Setting a View as the Default View When Opening a Revit Project

The other day I was creating some training datasets and I wanted to be able to open the dataset to a predefined view. I remembered that beginning in Revit 2012 this was possible but for the life of me I could not find it in Revit 2013. I knew it had to be in the Manage tab somewhere. After looking at each tool icon I found the tool under the Manage tab>>Manage Project  panel>>Starting View Tool.

Once this tool is selected the Starting View dialog box is displayed. The default view to be opened is the Last Viewed. So whatever view was last opened when the file is saved is the first view that is opened. Depending upon the view this may cause Revit to take some time opening the file. For example a Realistically shaded view with shadows  turned on will take longer to open than a drafting view with some text.

In the Starting View dialog box, pick the drop-down list and select the desired view in the model to be opened by default each time you open the project. Many companies will create a Drafting View that includes the project name, and specific criteria about the project and perhaps brief instructions on how the Revit file is to be used, then set the view as the starting view. This drafting view does not include any graphics and serves two purposes.

1. If set as the starting view, it enables Revit to load the view quicker when opening the project.
2. If the file is saved with this view current, the file size of the Revit project will be smaller as the preview does not include any graphics. You would be amazed at the file size difference from saving the file with the drafting view current compared to a 3D shaded and shadowed view current.

So be sure to set a default view that will be opened up when starting a project. This may give you the benefit of being a little efficient when working with Revit.

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Ron Palma
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Ron has over 24 years of experience in the architectural industry as a drafter, designer, lead project designer, trainer, and a CAD manager implementing Autodesk Architectural Solutions for a residential design firm. His instructional background includes being an Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland and Clackamas Community Colleges, as well as a U.S. Army certified instructor where he was a senior instructor at Ft Lewis Washington. Ron is a member of the Oregon Army National Guard and platoon sergeant, training and mentoring soldiers in their careers. Ron is a published writer and continues to author professional technical training manuals and shorts for AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit. As an Autodesk Certified Instructor, Ron provides Revit Architecture training and support for AEC firms. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.

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