Place Openings Manually

Introduction

Sometimes the reference element (e.g. a duct or pipe) is not yet available as a 3D element in your model. In that case, you can place openings manually to reserve space in walls, floors, or ceilings before the automatic creation process runs.

When you place or copy an opening manually, ConVoid sets the drawing status to "Manually". This status cannot be changed afterwards.

Automatic linking at a later stage

If a reference element is added later and penetrates a manually placed opening, ConVoid will automatically connect them when you run the creation or update process. ConVoid then updates the opening's size and location to match the reference element. For this to work, the opening dimensions and center position must be within ±5 cm of the reference element. See the warning below for details.

Automatically Set Parameters

When you place an opening manually, ConVoid automatically fills in these parameters for you:

• Opening Elevation Values
• Discipline (of your Profile)
• Drawn by (of your Profile)
• Drawn Date
• Drawn Status
• Room Values
• Grid Location

Place an Opening

Select the tab that matches the type of opening you want to place.

Horizontal Openings (Walls)

Use this workflow to place wall openings in a Floor Plan or Ceiling Plan.

1. Open the Floor Plan or Ceiling Plan where you want to place the opening.

2. In the Revit Project Browser, expand the section Families. Look for the Generic Model category and select a horizontal ConVoid opening family.

3. Drag and drop the family type into your current view.

4. In the green Ribbon Tab Menu that appears above your view, select the Height and the Level. The Level should represent the Top Level of the Host Element (e.g. the top level of the wall).

5. Place the opening at the desired location in your 2D view.

6. Set the Width, Height, Diameter, and Depth parameters to match the reference element dimensions. Alternatively, use the arrows at the edges of the opening to resize it.

7. To add a clearance zone, set the Oversize Left/Right/Back/Front/Bottom/Top parameters.

8. To modify the Level, Elevation, Shape, or Alignment, use the features in the Modify Void tab.

Vertical Openings (Floors/Ceilings)

Use this workflow to place floor or ceiling openings in a Floor Plan or Ceiling Plan.

1. Open the Floor Plan or Ceiling Plan where you want to place the opening.

2. In the Revit Project Browser, expand the section Families. Look for the Generic Model category and select a vertical ConVoid opening family.

3. Drag and drop the family type into your current view.

4. In the green Ribbon Tab Menu that appears above your view, select the Height and the Level. The Level should represent the Top Surface of the Floor.

5. Place the opening at the desired location in your 2D view.

6. Set the Width, Length, Diameter, and Depth parameters to match the reference element dimensions. Alternatively, use the arrows at the edges of the opening to resize it.

7. To add a clearance zone, set the Oversize Left/Right/Back/Front/Bottom/Top parameters.

8. To modify the Level, Elevation, Shape, or Alignment, use the features in the Modify Void tab.

Polygonal Vertical (Floors/Shafts)

ConVoid offers polygonal openings with 3 to 12 sides. These openings must be placed manually. You can skip this section if you do not need polygonal shapes.

Polygonal openings suppress redundant smaller openings: When a polygonal opening is in place and you run the automated creation or update process, ConVoid will automatically exclude rectangular or circular openings that fall inside the polygon. This is useful for shaft areas where many pipes pass through a single large opening. The polygonal opening still receives all reference and host element information.

1. Import the required vertical polygonal ConVoid family into your project. You can find the families in the ConVoid library.

2. Switch to a Floor Plan or Ceiling Plan. Placing in a Ceiling Plan is more challenging: ensure the view range is set to the top surface of the floor, and consider hiding the floor category so you can select the polygon points.

3. Select the opening, choose a Work Plane, and place the opening on it.

   
   

   Do not place on a face: Avoid placing vertical polygonal openings on a face, as this can cause issues.

4. Place the points in a clockwise direction. To adjust a point, hover over it and press TAB until it is highlighted, then move it.
5. Adjust the shadow symbol by moving the point at the center corner of the black region.
6. Set the Depth parameter to match the thickness of the floor.
7. To display a dashed symbol in the level beneath, set the Offset Base Symbol parameter to match the level height.

Polygonal Horizontal (Walls)

ConVoid offers polygonal openings with 3 to 12 sides. These openings must be placed manually. You can skip this section if you do not need polygonal shapes.

Polygonal openings suppress redundant smaller openings: When a polygonal opening is in place and you run the automated creation or update process, ConVoid will automatically exclude rectangular or circular openings that fall inside the polygon. This is useful for shaft areas where many pipes pass through a single large opening. The polygonal opening still receives all reference and host element information.

1. Import the required horizontal polygonal ConVoid family into your project. You can find the families in the ConVoid library.

2. Switch to a section view.

3. Select the family and pick the plane of the Host Element. Press TAB to select the plane.

4. Place the points in a clockwise direction. If you have trouble aligning the polygon, use detail lines as a reference.
5. Adjust the shadow symbol by moving the point at the center corner of the black region.
6. Set the Depth parameter to match the thickness of the wall.
7. Adjust the visibility of the symbols in a 2D view using the Offset Symbol Side and Symbol Sides parameters.

Use Oversize parameters for clearance - not Width/Height

When setting the opening size, the Width, Height, Length, Diameter, and Depth parameters must represent the actual size of the reference element (e.g. a duct or pipe). If you need a larger opening for clearance, use the Oversize parameters (Left, Right, Top, Bottom, Front, Back) instead. If you increase Width/Height directly, ConVoid will not be able to automatically link this opening to a reference element later, because the dimensions will not match within the ±5 cm tolerance.