by John Flanagan
Introduction
Scope boxes are created in plan views, but are visible in other view categories: sections, callouts, elevations and 3D views. In elevations and sections, the scope box will only be visible if it intersects the cut line. You can adjust the extents of the scope box in all view categories.
Scope Box Created in Plan View
- In a plan view, click View tab > Create Panel > Scope box.
- On the Options Bar, enter a name and specify a height for the scope box.
- To draw a scope box, click the upper left-hand corner to start the box. Click the lower right-hand corner to finish it.
Scope Box Visible in all Views
Tip: You can change the name of the scope box after creating it. Select the scope box and on the Properties palette, enter a value for the Name property.
Scope Boxes are used to quickly crop views.
Consider this office building renovation project. The area affected is on the right wing of the building. You want the views to be cropped to fit the red rectangle.
You will have a lot of views to create. Existing floor plan, demolished floor plan, new floor plan, reflected ceiling plans and finishes. Altogether you will have approximately ten views that need the same crop region.
One workflow would be to adjust the crop region of each view manually. That would work, but what if the project changes and the affected area gets bigger or smaller? You would have to adjust all the crop regions again.
This is where the power of scope boxes can be used. Go to the View tab and create a Scope Box. Match it to your renovation area and give it a name.
Create a Scope Box around renovation area.
Have a look at the Instance Properties of your floor plan view. Under Extents, you will see the Scope Box parameter. Assign the scope box that you’ve just created to the plan view.
The View Crop matches the Scope Box.
The Crop Region of the View now matches the scope box limits. The blue dots that can usually be used to modify the crop region are now invisible, that’s because you can’t modify its boundary.
Next, apply the scope box to all the views that will be using this crop. To save time, select all the affected views in the project browser, right click and apply the Renovation Zone Scope Box. Adjusting the new Scope box will affect all selected views.