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618 | ChaptEr 14 Designing with the Family eDitor

3. In the drawing area, select the solid revolve, and in the Properties palette, set the
Subcategory parameter to Tables.

4. Save the family, and then click the Load Into Project command in the ribbon. First, reload
the leg family into the table family, and then reload the table family into the c14 Desk
Project.rvt file. When prompted, choose the option to overwrite the existing family.

You will now notice in the c14 Desk Project that the table legs are turned off along with
the other elements of the tables.
When you are editing a nested family, you could reload the family directly into the project
without reloading it into the host family. We recommend working your way back through each
family so that the original host family RFA file is maintained in your project content library.

applying parametric arrays and Family type parameters
For the final exercise, you will work with additional nested families, but you will now learn
how to apply a Family Type parameter and use parametric arrays. The steps in the following
exercises must be carefully applied in the correct order or the flexibility in the family may be
disrupted. More complex families are prone to errors if you build them quickly and without
care, so take your time and review each step along the way.
You will begin by loading two different chair families into the c14 Table.rfa family.
Download the files Chair-Dining-1.rfa and Chair-Dining-2.rfa from this book’s web page
at www.sybex.com/go/masteringrevit2015. These modified families were originally
downloaded from the RevitCity.com website.

1. In the c14 Table.rfa file, activate the Ref. Level floor plan. From the Create tab in the
ribbon, click the Component tool. If you haven’t already loaded the two chair families,
click the Load Family command in the ribbon.
2. From the Type Selector, choose the Chair-Dining-1 family and place one chair along the
upper edge of the table.
Remember to press the spacebar to rotate the chair as needed before you place it.
3. Exit the Component command and select the chair you placed in the previous step. In
the Options bar, choose <Add parameter…> from the Label drop-down list. Create a new
parameter named Chair Type. Note that the parameter type is <Family Type>.
This kind of parameter will let you apply different families that are nested in the host
family.

Also it is important that all nested families with which you intend to utilize a family
type parameter must be of the same category. For example, one of the chairs originally
downloaded from the RevitCity.com website was assigned to the Furniture Systems
category, whereas the other was in the Furniture category. Therefore, the two nested
families could not be assigned to the same family type parameter.
4. With the chair still selected, click the Edit Type button in the Properties palette. Click the
AFP button for the Chair Material parameter. Create a new parameter named Nested
Chair Material, and then click OK to close the open dialog boxes.

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