Cutting voids in shared nested families

[j-davelaar]

Hello,

I have created multiple shared-nested generic model families.

When I want to create a void in one of those families, I now create the void in each nested family and try to get them aligned in the process.

Is there an easier way for this? Like making a void in the host family?

I also sometimes need to create a custom void in the families, from my project. This takes a lot of tabbing and clicking to get every nested family to cut with the created void (see picture).

Is there an easier way for this?

Thanks in regard,

JD

[syman2000]

Usually I would use face base family. Create void family and placed in nested family where the cut out is. That way it will cut thru different surface and align your family with the face base cutout.

[j-davelaar]

This would make the process of making a void in each nested family a bit faster, but I hope there are more tricks.

[barthbradley]

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@j-davelaar wrote:

This would make the process of making a void in each nested family a bit faster, but I hope there are more tricks.

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Maybe not more new tricks, but maybe a different and simpler workflow. What are you cutting? Can you share more specifics of what you're building and cutting. Maybe there's another way to go about it.  Maybe the Families should be custom modeled in the Project via Model In-Place instead of as a Loadable Family -- or perhaps the Families can be Modeled using System Families that are cuttable.     

[ToanDN]

Have you to use a face based family, create parameters to control the void dimensions, cut the solid with the void in that family, then load it to your main family and host it on the nested family you want to cut.

[j-davelaar]

My company has a product, which consists out of different options. Shared nested families are for sure the best option.

I am trying to make the process of making a void in the shared nested roof family as easy and quick as possible for my colleagues.

The family I talk about is linked as attachment in this message.

[j-davelaar]

I have just tried it, but it doesn't quite do the job. Do I do something wrong?

[barthbradley]

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@j-davelaar wrote:

 Shared nested families are for sure the best option.

Why do you say that? What's the purpose of sharing and nesting all these families? 

Anyways, you can't cut through them all at once with one single void.  If you want to cut them, you'd have to cut each one of them separately before sandwiching them together in one family.  Is that something you want to do?  

[j-davelaar]

Since it is always the same product, so I am able to make it as close to reality as possible with nested families. Sharing gives me the option to read out all the data of every material, which can be used for the sustainability department, the calculation department and the purchasing department of the company.

Right now I do indeed make a void in each layer and enable them in the host, aligned to eachother.