Specific Profile to Sweep

[STHRevit]

Hi All,
I would like tro create a sweep in the shape of a pfc. Is there a way to use the pfc profiles i have in my library rather than having to sketch the profile each time i need to create a new section of pfc?

Is this done with shared parameters?

Thanks

[Scott Womack]

What is a pfc profile? is it from another program?

[tomnewsom]

PFC = Parallel Flange Channel. http://www.steelweb.info/GIF/180PFC.gif

What's the context of this sweep? Where are you making it? In a family? An in-place family? For what purpose?

[STHRevit]

Sorry Scott my fault, Tom is spot on with his post.

Tom, we have found that creating a generic model of some components for a project is easier to manage, dare i say it, similar to an ex-ref in autocad.
So we typically make external canopies etc as their own families (generic models) and load them into the project.

The thing is we have had one provided from a client we are working with and they have used predefined profiles to create a sweep and I am not sure how they did it.

[tomnewsom]

Start making a Sweep in the family editor. When you click the Profile button on the left, you can then choose Load profiles from the top. In the component library, browse to Profiles, Structural, Steel. There is a fairly comprehensive set of standard types and sizes.

And no need to dare to say it, I use Families for such components too. I've done an entire 4-storey staircase with railings as a custom family before :)

[Mike Sealander]

Tom:
That's intriguing about building a staircase as a family. Do you mean you punted on creating the stair using the stair object inside Revit, and built it by hand using generic model components?

[tomnewsom]

Tom:
That's intriguing about building a staircase as a family. Do you mean you punted on creating the stair using the stair object inside Revit, and built it by hand using generic model components?
That's right. It's a simple stair in plan, but with a very complex railing design that had to have very precise alignments and angles on the corners and returns. Far too time consuming to tweak and re-tweak stair & railing components into something that still isn't 100% what I wanted. By doing it as a family, I could get everything to line up exactly as required.

I made it as an external family so that a)It didn't try to constrain any of its geometry to parts of my building, b)I could get clear and simple views of it from all angles

[t1.shep]

Start making a Sweep in the family editor. When you click the Profile button on the left, you can then choose Load profiles from the top. In the component library, browse to Profiles, Structural, Steel. There is a fairly comprehensive set of standard types and sizes.

And no need to dare to say it, I use Families for such components too. I've done an entire 4-storey staircase with railings as a custom family before :)

Is there a way to control the profile once the family is loaded into the project? I'd like to load a profile in for the sketch, but then I'd like to be able to control which profile type is used to sweep once it's loaded into the project.
For instance, say i'm making a frame that goes around a window. That frame is made from a bent plate. I create a profile to manges the sweep shape. Now I load the family into the project. But instead of a 4x4 angle I want a 6x8 or something else. Let's say I have those sizes for the profile created. How do I assign them to the frame family? A profile doesn't appear to have a shared setting, so you can't assign a family/type parameter?
I guess I could just recreate the parameters I made to create the profile, and just create a sketch in the sweep family instead of using the profile...but then what's the point of having profiles...

[martijnderiet]

In the Sweep Type Properties you can select the Profile you want to use. All you have to do is create the new Profile and/or load the Profile into your project. Then select the Sweep and go to the Type Properties. Here you can select another profile (remember to Duplicate the Type if you need to keep the original Sweep Profile).

[t1.shep]

In the Sweep Type Properties you can select the Profile you want to use. All you have to do is create the new Profile and/or load the Profile into your project. Then select the Sweep and go to the Type Properties. Here you can select another profile (remember to Duplicate the Type if you need to keep the original Sweep Profile).

Are talking about it in the family editor, or once it's loaded into the project?

[cliff collins]

Once loaded into the project.

cheers