Window Family Problem

[PhilvK]

I am working on a window family and have gotten it to flex properly up to the point of adding equally spaced reference planes for window mullions. I’ve highlighted the ref planes and the equal dimensions I am trying to add and get to work. Could someone please take a quick look and give me a clue? The file is attached.

[L.Maas · Accepted solution]

Based on your screenshot I would recommend the following. It is best to put constraints to reference planes/lines, not to your model components.

First setup your reference planes, constrain them and flex them before adding your components (extrusions, sweeps)

And if your family gets too complex it often helps to use nested families.

[PhilvK]

Perfect. I did just that and now everything is working correctly. By the way, can you assign different materials to different components in the same familty?

[PhilvK]

Well, I thought everything was working correctly. When I load the family into a project and insert it into a wall, the exterior trim (green below) does not flex out to the exterior face, even though the extrusion was created on the exterior face. The interior trim (blue) however is working correctly and stays on the face of the wall even if I flip its orientation (it was created on the interior face). The extrusion representing the sub-frame (yellow) is staying at 6” as it is in the family. How can I get the exterior trim to flex with the exterior face of wall, ant the sub-frame to be the width of the wall as well?

[chrisplyler]

In the family, align and lock the appropriate faces of those extrusions to the exterior wall face.

[PhilvK]

I tried that but can't seem to get the exterior trim to lock to the exterior face or the reference plane that I drew on the exterior face. When I select that reference plane, nothing pops up to “lock” (1st image below). The interior face however is locked, but I forgot how I got it that way (second image).

[chrisplyler]

Open up the default Revit window family Casement 3x3 with Trim.rfa and look at the constraints it has. Maybe you can get an idea what it's got that your family doesn't.

[PhilvK]

Chris - I opened the file you suggested and it appears to confirm what I posted earlier, i.e., the trim pieces and internal components are locked to the face of the walls. In my model, the interior trim piece is locked, but the exterior is not. My problem remains on how to lock it. I’ve created a reference plane at the exterior f.o. wall, selected it after activating the align command, but when I hover over the trim piece extrusion, nothing is selected to lock. I’ll keep trying, and eventually re-do it.

[PhilvK]

Looks like I solved my own problem. My exterior trim was drawn on the center-of-wall plane. I re-did it on the exterior wall plane. While doing so, I know have another questions though: How do you lock an extrusion to the interior and exterior wall faces?

[chrisplyler]

You mean like for casing? Drag the extrusion faces away from the wall faces, then align them back to the wall faces with the align too, and lock them.

[L.Maas]

There are different ways to assign material to your components. You can assign a material to the different components (e.g. extrusions, revolves)

You can also use a parameter to control the materials.

It is also possible to assign sub-categories to the different compoponents and assign matgerials to tthose sub-categories.

So yes there are several ways to control your materials

[Anonymous]

This is stupid. I am doing Exterior Window Frame Shop drawings and i want the exterior to be on the lower part of the reference plane. Why isn't there a simple way to do this? I now have to physically move all my reference planes to make the elevation read correctly (FROM THE OUTSIDE) Folks this is the correct way to read an elevation! Why does revit do it backward? And why not make it easily flipped? - Yeah i know you can change the window orientation and wall but the reference planes get reversed which is just dumb and annoying! 

Anyone know of a simple way to do this? 

Mahalo 🙂 

[Anonymous]

Or perhaps the stupid one is me eh? 

[PhilvK]

It appears that the elevation in your attachment is the 'back' elevation.
Try using the 'front'. Is that the issue?