How Can I Tell if a Family is Fully Constrained

Vince.Vining
Participant

How Can I Tell if a Family is Fully Constrained

Vince.Vining
Participant
Participant

Trying to make constraints for families. I used to use inventor in school, and it was so easy to make an object completely static with help from the "dimensions needed" display in the bottom right. 
Anything like that for revit, and if not, is there a work around that can combat human error. 

VinceVining_0-1692198835860.png

Thanks, Vince

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L.Maas
Mentor
Mentor
No, it is a matter of "flexing" the family and see if it behaves as expected or that it wil break. And if you do it properly you then load it in a project and do the same and see if it behaves there as well. If it is a complex family you should do it not only at the end, but also some steps in between.
Often I start first with a framework of reference planes and lines and constrain those before adding geometry.

Louis

EESignature

Please mention Revit version, especially when uploading Revit files.

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Vince.Vining
Participant
Participant

So you just play with it and see if it breaks? Ugh, that's so inefficient.

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Vince.Vining
Participant
Participant

Ok, what about something like this. 
I am trying to make a heat pump as an exersize, and I had to put in like, 25 constraints to wrangle this mitsubishi logo punch out. Am I doing this right? This is chaotic, I must be missing something.

VinceVining_0-1692204424607.png

 

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L.Maas
Mentor
Mentor

It is one way of doing it. You might make use of nested families (family in a family). Because it is a fixed shape you have little to do with constraints. You can make use of a face based family for that containing a void in the shape of the logo. and load it in the heat pump family. Than you only have to contrain the position of the logo

More importantly. Why the logo? It is too much detail. Keep the families simple. It keeps filesize small and has less impact on Revit performance. Same applies to the grill. Make it as simple shape and possible, use a texture for realistic mode. Revit is more geared to general shapes (volumes). All the details is for the product developers working with solidworks or inventor.

If I would receive a family like that I probably would strip it or use another one.

Louis

EESignature

Please mention Revit version, especially when uploading Revit files.

RobDraw
Mentor
Mentor

Something static like a logo doesn't need any constraints. I don't know what fully constrained means but too many constraints can lead to errors.


Rob

Drafting is a breeze and Revit doesn't always work the way you think it should.
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Vince.Vining
Participant
Participant

Yes, you are right, the logo is unnecessary. I normally wouldn't actually have done the logo, but I was using it to learn constraints, as I learned inventor in school. I didn't realize details like this can slow down the model, so thank you for that info. 

I will try your solutions involving nested families. I still don't quite understand, but I feel like you have set me on the right track. 

Thank you!

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ToanDN
Consultant
Consultant

Think you build a skeleton figure with matchsticks.  To move it, you should place it on a board and move the board, instead of move each and every matchstick.  That is the same for using a nested family, so that you can constrain it as a whole instead of constrain every piece of it individually 

L.Maas
Mentor
Mentor

Here an example for you to study. Of course there are different ways to do it

LMaas_0-1692221666595.png

 

Louis

EESignature

Please mention Revit version, especially when uploading Revit files.

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Vince.Vining
Participant
Participant

Oh wow thanks! 
Gonna dissect this right away. 

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JenishRahul
Participant
Participant
Creating the Logo as separate family and nesting it here will most likely solve this problem.
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