topic Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help! in Revit Structure Forum

Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

nickWRQJK — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 01:40:22 GMT

Hello everyone.

Firstly I'd like to thank all the posters and especially the people that help out by providing solutions in these forums. You have helped me so much, everyday I use Revit.🙏🙏🙏.

My problem is we have two drawing offices, one design office where we build our models and a second office, overseas, that details the models and generates all the sheets/shop drawings for fabrication. All our projects have a materials schedule that has functioned well and remained unchanged for many years.

The density parameter used in the schedule was selected from the project parameter list and the weight field is a simple formula (volume * Density). We would then enter the relevant densities manually into the schedule and get the weights.

Recently, the overseas office begun to experience a 'corruption' in the projects where we could no longer enter a value in the density field. It is as though the parameter is expecting a formula, not a value.

Ordinarily, we would enter the density as a number eg. 7850 for steel, hit enter twice and enter the density for the next item on the list. I know there are better ways of doing this, but this works for us and we are not looking at changing right now, just to get working again.

This is how the working schedule looks.

If we open a family or project that has been corrupted, schedules in any project will no longer work in projects that aren't corrupt. However, if Revit is closed and then re-opened, the schedules in non corrupt projects will work again...until a corrupt file is opened.

Attached is a 'corrupt' family file that cannot have density value added to it and will incapacitate working schedules of any open projects.

My greatest thanks and appreciation to anyone that has time to shed light on the cause of this problem and offer a workaround or fix.

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

rahid_mullas — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 07:43:13 GMT

(view in My Videos)

Follow this video and let me know. Mark as accept if its done.

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

jay_colc — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:36:45 GMT

Revit shows that message when the value that you enter is not a valid number, or when you try to do an arithmetic operation without beginning with the "=" symbol.

Has something in the Schedule changed such as the Formatting of the Parameter/Cell such as Type/Units?

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

nickWRQJK — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:43:06 GMT

Thank you for taking the time to show me this Rahid, but unfortunately this does not help me understand what has happened to the corrupt families that they can no longer be assigned density values.

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

nickWRQJK — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:57:10 GMT

Hi Jay.

Thanks for the reply.

The Density field looks intact to me. Unless there is something I'm missing.

I have used the same schedule in other projects that have un corrupt families and the schedule works fine.

It seems something has happened to the family files that prevents a density being assigned to them, rendering all our schedules unusable and driving us all mad!

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

nickWRQJK — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:04:08 GMT

This is a screen shot of a corrupt family when I try to add a (known to work) density shared parameter.

It wont accept a value for the Parameter or even let the Family Type window close.

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

rahid_mullas — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:31:08 GMT

@nickWRQJK did you check the category of the density parameter is it a text or number or a volume????

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

jay_colc — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:52:45 GMT

Could you not use a Material Takeoff? where the Density Parameter is already available so removes this anomaly as it seems to be related to the shared Parameter an the format/units used? It could be it loses association with said Shared Parameter on loading or is not in the Project/Template so cannot be identified!

This is why it is best to use default Parameters such as those built into a Material and assign it to the Family

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

nickWRQJK — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 20:05:26 GMT

Thanks Jay.

I tried your suggestion and made a new Material Takeoff, but the same thing happens. I've changed the material in the families too and the same thing happens.

This has to be a family file issue as the same schedule works fine in other projects that don't have the corrupt family files in them. Its as though something has happened to the family file where any kind of density calculation can no longer take place. Which is strange as the family volume reports into a schedule fine.

Re: Unable to enter a value into density parameter...please help!

craig.rennolds — Fri, 23 May 2025 14:49:44 GMT

This seems to be a bug in the Metric Template. I tried both imperial and metric from scratch and the metric template will not allow you to add a value for mass density. Please can Autodesk review this urgently as it is preventing us from gathering mass data. Thanks