convert face-based to non-hosted family

[HVAC-Novice]

These instructions (after 10 minutes in the video) show how to convert a face-hosted family into a non-hosted family. This is done by deleting the host. the problem I have with my R2022 family (attached) is that I can't delete that host. As the screenshot shows, the delete options are grayed-out. 

Am I doing something wrong or is there a different way to make this an un-hosted family? And I don't mean re-creating the family 🙂

[barthbradley · Accepted solution]

Can you change the extrusion thickness to ZERO?  

[ToanDN]

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture-forum/turn-invisible-host-object-in-hosted-family-...

[syman2000]

Any reason why you wouldn't simply create new family, load that face base into new non-hosted family and let it host on workplane? I find that works instead of deleting the host and cause more issue down the road.

[ToanDN]

There is a tool in pyRevit that does this conversion in one click.

[RDAOU]

@HVAC-Novice 

I agree with @syman2000 ... developers usually tend to add features not remove them. If it was seamless and/or it is supposed to be deleted, why would they disable that option?

Not sure why you need it non-hosted; however, if that's what you want, then nesting the face-based into a non-hosted Lighting fixture template is the headache free option.

[barthbradley]

Why the gymnastics? Just zero out the depth of the host extrusion to delete it and the Face-Based Family becomes becomes a Work Plane Based Family.

[RDAOU]

@barthbradley ... maybe for you nesting one family into another falls under gymnastics but for me it is a fail safe practice.

Besides that, I prefer to give the developers the benefit of the doubt and not advise others to force an action which Autodesk seems to have intentionally disabled a few versions back. 

[barthbradley]

Disabled? What was "intentionally disabled a few versions back"?  

[RDAOU]

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@barthbradley wrote:

Disabled? What was "intentionally disabled a few versions back"?  

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Yes...why do you seem surprised? You didn't know?

[HVAC-Novice]

That actually works and makes the host deletable and the family un-hosted.  

I still have the problem that the fixture is 90° off and I can't turn it to be horizontal. So maybe I have to re-create.

Reason I want to avoid a new family is I need to recreate the type parameters inc ies files. Not undoable, but a hassle and prone to introduce errors. 

There are many reason to have a family un-hosted. in this case i want to place them without poles. i only do the site-lighting calcs and don't want to worry about poles. Especially since I need to play around with fixture heights for best lighting.  with the face-based fixture, i also need to include poles, which I don't really need and make it less flexible. 

Since there is a workaround to make families face-based, and non-hosted, I suggest Revit could just add a button to do that. Families I start out with, often have odd hosting settings (i.e. ceiling hosted, when face-hosted is much more flexible). 

[HVAC-Novice]

Unfortunately our IT and attorneys don't just allow installation of software. They require a lengthy approval process and free or cheaper add-ons don't provide all the documents our IT requires. So I'm limited to whatever is included in our AEC package, or a very expensive add-on where the vendor provides that information. It really would be easier to create many new families from scratch 😁

[peter_sharrock]

no, its a wall