Manipulating Nested Family

Lintels are necessary when doors or windows are on a masonry wall.

Then, how can they placed in Revit?

1. Make another door family which has nested lintel family.

It's easy but two families for one same door because of only lintel? And how can make lintel schedule and tags for lintel? And if a wall type changes?

2. Place separated lintel family in a project. then easy to make lintel schedule.

But, finding, placing, aligning....it's so annoying.

Here is the way I use.

With this solution,

• No need to make another same door family for lintel.
• Lintels can be placed automatically if the wall is masonry. If masonry wall goes concrete, lintels will disappear automatically.
• Lintel schedule can be made easily.
• Tag for lintel can be placed.

1. Making a lintel family

The parameters have to be 'Shared' & 'Instance'.

And make this family 'Shared'.

2. Make a family with 'Void' instead 'Opening'.

Create a new door(or window)family or open an existing one.

Replace an Opening with a Void.

3.Load and place the lintel family just made.

4. Create another Void at the host wall for lintel.

  And make it enable to control depth for no lintel case. (I've posted about it.)

5. Give a parameter for detecting wall type.

Actually, there is no way to make a family recognize the type of host wall, but can make it  recognize thickness of it by using 'reporting parameter'. Masonry walls usually have specific thickness depends on brick size. It's usually 90mm or 190mm in Korea.

6. Make connection between the depth of the void and wall thickness using formula.

This can make the family cut masonry walls and place lintels automatically. 'IF' formula is very useful for it.

7. Finally, you have a 'Door(or Window) with Schedulable & Automatic Lintel family.

Watch how this works.

This concept can be used for lots of nested families which need schedule or automating.


Enjoy. ;-)