Nested families problem!@#4%&!!!

[Haden]

I have been fighting with this family for quite awhile now, and I'm hoping that maybe someone out there can find my problem.:banghead: I am building casework families for kitchen cabinets using nested families for the cabinet doors, so that I will be able to easily swap out various cabinet door styles after I build my library. (Thanks to Aaron Rumple's suggestion to use nested families.)

For some reason, the upper left door in the attached tall cabinet family will NOT behave when I change the height of the upper cabinet door. I have made the height and width as parameters which are instance parameters, and then I align the left/right and top/bottom edges with my reference planes. It works for the lower pair of cabinet doors, but not for the upper.

Thanks in advance for any help on this one!

[Mr Spot]

Drag the offending panel edge away from where it isn't working. Click unconstrain. Then use the align select the reference plane then the edge of the panel... It seemed to work for me.

HTH.

[SkiSouth]

Same process as listed above by Mr. Spot.. Flex model, unconstrain, re align with align tool to ref planes. Good work on the model.

[Haden]

Thanks to Mr. Spot (Chris) and Skisouth! The upload you sent me back works like a charm, but I tried several more times to get my copy to work, to no avail. When you both say stretch and "unconstrain," I just may not be seeing the context you mean:

I know when you select an object and select MOVE, you can uncheck the "Constrain" checkbox, and I also know that when I flex the model (in this case upper door height), I get an error message "Constraints are not satisfied" and I hit the REMOVE CONSTRAINTS button, but after doing that and using the ALIGN tool to select the top ref plane, then top of door, then bottom ref plane, then bottom of door, then flexing again, I still get the same error.

Again, thanks to Skisouth, I now have my model fixed :smile: , but I still can't get it to work myself.:screwy:

[SkiSouth]

Flex your model for your upper doors. You'll get an error message. When you do, allow the program to release the constraints. Now, realign the door that's out of place with the align tool to the proper reference planes.

Oops didn't read your post carefully enough. Just align the door to two planes not all four. - actually, I only aligned the bottom of the door to the proper reference plane. Try that. the door is the proper size, constraint it the least number of times as is possible. (and it still work like you want it too).

[Haden]

Just align the door to two planes not all four. - actually, I only aligned the bottom of the door to the proper reference plane. Try that. the door is the proper size, constraint it the least number of times as is possible. (and it still work like you want it too).
I'm sorry to keep beating a dead horse here :confused: , and again I appreciate your help so far, but I went back and found that the copy you (Skisouth) uploaded still won't behave under all circumstances. If you flex only the upper door height, it works. But, if you flex the overall height of the cabinet, the upper left door still keeps its same height, leaving that door to "dangle" beyond the top of the cabinet. (No error message, but incorrect behaviour.) I guess only constraining to the bottom ref plane is not constraint enough.

What's REALLY odd, though, is that when I only align/constrain that door at the bottom, but change its door height parameter to be derived from the family "upper door" parameter, then flex the upper door height, it works, but again, when flexing the overall height, the door height changes even though it shouldn't have. The WEIRDEST part is that now that door will have a door height parameter which still indicates it is linked to the family upper door height parameter, but is in fact not equal to that value! In other words, the upper door height may be 3'-0" and the height of the upper door will be 4'-0", even though the parameters are linked.:screwy:

Maybe we can get a little help from the factory workers on this one...

[aaronrumple]

You are using instance parameters on the door. This will work fine as long as you link it to a parameter in the host family. Aligning edges of an instance nested object will often fail as in your instance. It probably is a result of the math being passed from family to nested family in the wrong order. (My guess a performance issue.) The great thing about the linked parameters is that the main drawing is quite free from ref. planes. However you do need a good plan fro your parameters before starting the family.

[aggockel50321]

Aaron beat me, but here's your door fixed. He's right about passing the parameters through & driving the nested object by params in the parent set equal to the nested parems.

Take a look inside & you'll see what I changed...

Also, when constraining nested objects, only constrain to their origins.

[Haden]

here's your door fixed.
I open that family and change the height, but the doors still "dangle" beyond the edge.

I have taken (similar to what you said about constraining to the "origin") to only constraining to the centerline of the nested object. It means setting up one more ref plane with an equal dimension, but that's easy compared to banging my head against the wall as to which ref plane (L, R, T, B) is "safe" to align with.
I think this solution has worked for each case that I've employed it in so far.:Puffy:

[aggockel50321]

but the doors still "dangle" beyond the edge.
Did you get it to break, Haden?

I found it slow to respond, but one all dialogs were closed the doors behaved as expected.

I think the slow responce is related to the way the cabinet & parameters are set up. As Aaron stated previously, how these models get set up have a lot to do with what kind of success you'' have.

Employ the KISS principle, & you should stay out of trouble...

[aaronrumple]

It was my bad. I didn't constrain one of the doors right. It was flexing in the project correctly with a limited number of types, but not inside the family.