Shared Parameter Materials, Break Family upon Nesting/Linking
Whenever i try linking Shared Material Parameters for a Nested Subcomponent, I get a Can't Make Type message. I am using a Family Type parameter to swap door panels. but when I link the material Parameters, It breaks the family. any suggestions. do the parameters need to be shared at each level of the nesting?
I'd like the Subcomponents controlled with instance parameters, and those parameters to be controlled by type parameters by the host family. this way new types only exist for the host family. I don't want to read through a list of multiple sub-component (types) in my family type drop downs.
Re: Shared Parameter Materials, Break Family upon Nesting/Linking
You need to make sure that all panels nested into that family have the exact same Shared Parameters under the same Categories. I would remove all but one panel from your door family, and have all panel styles loaded into your template. Try it in a test project, before rolling it out in your firms standard library. I did this very task 3 years ago. Nesting door panels can get very complex, so have a clear goal as to what you want to accomplish.
Cheers,
Jeff S.
Re: Shared Parameter Materials, Break Family upon Nesting/Linking
Thanks for the advice. this has been a frustrating process. just when I think I have all the parameters i need. somebody has a special request and it seems to further complicate the process. I believe that I could well be parameter inconsistency that is creating this problem. testing families will variable sub-components takes a LONG time. there are so many variations in flexibility when you begin to include family type parameters.
Also, how do you plan for future parameter additions? there will always be conditions that arise requiring new parameters for these sub components. how can you anticipate all of the parameters you will need from the beginning? I was thinking of removing all material parameter links in my families, and changing them at the subcomponent level until i can get the system working correctly. any problems with doing this, aside from the fact that it is more complicated that a single set of type parameters?
Re: Shared Parameter Materials, Break Family upon Nesting/Linking
I spent a year working with different teams to get our doors working the way they are now. Unless there is a good reason to change for the entire firm, the doors stay as is. On a project by project basis they can change things how they want, but that means they're on their own. If they break something, they need to figure it out.
As far as material property, I look at it like this. Are you going to be rendering this family? Do you need to assign a different material between two instances of the same family type? Is it really the material of a family, or is it the finish? Using Sub-Categories is a good step, but I would still have a parameter for finish, and just have that set to <By Category>, until a variation is needed. There is a problem with this when it comes to schedules, because your baseline finish will read as <By Category>.
I hope this helps,
Jeff S.
Re: Shared Parameter Materials, Break Family upon Nesting/Linking
its frustrating how methodical you must be creating families. for instance i am now attempting to rebuild my basic door and link my parameters in the exact same fashion. i erased the sub components and reloaded them. for some reason, this time around an align/ lock constraint will not hold. i checked the element IDs on the error warning, and compared them to the Element IDs in the functioning version currently saved in my library. they are identical. why would this work the first time, but not the second? one of my many things that eludes me with revit.
Re: Shared Parameter Materials, Break Family upon Nesting/Linking
Generating content is not for everyone, it helps being borderline OCD. There are tools out there to help you apply parameters to content, but nothing as far as I know that will build the content for you. This is why a good content manager can end up costing a company as much as an IT staffer, in IMHO its worth it. Not every firm is willing to invest in this type of personnel :(.
Best of luck to your.
Cheers,
Jeff S.