Wood Moment Frame

[davidtetro]

I am trying to create a wood glulam moment frame. It is existing and does not need to be a 'structural' element. I just need to document it for an existing conditions project I am working on. There are about 8 of them in this gymnasium. Again, they are really there just as existing objects and do not need materials, structural characteristics or anything like that.

What would be the easiest way to make them as a family? Would creating an extrusion in elevation be the best as a generic model family (which would be easier for me) or perhaps as an in-place mass (which I am less familiar with).

Any help or advice would be helpful.

Thanks.

[AdamHamilton]

depending on its design i would just use the default Rectangular Column family...create the Type for your required Width and Depth and draw.

[davidtetro]

Adam - unfortunately, it is not a standard rectangular colum that maintains its shap for the entire height. It is a moment frame. The width in the x direction of the entire item is consistent, but in the y direction it is narrow at the base and gets wider as it rises. It then has a large chamfer on it as it changes direction to become a cathedral ceiling/roof beam and then tapers narrower as it reaches the peak of the ceiling/roof. It then mirrors about the roof peak to be the same thing on the opposite side.

See the atttached image.

[chrisplyler · Accepted solution]

If you are merely doing and architectural representation, as opposed to engineering/detailing/documenting actual structual design, and as such you don't need proper column/beam data,schedules and behavior, then yes just make a generic family with an extrusion or whatever is easiest for you.

[davidtetro]

Chris - Thanks. That is what I was thinking. Didn't know if there was a structural tool within Revit that made these kind of families. And yes, it is merely a 'mass' representation of the truss as they are existing.