topic Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families in Revit Architecture Forum

Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

Karambaki — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 04:44:56 GMT

This tip is not one for the faint of heart, but will surely be worth it!

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

GallowayUS_com_RonAllen2 — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 19:05:03 GMT

Basically an extension to import to a face-based family?

What did you do to the 'placement' families so they don't have a category associated with them?

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

Karambaki — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 20:30:32 GMT

Hey Ron, I believe I did reply to you on linked it,
In case you missed it

I will release a video 'Just to explain this step' for Revit geeks to understand how I achieved it,

In this month, and will update you here in a comment, you should be notified by email,

Hope you liked the workflow 🙂

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 16:28:18 GMT

I like to see the video how you covert them.

I also am looking for the possibilities.

With the copy monitor trick i do not have to connect the parameters 2 times.. but i can convert a wall based template to a face hosted template.

With my work i do not wont to connect the parameters each time.

Connecting the dots two times to me is a disadvantage...
I hope you have a tip for this one.

The only problem with face host based templates and other non hosted templates is that the scheduled level has to been set manually.

Only the face host based placed with the option on vertical plane in a plan view sets it automaticly right..

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

Karambaki — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 19:44:25 GMT

Hey Ramon,

Thank you 🙂

Let's breakdown those one by one :

------------------
-Copy Monitor trick is not stable for complex families, I have added an example above, Also you may check this conversation about it,

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/revit-wall-host-family-face-based-trick-sandip-more

It destroys the groups and the parameters will not function probably, if it was complex enough, as almost all the professional families are,

That trick works for only "One time usage" I mean you will loose all the parametric abilities, and that's something we agree to not like,

So, the very stable trick is the KConvert above, I agree it might be a little bit time consuming, but not more than 5 minutes per family,
Which is much less than copy paste it's elements are reconnecting references and parameters, especially with fairly complex families,
Also all the parameters are kept safe and fully functional unlike the copy/monitor trick

-----------------

However, for the connecting the dots, Ron Allen advised me to create a piece of API, or with the help of Dynamo, to achieve that automatically, wish me luck with it 🙂 , but for now, if you want a stable, face based converted family, the above method serves you well,

-----------------

Regarding for scheduling, this is how Revit is designed, no way to change it,

Here is a breakdown to it

-While in 2D, it automatically sets the schedule level to the associated level of the view you are in, no need to worry about it,

-While in 3D, just make sure you get the right level, from the option bar, it will set it self automatically in the schedule level

You may tell me that I have to get it right when using it in 3D,

As for wall based templates, they capture the level automatically, (BUT NOT ALWAYS), that happens with my daily workflow, especially if am messing a lot with the workplane am drawing at, for Model Text and dimensions in 3D,

This is a trade I accept, will keep up looking for better solutions, but it is as it is now, it is not between my hands,

Hope I understood your comment right 🙂

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

GallowayUS_com_RonAllen2 — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 16:57:16 GMT

@AnonymousFace based families automatically report their placement level- but can be overridden.

@Karambaki If groups failed - what about assemblies? Do assemblies fail on copy/monitor? May be a bug in revit if that is the case. Have you tried C/M in R2017?

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

Karambaki — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 19:53:20 GMT

@GallowayUS_com_RonAllen2 Assemblies as expected, and no need to worry about them because we are talking about the families, and assemblies are not used in the family environment as you know,

The failure is inside the resulted family if it contained groups and used the C/M method on it,

Revit would give you this if your family contained Array group based on the wall for example, :

An error occurred in family "ANYFAMILY.rfa" and was automatically resolved. Please review changes made to the family.
Error Information:
"Changes to groups are only allowed during Edit Group mode. Use Edit Group to make this change."
Error Resolution: Delete Element(s)

And the result has a broken groups in family, broken parameters, broken life ...

Using the KConvert method, will preserve that and not break any thing,

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:35:57 GMT

@Anonymous, thanks for the response

@Anonymous, thats right but that is also what I mentioned about face host based .. only in plan view this works not in 3d.

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

GallowayUS_com_RonAllen2 — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 21:04:20 GMT

Might be a bug that needs Fixin' by Autodesk ; )

Re: Revit Tip: Save Time Converting Revit Families

Karambaki — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 19:53:10 GMT

@ron.allen
@ramon697348385

It's been a long time,
You asked before about the schedule level of the face based hosted families, that it sometimes doesn't report the level you want if you used them in 3D views,

I have created a Dynamo Script that solved this problem, it also solves many other problems regarding that issue,
It can work with 2 scenarios :

1- If you have face based hosted families, it will automatically detect what is their appropriate level to host on

2- If you have wall based family (or any non-hosted family) that has it's offset and level parameter reporting from a far level,
The script can detect the level and the appropriate offset and fixes it, along with the (optional) possibility to modify the rounding of the offset, so it reports clean values in schedules and keep up the model's quality control
@fabiosato my friend from Brasil he's a MEP specialist, tested this script with mechanical pipes and families to justify and fix their levels and offsets so they appear appropriate in the schedule, a task that takes lots of time, automated in couple of clicks

You can have it from Synthesize Toolkit package extra folder from Dynamo
Screenshots :

BEFORE : Levels and Offset of windows are incorrect, although I made a normal array,
BEFORE : Schedule Levels are incorrect

----------

AFTER : Levels and Offset are set to their correct values
AFTER : Schedule Levels are all set to their correct values

This is just a simple example, the run time is less than a second in this example, we tested it in a huge project, the run time is really really short, with more than 1000 families that needed to be corrected, it took 1 minute to finish up and keeping everything in location while having their offsets and levels corrected 😄

Script name :
Family.Refine Level and Offset

Enjoy 🙂