Line Based Void Family Problem

[mcobb]

Despite reading some good press about it, I am having a hard time getting a line based void family to work.  I've seen some vague 3 stage examples of how one can do it in the following way:

1. Make a face-based elongated box void family and...

2. Nest this family it in a line based family template

3. Insert this in a generic model family to create joints on the surfaces of masses.

I've succeeded in the first two stages but can't seem to get the third stage to work.  Attached is the fruits of my efforts...a broken third stage.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  I feel like I've tried every permutation of "cut with void when loaded" and cutting the void before loading and not.  It seems like this kind of flexible functionality could be very helpful.

Regards,

Mike

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

Didn't have a chance to open your family but I can see flaws from your workflow:  the void in a pre-cut face base family only cuts the immediate host in the parent family (in your case, the line based family).  When you load the line based family to another family or project, the void no longer cuts anything. 

Why don't you create a profile family, load it in the line based family to sweep or extrude a void, tick Cut with void when loaded, then load the line based family to the next family and use Cut Geometry to cut the solid with the line based void?

[mcobb]

You have a way of pulling aside the veil of ignorance ToanDN.  Thank you so much.  I tend to treat all those pesky family templates as so much extra baggage but I can see from your explanation I'm probably trying to do way too much with generic model templates and not relying enough on the work that has already been done by others in setting up these templates.  Thanks again!