Scott Hopkins
2003-06-24, 05:59 PM
I have found that a lot of products, window systems, appliances, mechanical equipment, etc. come in variable custom designed sizes. You can get a particular design in any size you want as long as it falls within the parameters provided by the company. A custom sliding glass door company may not give a warranty or be physically able to construct a door taller than 12’-0” high for example.
Maximum and minimum parameters would be very useful in this situation. That way the user of the family could adjust them to suite the project but would be prohibited from designing something that couldn’t be manufactured or constructed. They wouldn’t be able to make that 13’-0” high sliding door type because the family would not allow them to do so. This way a lot of information about the product could be stored in the family and you wouldn’t have to keep calling back the manufacturer to double check his parameters.
There are tons of other examples where max and min parameters could be useful. A handrail family may need vertical supports at a minimum of 5’-0” on center. You may want to set a one-hour fire door family to a minimum of 3’-0” and a maximum of 4’-0” wide so that you can be sure that no one can change it to bring it out of compliance with code.
Maximum and minimum parameters would be very useful in this situation. That way the user of the family could adjust them to suite the project but would be prohibited from designing something that couldn’t be manufactured or constructed. They wouldn’t be able to make that 13’-0” high sliding door type because the family would not allow them to do so. This way a lot of information about the product could be stored in the family and you wouldn’t have to keep calling back the manufacturer to double check his parameters.
There are tons of other examples where max and min parameters could be useful. A handrail family may need vertical supports at a minimum of 5’-0” on center. You may want to set a one-hour fire door family to a minimum of 3’-0” and a maximum of 4’-0” wide so that you can be sure that no one can change it to bring it out of compliance with code.