Managing Custom REVIT Inheritance-Based Assembly Families for Manufacturing

A method for managing custom computer-aided design (“CAD”) or building information modelling (“BIM”) content, the method comprising:

• creating a host family having a first plurality of parameters;
• creating a child family that inherits a subset of the first plurality of parameters;
• creating first and second sub-child families that each inherit a different collection of parameters from the child family;
• storing permissible values for the parameters inherited by the first and second sub-child families;
• generating, on a graphical user interface (“GUI”), for a part assembly based on the host family, selection options for assigning a first permissible value of the stored permissible values to a first parameter in the host family that causes the host family to implement the first sub-child family, wherein the selection options differ between part assemblies, the selection options preventing a user from selecting inoperable parameter values for the assembly;
• based on user selection of the selection options, determining a first permissible value of the first sub-child family to assign to a first parameter of the first plurality of parameters based on the user selection;
• and
• displaying the assembly on the GUI.

The method of claim 1, further comprising;

• assigning an identifier to the first sub-child family;
• storing the identifier in the non-transitory computer-readable medium in association with the first sub-child family;
• and
• linking the identifier to a plurality of part identifiers in the CAD program, the plurality of parts being used in the assembly.

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions for managing custom computer-aided design (“CAD”) or building information modelling (“BIM”) content, the instructions causing a processor to perform stages comprising:

• creating a host family having a first plurality of parameters;
• creating a child family that inherits a subset of the first plurality of parameters;
• creating first and second sub-child families that each inherit a different collection of parameters from the child family;
• storing permissible values for the parameters inherited by the first and second sub-child families;
• generating, on a graphical user interface (“GUI”), for a part assembly based on the host family, selection options for assigning a first permissible value of the stored permissible values to a first parameter in the host family that causes the host family to implement the first sub-child family, wherein the selection options differ between part assemblies, the selection options preventing a user from selecting inoperable parameter values for the assembly;
• based on user selection of the selection options, determining a first permissible value of the first sub-child family to assign to a first parameter of the first plurality of parameters based on the user selection;
• and
• displaying the assembly on the GUI.

A system for managing custom computer-aided design (“CAD”) or building information modelling (“BIM”) content, the system comprising:

• a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium containing instructions;
• and
• a processor that executes the instructions to perform stages comprising:
• creating a host family having a first plurality of parameters;
• creating a child family that inherit a subset of the first plurality of parameters;
• creating first and second sub-child families that each inherit a different collection of parameters from the child family;
• storing permissible values for the parameters inherited by the first and second sub-child families;
• generating, on a graphical user interface (“GUI”), for a part assembly based on the host family, selection options for assigning a first permissible value of the stored permissible values to a first parameter in the host family that causes the host family to implement the first sub-child family, wherein the selection options differ between part assemblies, the selection options preventing a user from selecting inoperable parameter values tor the assembly;
• based on user selection of the selection options, determining a first permissible value of the first sub-child family to assign to a first parameter of the first plurality of parameters based on the user selection;
• and
• displaying the assembly on the GUI.