view.
Figure 12. Remove underlay from the view
13. Open the Street floor plan view from
the Project Browser.
Figure 13. Street plan view
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14. In the Properties palette, click the
Range: Base Level parameter value list
and select Roof. Note the roof and
skylights can now be seen in the Street
view although a section of roof by the
external stairs is not visible.
Figure 14. Roof underlay in Street plan
15. Click the Range: Base Level parameter
value list and select Level 3. The
missing roof section can now be seen,
along with the roof level objects.
Figure 15. Level 3 underlay
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