Family Editor Enhancements
By utilizing existing tools from the massing (conceptual design) environment, as well as implementing a few key new features, the family editor environment has been made easier to use and more powerful. Check out Revit Architecture 2011 family editor new enchancements.
1. Loose-labeled Dimensions and Visual Display of Related Parameters
New features such as loose-labeled dimensions and the visual display of related parameters take a lot of the guesswork out of editing and testing various parameter values. Simply by choosing a labeled parameter and clicking the Related Dimensions button on the Options bar, you can immediately see onscreen when multiple parameters are related with a formula. This can be very valuable when editing complex families or families created by someone else.
In addition, you can test family parameter values interactively by directly manipulating geometry, rather than opening the Family Types dialog box. By simply dragging geometry, labeled parameters values are automatically updated. And labeled parameter values can be edited directly in the view, via their dimensions, similar to editing temporary dimensions. The values that are generated by directly manipulating model geometry or dimensions in-canvas are assigned to the current Family Type, which can be seen when I open the Types dialog. These new capabilities enable quick-and-easy testing of multiple parameter values, which helps provide a smoother design workflow.
2. Reporting Parameters
Reporting parameters are a new type of instance parameter that can be applied in a variety of ways to achieve powerful results. Rather than driving geometry, they have their value driven by elements in the family model. They can expose and report their dimensional value at any time for use in unlimited downstream workflows.
So in this example, I’ve created parameters for each of the edges of the curtain panel which I will then leverage in the project environment. Once I’ve loaded the panel into this project what I want to check for is the area of each panel instance. By creating a calculated value in my schedule which multiplies the
reported dimension of each instance of Edge 1 by the dimension of Edge 2, I can quickly evaluate the structural viability of each panel with respect to its surface area. If the area exceeds a recommended value, in this case 30 SF, I will have it automatically highlighted in my schedule, using conditional formatting.
Payoff (Family Editor Enhancements):
These additions and enhancements make it easier and more intuitive to work with parameters in the Family environment and extend the capabilities of Instance Parameters for valuable downstream applications.
Check out this Video by Autodesk:
Comments