help understanding constraints

[mpukas]

I'm having trouble with Revit constraints. I get the concept, and get how I can lock a wall to a grid line by either align tool and click the lock icon, or adding a permanent dimension and then locking.

Where I'm getting hung up is Revit seems to be constraining things that I have not set constraints to.

example: I'm doing site, grading and driveway work in preparation for using Siteworks. I'm laying down some guidelines for things such as building foot print and driveway/parking area footprint. Where the building footprint and driveway footprint butt against each other, there should be a slight over lap so that Siteworks cleans up the grading points.

I have separate line types for building foot print and driveway footprint, so I can hide each line in view and work on one type at a time.

I’ve aligned the driveway lines to the edge of foundation, and then hide those lines. I then aligned the building footprint lines to the edge of foundation and offset them 3” to the outside to achieve the overlap between the two areas.

When I unhide the driveway lines in view, they have been offset as well. So I hid the building footprint lines, realigned the driveway lines to the foundation, and the building footprint lines get realigned as well, even though they are hidden.

At this point I am not using Siteworks. I have not set any dimensions to these layout lines, and I have not set any constraints during the align command.

I’ve had a similar problem working with walls – a foundation wall on the interior of a building from the slab down to footing somehow was attached to an interior stud wall above it, and exterior stud wall on the left side and a full height concrete foundation wall on the right side. When I tried to re-align the lower foundation wall from one side of the stud wall to the other, all the walls moved, even though I selected only the lower foundation wall. I removed all constraints I could find, and it kept doing it – in any view. I tried several different commands. I finally had to create a foundation plan, select the wall and use the grip on each end to slide it off of each adjacent wall, then align it where I wanted, trim then ends back together, and re-align and constrain the relevant walls to the associated grid.

Can anyone explain how Revit constrains lines/walls that are not constrained? Thanks much in advance. mpp

[Alfredo_Medina]

Some comments:

1. Make sure the the sequence that you are following to align is correct, meaning make sure that you are really aligning element A to the position of B and not element B to the position of A.
2. Hiding or showing an element does not have any effect on the alignment contraints.
3. Make sure to use the "lock" symbol to force an alignment to follow the position of the referenced element.
4. Constraints are inherited. Meaning, if element A is attached to B and B is already attached to C, if C moves, A will move along, too.
5. Wall foundations will always follow the bottom elevation of columns and walls, sometimes in a way that is not what we want. Consider using beams instead.

I hope it helps.

[mpukas]

Hi ALfredo. Thanks for the response. I get all of the things that you've listed, but they do not address the issues I having.

To try and simplify, when I'm laying out my site guidelines, I have different line types for driveway, retaining walls, etc. Somehow these lines are getting constrained/joined/associated to one another in the process of trimming/extending/alinging them.

When I move one line, several other lines move along with it that I don't want to move. Even if I hide line category in view that I don't want to move, they still move.

I cannot see anywhere where these different lines are constrained/joined/associated. I did not set up any, and there are none visible to me - at least that I can see.

Does this clarify my issue? Thanks again. mpp

[Alfredo_Medina]

Sorry, I don't understand, then.

[mpukas]

Ok, let me try to simply/clarify further.

I'm drawing different styles of model lines for my site plan and building layout - one for driveway, one for retaining wall, one for building placement, etc.

I am offsetting, trimming, aligning and extending these lines to one another. I am not setting any constraints or joining any line styles (at least not that I am aware of). I have not created any dimensions.

If I move one line using the move command, other lines that are have been trimmed or extended to that line move along with it. I do not want to other lines to move, just the one that I have selected.

Does that make snese?

[Alfredo_Medina · Accepted solution]

Revit makes automatic associatiios between lines that are joined at corners. For example, if you make a rectangle and you move one of the lines, the line moves, but you still have a rectangle. If you don't want that to happen, use the Move tool with the Disjoin option active.

[mpukas]

Ah, I knew there was something I was missing. That seems to be my issue.

I see how Revit makes associations between lines, and similarly in my other wall scenario. I see that if you use the offset or align command, lines joined at corners still move/extend with it.

Thanks so much! mpp

[DarioDuval]

have a problem like this also , its when im changing the level value , the wall are not attache to the level line , and its stay the same it was and revit sa

<<the top level constraint of the wall should be attached to the level>>
but i dnt know how to attache it ,

when i create a wall i put the option Up to level 1 , it say the same thing

please help 😞