Revit Family: 2D CAD Import & Partial Explode: Revit taking forever!!

[cdingleyWCJGC]

Hi All,

Hoping someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong and what I can do to fix this.

I am working on a revit family (casework if that helps) of a cash desk. This cash desk has three standard sizes, I have modeled extrusions of the overall form and set them to dimension parameters. The overall cash desk works perfectly and changes to each size without issue. The plan view of each cash desk is complicated w/ I-pad holders, computers, wire holes, etc. So I thought it best to import the three 2D CAD views (I placed them all in one dwg file) instead of modeling everything.

My plan was to partially explode the imported CAD, create 3 separate detail groups, set their workplane on top of the counter so they're visible in 3D view, manipulate the lines so that they appear clean in the plan view of my revit project, then set them up under visibility parameters. Better said than done apparently. I started the partial explosion at 4pm yesterday and waited until 6pm before I decided to go home and let it run overnight. It was thankfully ready by 9am the next day.

Now this was my mistake, I forgot to save the family before trying to create detail groups. The last save was 3pm yesterday 😞 The overall amount of detail lines from the imported dwg is 6000 and change. The smallest cash desk group was created in 5 minutes. The second size has now taken 2 hours (1,999 detail lines). I know there is a 10,000 cap on partially exploded imports, but I've never had an issue like this before...

I can shut revit down and lose all my work (I do not want to do this as I'm fine with working on other things) or I can wait it out, save it and wait forever for the 3rd and final detail group to form. What am I doing wrong? Is this a Revit issue? Or is there a better way?

Hope you can help!

(I attached the last saved revit file as it was at 3pm yesterday & the CAD import)

[Sahay_R]

Please please please don't model the little bits and pieces. Use Symbolic Lines. They will be visible in plan views without all of the acrobatics that you seem to be doing.

Advisable workflow - LINK the CAD DWG (never import!! And NEVER NEVER Explode!). Annotate>>Symbolic Lines>>Pick Lines.

Purge out the DWG. Save and load the family into the project.

Live happily ever after.

[cdingleyWCJGC]

Sadly, the "bits and pieces" as you call them are requested by my client, so no choice 😕 The lines also need to be visible in 3d view for reference. Even picking out the model lines was not my first choice as there are plenty of them. But was still much quicker than my earlier attempt! 

So thanks for the advice, -Cat

[Sahay_R]

OK - to model them in 3D - in the family Create>>Extrusion. Make sure you are in plan view. Use the Pick Lines tool. Accept. Don't worry about the height of the extrusions. Exit the extrusion modeling mode.

Then - select the extrusion. Look at the properties. Set the extrusion start at the height of the table. Set the extrusion end at however thick you want the bits and pieces to be (how thick can an iPad be?). Hit enter. So much less bother than moving workplanes etc etc etc. Rejoice.

Now - if you are absolutely and utterly intent on making yourself miserable, then model the bits and pieces as separate families and nest them in to the desk family. You will have better control over their position.

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

@cdingleyWCJGC

Save the CAD to different files and clean them up as much as you can. You will be import them in the RFA but not exploding them. Control their graphics via VG > Imported category.

Again, do not explode them, partial or otherwise.

And no you cannot link CAD in an RFA.