Revit Architecture 2012: Hide and Unhide Model Elements

by John Flanagan

In a recent training course in Revit Architecture the delegates hid various elements in a 3D model in order to view different areas of the interiors of the building. To restore the model the delegates had to unhide the hidden building elements. Two methods were used.

Method 1

View Control Bar (Bottom left of workspace)

To hide: Select objects > Glass icon > Hide elements or Hide category.

To unhide: Glasses icon > Reset (all of them at once; no option to unhide selectively)

Method 2

To hide: Select objects > Right click > Hide in view > Elements or Category.

View Control Bar

To unhide: Light bulb icon (Reveal mode) > Select objects > Unhide Element(s) or Unhide Category(ies) > Close (buttons from the ribbon)

The first method just hides objects temporarily, (the cyan edge around the screen is a warning for that) but hidden objects still print, which is a very unwanted surprise. To prevent them from printing, you need to use Glasses > Apply, but then everything is hidden as a group, and the only way to unhide objects is by resetting, which brings all the objects at the same time. I never use the Glasses icon for hiding, only for isolating.

The second method is recommended because objects are really hidden, you can unhide them selectively, and they do not print.

The View Control Bar

The View Control Bar provides quick access to the most common view settings. The last two icons on the right of the View Control Bar are used to hide and show elements in the model to help improve workflow.