Configuring how to display rebar

Revit doesn't display rebar correctly, at least I don't think so. The good thing is Revit can display rebar correctly. The trick is, we could get the reinforcing to show up properly if we change the detail level to coarse, but then that screws up how the concrete looks. What this video will display is how to override the rebar's visibility graphics to show solid, while keeping a detail level to fine. Also, we'll take a look at, how to show rebar cages in 3D. So to get started, let's go to our Structural Plans. And let's go down to the typical column cage in the project browser.

Notice that our bars are showing hollow. Generally, bars aren't shown that way. So, lets change it. Go ahead and select your rebar cage, right-click on it, Override Graphics in View > By Category. For surface patterns, drill into here. For the pattern, hit the drop down and let's go Solid Fill. For the Color, click on that. Let's select black. Let's click OK. Let's click OK. Let's hit Esc a couple times. I think that looks right. Now, let's go to a 3D view. Go to the View tab.

Let's go to Duplicate View. And just select top Duplicate View. Now in our Project Browser let's double-click on Copy of 3D and go ahead and right-click on that and let's rename it. Let's call it Column Cage. Let's hit OK. Look at all that rebar. Now let's go ahead and right-click on our view cube. Let's go Orient to View > Floor Plans. Let's go down to Structural Plan, Typical Column Cage. Let's zoom in on it, hold down the Shift key, and hold down the wheel button on your mouse.

Let's scroll around so we can see it. Now let's make it so we can see the entire structure. We can come down below the roof just so we can see the top of the cage. Now, we need to select the rebar, but it's going to be tough. Let's go ahead and change your visual style to Wireframe. Go ahead and select your rebar. Under Graphics > View Visibility States, let's go ahead and click on the Edit button. Notice that we have 3D View column cage. Let's view unobscured and let's view as solid, and let's hit OK.

Now let's change our detail level to Realistic. Now we can see that cage in our column. Instead of an eighth of an inch equals a foot, let's set it to three quarters of an inch equals a foot. Let's set our visual style back to Wireframe. Let's select the other bars that we put in. If you select too much stuff, click on the Filter button, uncheck Section Boxes. Let's scroll around till we have all of our rebars. Sometimes, I can look down at my filter and see that I have 4 items selected. Under View Visibility States, I'm going to click Edit.

I'm going to scroll down. I'm going to go up to my 3-D view, column cage, View unobscured, View as solid. I'm going to click OK. I'm going to change my detail level back to Realistic. I'm going to hit Esc a couple times. So there we have it, pretty cool cage, huh?