Revit Tip: Rotate Project North to Align Plans on Sheets While Preserving True North Solar Accuracy

Use Rotate Project North to get clean, sheet-friendly plans while preserving accurate sun angles driven by True North.

Why this matters

• Solar studies in Revit rely on location and True North. Keep True North geospatially correct and rotate only Project North for documentation.
• You avoid rotating model geometry (error-prone) or altering True North (breaks solar accuracy).
• Consistent, readable plans on sheets and reliable shadow/sun-path results can coexist.

Workflow

• Establish coordinates first:
  • Acquire/Publish coordinates with survey/control (Manage > Coordinates).
  • Confirm Project Base Point and Survey Point are correct.
  • Set and verify True North (Manage > Position > Rotate True North) only if georeferencing needs correction.
• Set location and time zone (Manage > Location) for accurate solar data.
• Create two plan types:
  • “Plans – Documentation (Project North)”
  • “Plans – Solar/Code (True North)”
• Rotate Project North to align drawings on sheets:
  • Manage > Position > Rotate Project North.
  • Pick two points or specify the exact angle so building edges read orthogonally.
  • All plan views oriented to Project North will follow; True North remains unchanged.
• Configure solar views:
  • Set the solar-study views’ Orientation to True North (View Properties).
  • Enable Sun Path and set Sun Settings (Still, Single-Day, or Multi-Day) with project location.
  • Use a dedicated 3D view with a Section Box to isolate the study area.
• Standardize with View Templates:
  • One template for Project-North documentation (no shadows, production graphics).
  • One template for True-North solar views (shadows on, consistent sun settings).

Best practices

• Record the angle between Project and True North in project notes or a Project Information parameter.
• Use scope boxes to keep datums and crops consistent across rotated plans.
• For presentations, use Temporary View Properties to apply a “Solar Study” view template without altering standards.
• Optimize performance: keep sun/shadows on only in necessary views; use Medium detail and simplified materials during studies.
• Leverage Dynamo or the Revit API to batch-apply sun settings across multiple views when needed.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Do not rotate model geometry for sheet alignment—rotate Project North.
• Do not “fix” drawings by rotating True North—this ruins solar fidelity.
• After rotation, confirm each plan’s Orientation is set correctly (Project North for docs, True North for analysis).
• When linking consultant models, use shared coordinates; verify each link’s True North alignment before running solar studies.

Deliverables

• Export solar studies as image sequences or video from Sun Settings (frame and interval controls).
• Use consistent view naming so stakeholders instantly know which views are Project North vs True North.

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