Multiple filters and Clearances

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have a mechanical equipment filtered to a brown color. Can I filter the Clearances in that family to a dashed red line? I've been bashing my head on this problem for a while and can't seem to find the solution... didn't find and help on the web either...

I have a Clearance Subcategory, a Material for the Clearances and a Yes/No on their Visibility.

Thanks,

Jonathan

[Anonymous]

Depending on construction of the family but you should be able to override line style within subcategory.  Tested on a family I have and worked.

If you post the family would assist with testing for a solution.

[Anonymous]

Hi Tim,

The problem isn't get the right line style in the subcategory wihich I've done and it's working, it's getting the the dashed line to appear Red according to my second "Clearances" Filter, instead of brown according to my first "Mechanical Equipment" filter.

Thanks for your time,

Jonathan

[CoreyDaun]

If you are using View Filters to set the Graphics, then the entire family will be affected, as you are currently seeing. I've tested this before, and even if the clearance is an embedded Generic Model and another View Filter is created that affect Generic Models, it will fail because View Filters cannot "reach into" the Family to affect the subcomponents.

Can you expand a bit on what you are ultimately trying to achieve? What is intended by the brown color bestowed upon the mechanical equipment?

[Anonymous]

My objective is to have my different equipment in my system standout from the ductwork. Maybe it's still my Autocad way of doing things? Don't most Revit users try to do this? Or do you let everything in a system turn to the system color? In my case, blue.

Thanks, though, for confirming about being unable to "reach into" the Family to affect the subcomponents.

[CoreyDaun]

Well, Mechanical Equipment that is connect to more than a single System (Duct and/or Pipe) will not be affected by the System's graphical overrides. Do you have any Mechanical Equipment that will require the clearance AND only be connected into a single System? If this is the case, you can modify your View Filter's Rule to:" System Classification does not contain , " as the comma is used as a separator when multiple Systems are listed.

On a side note, the color of the clearance lines will not affect the printed lineweight. That will still obey normal settings unless specifically overridden.

Edit: Revised "System Name" to "System Classification"

[Anonymous]

Sorry, not quite shure I understand your explanation. Can you post an example print screen?

[CoreyDaun · Accepted solution]

I'm unsure of which point you'd like an example of, so here's both:

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CADastrophe wrote:

"Well, Mechanical Equipment that is connect to more than a single System (Duct and/or Pipe) will not be affected by the System's graphical overrides..."

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 The image below is an example using the basic  AHU Family in Revit MEP 2013.

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CADastrophe wrote:

"Do you have any Mechanical Equipment that will require the clearance AND only be connected into a single System? If this is the case, you can modify your View Filter's Rule to:" System Classification does not contain , " as the comma is used as a separator when multiple Systems are listed."

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 If the Mechanical Equipment has a single Classification of a Connector (i.e. just Supply Air), then the following Filter will affect only these Families.

How important is it to you that these clearances appear red? As I said, it won't affect how it prints, and won't the Line Pattern adequately indicate that it's a clearance zone?

[Anonymous]

Thanks alot Tim!

I now understand why the equipment turned black when I connected my Steam pipe to it...

I think I'll leave the Clearances as is.

Thanks again for your time!

Jonathan

[Anonymous]

The way to do this is to draw detail lines for the clearance, inside of the Family Editor on Ref Level, Front and Left Elevations. Make sure they are detail lines, sometimes Revit still wants to draw model lines and pick a work plane, you might just have to do this and then use 'Convert Lines" to convert them to detail lines. If you simply hover over the line it will tell you if it is a Detail or Model line. Assign them to the subcategory you have created. If you need the actual clearance Box as an extrusion as well for clashing, make sure all the visibility settings are off in all plan and elevation views, it should only be visible in 3d. The issue you are having is, any geometry you have inside of the family will take on the Filter color, which is why you need to make the Clearance Box invisible in all plan and elevation/section views and use the detail lines to represent the clearance box. Then you can have the filters override the default system colors regardless of how many systems are connected to it and have it display with the color you want and still have the clerance displayed as how you set in your Object Styles inside of your project.

[CoreyDaun]

Hi armondo,
Welcome to the Autodesk forums!

The technique you've describe here is a good one, but the View Filter's color overrides WILL still hit the Detail (or Symbolic) Lines within the Family, not just the model elements.

[Anonymous]

I do this all the time. Are you sure you used Symbolic/Detail Lines inside of the family to represent the clearance? I attached a pic of one of my vav's colored by filter and still showing my dashed red line to symbolize clearance. Let me know if you are doing the same steps, or upload a simple family that is not working as I have described and I'll take a look at it.

[CoreyDaun]

Attached is a sample project with a Mechanical Equipment family (including Symbolic Lines), and multiple graphical situations. Revit MEP 2013.

[Anonymous]

I just did it here from your own file. Is this not what the Thread Opener desired? Perhaps I'm confused as to what he wanted to accomplish. Let me know if I shoudl also upload the .rvt.

[CoreyDaun]

OK, I see. So you set the View Filter to override the Projection/Surface Pattern, right? Based upon the OP's attached image early in this thread, he's aiming to change the Mechanical Equipment's Lines to brown, whist keeping the Lines of the clearance zone red.

[Anonymous]

Can you put a snapshot of your filters? I have the impression that you don't overide the line type.

Here's mine.

[Anonymous]

Yes I should have been more clear, the only setting I touched on the view filter is the Projection/Surface Pattern Overrride. And thanks for welcoming me to the forum, been a long-time lurker.