Adaptive Components Making Them Work For You Chris Mawson Arup
Essential Viewing Visit the following websites for essential, awesome tips and tricks! Zach Kron s blog :- buildzblogsport.com David Light s blog :- autodesk-revit.blogsport.com Robert Mana :- dorevit.blogsport.com AutoDesk :- au.autodesk.com Images courtesy of Zach Kron and David Light
What are Adaptive Components? Adaptive Components (AC) are simply a type of Revit family which when placed in a project or family and hosted to an object, will flex with that object. Originated in 2011 it could only be placed in a massing family, but now in 2012 can be loaded directly into the project. Two basic types, Placement and Shape Handle points - Placement Points (PP) = requires you to place the points on a host in the project or family. - Shape Handle Points (SH) = flex like normal shape handles when hosted to an object Images courtesy of Zach Kron
Terminology Adaptive Component - A family which can be placed on a host and which flexes when the host is flexed. Can be multi categories and placed in projects or nested in families. Skeleton - The parametric bones of any adaptive component family. Typically these are made from reference lines with the Skin extruded along these lines to form the family. Parameters are generally applied to the skeleton and used this to flex the adaptive component family. Host Geometry - The geometry which an adaptive component family is driven by, i.e. a window family can be placed in a wall, the wall being the Host. Workplane - A coordinated plane which geometry can be hosted to. Generally all geometry in Revit is hosted to workplanes. Reference Point - A reference element defining a single point in space. These can be hosted on and driven by reference lines, surfaces and adaptive points. Always used when creating an adaptive component. Placed in family then changed to either Placement Point or Shape Handle Point. Reporting Parameters Used to Report dimension values within the family. Can t be used to drive geometry directly, but can be used in formulae to calculate and drive other dimensions.
Examples of Adaptive Components Simple applications :- extrusions and voids You can easily create an extrusion or void which follows the host object when flexed. Examples :- Stepped Foundations Void by face - wall Void by work plane in floor and beams
Examples of Adaptive Components Curtain Panel Based Components You can create a normal adaptive component, then load it (nest) into a panel based component, which in turn is loaded into a mass family. This can then be flexed via a divide surface. Adaptive Component Mass family with panel based AC applied
Examples of Adaptive Components More complex applications You can create Adaptive Components for pretty much any desired shape or form Steel Bridge Truss
Exercise 1 Creating a void Adaptive Component In this exercise we shall create a void AC, which when placed in a host will cut this and any other object. You can use this same process to create a solid extrusion. Practical uses - slab setdown, recess in wall etc
Exercise 1 In this exercise we shall create a void AC, which when placed in a host will cut this and any other object. Practical uses - slab setdown, recess in wall etc. 1. Create a new AC family 2. Create reference points 3. Place points & Make Adaptive
Exercise 1 3. Check the placement type is set to Placement Point (PP) 4. Note the point numbers. To change highlight and enter a new number. This number reflects the sequence in which the point is placed, this is important when placing in a host. Create reference lines, by selecting each PP, make sure 3D snapping is on!
Exercise 1 5. Important! - Set your workplane to the horizontal plane of the PP and place a reference point over the PP. Repeat for all points setting your workplane for each point as you go. 6. Select reference points (select all and filter). Create an offset parameter by selecting the offset button in the properties box. Add a new type parameter called Offset. This will drive the depth of the void.
Exercise 1 7. Flex the parameter in family types (+ or values). As we are creating a void, make it a negative value. 8. Flex the family by dragging the PP, using the shape handles or by moving. The reference points should follow the PP. 9. With 3D snapping on, join the reference points together with reference lines.
Exercise 1 10. Select all reference lines and create a void form. Before loading into the project, ensure you tick the Cut with void box ON in the properties bar. 11. Repeat the above, selecting only the bottom reference lines and create a surface. Select the surface and create a material parameter called 100mm Setdown. Apply a material to this parameter. Create a new family type called 100mm and 50mm Setdown. Change the Offset parameter to match these values.
Exercise 1 12. Load into project. Place the AC family by face or workplane. For a slab this works best in a plan view. After placing the family, you will need to cut the host object and any other objects you want cut by the family. Benefits: - Loaded straight into project. - Flexes with host. - Volume of hosted element reduces when cut. Issues: - Be careful how you place it! - If you delete the host object(s) the family will also be deleted. - The family shape is limited to the number of PP you create.
Exercise 2 AC driven by a Curtain Panel AC s can be used in conjunction with Curtain Panels to drive the form. The next exercise is a quick example of how to create a AC family for use in a mass divided surface.
Exercise 2 1. Start a new AC family and create 6 reference points (or as many as you require) making them adaptive. Make them all Placement Points (as item 4 in Exercise 1) and make all numbers consecutive, 1 to 6 (important when placing). 2. Select all the points and select Spline Through Points 3. Create a reference point and select any point on the spline. 4. Set workplane to reference point
Exercise 2 4. Create a profile (circle) and set the radius to 100 (if your spline is too tight it won t extrude in the next step). 5. Select the spline and circle and create a form. 6. Load into project. Create or edit a mass family, divide any surface and turn on the nodes. Select 6 nodes with the family and flex the mass
Exercise 3 AC s driven by Curtain Panel You can use a predefined panel pattern based family to create a multitude of adaptive panels. The next example will show how to create one of these.
Exercise 3 1. Create a new Metric curtain panel pattern based family. By default you will see a predefined rectangular panel family, with ref. lines and AC. This can be changed by selecting the panel grid and changing it in the properties box. 2. Create 2 reference points on two opposing reference lines. Select these points and make Hosted Parameter values equal to 0.5. Basically this forces the reference point to be half way along the line it references. You can make this point any value between 0 (start) and 1 (end) of the host line, and paramatise this if required. 3. Create a reference line between these two points (3D snapping on). Create a reference point on this line and set the Hosted Parameter values to 0.5 (or any value required as above). If you flex the original points the line will flex with them.
Exercise 3 4. Set the workplane to this reference point and create a vertical reference line perpendicular to the ref. point (turn off 3D snapping). Select this line and create a permanent dimension from the temporary one. Make a parameter of this dimension (call Truss Depth). 5. Connect all 4 corner adaptive points to the bottom of the vertical reference line (3D snapping on) with 4 reference lines. Flex the truss depth parameter to make sure it works. 6. Flex the Tile pattern grids by selecting the blue rectangular grid, then change the horizontal and vertical spacing in the properties box. Check all the reference lines flex correctly. If it doesn t you will need to check all of the above steps, or sometimes it s easier to start again!
Exercise 3 7. Create 4 reference points on each of the diagonal lines, and 1 on the perimeter square 8. Set the workplane to any ref. point and create a circle (you can paramatise this radius if you like set to 200 for this exercise). Repeat above for all reference points. 9. Select the 4 perimeter ref. lines and the circle (use Ctrl & Tab) on this line and create solid form. Repeat for the 4 diagonal ref. lines and circles (you need to do this one at a time).
Exercise 3 10. Load family into massing family or project. Edit / create a mass, divide any surface, select surface and change panel type to one just created 11. You can change the parameters for the panel by selecting the family from the browser, expand the family, then right click and edit the Type Properties
Exercise 4 AC s with shape handles Another type of AC placement is by Shape Handles (SH). These work in a similar way to PP, but you have to Pick New Host after placing the family. In this next exercise we will make a flexible truss family
Exercise 4 1. Create a new AC family and place 4 points and make them Adaptive. Change 3 points to Shape Handle Points (the other point will be the insertion point for our family when loaded). 2. Join the 3 SH points with reference lines (3D snapping on). Create a ref. point on one of the ref. lines, set the workplane to this point and create a circle. 3. Extrude the circle through the reference lines to create a triangular shape, as opposite.
Exercise 4 3. Load family into Mass Family (04 Truss Framing). In this family I have set up a skeleton to already (simple splines). The loaded family will be under Generic Models in the project browser. Place it by dragging it onto the screen and placing it on the central line. 4. Next hover over the truss family and tab through the selections till you highlight the SH point in one of the corners (this can be a little tricky). Once you have selected a point select one of the other 3 lines. Repeat the above (selecting the other 2 lines) so you get a triangular shape as opposite.
Exercise 4 5. Next select the SH point of one corner and select the Host Point By Intersection, then select the reference plane nearest the point. Repeat the above for the other 2 points, picking the same reference plane. 6. The truss family is now locked to the intersection of the skeleton lines and the reference plane. Try dragging the ref. plane along the truss and see it flex. 7. You can make copies of the truss family and drag them along the curved skeleton. Extrude circles along the curves as before to create a truss like element. Flex the truss by dragging the ref. planes or curve ref. points
Chris Mawson Questions?