duplicating a family to change the parameters

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, so I am trying to modify the parameters of a couple families. I want to keep the current parameters of the family but duplicate it and change the parameters of the duplicate. For instance say I want rigid foam insulation for my foundation wall that is 2" thick and 24" long. There is a family that is 1 1/2" thick and 12" long I believe. When I pull up this family and start editing dimensions it says "constraints are not satisfied". Then when I hit the load into project button at the top right corner and go to place it in my drawing, it says family...already exists would you like to reeplace existing parameters. I don't want to change a family that is preloaded with the program, I want to duplicate it then change it like you can do with a wall type by hitting edit then duplicate then changing thicknesses in the drawing. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[L.Maas · Accepted solution]

Ok, you touch a few issues here. First replacing the family in the project. When you load a family (e.g. named FamilyX) in the project and in the project is already a FamilyX then Revit ask if it needs to be replaced. If you do not want this to happen then you have to change one of the family names. For Example you can name the FamilyX in th project to FamilyY. Then you can load FamilyX and they both will be available in the project.

The second issue when you hit upon constraints not satisfied. There is something in the family that will not allow the creation of a type with the desired parameter values. You would have to look into that family to check why it is not allowed and modify the family.

In Revit you want to avoid to create a new family for an object with just slight changes. It is better to modify the family so that you can change the values in the projet or you could create different types within that family. This parametric design is one of the big advantages of Revit. You should look into family creation to get a better understanding of how this works. See for example THIS page on autodesk knowledge site.

[Anonymous]

Thank you that link helped me find a way to add rigid insulation to a dimension other than what was default but for some reason I cannot seem to modify a slab haunch. I want a slab haunch that is a total of 8" deep or 4" below the bottom of the slab and 8" wide at the bottom of the haunch before the line slopes upward at a 45degree angle. I cannot seem to do this no matter what. Any help on this bit is even more appreciated. Thanks

[L.Maas]

Have you considered using a slab edge?

You can apply different edges by changing the edge profile

[Anonymous]

I am trying to use the slab edge thickened under architecture, floor, slab edge. I just can't seem to change the dimensions of it to what I want. 

[chrisplyler]

Look in your Project Browser for Families>Profiles>Slab Edge-Thickened. Right-click on it and click Edit from the menu that pops up. Now you're in the family editor. Open the Type manager. Duplicate the default type to create a new one, give it an appropriate name and change the dimensions of it. If you need a completely different shape than is offered by the default profile, you will have to create a new profile family and load it into the project, then choose it for your new type. After creating the type you want, you will need to load the family back into your project including parameters. Your new slab edge should then be available for use.