nested family type related dimensions break down.

[revitworkbench]

Hi, so i am trying to nest a family that has several types. Each type has a different dimensions, and everything seems to flex fine and work fine when changing dimensions in this family. However, when I load it into the host family the width and length parameters are ignored for some reason. If I load different types shouldn't the host family display all the parameters of each type independently and properly? Any idea what might be happening

[CoreyDaun]

I would have to see the Family file to troubleshoot the issue here; can you send the file to me via email for investigation?

[CoreyDaun · Accepted solution]

I've received your file via email. It seems that the constraints were somehow broken in nested family the host file (which you discovered). This is how I would constrain the geometry of your hexagon (see image below). Create an "equality" constraints between the lines on each axis by clicking one Sketch Line, then the parallel Sketch Line, and then the intersection of the Reference Planes. Then create a "Width" Dimensional Constraint for each set of parallel Sketch Lines and link it to the appropriate Length Parameter. You will need only create a single Angle Constraint to force it to keep it's shape.

The only potential issue I see with this Family (which isn't a big issue in this particular case) is that since the inside boundary and the outside boundary of the Extrusion are controlled separately, a user could input a smaller size for the outside boundary, this creating constraint issues and breaking the Family. I would recommend creating a "safety" setup to protect the integrity of the Family:

Create an additional Length Parameter to act as the "true" control for the inside diameter. The original "Diameter" parameter will act as the user input, or the "desired" diameter. Create a formula so that the "true" diameter will just read the "desired" diameter unless it is smaller than the "width", in which case it set a smaller size based on the user inputted "Width". The image below depicts how I would set this up in your Family.