Create a Cellular Beam Family - A Method - Part 4 - Generic Model Steel Half Beam Family

This video shows how to create the Steel UB Half beam to be nested into the Cellular Beam Family. The main points are outlines below:

• Create a new family from the 'Metric Generic Model' template
• Under 'Family Category and Parameters', uncheck 'always vertical' and check 'work plane based' 
• Add a family parameter 'Length'. Set this to instance
• In plan, add a reference plane. Dimension the reference planes as shown and label the dimension with the 'Length' parameter. Add a round easy figure, in this case 15000. Make it fairly long, to give plenty of breathing room for the cell void array

Add the following family parameters and set to instance:

• Cell Run Dim - (Length)
• Cell Qty - (Integer)
• Cell End Dim - (Length)

Add the following family parameter and set to instance. Add value as per the video:

• D - (Length) - (Depth of Section)

Add the following family parameters and set to type. Add values to the parameters as per the video:

• B - (Length) - (Width of Section)
• T - (Length) - (Flange Width)
• t - (Length) - (Web Thickness)
• r - (Length) - (Root Radius)

These should correspond to the parameters created in the 'Profile Steel Tee Family'

Add the following parameters from the shared parameter file and set to instance. Add values to the parameters as per the video: (Note, the video shows type parameters for these; this was an error)

• Cell Pitch - (Length)
• Cell Diameter - (Length)

Add formulas to the parameters:

• Cell Run Dim - (Cell Pitch * Cell Qty) - Cell Pitch
• Cell Qty - Length/Cell Pitch
• Cell End Dim - (Length - Cell Run Dim) /2

Next onto creating some geometry

• Load the Profile Tee & Cell Half Void families
• Under the project browser, click each of the loaded families above and through link the parameters as shown
• Create a new solid sweep using the Tee profile. Lock of the sweep path as shown
• Add symbolic lines. Set the workplane to the top flange, use the pick tool to the web lines and lock off and dimension as shown. 
• Add a cell void to the face of the web as shown
• In elevation, add a reference plane, dimension and label with the 'Cell End Dim' parameter
• Align the cell void to the reference planes as shown and lock. Under the properties for the cell void, uncheck the 'visible' 
• Pick the cell void and the reference plane as shown. Select the linear array command, check 'Group and Associate', 'Last' and 'Constrain'. label the array number dimension with the 'Cell Qty' parameter
• Dimension the reference planes in the first and last groups of the array. Label this with the 'Cell Run Dim' parameter