Clearance for Interference Checks in Families

[Tyveka]

Since we work with architecture and MEP, there are a lot of times that we need to drop in pieces of mechanical equipment into a project and keep a clear space above them for maintenance, etc.

What I'd like to be able to do is build into, say a boiler family, a clear space from the top of the boiler up about 2' to take up space for an interference check. But I do not want the space to show in my plans, 3d views, etc. So I tried this with a void, then put a floor directly above it by 1 inch.

I ran an interference check... lo and behold, no interferences detected. Not at all what I expected, since the void is part of the family...

Sooooo.... how would you recommend that we do this?

Thank you for your help!

[Scott D Davis]

Use a solid with an on/off parameter and turn it off for normal day to day work. Turn on the solid to run interference checks.

[david.kingham]

Here is a simple example of what I do...

I have visibility turned off in all views except 3d. I always create my clearances as a generic model and create subcategories, then you can turn them off in 3d if needed.

If the clearance is related to something else like a boiler I would nest the clearance family into the boiler family, this way you can always find the clearances under generic models