Creating a rail family with connectors

[nicholas.hendrickx]

Hello everybody

I need to create a rail family where different other families (lamps, signs, etc) can be placed on.
I'd love to create a system based on connectors.

So basicly you can draw rails on a ceiling the same way you can draw ducts, pipes, ... in Revit MEP.

How can I do this?

[nicholas.hendrickx]

Is it impossible? Or is my question not clear enough?

I want to create rail with a rectangular profile that can be placed in a project just like you place tubes, ducts,...
So you can draw a chain of rails and elbow and other fittings are automatically added.

I managed to create a rail based on a sweep and I can place it in a project, but I have no idea how to add automatical elbows to this.

[Liamnacuac]

Is it impossible? Or is my question not clear enough?

I want to create rail with a rectangular profile that can be placed in a project just like you place tubes, ducts,...
So you can draw a chain of rails and elbow and other fittings are automatically added.

I managed to create a rail based on a sweep and I can place it in a project, but I have no idea how to add automatical elbows to this.

so, what you're looking for is a small unistrut like rail for connecting halide lights (or what ever) and this would be connected to the ceiling plan?

[nicholas.hendrickx]

I just want to place something on the ceiling similar to airducts, pipes etc

But this time, it's a rail (just a rectangle) which you can draw on the ceiling and the corners have elbow families just like the airducts, pipes,... have

In a later stage, I will place facebased lights on these rails.

This is part of my thesis assignment!

[Beancud]

I just want to place something on the ceiling similar to airducts, pipes etc

But this time, it's a rail (just a rectangle) which you can draw on the ceiling and the corners have elbow families just like the airducts, pipes,... have

In a later stage, I will place facebased lights on these rails.

This is part of my thesis assignment!

The self joining link like the duct family is difficult to make. Why not just make a false ceiling out of slab and attach the lights like you do normally on a ceiling mounted family??

[nicholas.hendrickx]

Well, that would be easier, but it's not the assignment I was given.
I have to create a railbased series of light fixtures by a certain company

Since a rail system would be very handy to use, I want to investigate this option

If it turns out to be too much hassle compared to the actual benefits, I'll have to find another solution such as making 1 rail element with a parameter for the lenght and then the user will have to place all the seperate elements on the ceiling and align them manually

[Simon.Whitbread]

The self joining link like the duct family is difficult to make. Why not just make a false ceiling out of slab and attach the lights like you do normally on a ceiling mounted family??

Cool idea Beanie,

And to make things even easier, create a railing, with appropriate 'balusters' for the hanging system

- simple!!

[nicholas.hendrickx]

Cool idea Beanie,

And to make things even easier, create a railing, with appropriate 'balusters' for the hanging system

- simple!!

what do you mean by "balusters" ?

[Simon.Whitbread]

when you use the "railing" tool, it has "balusters". It's a workaround, create a railing TYPE that is appropriate for the job you are doing. First you need to create a family though using the "baluster" template