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Templates (RFT) - this has always bothered me

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    #1

    Templates (RFT) - this has always bothered me

    I was pleased a few years back when I found out that I could edit RFT's to my taste, but as we continue to see new versions & new RFT's, I'm unhappy that the editing process isn't easier, or rather that RFT's aren't made a little more intelligently.

    My pet peeve is the basic premise that wall based families are all formatted such that the wall centerline is the working point. I have taken all wall based RFT's & changed the wall location to "exterior". Now here's what gripes me: there's a hard-coded ref plane as the wall center, but if you change the wall thickness, the "center" doesn't move - making it more than useless. I don't need to know from wall center for windows, for example, so why is the RFT so determined to force me to work with "center"?

    When a wall thickness changes (in the real world) everything still indexes from the exterior. Light fixtures, etc., yet the RFT for wall based light fixtures has the default as wall center.

    So, yeah - I've changed stuff to work as I think they should, but I'd like to see both the templates configured better from Valhalla, and we need a simpler process to edit & create new templates.

    Or have I missed something all together? My vision isn't always 20/20...


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    #2
    It's been a while since I messed with the family templates, but I believe if you change the extension to .rfa, you will be able to make the changes you want to make. Then, when you're done, change the extension back to .rft.

    Arcturis
    BIM Manager
    Associate Architect

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      #3
      That's how I do it yes...
      Martijn de Riet
      Professional Revit Consultant | Revit API Developer
      MdR Advies
      Planta1 Revit Online Consulting

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        #4
        Originally posted by rosskirby View Post
        It's been a while since I messed with the family templates, but I believe if you change the extension to .rfa, you will be able to make the changes you want to make. Then, when you're done, change the extension back to .rft.
        ...It's a good habit to keep the original .rfa too, before changing the extension. Changing the extension has the side effect of locking some elements (like reference planes/dimensions) from being copied/moved/deleted etc. I can't say it happens in all files but it definitely happens for some.

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          #5
          Never knew you could even do this. +rep This will come in handy one day.
          -Alex Cunningham

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            #6
            Originally posted by Steve_Stafford View Post
            ...It's a good habit to keep the original .rfa too, before changing the extension. Changing the extension has the side effect of locking some elements (like reference planes/dimensions) from being copied/moved/deleted etc. I can't say it happens in all files but it definitely happens for some.
            Well, I copy them to my own library as I do with all stuff that gets customized.

            Originally posted by Alex Cunningham View Post
            Never knew you could even do this. +rep This will come in handy one day.
            Yeah indeed. When setting up a library it's a great way to "automate" tasks like adding your standard Shared Parameters, Materials, etc. Also tweaking the setup (for instance with Windows I replaced the opening with a void, picked the refplane Exterior as Origin and so on). Saves a ton of time and makes your families way more consistent.
            Martijn de Riet
            Professional Revit Consultant | Revit API Developer
            MdR Advies
            Planta1 Revit Online Consulting

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              #7
              Originally posted by mdradvies View Post
              ...it's a great way to "automate" tasks like adding your standard Shared Parameters, Materials, etc. Also tweaking the setup...
              In addition to the modeled elements and annotation, you can also make changes to pretty much any setting available (units, text style, line styles, etc.) so that what's available in the family template matches what you have in your project template. I've always found it frustrating that the OOTB family templates don't all come with Thin Lines, Medium Lines and Heavy Lines. Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, a lot of them just have one of those, or sometimes none (I'm looking at you, Furniture family template).

              Arcturis
              BIM Manager
              Associate Architect

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                #8
                Well, yeah - my biggest gripe is that the OOTB templates are so poorly constructed. Lines, Wall orientation, etc. I know I can fix them but why should such basic stuff be missing or simply half-a$$ed?


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                  #9
                  Well, even if you had real fancy OOTB templates, it would probably mean I have to delete more stuff from them and replace it with my own... So I don't care all too much... LOL
                  Martijn de Riet
                  Professional Revit Consultant | Revit API Developer
                  MdR Advies
                  Planta1 Revit Online Consulting

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                    #10
                    Just to pile on to the original issue:
                    Just happens that we have been working on the same issue this week.
                    My gripe is Curtain Walls. They are ALWAYS defined as Centerline. You can't even change their justification.
                    And we will NEVER layout a Curtain Wall by it's Center. It will ALWAYS be from the Exterior face.
                    Right now we are trying to create some standard Curtain Wall Types/Mullions/Panels using our standard 4" from Exterior Face to face of glass.
                    As far as I know, that's not possible.
                    Dave Plumb
                    BWBR Architects; St Paul, MN

                    CADsplaining: When a BIM rookie tells you how you should have done something.

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