Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> constraint problems

dan5606

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Joined: Mon, Aug 18, 2008
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I am trying to make a revit family in arch2009. I modeled an object in 3ds, exported as .dxf2007, imported into revit wall based plumbing family. I can get this object to constrain to a flexible ref plane in elevation (labeled) OR the wall surface ref plane in plan to adjust to varying wall thicknesses, BUT NOT BOTH (when I constrain both it doesn't flex). So I'm stuck with flexing properly but not adjusting to wall thicknesses OR inserting properly on the wall but not flexing in elevation. I have tried every odd-ball method to get this to work but just can't.

 This thing just seems like it's not behaving like it is supposed to. . . any help would be appreciated. Attached are the .rfa with the object inserted (but not yet constrained) and the .dxf of the modeled object.

 Thanks for your time in advance,

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Typhoon

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Joined: Tue, May 22, 2007
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The problem in this it's you import a DXF or DWG(it's the same) to the family and it's like a "Block" in CAD so when you create Ref. Planes and dimensions to it it don't respect because it's a Block, if you explode the block it dissapear, whatyou must to do is create the ref. planes, dimensions and add parameters to those dimension to be parametric and you can control the position of the element BUT, you ALSO must ignore that "Block" and create in Revit the Model of that block so in this way you can attach the lines in Revit to Ref. Planes and constrained to those parameters (dimension), only that you can "control" what do you want...

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I Hope and I Wish to LEARN  more, and more, and more.... REVIT

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timbo89

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Joined: Thu, Dec 13, 2007
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Does this family work?

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• Core 2 Duo E8400 3ghz
• 756mb Nvidia 9600GSO 256bit
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dan5606

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Joined: Mon, Aug 18, 2008
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Typhoon and Timbo89, thanks for responding to my problem.

Timbo89, your solution works but there is a second part of the problem I hadn't previously disclosed. The reason I need the object to flex with a label is because the next step is to add a dial below the shower head for control with it's own flexible label. I will want both the dial and the head to flex independently so I can dictate the height location above floor for both and they may be varying distances between them from instance to instance. Some showers may require two sets of controls to meet ADA also so eventually I may need to flex 3 or more objects. I'll attach the .dxf file for the control dial if you want to give it a whirl.

Typhoon, I immediatly suspected that revit was having problems with the .dxf objects I imported. I tried importing the object as a .skp file too; also without luck. I assume it should work because A: Revit advertises it can import objects of those file types; if importing the file types is worthless then why is the feature even there? and B: It respects the locks to either ref plane UNTIL I lock it in two directions; in fact, it still allows me to lock it in both directions, it just won't flex after I do that. That tells me it's recognizing the surfaces being tied to the ref planes but there is some problem with locking in more than one direction. I think you're right about how to proceed and my next step is to just model the object(s) in revit so they're revit objects; and they'll probably work then. As a test, I modeled a simple cube and imported it using the same methods and it had the same constraint problems as the complex objects composing the shower head, further confirming a problem with the object creation method. So either I'm missing something or revit must not be able to work with those imported files in which case I'd say thanks to autodesk for the heads up in the help file that even though you can import these objects they will be worthless. Sorry (not really) just a little frustrated.

Thanks again,

Dan

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Typhoon

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Joined: Tue, May 22, 2007
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Hi DAN, "you can import these objects they will be worthless", well if you have some wierd object with wierd shape and you can't create in Revit so you have the oportunity to create in Max or Rhino, export in SAT and in CAD import and save to DWG or DXF, so Revit can import that object(s) and you can in MASSING, create a "Wall by face" or "Roof by Face" and so one.... so if revit won't be able to import in this format, i don't know but i do Obj. in Rhino like "Swept blend" but with 3 differents shapes and create solids and "Twist" them in one piece in a few minutes and if i try to do that in Revit, well, i don't know but i think i spend several hours (maybe days) to do that....

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I Hope and I Wish to LEARN  more, and more, and more.... REVIT

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dan5606

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Joined: Mon, Aug 18, 2008
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Update: I made the objects in Revit and they work. Attached is the new .rfa with revit objects. I just don't get the problem with the imported objects. I don't think the objects I created were too complex. They are complex just in that they were made from a few different shapes but the shapes were'nt twisted or contorted or lofted around some crazy spline and they have flat surfaces where they need to align to ref planes.

I think I agree with Typhoon, (if I understand correctly) modeling is faster and the creation process is all around better in programs specifically made for modeling. It seems difficult to model in revit without using sometimes many many ref planes. The few tools "attached" to revit to accomplish the same modeling task seem slower and clunkier. It would be nice to be able to use imported objects properly or if revit had a way to translate those object files to make them usable. I'll admit that my skills using the revit tools need to be better and that we need to balance how detailed our objects need to be. I think probably to some extent the software and hardware cababilities will dictate the level of articulation of the objects we use in revit.

 OR I'm just missing something in my original question and there is no problem at all. . .

 Thanks again,

Dan

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Typhoon

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Joined: Tue, May 22, 2007
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yeah, DAN, you understand correctly, if you go to my profile you can see 2 or 3 photos with obj. created in Rhino in few seconds and import to Revit, In Revit, and in this case 2009, they put "Solid/Void Swept Blend" and this command ONLY accept 2 profiles and if you see when you draw a "spline" and try to control them to the 3 AXIS, you can't, because (for yet) "he" works only in 2 AXIS, so in Rhino you can draw a spline and change the points in the 3 Axis, so, i don't say there are obj. that's impossible to do in Revit, but the REAL is if you try to make them in revit you spend a LOT of TIME to do that, and if you use other "acomplish" Software you can do in a few Min/Sec. some times. I Like and Love Revit but we must see the TIME we waste to do something and in my land we said " TIME IS MONEY".... so i use Rhino or MAx if i could make something in 2 minutes and in Revit i take 2 Hours....

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I Hope and I Wish to LEARN  more, and more, and more.... REVIT

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