topic Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position". in Revit MEP Forum

Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

ColtonHaney — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 17:21:44 GMT

I have a family for a 3/4in compression fitting that I cannot get to rotate in section.

I have tried:

- turning off "Always Vertical"

- turning on "Work-Plane Based"

- copying the geometry into a new family

- completely redrawing the geometry from scratch in a new family

- modeling it as a line based family

I could successfully host it to a reference plane and rotate it by rotating the reference plane. However, when doing so the element jumps across the model and I have to track it down and relocate it in it's new orientation back to where I placed it originally. This solution is also not ideal as having a ton of reference planes (one for each element) will be extremely cumbersome to work with.

If anyone has any ideas or solutions, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

(Attached is the family that I am having issues with.)

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

dmiller_SCE — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 21:24:36 GMT

If you want to free rotate the family in question with the least effort, then change the family category from generic model to a category that allows free rotation in the project, like pipe fittings, conduit fittings, mechanical equipment, or something similar.

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

ToanDN — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 21:26:26 GMT

Model it using Mechanical Equipment template, check Always vertical, do not check Work Plane, then you can rotate it however you want in any axis.

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

acatonHL59J — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:30:55 GMT

i have an OOTB revit pipe fitting family that will not allow me to rotate it about the axis of the pipe. Always vertical is not checked, nothing seems amiss with the constraints. It simply will not rotate except at 90 degree increments (need it at 22.5). I can draw a vertical segment of pipe, then from the upper connector draw another section of pipe at the angle I wish to achieve and revit 23 snaps it to a direction that is orthogonal to the coordinate axis. Or i draw a vertical section, draw a horizontal section and use the extend to tool or the fillet tool and it does the same thing. I even tried letting it draw the way it wants to and rotating the fitting after the fact about the center axis of the vertical pipe, that's when i get the error. How would I fix these issues?

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

bjones — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 15:08:41 GMT

thank you!! that worked great!!

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

acatonHL59J — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

it's already a pipe fitting. it won't rotate. and turning it into a mechanical equip family won't allow the filters set to work correctly. it needs to remain a pipe fitting - so why doesn't it rotate? what would prevent it acting like every other elbow?

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

RSomppi — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:53:04 GMT

Have you tried checking "Always Vertical"?

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

acatonHL59J — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 17:09:00 GMT

yeh, it came that way oob, i unchecked it to see if that helped. it didn't. so i rechecked it and played the uncheck recheck game on every box available. not sure why it's being such a pain. the rest of the fittings in the box work just fine. it's just this one (the one i need, of course). It's a standard 90degree elbow. there's absolutely no reason i can see that it should behave this way. all the other 90 degree elbows work just fine in the package. I've tried turning off/on every setting that can be in the fitting. i set all the check boxes to the same settings as working elbows, too - no joy.

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

dmiller_SCE — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 18:30:15 GMT

@acatonHL59J I downloaded the family you provided and checked the always vertical option, and it works just fine on my end.

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

acatonHL59J — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:02:46 GMT

that's truly odd. didn't work a lick for me.

Re: Can't figure out, "Can't rotate element into this position".

flaks — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:00:38 GMT

Mirroring the object on some axis did the trick for me.