Revit Tip: Work Plane Best Practices for Hosting Non‑Level Geometry

Use Work Plane tools to place and control elements that don’t sit on standard levels—sloped roofs, angled fins, custom casework, or stair geometry.

Core workflow

• Plan the host: Create Reference Planes (RP) where you need stable, named planes. Name them clearly (e.g., “Roof_Slope_7deg” or “Lobby_Fin_Azimuth”).
• Set the active plane: Architecture/Structure tab > Work Plane panel > Set. Choose:
  • Name: Select a Level, Grid, or a named Reference Plane for predictable hosting.
  • Pick a Plane: Click any planar face in the model for quick, contextual work.
• Confirm before sketching: Use Show Work Plane to visualize the plane in the current view. Adjust view orientation or section box for clarity.
• Model on the plane: Create model lines, extrusions, components, or sketch-based edits directly on the active work plane.

When to prefer named Reference Planes

• Repeatable design systems: Screens, fins, or panels that need consistent hosting across multiple views and phases.
• Sloped/warped surfaces: When faces may change or be replaced (e.g., early roof studies), a stable named plane avoids rehosting later.
• Team handoff: Named planes communicate intent and reduce the risk of accidental rehosts. Label with purpose and orientation.

Family editor specifics

• Work plane-based families: In Family Category and Parameters, enable “Work Plane-Based” for components that must host to arbitrary planes or faces.
• Define strong references: Use Reference Planes with meaningful names and strong references so align/lock and dimensioning behave as expected in projects.
• Test flex: Flex the reference planes and parameters to ensure geometry stays attached to the intended plane before loading into the project.

Placement and control tips

• Align and lock: After placing on a plane, use Align to lock critical edges to reference geometry for robust behavior through design changes.
• Use dedicated views: Create a working 3D view (e.g., “_WP_Work”) with a section box and keep Work Plane visibility on for rapid verification.
• Keyboard shortcuts: Assign shortcuts for Set and Show Work Plane to reduce context-switching during iterative modeling.

Troubleshooting

• Element “disappears”: In Properties, check the Work Plane and the element’s Host. If the host was deleted or altered, use Edit Work Plane to rehost.
• Unstable hosts: Avoid hosting to faces of linked models or placeholder geometry; prefer project-owned named Reference Planes.
• Sketch errors: If a sketch won’t complete, verify you’re sketching on the intended plane and that profiles are closed and non-self-intersecting.

Best-practice checklist

• Name every Reference Plane that hosts model elements.
• Avoid deleting named planes; rehost dependent elements first.
• Document plane usage in view notes or a coordination schedule for team clarity.

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