"Cuts Geometry" Family Property should work on Host Objects

[AlexLibengood]

When creating a family, voids are a great way to create parametric geometry.  Revit 2021 added the void property "Cuts Geometry" that allows you to parametrically control whether a void cuts other geometry in the same family or not. This is so useful!  However, if the void is cutting a Host object like a wall, then this property has no effect.

Currently in order to control whether a void cuts host objects or not, we have to create an offset parameter that moves the void in or out of the host.  This makes the family unecessarily complicated with erroneous parameters that the user doesn't need to see.  It would be so much simpler if the "Cuts Geometry" property worked on voids that cut host objects too.

[Mark_Engwirda]

Not sure I am reading this correctly @AlexLibengood, doesn't a void cut their hosted object in the model if the void extrusion is cutting into the family host?

Regarding the visibility of the void offset parameters,  does setting them to type parameters help?

Apologies if I have misunderstood the problem.

[AlexLibengood]

Hi @Mark_Engwirda, I am specifically referencing the "Cuts Geometry" parameter that was added in Revit 2021.  The only place I can find where it's documented is here.

It displays in the Properties panel when you have a void selected in a family:

It's really powerful because you can now toggle if a void cuts other local geometry within the family and control it by assigning a parameter to it.  This makes famiyl creation somewhat simpler.

Regarding your question, yes a void will cut the hosted object in the model if it is cutting the family host - always, even if the "Cuts Geometry" parameter is set to false << this is the problem I am having.  If "Cuts Geometry" is set to false, I need to void to cut nothing, not even the host.  Unfortunately this feature only controls whether the void cuts other geometry within the family.  But if the void is cutting the host, it will always cut the host regardless of whether this parameter is true or false.  This is not intuitive behavior and is honestly pretty limiting.

Therefore, for now we have to create custom void offset parameters that move the void out of the host in order to control whether the host is cut.  This makes the family more complicated than necessary.

So my request here is to allow the "Cuts Geometry" parameter to control whether or not the void cuts not only local family goemetry, but also the host.

[Mark_Engwirda]

Thanks @AlexLibengood, appreciate the further explanation.

Would the answer be to have an additional "cuts host" tick box so you can toggle this option on or off like the "cuts geometry and do away with the following:

1. Having to use the cut tool to manually cut the host with the void object.
2. get rid of the "cuts with voids when loaded" option in the family categories because it just "doesn't do anything" whether it's ticked or not. 

Expanding on your post, there could also be a third scenario that would come in handy and that is an option for a void to automatically cut other families when loaded into the model.

Best explained by the screenshot below, where the washing machine cuts into the laundry cabinet.

If I had two families in the model and I wanted one to cut into the other I can already do this but it is a manual operation by way of the "cut geometry" tool.

I realise that this is not the exact idea you are putting forward but I'm sure it would be quite an advantage to have a  parameter for each of these three instances, would like to know your thoughts.

 

[kimberly_fuhrman-jones]

Congrats! We think this is a great idea, so we've decided to add it to our roadmap. Thanks for the suggestion!

To follow the progress of features in development, please see the Revit Public Roadmap and join the Revit Preview Release to participate in feature testing. (Note that Accepted Ideas may not be immediately available.)

The Factory

[PieterL_TM]

@kimberly_fuhrman-jones 
What's the status of this? I can't find it in th roadmap