Rotate error: "Can't rotate element into this position."

[Anonymous]

I have a simple family comprised of an extruded angle shape.

While I can rotate this freely in the family editor, when I try to rotate it in the project I get a "Can't rotate element into this position." error in Revit 2011.

I have many other similar families that don't have this restriction and this was built from one of those.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jon

[ToanDN]

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@marlijswartVBLPK wrote:

Hello! I  have this error but the solution doesn't work for me (From the family editor: > Modify > Family Category and Parameters > check "Work plane based", uncheck "Always vertical"...) because when I go to Family Category and Parameters for my family (Generic Model), I don't have the option to uncheck always vertical and check work plane based. Any way around this? Trying to place a family I created thats hardware onto cabinet face and need to rotate it 180 degrees. 

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It is because you family is face based.  You shouldn't have any issue rotating the family on the host face in an elevation though.

[marlijswartVBLPK]

"Always vertical" is listed in the cabinetry family file, but not the hardware file. 

[Alfredo_Medina]

Can you group the hardware family and then rotate it?

[r_bogers]

Hi Alfredo,

Where can I find that blog-article about the 3 ways of rotating?

Regards, René

[Alfredo_Medina]

Hi, @r_bogers 

That blog article is no longer availabe.

As I have explained before in this or other threads, there are always 2 types of questions in these threads

1) how to do I rotate an object that I need to rotate in a different plane, say, 90 degrees, but won't let me.

2) how do I rotate an object by parameters in 2 or 3 axes?

Which of the two question is yours? 

[r_bogers]

Hi @Alfredo_Medina,

I was curious about it and wanted to read the article for learning 😉

With this issue I have a problem, I try to explain.

I have 2 families, which need to act the same.

family 1:

this is a "generic model" I can rotate this in planview, but in sections it can't rotate. When needed to rotate then a YES/NO parameter needs to be checked and then an ANGLE parameter needs to be filled. This works great and needs to be like this.

familie2:

this is a "pipe fitting". This fitting needs to react the same like family1, but this familie rotates in plan and section views. I don't want it to rotate in section views, unless when the YES/NO is checked.

Other option if possible? (I even like this better, but don't know if it can be accomplished).

if the family is rotated, and degrees are between -45 and 45 OR between 135 and 225 a parameter needs to be filled with "wall" otherwise it has to be filled with "floor".

Hope I made myself clear about this.

[Alfredo_Medina]

@r_bogers 

All of the above is possible. To control rotation in different axes, you need the following: families with these properties: work-plane based=yes , always vertical=no . Then you can control the rotation by nesting one workplane-based family into another one. The first nesting can take care of 1 or 2 axes, but to make it simpler, you can do 1 axis per nesting. Each host family needs a reference line, whose rotation is controlled by an angle parameter, on the plane that you want to rotate. Then you insert the nested family, and place it on the screen, move it, rotate it, and then do Edit Workplane and select the reference line. Then repeat the process in the next level of nesting, until you have control over 3 axes of rotation. 

Do I wish Revit had a Gumball tool such as in Rhino for rotating an object easily in any direction? Of course I do. But in the meantime, I do it as explained above, when I need something like this: