Wall-Based families and the Elevation Instance Property

By default when you load a wall-based family into a project, an Elevation instance property is created.  This controls the elevation of the component family from the associated level.

 

Say you’re creating some casework wall-based families and you want to control what this elevation dimension is based on.  For example the top of the cabinets versus the bottom on the cabinets.

If you want the elevation set to the top of the cabinets, open the family and go to one of the elevation views.  Locate the Top reference plane > Instance Properties.

 

Check the box for Defines Origin.

 

This will set the Elevation parameter to be based off the Top reference plane when loaded into the project versus the default reference level of the family.  You could then model your geometry based off this reference plane.

Comments

[Paul Aubin]

What happens if you check this box on more than one reference plane?

[Ryan Duell]

If you check another reference plan in elevation view to define origin, it will un-check the original reference plane. You can only have one reference plane defining the origin in elevation so whichever the last one you check will be the defining reference plane.

[Property in Turkey]

Great post. I enjoyed reading thanks.

[Greg McDowell Jr]

I've got wall based families that I think I made in Revit 2009 that don't have this instance parameter when I load it into a project. Thing is another family that I think I made at about the same time (so I assume it was in Revit 2009) does have the elevation parameter. Any idea as to what I might have missed? Is there something I can do in the family to force the issue? The only solution I've found is to nest it into a new family or rebuild (eck).

[Ryan Duell]

If the family was created in Revit 2009, this parameter should exist. If created in 2009, and then upgraded to 2010 this parameter should also follow when inserted into the project.

If the family was changed from one category to another category this could potentially occur. Although I haven’t been able to reproduce it from scratch to this point. I would try setting or creating a new reference plane in the family elevation view and set it as defining origin. Reload the family and overwrite to see if this changes anything. Then test loading the family into a new project to see if the results are the same.

If you’re on Subscription I would definitely create a service request and attach 2 families so we can better determine what may be going on. Thanks!