How to add a north arrow to your Revit site plan?

Short Answer

Yes — in Autodesk Revit, you can add a north arrow to your Revit site plan by placing a north arrow family on a sheet or in a view and then orienting the site plan correctly using Rotate True North. The most common professional method is to set True North first, then place the annotation. Limitation: the arrow will only be accurate if the view orientation is set up correctly.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: A north arrow in Revit is often just an annotation symbol, so it can look correct while still pointing the wrong direction if Project North and True North are confused. This commonly happens when the site plan view is not set to the intended orientation before placing the symbol.

How to Add a North Arrow to Your Revit Site Plan

• Command: Rotate True North

• Shortcut: None by default

• Quick Steps:

  1. Open the site plan view, then on the Properties palette set Orientation to True North if you want the plan to display real-world north.
  2. Go to the Manage tab > Project Location panel > Position drop-down > Rotate True North, then rotate the model to the correct north direction.
  3. Place the north arrow annotation from the sheet or view using Annotate tab > Symbol panel > Symbol, and choose your north arrow family from the Type Selector.

Variables & Settings

• Key Setting: Orientation in the view Properties

• Expert Setting: This controls whether the view displays Project North or True North. For site plans, using True North is the critical setting if the north arrow must match survey or civil orientation.

Why it Fails

• Cause 1 (Geometry): True North has not been rotated, so the north arrow appears correct graphically but does not match the actual site orientation.

• Cause 2 (layers/Locks): The placed north arrow family may be pinned, nested in a title block, or controlled by the sheet family, making it difficult to adjust or replace.

• Cause 3 (Command/Logic): The view is set to Project North instead of True North, so the annotation does not represent real north for the site plan.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

• Quick Fix: In the site plan view, change Orientation to True North, then use Rotate True North and recheck the placed north arrow on the sheet.
• Manager’s Verdict: Use a standard north arrow family only after the site orientation is finalized. For production work, keep Project North for modeling efficiency and use True North specifically for site, planning, and permit sheets.

FAQ

Can I add a north arrow directly in a revit view?

Yes, you can place it as an annotation symbol if the family is loaded.

Why does my north arrow not rotate automatically?

Because most Revit north arrows are annotation families and depend on the view orientation setup.

Should I use Project North or True North for site plans?

Use True North for site plans when the drawing must match real-world orientation.

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