Vertical Array formula to align door panels

Vertical Array formula to align door panels

laura.johanssonPN37Y
Advocate Advocate
573 Views
6 Replies
Message 1 of 7

Vertical Array formula to align door panels

laura.johanssonPN37Y
Advocate
Advocate

Hi, 

I am trying to create a door family where the panels self populate using an array. I have managed to get it to work horizontally but now I want them to space out equally vertically across the frame and the 1st and the last panel to align with the edge of the frame. I can get the 1st part to work, but not the second part. 

 

My frame formula is based on a supplier's frame depth and is:

"Frame Depth=Number of Panels*62mm"

 

My Vertical array of the Panels is then as follows:
((Frame Depth- (Door Panel Thickness * Number of Panels)) / Number of Panels) + Door Panel Thickness

 

Which leaves my door looking almost ok, but not quite right as the last panel does not align to the frame, see snippet

laurajohanssonPN37Y_0-1686200486798.png

The top left panel is 22mm off the frame edge. 

 

I have a parameter assigned to the dimension between the start of the second panel and the frame edge, and I think that's why there's a 22mm gap. But...can I change the formula around to make this work or do I need to draw the dimension to the middle of the panel?

Any ideas?

Thanks!

0 Likes
Accepted solutions (1)
574 Views
6 Replies
Replies (6)
Message 2 of 7

ToanDN
Consultant
Consultant

Why do you add Door Thickness to the formula for Frame Depth? Should Frame Depth = Number of panels * Door Thickness?

0 Likes
Message 3 of 7

laura.johanssonPN37Y
Advocate
Advocate

It Would be,  but Door panel size is fixed,  based on a supplier's door frame. Otherwise yes,  that would have been the frame size.  But according to the supplier the door frame for 2 panels is 124mm.

0 Likes
Message 4 of 7

mhiserZFHXS
Advisor
Advisor
Accepted solution

Why not change the array to "Move To: Last" and align the exterior face of the panel to the reference plane determining frame depth? Then you don't need an equation for that spacing. It'll just automatically space the panels.

Message 5 of 7

ToanDN
Consultant
Consultant

124 mm frame = 2*62 mm.  Your formula is adding another 62 mm to that so that why it is wrong.

0 Likes
Message 6 of 7

laura.johanssonPN37Y
Advocate
Advocate

Hi @mhiserZFHXS 

 

I tried that as well but then I get an error with the constraints and the panels break and start overlapping each other. See snippet:

laurajohanssonPN37Y_0-1687160285851.png

 

This is when I went from 3 to 5 panels and I made the array (to last) and aligned to frame edge. I've tried with reference planes, without reference planes, dimensioning and locking and it still has a constraing error and I have to remove constraints in order to add/remove panels and then they break like that. :s

 

I also changed the formula for the door frame depth to Number of panels*Door Panel Thickness as the formula did not work. Somehow the distance became bigger from the frame edge. 

 

So still no luck. Any suggestions, anyone?

0 Likes
Message 7 of 7

laura.johanssonPN37Y
Advocate
Advocate

So that was just  a Revit bug, once I restarted Revit the family behaved as normal and spaced out the panels as required when using the array to last and formula Depth=Number of Panels * Panel thickness. 

0 Likes