topic Re: Rotation in Any Axis in Revit Architecture Forum

Rotation in Any Axis

Bob_Zurunkle — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:25:07 GMT

Is it possible to create a family that can be loaded in on any view, and rotated in any direction?

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Alfredo_Medina — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:17:18 GMT

Using multiple levels of nested families, it is possible to make an object rotate in 3 planes: x/y(plan view), y/z (righ/left views), and x/z (front/back views).

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Bob_Zurunkle — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:16:15 GMT

Do you know of a step-by-step tutorial on this?

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Alfredo_Medina — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:36:51 GMT

@Bob_Zurunkle wrote:
Do you know of a step-by-step tutorial on this?

No, I have not seen a step-by-step tutorial about this, but I could write a blog article about it.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Bob_Zurunkle — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:07:34 GMT

That would be cool 🙂 and much appreciated!

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Alfredo_Medina — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 15:22:57 GMT

@Bob_Zurunkle wrote:

That would be cool 🙂 and much appreciated!

As promised, I have written a blog article about rotation in 3 different axis:

http://planta1.com/forum/entry.php?12-Rotating-a-Revit-model-family-in-3-different-axis-by-parameters

This reply has been edited by the moderation team as the legacy links were no longer valid

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Bob_Zurunkle — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:34:36 GMT

Much obliged 🙂

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Anonymous — Sun, 05 May 2013 17:03:00 GMT

Ridiculous, I simply want to align a modeled in place component (a turnbuckle) with a cable coming from some other turnbuckle at a different height. That blog post is ridiculous.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Alfredo_Medina — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:38:39 GMT

No, it is not. That article describes a case in which you need 3 rotations simultaneously and control those rotations by parameter. There is another article about rotating elements in generic adaptive families by points. If you just need to align an object to another, without parameters, probably that article does not apply to your particular needs.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

rosskirby — Mon, 06 May 2013 01:55:59 GMT

If you're modeling something in place, why would you need to rotate it? Why not just model it in the correct orientation in the first place?

For your given situation, though, why would it need to be rotated in more than one plane? I assume you have two turnbuckles, one at either end of an angled tension rod, correct? Wouldn't it only need to be rotated in the XY plan (when viewed in elevation)?

What was explained in the blog post was a method for creating a family that can rotate in multiple planes. While it's somewhat complex, especially if you're unfamiliar with the way Revit works, it's certainly not a "ridiculous" solution. And if you want constructive feedback, I'd recommend a less antagonistic approach.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Anonymous — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:41:20 GMT

Ok,

Myfault. I had a visual modeling problem not a BIM problem. So I can imagine some faceted cladding, with a need to align an object to another with parameters and then making use of a BIM that specifies/locks exactly some angle of an attachment. So great job scripting, coding, hacking Alfredo.

Thankyou. But Ross, oh my. Not your buisness to ask why I would need a component to be rotated in more than one plane. I have the project, I have the component. I simply do. Rotate, flip, twist. I want different angles to the component.

Nonetheless I modeled the component in Autocad then linked the dwg and I got what I needed for a rendering. Thanks

Cullen

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Alfredo_Medina — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:41:21 GMT

If you post a question here, you are expecting answers, comments, questions from other users, correct? How can you say to another user that it is not his business to ask you a question? We could say, then, that your problems with Revit are your business only, not ours. If you consider other people's question an intromission in your own business, then I don't see why we should reply to your posts.

Rotation in Any Axis

Anonymous — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:51:38 GMT

He was asking rhetoric questions. Thankyou

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

rosskirby — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:13:18 GMT

I was trying to understand your specific example (turnbuckles), and the rhetorical question was a way of positing a solution to what I perceived to be your issue. That is, if you are modeling something in place, rotation of that object shouldn't be an issue. As with the tutorial in Alfredo's blog, most objects are built as separate families so that they can be used in mulitple situtations, which is where one might expect to run into the need to rotate in multiple planes.

If you don't think that Alfredo's solution applies to your given situation, or if you have a more workable solution, then by all means, please share it. I guarantee that Alfredo and I will be first in line to congratulate you on a solution and refer everyone else to it when we run across a similar question years from now, but attacking someone else's solution as ridiculous is unneccessary, and counter to the goal of these forums.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 16:47:49 GMT

The link to this blog i broken.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:19:34 GMT

the link to Planta 1 is broken. I will really need the article tutorial to see how can I make a family rotate in 3-axis coz by unchecking the boxex: work plane-based; always vertical my solution is not answeered and solved. my family object was intended to be horizontal and we want it vertical for another application purpose. Thank you very much.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

CoreyDaun — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 15:23:33 GMT

Here is an updated link, except that this is titled "By Points":

http://www.planta1.com/blog/rotating-an-object-in-3-different-axes-by-points/

This reply has been edited by the moderation team as the legacy links were no longer valid

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

Alfredo_Medina — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 15:23:50 GMT

Here's the other blog article:

http://www.planta1.com/blog/rotating-a-revit-model-family-in-3-different-axes-by-reference-lines/

This reply has been edited by the moderation team as the legacy links were no longer valid

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

smbrennan — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 03:38:59 GMT

Thank you for re-posting a link that works. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing hope for a solution that requires you to follow a link, only to find a dead link.

I'm going to dive into this more tomorrow, but is there an easier way to rotate a family? I'm basically trying to make a quick workable bus duct family. Each instance will only rotate 1 axis at a time, at 90 degree intervals. It's nothing more than a parametric box. Maybe some various elbows and cable tap boxes as well, but not much more beyond that.

The more I type the more I think, but I may just try to make this family in 'space' and not bound to a reference plane, then control the rotation in there. Hmmm ...

Thanks again.

Re: Rotation in Any Axis

me1a — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 10:27:28 GMT

Link is missing