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HKarlo

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I reckon this is a very specifical request, but I guess it would be a useful thread both for me to better understand component creation, and for pointing out some principles.

I need to model a component that will act like a sort of V shaped column. I need to have custom instance parameters letting me decide the angle between the two columns, plus decide the height of the two columns; I would also like the columns to be associated with the roof or floor above.

I've started trying it out, but things never work well... it seems that I haven't really understood some concepts behind it... so, I'm not giving you my version. I'll upload the family with the geometry alone, without any parameters!

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Mr Spot

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Just with what you've written there is a fundamental dilemma with what you are trying to achieve. You want to be able to decide the height of the two columns but you also what to have them associated to levels or roofs/floors.

 Its one or the other you can't have both.  That is if you constrain to a level, the height is worked out automatically, if you constrain to a height then you can't link it to the level otherwise you would be constraining the level height as well...

As for attaching to a roof or floor above, you won't be able to do this automatically... well correction you can, but it will usually get it wrong.  For this reason you would just use an offset from level parameter.

You need to begin without using geometry and just use reference planes.  Constrain these and get it "flexing" correctly, then add geometry and constrain that to your reference planes.

Let me know how you ago.  I try to avoid just doing it for people these days as you don't learn that way

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Chris.

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HKarlo

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Of course!

well, but I'm not trying to achieve both at the same time. What I mean is, when you add a wall or column, you have the option of having either an unconnected height that you manually type in, or have it connected with a level (and a certain offset), or have it associated with a roof or floor. It's either/or, but  the object itself is able to perform all these things. The thing is, I'm not sure how to acheve that. Are my reference planes going to be perpendicular to the columns, or horizontal, for instance?

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