Changing the materials available in the truss properties window

[Anonymous]

I have Revit 2018.

I am trying to change the structural framing type of a truss.

In the Properties window, the only options currently available under the "Structural Framing Type" are "Set Framing Type" and "W Shapes: W12xX26".  I want "dimensional lumber" as an option.

How do I load in a different material, such as dimensional lumber, so that it is available as a framing type option in the Truss Properties window?

All of my attempts to load materials so far end in the error message "The family is not of the correct category."

[barthbradley]

Load the Type into the Project first.  If it's a Structural Framing Type, it should appear in drop-down list.  

FWIW: if you load the Structural Framing Family and place one instance of it in the Project, and then draw your Truss, the Truss will use that Structural Framing member by default.  

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

- Insert menu > Load Family button > Load the Dimensional lumber family under Structural Framing
- Edit the truss type and assign dimensional lumber types to Chords and/or Webs

[Anonymous]

Awesome, it worked. Thank you!

[barthbradley]

Never fails. YOU come in and say the same thing I did and score the solution credit. What's your secret?  Being second?  

[barthbradley]

This is just a test post.  

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@barthbradley wrote:

Load the Type into the Project first.  If it's a Structural Framing Type, it should appear in drop-down list.  

FWIW: if you load the Structural Framing Family and place one instance of it in the Project, and then draw your Truss, the Truss will use that Structural Framing member by default.  

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[barthbradley]

Nope, that didn't work.

Oh well.  

[Anonymous]

The difference is that the other person specified exactly which menu to load the family from. Your information was useful generally, and will help to optimize future workflow, but it doesn't actually answer the specific question of "how to load the material" in this particular situation. I appreciate that you took the time to answer anyway.

[barthbradley]

Huh? There's only a handful of ways to LOAD a family into a Project. You can any or all of them to LOAD a Structural Framing Family.  There no "special" way to LOAD a Truss member. Besides all that, the issue was not LOADING -- it was loading the correct CATEGORY. In your case, STRUCTURAL FRAMING MEMBER CATEGORY.  

FWIW... "Material" (as in ""how to load the material") means something entirely different from what you are talking about.  

@barthbradley wrote:

Load the Type into the Project first.  If it's a Structural Framing Type, it should appear in drop-down list.  

[Sahay_R]

I'm doing exactly as both of you say - when I switch the Structural Framing types, the webs and chords disappear!

[ToanDN]

Is your view Coarse, Medium, or Fine?

[barthbradley]

Huh?  Refresh my memory.  What did I say 9 months ago that doesn't work?  

[Sahay_R]

Fine.

[Sahay_R]

Switched from this

to this - 

and then the truss disappears.

[barthbradley]

You don't say.  

Pretty quirky.  Does it happen with other Materials too? Try Carpet.  

[Sahay_R]

The Dimension Lumber family also has the correct visibility.

[Sahay_R]

Happened with the W section too

[barthbradley]

Maybe the Motherboard inhaled some second-hand cannabis smoke?  

Kidding. 

Can you post the file?  

[Sahay_R]

@barthbradley - stop snickering....

[Sahay_R]

Here you are.....