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448 Chapter 20: Managing Scenes and Projects
a useful distinction between categories of a Revit
elements. It automatically separates names and
groupstheelementsin3dsMaxtomakethem
easier to work with. The new objects created in
3ds Max through file linking are grouped together
hierarchically below a special object c a l led a
Block/Style Parent (page 3–918),allowingyou
to deal w ith individual objects in the hierarchy
or with all of them as a group. This hierarch y is
similar to the one created when Architectural
Desktop objects are linked.
You can view this hierarchy, but you cannot change
it in 3ds Max. You can change the hierarchy
only indirectly by editing the elements in Revit,
exportinganupdatedDWG,andthenreloading
the drawing.
Criteria for Subdividing R evit Elements
The File Link Manager organizes Revit elem ents
into multiple 3ds Max objects based on the
following classification of elements:
•
Cate gories—Categories are the most general
class of element. They are subdivided into
model categories and annotation categories.
Model categories include doors, windows,
walls, and fur niture. Annotation categories
include dimensions, grids, levels, and text
notes.
•
Fa milies—Families are classes of elements within
a category that group elements with a common
set of parameters (properties), identical use,
and similar graphical representat ion. Different
elements within a family may have different
values of some or al l properties, but the set of
properties—their names and meaning—is the
same.
For example, six-panel colonial doors are one
family, although the doors that compose the
family come in different sizes and materials.
Most families are component fami ly files,
which means you can load them into your
project or create them from family templates.
You can determine the set of properties and
the graphical representation of the family.
Other families are ca lled system families and
are not available for loading or creating in
Revit. Autodesk Revit predefines the set of
properties and the graphical repre sentation of
system families; they include walls, dimensions,
ceilings, roofs, floors, and levels.
Beside s being a class of elements, families are
also a template that allows you to generate new
types of items that belong to this family.
•
Ty pes —Ty pes, also called a family types, are
a class of elements within a family that have
the exact same values for al l type properties.
For example, all 32x78 six-panel doors b elong
to one t ype, while all 24x80 six-p anel doors
belong to another ty p e. Like a family, a type
is also a template that generates new instances
of this type.
•
Instances—Instances are the actual items that
have specific locations in the building (model
instances) or on a draw ing sheet (annotation
instances).
3dsMaxorganizesandnamesfilelinkedobjectsto
reflect their str uc ture in Revit, using a parent-child
hierarchy. The parent object is a Block/Style
Parent named category <family : type>,andthe
Block/St y le Parent has one or more child objects
named category <family : type> subcatego ry1,
category <family : type> subcategory2, and s o
forth.
For example, if a sing le-flush door object in Revit
is linked to 3ds Max, it will have a parent-child
hierarchy displayed as a parent object, Doors
<Single-Flush : 34” x 80”>,withthreechildren,(2)
Doors <Single-Flush : 34” x 80”> Frame/Mullion
and a D oors <Single-Flush : 34” x 80”> Panel.
The objects will be linked together with a l l
the other comp onents of the door, but you
could modify the material properties of the two