This method comes in handy for block and stacking of masses for the purpose of laying out relationships of departments in a large facility... so... that being said, let's get started:
Most people like the convenience of stretchable grips. But it is a good practice to use type parameters to control the widths and lengths of elements that need to resize together. Here's how you have have the best of both worlds and it is silly how simple it is:
Draw an extrusion and place a dimension along the width that you want to control. Add a label to this dimension and name it InstanceWidth.
Then create a new length parameter and name it TypeWidth.
Now you get the convenience of grips, but the power and honesty of a type parameter.
4 comments:
But the type parameter does not update. Why do you want to do this?
Good question... but it comes entirely down to making an element easier to work with where you know once you size it, will need to have its type replicated (grips are a fast and convenient way to work with forms).
This essentially makes it easier to generate new type sizes using the simplicity of instance stretchability
1.) Stretch it until you achieve the desired size
2.) Duplicate it's type and set the type parameter distances to what displays in the instance values... all future instances will take the updated size... repeat step 1 for additional type sizes required
You would obviously only schedule the instance parameter distances where the dimensions needed to be scheduled.
you would keep one type named something like "Free Size" for quickly stretching around without messing up the other types...
I followed your instructions and placed 2 instances of the same type. Adjusting the grips on one did not change the other. Some how this is not a real type parameter any more
You are correct. Stretching one will not result in others of the same type being stretched because the parametrics are truly pseudo... but when you select one that you've stretched and generate a new type out of it, you can apply the distances to the type parameters resulting in all of the same types being adjusted to these new values...
Families built this way are handy when you are diagramming relationships of departments for a facility during schematic planning stages (Block & Stack)... I can't think of very many other situations where you would get a real advantage out of families built this way... but I'm sure someone reading this will come up with something...
I have to admit this is a bit of a hair brained idea without seeing the workflow in action. Maybe I'll post a video on this at some point.
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