Flexible Family Question!

[RafeRedmond]

I am trying to make a coat rack family. I want it to be able to have a coat hook every 4". The part I am having trouble with is getting it to add hooks as you increase its length. How can I get it to automatically add hooks when its length increases? Please help!

RRR

[Dimitri Harvalias]

What you need to create is a generic model line based family.
Check out the attached family. The trick is to create the hook first then nest it into the coat rack.
You place the hook and lock/align it with a ref plane to set its location. You then array the hook, being sure to define the array using the last option, and lock/align it to a ref plane at the other end.
You control the number of elements in the array with a formula parameter in the family.
Keep in mind that these same principles apply to detail component line based families if you don't need to actually have the coat rack modeled.
Post again if you have trouble figuring it out. :beer:

[Richard McCarthy]

Dimitri, this is what I am looking for, but I am trying to adapt this to the curtain wall panel family, as seen in the other post. Can you give a more detail account fo how to proceed with it?

[jsteinhauer]

What you need to create is a generic model line based family.
Check out the attached family. The trick is to create the hook first then nest it into the coat rack.
You place the hook and lock/align it with a ref plane to set its location. You then array the hook, being sure to define the array using the last option, and lock/align it to a ref plane at the other end.
You control the number of elements in the array with a formula parameter in the family.
Keep in mind that these same principles apply to detail component line based families if you don't need to actually have the coat rack modeled.
Post again if you have trouble figuring it out. :beer:

Dimitri,

I am wondering why in this family example, you have the reference level floating above the reference plane? Is to control the level offset when inserted into a project?

Thanks for the example of an array.

Jeff S.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Jeff,
Yes, that ref plane is to control the height of the coat rack.

Richard,
Not sure what you mean by adapting it to the curtain panel family or 'the other post'? If I'm guessing, you need to keep in mind that uyou can nest families into eachother. If you want to have a parametric array as part of a curtain panel then create it as a family (probably a face based family) and nest it into the curtain panel family.
Feel free to post back if that's not what you had in mind.

[jsteinhauer]

So, I was using the "Tutorial Arrays & Nested Families" to make a shelving standards family. I ran in to a few problems, mostly because I don't read everything. But here's what I got stuck on, and the solution I found/came up with.

1) Array wouldn't stay in the correct location. I needed to lock the nested family to the reference planes.
2) When family stretched to need addional components in the array, componets would extend beyond the reference planes on one side or another. I needed to check "Last" when setting up the array.
3) Array formula didn't like my units. Divide all my length parameters by 1'-0".
4) I want to have my array snap to a given size 2'-6", 3'-0", 3'-6" & 4'-0". Is this possible? and what would I need to setup in the family?

Thanks,
Jeff S.