Friday Feature #4 Create a Revit family Contest

[Viveka_CD]

Hello Awesome Community! 

Welcome to Friday Feature Series # 4

As part of this series, and an idea  initiated by our very own @Ilic.Andrej:We want to ask you to create and submit loadable Revit families

You can use Family Editor Tools or Create a Family from a Template or even apply Advanced Loadable Family Techniques

Feel free to add images or screencast to show the steps.

We would love to hear from you! 

*The best entry (based on top voted - max kudos) will be selected and announced as the winner of a surprise gift!

Happy creating - looking forward to your entries!

Meanwhile, read how Louvre Abu Dhabi Wants You to See Humanity in a New Light

Louvre Abu Dhabi is designed by architect Jean Nouvel and engineering services by  BuroHappold Engineering

Regards,

[ToanDN]

@chrisplyler

I actually haven't created any two-level family, ever.  Thanks for make it to the list of things I need to be doing.

[SteveKStafford]

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@ToanDN wrote:

My point is that a drop-down list of options is already available via Family Type parameter, in answer to @Ilic.Andrej comment that he had deemed it was impossible.

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@Ilic.Andrej wrote: "I remember trying to find out how to create a parameter which provides a drop-down menu."

I read his words differently from what you are writing. He is interested in a parameter that could provide users with a preset drop-down list. As you know the reason the Family Type parameter has a drop-down list is because it is intrinsically tied to loaded families. It wasn't obvious to me I could use that fact to help me. Then my friend Jose Fandos pointed out to me that I could take advantage of it by using a dummy family to hold the information I wanted to share in a list. Light Bulb! (using Gru's voice)

If that's obvious from the help file or to you, then you're more clever than me. Cheers!

[chrisplyler]

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@ToanDN wrote:

@chrisplyler

I actually haven't created any two-level family, ever.  Thanks for make it to the list of things I need to be doing.

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It's pretty handy for stuff that suits the condition.

[Sahay_R]

That's how I got the upper addons to switch around on my workbench family.

[constantin.stroescu · Accepted solution]

When I create my Revit families I try to make them so to be as adequate as possible to what I need in the project.

Here are some examples:

1. Nested parametric families with Shared Parametrs - when I need frequent dimension changes of the components. As an example a wooden structural column with a steel connector placed at the bottom of it. The bolts and bottom steel connector are nested into the Structural Column Family and then this is loaded into the project as a structural element. In this case I use Shared Parameters ,  so to be sure they will work together when dimensions of the components will change.

2. Some times it happens that I need a very special piece of furniture, one that the owner of the space already have bought it. So as in this Seat unit family that I had to use in a public hall. In this case I used only parameters of material. The modeling was made in Revit, I used nested families but no geometric parameters:

 

.

3.  sometimes when I need rough objects to be figured in my drawings/renderings I use families with instance parameters in order to obtain a large variety of forms using a single family. In the next example I've made a bunch of potteries all in one family. Every instance has different geometric parameters and material.

 

[ToanDN]

@SteveKStafford  Oh come on Steve, don't take it the wrong way.  What you showed are plenty smart and I thank you for sharing it.

@constantin.stroescu  Very well done, both the work and the step-by-step tutorial.

[Viveka_CD]

Thank you @constantin.stroescu very informative.

Great post and easy to follow steps - beneficial to the community!

Regards,

[Sahay_R]

@SteveKStafford - dummy families - what a concept! I will use that for more family situations where there is no interchangeable part.

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so I hope I'm doing this right 🙂

I made a small sailing boat, that you can either look at with the mast/sail built up or dismantle for storage (different types) 

Also I added a instance parameter with which you can show/hide a rope so the boat can be hung onto a hook.

As you can see in the Pictures below (I created them with Enscape)

I attached my Family too. So if you want you can have a look at it 🙂 

Have a nice rest of your week everyone!

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous (that's a cool name ) sounds like someone with superpowers..

Thanks for participating and taking time to post!

A warm welcome to the Autodesk community.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Steve, I have been a long time admirer of yours.  Met you many years ago at AU shortly after Revit was purchased by AutoDesk.  I love the concept of your family but am afraid there might be some problems with it.  Have you tried to open the family or create the same type family in 2017?  I am getting very unusual result with the family crashing out 2017.  I will need to try it with 2018 tomorrow.  Please see video below to see what is happening on my end.

Thanks again for sharing your genuis.

Also, to Toan if this process is so well documented maybe you will have some input on what is causing the problem (also an admirer of yours) I know you are extremely helpful to many people.

[video]

Not sure if I inserted the video correctly so here is a link: Bug in Revit 2017 family

[ToanDN]

@Anonymous

His family works fine here after updated to 2017.  No 2016 popup as shown on your video.

[Anonymous]

@Viveka_CD

Thanks for the welcome!
Hehe, yes it's the name of my Youtube Channel. I make videos about Revit and other BIM software 🙂

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous 

I admire people like you who appreciate others efforts.

Regards,

[Viveka_CD]

Hi All,

Just a friendly reminder to cast your votes by 7PM EST

Regards,

[Viveka_CD · Accepted solution]

Hi All,

The winners of Friday Feature #4 Create a Revit family Contest are:

@Ilic.Andrej for the furniture family and 

@constantin.stroescu for the Nested parametric families with Shared Parameters

Congratulations to all participants!

We had great submissions from @Anonymous, @Anonymous, @Sahay_R, @chrisplyler, and @SteveKStafford

Glad to see entries from new members as well!

Happy Holidays and look forward to more exciting contests in 2018

Regards,

[SteveKStafford]

@Anonymous I didn't see your reply until today. I'm sorry you ran into issues with the example. When I opened the file I shared earlier, using the same version/build of 2017 as you, I used Save As to save the file in 2017 format (attached below). I got the message that it was upgrading to 2017 from 2014. It also has a nested detail family that provides the list of choices.

Note, I didn't load (drag) it into a project and use edit family. I opened the file itself and used Save As. FWIW, I have been working to break the habit of using Edit Family from inside projects, if I'm going to do anything that changes it. When I created that example file it was stripped out of a nested family itself (door panel) and renamed so it could be generic. It never went straight into a project, it was used in a host family to control options for the door panel (raised panel and trim moulding around them).

I suspect the crashing you experienced has to do with the dragging and dropping combined with the Save As after using Edit Family. I couldn't tell if you still had the 2014 version open in the background when you were working with the 2017 version. Regardless; opening, upgrading and using Save As directly on the file should avoid the crashing.

Thanks for the kind words, Happy Holidays and all the best!