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Informed Design helps building product manufacturers supply customizable Revit families to their customers.
The building product manufacturer publishes their configurable manufacturing model via Informed Design for Inventor.
The architectural designer can then configure the design using Informed Design for Revit, generating and inserting their preferred product variant as a loadable Revit family (RFA).
Click here to learn how to publish your manufacturing model to Informed Design.
So, how can the building product manufacturer design a form that controls and communicates how a product can be configured by the Revit user?
In this article, we’ll learn how to use the ‘Set Parameter’ Codeblock in the Informed Design product definition editor to add information to the inputs on the form that the Revit user will use to configure a model.
Informed Design: Input labels
Click here to read the Informed Design help topic on unique Codeblocks.
Input Label: Default
The main input label is set in the Form designer. The Input label inherits the name of the parameter adopted from Inventor.
Inventor parameter names have restrictions. For example, they cannot contain spaces. It’s common to use underscores in Inventor parameter names. For example, ‘Inlet_B_Location’.
In the image below, the default input label has been renamed to ‘Inlet B Location’ (underscores removed).
Informed Design: The default input lables are inhertied from the adopted parameters.
Input Label: Units
Units are automatically added to the default Input Label. The units are inherited from the parameters adopted from Inventor.
If you override the default input label (see below), the units will also be overridden. If you want them included, you can add them to the override value you enter manually.
Informed Design input label: Units
Input Label: Dynamic
You can dynamically change the input label in response to the values in the form.
In the image below, an ‘if’ Codeblock is used to override the default label when the maximum volume is exceeded.
Informed Design input labels: Dynamic
Labels for Boolean Parameters
Boolean (True/False) Parameters have their own labeling options.
In the image below, Codeblocks have been added to update the input label dynamically depending on the True or False value of the input.
If the input value is ‘True’, then the Label reads “Inlet A Activated”.
If the input value is ‘False, then the Label reads “Activate Inlet A”.
Informed Design input label: True/False
Input Message
The input message is a blue circle containing an ‘i’ symbol that appears next to the Input. Upon mouse-over, the user will see a message.
We can add an input message that appears in reaction to the inputs chosen by the Revit user.
In the image below, an ‘if’ Codeblock is used to add a message when the maximum volume is exceeded.
If the value of the Volume parameter Codeblock is equal to or greater than 5,
then, show a message “Max of 5 cubic m exceeded”.
Informed Design input label:
Error messages
The Error message is a Red circle containing an exclamation mark ‘!’ symbol that appears next to the Input.
The error message has an additional property. A Revit user cannot generate an RFA when input(s) are in an error state. The errors must be cleared first.
The image below shows an ‘If’ Codeblock being used to trigger an error.
If, the value of the Volume parameter Codeblock is equal to or greater than 5,
then, set the Volume input to an Error state.
The default error message reads,
“There is an error related to the rules of this parameter. Please check its rules”.
Informed Design input label: Default Error message
We have the option to add a custom error message to provide something more meaningful to the Revit user.
The example shown in the following image adds a custom error message when the maximum volume is exceeded.
Tip: Error messages can be used in combination with the ‘Read Only’ property. See below.
Informed Design input label: Custom error message
Read-only
If you don’t want a Revit user to interact with an input at all, you can make it Read-Only, Not Applicable, or even hide it!
Read-only inputs are ‘greyed out’ and the input label is automatically appended with ‘(Read Only)’.
In the example below, Volume is a calculated value. It is included in the form to give the Revit user feedback, but we don’t want them to edit the value.
Informed Design input label: Read-only
Read-only can be combined with an Error message. The image below shows an example of an input which is both read-only, and in an error state.
(In this example, we would need to give the user further instructions on how to clear the error state).
Informed Design input label: Error
Min, Max, and Increment
Codeblocks can be used to control the allowable input values. In the example shown in the image below, a minimum value, maximum value, and increment have been defined.
The input label automatically reflects the min, max and increment rule applied. Notice, when you click into the input, ‘up’ and ‘down’ arrows are added. You can use these arrows to click up and down to the next incremented value.
TIP: With the input selected (it’s border will be blue) you can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to ‘spin’ up or down to the next increment.
Informed Design input label: Min, Max, Increment
Input Applicable
A configurable product model may have components that are turned on and off, depending on the options selected.
These components may have controlling parameters. When the components are turned off, the controlling parameters may not be relevant, and the input may not be required.
We could make the input read-only, or even hide it from view, but the ‘Applicable’ option is designed for this scenario.
The ‘Applicable’ property allows us to indicate that this input's value is not applicable to the current configuration. The label is appended with ‘Not Applicable’, and the input is ‘greyed out’.
In addition, the value of this input will be listed as ‘Not Applicable’ in the Informed Design add-in for Revit, in the Variants table.
Informed Design Revit Add-in: Variants table
In the image shown below, an ‘if’ Codeblock is used to control the applicable property value.
If Inlet_A (a boolean parameter) is ‘False’ (the component is suppressed)
Then the value of parameter ‘Overflow_A_Location’ (Inlet A input) is not applicable.
Informed Design input label: Applicable
Visibility
If we don’t want a Revit user to see an input at all, we can hide it.
The image below shows an example, combining an ‘if’ Codeblock, with true and false labels.
If ‘Standard’ finish is selected, then colour options are hidden.
If ‘Custom’ finish is selected, then colour options are visible.
Informed Design input visibility
Informed Design: Input labels on the configuration form
You made it to the end of the article. Did you learn something new? Which of these options will you include in your next Informed Design product definition?
Want to know more? Leave your feedback below!
Click here to download Autodesk Informed Design for Inventor.