Exit Sign Families

[mr6jam]

I am trying to develop a Family for Exit Signs and have created one which I have attached. The only problem with that one is that my boss is looking for one that is a single Family with actual types that can be selected depending on which way the arrows and hatched regions point. Also, the label for "x", "x/r" need to be able to get turned on.

Do you guys think the one I developed is the best way to go or what od you recommend?
The one I created is a single Family right?

[cporter.207875]

mr6jam,
You are on the right track. To get different types, you could try something like what I have attached. I addressed the arrow symbol in the family, but I didn't take time to address the label. Take a look and see if this helps you understand a little better.

Also, there are probably a few different ways to do this, so someone else may have a better solution.

[mr6jam]

Wow, how did you get the different types in the Family? I don't seem to understand the basics of Families.

[mr6jam]

I kind of see what you did, but I dont know how you got certain portions to show up in different types?

[cporter.207875]

When you are editing the family, go to "Family Types" to add, delete, and edit types. Each arrow and respective "X" label is constrained by a visibility parameter that is set to be either on or off by default in the Family Types dialogue, depending on whether you want it to be visible. If you select the annotation and look at its element properties, you will see that the four visibility parameters in the annotation family are linked to the same params in for the model component.

[mr6jam]

Ok, I got it :)

This Family creation with multiple types is not easy for Revit users in their first 1 - 2 years.

What do you recommend for creating the ability to have a text label which can be either an "x" or "x/r" or nothing for each type? I don't evenknow where to begin with this one. I have been reading the Autodesk Users Guide and researching online, but they don't go over this type of situation.

Thanks

[cporter.207875]

First, you have to have all the possible labels loaded and placed in the family. Then you can accomplish the options in a few different ways, but you might just stick to using visibility parameters, for now. Do it the same way we set-up the arrows.

[mr6jam]

Thank you.

What approach would you take if you had to duplicate this ceiling based familyand and make it wall based so that it will auto rotate and attach to walls?

[twiceroadsfool]

Thank you.

What approach would you take if you had to duplicate this ceiling based familyand and make it wall based so that it will auto rotate and attach to walls?

My approach would be to make the entier thing an UNhosted family... And then nest that family in to the appropriate hosts. Following the thread the other day, i did just that.

I made one Wall Based, Ceiling Hosted, Face Based, and of course... The loose one that goes in all the other families.

The only misleading part is the Face Based one has a different version of the loose family, to invert it. I attached the Detail symbol too.

Have a ball. :)

[mr6jam]

When you unhosted the family, did you use the method of copy the family out of its original family and paste it into an unhosted family (using copy and paste?)

[twiceroadsfool]

You can copy and paste into an unhosted family, then you just have to go throguh the unhosted family and constrain things as you want them. If the same reference planes/references werent there things will disassociate. But thats the gist of it.

Anything that i need hosted, i prefer to build unhosted, then nest in to a hosted family. That way when something strange comes up and i need it unhosted, i have it as well.

[mr6jam]

OMG, I pasted it into a Generic Wall based Family and all Hell broke loose. It makes me fell like giving up lol.

This is not user friendly method. Ill keep working on it in the morning with a fresh mind.

[twiceroadsfool]

Download the ones i posted, and go from there... Since its already nested, then you can just change the unhosted one, and reload, and so on.

BUT, to be clear on one thing:

If youre using the method i described, you shouldnt be PASTING anything in to the hosted families. Youre PASTING in to the UNhosted family, then LOADING that family IN to the hosted family. That has the added bonus of only having to align and lock ONE thing to make it sit on the wall properly, lol.

Now, decide if you want it Shared (under settings > fam catagories and parameters) based on which ones you want to schedule... The unhosted ones, or the hosted ones. If the unhosted one is shared, itll schedule IN ADDITION to the hosted ones...

Its user friendly once you get the hang of it. I made those in a few minutes the other night...

[mr6jam]

ok but just for the record, when you copied, did you copy out of the 3-D view to make sure you get everything or did you copy out of plan. Basically, what is your technique for copying?

[mr6jam]

How is your face based different than your ceilinh hosted?

Also, why is the "EXIT" text missing in the wall hosted one?

Thanks,

James

[twiceroadsfool]

The Exit text isnt missing... I have it showing only at Fine Level of Detail, i believe.

The Face Based one is inverted. I made the Face Based a hanging application, in case i need to mount it on the underside of a floor, or on a soffit thats built as a wall, etc. So the "face" would have to be "above" the family, so i made an inverted version of the loose one.

I could make another face based that applied ON to the face, like the wall based, but for now i didnt...

[mr6jam]

Ok, this helps alot and I'm on the right track thanks to you!

Now I am stuck trying to make a text parameter. I tried to make one parameter as a yes/no tyoe and then another as a text parameter. I added them in the family, but then I was not able to assign that lable to the text (by using properties box). Any suggestions?

Thanks,

James

[twiceroadsfool]

Im not clear on exactly what youre trying to do... You want the text to turn on and off with the yes/no? You cant use Text then, you have to use an Annotation symbol that has a label in it. Stupid, i know, lol...

[mr6jam]

Well we will be using these fixtures as new, existing and relocated devices. So it would be nice if there is the ability to click on the family (right in the project) and be able to change the text annotation to read either "x" or "x/r" or nothing. The yes/no parameter would probably work too if we make a family for each one and then just turn the text off when it needs to read nothing. Otherwise should I use the mtext parameter in the symbol family?

[twiceroadsfool]

You can use a different Family Type of annotation symbol, with a different value for the letter, but remember: Families (sadly) arent phase aware. So youll have to manually track those families over different phases.

IE if you do an existing RCP with a fixture tagged as New, without some trickery youre not getting it to show as existing in the next phase...

[mr6jam]

I tried, I tried pretty hard, but how the heck do I add the text label so that it can be different per type?

Do I add the label in the model family first, or in the annotation family first. Then do I assign the different value per type in the model family? I can't get it to work :(

[twiceroadsfool]

Its a Label in the Annotation Family. The Label changes per Annotation Family Type. Then the Annotation Family has a Family Type Parameter. GO in the Type properties of the hosted families, youll see that it switches Annot. family type for the different options...

Keep playing with it, youre almost there. Work backwards from the various ones posted here. Keep going backwards, and backwards and backwards, till you run out of nested families to open. :)

[mr6jam]

I got it!!!

Thanks!

[twiceroadsfool]

Glad to hear it worked out for you. :)

[brian.breslin178075]

Has anybody found any revit families with the running man logos ?

Any manufacturers done them yet?