Curtain Wall: Orientation, Coordinating w/ Profile Mullions

[clara_csdrafting]

Why is it that template "Profile-Mullion.rft" has text indicating "exterior" below the center front/back reference plane, yet when an rfa made from this template is inserted into a project and placed onto a Revit curtain wall, by default the exterior faces up?  (on a wall drawn from left-to-right when viewing from floor plan view.)

What is the Autodesk-recommended method for coordinating curtain wall orientation & creating custom mullion profiles; I use left-to-right (or always counter-clockwise) then click the "Change wall's orientation" flip control. 

Thank you,

- Clara P. Sandoval

[whitbrs · Accepted solution]

Hi Clara,

At first glance this doesn't look right, but it is. I'll try and demystify it:

Here I have created a basic profile and loaded it into the project, create a new rectangular mullion and assign the family

Create your curtain wall and add the mullion. the wall is created left to right - as arrow.

The flip arrow - highlighted - indicate the exterior of the curtain wall. Your creation method sounds ok, remember you can use the space bar to flip the wall as you create it.

If your wall isn't working, maybe you could create a model group, save that as a library component and upload it.

[clara_csdrafting]

Hi Simon --

What you show is exactly the steps I follow.  Thank you for confirming.

However, why does Autodesk have exterior face down in the family and up in the project -- by default?  This is one aspect that sure has confused the heck out of trainees I've worked with.  They can come up w/ unique alternate approaches I.E. going right-to-left instead.  When noticed I arrest this on the basis that what if your mullions are not symmetrical, orientation would be off.

[whitbrs]

Hi Clara,

As to why? This probably goes back to the early development days of Revit, notice though that you can rotate the mullion and offset it from the origin.

You draw by default Left to Right, I do it Right to Left - maybe that's the lefthandedness in me. Seriously though, although it may be confusing for the new user, as long as you are consistent with content, you won't go far wrong.

[clara_csdrafting]

Thank you for your input.  I would prefer this be remedied with future releases.  Would go a long way when it comes to bridging the gap of the dreaded learning curve for those starting to use Revit's curtain wall tools.

Also, I do not recommend using right-to-left for the sole purpose of avoiding changing wall orientation.  If you have an assymetrical profile shape, or if you have an imported Detail Item rfa that must be particular mirror about the Center of Mullion reference plane, the look of the RFA would not be the same orientation as when placed into a project in this way.