Electrical Fixture Family - offsetting the plan view graphics

[dtiemeyer]

So we encounter instances where our graphical symbol for a receptacle/telephone/etc is too large to plot nicely if the devices are placed at LOD 300 (true installation location). So I'm hoping to create a simple 'offset' option for the generic annotation that that is the symbol. So when I attach a dimension to the plan view generic annotation, it allows me to type in -6" or 3" and the graphic will move the corresponding amount left or right. But when I change that dimension to an instance parameter, Revit will not accept a negative value for the parameter value, it gives the error I show in the attached image.

Any thoughts?

How are others handling this condition that I think must be quite common?

have a good weekend everybody.

Dustin

[SteveKStafford]

I've got a 2017 family handy that has both offset from wall and offset side to side. Hopefully you have 2017 available to you to reverse engineer it.

The horizontal movement is pretty easy. A reference plane offset from the origin of the receptacle defines a place that allows the annotation to move side to side. If it is constrained from Center then it can only move in one direction, say Left for example. An instance parameter for Offset Laterally connected to this symbol origin reference plane and the symbol family allows for grips to let users drag the annotation where it needs to go but the wall mounted box is where it must be.

The symbol movement is a little harder, the symbol is a nested family and that direction must be built into the symbol family itself. Group the symbol graphics and add a dimension to the graphics and the origin of the family. A parameter that controls this offset is then controlled from inside the host family when you load it back into the receptacle family. One other wrinkle, the distance you provide to move the symbol away is based on a printed distance, very small in other words. The distance for the offset of the symbol laterally is based on real world distance however.

If I can find an older version of the family I'll post it...Edited: Found a 2015 version and attached it.

[dtiemeyer]

Thanks for your feedback Steve!  That's an interesting approach, the ability to slide it graphically intrigues me. I wonder how my staff would use it though, would they remember that theyre only sliding the graphic and not the 'model box'? That part scares me a little...   In the end, I went with something a little more rigid, I created a pair of checkbox visibility parameters (one enables/disables the other) and a single offset value. It defaults to 'no offset' so it's centered when placed, then the user can type in a distance to offset the graphic and checking/unchecking the box controls which side of the model box it's on.    

[SteveKStafford]

A back box and cover plate has to go where it must, they aren't as likely to be moved arbtrarily, if we're taking modeling seriously. For example a light switch above a duplex outlet below. Sure it/they could be moved to the other side of a stud in the field or moved a little bit either direction. That written the back box and cover plate isn't usually the problem though. It is the competing graphic annotation for several items that fit together nicely in the model but their annotation doesn't. The annotation is the real variable so making them adjustable in both planes make it possible to tell the story in annotation but put the model elements where we believe they must be.