Parametric custom curtain wall panel question

[Richard McCarthy]

Howdy guys,
Just got a question I can't seem to be able to figure this out..... is there a way to "limit" the model line drawn inside a curtain wall panel family?? I have drawn a lot of repeating circles in model line, but the problem is once it is created, and used in a project, the drawn model lines just repeat outside of the bound. Is there a way to limit and make these details repeat?? (and it must be model line as it must be viewed in 3D/all views)??

[Justin Marchiel]

i would say yes there is a way but without looking at the family i would not know what you are trying to accomplish. my first guess would be that it would be better for you to insert the circle as a component and use an array to constrain the limits. also without seeing the family, you might be able to use pattern instead of model line?

Justin

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Richard,
this one has me intrigued. As Justin suggested, the obvious answer is to use a model surface pattern and then assign that material to the curtain panel. I'm not a .pat guru but tried finding out if you can create a concentric circle pattern file. Couldn't find a thing.
Next guess was to try and use a void to 'cut' the circles out of the panel. (could cause some serious performance issues but I was just trying to figure out a solution) I figured a revolve void that went beyond the maximum panel size expected was the trick. If it didn't find anything to cut (i.e. outside the curtain grid boundary) then it wouldn't cut.
That seemd fine but I got unpredictable results. (See attached image and file)
Also tried using a void extrusion outside the curtain panel boundaries but no go there either.
Looking forward to seeing if someone else can come up with something else.:beer:

[Richard McCarthy]

This is what I have so far....


This is a single cell (3D view), repeating both horizontally and vertically.

http://forums.augi.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49956&stc=1&d=1203144756




This is what it suppose to look like :

http://forums.augi.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49957&stc=1&d=1203145409




I have tried the pattern method before, but the result isn't satisfactory, because when the pattern is used, at 1:250 scale it becomes just a solid block of grey. Even at 1:100 it is also a solid block of grey. And you cannot truely make patterned wall/curtain wall see through.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

I thought you were looking for concentric circles. :roll:
Take a look at the attached file and see if that does the trick.
If the circles ever need to be actual geometry then you can use the model lines as the path lines for sweeps

[Richard McCarthy]

Thanks a lot Dimitri, I will try it tonite !!

[Richard McCarthy]

Hi Dimitri, I just tried your family and it isn't quite what I am looking for...
The model line circle should be 100 mm diameter (fix radius) and the sqare enclosing it is 100 mm x 100mm, this basic "cell" is then repeated diagonally, seen in this picture :

http://forums.augi.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49957&d=1203144756

Each cell is also model 3 dimensionally too, meaning it is basically a cube constructed in model line with circle on each face. So the end result should be a curtain wall panel that will create more "cells" as require as its length and width change, and the cells fill the whole curtain wall panel, and fit nicely right up to the mullion. Is it possible to do this?

[Richard McCarthy]

This is what I am trying to model :


I didn't go down the geometry path because I think it will just be too resource hungry, that's why instead I use model line to do this, the effect looks pretty close, but I am just having trouble to make it parametric. Can anyone help ? :)

[dbaldacchino]

If the circles and squares have a fixed dimension, what happens with the leftover spaces if an exact number of vertical or horizontal elements doesn't fit? Should it truncate the shapes along the edge rows/columns or should it leave them empty?

[Richard McCarthy]

Just leave them empty I would presume, because I think to parametrically truncate the shape would be impossible under Revit.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Richard,
I'm afraid the solution in this post http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=75672 for a simple line based family is not possible in a curtain panel family (at least to my knowledge).
The problem is that the width/height of a curtain panel is not a parameter that can be reported back to a family to help control the array. If the panels are of a known width and height then you can create the family easily.
Depending on how how much you anticipate needing this family you might want to use a line based model and just 'draw' the infill line by line on a specific workplane.
I'll keep at it in hopes that I've overlooked some 'outside the box' solution.

[Richard McCarthy]

Howdy!

I am just giving this another stab, I tried a very simple method as follow :



1. Define "length" (dimension the panel template reference plane X)
2. Define "Height" (dimension the panel template reference plane on Y)
3. Array object to length extent (move to last), define array as "X"
4. Array object to height extent (move to last), define array as "Y"
5. Goto family types, select :

X = length / 100 mm
y = height / 100 mm

It seems it almost worked, but it still report "Constraints are not satisfied", and removing the constraint doesn't seem to change the height or length, and it feeds the wrong information into the X or Y, which makes more objects in the previously defined length.

I have tried to change the reference planes to "weak reference" and it just doesn't seem to work, but I can feel I am close.

So my question is, is there a way to dimension or change the reference plane of panel template?