Avoid generic models

[PrathapSekar]

Dear Members,

In my working project, block work walls needs to have a openings to allow the MEP services go through, for that we have used void families to place the openings, but the client telling us to avoid the generic models. Since the void families are Generic model category. We don't know what category to use/ what is the suitable category to create the void family.

Please help us to fulfil the client requirement / advise us to clarify the client about Generic models.

Thanks. 

[ToanDN]

Sounds like a ridiculous request. They likely got an instruction to model things under proper categoriesand took it too literelly. Anyways, you can change the family category to anything you want: entourage, doors, windows, etc...

P/s: i got the same request from a big client a while ago and I wrote back politely to decline it. Needless to say, they revised their BIM manual to allow using of generic category since.

[PrathapSekar]

Thanks @ToanDN, 

I don't know these irrelevant categories (such as entourage, doors, windows, etc...) will satisfy the requirement. Thanks for the advise, will try the same with our client.

[cbcarch]

You can use the Wall Opening Tool instead of Generic Model Voids.

[Rab_i]

Depending on the complication of modeling and the workflow you have, it might be just easier to edit the wall profile to make openings. It's simple for anyone to understand and represents the actual situation of the wall better.

[PrathapSekar]

Thanks @cbcarch,

But,For circular openings?

[loboarch]

Circular openings (or any shape other than rectilinear for that matter), needs to be cut with edit profile, or generic model. I guess it does not have to be a generic model, but that is kind of what that category is there for, things that just don't fit into another category, I would say a void (nothing) is a pretty good example of that.

[cbcarch]

Ideas/Wishlist item--Edit Profile of Wall and Roof Openings?

[andybrack]

I agree with the others.  Edit Wall profile works just fine.  This way there is no separate object. Should make your client happy because the wall is just a wall.  Overall though it's sort of a dumb request. Generally, I would take issue if you changed the category of your void family.  If you use Navisworks for clash detection, one of the common ways to select objects is by family category. Therefore if families are improperly categorized, the clash reports will have some bogus information that you have to cull out.  For example, we don't create door families and categorize them as windows, right?

Cheers,

Andy Brack

[loboarch]

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@cbcarch wrote:

Ideas/Wishlist item--Edit Profile of Wall and Roof Openings?

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Idea/Whishlist is fine.

Just for the record, the wall opening tool was originally created specifically for putting an opening in an arc shaped wall because an arc shaped wall can't have the profile edited. The tool was limited in this use case to rectilinear openings. 

Editing the profile of a wall WAS the intended workflow fro creating openings originally so you could do whatever shape you needed.

[ToanDN]

Using Edit Wall Profile or Wall Opening tool is fine as long as the holes and the walls are under the same phase.  In case you need to core through existing walls in a new phase, you've got to use either in-place families or external families.  Using families is also beneficial if the holes need to be scheduled.