Family help

[dzatto]

SOmeone please help me. lol I haven't had time to learn families yet, Can someone please edit this tapered masonry column so I can change the width and length of the base, top, and cap separately. Right now it's a square and the length and width are always equal.

Thanks!

[mthurnauer]

I flexed all of the paramaters and they all work. You have not defined any types yet though.

[kingjosiah]

Hi dzatto.

Looks like you grabbed one of those infamous RevitCity specials ;)

I posted two families for you...one where all the parameters are 'instance based' -- which it sounds like you want based on your description below -- and another with type parameters. I will assume for now that you know the difference between the two. If not, let me know and i can do a better job of explaining.

Seems that people always want the families with instance parameters so that they can stretch it every which way ...at least that what most of the users in our office always ask for. The caveat here is that i did not have time to look at or flex this family, so it may or may not break. I won't hold my breath seeing where it came from. Who knows, it might just be fine afterall.

The 'type based' family might suit you better. I set up a few sample types for you. Again, i'm going on the assumption that you know how to modify the dimensions in each type and can add new types if needed. Post back if you don't.

Hope this helps,
Jon

p.s. first chance you get, start messing with the family tutorials or check some online resources...shouldn't take you long to get the basics. Trust me, families really aren't so difficult afterall :beer:

[dzatto]

Hi dzatto.

Looks like you grabbed one of those infamous RevitCity specials ;)

I posted two families for you...one where all the parameters are 'instance based' -- which it sounds like you want based on your description below -- and another with type parameters. I will assume for now that you know the difference between the two. If not, let me know and i can do a better job of explaining.

Seems that people always want the families with instance parameters so that they can stretch it every which way ...at least that what most of the users in our office always ask for. The caveat here is that i did not have time to look at or flex this family, so it may or may not break. I won't hold my breath seeing where it came from. Who knows, it might just be fine afterall.

The 'type based' family might suit you better. I set up a few sample types for you. Again, i'm going on the assumption that you know how to modify the dimensions in each type and can add new types if needed. Post back if you don't.

Hope this helps,
Jon

p.s. first chance you get, start messing with the family tutorials or check some online resources...shouldn't take you long to get the basics. Trust me, families really aren't so difficult afterall :beer:

Thanks for the posts guys. I really really need to take the time to learn families. I've tried to create some without learning anything about them. Let's just say it didn't go to well. I guess they aren't like Acad blocks after all!! :mrgreen:

So instance based verses type based. I'm guessing instance based lets me insert one instance and edit it's properties to change the sizes. Type based is like the OOTB windows where I have to duplicate and rename one, then set the parameters. OR am I way off base here?

I've only been using Revit at the house for a month, so I only have a few hours in it. I'll be on it full time at work when IT gets around to blowing out my machine and loading Revit. Probably a few weeks away. Then the fun really starts.

[eric.piotrowicz]

It sounds like you are on the right track. Type parameters controll every object of a certain type. If you had placed ten of the same doors and had a type parameter for the finish. If you change the finish on one of those ten doors then all ten change to match. If you had the finish set as an instance parameter then only the door that was selected would have its finish modified. This is important ot watch out for when editing and reloading fmailies into a project. If you modify a type parameter in the family and then reload and pick the "overwrite existing and its parameters" then all those doors update to match the type parameter that was modified in the family.

[dzatto]

Hi dzatto.

Looks like you grabbed one of those infamous RevitCity specials ;)

I posted two families for you...one where all the parameters are 'instance based' -- which it sounds like you want based on your description below -- and another with type parameters. I will assume for now that you know the difference between the two. If not, let me know and i can do a better job of explaining.

Seems that people always want the families with instance parameters so that they can stretch it every which way ...at least that what most of the users in our office always ask for. The caveat here is that i did not have time to look at or flex this family, so it may or may not break. I won't hold my breath seeing where it came from. Who knows, it might just be fine afterall.

The 'type based' family might suit you better. I set up a few sample types for you. Again, i'm going on the assumption that you know how to modify the dimensions in each type and can add new types if needed. Post back if you don't.

Hope this helps,
Jon

p.s. first chance you get, start messing with the family tutorials or check some online resources...shouldn't take you long to get the basics. Trust me, families really aren't so difficult afterall :beer:
Jon, I just loaded them and they are just what I needed. Thanks!
It looks like all I had to do was change one of the width parameters to a length parameter? Was it really that simple??

[kingjosiah]

Yep. It was really just that simple :) Glad it helped.

- Jon