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The Wine – Family
Aligning & Constraints – Making parametric families
doc.FamilyCreate.NewDimension
(view, line, ReferenceArray)
Dimension.AreSegmentsEqual property
Dimension.Label property
doc.FamilyCreate.NewAlignment
(view, reference1, reference2)
doc.FamilyCreate.NewReferencePlane
(start, end, cut, view)
Key areas of aligning and constraining elements of a parametric family in the editor. This is an area is unique to family editor. Some of them are common properties that we see in project environment.

New dimension in family create method as in document environment.

The AreSegmentEqual is a standard property in project and family editor.

Dimension label property is a new one that allows us to associate a parameter with a dimension and then start deriving it through family types.

New alignments to align and lock objects to each other just like labeling is real key to how things get built and fit together as one moves the other one moves along.

NewReferencePlane is generally recommended and approved way of working with family editor, it is like creating a skeleton and key reference points for the family using ref planes and then to create geometry (lines\arcs) through the ref planes, locking the elements to the ref planes but having dim and dim labeling go between the reference planes. So instead of labeling the top and bottom of an extrusion, common practice would be to draw two ref planes and dimension the distance between the ref planes, then create a extrusion which is aligned to the ref plane in the top and the bottom. Generally, this helps visualize and helps work with constraints and alignments better.