Symbolic lines

[Anonymous]

I am very new to Revit, and am attempting to teach myself.  I'm doing a sort of combination of projects and families - when I need something I go to families and try to create it as I go along - it doesn't matter if it already exists, I want to know how to do it.

I've created a family of roller shutter doors.  I would like the slats to be represented with symbolic lines.  My problem is that I need the number of lines to increase as the height of the door increases.  I found something about locking the lines, which I haven't yet tried because it seems to me that it would change the distance between them rather that increasing their number.  Is there a way to increase them linked to the parametres?

Thanks.

Anne Coventry

South Africa

[Anonymous]

make them an array that is driven by the height?

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

[Sahay_R]

Parametric array, where the Array Number parameter is driven by the formula Desired Height / Line Spacing.

[Anonymous]

Thanks - I'll try it as soon as I work out why, suddenly, the height 'constraints are not satisfied', when they were working fine a few minutes ago...

[Sahay_R]

Share the file.

[Anonymous]

Thank you Rina - that works perfectly.  But now I have another problem:  I lock the first symbolic line, and it flexs fine.  However, as soon as it is arrayed the arrayed lines no longer flex. 

Also, I decided that instead of symbolic lines I should use model lines, since I'd like them to show in 3d, but I can't find how to make them visible.  When I draw them if I move the cursor over them they are there, but they don't show.  The version of Revit I have is 2017.

So I have two problems - how do I draw model lines so that they are visible, and how do I make the arrayed symbolic lines flex?  As soon as I can make the model lines visible I will experiment with them, but until they are I can't test whether they would flex or not when arrayed.  Also, is it okay to draw these lines as model lines?

I said I'm very new to Revit - have only been working on it for a couple of days!

Sorry, only saw your second post when I posted this.  I managed to sort that problem out - for some reason an extrusion I had was locking itself to the sweep.  I moved it down by a millimetre and it worked.

[Anonymous]

You asked me to share the file, so here it is.

[Sahay_R]

Turn your 3D view around - the model lines will be there!

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

Why not use a simple model hatch pattern of 100 mm spaced horizontal lines for the panel's material surface pattern?

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much - that does just what I want it to.  Now I have to learn about hatching, but with all this at least I found out about parametric arrays!  Did you hatch both sides?

I'd still like to know if it's possible to lock symbolic lines once they are arrayed.

[ToanDN]

I didn't have to.  The hatch is from the material so it appears on all sides.  Speaking of which, if you draw the lines using parametric array, you have to do it on both sides.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I realised I would have to do both sides, and with Rina's reply about turning it around to see the model lines, I also realised I would have to create named reference planes on both sides of the shutter in order to select a plane on which to draw the lines.  I was about to try that when I saw your solution.

[ToanDN]

When you do array like that, it's better using a nested family instead of a line or other geometry drawn directly in the family.

[chrisplyler]

But if you DID make the lines using the Symbolic Line tool (with an array or not), you wouldn't have to do them on both sides. Symbolic Lines are a specific type of entity that will show up in any view that is normal to their orientation. They will show up right through solid forms even.