Video: Rotate True North

Set the angle of True North as it relates to the angle of Project North in your model. Use a reference object to help you rotate the North position.

This video demonstrates the following:

1. Place a reference element for North rotation.
2. Relocate the center of rotation.
3. Set the view to use true North or Project North.

Note: This video was recorded using Revit 2015. When using a newer software release, you may notice differences in functionality and user interface.

Transcript

All projects have 2 North orientations. One is Project North and the other is True North. Project north is typically the predominant axis of the building geometry, and is aligned to the edges of the application window. True North is the real world North direction based on the site conditions of the project. ​

All projects start with project north and true north aligned to each other, and with the application window, as indicated by the project base point and the survey point. In most cases the true north direction will need to be rotated to represent the site conditions. ​

Use a site plan view to rotate true north. In this example a generic annotation element has been placed representing true north. This annotation element will be used as a guide to help rotate true north. Any element such as a wall or a simple line can be used as a guide as long as it points to the true north direction of the project. ​

Start by setting the Orientation parameter of the site plan view to True North. From the Manage tab, select Position > Rotate True North. The center of rotation is placed at the centroid of the project geometry. To make the rotation action easier, move the center of rotation to the guide object either by clicking and dragging the center of rotation or by using the space bar to "pick up" the center of rotation and place it back down with a click. ​

Click a point along the guide object to start the rotation action. The first click is indicating the direction of true north. The second click will set the angle of rotation for true north. Point this to the top of the application window. The view will be rotated to align with true north. ​

If the view Orientation parameter is set back to project north, the view is rotated back to the original position but now the survey point will indicate the direction of true north when selected. Plans views are oriented to project north or true north as required.