Informed Design: Limiting inputs to manufacturable values.

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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 the required variant as a loadable family (RFA).

Click here to learn how to publish your manufacturing model to Informed Design.

So – how can the building product manufacturer prevent the Revit user from inputting unmanufacturable values?

In this post, we’ll learn two ways to use the ‘Parameter’ code blocks in the Informed Design product definition editor to limit the allowable inputs.

Click here to learn more about Codeblocks for Industrialized Construction.

How to limit inputs to a list.

You can ensure that your customers input only approved options by providing them with an approved option list.

We do this by combining a Parameter Codeblock with a List Codeblock.

Note: Use the Parameters space of the product definition to adopt parameters from the manufacturing model, making them available in the Parameter Codeblock.

Informed Design: How to lmit an input to a list of values.

In the Product Definition editor > Rules space > Input tab

1. From the codeblock library, select ‘Parameters’.
2. Select the ‘Set’ Parameter codeblock.
3. Set the Parameter you’d like to work with.
4. Set the value type to ‘Values’.
5. From the codeblock library, select ‘Lists'
6. Select the ‘Create a list with’ block.
7. From the Codeblock library Select ‘Math’
8. Select the ‘a number’ block (and duplicate this block multiple times).
9. Put the blocks together and edit the number values.
10. Use the to apply the codeblock rules, and test the result. 

The input will become a drop-down list containing your values.

TIP: This method also works with a text-based list.

Click here for the Informed Design Help page on Parameter codeblocks.

How to limit inputs to a minimum, maximum, and increment.

Another approach is to limit the minimum and maximum values that can be entered. You can even provide an increment value to ensure that the value is (for example) a whole number.

Informed Design: How to limit an input to Min, Max, and Increments

We do this with multiple copies of the Parameter Codeblock.

In the Product Definition editor > Rules space > Input tab

1. From the codeblock library, select ‘Parameters’.
2. Select the ‘Set’ Parameter codeblock.
3. Set the Parameter you’d like to work with.
4. Set the value type to ‘min’.
5. From the codeblock library, select ‘Math’
6. Select the block and add it to the Parameter block. Set the value to your minimum allowable value.
7. RMB click on your Parameter block and choose ‘Duplicate connected.’
8. Repeat this step until you have three copies.
9. In the second copy, set the value to ‘max’ and set the value in the number block to your maximum allowable value.
10. In the third copy, set the value to ‘increment’ and set the value in the number block to your desired increment.
11. Use the 'Update Form' button to apply codeblock rules, and test the result 

The input will automatically include text with your min, max, and increment values.

Informed Design: Maximum exceeded warning

If a value is entered that is outside the limits, it will automatically be set to the nearest low or high value. An exclamation sign will appear next to the input. On rollover, the user will get a message explaining what happened.

Informed Design: Increment warning

If a value is entered which does not meet the increment requirement, the value will be rounded to the nearest increment. An exclamation sign will appear next to the input. On rollover, the user will get a message explaining what happened.

Clicking into the input will reveal up and down arrows, which can be used to ‘nudge’ the current value to the next nearest increment.

Click here for the Informed Design help page on Parameter codeblocks

What are your limits?

Now you know how to limit a Revit users' inputs to your allowable, manufacturable values – creating certainty and removing frustration for both you, and your architectural design customers.

How will you use this option when publishing to Informed Design? Let us know in the comments!