Nested Family Crash

[kmarquis]

I'm having so much trouble with these nested families... I'm building a lab bench. I start with the basic geometry of a counter top with an extrusion created in the family file. I bring in 4 cabinets that all have the 'shared' box checked in categories and parameters in their own family files so they tag. I brought in a small number of families such as metal tube framing that complete the geometry of the nested family but don't need to be scheduled or tagged so I didn't check the 'shared' box in those files. I make changes and continually load the nested family into the project to see the changes. Towards the end of the day when I have the nested family complete I get crash after crash of attempting to load the updated family. Does anyone have any solutions for crashes with nested families? Is there certain things that Revit doesn't like with nested families such as families from different categories, instance and type parameters, reference planes, best practices, hardware...etc? I'm making this nested family as basic as possible to make this user friendly. There are hardly any parameters and constraints and it will live in the project exactly as it sits in the family since it doesn't need to change. So frustrated...

[twiceroadsfool]

I'm having so much trouble with these nested families... I'm building a lab bench. I start with the basic geometry of a counter top with an extrusion created in the family file. I bring in 4 cabinets that all have the 'shared' box checked in categories and parameters in their own family files so they tag. I brought in a small number of families such as metal tube framing that complete the geometry of the nested family but don't need to be scheduled or tagged so I didn't check the 'shared' box in those files. I make changes and continually load the nested family into the project to see the changes. Towards the end of the day when I have the nested family complete I get crash after crash of attempting to load the updated family. Does anyone have any solutions for crashes with nested families? Is there certain things that Revit doesn't like with nested families such as families from different categories, instance and type parameters, reference planes, best practices, hardware...etc? I'm making this nested family as basic as possible to make this user friendly. There are hardly any parameters and constraints and it will live in the project exactly as it sits in the family since it doesn't need to change. So frustrated...

There are a few known issues with the performance and fatal errors associated with Nested Shared and unshared families. What is SOMETIMES a viable workaround is to go to the project browser and flat out DELETE the families from the project, BEFORE reloading them in. Then they will often times work.

Its not a viable answer if you already have them placed in the offices though.

Also, there are known issues with UNSHARED families sometimes vanishing if they are more than a couple of levels deep. Some of this was fixed in 2010 SP2. Which version and Build are you running?

[kmarquis]

I am currently running 2010 SP2. There are several of these lab benches that have been placed throughout the project. It's not a realistic solution to attempt a technique of nested families if we are constantly going to have this issue. Maybe I could break up the nested family into two pieces instead of one....

[kmarquis]

Would it help if I just made all of the families in the nested family shared whether they needed to be or not?

[twiceroadsfool]

Would it help if I just made all of the families in the nested family shared whether they needed to be or not?

The issue isnt solely the fact that the Families are nested. I have tons of Families, some nested as far as 6 levels deep. Sometimes there are other things in play. Such issues that ive seen arise are:

1. Having a parent family reload a sub component (nested family) but then telling it not to use the one from the family, and it fatal errors.

2. Loading a family with a NON shared family when a shared one is in play already (it warms you, but ive seen it crash a lot too).

3. When i had UNshared stuff in Shared nested families, in parent families, they would fatal error on reimport.

Can you post the family?

[Steve_Stafford]

Try putting your primary family in a new blank template file. If it works without errors and lets you place it then you need to look at the project file and probably remove the primary family an any that are also loaded as a result of being shared or loaded individually. When a family is changed from "not shared" to "shared" or vice versa Revit usually presents a warning or error message warning of a possible conflict with existing content. When you write "crash" does this mean error messages or Revit actually crashes, closes etc.?

If you can't even put the family in a new blank template then you need to "back up" and simplify the family until you determine which "one" is causing the problem. Just to pick on you...first assume it is a family you made from scratch as opposed to any stock families you may be using. :wink: I write this because if you aren't really doing anything parametric with the primary family then the nested parts are just "sitting" there so they shouldn't be creating a conflict.

[kmarquis]

The issue isnt solely the fact that the Families are nested. I have tons of Families, some nested as far as 6 levels deep. Sometimes there are other things in play. Such issues that ive seen arise are:

1. Having a parent family reload a sub component (nested family) but then telling it not to use the one from the family, and it fatal errors.

2. Loading a family with a NON shared family when a shared one is in play already (it warms you, but ive seen it crash a lot too).

3. When i had UNshared stuff in Shared nested families, in parent families, they would fatal error on reimport.

Can you post the family?

I think #2 is the issue. For some reason (don't ask) I edited the family one of the base cabinet families and I unchecked the 'shared' box and then reloaded it and then tried to reload the nested back in to the project and I think that's about the time I started the crashes...But then I tried to fix that issue but it didn't seem to matter. I usually understand what parent families mean but in this case I'm not sure I completely understand. Which family is the parent? The one with the all the cabinets in it or just the cabinet family alone? What does No. 1 mean? I'll post when I get to work today...in about 3 hours.

[kmarquis]

Here's the nested family...I think I could have built it a little bit better but it's pretty basic. I opened a new project and loaded it into that and it was fine. I might just clean it up, delete and purge the family from the project and replace them.

[david.kingham]

I run into this problem all the time, my workaround is to load the revised nested family into the container family and the project, then load the container family into the project, the key then is to keep the nested family from the project, not from the family when it prompts you (even though they are the exact same thing) occasionaly this will not work, when this happens I rename the problem family in the project, then reload the container family, then select all instances of the renamed family and swap them out for the reloaded one....hope this makes sense

[twiceroadsfool]

David- That sounds familiar. I remember having to do that same thing recently, LOL.

[kmarquis]

Things seem to be working great. I tried loading the family into the nested family and the project and that technique is pretty stable. I still close my eyes every time I load though...Thanks for all your help!