Cast-in Materials
Cast-in materials in IMPACT for Revit consists of two things - one face based generic model family and a database definition. This article will describe how to connect an existing IMPACT cast-in material family with the database.
Create the definition
The first step is to place the cast-in material in the right location in the company standard, either on common, local, or project level. Go to the IMPACT folder in the file explorer and place the family properly.
Figure 1: The TPA-FS family is placed at the local level.
The second step is to create the cast-in material definition. Go to IMPACT/Components/Cast-in Materials.
Figure 2: Cast-in Materials command.
In the dialog, select the proper location of where to place the definition. It should be the same as where the family is placed.
Figure 3: Local level.
If the cast-in material is existing in IMPACT for AutoCAD, the same will be visible in the dialog in IMPACT for Revit. If not (as in figure 3), the definition needs to be created. Press on "New" and fill in the CIM mark as the name.
Figure 4: Create a new definition.
NOTE! The CIM mark needs to be identical with the value specified for the IMPACT CIM Mark (2) parameter in the family. Same for the description and the parameter IMPACT CIM Description (1).
Figure 5: Parameters in the family must correspond with the data in the definition.
Continue with "OK". The cast-in material definition will now appear. There are some things that can be filled in:
- Reference - information about the cast-in material (3 above).
- Group - specify which group the cast-in material belongs to. This will help the user to find the cast-in material easier.
- Treatment - one can fill in a default value for the treatment of the cast-in material. This field can be left empty since the user have the possibility to add this value when drawing the cast-in material in the model (4 above).
The family and template will be filled in automatically after loading the family. To do this, press on "Load Family and Type". The file explorer will open up the cast-in material folder from the standard on the same level as where the definition is being created.
Figure 6: Load Family and Type
If one tries to load a family which is not containing the corresponding parameter for "IMPACT CIM Mark" the red warning message will appear. To solve this, one needs to either change the IMPACT CIM Mark parameter in the family or changing the name of the definition.
Figure 7: Warning that the CIM Mark is not corresponding with the definition.
When the desired information is filled in and when the proper family is loaded, one can finish with "OK". The cast-in material can now be used with the "Draw Cast-in Material" command. If the cast-in material should be used as a lift, bracing, dynamic CIM, or linear CIM there are some more things that need to be configured.
Configure the cast-in material as a lift or bracing
To make it possible for IMPACT to insert lifts and bracings automatically, the cast-in materials needs to be configured a bit more. Go to either IMPACT/Components/Lifts or IMPACT/Components/Bracings depending on the use of the cast-in material.
Figure 8: Lift or bracing definitions.
Select the same level of the standard as to where the cast-in material is created. Also, one need to select the element type for which the cast-in material is going to be used for. If it is going to be used for e.g. walls and beams, then the lift must be created two times.
When the above is done, just press "New" and fill in the CIM mark. Press "OK" and the definition should appear automatically. Finish with "OK".
Figure 9: Create a lift or bracing definition.
The same procedure is used for both lifts and bracings. For lifts, there is a possibility to add automatic panel thickening. Click on this link for a guide on how to configure this.
Figure 10: Add automatic panel thickening with lifts.