Nested Family Parameters

[Anonymous]

Alright, so I have been trying to figure out how to work parameters better and basically I have to create medical equipment BIM models, the big surgical arms that you never see..Booms or boom arms, in the simplest form I need to create multiple arm families that I can nest into one another, I also need varying lengths on those arms.  So lets just say i have three arms, each with three different lengths (1, 2, and 3 ft). so i think thats 27 different length combinations? I can create parameters for each arm, not a problem.  My problem is being able to control each arm and their lengths, 27 combinations, in a project.  I know i'm missing a step or three and i have tried shared parameters, but I am not finding the correct way.

[barthbradley]

Well, it's best to create the framework with Ref. Lines first, getting them all flexing properly and them host your components as nested , work plane-based families to the Ref. Lines.   Is that what you are doing? 

BTW, shared parameters have no bearing here.  

[Anonymous]

I thought about trying that, but I can't flex my ref. lines in a project, unless theres a way to see them.

[barthbradley]

Why are you hamstringing yourself by building the family in the Project?  

...hey, I remember you from yesterday! Did you get anything out of that video tutorial I linked you to? 

[Anonymous]

Yeah a little from the video, but im still stuck on the main steps of trying to get (family c, with multiple family set parameters) nested into ( family B, with multiple family set parameters) nested into ( family A, with multiple family set parameters) and trying to get all of those family parameters to work in a project. I even tried with revit furniture and different steps. I just cant seem to figure it out

[barthbradley]

Have youu been associating the parameters in each Family and verifying the Family flexes properly before nesting it into the next Family?  

[Anonymous]

yes, right now I just want the length parameters to work, so for familiy C, I would have 1,2 and 3 ft lengths, each length would be a different family type. now lets say I just threw family C into a project with those different family type lengths. in a project, I can no longer access the family types as I saw them in the family editor. I want to know why, and how to fix it.

[Anonymous]

So I have gotten to families nested and hosted in a project and are able to change the family type of it based on what i have in the family editor, see attached, my next step is to be able to control each of those arms/ family separately with each family type while in the project. Any Idea on how?

[Anonymous]

Ya know I think I can accomplish my goal with just using face based generic familes, Im not sure if it really makes a difference, I would rather do it under specialty equipment family, but I cant seem to join the different families AND have the family type selection when I do that with the nested familes.