You can create new instance parameters or type parameters for any family type.
By adding new parameters, you have more control over the information contained in each family instance or type. You can create dynamic family types for increased flexibility within the model.
To create parameters
- In the Family Editor, click Create tab
Properties panel
(Family Types). - In the Family Types dialog, click New, and enter a name for the new type.
This creates a new family type that will be available in the Type Selector when you load it into a project.
- Under Parameters, click Add.
- In the Parameter Properties dialog, under Parameter Type, select Family parameter.
- Enter a name for the parameter.
- Select a discipline.
- Select the type of parameter. See the following topics for reference.
- For Group parameter under, select a value.
After the family is loaded into a project, this value determines which group header the parameter displays under on the Properties palette.
- Optionally, under Tooltip Description, click Edit Tooltip. In the Edit Tooltip dialog, enter the tooltip text, up to 250 characters, and click OK.
- Select either Instance or Type. This defines whether the parameter is an Instance or Type parameter.
- Optionally, if you selected Instance in step 9, you can select Reporting Parameter. See About Reporting Parameters.
- Click OK.
By default, new parameters are added in ascending alphabetic order to the parameter list, within the group that you selected when creating the parameter.
- Optionally, use one of the Sorting Order buttons (Ascending or Descending) to organize the parameters within their groups into alphabetic order by parameter name.
- Optionally, in the Family Types dialog, select a parameter and use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to manually change the order of the parameters within a group.
This parameter order will be maintained in the Properties palette (instance parameters) and Type Properties dialog (type parameters) for the family when it is loaded into a project.