Trying to create a 2-panel window with a sloped top

[james]

I'm trying to build a 2-panel window with a sloped top.  It uses a pair of nested individual window panels with sloping tops and I thought it'd be easy enough to assign a short-side and a tall-side height parameters and then extract the middle height parameter.  I've never used Reporting parameters before, and expected that this would be a perfect use.  I can get the reference planes and lines to flex perfectly, but cannot find a way to link the Panel Height_Mid reporting parameter to the linked window panel geometry or to another parameter that could be linked to the geometry.

Any suggestions?  Is there a better, more simpler way to go about this?

[barthbradley]

Reporting Parameters won't help you here, but you can Associate Instance Parameters (not Reporting Parameters) in the Nested Family to Parameters in the Host Family. Wouldn't that work?    

[james]

Without a complicated formula, how would I be able to calculate the PANEL HEIGHT_MID? It's so nice how the reporting parameter does it, but if I set the parameter to instance it locks the position of the reference line and doesn't flex.

[barthbradley]

I'm looking at your Family now and I'm not clear what you want. Can you post any screenshots explaining? Your first one isn't helping?   

[james]

Sorry, this is what I'm going for.  As designed, there are two nested windows each with a PANEL HEIGHT_SHORT and a PANEL HEIGHT_TALL instance parameters intended to be linked to parameters in the host family.  I can get the left and right side parameters to link, but can't find a way to extract the value shown in the PANEL HEIGHT_MID reporting parameter.

[barthbradley]

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@james wrote:
Without a complicated formula, how would I be able to calculate the PANEL HEIGHT_MID? It's so nice how the reporting parameter does it, but if I set the parameter to instance it locks the position of the reference line and doesn't flex.

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... it isn't that complicated to find the middle height with the parameter values you have available.    

[james]

Guess it's all relative.  considering how easily I was able to extract the value with the reporting parameter, i figured there must be a tool I could use that'd help me avoid the geometry.  😉   I mean, obviously Revit knows what the value is supposed to be, so what's the right way to use it?

Seriously, is this the only way?  Hard to believe.

[Alfredo_Medina]

Why do you need to know the height of the middle height anyway? All you need is the midpoint of the horizontal (base side of the triangle, which you have already set with equal-equal constraints. Can't you just model the window using that reference plane in the middle of the equal-equal constraint?

[barthbradley]

This?

[barthbradley]

here...take a gander

[barthbradley]

Hear those crickets, @Alfredo_Medina?   I think we lost the OP.  😉  

[james]

Thanks, this is pretty impressive. These were the types of formulas I was hoping to avoid, though 😉 Are they really necessary? Is there really no way to extract the height, like with the reporting parameter?

[james]

Sorry, not sure what you're suggesting.

[barthbradley]

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@james wrote:
Thanks, this is pretty impressive. These were the types of formulas I was hoping to avoid, though 😉 Are they really necessary? Is there really no way to extract the height, like with the reporting parameter?

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Reporting Parameter isn't going to help. What's the issue with adding 2 parameters?   It flexes correctly; doesn't it?  Or is that not what you want?  I'm confused.  What is it that you want? 

[james]

No, you were able to accomplish what I wanted, I just can't believe that there isn't any way to extract the necessary dimensional value in a meaningful way so that it can be used in parameters.  Congratulations on the trigonometry, but I figured BIM software like this would be more dynamic.

[james]

Darn it, looks like you made this in 2024? Stupid backwards incompatibility biting Autodesk's ass again. Our office just upgraded to 2023, no way are we updating to 2024 anytime soon. Thanks, anyway.

[ToanDN]

You could create it as a curtain wall and edit profile.  The inner windows are also nested curtain walls assigned as panels.  It is easy whether you want 2 or 20 divisions, or more complex shapes.

[barthbradley]

Easily enough to reproduce in 2023 since it only has 2 additional parameters. 😉 

[barthbradley]

Here's something else:

Revit Formulas for "everyday" usage - Revit Forum

Make a hard-copy and keep it handy.  It'll be worth its weight in gold. 

[james]

Thanks.  In your version, how are you controlling the short and tall sides?  These need to be parametric so the modelers can size the windows appropriately.