Groups - ERROR room bounding

[Rune]

I have several groups that contains 1-5 electrical fixtures and/or data devices. They are all level based.

If I turn off room bounding on the linked architecual model i get a error, and i get two choices. Either cancel or ungroup.

I also get this error when updating to a new version of the architecual model.


Any tips?

[josephpeel]

Unfortunately, after years of experience with Revit MEP, the best advice I can give is.... Dont use Groups.

I keep trying to use them, to see if autodesk have made any improvements, but then also get problems like this.
I just had a project where part of the installations was the same on 10 floors, so I tentatively made a group and copied it. Changes to the group worked fine. Then the next day I tried to open the project and was given to options: Cancel (Dont open the model. Obviously not an option) or Ungroup. So then I had to spend ages clearing up all the ungrouped **** on 10 floors...
Alongside that kind of problem, pipes get randomly disconnected, groups sometimes create new Types of themselves because something undetectable has changed in one of the instances, the Group Editor is terrible with very limited functionality, you cant update or overwrite a family if it is in a group.. I could go on...

Revit actually has 4 ways of creating repeated groups of components; Groups, Assemblies, Families and Linked Models. All of which have their own limitations.
Groups are highly unreliable, Assemblies are useless for MEP as they cant contain pipes and ducts, Nested Familes work great but cant contain Systems.... So I am increasingly pushed to use small linked models as Groups because they are stable and do everything required as far as propagating changes to all copies is concerned.

I think Autodesk are slowly moving towards using links as groups too because they have improved the 'Save Group/Sheet to New File' and 'Bind as Group' functions a lot. If you get used to pushing parts of your model out into a separate model (Save Group or 3D view on a sheet as new file), linking multiple instances and pulling them back in when required (using Bind Link) this can be very powerful. Although many links does lead to longer model opening times.

[Rune]

Not what I asked for, but i TOTALY agree.

Groups are definitive not the best way. There are many problems with it. I normalu use them in the first phase. We want to place out all the components so that we have a correct bill of material. The next fase I ungroup all.

I want a solution that have the best from groups, assemblies and shared/nested families. MagiCAD are working on manipulating assemblies so that we can use it. But my opinion is that this is something Autodesk needs to fix. Either changes how groups/assemblies work, or design another "family".