Learn how to create an exploded axonometric view in a 3D model using the Displace Elements tool in Revit. This guide takes you through the process, explaining how to displace different elements and add paths to show how the displaced elements relate to the rest of the building.
Key Insights
- The Displace Elements tool in Revit allows users to displace different elements in a 3D model, creating an exploded axonometric view. Elements such as the roof, fascia, stairs, balcony, and front curtain wall can be displaced along the x, y, and z axes.
- Revit's Displace Elements tool offers the ability to add paths to displaced elements, which are dashed lines that show how the displaced parts relate to the original building. Users can simply hover over the edges of the displaced elements and click to add the paths.
- Once the displacement and paths are set up satisfactorily, the 3D view can be locked to allow for annotations and text callouts. It's important to note that the displacement adjustments made are view-specific and do not affect the original model.
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In this video, we're going to create an exploded axonometric view using a tool called Displace Elements. First, let's duplicate our default 3D view in the project browser under 3D views. Right-click 3D and let's duplicate this view.
Hide the following categories. Let's go to our visibility graphic overrides and we're going to turn off our site category, topography, and planting. And all we're left with now is our building.
Now let's select the roof and in the modify tab of the ribbon, let's go to the view panel and you'll notice this little icon that is the Displace Elements tool. Select that tool and you'll notice a gizmo now appears that has arrows that point in the X, y, and z axes, very similar to the 3ds Max gizmo if you've used that software. You can either displace the roof by using the gizmo and dragging, or in the properties, you can set the X, y, and z displacement manually here.
So what we'll do is let's set the z displacement, which will be the vertical displacement, to 40 feet. And that moves our roof 40 feet above the rest of the model. Let's select the fascia that's around the roof and displace this element and set the z displacement to 40 feet above the roof.
In axonometric views that are exploded, we typically have dashed lines that show how these pieces are exploded away from the rest of the building. And in Revit, these dashed lines that represent the explosion away from the model are called paths. Let's select the fascia and now you see the option in the Modify tab called Displacement Set.
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And one of the tools here is called Path. And you can see as you hover over the fascia, as you hover over the edges, a dashed line is shown. And to add these dashed lines, simply hover over the edge, and when the path is correct, click once with your left mouse button.
Let's do the same with the roof. We'll assign a path back down to the building below. Now you can see where these objects are referencing in relation to the building.
Let's explode the stairs and balcony and railing away from the building. Let's do window select and select the rails, the balcony, and the stair all at once. And with those selected, let's click on the Displace Elements tool again and set the Y displacement to negative 80, negative 80 feet.
Hit Apply. It pulls the items out here and you can see we forgot to select the railing there on the end, so we can do the same. Let's displace it.
Negative 80 feet for the Y displacement. Click Apply. And it moves it back to the rest of those exploded items.
Now let's explode the front curtain wall and pull it away from the building so you can kind of see into the building. So I just selected the whole curtain wall. And remember with curtain walls you can hover over one of the edges and see that dashed line that appears around the whole wall.
That represents the whole curtain wall including mullions, doors, panels, everything that's associated with that curtain wall. And let's displace this element. And we're going to set the Y displacement to 40 feet or negative 40 feet.
And the reason we've been using negative is that you can see with the gizmo the positive is pointing towards this direction and the negative would then be the opposite direction of this arrow, which would be this side. If I wanted to pull everything down and away, from our building, I would use a negative value. So the next step is to add paths.
So with my curtain wall selected, I can select the Path tool under Displacement Set, highlight the corners, and add those paths. And I'll do the same for the stair. And I'll just add two, maybe three lines to show how it relates back to the building.
And then just orbit around until you find a good location where you can clearly see a separation between the displaced elements and the original building location. And this navigation wheel sometimes helps too. Note that the displacement that we've just done is specific only to this 3D view.
So it's not affecting any of the model. It's simply a view-specific adjustment for graphical reasons. Now, once you find a good position for this 3D view, the next step is we lock this 3D view.
So let's go to the View control bar at the bottom. And let's find the Lock 3D view icon. And right now, you can see it's set to Unlocked 3D view.
If we select that icon and select Save Orientation and Lock View, what that does is locks this position. And it's going to allow us to now be able to annotate this view and add text callouts. Now, let's identify a few items using text callouts.
So let's go to the Annotate tab under Text. Select Text. And we'll just use 332-inch Arial as the font.
And we'll use two-segment callouts. And let's just call out the fascia. And you can see the text relative to the whole view is a bit small.
So maybe we change the scale to something a bit larger. Let's change it to 1 16th of an inch equals a foot. And continue annotating.
We have the fascia. Let's call out the metal roof. And we can call out the curtain wall.
And then lastly, the balcony. I'm just going to adjust some of these callouts so that they don't conflict with the line work of my exploded axon. And adjust the text how you'd like.
And be sure to save your project. And in the next video, we're going to take all the views that we've created throughout this course and place them on a sheet and use that sheet as our final submittal for the class.