REVIT Blog Series With Justin Gillard – Series #3 Modelling Anything, Anywhere Part 2 – Model in the Family Editor Environment

Justin Gillard, BIMgineer® and Sr. BIM Consultant

Modelling Anything, Anywhere in Revit,  Part 2 – Model in the Family Editor Environment

Revit Family Editor Environment – Basic Principles of Modelling 

• Sketch out or review the components of your Family and identify which are the major or driving components and which are sub components of them
• Create a primary framework using Reference Planes for the major components and plan how the subcomponents will be driven by them
• Create the Parameters that will drive the primary framework and facilitate Family Type variants
• Create the required secondary Reference Planes or Forms that are Aligned to or Dimensionally Constrained to the primaries
• Create any Parameters that will work in relation to the primary framework

This approach:

• Requires less Parameters overall to drive the primary framework which the secondary Forms in turn follow, maintaining consistent geometric relationships
• Requires less time to create and troubleshoot when your Family is not flexing in the desired way

Establishing The Primary Framework & Forms

Step 1) To identify and differentiate primary from secondary Reference Planes  I am using Revit 2017 and have created the Annotation Object Subcategories

Step 2) Using the Door Template .RFT Draw the primary Reference Planes  that will drive the sides and top of your door leaf and Padlock them in to Constraint with the Default ‘Height’ and ‘Width’ Parameters

Step 3) Method: Planar Modelling – Draw and Constrain a primary Reference Plane driving the distance from the ‘Exterior’ Wall Face to the opening Face of the door leaf and name it ‘Opening Face’. Now make this the current Work Plane in your open Views

Step 4) With the minimal primary framework in place and Work Plane Set, now Extrude the primary Form of the door leaf and Constrain it to the primary Reference Planes

Note: The geometry of the primary Form of the Extruded Door leaf becomes the host for subsequent secondary Forms or Reference Planes

Establishing The Secondary Framework & Forms

Step 1) Method: Edge Modelling – Create a Sweep and Pick Path from the primary leaf’s edges to define the field mouldings geometry then apply the Profile

Note: Whatever changes are made to the primary geometry of the door leaf Form, the secondary field moulding will follow with no need for more control via Ref Planes and Parameters

Step 2) Method: Face Modelling – Continuing the use of primary driven geometry let’s add the secondary raised panel. Any face of the door leaf or moulding parallel to the new panel can be used. Use Work Plane>Set>Select a plane and pick a usable Face and define a secondary Extrusion relative to the secondary mouldings

Flexing the Framework & Forms

Step 1) To conclude this exercise change the primary Parameter Width and ‘Opening Face’ distance to see all secondary geometry follow the primary geometry Constrained to it. Successful rapid and simple to follow up with edits

Final Notes:

Good planning and a robust primary framework of Ref Planes and Forms will facilitate Families created and edited more efficiently and understood by users other than the original author.

If you found this useful, check out Part 1.    Series #3 Modelling Anything, Anywhere Part 1 – Model-in-Place in the Project Environment  

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