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Door frame customization

8 REPLIES 8
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Message 1 of 9
USAArchitect
3409 Views, 8 Replies

Door frame customization

I just inserted my first door: from the AutoDesk Library, and I successfully inserted it into a wall.  I also duplicated it and modified the double glass & wood doors to be narrower and taller than the stock doors.  So I did pretty well.  I also figured out how to move the door in the wall with temporary dimensions.  So far so good.

 

I looked at the 3D view and noticed that the doors come with frame trim.  Great!

And there's a parameter that lets you modify the trim width.  Okay again.

 

HOWEVER, I like to make my door head trim taller than the width of the jambs.  How do I change that and not the jambs?  Or am I stuck, if I use the Revit library doors because they don't have that parameter?  Or do I have to get into that Family and duplicate that and add that parameter.  Kind of still new to Revit.  Any pointers on how I would do that? Thanks for any help. 

8 REPLIES 8
Message 2 of 9
USAArchitect
in reply to: USAArchitect

Oh, I also wondered: Does anyone know how to show the doors in an open position?  Can you control the angle or openness?  Or does Revit not do that?

Message 3 of 9

All these modifications are possible, but it takes time and skills to make these changes in the family editor. As you have seen, the doors included in the library dont' show frames either (just a trim, not the jamb of the frame). Offices who need to show the frame have to modify these doors or create their own doors. The same could be said of other families in the libraries.


Alfredo Medina _________________________________________________________________ ______
Licensed Architect (Florida) | Freelance Instructor | Autodesk Expert Elite (on Revit) | Profile on Linkedin
Message 4 of 9
rosskirby
in reply to: USAArchitect

As Alfredo mentioned, all these things are possible in Revit.  In fact, modifying the out-of-the-box door family to suit your firm's needs is almost like a rite of passage for those transitioning to Revit.  The OOTB door family is close, but never exactly right for most firms.  Try taking it and editing the parameters to see how it's put together, then look into visibility parameters and nested families.  

 

As you go along, please feel free to post any stumbling blocks you come across, and we'll do our best to help you along.

Ross Kirby
Principal
Dynamik Design
www.dynamikdesign.com
Message 5 of 9
USAArchitect
in reply to: rosskirby

Thank you, Ross & Alfredo.

I am struggling to just get the doggone thing modeled (a house) and am frustrated with the roadblock at every action.  So, for now, I'll use the doors out of the box and see if I can far enough along to insert the windows, doors, decks, stairs and roof. Then I'll go back and see what I need to do to tweak familes to make them more customizable to the Architect.  This is what I thought it would be: not a production exercise, but rather, a learning exercise.  Which is why I counsel others not to try to first do a real project when learning Revit; there's too much learning going on. 

 

Thanks for your continued patience and help.  I will keep at this and keep learning. 

Message 6 of 9
MKEllis
in reply to: USAArchitect

I'm relatively new to Revit as well, but after a few weeks of hitting obstacles at almost every turn, it does start to make more sense.

 

I've now gone as far as modelling my own door and frame families and set them up to amend the types of details you mention, as well as door vision panels, kick plates, beading etc. Once you can unlock the power of parametric families (families that allow you to set various parameters in the 'type' setting under properties) you can really start to customise doors to suit the way you want to work. It is worth perservering, eventually the obstacles get fewer and things start to make sense.

 

I've still a long way to go, but good luck with your Revit journey.

Message 7 of 9
rosskirby
in reply to: USAArchitect

I feel your pain.  Revit isn't like CAD, and if you try to fight what Revit wants, you're going to be slugging uphill the whole way.  Learning Revit is like learning a new language.  You can't just learn some vocabulary and conjugation, and expect to "go native," y'know?  You've got to learn to think in the language, then you'll find yourself speaking it in no time.

 

Here's the key (or at least it was for me, and you may have heard it before, but it's true): model it like you'd build it.  This applies at every level, from details to families to buildings to campuses.  Take doors, for example.  What's it made of?  Parts.  Discrete, individual, manufactured, standard component parts.  Frames.  Panels.  Glazing.  Hardware.  The beauty of Revit is that you can make each of those pieces in it's on little family, and then load them all into one "Door" assembly family.  

 

You get to work on big things, one little managable step at a time.  Take any one of those items.  Each has a relatively fixed number of different parameters (depth, thickness, height, width, etc.).  Start there, then load each one individually into your "Door" family, and position it as needed.  Think of the "Door" family as a kit of parts.  It will control how those parts relate to one another, and which parts are being used.

 

That's probably enough preaching for now, but I didn't want you to get frustrated before you really got started, and sometimes a little theory goes a long way.

 

Oh, and use reference planes.  Lots and lots of reference planes.  Build you components with reference planes first, then assign parameters, then flex those parameters, then, and only then, create the actual geometry.

 

Good luck!

Ross Kirby
Principal
Dynamik Design
www.dynamikdesign.com
Message 8 of 9
USAArchitect
in reply to: MKEllis

It does make sense; it's just slow going.  Thanks for the encouragement.

Message 9 of 9
USAArchitect
in reply to: rosskirby

Thanks Ross.  I agree.  I just need to get familiar.  It is hard to get the time to continuously work and learn.  I will continue, though.  I do use Lots of Reference Planes for the model.  I have not yet created any family for myself.  I'm sure that will come. I am building it like I would build it.  That's part of the struggle.  I still haven't solved my little concrete curb problem sitting on top of the sloping garage slab either.  All the suggestions of inserting a sloping reference plane there don't work.  Revit will not allow you to add a sloping reference plane over a sloping slab in 3D or elevation view.  And Revit doesn't seem to recognize Refence planes as constraints for wall tops or bottoms.  But that's another subject.  Thanks again.  I'll be working earning some money for a few days, then will get back to this.  All my best.

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