Getting light fixtures to hang plumb on sloped ceilings

[vanderloo5]

I posted this before but never really got a solution. Seems like this should be easy.

Using an out of the box pendant light and placing it on a sloped ceiling. I obviously want it to hang straight down rather than perpendicular to the ceiling slope.

Not sure if there's an easier way but I seem to recall someone saying it's easier with a non hosted family.

Am I not able to do this with the current family. I know it will not rotate. Creating a hosted family would necessitate needing an escussion that matches the ceiling slope at the top of the pole.

Maybe there's a tutorial floating around on this process?

Thank You

[ToanDN]

There are several ways:

Use a work plane base family and tick always vertical box. Then create an instance length parameter to control the length of the hanger. This family can be hosted by a sloped surface and plumb. Change the hanger length parameter or stretch the light down in a section view to control the height of the light 

Use a non host family with an instance length parameter to control the hanger length. Place it on the level, set elevation from level to get the height correct, then stretch the hanger up to meet the sloped ceiling.

[vanderloo5]

Thanks @ToanDN it's almost working. But my confusion continues on why light families are always created upside down?

I edited the family to remove the extrusion, (host). Then the option "always vertical" became available. So I checked that, added a length instance parameter, loaded it into the project. And it's now inserting on the sloped ceiling, is vertical, and is upside down like it is drawn in the family??

Why are light families always created upside down and what needs to be done to have it insert right side up?

And to reiterate, I had to delete the extrusion before I was able to select "Always Vertical"

[ToanDN]

Select the up side down family in the project, press space bar or click the work plane arrow to flip it.

[vanderloo5]

Spacebar does nothing. There is no workplane arrow

[ToanDN]

Post the family here.

[vanderloo5]

Here it is. But I tried the spacebar and looked for the direction arrow in the project file. Not in the family.

It's still killing me why light families are always drawn upside down?? I know there's a perfectly good reason. But my perfectly average brain can't figure it out.

Attached is the out of the box family with the Host base deleted and a length instance parameter applied.

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

The work plane flip doesn't appear when the family is always vertical.  I nested your family (modified to not always vertical) to another family and flip it, then this family (work plane based, always vertical) can be placed on a sloped ceiling and plumb.  You can associate parameters to make the new family work with existing parameters.

[vanderloo5]

Thank YOu