Hollow metal frame-door family help

[t1.shep]

I'd like to create a door family for a hollow metal frame door with standard frame sizes built into the family. Revit ships with HM frame details with a number a different sizes. I'd like to take those details and use them in the door family as the frame extrusions.
Unfortunately, the HM frame details are made with a masking region and, therefore, can't be used as a profile. So, I found that if you open the HM detail file and draw lines over the masking region, and then load that into a profile family it will work.
I guess, what I need to know is what I need to do in order to have all the frame sizes as options in the door family? Do I need to make each frame size a yes/no visibility parameter?
Has anyone made this type of family? I'd love to have one HM door family loaded into a project and then select the frame size based on wall thickness.

One of the issues I'm having is creating the profile for the HM frame. I do this by creating yes/no visibility settings for the different sizes, but I load that into the door family and try to create a sweep using the HM frame profile, all the sizes show up. Is it not possible to have multiple profiles within the same profile family?

[Simon.Whitbread]

What you need to do is create the profile with parameters for length width etc. load the profile into your door family for the sweep.
the next bit gets a bit more complex.
in the door family, create the same parameters
right click on the profile family in the project browser and link the parameters.

a good example of this method is one of the standard steel framing sections (attached). have a look at how this works and how the same principle can be applied to your situation

[Scott Womack]

Has anyone made this type of family? I'd love to have one HM door family loaded into a project and then select the frame size based on wall thickness.

One of the issues I'm having is creating the profile for the HM frame. I do this by creating yes/no visibility settings for the different sizes, but I load that into the door family and try to create a sweep using the HM frame profile, all the sizes show up. Is it not possible to have multiple profiles within the same profile family?

You would have to make a family for each sweep size, nesting those into the "door" family, and using a Family parameter to switch them out. This methodology is tough, since you then have the potential problem of a 4" head member, and sweeps are not sympathetic to this. I've attached a door that shows an example of another approach to the frame size issue. Good Luck!!

[tcatana]

Very Nice Door system Steve. How do you center your frame in a thick wall?

[Scott Womack]

Very Nice Door system Steve. How do you center your frame in a thick wall?

IF you want it centered, we actually have a set of exterior door families, that instead of offsetting one side of the door out from the wall face, offset the frame IN from the wall face. Since length parameters in Families will not permit negative values, it was the only way I could get around that issue.

[tcatana]

So you have two different door families for a project? Couldn't you use the Exterior one for all the doors, or is it too cumbersome? I am new to this and looking for a good standard for our office. Want it flexible, but not so people have a hard time inserting them.

[Scott Womack]

So you have two different door families for a project? Couldn't you use the Exterior one for all the doors, or is it too cumbersome? I am new to this and looking for a good standard for our office. Want it flexible, but not so people have a hard time inserting them.

If you never want to have the frame be able to wrap the wall, yes. Or you can set the parameter to be offset from the centerline of the wall, but then do mental math to be able to go from centered to offset out from one side of the wall. Our users would rather change door families, that always have to calculate some distance from the center line of the wall. Feel free to develope your own take on this issue. Virtually all of the firms that have been using Revit for some time eventually develope their own door families to match the way that firm does door schedules, and styles of architecture.

[tcatana]

Thanks - Thats basically what I am doing.