Is there any way to cut a void into a family that is loaded in a project?

[CALIBER]

Hello,

I have built a Shipping Container in Revit to use with designing houses with these containers. I know you can create voids inside the family when it is in edit mode, but I need to know how to create a void extrusion in the project and have it cut into the family also. Does the family have to be categorized as something special to have this ability?

My alternative is creating a container family for each container in the project ex: Container A, B, C, D and just cutting the voids in those families, but one problem I see is if the original container has something I need to change, I have to change in all families.

I also thought about creating the original container as a nested family inside another family (ex: Original Container inside Container A Family, B Family, etc) but I would still need to cut the voids in the family for the walls, windows, stair openings, etc.

Please help me find a solution. Revit was not really made to work with these and I'm trying to find the best solution.

[Anonymous]

CALIBER wrote:
> Please help me find a solution. Revit was not really made to work with these and I'm trying to find the best solution.

Given all of the constraints you've listed, I think your *best* solution
will not be a family at all, but a group.

Use customized wall types, floors and roofs to create the pure
container, and create a model group.

Insert as many group instances as you need, and arrange.

You then will be able to host windows and doors, cut wall openings,
vertical openings, shaft openings, etc. wherever they are needed.



--
Brian Winterscheidt
LWPB Architecture
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

[CALIBER]

I've also looked into this, but with corregated walls, revit has a hard time deciding what plain to host a door or window on. Another issue with this is I still have to host a traditional wall overlapping the container wall because the container wall is just the structural. I make a wall with sheet rock on both sides and a layer of air space and draw that overtop of the container wall. The group doesn't cut an opening in the container wall if I host a door or window in the sheet rock wall. I would have to cut voids in a group as well. Also I'm not sure which is more memory intensive, a family or a group. do you know?

[Anonymous]

CALIBER wrote:
> but with corregated walls

I wouldn't model that level of detail unless it is extremely important
to the final outcome, or if you are rendering and this is exposed...




Is there any consistency or limit in the *number* of potential openings
on a side? It would be possible to build instance-based voids into a
family to accommodate a set number of openings, or a range up to a
certain limit, but will take a lot of time and parameters...

Overall, as you noted, Revit just isn't ideally set up for this type of
construction.

--
Brian Winterscheidt
LWPB Architecture
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

[charlesarko]

These seem like good workarounds to a specific problem, but I am also struggling to add voids to a family.  I don't see why this is an unacceptable operation.  I am also trying to rotate a family vertically in section, and Revit doesn't want to allow that either.