Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
In-Place Families
Although the Autodesk
®
Revit
®
platform gives you the ability to create
an in-place family directly in your projects, this feature should be used
with care and, as a rule of thumb, only where unique objects are
required. An example in the building services world is a custom duct
transition, for which a standard, loadable family would not fit the bill. A
complex plant area is one good example of where this could occur.
Another would be loading a 3D DWG into an in-place family. This
would give you the ability for interference-checking of the external data
that would not exist if you just loaded that DWG file into Revit without
the aid of the family container.
The availability of this feature can lead to display and feature anomalies
if you happen to be collaborating with an architect or structural
engineer. For example, if the architect models a wall in place, it cannot
be copied/monitored in the MEP file and can have detrimental effects
on the performance of all models. If possible, talk to the project
architect and try to figure out a better solution for the project.
MEP families are usually distinct in their form and function, and
component families can easily be found or created to represent
equipment or fixtures, so the need to model in place can be reduced for
MEP disciplines.
Extrusions
While you're working in the Family Editor, the Home tab of the ribbon
contains the tools necessary for creating component families. The Forms
panel of the Home tab holds the tools for building solid model geometry.
In essence, all the tools are for creating extrusions; they just vary in their
functionality. The Extrusion tool is the most commonly used because it is
the most basic method for generating a solid. The idea behind creating a
solidwiththeExtrusiontoolisthatyouaregoingtosketchaprofileandthen
extrude that profile to a defined depth.
