Placing Profiles

[peterdew]

Happy New Year, Everyone

I would like some help in placing Revit-LT Profiles > Framing > Steel > C-Angles, please.
I have loaded C-Channel-Profile.rfa as copy attached into a project but can't create an instance nor place it in the model.
I have read the Revit Help without success.
Does anyone have the time to tell me how, please ?

Thank you and regards
Peter

[Steve_Stafford]

The profile families are provided to permit people to create families that are based on the same profiles that structural families use. If you need to place a steel channel then you want either column, beam or bracing and to load a related family for the correct shape and size. You can use the Profile family on its own for a stair support or railing for a couple examples...as well as to create forms in the family editor.

[peterdew]

Thank you. Placing it as a Railing seems to work ok, but why not alone ?

[dkoch]

The profile family is just that, a profile describing the cross-sectional shape of a C channel shape. It is not a 3D element. If you want to place a 3D element, use a Structural Column or Structural Framing family, which, as Steve mentioned, are based on the Profile families.


For the US Metric content, these families are found in these folders, in the default installation:
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2018\Libraries\US Metric\Structural Columns\Steel\AISC 14.1
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2018\Libraries\US Metric\Structural Framing\Steel\AISC 14.1


For steel channels, the families are M_C Shapes-Column.rfa and M_C Shapes.rfa.


The folder names and, possibly, family names will vary for content for other locations, but should be found under the Libraries folder.

[peterdew]

Thanks again, David,

but why is that, please, or perhaps more importantly, why aren't there 3D element versions of angles as well ?
They are a perfectly normal piece of steel to buy, aren't they: in fact, they are probably the most common ?
Or are you saying that 3D element families are available as M_C Shapes-Column.rfa and M_C Shapes.rfa ?
I will look into them later.

regards
Peter

[dkoch]

Thanks again, David,

but why is that, please, or perhaps more importantly, why aren't there 3D element versions of angles as well ?
They are a perfectly normal piece of steel to buy, aren't they: in fact, they are probably the most common ?
Or are you saying that 3D element families are available as M_C Shapes-Column.rfa and M_C Shapes.rfa ?
I will look into them later.

regards
Peter

Exactly; those are the 3D families. For vertical elements acting as columns, use the column family. For other framing, use the other family.

As Steve mentioned, the profile families are provided so that if you need that same section in other situations, you can use them as the basis for extrusions in those situations.

[peterdew]

Thankyou again, David,

I have that folder but how can I know what Shape they are without downloading and opening them all, only to have to change their name so that I can find them again, please ? Obviously enough, I have tried a few without success.

I decided to go back to the Microsoft PC Search and found M_C Shapes.rfa, but not M_C Shapes-Column.rfa.

I opened and edited M_C Shapes-Section.rfa and saved it with a new name (adding a suffix as M_C Shapes-Section-PDA.rfa) and loaded it into a project, but when I went to Families to create an instance, I couldn't find it. I wondered if it only shows in Section Views, but tried again and still couldn't find it.

regards
Peter

[Steve_Stafford]

Revit expects you to use:

Structural Columns category = vertical structural elements - found in Structural Columns content folder (separated by materials)
Structural Framing category = horizontal (and/or sloped beams/bracing) - found in Structural Framing content folder (separated by materials)

If you work on the Structural ribbon tab you'll find buttons dedicated to Beams, Columns and Bracing...among others. Beams will require Structural Framing families and Columns will require Structural Column families.

The naming of the families in each folder tells you what shape they are based on.

[peterdew]

Hello, Steve;

having searched all the categories under the Structure tab, and the Families again, perhaps you could tell me where my M_C Shapes-Section-PDA went in my project, so that I could find it to place an instance ?
There is no family named Channel or Angle Sections in any of of the families that I can see, so in case I have missed them, would you send me a screenshot, please ?

thankyou
Peter

[Steve_Stafford]

The library structure and content supplied with Revit varies a bit from version to version (Imperial, Metric and specific language versions). The name you provide is not a stock family. In the Project Browser under Families you'll find a category for each kind of family that is loaded into your project. Assuming the family you've loaded is structural then it should be found under Structural Columns or Structural Framing (assuming column or beam). The attached images are of the stock imperial folder structure and the result of loading stock families for columns and beams into a stock template.

Image Left: Content Folders
Image Center: Structural Columns
Image Right: Project Browser with "L" families loaded (just a couple sizes/types)

Keep in mind that many structural families use a Type Catalog, a separate .txt file that defines all of the sizes the family can represent. When we load those families the type catalog will open before the family is completely loaded. We have to choose the sizes we really want in the project and then Revit will load just those sizes from the catalog. As such it is possible that the family you are trying to use is missing its Type Catalog and when you load it you're only getting a default type (whatever sizes/dimensions that were stored in the family during its creation).