Got Your Repeaters in a Twist?

Repeater Index

How many times have you tried to create a 'Repeater' from multi-point adaptive components in Revit, only for the result to be a tangled mess, instead of the neat array that you were expecting? 

You may be in luck - there could be a simple solution. . . .

When you select the underlying 'Divided Path' that the repeater is hosted on, it will display the number of nodes (a blue number above the centre of the divided path)

It also shows up in the properties dialog box.  A few other useful properties are also there, including 'Show Node Numbers', which is off by default.  Try ticking the checkbox.

 It will display each node number as well as the total

If you select the other divided path, and do the same thing, you may find that the node numbers go in the opposite direction.  Unfortunately you cannot display both sets of numbers at the same time - so you need to select them individually and remember the direction

If the numbers are in opposite directions, all you need to do is reverse one of them by clicking in the 'Flip Direction' checkbox.

You might be lucky and have the repeater magically untangle itself, but that is unlikely.  More likely it will still be wrong - maybe some missing elements if the node numbers are slightly out of synch.  It is probably better to undo the repeat command before you flip the direction.

Sometimes the hosted adaptive component will disappear when you flip the direction - in which case undo and delete it first - as Revit still thinks it is out there somewhere.

If you have just one hosted adaptive component, you may find that it just gets stretched to another location when the direction is flipped.

In which case you could select the adaptive point at one end, and rehost it to the correct node on the divided path

Once the nodes are matched up you can try the Repeat command again

If that didn't solve the problem, it could be more complicated!  Have a look at some of my other posts on Repeaters - listed on the Repeater Index Page

Create Form Using Revit Repeater in 2015 R2

When I first started playing around with Repeaters in Revit 2013 a few years back, I was very disappointed to discover that you could not select a Repeater and then create a form.
Well, in version 2015 R2 & 2016 there is a new feature that goes part of the way to solving this:

New feature in 2015 R2 & 2016:  Remove Repeater

Here is how it works . . .

• Create a new mass family (in-place or external)
• Set up your rig for the repeater to be hosted on - in this case I have 4 splines (2 pairs, above each other)
• Select the path elements - in this case the 4 splines
• Use the 'Divide Path' command
• Place an adaptive component onto the equivalent points on each divided path - in this case I have a 4 point adaptive component, snapped to the first point on each one

• Up until today, I would have known that you cannot create a form out of a repeater, so I would have laboriously placed several more adaptive components onto each set of divided path points. For that reason I would keep the number of points to a minimum

• When you select each of the adaptive components, it will allow you to 'Create Form'

• Unfortunately with an organic form this is not good enough - it does not follow the splines closely.  You need more more points on the divided path, and more adaptive components - not much fun if you have to manually add them

• If you are using Revit 2015 R2 or 2016 you can take advantage of the new feature:
• Get your mass family back to only one adaptive component hosted on the divided paths with lots and lots of points (as in the image above)
• Select the adaptive component, and Repeat

• Select the Repeater, and note that the 'Create Form' icon is not available (this is even the case if you individually select just the individual elements of the repeater)
• Instead there is a new 'Remove Repater' icon - go ahead and try it

• The repeater is "Dissolved" back to individual adaptive components.  One nice thing is that they remain selected, so you can go straight to 'Create form

• Now the form follows the splines much more closely

• Unfortunately you cannot adjust the locations of individual adaptive components on the rig, nor can you adjust the number of adaptive components that make the form - 
• If you increase the number of points on the divided paths, the form contracts along the rig

 

• If you decrease the number of points, Revit will give you a warning message that it cannot create the form - not a recommended workflow!