Is the Revit ʼUnderlayʼ feature used to see the floor above or below?

Short Answer

Yes — in Autodesk Revit, the Underlay feature is commonly used to display a level above or below within the current plan view, depending on the view’s level and direction settings. The most common professional method is setting the Underlay in the view’s Properties palette. Limitation: underlays are view-only references and do not modify geometry.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: Underlay visibility depends on the current view type and level relationships, so it may appear unavailable or show nothing if the selected level is not valid for that plan. A common failure is trying to use Underlay in a view template-controlled plan where the property is locked.

How-to

• Command: Properties

• Shortcut: PP

• Quick Steps:

  1. Open the floor plan or reflected ceiling plan, then select the view and go to the Properties palette.
  2. Find the Underlay parameter and choose the target level you want to see above or below.
  3. Set Orientation to Look up or Look down as needed, then confirm the underlay displays correctly in the view.

Variables & Settings

• Key Setting: Underlay Orientation

  This option controls whether the current view references geometry from levels above or below. If the wrong orientation is selected, the underlay may appear missing even when the correct level is chosen.

Why it Fails

• Cause 1 (Geometry): The selected underlay level has no visible model elements within the view range or relevant category visibility.
• Cause 2 (layers/Locks): The view is controlled by a View Template, and the Underlay parameter is locked or overridden.
• Cause 3 (Command/Logic): The current view type does not support the chosen underlay condition, or the level selection is not valid relative to the active plan.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

• Quick Fix: Open the view’s Properties, change Underlay to the correct level, and verify Orientation is set to Look up or Look down correctly.
• Manager’s Verdict: Use Underlay for coordination and tracing adjacent levels quickly, but avoid relying on it for documentation clarity when dedicated dependent views or coordinated plans are cleaner.

FAQ

Can Revit Underlay show the floor above?
Yes, set the orientation to Look up and choose the level above.

Can Revit Underlay show the floor below?
Yes, set the orientation to Look down and select the lower level.

Why is the Underlay option grayed out in Revit?
It is often locked by a view template or unsupported in the current view context.

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