About the View Discipline

The Discipline property determines how discipline-specific elements display in a view.

Use the Discipline property to control the following behaviors:

The Discipline property affects views whether you are using a single model that incorporates multiple disciplines, or the model links to other discipline-specific models.

You can also use this property to organize views in the Project Browser. See Organizing Views in the Project Browser.

To set the Discipline property for a view, select the view name in the Project Browser, or open the view. On the Properties palette, the Discipline property is listed in the Graphics section. Select a value from the list.

Note: Users of Revit LT may be able to set the Discipline property to Mechanical, Electrical, or Plumbing for use with Autodesk Revit models. However, functionality for corresponding discipline-specific elements may be limited.

The examples below are based on a model in which the following is a Level 1 section plan. In the section plan, the green arrow indicates the entire view range for corresponding plan views. The blue arrow indicates the primary view range, which has been extended above the ceiling into the plenum, and below Level 1. The orange arrow indicates the view depth. (See About the View Range.) In the sample plan views below, the Detail Level is set to Fine so that mechanical, electrical, and piping elements display more fully for illustration purposes.

If desired, you can download the model to better understand how the Discipline property affects views: view_discipline_example.rvt

Views Inherit the Discipline of the Originating View

When you create a view based on an existing view, the new view inherits the discipline of the originating view. This rule applies to callouts, sections, elevations, and duplicate views.

For example, suppose you open a structural plan view (a plan view whose Discipline property is set to Structural), and you use the Section tool to create a section of the plan view. The Discipline property of the new section view is also set to Structural.

View tags (the symbols used to indicate sections, elevations, and callouts) display in a view only if the discipline of the current view matches the discipline of the target views. See the examples below.

Architectural Discipline

When the Discipline property is set to Architectural:

Examples: In the following architectural floor plan:

On one side of the wall, cable trays are exposed. On the other side of the wall, the cable trays are obscured by an architectural cover.

A tag displays for a section view whose Discipline property is set to Architectural. The plan does not display tags for views assigned to other disciplines.

Structural Discipline

When the Discipline property is set to Structural:

Examples: In the following structural plan view:

Non-structural walls do not display. (Compare with the architectural plan shown above.)

A tag displays for a section view whose Discipline property is set to Structural. The plan does not display tags for views assigned to other disciplines.

Hidden lines display to show structural framing elements below the floor because the plan's view range extends below Level 1.

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Disciplines

When the Discipline property is set to Mechanical, Electrical, or Plumbing:

Examples: In the following mechanical plan view:

Architectural and structural elements (walls, doors, windows, furniture) display in halftone based on the view range. Ceiling elements do not display in the view.

Mechanical, electrical, and piping elements display as defined by Object Styles. These elements overlay other elements, regardless of their actual vertical location in the model.

A tag displays for a section view whose Discipline property is set to Mechanical. The plan does not display tags for views assigned to other disciplines.

Hidden lines for mechanical, electrical, and piping elements display in the view.

Coordination Discipline

When the Discipline property is set to Coordination:

Examples: In the following coordination plan view:

Elements of all disciplines display in the view according to the view range.

Mechanical, electrical, and piping elements display, overlaying other elements according to the rules described above.

Tags display for section views for all disciplines.