How to create Adaptive family with Light Source in it

[Shah_H_]

I watched a video of a renderer who basically creates very realistic Enscape renders in SketchUp by using a lot of artificial lights that he places in rooms. In the screenshot (#1) below, all those white squares are light sources in SketchUp. I'd like to create an Adaptive family so that when I place it in the Revit model, it generates those squares. This way, when I place the surface or change the size, it automatically creates those light sources (#2). Is this even possible? 

[barthbradley · Accepted solution]

1. Share and Nest your Work Plane-Based (and not Always Vertical) Light Source Family into an Adaptive Point Family and host it to one Adaptive Point. NOTE: Light Source Family doesn't necessarily require geometry.   

2. In Massing environment, create and Divide a Mass Surface.  

3. Activate Nodes on the Divided Surface

4. Load the AP Light Family into this Family and place one Instance of it on one of the Divided Surface's Nodes. 

5. Select the AP Light Family and Press Repeater Button on the Contextual Tab.  

There's other work involved, such as creating and associating parameters, but that's the nuts and bolts of it.  You can find a bunch of tutorials and videos that describe the workflow in greater detail.  

https://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2022/ENU/?guid=GUID-A720D16F-4C5A-406C-979E-0C4C1095AC61

[Shah_H_]

I had to edit my second reply. Now, I got what you meant by Work Plane-Based light source. I completely forgot about the Family Category and Parameters window and all those options inside that. 

Last question. In the final family, how can I create all the Photometrics parameters such as Light Loss Factor, Initial Intensity, and Initial Color....? So this way, I can change all the lights visuals in a project without going to Family each time. 

[barthbradley]

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@Shah_H_ wrote:

  What I learned so far is that I cannot insert a Light Source directly into a Generic Adaptive Model as it cannot be hosted to anything, including Adaptive Points.

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Try this workflow: 

1. Create a New Family using Generic Model.rft.
2. Change the Category of the Family to Light Fixtures.
3. In the Family Properties, check boxes next to Work Plane-Based, Light Source and Shared. Uncheck box next to Always Vertical. 
4. Create a New Family using Generic Model Adaptive.rft
5. Place Ref. Point and make it Adaptive
6. Select Set Workplane and TAB-Select on the Adaptive Point to highlight and select one of the multiple Adaptive Point Workplanes.  I would choose the top one.  
7. Load the Light Family you created into this AP Family and SNAP an Instance of it to the Adaptive Point/Workplane.  

[barthbradley]

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@Shah_H_ wrote:

how can I create all the Photometrics parameters such as Light Loss Factor, Initial Intensity, and Initial Color....? 

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This is why the Light Source Family is SHARED in the first place - so you can access/change its photometric TYPE PROPERTIES in the Project. So, select the Light Source Family in the Project Browser, right-click and press Type Properties.  Then edit away to your heart's content.  

[Shah_H_]

Sorry, maybe I'm dumb, but I can't get that worked. The Light Source family is shared, and nested to the Adaptive generic family. But once it's loaded to the Project, there are still no photometric parameters there in Type Properties!! 

[barthbradley]

Is the very first Light Source Family SHARED?  If so, that Light Source Family should show up in the Project Browser.  Look for that one by name.  If you followed my instructions, it'll be under Lighting Fixture Category. 

[Shah_H_]

Yes, I followed your instructions. But I was looking for it in the wrong place. I didn't look for the Light Source family in the project browser. I was trying to find those parameters in the Adaptive Point family, assuming that when you Share a nested family, it will bring the parameters with itself into the host family. Now, I got it . thanks for your help.