Smart Section Box

Smart Section Box creates section boxes that automatically rotate to match the orientation of your selected element(s). Unlike Revit’s default axis-aligned section boxes, Smart Section Box eliminates wasted space by aligning to angled walls, rotated families, and structural framing.

Getting Started

Find Smart Section Box on the Amorphous ribbon tab in the Section Box Tools panel.

The button is enabled when:

• Model element(s) are selected (walls, floors, families, etc.)
• Datum element(s) are selected (grids, levels, reference planes)
• Model Group(s) are selected
• A Revit Link instance is selected
• You’re in a 3D view with an active section box (to toggle it off)
• You’re in a plan, section, or elevation view (to create from view extent)

Features

• Automatic rotation alignment - Section box rotates to match angled walls, structural framing, and rotated families
• Multi-element selection - Select multiple elements to create one combined section box
• Datum element support - Create section boxes along grids, levels, or reference planes
• Model Group support - Section box aligned to group member geometry
• Linked model support - Create section boxes around an element in linked Revit models
• 2D view support - Create section boxes from plan or section view extents
• Toggle functionality - Quickly disable section boxes with one click
• Padding adjustment panel - Fine-tune the section box after creation
• Session history - Undo/redo through up to 10 section box states per session
• Worksharing safe - Creates user-specific 3D views to avoid conflicts

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How to Use

Basic Workflow

1. Select elements in any view
2. Click “Smart Section Box” on the ribbon
3. The add-in automatically:
   • Switches to (or creates) a user-specific 3D view
   • Calculates the optimal rotation from element geometry
   • Creates a section box with default padding
4. Adjust if needed using the Padding Panel

Off-Axis/ Rotated Element(s)

When you select elements that aren’t aligned to the project grid, Smart Section Box detects the primary direction and rotates the section box to match. This includes but not limited to:

• Most Model elements
• Family instances
• Imported CAD geometry
• Special handling of some Annotation families
• Direct Shapes and In-Place families

Grids

1. Select one or more grid lines
2. Click “Smart Section Box”
3. A thin section box is created along the grid line(s)

For multiple grids, the section box spans from the first to the last selected grid.

Levels

Selecting levels creates horizontal section boxes between floor elevations.

Single level selected:

If there are other levels in the project, you’ll be asked how to define the height:

Option	Description
Choose a Level	Pick another level to define the section box height
Enter Height	Type a specific height value

Multiple levels selected:

The section box automatically spans from the lowest to the highest selected level.

Reference Planes

1. Select a reference plane (must be vertical - drawn in plan view)
2. Click “Smart Section Box”
3. A thin section box is created along the reference plane

Caution

Only vertical reference planes are supported. Reference planes drawn at angles in section or 3D views won’t work correctly.

Model Groups

1. Select one or more Model Groups
2. Click “Smart Section Box”
3. Section box is created around the group members

Mixed selection (groups + other elements):

When your selection includes both groups and other elements, you’ll be asked which to include:

Option	Description
Groups Only	Section box around group members only
Other Elements	Section box around non-group elements only
All Elements	Expand groups and include everything

Linked Models

1. Select a Revit Link instance in your model
2. Click “Smart Section Box”
3. Pick an element inside the linked model when prompted
4. Section box is created around the linked element

Note

You can only select one element at a time from linked models.

From 2D Views

Create section boxes that match your current view extent:

1. Open a plan, section, or elevation view
2. Ensure nothing is selected
3. Click “Smart Section Box”
4. A 3D section box is created matching the 2D view’s crop region and view range

This is useful for quickly creating 3D views that correspond to your sheet views to visualize their extent.

Tip

Want to visually adjust a plan view’s view range? Use Interactive View Range for real-time 3D manipulation of cut plane, top, and bottom settings.

Toggle Section Box Off

1. Clear your selection (click in empty space)
2. In a 3D view with an active section box, click “Smart Section Box”
3. The section box is disabled

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User Interface

Padding Panel

The Padding Panel appears after creating a section box (if enabled in Preferences). It lets you fine-tune the section box size without recreating it.

Element	Description
X, Y, Z checkboxes	Select which axes to adjust. Uncheck axes you want to lock.
Padding value	Amount to extend or shrink (in project units)
- button	Shrink the section box by the padding amount
+ button	Extend the section box by the padding amount
Draw Horizontal Bounds	Pick two points to redefine horizontal extents
History (Prev/Next)	Navigate through previous section box states (up to 10)
Don’t show automatically	Disable auto-display of this panel

Keyboard shortcuts:

• ESC - Close the panel
• Enter - Dismiss focus from text field

Tips:

• The panel remembers its position during your session - drag it where convenient
• Padding values are saved between uses
• The panel auto-hides when you toggle the section box off

Draw Horizontal Bounds

This feature lets you redefine the horizontal extents of your section box by drawing a rectangle:

1. Click “Draw Horizontal Bounds”
2. The panel hides and an instruction bar appears
3. Draw a rectangle by clicking two opposite corners
4. The section box updates to match your drawn bounds (Z height preserved)
5. The panel reappears

Tip

For best results, use Draw Bounds in a plan view or when looking straight down in 3D. Drawing at oblique angles may produce unexpected results.

History Navigation

Every change to the section box is recorded (up to 10 states). Use Prev and Next to step through your adjustments.

The indicator shows your current position (e.g., “3 / 5” means you’re viewing the 3rd of 5 recorded states).

Note

History is session-based and resets when you close Revit. For permanent section box storage that persists across sessions and projects, use Section Box Manager.

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Options & Settings

Preferences

Access preferences via Settings dropdown > Preferences > Smart Section Box.

Setting	Description	Default
Show Padding Panel	Display the padding panel after creating a section box	On
Default Padding	Initial padding value used for new section boxes	1.0 ft

Automatic 3D View

If you’re already in a 3D view, Smart Section Box uses that view. Otherwise, it creates or switches to a user-specific 3D view named {username}-SSBox (e.g., jsmith-SSBox). This prevents conflicts in workshared projects where multiple users might run the command simultaneously.

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Tips & Best Practices

• Keyboard shortcut: Assign a shortcut to Smart Section Box for faster access (Revit Options > Keyboard Shortcuts)
• Combine with Section Box Manager: Save frequently-used section box states for quick recall
• Rotation source: When multiple elements have different orientations, the first element’s direction is used
• Ambiguous geometry: For elements with multiple sides (like floors), the longest edge determines orientation. If this isn’t the direction you want, use Section Box by Edge to pick a specific edge
• Linked model trick: To box around an entire linked building, just select the link instance without picking an internal element
• Negative heights: When entering level heights, use negative values to extend downward

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Limitations

Limitation	Details
Curved grids	Only straight grid lines are supported
Non-vertical reference planes	Reference planes must be drawn in plan view (vertical orientation)
Single linked element	Can only select one element at a time from linked models
Mixed host/link	Cannot combine host model elements with linked model elements in one selection
Draw Bounds accuracy	Works best in plan views or when looking straight down

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Troubleshooting

Section box appears but isn’t rotated

The tool analyzes geometry to find the primary direction. If elements have complex or ambiguous geometry, the section box may default to axis-aligned. Try selecting a single, clearly-oriented element (like an angled wall) first.

”Could not create section box from view extent”

This occurs when creating from a 2D view that has no crop region defined or an invalid view range. Ensure your view has a crop region enabled with valid bounds.

Padding panel doesn’t appear

Check that Show Padding Panel is enabled in Preferences. Also, the panel won’t appear if you’re toggling a section box off (no selection).

Draw Bounds produces unexpected results

Draw Bounds projects your rectangle onto the section box’s coordinate system. For predictable results:

• Use a plan view, or
• Orient your 3D view to look straight down before drawing

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Related Tools

• Section Box by Edge - Create section boxes aligned to a picked edge
• Section Box Manager - Save, recall, and manage section box states
• View from Section Box - Create 2D views from section box extents
• Align View to Section Box - Orient 3D view to match section box