Tag Archives: Family

Revit 2016 R2 reference planes

Leave a reply

Currently I have been working on family editor training as well as creating content.  With the 2016 R2 update of the minor feature updates are the changes to reference planes inside the family editor.  The first and most noticeable update is the fact that the referenced plane when selected displays <click to name> on both ends of the reference plane.  Two things are new here, first you can select to rename, we no longer are forced to go into the properties to edit the name, second the name is displayed at both ends of the reference plane.

A subtle improvement that may go unnoticed is the fact the name displays differently depending on which view the reference plane has been drawn in.  For example if the reference plane in drawn in plan then the name will be parallel to reference plane in plan, if it had been drawn in an elevation then the name will be perpendicular to plane in plan.  Plus the names will be displayed on the back (or negative value) side of the reference plane depending on the direction they were drawn.

2016 R2 Reference Planes

Adaptive Component Water Volume

Dezi was working on a project where she had to figure out the amount of water that was accumulating in a failing double T.  Of course she approached the problem as an engineer and incorporated a lot of math into the family.  I decided that was something best left to an engineer and I decided to take advantage of that intelligence she had incorporated into the double T family and create an adaptive component to display the water graphically as well as extract volume from the family.  It is hard to see in the picture but all of the double T’s are sagging and the adaptive “Water Volume” family is reacting to the as well as the depth of water.

I started with a Generic Model Adaptive for this task.  This family was going to be controlled by the ends and middle of 2 separate double T’s. I placed 6 reference points on the level.  Once those are placed select them and change them to adaptive points.

Once the points are made Adaptive new properties will be available.  Orientation is a key value to pay attention to, in this case the points need to be changed to Vertical on Placement.  If this is not selected then the form will be allowed to go any direction, we want this form to always be vertical.

The second step was to host a reference point onto point 1 & 3. It is critical that the “Z” work plane for each point be set before the point to be hosted on it is placed.  To do this use the Set Work Plane button then select the appropriate plane on the point.

Once those points were created I mapped a parameter (Water Depth) to the offset value of the points.

Next I associated a point to each of those points on their vertical work plane, clicking ok to the warning dialog.

I then mapped a parameter to the offset of those points. so that they will go back towards the other points.  Next draw a reference line between the points hosted on adaptive 1&3, then place a reference point at the midpoint on the reference line.

Host another point on the point hosted on the center of the reference line and associate a parameter to the offset value of this point.  Then connect the points with Reference Lines (as per the image below), making sure 3D snapping is turned on.  Draw a spline through points use the adaptive points 1,2 and 3.

Move the adaptive points 4, 5 and 6 up vertically, then host points on the reference lines between the front and back adaptive points.  Select these new points and pick host by intersection, and select the reference lines above.

One those points are hosted by the intersections draw a spline through points from them. Then select the two spines, and three front reference planes and create a solid form from them.

Apply materials to the solid and it is ready to use.

 

Instance based Family System Parameters

Leave a reply

A question came up on how to change a family system parameter from Type based to Instance based.  It made me think of the good old days when we had to start a family, say structural foundation or door family, change it to a generic model family, go into the family types and modify the values from Type to Instance then change the family type back to the original category.  Good news is this changed way back, now all you have to do is select a dimension with this value and toggle the check box in the options bar to Instance.

New Exciting Release Slated for Late April

14 Replies

Dezi and I haven’t been blogging too much lately because we have been involved in this beta.  It has meant a lot of appointments with professionals, anticipation and excitement.

This release will come in a compact package but will continue to grow in the upcoming years.  Will probably become expensive in future years but we are hoping the product will be worth the costs.

This release does not use the ribbon interface however has an interactive touch interface which is user friendly and pleasant on the eyes and will make you want to keep playing with it.  The 3 dimensional representation seems lifelike.

Some of the features that will be available include super purge, hopefully the auto-sleep feature will work but has been known to be a bit glitchy.  It is said to have an artificial intelligence-like learning capability that is supposed to advance the more it is used.    Many other features will keep us up at night until we figure them out.    User customizable carrying cases can be added as well as  many accessories, but they must be purchased separately and can vary considerable in price.

The product is a direct result from nested family capabilities yet the final naming of the product is still yet to be decided and if you would like to weigh in feel free to add comments to this blog.  If you want to see a sneak peak of the box shot click the link below to see a preview.

BOX SHOT

 

Detailing- Guide Grid

2 Replies

In Revit I sometimes see users having difficulties or just complaining about detailing, either over the model or standard details, and knowing where and how large of an area they have to detail in.  In my last web-cast Detailing in Revit Part 1 I used a family that I have had for years and it sparked a lot of intrigue.  I thought I would discuss how it was created and the benefits of the family.

My family is called Guide Grid.rfa and it is used to see the available space for detailing in a view.  This family is created as a generic annotation family so it will scale itself as the scale changes.  It is completely adjustable for titleblock or sheet size per project.  This value may have to be adjusted on a project by project basis, assuming the title blocks are always consitent.  There are also types in the family so a user can decide if they are working with 4columns wide by 4rows high etc.  The size of the box is determined by the sheet size and the row/column quantity.  Once the correct family type is placed in a view the user now knows exactly where to detail and if it is a live view how large to make the crop region.  When it comes time to print just open the type properties of the family and un-check the lines so that there isn’t any orange lines when printing.  Please download the family and let me know how well it works for your company.