interactive / modular furniture family how?

[cekuhnen]

lets say you have a chair

and the options to decide the

1. seat type (wood padded plastic etc.)

2. type of glider

is it possible in Revit to create a furniture model that has checkmarks I could use to drive the configuration of the furniture set

and how could that be passed to the schedule system?

Do I need to build a family into which I load all other models such as glider types seat types etc?

[L.Maas]

As you are probably aware within a family you can have different family types.

For each family type you can have different values for the parameters. So as a shared type parameter you could have a model/catalog number which you can schedule.

Inside the family you can have different models, or nested families, for your different type of gliders/seating. They can be switched on/off with a visbility parameter (is yes/no). If, for example, the shape stays the same and only material changes you could only change the material (with a type parameter).

Always consider what to put into a single family. Some like to create 'super' families with all kinds of options and parameter values. Others create 'lean' families with a limited set of options and create different families to get to the same set of options. Both choices have their (dis)advantages.

[constantin.stroescu]

hoping I understood you well.....:

make a New Furniture Family and into it:

1. create a serie of Shared Parameters  under a New Group called for instance Chairs Parameters. Parameters will cover Dimensions, Material, Visibility, etc...
2. from: Manage > Object Styles > Model Objects > Modify Subcategories > New -Name...create as many subcategories as you want: seat, back,arms,frame,etc...
3. now, make your object by components (subobjects) using Create functions ( Extrude,Revolve,Sweep ,Blend , both Forms and Void Forms as you need. Select ,one by one the components (subobjects of you chair you have just made) and from Properties > Identity Data > Subcategory - choose the subcategory ( made in step 2) you want o belong to.....
4. put dimensions to the subobjects of the chair ( take care to use Reference Planes for guides) - and apply parameters :select the dimension > Label > Add Parameter > Parameter Properties > Shared Parameter >choose the appropriate Parameter from the Group created in step 1. Complete with all shared parameters ,for dimensions , material, visibility , etc from Chairs Parameter
5. Load the chair into Project. Make a Furniture Schedule ( you can use Filter in order to only chairs to appear in the list. All your Shared Parameters can be used now in your schedule. Make a Template File so that this schedule to be used in any project. If you want to use to export a schedule frame from a Project to another one , you can do it using : Insert > Insert from File > Insert View from File ( the condition id that the schedule has to be placed on a sheet - and you will bring the sheet and the View)

[cekuhnen]

Am I right in the assumption that when I then have to build each piece as a component in a single file and then create a furniture family file where I load all those components into to assamble the chair?

Are those components linked dynamically like when I edit the master glider file the glider in all other ueber family files will be updated as well? I was not able to get that working.

What is the difference between Furniture and Furniture System family?

[cekuhnen]

how can I lets say have two glider options and set up the family so that only one option is visible (turning all others invisible) and for example have a wood or upholstered shell to sit on and make that also only selectable and make this visible inside the schedule? I fail to figure that out.

[L.Maas]

No when you create a family with nested families, the nested families are not dynamically linked.

So you modify the nested family, then you open the hosting family. You then have to do a reload of the nested families.

If you have different hosting families with the same nested sub-family you will have to open each hosting family and reload the nested family.

This is one of the (dis)advantages of 'lean' families versus 'super' families.

It gets even more complicated when you are using shared (nested) families and bring them in a project.

I bleieve there is not a real difference between the two families (furniture and furniture systems).

You might want to look at what the Revit Model Content Style Guide has to say about it.

[L.Maas]

See attached family.

It contains a chair with two types. It has two different supports (nested famileis) and two different seat materials

Based on this I prepared tow different chair types.

Put it in a project and you can probably see how it works.

It is not absolutely necessary to have the supports in nested families, but especially when you are creating more and more options your hosting family keeps cleaner if you use nested families. 

[loboarch]

The advanced sample family used to do this kind of thing, but current one lost the ability somewhere along the way?  i was able to dig up an old version (but I upgraded it to 2015) that does the kind of thing you are describing.

Basically the support of the shade device is a nested family that is then arrayed.  The once loded the instance of the support family gets a label attached and uses the "Family Type" parameter setting.  This allows it to be swapped out with other family types from the nested family.

The nested family also uses a matertial parameter to control the material of the support.  This parameter is duplicated in the host family and connected to the nested family parameter.  So the material of the support can be changed in the host.

You can use similar techniques to do the kinds of things you asked about in your OP.

Good luck!

[Alaaeldin_Alsahli]

There is some extra settings need to be done

Here is a video shows how to do it

https://screencast.autodesk.com/main/details/12e44a3f-209b-4b9b-a6aa-cb08609dd534

Let me know if this help