Using Filters and BOMS with Nested Famillies

[joe.murphyC9BUF]

Hoping somebody can help me with this as it is driving me mad! (first time posting so fingers crossed)

We have a number of shared nested families that we use to create small building structures. These are mainly made up of air terminals,structural connection and generic model. I love the schedule / BOM feature in Revit its so powerful and want to use it release procurement packages to our procurement department.

I have created a number of (Common, Yes/no, general) project parameters (procurement package 1,2,etc) The idea being that we can select items we want in a procurement package and those results will be shown in a filtered schedule. Set up 3d views with different colors to show what is in each procurement package.  /  However The project parameter only associates itself with the main item in the family and not the nested families BUT the 3D view filter associates itself to the whole family.

The screenshots show an example with an Air Grille with structural rivets.

I apply procurement pack 1 to the family

The air grille appears in the procurement package 1 schedule

The rivets have no associated procurement package (so un-procured)

The air grill and rivet are highlighted in the 3D view.

I would like to apply Procurement package 1 to the family:

Air terminal and rivet appear on the schedule

All items are highlighted on the 3D view

[Anonymous]

Did you tick "shared" for the nested family prior to inserting it in the host family? This maybe the reason why the parameter is not being detected for the nested family.

[joe.murphyC9BUF]

thanks, Yes these are all shared family.

[Anonymous]

I reconfirmed with nesting an sample shared family into another family and created a schedule and it worked (shows parameters for all families and shows them separately). Can you share the file so I can give it a shot? 

[joe.murphyC9BUF]

See attached, thanks ! So you will see that the air terminal appear in the schedule "procurement package 1" but the pop rivets aren't assigned to any package.  However on 3D view "Procurement packages" the pop rivets are filtered red even though they aren't assigned to procurement package 1.

[Anonymous]

I am really intrigued to find the solution but are you using Revit 2021? I am using Revit 2020 and it shows the following message when I tried opening the file.

[joe.murphyC9BUF]

Oh no, Yeh we are using Revit 2021.

[syman2000]

I select the nested family by pressing tab and check on the C2C Pecurement Pack 1 and it highlight in the schedule. Is this what you want to achieve?

[syman2000]

Scrap my previous comment. I see what you want to achieve. The nested will inherit the host family setting. If I checked that off, the nested family will highlight the color. So you may need to make the panel another nested family to make the color shows up properly.

[syman2000]

With all the component as nested, you now able to show the component color properly.

[joe.murphyC9BUF]

Unfortunately this still hasn't worked, All i want is to be able to select the family, select the appropriate yes/no project parameter (procurement package) and all the components within the family will also have the same procurement package associated to them.  I get that i could go round all the objects and apply the correct package using tab but on some projects this would take a really long time.

[Anonymous]

Hi again! still can't open the file BUT your last comment made me think about something. It may seem counter-intuitive but it may work. When you have the nested family as shared when imported in the host family, you made it an independent entity within a family and therefore need to click on the Tab to navigate to it and tick the package parameter. Why don't you go to the nested family, untick the "shared" option, reload it in the host family and then try this again. You should be able to control the entire family as one entity now which would automatically report the data of all its elements. Please tell me if it worked out.

[joe.murphyC9BUF]

Nope didn't work, I like your thinking though ! Now I'm thinking maybe the yes/no parameter isn't the best to make this work. And maybe parameter applied to the family rather than the project.

[Anonymous]

YES! please keep me posted I am very eager to know.

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hi again! still can't open the file BUT your last comment made me think about something. It may seem counter-intuitive but it may work. When you have the nested family as shared when imported in the host family, you made it an independent entity within a family and therefore need to click on the Tab to navigate to it and tick the package parameter. Why don't you go to the nested family, untick the "shared" option, reload it in the host family and then try this again. You should be able to control the entire family as one entity now which would automatically report the data of all its elements. Please tell me if it worked out.

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- Make all nested family Shared

- Add a Yes/No instance parameter in all nested families

- Add a Yes/No parameter in the main family.  Use a shared parameter if you want to see it in schedule in project.  If not, you can still toggle Yes/No value via properties of family in project.

- Select each nested family in the main family and associate its Yes/No parameter with the main family's Yes/No parameter.  Repeat for all nested families.  That is so the value of the Yes/No parameter of the family control that of the nested families.

(to associate a parameter, select a nested family in the main family, click on small rectangle button on the right side of the parameter to bring up the list of the main family's parameter the select the one you want to associate with)

- Load the main family in project, schedule the category and it will work.