cutting Revit family - generic versus mechancial equipment

[dbutts7]

So here's an interesting thing one of my techs caught. I had modified a vendor part as an assembly, and then converted it to an ADSK file (in 2015). Next we brought the ADSK file in and saved it as an RFA, but I didn't save it as mechanical equipment (which is the category we place these in, since it's an odor control scrubber). The part was saved as a generic model.

When he opened it in the project, the part was cut at the cut plane, and showed the internal guts, which he really wanted to see, but when he fixed it to be in Mechanical Equipment, the part would only display from the top view.

Anyone else noticing this behavior, and which way would you rather the part behave?

thanks - David B.

[Hugh_Compton]

I've had that problem this week and had to resort to saving the host (with parts nested and 'shared' for tagging) as a generic family.  

I also find the 'Assemblies' are rubbish too since I can't keep the views aligned when the assemblies inevitably get moved to different project locations.  I create a separate RVT file and load the generic family into that (as well as my main project file) for doing assembly drawings.  I also link the main project in so that I can schedule how many of the generic family instances there are in the main project.  

[Hugh_Compton]

Whilst I'm having a Friday rant I would also like to say that in order to stop my flanges and adaptors from disappearing I have to put them onto the 'Cap' category and use two linked connectors.  This way they stay put when I insert them onto pipe runs.  I have yet to test if this interferes with flows etc.  Grrrrr! 

[dbutts7]

We haven't been using the assemblies (yet) but are looking into it for some of the skid mounted stuff we do. We also added a shared parameter, under the General category, named Subcategory, that we used to filter items in a model for views, schedules, database exports, etc. That helps, but I had similar problems with the behavior of parts in sections. Try doing this with a wall in the background that includes a door, and see if the door outline appears as a hidden line, or is actually hidden.

just like ACC basketball refs, I'm looking for consistency, man...

[Hugh_Compton]

......and the scale command nigh on never works (not even on text)......and to rotate families in plan view I am frequently having to go to a section (good old AutoCAD had a 3D rotate command)..........I've only started using Revit as my main CAD program in December so maybe somebody could help....and I have thought about having an assembly to one side of the project that is pinned but it seems like it is just as much effort as having the assembly as a family....

[dbutts7]

it will - cap closes off open connectors, so back to back caps will separate the parts into two systems.

[Hugh_Compton]

Ah, ok.  Thanks for the response about caps.  I will go back to the 'slicing the pipe' work around for disappearing fittings...