topic Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry in Revit Architecture Forum

create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 22:38:09 GMT

Coming from the lighting world...I want to make a light fixture that follows a curving staircase. How can I use the stair geometry from the architect's linked model? I've made fixture families that follow the edges of 3D objects before but I don't know how to get the stair geometry out of the model and into a family to do so. Any ideas would be most appreciated. Thanks!

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

ToanDN — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 23:46:32 GMT

Export the stair to a DWG and import it into your family to get the geometry.

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

barthbradley — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 03:45:12 GMT

Is something preventing from placing your Light Fixture families directly on the Linked Stairs in the Parent Project?

FWIW: rope lighting placed behind translucent colored risers of a winder in a Link:

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

Mohamed-Nassar — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 14:57:09 GMT

Control the View range in your model to easily put ur fixture hosted on the stair

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

barthbradley — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 16:25:00 GMT

FWIW: the rope light family I used was created by NESTING a SHARED Light Source into a Generic Model Adaptive Family and Hosting a single instance of it to the x,y Work Plane of an Adaptive Point. In turn, that Adaptive Point was NESTED into another GM Adaptive Family and Hosted (via REPEATER) to all the Nodes along a multi-node, 3-point-Adaptive-Point-driven Divided Line. The number of Nodes/Light Sources is controlled via an Instance Parameter in the Family (e.g. “Number of Lights”).

This 3-tiered Nested Family is the Rope Light Family (attached). It can be loaded into a Project and hosted to - and “roped” along - any Geometry/Plane. Because the Light Source is SHARED, all of its Photometric Properties are accessible and can be modified inside the Project.

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 18:18:02 GMT

whoa, that's intense and unfortunately, I only understood a fraction of it!

Is the family you attached (thanks!) all set for me to experiment with or are there additional steps to get it to work?

Many thanks for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 18:19:19 GMT

oh, and do you happen to have a 2019 version?

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

barthbradley — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:02:07 GMT

My understanding from your first post, is that you are not able to place light fixtures on a winder stair that is linked into the parent project you are working on. Because of this, you are looking for a way to bring the stairs into a family environment so you can place lights on it. What I am suggesting, is that you can place your lights/fixtures directly on the stairs - or any surface - if you make them Adaptive Families. That is, make each light/fixture family Work Plane-Based and Shared, Nest it into an Adaptive Family Template, and host the light/fixture to an Adaptive Point Work Plane. Use this Adaptive family to place instances of the light/fixture on the surfaces of the geometries in the project.

Open the attached “Linked Winder Stairs with Lights Behind Translucent Risers.rvt” (the “Winder Stairs.rvt” is Linked into this Project) and see how a light family named “Rope Light Single Light Source” is placed directly on the underside of each stair tread via an Adaptive Point Family named “Rope Light Single Light Source AP”. Both these families are accessible through the Project Browser, along with another 3-point Adaptive Family named “Rope Light” which parametrically arrays multiple instances of the light per placement instance. No instances of this family are placed in the project. Place some instances of it yourself to see how it works. Number of Lights is controlled via an Instance Parameter of the same name.

Lastly, because it is Shared, the Photometrics of the light source family can be accessed by right-clicking on the “Rope Light Single Light Source” family in the Project Browser and pressing “Type Properties…” in the drop down menu.

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 19:51:10 GMT

I tried this but when I exported the stair, it flattened out in elevation which maybe has something to do with how Revit makes curving staircases?

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 19:52:38 GMT

I want to create a tape light that followed the compound curve of the stair, nor individual fixtures

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 19:54:09 GMT

view range isn't the issue, it's creating a singular family that follows the compound curve of the stair

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 19:57:39 GMT

Yes, that's exactly my situation.

ok, I'll give this a shot. I just have no experience with adaptive point families, yet!

thanks again for your detailed explanation

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 21:16:18 GMT

Hey man, so I've been playing around with what you sent (thanks again) and while it does allow me to place individual fixtures on the surfaces of the stair (very cool), what I really wanted to do was use the curving geometry of the stair's handrail as the basis for a model-in-place continuous tapelight family, a single fixture that follows the curve, something like this:

forgive me if I'm missing something in your solution

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

ToanDN — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 00:56:10 GMT

@JustinBrown8567 wrote:

I tried this but when I exported the stair, it flattened out in elevation which maybe has something to do with how Revit makes curving staircases?

You need to export a 3d view, not a plan or an elevation. Anyhow, you can create another railing type with a self illuminating material and place it on the stair.

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

barthbradley — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 01:33:44 GMT

That's exactly what the family I posted does. The Rope Light.rfa places a strand of lights between 3 points.

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

barthbradley — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 01:38:32 GMT

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

barthbradley — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 01:46:03 GMT

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:02:45 GMT

my apologies for the delayed reply.

So, this family creates distinct dots of light, exactly like a rope light. However, I would love it if it appeared more continuous like a real encapsulated flexible tapelight product

How might that be achieved?

Also, where would I add an electrical connector?

Last question; is there a way to calculate the length of each "strand" so I can assign a W/lf value to the type (that we use to generate an instance-based Apparent Load)?

many thanks, I am learning a lot here!

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

barthbradley — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:47:57 GMT

@JustinBrown8567 wrote:
I would love it if it appeared more continuous like a real encapsulated flexible tapelight product

You mean like a cold cathode gas-discharge light effect? You might get a satisfactory result by using an Asset that has a Self-Illumination Property for the Light Fixture Geometry's Material.

Re: create compound curve light fixture based on linked geometry

JustinBrown8567 — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:58:50 GMT

yes, like neon. However, I am less concerned with the light source aspect of the fixture and more with the length and W/lf parameters.