Rotational Parameters and Face-Based Nested Families

We often come across requests or recommendations for adding rotational controls to family geometry.  This is most commonly present for door swings, hinge type families, or geometry which needs to rotate around a given point in a family.  I wanted to pass along a recommendation which typically works well.

The first step is to separate the family geometry [which will be rotated] into a separate face-based family.  Face-Based families offer additional flexibility when placing the nested family into the host family.  By utilizing a reference line for the rotational basis, the face-based family can be hosted onto the reference line by the “Place on Work Plane” option.  By using the “TAB” key the two planes of the reference line can be specified, as well as the “SPACE” key to designate the nested family rotation during placement.

 

With the reference line in place and an angular dimension parameter attached, the nested face-based family will rotate with the reference line it is hosted on.  I have outlined an example process in the video below:

Video Example

Please keep in mind this process can be applied to other scenarios for family creation.  I typically recommend a reference line over a reference plane because a reference line can be aligned and constrained using the end point.  This is often useful for a family rotating along an end point.  In addition you can check the “Shared” option in the nested family under “Category and Parameters” to ensure visibility and scheduling occur as needed.

Comments

[Bill Spence]

Nice tutorial. The reference line should be placed at the corner of the frame where the hinge is located not the corner of the wall. Most Revit doors, even the ones from the factory are built incorrectly. Why does it matter? b/c when clearances are tight, especially for ADA minimums taking the frame thickness into account matters.

[Ryan Duell]

Thanks for the comment Bill; that is a good point regarding ADA specifications. You could definitely place the reference line as needed depending on the family geometry. I hope this helps for future family scenarios as well. Thanks again.

[Jay]

Not sure if anyone will ever read this but...

Any idea how to get a sybolic swing line to work with this door?

Finding it hard to get the line to work...