Intelligent Families

[Jit]

Hi All

How do I add some intelligence to say a cabinet which is 2000 long with 5 doors at 400wide. If I made this cabinet say 3000, I would like doors to increase by 2 modules in number giving me 6 doors at 400 = 3000.

Is it possible ...similar to the au fence ?

Thanks

[Jit]

Sorry, I mean 6 doors at 400 = 2400...long day

[beegee]

Yes, just like the Au fence.

Study how that family was made. It uses "parametric arrays" and a nested family component, (in your case the cabinet door. )
Steve Stafford recently posted a glass block family which works the same way.

Takes a bit of practice/ patience.

Do a search on topics in this forum for some background.

[christo4robin]

I posted a parametric array shelf family in this Forum 6 weeks or so ago. If you run a search on my username (4christo4) that should turn it up. You can reverse engineer it.

The basic trick is to 1) use a nested family for the repeating component, 2) set up your family parameters, i.e., No. of doors and Door width, then 3) array the component using the "last" option and, 4) lock the ends of the array to your reference planes (using a 0 length dimension).

To work with the number of panels, use the family parameters to do the division for you. Parameter 1, "No. of doors", is of the type integer, and uses a formula something along the lines of =Length/Door Width. 2nd Parameter, "Door width", of the type length, and is set by the user.

When you have the array created, select it, then right click on the "tree" and then choose Label, then select your parameter "No. of doors".

I'm not looking at Revit right now, so I may have missed the lingo a bit, but that is a rough idea of how it works.

Cheers! and, if you're willing, post the family to RUGI once you've made it.

[Jit]

Hi All

I have made my 1st intelligent family. It is recessed wall stripping with plasterboard panels in between. They are at 1000 centers. While I can get them to work as numerus panel widths, I can't get the heights right. What am I doing wrong.

Thanks

[PeterJ]

You need to get the reference planes to which the first instance of the group is locked consistent with the reference planes to which the last instance is locked, vertically. I find this takes some playing with