Nested Family - Window sill height in schedule reporting incorrectly

[thom.chesshyre597061]

Hi, I have created a series of window families with nested sub-windows, in order to create runs of windows and be able to easily schedule the structural opening of the run. Everything is, at last, working as it should, apart from that now I'm looking at the schedule and the sill heights of all the nested sub-components are completely wrong.Any thoughts? I've attached a screenshot of the offending schedule, along with the families in question.

[LP Design]

I had a similar problem with a complex window family. It had to do with the way Revit reads the sill height from the actual window geometry, not the parameter "default sill height". In my case I had a nested sill block that was 4" tall so all my window sill elevations were off by 4". Unfortunately, i have NO idea why your sill heights would be off by a value of -12320! It may have something to do with the way the family is nested???

More to the point however, why are you including the sub-windows schedule at all? If you are trying to get the structural opening you should be looking for a single value for each window run right?

-LP

[thom.chesshyre597061]

Hi,

I need both scheduled because we need structural openings for the concrete works, but the windows need to be scheduled as individual lights for the window package. Not easy!

I wonder whether the best thing to do wouldn't be to create my own parameter called 'structural sill height' or somesuch, and ignore Revit's inflexible built in parameters... but would rather not have to delve into meddling with these families again! hmm

[Alfredo Medina]

I think you could obtain the same results with more simple means, perhaps with curtain walls with embedded windows as panels, and some formulas in the schedule to obtain the other dimensions.

[thom.chesshyre597061]

We tried this, but Revit won't give you any information about the height of a curtain wall relative to a level ie sill or head height. Also, I've just spent a week re-modelling the whole project (circa 800 windows!) so I won't be too popular if I have to change again!!

[LP Design]

If it was me I would try to separate the schedule into two parts. One for the structural package in which you don't include the sub-families, and one for the window package where you don't include the sill height. By not having the sill height in both schedules this eliminates the problem you are having with the wierd values on the subfamilies. Secondly it operates on a fundamental design principal: Show it once and show it right.

-LP

[Alfredo Medina]

We tried this, but Revit won't give you any information about the height of a curtain wall relative to a level ie sill or head height. Also, I've just spent a week re-modelling the whole project (circa 800 windows!) so I won't be too popular if I have to change again!!

That's true. Unfortunately. It would be a lot easier for you if you could just grab the "Base Offset" parameter and use it as sill height, make your windows as embedded curtain walls with embedded windows as panels, instead of doing those complicated families. "Base Offset" is one of those instance parameters that we can see in the properties window, but we can't use. The information is there, but Revit does not put the information on the list of available fields in schedules. The strange thing is that if one exports the project to ODBC, and then opens the database in Access, the "Base Offset" value is there, in the Walls table, along with the "Unconnected height".