Toposurface Thickness by Section Box

This tip has been around for a while but it’s come up several times over the last few weeks so I thought it would make a good post.

Using the Section Box in a 3D view, you can cut a toposurface element in order to create a site base “thickness”.  

For example the following 2 images show a before and after the Section Box is enabled and adjusted so it intersects the toposurface.  After enabled you can hide the Section Box in the view:

For an out-of-the-box example of this you can reference the Basic Sample Project that comes with Revit Architecture 2011 [C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit Architecture 2011\Program\Samples].

There are 2 materials utilized for the fill under the toposurface when cut with the Section Box:

Detail Level: Coarse – Poche
Detail Level: Medium\Fine – Section cut material [by default Site – Earth]

So for example, you can adjust the Poche material for a 3D view set > Coarse Detail and change the Cut Pattern Color as needed:

 

Comments

[cliff collins]

We have been experimenting with 3D printing,
and have found that Revit toposurfaces are just that--surfaces. We've been struggling to find a way to "fill in" below the toposurface so the Z-Corp printer has a solid base to "print" below the toposurface.

Would using the section box actually create a "solid" below the toposurface, or is it just a "graphic" depiction?

cheers