Difference between Top and Top of Post Reference Planes on Post Family Template

[jagostinho74]

Hello,

Anyone knows, on a Post Family Template, what are the Top and Top of Post Reference Planes doing?

What are they attaching themselves to?

Thank you

[barthbradley]

Doesn't look familiar to me?  Is this a Baluster Post?  Structural Post (e.g. Column)? 

[ToanDN]

You mean this?

[barthbradley]

Named Reference Planes is what we're talking about?  Well, they don't appear to be "doing" anything in the OP's screenshot.  Betcha something is aligned and locked to them though.  

I will add that a Family Template with a Named Reference Plane that cannot be deleted has special intelligence.  

....I'll bet that they are for Shape Handles. 

[barthbradley]

See part about Shape Handles: 

http://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2016/ENU/?guid=GUID-63E81ED4-1538-486C-BD38-D06207B910F5

...did you look at the Left Elevation View?  

[jagostinho74]

The snapshot I sent was using the "Metric Baluster-Post" Family Template.

[jagostinho74]

If this snapshot was taken from a family using the "Metric Baluster-Post" Family Template, yes.

[jagostinho74 · Accepted solution]

Yes. I meant the Named RefPlanes included on the "Metric Baluster-Post" Family Template.

I am aware that each different family template is hard-coded differently so to work in a particular way when the family is loaded into the model. This is why I asked what are they doing since it is not entirely clear to me. Nor was I able to find specific supporting documentation to explain this.

After some tests, this is what I found. Let me know if it makes sense to you or if I am missing something.

The "Top of the Post" Reference Plane is available in case one wants to extend the Post e.g. to introduce a feature, above the Top constraint (in the Baluster Placement window). The "Top" Reference Plane will always match the Post's Top Constraint (in the Baluster Placement window).

I think one of the things it looked a little strange to me was that the Top of the Post does not have any constraints applied. In my opinion it should have a Type Parameter assigned so that one can control the extents of that extension (apologies for the pleonasm).

[ToanDN]

There are 4 elevation views. Have you looked at all of them? Maybe the constraint is in one of them.

[jagostinho74]

good point @ToanDN 

I did. The "Baluster Height" shows in the Left and Right elevations. But that is pretty much it.

Nothing shows for the Top Post constraint.