View ranges and generic objects in linked models - is this just me?

[cprettyman]

This might be a bit of a niche concern, but it’s a major pet peeve of mine — and I’m wondering if anyone else has run into this.

My firm does AV, IT, and Security design (among other things), and our standard is to show anything wall-mounted in plan view, regardless of height. So for example, if we mount a camera at 9'-0" AFF, it still needs to appear in our floor plan.

To make that work, we set our view templates so that the Top of the view range is set to “Level Above – 1'-0".” That gives us great visibility of our devices without pulling in unwanted overhead elements — most of the time.

But here’s the issue: Some Generic Model families from linked files are showing up in our floor plans, even when they’re well outside the view range.

Real-world example: I'm setting up sheets for a tenant fit-out on the 34th floor. The core/shell architect modeled some floor grates on balconies at the 65th floor — using a generic model family. With the Top of the view range set to “Level Above – 1'-0",” those 65th-floor grates are showing up on our 34th-floor plans.

If I change the Top to a fixed offset (e.g., 12'-6" above the current level — same spot vertically, given the floor-to-floor height of 13'-6"), those grates don’t show up. So the only difference is that I’m referencing a fixed offset instead of using “Level Above – 1'-0” — but it changes the result.

I know that generic models, like conduits, cable trays, windows, etc., can behave differently depending on view discipline — and this may be related — but this seems like a bug or at least an inconsistency.

Has anyone else noticed this behavior with generic models in linked files?
Any tips, explanations, or workarounds would be much appreciated.

Thanks!