revit model content style guide
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REVITMODELCONTENTSTYLEGUIDE
December2009
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Copyright 2009 Autodesk, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
This publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduc ed in any form, by any method, for any purpose.
AUTODESK, INC., MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE
MATERIALS, AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS.
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THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO AUTODESK, INC., REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, SHALL NOT
EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN.
Autodesk, Inc., reserves the right to revise and improve its products as it sees fit. This publication describes the state of the
product at the time of publication, and may not reflect the product at a ll times in the future.
Autodesk Trademarks
The following are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries: 3D Props, 3D Studio, 3D
Studio MAX, 3D Studio VIZ, 3DSurfer, 3ds max, Ac tiveShapes, Ac tiveShapes (logo), Actrix, ADI, AEC Authority (logo), AEC-
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combustion, Design Your World, Design Your World (logo), EditDV, Education by Design, gmax, Heidi, HOOPS, Hyperwire,
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Powered with Autodesk Technology (logo), ProjectPoint, RadioRay, Reac tor, Revit, Softdesk, Texture Universe, The AECAuthority, The Auto Architect, VISION*, Visual, Visual Construction, Visual Drainage, Visual Hydro, Visual Landscape, Visual
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AutoTrack, Built with ObjectARX (logo), burn, Buzzsaw.com, CAiCE, Cinestream, Civil 3D, cleaner central, ClearScale,
Colour Warper, Content Explorer, Danc ing Baby (image), DesignC enter, Design Doctor, Designer's Toolkit, DesignKids,
DesignProf, DesignServer, Design Web Format, DWF, DWFit, DWG Linking, DXF, Extending the Design Team, GDX Driver,
gmax (logo), gmax ready (logo),Heads-up Design, jobnet, ObjectDBX, onscreen onair online, Plans & Specs, Plasma,
PolarSnap, Productstream, Rea l-time Roto, Render Queue, Visual Bridge, Visual Syllabus, and Where Design C onnects.
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The following are registered trademarks of Autodesk Canada Inc. in the USA and/or Canada, and/or other countries:
discreet, fire, flame, flint, flint RT, frost, glass, inferno, MountStone, riot, river, smoke, sparks, stone, stream, vapour, wire.
The following are trademarks of Autodesk Canada Inc., in the USA, Canada, and/or other countries: backburner, Multi-
Master Editing.
Third Party Trademarks
All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
Third Party Software Program Credits
AC IS Copyright 1989-2001 Spatial Corp. Portions Copyright 2002 Autodesk, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Flash is a registered trademark of Macromedia, Inc. in the United States and/ or other countries.
International Correc tSpell Spelling Correc tion System 1995 by Lernout & Hauspie Speech Produc ts, N.V. All rights
reserved.
InstallShield 3.0. Copyright 1997 InstallShield Software Corporation. All rights reserved.
PANTONE Co lors displayed in the software application or in the user doc umentation may not match PANTONE-
identified standards. Consult current PANTONE Color Publica tions for accurate color.PANTONE and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. Pantone, Inc., 2002
Pantone, Inc. is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to Autodesk, Inc., to distribute for
use only in combination with certain Autodesk software produc ts. PANTONE Color Data and/ or Software shall not be
copied onto another disk or into memory unless as part of the execution of this Autodesk software produc t.
Portions Copyright 1991-1996 Arthur D. Applega te. All rights reserved.
Portions of this software are based on the work of the Independent J PEG Group.
RAL DESIGN RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002
RAL CLASSIC RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002
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Representation of the RAL Colors is done with the approval of RAL Deutsches Institut fr Gtesicherung und
Kennzeichnung e.V. (RAL German Institute for Qua lity Assuranc e and Certification, re. Assoc .), D-53757 Sankt Augustin.
Typefac es from the Bitstream typeface library copyright 1992.
Typefac es from Payne Loving Trust 1996. All rights reserved.
AutoCAD 2006 is produced under a license of data derived from DIC Color Guide from Dainippon Ink and C hemicals,
Inc. Copyright Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc. All rights reserved. DIC Color Guide computer color simulations used
in this product may not exac tly match DIC Color Guide, DIC color Guide Part 2 identified solid color standards. Use
current DIC C olor Guide Manuals for exact color reference. DIC and DIC C olor Guide are registered trademarks of
Dainippon Ink and C hemicals, Inc.
Printed manual and help produced with Idiom WorldServer .
WindowBlinds: DirectSkin OCX Stardock
AnswerWorks 4.0 ; 1997-2003 WexTec h Systems, Inc. Portions of this software Vantage-Knexys. All rights reserved.
The Direc tor General of the Geographic Survey Institute has issued the approval for the coordinates exchange
numbered TKY2J GD for J apan Geodetic Datum 2000, also known as technical information No H1-N0.2 of the
Geographic Survey Institute, to be installed and used within this software product (Approval No.: 646 issued by G SI, April
8, 2002).
Portions of this computer program are copyright 1995-1999 LizardTech, Inc. All rights reserved. MrSID is protected by
U.S. Patent No. 5,710,835. Foreign Patents Pending.
Portions of this computer program are Copyright ; 2000 Earth Resource Mapping, Inc.
OSTN97 Crown C opyright 1997. All rights reserved.OSTN02 Crown copyright 2002. All rights reserved.
OSGM02 Crown copyright 2002, Ordnanc e Survey Ireland, 2002.
FME Objects Engine 2005 SAFE Software. All rights reserved.
GOVERNMENT USE
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subjec t to restrictions as set forth in FAR 12.212 (Commercial
Computer Software-Restricted Rights) and DFAR 227.7202 (Rights in Tec hnica l Data and Computer Software), as
applicable.
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CONTENTS
FeedbackontheGuide7
Audience7
Definition:QualityRevitContent7
Contents8
SupplementaryFiles8
AdditionalFiles9
Section1:PlanningRevitModelContent10
RecommendedRevitReleaseandDisciplineforContentCreation10
1.1 DeterminingDesignIntent11
DeterminingtheTemplatetoUse11
FamilyRepresentations12
1.2 BalancingPerformanceandDesignComplexity16
DesignIntentvs.Performance16
RecommendedFamilyFileSizes18
LevelofDetail19
ElementVisibility20
Areasto
Avoid
for
Optimum
Performance
20
ExamplesofFamilieswithAppropriateandcomplexLevelsofDetail21
ConsiderationsforNestingFamilyContent22
NestingRecommendations:22
1.3AutodeskExchangeFormat(.ADSK)23
AECExchangeEnvironment23
CreatingIntelligentConnectors23
SimplifyingtheGeometricRepresentation24
Publishingtothe.ADSKformat24
reading.ADSKfiles25
ImportingintoRevitFamilies25
Limitations25
1.4 UsingImportedContent26
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SupportedContent26
Limitations26
1.5PlanningaRevitModelFamily27
Section2:ModelContentCreationStandards28
2.1 WorkflowforModelContentCreation29
Prototyping30
2.2 FamilyUnits30
2.3 FamilyNamingConventions31
2.4 TypeNamingConventions33
2.5 CategoryandSubcategoryStandardsandUsage35
AddingSubcategoriesToModelFamilies35
SubcategoryNamingConventions36
2.6 AutodeskApprovedParameterUsage37
AddingManufacturerDatatoFamilies38
CSIOmniClassTable4938
CSIClassificationCodes39
AssigningtheMasterFormatandUniFormatClassificationinRevit39
AssigningtheOmniClassclassificationinRevit(Revit2010andlater)40
2.7 ParameterNamingConventions41
2.8 MaterialNamingConventions44
Guidelines44
FormatForIndividualFinishMaterials(StoredInsideProjects)44
FormatForIndividualFinishMaterialsUsinganExternalImageFile45
FormatForIndividualMaterialsImages(StoredOutSideofRevit)45
2.9 PreviewImageStandards46
CreatingAutodesk
Standard
Family
Preview
Images
47
2.10 TypeCatalogStandardsandUsage52
TypeCatalogStandards52
2.11 MaterialApplicationinModelFamilies54
Option1ApplyMaterialswiththeMaterialParameter54
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Option2ApplyMaterialstoFamilyGeometrybyCategoryandSubcategory55
Option3ApplyMaterialswithCustomInstanceorTypeMaterialParameters55
Example:AssigningMaterialstoaTableFamily56
2.12 BestPracticesfo rAdding Connectors in RevitMEPFamilies58
AddingaConnector58
SystemTypes59
ConnectorDirection60
PrimaryConnector60
LinkingConnector61
ConnectorMapping62
ConnectorDescriptions63
Section3:TestingGuidelines64
3.1GeneralFamilyTestingGuidelines65
FamilyEditorTestingCriteria65
ProjectTestingCriteriaforRevitArchitecture66
3.2 FamilySpecificTestingGuidelines67
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INTRODUCTION
ThepurposeofthisguideistodefineAutodeskguidelinesandstandardsformodelcontentcreationinRevit
Architecture,RevitMEP,andRevitStructure.Modelcontentreferstothetwodimensionalandthree
dimensionalstandardcomponentfamiliesthatareusedtocreateelementsthatrepresentmanufacturedcontent
(forexample,windows,furnaces,heatpumps,andstructuralsteelmembers).
Byfollowingtheguidelinesandstandardsinthisguide,contentcreatorswillensuretheportabilityand
performanceoftheircontent,andfulfillthenecessarydistributionrequirementsfortheAutodeskSeekweb
service.TheAutodeskSeekwebservicerequires:
theuniformdisplayofproductsofferedbyasinglemanufacturer
complete,consistent,andaccuratepresentationofproductdataacrossmanufacturers
thefulluseofAutodeskSeeksearchcapabilities
FEEDBACKON TH EGUIDE
PleasesendyourcommentsontheRevitModelStyleGuideandsupportingdocumentationto:
rmsg.feedback@autodesk.com
Wecantrespondtocommentsindividually,butfeedbackwillbeconsideredinfutureversionsoftheRevitModel
ContentStyleGuide.
AUDIENCE
Thisguideisintendedformanufacturers,contentserviceorganizations,andothercontentcreatorswhohave
advancedknowledgeofbothRevitsoftwareandRevitmodelcontentcreation.
DEFINITION: QUALITYREVITCONTENT
QualityRevitcontentbalancesperformancewithdesignaccuracyandrequiredlevelsofdetail.Qualitycontentis
easytousebecauseitfunctionsreliablyinarangeofprojectsandprojectphases,whiledeliveringmanufactured
contentinaformatappropriateforarchitectureandengineeringdocumentationdeliverables.
QualityRevitcontentiscreatedwiththefollowingconsiderations:
Designintenttheauthorhasconsideredhowthefamilywillbeusedinaproject.
Appropriatelevelofdetaildesigned
Adequatenumberoftypescreated
Flexibleuseofparameters
Accuracycomplete,consistentpresentationofproductdata.
StandardsadherestoindustryandAutodeskstandards.
Namingconventions
Graphicguidelines
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mailto:rmsg.feedback@autodesk.com?subject=Revit%20Model%20Style%20Guide%20-%20Version%202.1mailto:rmsg.feedback@autodesk.com?subject=Revit%20Model%20Style%20Guide%20-%20Version%202.1mailto:rmsg.feedback@autodesk.com?subject=Revit%20Model%20Style%20Guide%20-%20Version%202.1 -
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Parameterusage
Performancecontentdesignedtoreducetheperformanceimpactofthefamilyonaproject.
Testingthoroughtestingofthefamilyparametersandtypesindependentlyandinaproject
environment.
CONTENTS
Section1: PlanningRevitModelContent
Explainshowdesigncomplexityinfamiliescanaffectprojectperformanceandoffersguidelinesfor
reducingperformanceimpact
DetailstherecommendeduseandlimitationsofcontentcreatedwithotherCADsoftware
Providesbestpracticesforplanningmodelcontent
Section2: ModelContentCreationStandards
Describesbestpracticesformodelcontentcreation
ContainsAutodesk
standards
for
units,
naming
conventions,
subcategories,
parameters,
preview
images,
andtypecatalogs
Section3:TestingGuidelines
Containsgeneralandfamilyspecifictestingguidelinesformodelcontentfamilies.
Notincludedinthisguide:
Detailedfamilycreationinstructions
Standardsforannotationorsystemfamilycreation
Categoryspecificguidelinesforfamilycreation
Indepthbestpracticesforfamilycreation
SUPPLEMENTARY FILES
Thefollowingdocumentsandfilesarereferencedforusewiththisguideandareincludedinthedownload
package.
RevitMasterParameterList.xls includesAutodeskapprovedRevitmastersharedparameters
RevitMasterSharedParameterFile.txt includesAutodeskapprovedsharedparameterstouseinyour
projects
RevitMasterSubcategoryList.xlsincludesAutodeskapprovedRevitsubcategories
RevitMasterPartTypeList.xlsincludesAutodeskapprovedRevitparttypes RevitModelContentSampleFilesincludessampleRevitmodelcontentandimages
CategoryspecificModelContentGuidesincludescreationguidelinesforspecificcontent
SharingRevitContentonAutodeskSeekincludesdistributionrequirementsfortheAutodeskSeekweb
service.
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ADDITIONAL FILES
ThefollowingresourcesareavailableforworkingwithbothRevitmodelcontentandAutodeskSeek.
AUTODESKMETADATASTYLEGUIDEANDPRODUCTWORKBOOK
TheAutodeskMetadataStyleGuidedefinesstylesandformattingrulesthatmanufacturers, contentservice
organizations,andcontentspecialistsmustabidebysothatthecontentthattheyproducecanbeloadedintothe
AutodeskSeekstagingenvironment.
Downloadat:http://seek.autodesk.com/participate.htm.
DOCUMENTATION
FormoreinformationonRevitfamilycontentcreation,seethefollowingreferencemanualsandtutorials:
RevitArchitectureFamiliesGuide
Downloadatwww.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture documentation.
RevitArchitecture,RevitMEP,andRevitStructureTutorials
Downloadat:
www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecturedocumentation
www.autodesk.com/revitmepdocumentation
www.autodesk.com/revitstructuredocumentation
DISCUSSIONGROUPS
AUGI(AutodeskUserGroupInternational)
Accessatwww.augi.com.
AutodeskSeekDiscussionGroup
Accessatwww.autodesk.com/contentsearch discussion.
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http://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitmep-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitmep-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitmep-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitstructure-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitstructure-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitstructure-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitstructure-documentationhttp://www.augi.com/http://www.augi.com/http://www.autodesk.com/revitstructure-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitmep-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentation -
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SECTION1:
PLANNINGREVITMODELCONTENT
InordertoensureRevitmodelcontentisdevelopedefficientlyandtoAutodeskstandards,contentcreatorsshould
followAutodeskapprovedbestpracticeswhencreatingRevitfamilies.
Byfollowingtheguidelinesinthissection,youcan:
createRevitfamilycontenteasilyandwithfewererrors
ensureconsistencyandstabilityofRevitfamilycontent
createcontentsuitablefordeliveryonAutodeskSeek
RECOMMENDED REVITRELEASEAND DISCIPLINEFOR CONTENT CREATION
Note:AllsamplefamilyandprojectfileswerecreatedbasedontheRevitPlatform2009release;therefore,they
cantbeopenedinearlierversionsofRevit.
RECOMMENDATION:Toensurethatcontentisavailabletothelargestnumberofendusers,createthecontent
usingAutodeskRevit2009.Contentcreatedinrelease2009canalsobeusedinlaterversionsofRevit.Ifthe
contentrequiresfunctionalityavailableinalaterrelease,thencreatethecontentinthatreleaseofRevit.
UsetheRevitproduct(RevitArchitecture,RevitMEP,orRevitStructure)thatisappropriateforthecontentyouare
creating,forexample,foraDoorfamily,useRevitArchitecture,foranAirHandlingUnit,useRevitMEP.Ifthe
contentcrossesdisciplines,forexample,alightingfixtureorplumbingfixture,usetheproductthathasthemost
requirements,inthiscaseRevitMEP.
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1.1 DETERMINING DESIGNINTENT
WhencreatingaRevitfamily,theintendeduseofthefamilyinaprojectenvironmentdeterminestheextentto
whichitisdesigned.Youcandesignallfamiliestoincludeanumberofrepresentationsforuseindifferentproject
viewsandprojectphases.
Thetypeandsizeoftheprojectthatafamilyisintendedforuseinisacriticalpointtoconsiderwhendeciding
whatrepresentationsshouldbeincludedinthefamilyandwhatlevelofdetaileachrepresentationshouldhave.
Themoredetailedafamilyis,thelargeritsfilesizewillbe.Thelargerthefilesize,theslowertheperformance,
loading,andregenerationtimeofthefamilywillbe.Whenconsideringthedesignintentofafamily,usethe
followingguidelines:
Forlargercommercialorinstitutionalprojects,inwhichhundredsofelementsmaybecreatedwitha
singlefamily,designthefamilytobeassmallaspossibletominimizeprojectsizeandperformance
impact.
Forsmallerresidentialprojects,whereelementscreatedwithasinglefamilyarenotusedubiquitously
andwheretheoverallprojectsizeissmaller,designthefamilytoincludemoredetail.
Thenexttopic,BalancingPerformanceandComplexity,addressestheissueoffamilysizeandcomplexityinmore
detail.
DETERMINING THE TEMPLATE TO US E
Forobjectstypicallyhostedbyothercomponents,suchasawindoworlightfixture,startwithahostbased
template.Forexample,forawindowordoor,useawallbasedtemplate,suchasWindow.rftorDoor.rft.Howthe
familyishosted(orwhatitdoesordoesnotattachto)determineswhichtemplateshouldbeusedtocreatethe
family.Ingeneral,thechoiceofatemplateisdrivenbythehostoftheobject,withthefollowingexceptions:
Floorbasedobjectstypicallyusealevelbasedtemplateunlesstheyarerequiredtocutthefloor.Forexample,Furnitureobjectsarecreatedwithalevelbasedtemplate.
Forobjectsthataredesignedtobeusedinmorethanonediscipline,suchasplumbingorlightingfixtures,
useahostbasedtemplatethatallowsthegreatestflexibilityforalldisciplines.Forexample,alighting
fixtureusedexclusivelyinanarchitecturaldisciplinecouldbecreatedwithaceilingorwallbased
template,butforanengineeringenvironment,afacebasedtemplateisrequiredforthemodellinking
workflow.Therefore,foralightingfixturethatwillbeusedinbothdisciplines,useafacebasedtemplate.
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FAMILYREPRESENTATIONS
Dependingontheintendeduseofafamily,itmaycontainthefollowingrepresentations:
Schematic(genericcontent;typicallynotmanufacturerspecific;mayincludemultiplelevelsofdetail)
Designdevelopment
(manufacturer
specific
content;
typically
Coarse
level
ofdetail)
Constructiondocument(manufacturerspecificcontent;typicallyMediumlevelofdetail)
Highqualityrendering(manufacturerspecificcontent;typicallyFinelevelofdetail)
Dependingontheusecaseforthecontent,the3manufacturerspecificrepresentations(Designdevelopment,
Constructiondocument,andHighqualityrendering)maybedevelopedin1or2familyfiles.Forexample,one
familyfilemaycontaintheDesigndevelopmentandConstructiondocumentationrepresentationsofthecontent
andasecondfilemaycontainthehighqualityrenderingrepresentation.TypicallyMEPcontentdoesnotincludea
highqualityrendering,soforthistypeofcontentonefamilyfilemaybecreatedcontainingtheDesign
developmentandConstructiondocumentationrepresentations.
SCHEMATIC
Schematicrepresentationsarecreatedfromtwodimensionallineworkandrepresentthefamilyobjectinitsmost
basicappearance.Theycanbeconsideredplaceholdersforelementsthatwillbeincludedinmoredetailed
designdrawings.Schematicrepresentationsdonotusuallydisplaymaterials.
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Schematicrepresentationsofatoiletfamilyandofatablefamily
DESIGNDEVELOPMENT
Designdevelopmentrepresentationsincludemoredesigndetailthanschematicrepresentations,aswellas3D
forms.Theymayalsoincludebasicmaterials.Dependingontheelementthatwillbecreatedfromthefamily,the
designdevelopmentrepresentationmayincludethefollowingviews,aswellasappropriatelevelsofdetail:
Model
Plan/ReflectCeilingPlan(RCP)
Section/Elevation
TypicallyCoarselevelofdetail
Designdevelopmentrepresentationofawindow:displaysminimaldetail,mullionsarerepresentedbymodellines
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Designdevelopmentrepresentationofawatersoftener:displaysbasicshapesofthesoftenerandshows
connectors
CONSTRUCTIONDRAWING
Constructiondrawingrepresentationsareusuallysymbolictwodimensionalrepresentations.Dependingonthe
elementthatwillbecreatedfromthefamily,theconstructiondrawingrepresentationmayincludethefollowing
viewsaswellasappropriatelevelsofdetail:
Plan/ReflectedCeilingPlan(RCP)
Section/Elevation
TypicallyMediumlevelofdetail
Constructiondocumentationrepresentationofawindow:includesmullionsandswing
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Constructiondocumentationrepresentationofawatersoftener:displaysamorerealisticrepresentationofthe
softeneranditsconnections
HIGHQUALITYRENDERING
Todefinetheappearanceoffamilyelementsinhighqualityrenderings,materialsmustbeassignedtofamily
geometry. Materialpropertiesandlightingmustbedefined.Therenderingistypicallycreatedfroma
representationwithFinelevelofdetailthatincludesobjectsnotusuallyshowninconstructiondrawings,suchas
thehardwareorinlayinthetablebelow.
Highqualityrepresentationofatableinashadedviewandinarenderedimage
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1.2 BALANCINGPERFORMANCE AN DDESIGNCOMPLEXITY
ThedesigncomplexityofafamilycanaffectitsperformancewhenitisusedtocreateelementsinRevitprojects.
Thisisanimportantconsiderationwhencreatingfamiliesthatincludealotofgeometry,multipleparametric
relationships,and/oralargenumberoffamilytypes(sizes).Efficientgeometrycreation,judicioususeof
parametricconstraints,andcarefullyplanneddetailandvisibilitysettingscanreducetheperformanceimpactafamilywillhaveontheprojectsinwhichitisused.
Inthissection,youlearnto:
Identifypossibleperformancegainsandimpedimentspriortofamilycreation
Managedifferentperformancefactors,includingparametricrelationships,detaillevel,andvisibility
settings
Createefficientfamilies
DESIGNINTENT VS .PERFORMANCE
Themorecomplexanddetailedafamilyis,thelargeritsfilesizeandimpactonperformancewillbe.Before
creatingafamily,determinethefollowing:
Thedesignintentofthefamily:Whataretherepresentationsthatthefamilymustcontain(schematic,
designdevelopment,constructiondocumentation,highqualityrendering),andhowdetailedmusteach
representationbe?
Thetypeofprojectinwhichthefamilywillbeusedandhowfrequentlyitwillbeused:Willthefamily
createonly10elementsinasmallresidentialproject,orwillitbeusedtocreatehundredsofelementson
manyfloorsofalargecommercialbuildingmodel?
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Thefollowinggraphdisplaysthegeneraltrendfortheimpactofdesigncomplexityonfilesize.Generallythemore
representationsafamilyhasandthemoredetailedtheyare,thelargerthefamilyfilesize.Thelargerthefamilyfile
sizeis,themoreofanimpactitwillhaveonperformance(longerloadingandregenerationtimesandgreater
increaseinprojectfilesize).
ImpactofDesignComplexityandProjectSizeonFamilyFileSize
Forexample,awindowfamilythatisintendedtobeusedhundredsoftimesinalargecommercialprojectwillhave
asmallerfilesizeifitcontainsonlybasicschematicanddesigndevelopmentrepresentations.Impactonthe
projectsizewillbeasminimalaspossible.
Conversely,adifferentwindowfamilyintendedforuseinasmallresidentialprojectmaycontainahighquality
renderingrepresentationthatwillincreaseprojectfilesizewhenthefamilyisadded,butbecausethewindowsit
createsareaddedtotheprojectonlyafewtimes,theincreaseinfilesizeismanageable.
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RECOMMENDED FAMILYFILESIZES
Toprovidecontentcreatorswithatangibleguidelineforfamilyfilesize,somecommonfamilytypesandtheir
recommendedfilesizesarelistedbelow. Usethefilesizesbelowasarecommendation,asactualsizemayvary.
Large,complex,and/orunusualfamiliesmayexceedtheserecommendations.
Application Element ComplexityLevel FileSize
RevitArchitecture Casework Simple 200300K
Complex 500K
Door(singlepanel) Simple 300400K
Complex 600K
FurnitureSystem Simple 200300K
Complex 500K
Window(singleunit) Simple 300400KComplex 600K
RevitMEP AirHandlerUnit Simple 300400K
Complex 800K1000K
Chiller Simple 300400K
Complex 800K
Fan Simple 200300K
Complex 400K
PlumbingFixture Simple 300400K
Complex 600K
RevitStructure WShape Simple 180200K
Complex 300K
IMPORTANT:Tohelpreducethefilesize,inRevit,clickFilePurgeUnusedtodeleteitemsthatarenotinuse,
clickFilemenuSaveAs,andverifythattheCompactFileoptionisselectedwhensavingthefile.
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LEVELOF DETAIL
Detaillevelsdeterminewhichpiecesoffamilygeometrydisplayindifferenttypesofprojectviews.WhenaRevit
elementiscreatedwithafamilyandaddedtoaprojectview,thecurrentdetailleveloftheview(coarse,medium,
orfine)displaystheappropriatefamilygeometry.
INTENT:Theintentistobuildthefamilybasedontheexpectedfinerepresentation,thenremovedetailtocreate
thelowerlevelsofdetail.Thisapproachimprovestheperformanceofthefamilyinlowerlevelsofdetailviewsin
theproject,butstillprovidestherequiredgraphicsforproperdocumentationofaproject.Theintentisnotto
buildeachlevelofdetailincrementallyoradditionally.
AwindowdisplayedinbothCoarseandFinedetail
Familiesthatincludeintricatelevelsofdetailcanimpedeperformancewhenusedinprojects.Foroptimalfamily
performance,onlythenecessaryfamilygeometryshouldbemodeledandtheuseofhighlydetailed
representationslimited.
Whendecidingwhatlevelofdetailshouldbeshown,usethefollowingrecommendations:
Dontmodelgeometrythatwillnotbevisiblewhenthefamilyisaddedtoabuildingmodel.
Forexample,foratablefamilythatincludesadrawer,modelthefaceonly,nottheentiredrawer.
Dependingonthetypeoffamily,usethefollowingguidelinewhenmodelinggeometry:
Ifthegeometryis SetthedetailleveltoSmallerthan1 Fine
13 Medium
Largerthan3 Coarse
Donotduplicategeometrythatcanbeusedfordifferentlevelsofdetail.
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ELEMENT VISIBILITY
Typically,thegeometryofanelementcreatedbyafamilywillchangedependingonthecurrentprojectview.The
visibilitysettingsofthefamilydetermineinwhichprojectviewselementscreatedwiththefamilywilldisplay.
Inaplanview,youmaywanttoseea2Drepresentationoftheelement.Ina3Dorelevationview,youmaywant
todisplayafullydetailed3Drepresentationoftheelement.Inotherviews,youmaywanttohidetheelement.
Limitingthevisibilityofhighlydetailedfamilygeometrytoonlycertainviewscanimproveprojectperformance.
AREASTO AVOIDFOR OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE
Usethistableasaguidetoimprovetheperformanceofyourfamilies.
CommonMistakeWhenCreatingFamilies RecommendedApproach
Lackofplanningpriortofamilycreation Beforecreatingafamily,usetheguidelinesoutlinedin
1.4PlanningaRevitModelFamily.
Unnecessaryparametricrelationships Beforeaddinggeometrytoafamily: Plantheparametricrelationshipsandcreatea
familyskeletonthatfeaturesthemain
parametricrelationships.
Buildonlytheparametricfamilybehaviorthat
youneedtoavoidoverconstrainingthe
model.
Flextheskeletontotesttherelationships
beforeyouaddgeometry.
Useofgeometryinsteadofsymboliclinesinplanviews Inplanviewrepresentations,geometryusuallycanbe
representedwithsymboliclines,ratherthan(solid)
geometry.Usinggeometryinsteadofsymboliclineswill
createan
unnecessarily
larger
family.
Highlevelsofgeometricdetailandunderuseofvisibility
settings
UsetheguidelinesintheLevelofDetailandElement
Visibilitysectionsofthisguidetoavoidunnecessarily
largefamilyfiles.
Overuseofvoids,formulas,andarrays Extensiveuseofvoids,formulas,andarrayswilladdto
theoverallfamilysizeandaffectitsperformancein
projects.
Useoftoomanynestedfamilies(familiesimportedinto
otherfamilies)
Nestfamiliestocreategeometryinotherfamilies only
whennecessary.Onlyusenestedcontenttoshare
objectsamongmultiplefamilies,forexample,door
hardware,muntinpatterns,andsoon.
Largefamilieswithmanytypesthatdonotincludetype
catalogs
Themoretypes(particularlyunused)theheavierthe
family.Createtypecatalogsforfamiliesthatcontain6
ormoretypes.See2.10TypeCatalogStandardsand
Usage.
Inadequatefamilytesting See3.1 GeneralFamilyTestingGuidelines.
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EXAMPLES OF FAMILIES WITHAPPROPRIATE AN D COMPLEX LEVELS OF DETAIL
ThepurposeofcreatingRevitfamiliesformanufacturedcontentisnotforthemanufacturingprocess,butfor
architectureandengineeringdocumentationdeliverables.Itisimportanttocreatethefamilycontentatan
appropriatelevelofdetailfortheintendeduse.Thefollowingexamplesofawindowfamilyillustratethisguideline.
Ineach
ofthe
following
images,
the
window
on
the
left
includes
an
appropriate
level
ofdetail
and
the
window
on
therightincludesmoredetailthanisrequiredorusefulfortheproject.
PLANVIEW
NOTE:Theaboveimageshowstypicalgraphicqualityforaplanviewscale.Noticethemuddyqualitytothe
windowontheright.
PLANVIEW ENLARGED
SECTIONVIEW
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CONSIDERATIONS FOR NESTING FAMILY CONTENT
Anestedfamilyisonethathasbeenloadedintoanotherfamily.Insomecases,itcanbeconvenienttorepresent
partsofthenestedfamilyseparatelyfromthemainfamilymodel.Forexample,youcouldcreateawindowsill
familyandnestitinawindowfamily.Thisallowsyoutobuilduponpreviousworkwhilecreatingfamiliessuitedto
yourneeds.
IMPORTANT:Itisimportanttounderstandthatnestingfamiliesincreasesthefilesizeandaffectsperformance,
specificallytheregenerationprocessofthefamilyviews.
NESTING RECOMMENDATIONS:
Insteadofnesting,considercreatingallofthenecessarygeometryinthefamily.Usereferencelinesand
labelstolockgeometryinplace.
Limitnestingto2levels Thedeeperthatfamiliesarenested,thelongertheytaketoupdateinthe
projectfile.
Onlynesthighvaluecontentthatmaybeusedinseveraldifferentfamilies,suchasadoorhandle.
Becarefulwhenchanginganestedcomponentthatissharedbymorethanonefamily.Whenyoureload
thecomponentintotheprojectfileitwillupdateallofthefamiliesinthefilesharingthesamenested
family.
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1.3 AUTODESKEXCHANGEFORMAT (.ADSK)
Startinginthe2010releaseofAutodeskproducts,theAutodeskExchangeformat(.ADSK)providesanimproved
methodformanufacturerstoleverageDigitalPrototypestoproduceRevitFamilies.TheInventor2010AEC
ExchangeenvironmentprovidesmanufacturerswiththeabilitytoprovidetheirexistingDigitalPrototypesas.ADSK
files,whichcancontainasimplified3Dgeometricrepresentation,intelligentconnectors,andotherproductmetadatathatcanbereadbyRevitArchitecture2010,RevitMEP2010,AutoCADArchitecture2010,andAutoCAD
MEP2010software.ByreusingtheinformationfromexistingCADdesigns,manufacturersandtheircustomerscan
avoidthetimeandexpenserequiredtoremodelthisdata.
AEC EXCHANGE ENVIRONMENT
TheAECExchangeenvironmentisavailableinInventor2010andlaterversions,andthecommandsforpreparing
andpublishingcontentareavailabledirectlywithintheInventoruserinterface.Thecontentpreparationand
publishingprocessinvolves:
Creatingintelligentconnectors
Simplifyingthegeometricrepresentationoftheproductdesign
Addingproductmetadatainformation
Publishingthedesigntothe.ADSKformat
CREATING INTELLIGENT CONNECTORS
TheAECExchangeenvironmentsupportsthedefinition
ofpiping,ducts,andelectricalconnectors,whichallow
theAECApplicationUsertoconnecttheADSKsourced
contenttoBuildingServicesintheirdesigns.
Theseconnectorsareassignedpropertiesthatare
relevanttotheirusage(e.g.,flowdirectionand
quantityofairflowforaduct),whicharerequiredfor
connectiontotheirrespectiveBuildingServices.
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SIMPLIFYINGTH EGEOMETRIC REPRESENTATION
AsthetypicalDigitalPrototypeismodeledaround
manufacturinglevelofdetail,itissuggestedthata
modelsimplificationworkflowbeusedtodramatically
simplifyandreducethelevelofdetailthatisprovidedtoAECCustomers.
Withoutmodelsimplification,thehighlevelofdetail
thatcanbepresentinaDigitalPrototypewillhavean
adverseimpactonmodelperformanceintheAEC
application.Userscancontrolthelevelof
simplification,rangingfromremovalofkeyinternal
detailstoacompleteshrinkwrapthatrepresents
onlytheouterenvelopeoftheproductdesign. The
shrinkwrapprocessenablesthecreationofa
simplifiedgeometricrepresentationofthebuildingproductwhileretainingtheinformationthatisdesiredbyarchitectsandengineers.Theprocesscanalsohelp
protecttheIntellectualpropertythatmanufacturersdonotwishtodisclosetodownstreamcustomers,byallowing
forselectivedeterminationoffeaturesandgeometrytobeincludedorexcludedduringtheprocess.
Figure2 DetailedGeometryofanHVACUnit
Figure3Simplifiedrepresentation
PUBLISHINGTO TH E.ADSK FORMAT
Thepublishingprocessinvolvesexportingtherelevantgeometry,connectors,andproductinformationtothe
.ADSKfile. Usershavetheoptiontoexportrelevantproductmetadata(e.g.,producttype,model,manufacturer,
cost,andcustom).TheproducttypeclassisbasedontheOmniClassTable23AECIndustryTaxonomy.Direct2D
viewrepresentationsofthe3Dgeometrycanalsobeincluded.
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READING.ADSKFILES
The.ADSKformatcanbereadbyRevitArchitecture2010,RevitMEP2010,AutoCADArchitecture2010,and
AutoCADMEP2010softwareversionsorlater. Informationfromthe.ADSKfilecanbeincorporatedintothe
receivingapplicationandsavedoutintheapplicationsnativeformat.
IMPORTING INTO REVIT FAMILIES
ADSKfilesthencanbeimportedintoRevitFamiliesforsomepostprocessingtohelpmeettherequirementsofthe
RevitModelContentStyleGuide. Thisprocesswillbediscussedinmoredetailinafutureappendix.
LIMITATIONS
TherearelimitationstoADSKsourcedcontentwhichshouldbeunderstoodinordertomaximizethevaluefor
manufacturersandtheirspecifyingAECcustomers.Notethatsomeoftheselimitationscanbemitigatedwithpost
processingoftheADSKfilesafterithasbeenconsumedbyRevit.
AsaresultofthemodelsimplificationprocessinInventoranddifferencesbetweentheInventorandAEC
productsParametricgeometryhandling,thegeometrythatiscurrentlyproducedforAECapplications
throughtheAECExchangeEnvironment,isstatic,andcannotbeediteddirectlybytheAECuser.Itwill
appearasimportedgeometry.
ADSKfilesdonotcurrentlycontainvisualappearanceinformation,andthereisnowaywithinRevit
productstomanuallymodifytheirappearance.
ADSKfilesdonotcurrentlysupportRevitHostingbehavior,andthereforethecontentcannotbeplaced
onFacesofBuildingElements,orhaveholescutinthem.IntegratingthecontentintoaRevitfamily(.rfa)
filecanhelpremovethislimitation.
LightSourceDefinitionscannotcurrentlybedefinedinADSKfiles,andthusmustbemanuallyaddedin
theRevitenvironmentifneeded. IntegratingthemintoaRevitfamily(.rfa)filecanhelpremovethislimitation.
Asaresultofcurrentlimitations,ADSKfilesaremosteffectivefordeliveringconfiguredengineeringproductsthat
donotrequireahighlevelofvariabilityforusebytheenduser.
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1.4 USINGIMPORTED CONTENT
ContentcreatedinotherCADformatsmaybeimportedandusedtocreateRevitfamilycontent. Importedcontent
mayincludegeometry,metadatasuchasproductperformanceinformation,connectors,andviews. Theuseof
suchimportedgeometrydoesnotofferallofthecapabilitiesavailablewiththe.ADSKformat(seeSection1.3)but
isanoptionif.ADSKdataisnotavailable.
WhenimportinggeometryfromotherCADformats,foroptimalresultsandintegralfamilyfunctionality,itis
recommendedthattheimportedgeometryisusedasaguideforfamilycreation,notasthefamilygeometryitself.
NOTE:ItisacceptabletouseimportedgeometryforcontentthatisdifficulttocreategeometricallyinRevit,such
aspeople,trees,cars,etc.
SUPPORTED CONTENT
RevitfamiliessupporttheimportofcontentcreatedinthefollowingCADfileformats:
.DWG (AutodeskAutoCADformat)
.DXF (AutoCADDrawingInterchangeFormat)
.SAT (SpatialCorporationStandardACISformat)
.SKP (GoogleSketchUpModelformat)
LIMITATIONS
Ifyouimportcontentintoafamilyanduseittocreatethefamilywithoutmodification,theresultingfamilytypes
willbeaddedtobuildingmodelsasstaticelementsthatdonotsupportthedynamicparametricrelationships
inherentinRevitbuildingmodels.Familiescreateddirectlyfromimportedcontentdonotsupportdirect
assignmentofmaterialsandotherparameters,limitingtheiroveralluseintheprojectenvironment.Imported
contentmayalsohaveadverseeffectsonprojectperformance. Insomecases,theselimitationsmaybe
acceptable,buttoconformtostandardbuildinginformationmodelingpractice,itisrecommendedthatmost
importedcontentshouldberecreatedasafullyfunctionalRevitfamily.
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1.5 PLANNINGAREVIT MODEL FAMILY
Beforefamilycreationbegins,carefulupfrontplanningofthefamilyshouldbeperformed,evenforthesimplestof
families.Planningfamiliespriortocreationcansavetimeandpreventerrors.
Willthe
family
need
toaccommodate
multiple
sizes?
Forawindowthatisavailableinseveralpresetsizes,orabookshelfthatcanbebuiltinanylength,create
astandardcomponentfamily.
Howshouldthefamilydisplayindifferentviews?
Thewaytheobjectshoulddisplayinviewsdeterminesthe3Dand2Dgeometrythatyouneedtocreate,
aswellashowtodefinethevisibilitysettings.Determinewhethertheobjectshoulddisplayinaplanview,
elevationview,and/orsectionalviews.
Doesthisfamilyrequireahost?
Forobjectstypicallyhostedbyothercomponents,suchasawindoworlightfixture,startwithahost
basedtemplate.Howthefamilyishosted(orwhatitdoesordoesnotattachto)determineswhich
templatefileshouldbeusedtocreatethefamily.
Howmuchdetailshouldbemodeled?
Insomecases,youmaynotneed3Dgeometry.Youmayonlyneedtosketcha2Dshapetorepresentyour
family.Also,youmaysimplifythe3Dgeometryofyourmodeltosavetimeincreatingthefamily.For
example,lessdetailisrequiredforawalloutletthatwillonlybeseenininteriorelevationsfroma
distance,thanforadoorwithraisedpanelsandasidelightthatwillbeseeninaninteriorrendering.
Whatistheinsertion/originpointofthisfamily?
Theinsertion/originpointisthepointatwhichyouwanttoplacethefamilyinaproject(indicatedbythe
cursorposition).Theinsertionpointmaychangebasedonusecase.Forexample,theinsertionpointfor
windowsanddoorsisthecenterofthegeometry,sothatthecontentparametricallyexpandsfromthe
centerout.Foracountertop,theinsertionpointisatacornerandthecontentexpandswiththeinstance
lengthinonedirection.Determiningtheappropriateinsertionpointwillhelpusersplacethefamilyina
project.
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SECTION2:
MODELCONTENTCREATIONSTANDARDS
InordertoensureRevitmodelcontentisdevelopedefficiently,consistently,andtoAutodeskstandards,content
creatorsshouldfollowtheAutodeskapprovedstandardsinthissectionwhencreatingRevitfamilies.
Usethetopicsinthissectionto:
ensureconsistencyandstabilityofyourRevitfamilycontent
ensureaconsistentuserexperience
createcontentsuitabletoshareonAutodeskSeek
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2.1 WORKFLOWFO R MODEL CONTENT CREATION
Beforeyoucreateamodelfamily,reviewthestandardsinthissection,andthenusethebestpracticeworkflow
belowtocreateyourcontent.Thisworkflowhelpstoensurethatyourcontentiscreatedinthemostefficientand
leasterrorpronemanner.
1. Createanewfamilyfile(.rfa)withtheappropriatefamilytemplate.
2. Definesubcategoriesforthefamilytohelpcontrolthevisibilityofthefamilygeometry.
3. Createthefamilyskeleton,orframework:
Definetheorigin(theinsertionpoint)ofthefamily.
Layoutreferenceplanestosnaptowhenyousketchcomponentgeometry.
Adddimensionstospecifyparametricrelationships.
Labeldimensionstocreatetypeorinstanceparametersor2Drepresentation.
Test,orflex,theskeleton.
4. Definefamilytypevariationsbyspecifyingdifferentparameters.
5. Addasinglelevelofgeometryinsolidsandvoids,andconstrainthegeometrytoreferenceplanes.
6. Flexthenewmodel(typesandhosts)toverifycorrectcomponentbehavior.
7. Repeatpreviousstepsuntilthefamilygeometryiscomplete.
8. Specify2Dand3Dgeometrydisplaycharacteristicswithsubcategoryandentityvisibilitysettings.
9. Savethefamily,andthentestit.
10. Forlargefamiliesthatincludemanytypes,createatypecatalog.
TIP: Formoreinformationonthestepsinthisworkflow,downloadtheRevitArchitecture2009FamiliesGuide
(www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture documentation),andseetheCreatingStandardComponentFamiliestopic.
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PROTOTYPING
Ifyouneedtocreateanumberofsimilarfamilies:
1. Planandcreateasingleprototypefamily.
2. TesttheprototypefamilyintheFamilyEditorandinaprojectenvironmenttoidentifyanyerrorsor
inconsistencies.
SeeSection3:TestingGuidelinesfortestingcriteria.
3. Correctanyerrorsandinconsistenciesandretestthefamilytoensureitisworksproperlybeforecreating
theadditionalfamilies.
2.2 FAMILYUNITS
Althoughfamiliescanbecreatedasunitspecific(imperialormetric),Revitsoftwarestoresallcoordinatesin
universalunitsanddisplaysspecificunitsaccordingtouserpreference.Thismeansthat:
Unitscanbesettodisplayasnecessaryforatargetaudience(i.e.,displayasdecimalunitsforacivil
engineeringdrawingorfractionalunitsforanarchitecturaldrawing).
Familiescreatedinimperialunitsmaybeloadedintoandusedinmetricprojectsandviceversa.
Forinformationonchangingthedisplayofunits,seeProjectUnitsintheRevitHelp.
Touseanimperialormetricfamilyinaprojectwithdifferentbaseunits,useoneofthefollowingoptions:
Loadthefamilyintheprojectwhereitwillusethecurrentprojectunits.
However,anyimperial ormetricspecifictextinthefamilyname,typenames,andparameternameswill
stilldisplayasmetricunlessexplicitlychanged.Standardssizesmayalsoneedtobeadjusted.
Duplicatethetypeswithinametricorimperialfamilytocreatebothimperialandmetrictypeswithinthe
family.
Openthefamily,saveitasanewfamily,andchangetheunits.
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2.3 FAMILYNAMINGCONVENTIONS
FamilynamesaretheprimarymeansofidentifyingfamiliesinAutodeskSeekandintheRevitsoftware.Autodesk
familynamingconventionsensurethatfamiliescanbeidentifiedinAutodeskSeekandtheRevitsoftwarebythe
realworlditemsthattheycreate.Thenamingconventionsincludedescriptorsthatallowtheusertosearchfor
familiesbyelement,bymanufacturer,and/orbaseunits.
GUIDELINES:
Createuniquenamesforeachfamily.
Forexample,afixedwindowfamilyandafixeddoorfamilycannotsharethesamename.
Usenaturallanguagetonamethefamily.
Thefamilynameshoulddescribehowthefamilyisidentifiedintherealworld(i.e.,incatalogs,by
manufacturer,etc.).
Ifpossible,donotincludethefamilycategoryinthefamilyname,unlessthefunctionaltypeisthesame
asthecategory(e.g.,window).
Usetitlecasing(aswiththetitleofabook)forfamilynames,astheyarecasesensitive.
Keepfilenamesasshortaspossible.
FamilynamesmustdisplayindialogsandintheTypeSelector.
Whenaddingoptionaldescriptorstofamilyfilenames,considertheorderinwhichthedescriptorsare
listedtoensurethatthefamilyfilesdisplayintheProjectBrowserinthemostlogicalandintuitiveorder.
Do not use spaces between words in file names. To separate words within a syntax element (e.g.,
ManufacturerorDescriptor),usetheunderscorecharacter(_).
Ifahyphen () isused to includeaperformance range,enclose the range inparentheses, forexample,
(230250_Ton).
Ifatypecatalogistobeusedwithafamily,namethetypecatalog(.txtfile)withthesamenameasthe
family.Seesection2.10foradditionalinformation.
FORMAT
Note:RefertotheRevitMasterPartTypeList(includedinthedownloadpackage)forinformationonapproved
FunctionTypesandSubtypes.
Descriptionoffields:
Field/Component RequiredorOptional Description
FunctionalType Required Namestheelementthatthefamilycreates(forexample,
DoororWindow)Subtype Asneeded Namestheparttype,forexample,foraWindow the
subtypecouldbeCasement.
Manufacturer/Generic Optional Manufacturername,genericfamiliesmaysubstitute the
ManufacturernamewithGeneric.
Descriptor Asneeded
2D Required Useonlyfor2Dfamilies
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Examples
WindowDouble_HungAcmeTilting_SashClad.rfa
ChillerAir_CooledAcmeLow_Profile.rfa
FountainDrinkingAcmePolished_Chrome.rfa
WindowDouble_HungGenericWood.rfa
ChillerAir_CooledAcmeScroll(75100_Ton)Pkgd.rfa
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2.4 TYPE NAMINGCONVENTIONS
Allfamiliesmustincludeonepredefinedtype.Forfamiliesthatcreaterealworldobjectsthatareavailablein
standardsizes,predefinedtypesshouldbegenerated.Unlesstheyrepresentnominalsizes,typenamesshould
includeunitsorcapacity,andincludeaunitindicator.
Whennamingafamilytype,usetheformatandrulesbelow:
GUIDELINES
Donotincludethefamilynameorcategoryinthetypename.
Typenamesshouldmirroractualusage.
Typenamesshouldindicatethekeydifferencesbetweentypes(size,count,material)and,when
applicable,reflectstandardsizes.
Insomecases,youmaybasenamesonsizedifference,butusecommontermsratherthannumbers.
Whentypesarenamedbysize,usedimensionsonly.
Avoidtheuseofcharactersorwords.(h,w,d,orheight,width,depth). Typenamesshouldincludeunitsorcapacityandaunitindicator,unlesstheyrepresentnominalsizes.
Metrictypesshouldreflectthelocalunitstandard,unlessthetypesareintendedtobegeneric.
Keeptypenamesasshortaspossible.
TypenamesmustdisplayindialogsandintheTypeSelector.
FORMAT
Unlessthereisamarketspecificreasontodootherwise,usethefollowinggeneralorderintypenames:
Fordoorsandwindows: x
Forcaseworkandfurniture: xx
Forotherelementtypes: x
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Forunitspecificfamilies:
Forimperialfamilytypes:
Inmostcases,sizeshouldbeexpressedininches.Useonlyoneoftheconventionsbelowwithinafamilyand
forrelatedfamilies.
Forfamilieswithmostsizesunder10: XXxYY
Forfamilieswithmostsizesover10: XXYYxAABB
Formetricfamilytypes:
Foralltypesinmetricfamilies: XXXXxYYYYmm(orlocalmetricunitindicator)
Forfamiliesthatfeaturenominalsizesorindustrystandardterms:
Intypenames,dropthedimensionindicators(,,ormm)and/oruseindustrystandardnamingconventions.
Brick(industrystandardnaming): Common,Norman,CSR,MetricModular
Lumber(nominalsizes): 2x4
Structure(industrystandardnaming): W12x204
EXAMPLES
TYPESFORANIMPERIALWINDOW:
16x24
16x48
24x24
24x48
24x72
36x24
36x48
36x72
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2.5 CATEGORY AN DSUBCATEGORY STANDARDSAN DUSAGE
Allfamilies,includinggenericfamilies,mustbeassignedtoappropriatecategoriesandsubcategories.Whena
familyiscreated,itisassignedacategory.Thecategorydefinesitstoplevelofidentification(forexample,Door,
Window,orCasework)withintheprojectenvironment.Whenthefamilyisusedinaproject,thefamilycanbe
locatedintheProjectBrowserunderitscategory,andelementscreatedbythefamilytypeswillschedulebyitscategory.Thelineweight,linecolor,linepattern,andmaterialassignmentofthefamilygeometrycanalsobe
assignedtobycategory.
Todisplaydifferentlineweights,linecolors,linepatterns,andmaterialassignmentsfordifferentgeometric
componentsofthefamily(forexample,theframe,sash,mullions,andglassthatcompriseawindow),the
componentscanbeassignedtosubcategorieswithinthefamilycategory.
CategoriesarepredefinedinRevitsoftwareandcannotbecreatedorchangedbytheuser.Subcategoriesare
predefinedinsomefamilies,butothersubcategoriescanbecreatedinfamiliesasneeded.
ADDINGSUBCATEGORIESTOMODEL FAMILIES
Ifyouneedtoaddsubcategoriesinyourfamilies,usethestepsbelowtoensurethatyoursubcategoriesadhereto
Autodeskstandards:
1. OpenthelistofAutodeskapprovedsubcategories,RevitMasterSubcategoryList.xls(includedinthe
downloadpackage).
2. Selecttheworkbookthatcorrespondstothecategoryofthefamilythatyouarecreating.
Thefirsttablecontainsanypredefinedsubcategoriesthatareestablishedbythefamilytemplate.The
secondtablelistsadditionalsubcategoriesthatyoucanuse.
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3. Determineifanyoftheadditionalsubcategoriesfityourneeds.
4. Ifthelistdoesnotcontainthesubcategoriesthatyouneed,createnewsubcategoriesusingthenaming
conventionsinthenextsection.
5.
Submityour
subcategories
tothe
Autodesk
Seek
team
for
approval.
After
they
are
approved,
the
subcategorieswillbeaddedtothemasterlist.
SUBCATEGORYNAMING CONVENTIONS
Createuniquenamesforeachsubcategory.
Usenaturallanguagetonamethesubcategory.
Thesubcategorynameshoulddescribehowthesubcategoryisidentifiedintherealworld(i.e.,in
catalogs,bymanufacturer, etc.)
Donotincludethefamilycategoryinthesubcategory.
Keepsubcategorynamesasshortaspossible.
Capitalizetheleadinglettersofthewordsthatformthesubcategoryname.
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2.6 AUTODESKAPPROVEDPARAMETER USAGE
Familiescontainparametersthatnotonlycreatethefamilygeometry,butidentifyorclassifytheelementsthatare
createdbythefamily.Allfamilieshavepredefinedparametersthatyouassignvaluesordatato,butyoucanadd
parametersthatarenotpredefinedinRevitsoftware(thatarenotsystemparameters).
IMPORTANT:Ifyouwanttodisplaythenamesandvaluesofcustomparametersinaschedule,theymustbe
definedassharedparametersinatextfilethatisindependentoffamilyandprojectfiles.
REQUIREMENT:Topromoteconsistencyinmodelcontent(particularlyformanufacturercontentthatissharedon
AutodeskSeek),useparametersastheyareexplicitlydefined(includingtheGUID)intheapprovedshared
parametersfile.Ifarequiredparameterisnotinthefile,addittoyourcontentasnecessary.Itisalso
recommendedtoincludethesharedparameterfilecontainingtheadditionalparameterswithyourcontent
package.Whencreatingcustomparameters,referto2.7ParameterNamingConventions.
Refertothemastersharedparametersfile(RevitMasterSharedParameters.txt)forthelistofAutodeskapproved
sharedparameters.Thisfilecontainsmostofthesharedparametersthatyouwillneedtoaddtoyourfamilies.A
spreadsheet(RevitMasterParameterList.xls)thatliststheseparametersbyfamilycategory,alongwithapplicable
predefinedsystemparametersisalsoavailableforyourreference.
WindowscategoryintheRevitMasterParameterList
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ADDINGMANUFACTURER DATA TO FAMILIES
IdentityDataparametersinfamiliescanincludemanufacturerdata,includinginformationsuchasthemodel,
description,assemblycode,cost,andmanufacturerURL.Whenelementsarecreatedwiththefamilyinaproject,
theparametersandassociatedvaluescanbeincludedinschedules.
Identitydataparametersforawindowthatincludevaluesformanufacturerdata
ParameterName Description TypeofParameter
Manufacturer Manufacturername System
Model Modelnameornumber System
ProductPageURL URLtoproductpage Shared(seesharedparameterlist)
ProductDocumentationLink URLtoproductdocumentation Shared(seesharedparameterlist)
URL URLtomanufactureswebsite System
CSI OMNICLASS TABLE 49
FamilyparameterscanreferenceOmniClassTable49properties,althoughRevitparametersandOmniClass
propertiesmaynotmatchperfectly.SeeRevitMasterParameterList.xlstoviewthemappings.
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CSI CLASSIFICATIONCODES
OnAutodeskSeek,contentfamiliescanbelocatedbytheappropriateCSI(ConstructionSpecificationsInstitute)
code.Forbestresults,includeinformationin3formatstandards:
MasterFormat200450divisionsthatstandardizeinformationinconstructionprojectmanuals.
UniFormatII(AssemblyCode)Organizingpreliminaryconstructioninformationbasedonitssystemsand
assemblies.Usedforpreliminaryprojectdescriptions,performancespecifyingandcostestimation.
OmniClass1.0Consistsof15tables,eachrepresentingadifferentfacetofconstructioninformation.
Formoreinformationonthestandards,refertotheCSIWebsite,http://www.csinet.org/s_csi/index.asp.
ASSIGNINGTH EMASTERFORMAT AND UNIFORMAT CLASSIFICATIONIN REVIT
TheMasterFormat2004andUniFormat(AssemblyCode)shouldbeassignedtoeachfamilytype.
1. OpentheFamilyTypesdialogforthefamily.
2. UnderIdentityData,forKeynote,entertheMasterFormatcodeappropriateforthefamilycontent.Refer
totheCSIWebSiteforalistofclassificationcodes.
3. UnderIdentityData,forAssemblyCode,clickintheValuefield,andclickthebrowsebuttontoselectthe
appropriateAssemblyCodefromthedialog.
4. Repeattheprocedureforeachtypeinthefamily.
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ASSIGNINGTH EOMNICLASS CLASSIFICATIONIN REVIT(REVIT 2010AN D LATER)
TheOmniClass1.0codeisassignedtothefamily.Youdonotneedtoassignittoeachfamilytype.
5.
InRevit,OpentheFamilyCategoryandParametersdialog.
6. UnderFamilyParameters,forOmniClassNumber,clickinthefield,andclickthebrowsebuttontoselect
theappropriateOmniClasscodefromthedialog.
NoticethattheOmniClassTitlevalueisaddedautomatically.
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2.7 PARAMETERNAMINGCONVENTIONS
ConsistentparameternamingenableseasierandmorecomprehensiveparametricsearchinginAutodeskSeek.
Createparametersonlywhenvariationcreatesmeaningfullydifferentiatedtypesthatrepresentrealworld
possibilities.
GUIDELINES
Usestandardapprovedparameternameswhenavailable.
Keepparameternamesasshortaspossible.
Avoidabbreviationandtruncation,whenpossible.
Usetitlecasing(aswiththetitleofabook)forparameternames,astheyarecasesensitive(e.g.,
CoefficientofPerformance;PointofShipment;HighandLowPressureGasConnectionDiameter).
Parametersmustdisplayindialogs.
DonotchangelabelnamesprovidedbytheRevitfamilytemplates.
Parameternamesthatyoureusetocreateequalitiesshouldbecarefullycheckedfornamecoherence.
Usethemostcommondescriptorforagroupofparametersasthefirstpartofthenamesothatthe
parameterssortlogically(e.g.,FilterFaceArea;FilterEfficiency).
Parametersforsubsequentitemsshouldincludeanumberinthenamebeforethefinalpartofthe
description,butdonotincludeanumberinthenameforthefirstitem(e.g.,ActualHotGasFlow;Actual
HotGas2Flow).
Avoidusingsymbolsinparameternames,including:+ /\*()|^${}[].
Donotincludeunitsinthenameofaparameter(e.g.,SupplyAirFlowCFM).
UsingthetermsActualorDesign:
o Actualdescribestheactualvaluethesystemdefinitionrequires.Actualparametersarelinked
toconnectorsandareoftenusedforparametersthatdefineflowrates,forexample,Actual
SupplyAirFlow;ActualChilledWaterFlow.
o Designdescribeswhattheproductisdesignedtodo,forexample,DesignVentilationAirFlow;
DesignReturnAirFlow.
NameYes/NoparameterssotheyimplythattheyreturnaYes/Novalue,forexample:
o HasHandle
o
IsEnergyEfficient
o ShowHoods
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FORMAT
requirediftheparameterappliestoasubcomponentratherthan
theentirefamily.
requiredforallparameterstodescribethevaluebeingpassed.
EXAMPLES
PARAMETERSTHATAPPLYTOTHEENTIREFAMILY
Format:
Casementwindow:
Height
DefaultSillHeight
Width
WindowInset
RoughWidth
RoughHeight
Engineeringequipment:
ActualHeaterGasFlow
TotalHeatingCapacity
FullLoadCurrent
CompressorType
PARAMETERSTHATDESCRIBEAMEASUREMENTVALUEOFASUBCOMPONENT:
Format:
HeatPumpCoilFaceArea
HeatPumpCoilFaceVelocity
ExhaustFanBladeSpeed
ExhaustFanDrive
ExhaustFanMotorSpeed
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PARAMETERSTHATDESCRIBETHELINEARDIMENSIONOFASUBCOMPONENT(CONNECTOR)
Format:Connection
HotGasBypass2ConnectionDiameter
CondenserWaterConnectionDiameter
SupplyAirConnectionWidth
SupplyAirConnectionHeight
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2.8 MATERIALNAMING CONVENTIONS
Finishmaterialnamingconventionsorganizethematerialbymanufacturer, andgeneraldescriptiontomore
specificdescription.Dependingonthetypeofmaterial,afinishmaterialnamemayincludeacolor,code,finish
type,oridentificationnumber.
GUIDELINES
Finishnamesshouldindicatethekeydifferencesbetweenmaterials(manufacturer, type,color,
finish)and,whenapplicable,reflectstandardsizes.
Insomecases,youmaybasenamesonsizedifference,butusecommontermsratherthannumbers.
Metricfinishnamesshouldreflectthelocalunitstandard,unlessthematerialsareintendedtobe
generic.
Keepfinishnamesasshortaspossible.
RECOMMENDATION:Tooptimizethefilesizeforfamilieswithalargenumberofavailablematerials,provideonly
themostcommonmaterialsinthefamily,andprovidetheremainingmaterialsinaseparatefinishlibrary. SeetheFinishesparttypeguideformoreinformation.
FORMAT FOR INDIVIDUALFINISHMATERIALS(STORED INSIDEPROJECTS)
EXAMPLES
Paint AcmePaint AC440 VintageBrownMatte
Glass AcmeGlazing Series1205Clear
Aluminum AcmeMetal AC120 Anodized(Clear)
Fabric AcmeFabrics ACF820 Houndstooth Black/White
Stain AcmeWindows NaturalWoodFinish
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FORMAT FOR INDIVIDUALFINISHMATERIALSUSINGAN EXTERNAL IMAGEFILE
Materialsrequiringexternalimages,bumpmapsandcutoutshouldbestoredinalocationthatcanbesharedby
multipleRevitProductinstalls.
ForWindowsXP:
C:\DocumentsandSettings\AllUsers\ApplicationData\RevitManufacturerLibrary\Materials\
ForWindowsVistaandWindows7:
C:\ProgramData\AllUsers\ApplicationData\RevitManufacturerLibrary\Materials\
GUIDELINES:
Createuniquenamesforeachuniquematerialimage.
Capitalizetheleadinglettersineachportionofthefamilyname.
Donotusespacesbetweenwordsinfilenames.Toseparatewordswithinasyntaxelement(e.g.,
ManufacturerorDescriptor),usetheunderscorecharacter(_).
Acceptable
file
formats
for
material
images
include:
bmp,
jpg,
jpeg
and
png.
ProvideareadmetodescribewheretheimagefilesmustbelocatedandhowtomapRevittotheRevit
ManufacturerLibraryfolderintheRenderingOptionsdialog.
FORMAT FOR INDIVIDUALMATERIALS IMAGES (STORED OUTSIDEOF REVIT)
MaterialImage:
+fileextension
Bumpmaps:
bump+fileextension
Cutouts:
cutout+fileextension
EXAMPLES
ImageFile:
PaintAcme_PaintAC_440Vintage_Brown_Matte.jpg
StainAcme_WindowsNatural_Wood_Finish.jpg
BumpImageFile:
bump.jpg
StainAcme_WindowsNatural_Wood_Finishbump.jpg
Cutouts/Perforations:
cutout.jpg
AluminumAcme_FencingAC120Anodizedcutout.jpg
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2.9 PREVIEWIMAGESTANDARDS
Afamilypreviewimageisareducedthumbnailimageofa2Dor3Dfamilyviewthatgraphicallyidentifiesafamily
beforeitisdownloadedoropened.Previewimagesdisplayin:
ThumbnailsviewinMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
AutodeskSeeksearchresults
thePreviewwindowinRevitOpenandLoadFamilydialogswhenafamilyisselected
BycreatingpreviewimagesthatadheretoAutodeskstandards,userscanviewconsistentpreviewsacrossfamilies,
ensuringaconsistentuserexperiencebothinAutodeskSeekandinRevitsoftware.
FamilypreviewimagesinAutodeskSeek,WindowsExplorer,andRevitOpenFamilydialogs
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CREATING AUTODESK STANDARD FAMILYPREVIEWIMAGES
Tocreateapreviewimage,beginbycreatingafamilyviewtouseexclusivelyforthepreviewimage.Althoughyou
cansaveanyfamilyviewasthepreviewimageview,thebestpracticeistocreateaviewthatcanbesetto
consistentlydisplayasisrequiredforthepreviewimage.
Afteryoucreatetheview,setAutodeskstandardgraphiccontrolsinthepreviewimageviewtoensurevisual
consistencywiththepreviewimagesofotherRevitfamilies.Differentgraphicstandardsexistforthefollowing
typesoffamilypreviewimages:
Detailcomponentandannotationfamilies
Hostedmodelcomponentfamilies
Nonhostedmodelcomponentfamilies
NOTE: Althoughannotationfamiliesarenotcoveredinthisguide,similarstandardsforannotationpreview
imagesexist.
IMPORTANT:Whenmodificationstothepreviewimageviewarecomplete,savetheviewandsetthefamilytouse
thecurrentviewasthepreviewimage.Eachtimeyousaveandclosethefamily,youmustensurethatthepreview
imageviewistheactive(open)viewsoitwilldisplayasthepreviewimage.
CREATINGADETAILCOMPONENT PREVIEWIMAGE
Foraneasilyidentifiabledetailcomponentpreview,setthepreviewimagetodisplaythe2Dviewthatfeatures
onlythecomponentlineworkandfilledregions.
Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/linesintheview,astheseelementsmayobscurecomponent
geometryiftheydisplay.
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TOCREATEADETAILCOMPONENTPREVIEWIMAGE:
Createaviewtouseasthefamilypreviewimage
1. Ifnecessary,openthedetailcomponentfamilyforwhichyouwanttocreateapreviewimage.
Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/lines
2. ClickViewmenuVisibility/Graphics.
3. IntheVisibility/GraphicOverridesdialog,clicktheAnnotationCategoriestab.
4. UnderVisibility,clearDimensions,Levels,ReferenceLines,andReferencePlanes.
5. ClickOK.
SetstandardviewcontrolsinthePreviewview
6. OntheViewControlBar:
Clickthecurrentviewscale,anddependingonthefamilyunits,click11/2=1 0or1:5.
ClickDetailLevel,andclickFine.
ClickModelGraphicsStyle,andclickWireframe.
7. ClickSave.
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CREATINGAHOSTED OR NONHOSTEDMODELCOMPONENT PREVIEWIMAGE
Dependingonthetypeofmodelcomponentthatapreviewimagedepicts,itmaydisplaya2Dorisometricview.If
thepreviewimageiscreatedforahostedfamily,hostelementsmayormaynotdisplayinthepreview.
Thistopicpresentsgeneralguidelinesforcreatingpreviewimages.Foradditionalguidelines,refertothecategory
specificdocumentationformodelcomponentpreviewimages.
Createpreviewimageviewsaccordingtothefollowinggeneralguidelines:
Doorandwindowpreviewimagesshoulddisplaya2Dfrontexteriorelevationviewofthefeatured
component.Visibilityofthehostelement(usuallyawall)shouldbeturnedofftobetterdisplaythe
windowordoor.
Thispreviewimageofawindowfamilyisagoodexamplebecauseithasanappropriatelevelofdetail,isa2D
frontview,andisrepresentativeofthecontent:
Thispreviewimageofawindowfamilyisapoorexamplebecauseitisa3Dviewthatincludesthehostobject
(wall)whichmakesthewindowdifficulttosee:
Othermodelcomponentpreviews,suchasfurnitureorcasework,shoulddisplayinasoutheastisometric
view.
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Hostbasedfamiliesotherthandoorsandwindows,suchaslightfixtures,mayincludehostelements
(wallsorceilings)inthepreviewimage.
Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/linesintheview,astheseelementsmayobscure
componentgeometryiftheydisplay.
TO CREATEAMODELCOMPONENTPREVIEWIMAGE:
Createaviewtouseasthepreviewimage
1. Ifnecessary,openthefamilyforwhichyouwanttocreateapreviewimage.
2. IntheProjectBrowser,selectaviewofthefamilythatyouwanttouse:
Foradoororwindowfamily,selectanelevationview(preferablyfront).
Forothermodelcomponentfamilies,selecta3Dview.
3. Rightclicktheviewname,andclickDuplicateView Duplicate.
4. Renametheduplicateview:
IntheProjectBrowser,rightclicktheviewname,andclickRename.
TypePreviewandclickOK.
ClickNotoretainthenamesofcorrespondingviewsandlevels.
5. Ifnecessary,opentheview.
Setastandardpreviewimagevieworientation
6. Dependingonthetypeofcomponentthatyouarecreating,setthevieworientation:
Foradoororwindowfamilyinanelevationview,ontheViewCube,click .
Forotherfamiliesthatdisplayina3Dview,ontheViewCube,click tosetasoutheast
orientation,rightclick,andclickSetCurrentViewasHome.
Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/linesandifnecessary,setthehostvisibility
7. ClickViewmenu Visibility/Graphics.
8. IntheVisibility/GraphicOverridesdialog,clicktheAnnotationCategoriestab.
9. UnderVisibility,clearDimensions,Levels,ReferenceLines,andReferencePlanes.
10. Ifyouarecreatingapreviewforahostbasedfamily,setthehostvisibility:
Forfamilypreviewsinwhichthehostshouldnotdisplay,suchasdoorsandwindows,clearall
hostcategories.
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Forfamilypreviewsinwhichthehostshoulddisplay,selectallhostcategories.
11. ClickOK.
SetstandardviewcontrolsinthePreviewview
12. OntheViewControlBar:
Clickthecurrentviewscale,anddependingonthefamilyunits,click11/2=1 0or1:5.
ClickDetailLevel,andclickFine.
ClickModelGraphicsStyle,andclickShadingwithEdges.
Setthepreviewimagetodisplaythecurrentview
13. ClickFilemenuSaveAs.
14. IntheSaveAsdialog,inthelowerrightcorner,clickOptions.
15. IntheFileSaveOptionsdialog,underPreview,forSource,select3DView:Preview,thenselect
Regenerateifview/sheetisnotuptodate.
IMPORTANT:Thissettingdisplaystheselectedviewasthepreviewimage.Itisalsorecommendedthatthe
activeviewwhenyousavethefileisthesameastheselectedpreviewview.
TIP:SelecttheCompactFileoptiontohelpreducethefilesize.
16.
ClickOK.17. ClickSave.
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2.10 TYPECATALOG STANDARDSAN DUSAGE
AtypecatalogiscommadelimitedTXTfilethat,whenplacedinthesamedirectoryasafamily,displaysalistof
familytypesbeforethefamilyisloadedintoaproject.Youcanselectandloadonlythefamilytypesthatthe
currentprojectrequires,avoidinganunnecessaryincreaseinprojectsizefromunusedtypesandalonglistoftypes
intheTypeSelector.Thetypecatalogalsoprovidesanexternalmeansofeditingthefamily,asyoucanremoveandaddparametersandtypesinthecatalogfile(TXT).
TYPE CATALOG STANDARDS
Usethefollowingstandardswhencreatingtypecatalogs:
Useanytexteditortocreatetypecatalogs.
Createtypecatalogsforfamiliesthatcontainsixormoretypes.
Nameatypecatalogfile(.txt)withthesamenameasthefamilyfile(.rfa)thatitsupports.
Ensurethatparametersintypecatalogsaretestloadedbythefamilyforwhichyoucreatethetype
catalog.Iftheparametersarenotused,thefamilywillnotload.
IMPORTANT:InTypeCatalogs,inordertoincludefeetandinchmarksinthetypename,youmustincludeamark
afterthefootorinchsymbol.
Todisplaythetypename Inthetypecatalog,enter
48x60 48x60
36 3 6
Forinformationoncreatingatypecatalog,seeCreatingTypeCatalogsintheRevitHelpandFamiliesGuide.
UNITSPECIFICFAMILY
Atypecatalog(TXTfile)foradoorfamily
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Dialogdisplayedbythetypecatalogwhenthedoorfamilyisloaded
STRUCTURALCONTENTINDUSTRYSTANDARDNAMING
Atypecatalog(TXTfile)forasteeljoistfamily
Dialogdisplayedbythetypecatalogwhenthesteeljoistfamilyisloaded
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2.11 MATERIAL APPLICATION IN MODEL FAMILIES
Materialscanbeappliedtofamiliestodepicttherealworlddisplayofelementscreatedwiththefamilyinshaded
andrenderedviews.
IMPORTANT: Whenapplyingmaterialstoafamily,rememberthatmaterialsincreasethefamilysize,whichin
turndecreasesitsperformancewhenitisloadedandusedinprojects.
Dependingonhowyouapplymaterialstoafamilysgeometry,youcancontroltheusersabilitytomodifythe
materialsofelementsthattheycreatewiththefamily.Usetheseguidelinestoapplymaterialstofamilygeometry:
Ifyouwantto Then
usematerialsthatwillnotneedtobechanged Applythematerialdirectlytothefamilygeometryby
assigningittotheMaterialparameter(Option1).
changethematerialforthefamilycategory
and/orforsubsetsofgeometriccomponentsin
thefamily
Applyamaterialtothefamilycategory.
Createsubcategories,assignmaterialstoeach
subcategory,andassignsubcategoriestogeometry
(Option2).
changethematerialforageometriccomponentin
a
family
by
instance
or
type
Createaninstanceortypematerialparameterand
assign
it
to
the
appropriate
family
geometry
(Option
3).
NOTE:Thisisthemostflexibleandpreferredmethodof
materialassignment.
Ifpossible,usethematerialsthatareavailableintheRevitsoftwarewhenassigningmaterialstofamilygeometry.
Ifyouneedtocreateamaterial,makesurethatthematerialnameconformstothenamingconventionsdescribed
intheMaterialNamingConventionstopic.
OPTION1APPLY
MATERIALS
WITH
TH E
MATERIAL
PARAMETER
YoucanapplymaterialsdirectlytosomeorallofthefamilygeometryintheFamilyEditor.Eachpieceoffamily
geometryhasadefaultMaterialparametertowhichyoucanassignmaterials.
US ETHISMETHOD WHEN:
Thematerialofthefamilygeometryisunlikelytochange,suchasforamanufacturedcomponentthatissupplied
withasinglestandardmaterial.
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RESULT:
Whenyoucreateelementsinaprojectwiththefamily,youcannot:
changetheelementmaterialswithouteditingthefamily
changethematerialforinstancesortypesofthefamily
changethematerialsbyassigningamaterialtotheelementcategory
OPTION 2 APPLYMATERIALS TO FAMILYGEOMETRY BYCATEGORY AND SUBCATEGORY
Youcanapplymaterialstoallorselectpiecesoffamilygeometrybysubcategory.Subcategoriesarecategoriesthat
existwithinthefamilycategory.Youcanassigndifferentpiecesoffamilygeometrytoeachsubcategory,andthen
applyadifferentmaterialtoeachsubcategory.Toapplymaterialtogeometrythatisnotassignedtoa
subcategory,youcanapplymaterialsbythefamilycategory.
US ETHISMETHOD WHEN:
Youwanttobeabletoapplydifferentmaterialstodifferentfamilycomponentsbycategoryorsubcategory.
RESULT:
Whenyoucreateanelementinaprojectwiththefamily,
youcanchangethematerialsassignedtoeachsubcategoryorcategory.
OPTION 3 APPLYMATERIALS WITHCUSTOM INSTANCE ORTYPE MATERIAL PARAMETERS
Youcancreateandassignacustominstanceortypematerialparametertofamilygeometry.
BESTPRACTICE:Thisisthemostflexiblemethodofmaterialassignmentthatyoucanprovidetheuser.
US ETHISMETHOD WHEN YO UWANT:
toallowtheusertochangefamilymaterialsbyinstanceorbytype.
bysettingthematerialparametertothisoptioncanalsoallowtheelementstobeupdated
bysubcategoryorcategory.
RESULT:
Whenyoucreateanelementwiththefamilyinaproject,theparametergivesyoutheoptiontochangeamaterial
foraninstanceoftheelementorforeachtypeofelementthatyoucreate.
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EXAMPLE: ASSIGNINGMATERIALS TOATABLEFAMILY
Inthisexample,acombinationofmaterialoptionsisusedtoapplymaterialsinasimpletablefamily.
Materialassigneddirectlytogeometry(Option1):Thehardwarewillnotneedtochangewhenthisfamilyisused
inaproject,soamaterialisapplieddirectlytotheknobforthetabledrawer.IntheElementPropertiesdialogfor
theknobgeometry,underMaterialsandFinishes,theMaterialparametervalueissettoMetalChrome.
Materialsassignedwithtypematerialparameters(Option3):Twotypematerialparametersarecreatedinthe
tablefamily:
LegMaterialassignedtoablackpaintfinish
TopMaterialassignedto
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SYSTEM TYPES
Thefollowingtableprovidesanoverviewoftheapplicationscenarioforeachsystemtype.
SystemType ApplicationScenario Example
Pipe
Connector
HydronicSupply
Familiesinclosedwatercirculationsystems Boiler,Chiller,
CoolingTowerHydronicReturn
Sanitary Plumbingfixtures
Lavatories,
WaterClosets.DomesticHotWater
DomesticColdWater
FireProtectionWet Thethreesystemsarematchingthethree
sprinklersystems,sprinklerwet,sprinklerdry,
sprinklerpreaction.
Sprinkler,
DryValveFireProtectionDry
FireProtectionPreAction
FireProtectionOther Otherfireprotectionsystemsexceptthethree
above,suchasstandpipe
Cabinet,Hose
Connection
Fitting PipeFittings Elbow,Tee
Global Familiesthatwillbeinmultiplesystems Pump,Valve
Other
Families ingas,refrigerant systems,Placeholderforpipesystemsnotincluded
GasconnectorofWaterheater
Unsupported StromDrainage ,SanitaryVentilationDuct
Connector
SupplyAir HVAC Airdeliverysystems AirConditioner,
DustCollectorReturnAir
ExhaustAir
OtherAir Placeholderforairsystemsnotincluded
Fitting DuctFittings Elbow,Tee
Global Familiesthatwillbeinmultiplesystems Fan
Unsupported FreshAirElec
tricalConnector
Data Automaticallyormanuallycontrolthe
transmitting,receiveorsendingofdata/voice
signals.
DataOutlet
PowerBalanced Equipment,deviceorfixtureoperatesin
powersupply/distributionsystems.
Generator
PowerUnbalanced PanelBoard
Telephone Telecommunicationdevicesusedtotransmit
andreceivesound.
Telephoneoutlet
Security Bearmedanddetectsecurity/accessproblem SmokeDetector
FireAlarm Alarminitiatingdevicesoperatetocontrol
alarmsignals
WaterFlow
Indicator
NurseCall Keycomponentinaddressingpatientcare
needs.
CallPoint
Controls Normallyusedforremotecontrolinsome
specialcircumstances
ControlValve
Communication Devicesincommunicationsysteminbuilding,
usedtotransmitting,receiveorsend
communicationsignals
Speaker
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CONNECTOR DIRECTION
Forduct/pipeconnectors,anarrow,perpendiculartothesurface,displays. Thedirectionthatthearrowispointing
isalsothedirectioninwhichtheconnectingduct/pipewillbedrawn.Asthepictureshows,verticalductcanbe
drawnfromanupconnectorinanairterminal.
NOTE:Thearrowdoesnotrepresenttheflowdirection.
PRIMARYCONNECTOR
Bydefault,thefirstconnectorineachdomainisassignedastheprimaryconnector.Inthefollowingimage,youcan
easilyidentifytheprimaryconnector(connector1)bythecrosssymbol.TheReassignPrimarytoolallowsyouto
reassigntheprimaryconnector,asrequired.
Theprimaryconnectorofpipeandductfittingsshouldbelocatedatcoordinates(1,0,0).Inthefollowingimage
oftheplanviewofaPTrap,connector1istheprimaryconnector.
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Forotherfamilies,thelocationoftheprimaryconnectorisnotimportant.
LINKINGCONNECTOR
Whentherearemorethanonepipe/ductconnectors,thereisachoiceforlinkingconnectors.
Linkedconnectorsonlyhaveaneffectwhenthesystemtypeissettoglobalforequipmentorfitting.
Linkingconnectorsonequipmentmakesitpossibletopropagateengineeringdata,allowingyoutouse
equipmentasaninlinecomponentinasystem.
Linkingconnectorsonfittingsshouldincludetheprimaryconnector.
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CONNECTOR MAPPING
EditElementPropertiesfortheconnectortodefineparametersfortheconnector.
Forpartparameters,clickingabrowsebuttondisplaysadialogthatmakesiteasytomapconnectorparametersto
familyparameterswiththesameunits.Connectormappingmakestheconnectorparametricwiththefamily.
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CONNECTOR DESCRIPTIONS
Inthefollowingexampleofcomplexequipment,itwouldbedifficulttodeterminethefunctionofeachconnector.
Tomakeiteasiertoidentifythefunctionofconnectorsinthefamily,addconnectordescriptions.These
descriptionsdisplayintheSelectConnectordialog.Inthefollowingimage,descriptionsareunderlinedinredfor
illustrationpurposes.
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SECTION3:
TESTINGGUIDELINES
ToensurethequalityofRevitfamilycontent,thoroughlytestfamiliesbeforeusingtheminproductionorsharing
themonAutodeskSeek.Testfamilieswiththeguidelinesinthissectionto:
verifythatnewfamilycontentmeetsAutodeskstandards
ensurefamilyparametricrelationships
ensureaconsistentuserexperience
Twosetsoftestingguidelinesareincluded:generalguidelinesandfamilyspecificguidelines:
Usethegeneralfamilytestingguidelinestotestallfamilies.
Usethefamilyspecifictestingguidelinestotestspecificcriteriaperfamilytype.
Inaddition,categoryspecifictestingguidelinesareavailableforsomefamilycategories.Thesedocumentscontain
specifictestingguidelinesthatyoushouldusewhenavailable.Beforetestingafamily,determinewhethera
categoryspecificdocumenthasbeenpublishedforthecategoryofthefamilythatyouaretesting.
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3.1 GENERALFAMILY TESTING GUIDELINES
Performgeneraltestingonafamilywhenitis:
openintheFamilyEditor
loadedinto
aproject
Usethecriteriainthechecklistsbelowtotestfamiliesineachoftheaboveenvironments.
Whentestingfamiliesinprojects,itisstronglyrecommendedthatyou:
Testfamiliesinprojectscreatedwiththegenericmetricandimperialtestingtemplateprojectsthatwere
includedinthedownloadpackage.
Testfamiliesinprojectsthatmatchthedesignintentofthefamily.
Forexample,testawindowfamilythatisdesignedtobeplacedinalargecommercialbuildinginalarge
commercialproject.
ContentthatisdesignedtoworkinmorethanoneRevitdisciplinemustbetestedinallapplicable
disciplines.Forexample,foralightingfixture,testtheconnectorsinRevitMEP,andverifythatthefixture
castslightasexpectedwhenrenderinginRevitArchitecture.
TIP:Forlargecontentcreationprojects,itisrecommendedthatspotcheckingorrandomtestingof10%ofthe
contentbeperformedbyatesterwhoisnotthecontentcreator.
FAMILYEDITOR TESTING CRITERIA
R Testallfamilyparameterstoensurethatthegeometryflexes/adjustscorrectlywhenthefamily
parametersaremodified.
R
Testallfamilytypeschangethetype,applyit,andinspectthegeometrytoverifythatthedimensions
andrelationshipsaremaintained.
R Inahostbasedfamily,verifythatthehostflexesasexpected.Changethehostthicknessandensurethat
thefamilygeometryadjustsappropriately.
R VerifythatthefamilypreviewimageisusingthePreviewview.
R Checkallviewstoensurethatthefamilydisplaysappropriatelyindifferentdetaillevelsandwhen
differentModelGraphicsstylesareapplied.
R Testconstraints:
o Testthehandlesontheedgeofthegeometryandmakesurethatallgeometryisconstrainedto
eitherareferenceplaneorareferenceline.
o Testthedimensionparametertomakesurethatthereferenceplaneorlineisbeingadjustedby
theparameterandnottheactualgeometry.
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PROJECTTESTING CRITERIAFOR REVITARCHITECTURE
R Usingatestprojectoroneofthetestingtemplateprojectsavailablefordownload,loadthefamilyina
projectenvironment,andcheckallviewsforanomalies.Ifthefamilyincludesatypecatalog,useittoload
thefamily.
R Inspectthefamilyappearanceinallviews(plan,reflectedceilingplan,elevation,Section,3D)at
alldetaillevels(Coarse,Medium,Fine).
R InspectthefamilyappearanceindifferentModelGraphicsStyles:Wireframe,HiddenLine,
Shading,andShadingwithEdges.
R Testallfamilytypeschangethetype,applyit,andinspectthegeometrytoverifythatthedimensions
andrelationshipsaremaintained.
R Createnewtypesandmodifyallparameters,checkingallviewsforanomalies.
R
Modifyallmaterialassignmentstoverifythatmaterialsareassociatedtothegeometrycorrectly.TIP:Tobetterinspectfamilygeometry,modifyallmaterialtypeparameterstoglass.Also,ifanyofthe
familygeometrydoesnotdisplayasglass,thenamaterialparameterisassignedincorrectly.
R Modifycategoryandsubcategorymaterialstoverifythefamilyisnotusingmaterialtypeparameters.
R Forhostedfamilies:
R Placehostedfamiliesintotheprovidedhostthicknessesandconfirmfamiliesworkinallhosts
appropriatetothefamiliesuse,includinginplacewallsandmasselements.
R Modifythehostthicknessby25% 400%,andcheckforunconnectedgeometryand/orplan
representationsthat
may
be
disconnected
from
the
geometry.
R Reinspectthefamilyappearanceinallviewstoensurethatthegeometrydisplaysasexpected.
R Dimensiontoallreferencesandsnapallreferencestowalls.
R Createatestrendering.
R Testthefollowingcommandsongeometrycreatedinthefamily:
R Copy/Paste
R
Rotate
R Mirror
R VerifythatthefamilypreviewimageisusingthePreviewview.
R Testthefamilyinanactualproject,verifyitsperformance,andensurethattheprojectmatchesthe
designintentofthefamily.
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3.2 FAMILYSPECIFIC TESTING GUIDELINES
Dependingonthetypeoffamilybeingtested,theremaybespecificcriteriatotestinadditiontothegeneral
testingthatshouldbeperformedonallfamilies.
Usethistabletodetermineifafamilyrequiresanyspecifictesting:
REVITFAMILYSPECIFICTESTING
FamilyType Example Test
FreelyPlaced Furniture,entourage Testinarelevantprojectcontext.
Forexample,placefurnitureorcaseworkelements
onafloorwithatexturetoensurethatthe
elementsmaskthefloor.
Hosted Window,door Ensurethatthefamilyinteractsproperlywitha
hostandadjuststodifferenthostthicknesses.
FaceBased Lightfixture Ensurethatthefamilyattachesproperlytofaces
anddoesntimproperlyembedin,orprojectaway
from,thefaceoftheobjecttowhichitisattached.
DetailComponent Detailcomponent Ensurethatthefamilysnapstoothergeometry
correctlyandthatitmasksanygeometryonwhich
itisplaced.
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