Files to use: DXF, CSV. Written for: Revit 2024 and later, which use Toposolids. Older versions use the Toposurface tool instead.
Steps
- Open a 3D view. Insert › Import CAD (or Link CAD) and choose the DXF. Untick Current view only, set Import units to metres, and choose Auto - Center to Center for positioning, unless your project already shares coordinates with British National Grid, in which case use Auto - By Shared Coordinates.
- Massing & Site › Toposolid › Create from Import › Create from CAD, then click the imported DXF.
- In the layers dialog, tick only the contour layers (minor and major contours), then click OK.
- Alternatively, use Create from CSV with
spot_levels.csv and choose metres as the units.
Good to know
- Autodesk notes that Revit thins large imports to a maximum number of points (10,000 in 2024/2025). For a big site, order a coarser contour interval or split the area.
- British National Grid coordinates are far from Revit's internal origin. That's why Center to Center is the safe choice unless you've set up shared coordinates.
Coordinates, units and heights
- Units are metres. Plan positions are real Ordnance Survey British National Grid coordinates (EPSG:27700), so a point at easting 324630, northing 639730 sits at exactly those coordinates in your drawing.
- Heights are metres above Ordnance Datum Newlyn, as in the LiDAR. Each contour line is drawn at its own height, and each spot level is a 3D point with a text label beside it.
- The layers are listed in SOURCE_AND_ACCURACY.txt, along with the survey date and the accuracy note. Keep it with the drawing.
Vendor help: Autodesk Revit help: Create a Toposolid from Imported Data. If your version's menus differ, follow the vendor's page.
Try it with a real sample first
Real public LiDAR for a small patch of ground at the edge of Peebles (Scottish Public Sector LiDAR Phase 3, 0.5 m). It's a sample area, not a real plot for sale. Free to download, no account needed.
Scottish Government LiDAR, tested to ±0.14 m typical on open ground (95% within ±0.28 m), shown with the date the survey was flown. Good for feasibility and early design; for setting out and detailed design, commission a measured survey. When you need a surveyor.
Other guides: AutoCAD · SketchUp · Vectorworks · QGIS · Civil 3D
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