REVITMODELCONTENTSTYLEGUIDE

December2009
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CONTENTS
FeedbackontheGuide7
Audience7
Definition:QualityRevitContent7
Contents8
SupplementaryFiles8
AdditionalFiles9
Section1:PlanningRevitModelContent10
RecommendedRevitReleaseandDisciplineforContentCreation10
1.1DeterminingDesignIntent11
DeterminingtheTemplatetoUse11
FamilyRepresentations12
1.2BalancingPerformanceandDesignComplexity16
DesignIntentvs.Performance16
RecommendedFamilyFileSizes18
LevelofDetail19
ElementVisibility20
AreastoAvoidforOptimumPerformance20
ExamplesofFamilieswithAppropriateandcomplexLevelsofDetail21
ConsiderationsforNestingFamilyContent22
NestingRecommendations:22
1.3AutodeskExchangeFormat(.ADSK)23
AECExchangeEnvironment23
CreatingIntelligentConnectors23
SimplifyingtheGeometricRepresentation24
Publishingtothe.ADSKformat24
reading.ADSKfiles25
ImportingintoRevitFamilies25
Limitations25
1.4UsingImportedContent26
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SupportedContent26
Limitations26
1.5PlanningaRevitModelFamily27
Section2:ModelContentCreationStandards28
2.1WorkflowforModelContentCreation29
Prototyping30
2.2FamilyUnits30
2.3FamilyNamingConventions31
2.4TypeNamingConventions33
2.5CategoryandSubcategoryStandardsandUsage35
AddingSubcategoriesToModelFamilies35
SubcategoryNamingConventions36
2.6AutodeskApprovedParameterUsage37
AddingManufacturerDatatoFamilies38
CSIOmniClassTable4938
CSIClassificationCodes39
AssigningtheMasterFormatandUniFormatClassificationinRevit39
AssigningtheOmniClassclassificationinRevit(Revit2010andlater)40
2.7ParameterNamingConventions41
2.8MaterialNamingConventions44
Guidelines44
FormatForIndividualFinishMaterials(StoredInsideProjects)44
FormatForIndividualFinishMaterialsUsinganExternalImageFile45
FormatForIndividualMaterialsImages(StoredOutSideofRevit)45
2.9PreviewImageStandards46
CreatingAutodeskStandardFamilyPreviewImages47
2.10TypeCatalogStandardsandUsage52
TypeCatalogStandards52
2.11MaterialApplicationinModelFamilies54
Option1ApplyMaterialswiththeMaterialParameter54
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Option2ApplyMaterialstoFamilyGeometrybyCategoryandSubcategory55
Option3ApplyMaterialswithCustomInstanceorTypeMaterialParameters55
Example:AssigningMaterialstoaTableFamily56
2.12BestPracticesforAddingConnectorsinRevitMEPFamilies58
AddingaConnector58
SystemTypes59
ConnectorDirection60
PrimaryConnector60
LinkingConnector61
ConnectorMapping62
ConnectorDescriptions63
Section3:TestingGuidelines64
3.1GeneralFamilyTestingGuidelines65
FamilyEditorTestingCriteria65
ProjectTestingCriteriaforRevitArchitecture66
3.2FamilySpecificTestingGuidelines67

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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

FEEDBACKONTHEGUIDE
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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Parameterusage
Performancecontentdesignedtoreducetheperformanceimpactofthefamilyonaproject.
Testingthoroughtestingofthefamilyparametersandtypesindependentlyandinaproject
environment.

CONTENTS
Section1:PlanningRevitModelContent

Explainshowdesigncomplexityinfamiliescanaffectprojectperformanceandoffersguidelinesfor
reducingperformanceimpact
DetailstherecommendeduseandlimitationsofcontentcreatedwithotherCADsoftware
Providesbestpracticesforplanningmodelcontent

Section2:ModelContentCreationStandards

Describesbestpracticesformodelcontentcreation
ContainsAutodeskstandardsforunits,namingconventions,subcategories,parameters,previewimages,
andtypecatalogs

Section3:TestingGuidelines

Containsgeneralandfamilyspecifictestingguidelinesformodelcontentfamilies.

Notincludedinthisguide:

Detailedfamilycreationinstructions
Standardsforannotationorsystemfamilycreation
Categoryspecificguidelinesforfamilycreation
Indepthbestpracticesforfamilycreation

SUPPLEMENTARYFILES
Thefollowingdocumentsandfilesarereferencedforusewiththisguideandareincludedinthedownload
package.

RevitMasterParameterList.xlsincludesAutodeskapprovedRevitmastersharedparameters
RevitMasterSharedParameterFile.txtincludesAutodeskapprovedsharedparameterstouseinyour
projects
RevitMasterSubcategoryList.xlsincludesAutodeskapprovedRevitsubcategories
RevitMasterPartTypeList.xlsincludesAutodeskapprovedRevitparttypes
RevitModelContentSampleFilesincludessampleRevitmodelcontentandimages
CategoryspecificModelContentGuidesincludescreationguidelinesforspecificcontent
SharingRevitContentonAutodeskSeekincludesdistributionrequirementsfortheAutodeskSeekweb
service.

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ADDITIONALFILES
ThefollowingresourcesareavailableforworkingwithbothRevitmodelcontentandAutodeskSeek.

AUTODESKMETADATASTYLEGUIDEANDPRODUCTWORKBOOK
TheAutodeskMetadataStyleGuidedefinesstylesandformattingrulesthatmanufacturers,contentservice
organizations,andcontentspecialistsmustabidebysothatthecontentthattheyproducecanbeloadedintothe
AutodeskSeekstagingenvironment.
Downloadat:http://seek.autodesk.com/participate.htm.

DOCUMENTATION
FormoreinformationonRevitfamilycontentcreation,seethefollowingreferencemanualsandtutorials:

RevitArchitectureFamiliesGuide
Downloadatwww.autodesk.com/revitarchitecturedocumentation.

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/contentsearchdiscussion.

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SECTION1:
PLANNINGREVITMODELCONTENT
InordertoensureRevitmodelcontentisdevelopedefficientlyandtoAutodeskstandards,contentcreatorsshould
followAutodeskapprovedbestpracticeswhencreatingRevitfamilies.
Byfollowingtheguidelinesinthissection,youcan:

createRevitfamilycontenteasilyandwithfewererrors
ensureconsistencyandstabilityofRevitfamilycontent
createcontentsuitablefordeliveryonAutodeskSeek

RECOMMENDEDREVITRELEASEANDDISCIPLINEFORCONTENTCREATION
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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1.1DETERMININGDESIGNINTENT
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.

DETERMININGTHETEMPLATETOUSE
Forobjectstypicallyhostedbyothercomponents,suchasawindoworlightfixture,startwithahostbased
template.Forexample,forawindowordoor,useawallbasedtemplate,suchasWindow.rftorDoor.rft.Howthe
familyishosted(orwhatitdoesordoesnotattachto)determineswhichtemplateshouldbeusedtocreatethe
family.Ingeneral,thechoiceofatemplateisdrivenbythehostoftheobject,withthefollowingexceptions:

Floorbasedobjectstypicallyusealevelbasedtemplateunlesstheyarerequiredtocutthefloor.For
example,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(manufacturerspecificcontent;typicallyCoarselevelofdetail)
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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1.2BALANCINGPERFORMANCEANDDESIGNCOMPLEXITY
ThedesigncomplexityofafamilycanaffectitsperformancewhenitisusedtocreateelementsinRevitprojects.
Thisisanimportantconsiderationwhencreatingfamiliesthatincludealotofgeometry,multipleparametric
relationships,and/oralargenumberoffamilytypes(sizes).Efficientgeometrycreation,judicioususeof
parametricconstraints,andcarefullyplanneddetailandvisibilitysettingscanreducetheperformanceimpacta
familywillhaveontheprojectsinwhichitisused.
Inthissection,youlearnto:

Identifypossibleperformancegainsandimpedimentspriortofamilycreation
Managedifferentperformancefactors,includingparametricrelationships,detaillevel,andvisibility
settings
Createefficientfamilies

DESIGNINTENTVS.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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RECOMMENDEDFAMILYFILESIZES
Toprovidecontentcreatorswithatangibleguidelineforfamilyfilesize,somecommonfamilytypesandtheir
recommendedfilesizesarelistedbelow.Usethefilesizesbelowasarecommendation,asactualsizemayvary.
Large,complex,and/orunusualfamiliesmayexceedtheserecommendations.
Application

RevitArchitecture

RevitMEP

RevitStructure

Element

Casework

Door(singlepanel)

FurnitureSystem

Window(singleunit)

AirHandlerUnit

Chiller

Fan

PlumbingFixture

WShape

ComplexityLevel

FileSize

Simple
Complex

200300K
500K

Simple
Complex

300400K
600K

Simple
Complex

200300K
500K

Simple
Complex

300400K
600K

Simple
Complex

300400K
800K1000K

Simple
Complex

300400K
800K

Simple
Complex

200300K
400K

Simple
Complex

300400K
600K

Simple
Complex

180200K
300K

IMPORTANT:Tohelpreducethefilesize,inRevit,clickFilePurgeUnusedtodeleteitemsthatarenotinuse,
clickFilemenuSaveAs,andverifythattheCompactFileoptionisselectedwhensavingthefile.

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LEVELOFDETAIL
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
Smallerthan1
13
Largerthan3

Setthedetaillevelto
Fine
Medium
Coarse

Donotduplicategeometrythatcanbeusedfordifferentlevelsofdetail.

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ELEMENTVISIBILITY
Typically,thegeometryofanelementcreatedbyafamilywillchangedependingonthecurrentprojectview.The
visibilitysettingsofthefamilydetermineinwhichprojectviewselementscreatedwiththefamilywilldisplay.
Inaplanview,youmaywanttoseea2Drepresentationoftheelement.Ina3Dorelevationview,youmaywant
todisplayafullydetailed3Drepresentationoftheelement.Inotherviews,youmaywanttohidetheelement.
Limitingthevisibilityofhighlydetailedfamilygeometrytoonlycertainviewscanimproveprojectperformance.

AREASTOAVOIDFOROPTIMUMPERFORMANCE
Usethistableasaguidetoimprovetheperformanceofyourfamilies.
CommonMistakeWhenCreatingFamilies
Lackofplanningpriortofamilycreation

RecommendedApproach
Beforecreatingafamily,usetheguidelinesoutlinedin
1.4PlanningaRevitModelFamily.

Unnecessaryparametricrelationships
Beforeaddinggeometrytoafamily:
Plantheparametricrelationshipsandcreatea
familyskeletonthatfeaturesthemain
parametricrelationships.
Buildonlytheparametricfamilybehaviorthat
youneedtoavoidoverconstrainingthe
model.
Flextheskeletontotesttherelationships
beforeyouaddgeometry.
Useofgeometryinsteadofsymboliclinesinplanviews
Inplanviewrepresentations,geometryusuallycanbe
representedwithsymboliclines,ratherthan(solid)
geometry.Usinggeometryinsteadofsymboliclineswill
createanunnecessarilylargerfamily.
Highlevelsofgeometricdetailandunderuseofvisibility UsetheguidelinesintheLevelofDetailandElement
settings
Visibilitysectionsofthisguidetoavoidunnecessarily
largefamilyfiles.
Overuseofvoids,formulas,andarrays
Extensiveuseofvoids,formulas,andarrayswilladdto
theoverallfamilysizeandaffectitsperformancein
projects.
Useoftoomanynestedfamilies(familiesimportedinto Nestfamiliestocreategeometryinotherfamilies only
otherfamilies)
whennecessary.Onlyusenestedcontenttoshare
objectsamongmultiplefamilies,forexample,door
hardware,muntinpatterns,andsoon.
Largefamilieswithmanytypesthatdonotincludetype Themoretypes(particularlyunused)theheavierthe
catalogs
family.Createtypecatalogsforfamiliesthatcontain6
ormoretypes.See2.10TypeCatalogStandardsand
Usage.
Inadequatefamilytesting
See 3.1 GeneralFamilyTestingGuidelines.

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EXAMPLESOFFAMILIESWITHAPPROPRIATEANDCOMPLEXLEVELSOFDETAIL
ThepurposeofcreatingRevitfamiliesformanufacturedcontentisnotforthemanufacturingprocess,butfor
architectureandengineeringdocumentationdeliverables.Itisimportanttocreatethefamilycontentatan
appropriatelevelofdetailfortheintendeduse.Thefollowingexamplesofawindowfamilyillustratethisguideline.
Ineachofthefollowingimages,thewindowontheleftincludesanappropriatelevelofdetailandthewindowon
therightincludesmoredetailthanisrequiredorusefulfortheproject.

PLANVIEW

NOTE:Theaboveimageshowstypicalgraphicqualityforaplanviewscale.Noticethemuddyqualitytothe
windowontheright.

PLANVIEWENLARGED

SECTIONVIEW

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CONSIDERATIONSFORNESTINGFAMILYCONTENT
Anestedfamilyisonethathasbeenloadedintoanotherfamily.Insomecases,itcanbeconvenienttorepresent
partsofthenestedfamilyseparatelyfromthemainfamilymodel.Forexample,youcouldcreateawindowsill
familyandnestitinawindowfamily.Thisallowsyoutobuilduponpreviousworkwhilecreatingfamiliessuitedto
yourneeds.
IMPORTANT:Itisimportanttounderstandthatnestingfamiliesincreasesthefilesizeandaffectsperformance,
specificallytheregenerationprocessofthefamilyviews.

NESTINGRECOMMENDATIONS:

Insteadofnesting,considercreatingallofthenecessarygeometryinthefamily.Usereferencelinesand
labelstolockgeometryinplace.

Limitnestingto2levelsThedeeperthatfamiliesarenested,thelongertheytaketoupdateinthe
projectfile.

Onlynesthighvaluecontentthatmaybeusedinseveraldifferentfamilies,suchasadoorhandle.
Becarefulwhenchanginganestedcomponentthatissharedbymorethanonefamily.Whenyoureload
thecomponentintotheprojectfileitwillupdateallofthefamiliesinthefilesharingthesamenested
family.

RMCSG22

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1.3AUTODESKEXCHANGEFORMAT(.ADSK)
Startinginthe2010releaseofAutodeskproducts,theAutodeskExchangeformat(.ADSK)providesanimproved
methodformanufacturerstoleverageDigitalPrototypestoproduceRevitFamilies.TheInventor2010AEC
ExchangeenvironmentprovidesmanufacturerswiththeabilitytoprovidetheirexistingDigitalPrototypesas.ADSK
files,whichcancontainasimplified3Dgeometricrepresentation,intelligentconnectors,andotherproduct
metadatathatcanbereadbyRevitArchitecture2010,RevitMEP2010,AutoCADArchitecture2010,andAutoCAD
MEP2010software.ByreusingtheinformationfromexistingCADdesigns,manufacturersandtheircustomerscan
avoidthetimeandexpenserequiredtoremodelthisdata.

AECEXCHANGEENVIRONMENT

TheAECExchangeenvironmentisavailableinInventor2010andlaterversions,andthecommandsforpreparing
andpublishingcontentareavailabledirectlywithintheInventoruserinterface.Thecontentpreparationand
publishingprocessinvolves:

Creatingintelligentconnectors
Simplifyingthegeometricrepresentationoftheproductdesign
Addingproductmetadatainformation
Publishingthedesigntothe.ADSKformat

CREATINGINTELLIGENTCONNECTORS
TheAECExchangeenvironmentsupportsthedefinition
ofpiping,ducts,andelectricalconnectors,whichallow
theAECApplicationUsertoconnecttheADSKsourced
contenttoBuildingServicesintheirdesigns.
Theseconnectorsareassignedpropertiesthatare
relevanttotheirusage(e.g.,flowdirectionand
quantityofairflowforaduct),whicharerequiredfor
connectiontotheirrespectiveBuildingServices.

Version2.1

RMCSG23
Figure1 ElectricalConnectorsonanHVACUnit

SIMPLIFYINGTHEGEOMETRICREPRESENTATION
AsthetypicalDigitalPrototypeismodeledaround
manufacturinglevelofdetail,itissuggestedthata
modelsimplificationworkflowbeusedtodramatically
simplifyandreducethelevelofdetailthatisprovided
toAECCustomers.
Withoutmodelsimplification,thehighlevelofdetail
thatcanbepresentinaDigitalPrototypewillhavean
adverseimpactonmodelperformanceintheAEC
application.Userscancontrolthelevelof
simplification,rangingfromremovalofkeyinternal
detailstoacompleteshrinkwrapthatrepresents
onlytheouterenvelopeoftheproductdesign.The
Figure2DetailedGeometryofanHVACUnit
shrinkwrapprocessenablesthecreationofa
simplifiedgeometricrepresentationofthebuilding
productwhileretainingtheinformationthatisdesiredbyarchitectsandengineers.Theprocesscanalsohelp
protecttheIntellectualpropertythatmanufacturersdonotwishtodisclosetodownstreamcustomers,byallowing
forselectivedeterminationoffeaturesandgeometrytobeincludedorexcludedduringtheprocess.

Figure3Simplifiedrepresentation

PUBLISHINGTOTHE.ADSKFORMAT
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.

IMPORTINGINTOREVITFAMILIES
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)filecanhelpremovethis
limitation.

Asaresultofcurrentlimitations,ADSKfilesaremosteffectivefordeliveringconfiguredengineeringproductsthat
donotrequireahighlevelofvariabilityforusebytheenduser.

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RMCSG25

1.4USINGIMPORTEDCONTENT
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.

SUPPORTEDCONTENT
RevitfamiliessupporttheimportofcontentcreatedinthefollowingCADfileformats:

.DWG
.DXF
.SAT
.SKP

(AutodeskAutoCADformat)
(AutoCADDrawingInterchangeFormat)
(SpatialCorporationStandardACISformat)
(GoogleSketchUpModelformat)

LIMITATIONS
Ifyouimportcontentintoafamilyanduseittocreatethefamilywithoutmodification,theresultingfamilytypes
willbeaddedtobuildingmodelsasstaticelementsthatdonotsupportthedynamicparametricrelationships
inherentinRevitbuildingmodels.Familiescreateddirectlyfromimportedcontentdonotsupportdirect
assignmentofmaterialsandotherparameters,limitingtheiroveralluseintheprojectenvironment.Imported
contentmayalsohaveadverseeffectsonprojectperformance.Insomecases,theselimitationsmaybe
acceptable,buttoconformtostandardbuildinginformationmodelingpractice,itisrecommendedthatmost
importedcontentshouldberecreatedasafullyfunctionalRevitfamily.

RMCSG26

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1.5PLANNINGAREVITMODELFAMILY
Beforefamilycreationbegins,carefulupfrontplanningofthefamilyshouldbeperformed,evenforthesimplestof
families.Planningfamiliespriortocreationcansavetimeandpreventerrors.

Willthefamilyneedtoaccommodatemultiplesizes?
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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RMCSG27

SECTION2:
MODELCONTENTCREATIONSTANDARDS
InordertoensureRevitmodelcontentisdevelopedefficiently,consistently,andtoAutodeskstandards,content
creatorsshouldfollowtheAutodeskapprovedstandardsinthissectionwhencreatingRevitfamilies.

Usethetopicsinthissectionto:

ensureconsistencyandstabilityofyourRevitfamilycontent
ensureaconsistentuserexperience
createcontentsuitabletoshareonAutodeskSeek

RMCSG28

Version2.1

2.1WORKFLOWFORMODELCONTENTCREATION
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/revitarchitecturedocumentation),andseetheCreatingStandardComponentFamiliestopic.

Version2.1

RMCSG29

PROTOTYPING
Ifyouneedtocreateanumberofsimilarfamilies:
1.
2.

3.

Planandcreateasingleprototypefamily.

TesttheprototypefamilyintheFamilyEditorandinaprojectenvironmenttoidentifyanyerrorsor
inconsistencies.
SeeSection3:TestingGuidelinesfortestingcriteria.

Correctanyerrorsandinconsistenciesandretestthefamilytoensureitisworksproperlybeforecreating
theadditionalfamilies.

2.2FAMILYUNITS
Althoughfamiliescanbecreatedasunitspecific(imperialormetric),Revitsoftwarestoresallcoordinatesin
universalunitsanddisplaysspecificunitsaccordingtouserpreference.Thismeansthat:

Unitscanbesettodisplayasnecessaryforatargetaudience(i.e.,displayasdecimalunitsforacivil
engineeringdrawingorfractionalunitsforanarchitecturaldrawing).

Familiescreatedinimperialunitsmaybeloadedintoandusedinmetricprojectsandviceversa.

Forinformationonchangingthedisplayofunits,seeProjectUnitsintheRevitHelp.
Touseanimperialormetricfamilyinaprojectwithdifferentbaseunits,useoneofthefollowingoptions:

Loadthefamilyintheprojectwhereitwillusethecurrentprojectunits.
However,anyimperialormetricspecifictextinthefamilyname,typenames,andparameternameswill
stilldisplayasmetricunlessexplicitlychanged.Standardssizesmayalsoneedtobeadjusted.

Duplicatethetypeswithinametricorimperialfamilytocreatebothimperialandmetrictypeswithinthe
family.

Openthefamily,saveitasanewfamily,andchangetheunits.

RMCSG30

Version2.1

2.3FAMILYNAMINGCONVENTIONS
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(_).
If a hyphen () is used to include a performance range, enclose the range in parentheses, for example,
(230250_Ton).
Ifatypecatalogistobeusedwithafamily,namethetypecatalog(.txtfile)withthesamenameasthe
family.Seesection2.10foradditionalinformation.

FORMAT
<FunctionalType><Subtype><Manufacturer><Descriptor1><Descriptor2><2Difnecessary>
Note:RefertotheRevitMasterPartTypeList(includedinthedownloadpackage)forinformationonapproved
FunctionTypesandSubtypes.
Descriptionoffields:
Field/Component
FunctionalType

RequiredorOptional
Required

Subtype

Asneeded

Manufacturer/Generic

Optional

Descriptor
2D

Asneeded
Required

Version2.1

Description
Namestheelementthatthefamilycreates(forexample,
DoororWindow)
Namestheparttype,forexample,foraWindow the
subtypecouldbeCasement.
Manufacturername,genericfamiliesmaysubstitute the
ManufacturernamewithGeneric.
Useonlyfor2Dfamilies

RMCSG31

Examples
WindowDouble_HungAcmeTilting_SashClad.rfa
ChillerAir_CooledAcmeLow_Profile.rfa
FountainDrinkingAcmePolished_Chrome.rfa
WindowDouble_HungGenericWood.rfa
ChillerAir_CooledAcmeScroll(75100_Ton)Pkgd.rfa

RMCSG32

Version2.1

2.4TYPENAMINGCONVENTIONS
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:

<width>x<height>

Forcaseworkandfurniture:

<width>x<depth>x<height>

Forotherelementtypes:

<width>x<depth>

Version2.1

RMCSG33

Forunitspecificfamilies:
Forimperialfamilytypes:
Inmostcases,sizeshouldbeexpressedininches.Useonlyoneoftheconventionsbelowwithinafamilyand
forrelatedfamilies.
Forfamilieswithmostsizesunder10:

XXxYY

Forfamilieswithmostsizesover10:

XXYYxAABB

XXXXxYYYYmm(orlocalmetricunitindicator)

Formetricfamilytypes:
Foralltypesinmetricfamilies:

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

RMCSG34

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2.5CATEGORYANDSUBCATEGORYSTANDARDSANDUSAGE
Allfamilies,includinggenericfamilies,mustbeassignedtoappropriatecategoriesandsubcategories.Whena
familyiscreated,itisassignedacategory.Thecategorydefinesitstoplevelofidentification(forexample,Door,
Window,orCasework)withintheprojectenvironment.Whenthefamilyisusedinaproject,thefamilycanbe
locatedintheProjectBrowserunderitscategory,andelementscreatedbythefamilytypeswillschedulebyits
category.Thelineweight,linecolor,linepattern,andmaterialassignmentofthefamilygeometrycanalsobe
assignedtobycategory.
Todisplaydifferentlineweights,linecolors,linepatterns,andmaterialassignmentsfordifferentgeometric
componentsofthefamily(forexample,theframe,sash,mullions,andglassthatcompriseawindow),the
componentscanbeassignedtosubcategorieswithinthefamilycategory.
CategoriesarepredefinedinRevitsoftwareandcannotbecreatedorchangedbytheuser.Subcategoriesare
predefinedinsomefamilies,butothersubcategoriescanbecreatedinfamiliesasneeded.

ADDINGSUBCATEGORIESTOMODELFAMILIES
Ifyouneedtoaddsubcategoriesinyourfamilies,usethestepsbelowtoensurethatyoursubcategoriesadhereto
Autodeskstandards:
1.

2.

OpenthelistofAutodeskapprovedsubcategories,RevitMasterSubcategoryList.xls(includedinthe
downloadpackage).

Selecttheworkbookthatcorrespondstothecategoryofthefamilythatyouarecreating.
Thefirsttablecontainsanypredefinedsubcategoriesthatareestablishedbythefamilytemplate.The
secondtablelistsadditionalsubcategoriesthatyoucanuse.

Version2.1

RMCSG35

3.
4.

5.

Determineifanyoftheadditionalsubcategoriesfityourneeds.

Ifthelistdoesnotcontainthesubcategoriesthatyouneed,createnewsubcategoriesusingthenaming
conventionsinthenextsection.

SubmityoursubcategoriestotheAutodeskSeekteamforapproval.Aftertheyareapproved,the
subcategorieswillbeaddedtothemasterlist.

SUBCATEGORYNAMINGCONVENTIONS

Createuniquenamesforeachsubcategory.
Usenaturallanguagetonamethesubcategory.
Thesubcategorynameshoulddescribehowthesubcategoryisidentifiedintherealworld(i.e.,in
catalogs,bymanufacturer,etc.)
Donotincludethefamilycategoryinthesubcategory.
Keepsubcategorynamesasshortaspossible.
Capitalizetheleadinglettersofthewordsthatformthesubcategoryname.

RMCSG36

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2.6AUTODESKAPPROVEDPARAMETERUSAGE
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

Version2.1

RMCSG37

ADDINGMANUFACTURERDATATOFAMILIES
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

System

URLtomanufactureswebsite

CSIOMNICLASSTABLE49
FamilyparameterscanreferenceOmniClassTable49properties,althoughRevitparametersandOmniClass
propertiesmaynotmatchperfectly.SeeRevitMasterParameterList.xlstoviewthemappings.

RMCSG38

Version2.1

CSICLASSIFICATIONCODES
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.

ASSIGNINGTHEMASTERFORMATANDUNIFORMATCLASSIFICATIONINREVIT
TheMasterFormat2004andUniFormat(AssemblyCode)shouldbeassignedtoeachfamilytype.
1.

OpentheFamilyTypesdialogforthefamily.

2.

UnderIdentityData,forKeynote,entertheMasterFormatcodeappropriateforthefamilycontent.Refer
totheCSIWebSiteforalistofclassificationcodes.

3.

UnderIdentityData,forAssemblyCode,clickintheValuefield,andclickthebrowsebuttontoselectthe
appropriateAssemblyCodefromthedialog.

4.

Repeattheprocedureforeachtypeinthefamily.

Version2.1

RMCSG39

ASSIGNINGTHEOMNICLASSCLASSIFICATIONINREVIT(REVIT2010ANDLATER)
TheOmniClass1.0codeisassignedtothefamily.Youdonotneedtoassignittoeachfamilytype.
5.

InRevit,OpentheFamilyCategoryandParametersdialog.

6.

UnderFamilyParameters,forOmniClassNumber,clickinthefield,andclickthebrowsebuttontoselect
theappropriateOmniClasscodefromthedialog.
NoticethattheOmniClassTitlevalueisaddedautomatically.

RMCSG40

Version2.1

2.7PARAMETERNAMINGCONVENTIONS
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:

Actualdescribestheactualvaluethesystemdefinitionrequires.Actualparametersarelinked
toconnectorsandareoftenusedforparametersthatdefineflowrates,forexample,Actual
SupplyAirFlow;ActualChilledWaterFlow.

Designdescribeswhattheproductisdesignedtodo,forexample,DesignVentilationAirFlow;
DesignReturnAirFlow.

NameYes/NoparameterssotheyimplythattheyreturnaYes/Novalue,forexample:
o

HasHandle

IsEnergyEfficient

ShowHoods

Version2.1

RMCSG41

FORMAT
<Function/Object><Typeofmeasurement/Descriptor>
<Function/Object>

requirediftheparameterappliestoasubcomponentratherthan
theentirefamily.

<Typeofmeasurement/Descriptor>

requiredforallparameterstodescribethevaluebeingpassed.

EXAMPLES
PARAMETERSTHATAPPLYTOTHEENTIREFAMILY
Format:<Typeofmeasurement/Descriptor>
Casementwindow:

Height

DefaultSillHeight

Width

WindowInset

RoughWidth

RoughHeight

Engineeringequipment:

ActualHeaterGasFlow

TotalHeatingCapacity

FullLoadCurrent

CompressorType

PARAMETERSTHATDESCRIBEAMEASUREMENTVALUEOFASUBCOMPONENT:
Format:<Function/Object><TypeofMeasurement/Descriptor>

HeatPumpCoilFaceArea

HeatPumpCoilFaceVelocity

ExhaustFanBladeSpeed

ExhaustFanDrive

ExhaustFanMotorSpeed

RMCSG42

Version2.1

PARAMETERSTHATDESCRIBETHELINEARDIMENSIONOFASUBCOMPONENT(CONNECTOR)
Format:<Function/Object>Connection<TypeofMeasurement/Descriptor>

HotGasBypass2ConnectionDiameter

CondenserWaterConnectionDiameter

SupplyAirConnectionWidth

SupplyAirConnectionHeight

Version2.1

RMCSG43

2.8MATERIALNAMINGCONVENTIONS
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.Seethe
Finishesparttypeguideformoreinformation.

FORMATFORINDIVIDUALFINISHMATERIALS(STOREDINSIDEPROJECTS)
<FinishType><Manufacturer><Code><Descriptor>

EXAMPLES

PaintAcmePaintAC440VintageBrownMatte
GlassAcmeGlazingSeries1205Clear
AluminumAcmeMetalAC120Anodized(Clear)
FabricAcmeFabricsACF820HoundstoothBlack/White
StainAcmeWindowsNaturalWoodFinish

RMCSG44

Version2.1

FORMATFORINDIVIDUALFINISHMATERIALSUSINGANEXTERNALIMAGEFILE
Materialsrequiringexternalimages,bumpmapsandcutoutshouldbestoredinalocationthatcanbesharedby
multipleRevitProductinstalls.
ForWindowsXP:
C:\DocumentsandSettings\AllUsers\ApplicationData\RevitManufacturerLibrary\Materials\<MFG>

ForWindowsVistaandWindows7:
C:\ProgramData\AllUsers\ApplicationData\RevitManufacturerLibrary\Materials\<MFG>

GUIDELINES:

Createuniquenamesforeachuniquematerialimage.
Capitalizetheleadinglettersineachportionofthefamilyname.
Donotusespacesbetweenwordsinfilenames.Toseparatewordswithinasyntaxelement(e.g.,
ManufacturerorDescriptor),usetheunderscorecharacter(_).
Acceptablefileformatsformaterialimagesinclude:bmp,jpg,jpegandpng.
ProvideareadmetodescribewheretheimagefilesmustbelocatedandhowtomapRevittotheRevit
ManufacturerLibraryfolderintheRenderingOptionsdialog.

FORMATFORINDIVIDUALMATERIALSIMAGES(STOREDOUTSIDEOFREVIT)
MaterialImage:
<FinishType><Manufacturer><Code><Descriptor>+fileextension
Bumpmaps:
<FinishType><Manufacturer><Code><Descriptor>bump+fileextension
Cutouts:
<FinishType><Manufacturer><Code><Descriptor>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
Version2.1

RMCSG45

2.9PREVIEWIMAGESTANDARDS
Afamilypreviewimageisareducedthumbnailimageofa2Dor3Dfamilyviewthatgraphicallyidentifiesafamily
beforeitisdownloadedoropened.Previewimagesdisplayin:

ThumbnailsviewinMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
AutodeskSeeksearchresults
thePreviewwindowinRevitOpenandLoadFamilydialogswhenafamilyisselected

BycreatingpreviewimagesthatadheretoAutodeskstandards,userscanviewconsistentpreviewsacrossfamilies,
ensuringaconsistentuserexperiencebothinAutodeskSeekandinRevitsoftware.
FamilypreviewimagesinAutodeskSeek,WindowsExplorer,andRevitOpenFamilydialogs

RMCSG46

Version2.1

CREATINGAUTODESKSTANDARDFAMILYPREVIEWIMAGES
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.

CREATINGADETAILCOMPONENTPREVIEWIMAGE
Foraneasilyidentifiabledetailcomponentpreview,setthepreviewimagetodisplaythe2Dviewthatfeatures
onlythecomponentlineworkandfilledregions.

Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/linesintheview,astheseelementsmayobscurecomponent
geometryiftheydisplay.

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RMCSG47


TOCREATEADETAILCOMPONENTPREVIEWIMAGE:
Createaviewtouseasthefamilypreviewimage
1.

Ifnecessary,openthedetailcomponentfamilyforwhichyouwanttocreateapreviewimage.

Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/lines
2.
3.
4.
5.

ClickViewmenuVisibility/Graphics.
IntheVisibility/GraphicOverridesdialog,clicktheAnnotationCategoriestab.
UnderVisibility,clearDimensions,Levels,ReferenceLines,andReferencePlanes.
ClickOK.

SetstandardviewcontrolsinthePreviewview
6.

7.

OntheViewControlBar:
Clickthecurrentviewscale,anddependingonthefamilyunits,click11/2=10or1:5.
ClickDetailLevel,andclickFine.
ClickModelGraphicsStyle,andclickWireframe.
ClickSave.

RMCSG48

Version2.1

CREATINGAHOSTEDORNONHOSTEDMODELCOMPONENTPREVIEWIMAGE
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.

Version2.1

RMCSG49

Hostbasedfamiliesotherthandoorsandwindows,suchaslightfixtures,mayincludehostelements
(wallsorceilings)inthepreviewimage.
Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/linesintheview,astheseelementsmayobscure
componentgeometryiftheydisplay.

TOCREATEAMODELCOMPONENTPREVIEWIMAGE:
Createaviewtouseasthepreviewimage
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.

Ifnecessary,openthefamilyforwhichyouwanttocreateapreviewimage.
IntheProjectBrowser,selectaviewofthefamilythatyouwanttouse:
Foradoororwindowfamily,selectanelevationview(preferablyfront).
Forothermodelcomponentfamilies,selecta3Dview.
Rightclicktheviewname,andclickDuplicateViewDuplicate.
Renametheduplicateview:
IntheProjectBrowser,rightclicktheviewname,andclickRename.
TypePreviewandclickOK.
ClickNotoretainthenamesofcorrespondingviewsandlevels.
Ifnecessary,opentheview.

Setastandardpreviewimagevieworientation
6.

Dependingonthetypeofcomponentthatyouarecreating,setthevieworientation:

Foradoororwindowfamilyinanelevationview,ontheViewCube,click

Forotherfamiliesthatdisplayina3Dview,ontheViewCube,click
orientation,rightclick,andclickSetCurrentViewasHome.

tosetasoutheast

Turnoffvisibilityofdimensionsandreferenceplanes/linesandifnecessary,setthehostvisibility
7.
8.
9.
10.

ClickViewmenuVisibility/Graphics.
IntheVisibility/GraphicOverridesdialog,clicktheAnnotationCategoriestab.
UnderVisibility,clearDimensions,Levels,ReferenceLines,andReferencePlanes.
Ifyouarecreatingapreviewforahostbasedfamily,setthehostvisibility:
Forfamilypreviewsinwhichthehostshouldnotdisplay,suchasdoorsandwindows,clearall
hostcategories.

RMCSG50

Version2.1

 Forfamilypreviewsinwhichthehostshoulddisplay,selectallhostcategories.
11. ClickOK.
SetstandardviewcontrolsinthePreviewview
12. OntheViewControlBar:
Clickthecurrentviewscale,anddependingonthefamilyunits,click11/2=10or1:5.
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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RMCSG51

2.10TYPECATALOGSTANDARDSANDUSAGE
AtypecatalogiscommadelimitedTXTfilethat,whenplacedinthesamedirectoryasafamily,displaysalistof
familytypesbeforethefamilyisloadedintoaproject.Youcanselectandloadonlythefamilytypesthatthe
currentprojectrequires,avoidinganunnecessaryincreaseinprojectsizefromunusedtypesandalonglistoftypes
intheTypeSelector.Thetypecatalogalsoprovidesanexternalmeansofeditingthefamily,asyoucanremoveand
addparametersandtypesinthecatalogfile(TXT).

TYPECATALOGSTANDARDS
Usethefollowingstandardswhencreatingtypecatalogs:

Useanytexteditortocreatetypecatalogs.
Createtypecatalogsforfamiliesthatcontainsixormoretypes.
Nameatypecatalogfile(.txt)withthesamenameasthefamilyfile(.rfa)thatitsupports.
Ensurethatparametersintypecatalogsaretestloadedbythefamilyforwhichyoucreatethetype
catalog.Iftheparametersarenotused,thefamilywillnotload.

IMPORTANT:InTypeCatalogs,inordertoincludefeetandinchmarksinthetypename,youmustincludeamark
afterthefootorinchsymbol.
Todisplaythetypename
48x60
36

Inthetypecatalog,enter
48x60
3 6

Forinformationoncreatingatypecatalog,seeCreatingTypeCatalogsintheRevitHelpandFamiliesGuide.
UNITSPECIFICFAMILY

Atypecatalog(TXTfile)foradoorfamily

RMCSG52

Version2.1

Dialogdisplayedbythetypecatalogwhenthedoorfamilyisloaded

STRUCTURALCONTENTINDUSTRYSTANDARDNAMING

Atypecatalog(TXTfile)forasteeljoistfamily

Dialogdisplayedbythetypecatalogwhenthesteeljoistfamilyisloaded

Version2.1

RMCSG53


2.11MATERIALAPPLICATIONINMODELFAMILIES
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 Createaninstanceortypematerialparameterand
afamilybyinstanceortype
assignittotheappropriatefamilygeometry(Option3).
NOTE:Thisisthemostflexibleandpreferredmethodof
materialassignment.
Ifpossible,usethematerialsthatareavailableintheRevitsoftwarewhenassigningmaterialstofamilygeometry.
Ifyouneedtocreateamaterial,makesurethatthematerialnameconformstothenamingconventionsdescribed
intheMaterialNamingConventionstopic.

OPTION1APPLYMATERIALSWITHTHEMATERIALPARAMETER
YoucanapplymaterialsdirectlytosomeorallofthefamilygeometryintheFamilyEditor.Eachpieceoffamily
geometryhasadefaultMaterialparametertowhichyoucanassignmaterials.
USETHISMETHODWHEN:
Thematerialofthefamilygeometryisunlikelytochange,suchasforamanufacturedcomponentthatissupplied
withasinglestandardmaterial.
RMCSG54

Version2.1

RESULT:
Whenyoucreateelementsinaprojectwiththefamily,youcannot:

changetheelementmaterialswithouteditingthefamily
changethematerialforinstancesortypesofthefamily
changethematerialsbyassigningamaterialtotheelementcategory

OPTION2APPLYMATERIALSTOFAMILYGEOMETRYBYCATEGORYANDSUBCATEGORY
Youcanapplymaterialstoallorselectpiecesoffamilygeometrybysubcategory.Subcategoriesarecategoriesthat
existwithinthefamilycategory.Youcanassigndifferentpiecesoffamilygeometrytoeachsubcategory,andthen
applyadifferentmaterialtoeachsubcategory.Toapplymaterialtogeometrythatisnotassignedtoa
subcategory,youcanapplymaterialsbythefamilycategory.
USETHISMETHODWHEN:
Youwanttobeabletoapplydifferentmaterialstodifferentfamilycomponentsbycategoryorsubcategory.
RESULT:
Whenyoucreateanelementinaprojectwiththefamily,

youcanchangethematerialsassignedtoeachsubcategoryorcategory.

OPTION3APPLYMATERIALSWITHCUSTOMINSTANCEORTYPEMATERIALPARAMETERS
Youcancreateandassignacustominstanceortypematerialparametertofamilygeometry.
BESTPRACTICE:Thisisthemostflexiblemethodofmaterialassignmentthatyoucanprovidetheuser.
USETHISMETHODWHENYOUWANT:

toallowtheusertochangefamilymaterialsbyinstanceorbytype.
bysettingthematerialparameterto<bycategory>thisoptioncanalsoallowtheelementstobeupdated
bysubcategoryorcategory.

RESULT:
Whenyoucreateanelementwiththefamilyinaproject,theparametergivesyoutheoptiontochangeamaterial
foraninstanceoftheelementorforeachtypeofelementthatyoucreate.

Version2.1

RMCSG55

EXAMPLE:ASSIGNINGMATERIALSTOATABLEFAMILY
Inthisexample,acombinationofmaterialoptionsisusedtoapplymaterialsinasimpletablefamily.

Materialassigneddirectlytogeometry(Option1):Thehardwarewillnotneedtochangewhenthisfamilyisused
inaproject,soamaterialisapplieddirectlytotheknobforthetabledrawer.IntheElementPropertiesdialogfor
theknobgeometry,underMaterialsandFinishes,theMaterialparametervalueissettoMetalChrome.

Materialsassignedwithtypematerialparameters(Option3):Twotypematerialparametersarecreatedinthe
tablefamily:

LegMaterialassignedtoablackpaintfinish

TopMaterialassignedto<ByCategory>

RMCSG56

Version2.1


Thematerialforthetablelegscanbechangedasrequiredbytheuserintheproject.InElementProperties,the
MaterialpropertyforthetablelegsgeometryisassociatedwiththeLegMaterialfamilyparameter.Thematerial
forthelegsthereforeisdeterminedbythematerialassignedtotheLegMaterialparameterintheFamilyTypes
dialog.
Thematerialforthetabletopcanbechangedbytheuserasrequiredtomatchotherfurniturecomponentsinthe
project.TheMaterialpropertyforthetabletopgeometryisassociatedwiththeTopMaterialfamilyparameter.
ThematerialforthetabletopisthereforedeterminedbythematerialassignedtotheFurniturecategoryinthe
ObjectStylesdialog(inthisexample,Walnut).

Byusingamaterialfamilyparameterandassigningthevalueof<ByCategory>toit,yougivetheusertheflexibility
ofusingthedefaultmaterialappliedtothefamilycategoryorchangingtheparametervaluetoamaterialoftheir
choice.

Version2.1

RMCSG57

2.12BESTPRACTICESFORADDINGCONNECTORSINREVITMEPFAMILIES
InRevitMEP,theconnectorconnectsthesinglefamilycomponentwithothercomponentstocreateMEP
systems.Withoutaconnector,anRMEfamilywouldjustbeastaticplaceholder.
InRevitMEP,thereare3kindsofconnectors:

ElectricalConnector
DuctConnector
PipeConnector

ADDINGACONNECTOR
1.
2.

Clickthetoolfortheconnectoryouwishtoadd(ElectricalConnector,DuctConnector,orPipe
Connector).
Clicktoplacetheconnectorinthedrawingarea.
RMEprovidestwowaystoplacetheconnector,placingitonafaceoronaworkplane.Ifyouselectthe
PlaceonFaceoption,theconnectorisautomaticallyaddedtothecenterofthefaceofthegeometryand
moveswiththeface.Ifthegeometryisdeleted,theconnectorisalsodeleted.

BESTPRACTICE:Placeconnectorsonafaceratherthanonaworkplane.

RMCSG58

Version2.1

SYSTEMTYPES
Thefollowingtableprovidesanoverviewoftheapplicationscenarioforeachsystemtype.

PipeConnector

SystemType
HydronicSupply
HydronicReturn
Sanitary
DomesticHotWater
DomesticColdWater
FireProtectionWet
FireProtectionDry
FireProtectionPreAction
FireProtectionOther
Fitting
Global
Other

DuctConnector
ElectricalConnector

Unsupported
SupplyAir
ReturnAir
ExhaustAir
OtherAir
Fitting
Global
Unsupported
Data

PowerBalanced
PowerUnbalanced
Telephone
Security
FireAlarm
NurseCall
Controls
Communication

ApplicationScenario
Familiesinclosedwatercirculationsystems
Plumbingfixtures

Example
Boiler,Chiller,
CoolingTower
Lavatories,
WaterClosets.

Thethreesystemsarematchingthethree
sprinklersystems,sprinklerwet,sprinklerdry,
sprinklerpreaction.

Sprinkler,
DryValve

Otherfireprotectionsystemsexceptthethree
above,suchasstandpipe
PipeFittings
Familiesthatwillbeinmultiplesystems
Familiesingas,refrigerant systems,
Placeholderforpipesystemsnotincluded
StromDrainage ,SanitaryVentilation
HVACAirdeliverysystems

Cabinet,Hose
Connection
Elbow,Tee
Pump,Valve
Gasconnectorof
Waterheater

Placeholderforairsystemsnotincluded
DuctFittings
Familiesthatwillbeinmultiplesystems
FreshAir
Automaticallyormanuallycontrolthe
transmitting,receiveorsendingofdata/voice
signals.
Equipment,deviceorfixtureoperatesin
powersupply/distributionsystems.
Telecommunicationdevicesusedtotransmit
andreceivesound.
Bearmedanddetectsecurity/accessproblem
Alarminitiatingdevicesoperatetocontrol
alarmsignals
Keycomponentinaddressingpatientcare
needs.
Normallyusedforremotecontrolinsome
specialcircumstances
Devicesincommunicationsysteminbuilding,
usedtotransmitting,receiveorsend
communicationsignals

AirConditioner,
DustCollector

Elbow,Tee
Fan
DataOutlet

Generator
PanelBoard
Telephoneoutlet
SmokeDetector
WaterFlow
Indicator
CallPoint
ControlValve
Speaker

Version2.1

RMCSG59

CONNECTORDIRECTION
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.

RMCSG60

Version2.1


Forotherfamilies,thelocationoftheprimaryconnectorisnotimportant.

LINKINGCONNECTOR
Whentherearemorethanonepipe/ductconnectors,thereisachoiceforlinkingconnectors.

Linkedconnectorsonlyhaveaneffectwhenthesystemtypeissettoglobalforequipmentorfitting.
Linkingconnectorsonequipmentmakesitpossibletopropagateengineeringdata,allowingyoutouse
equipmentasaninlinecomponentinasystem.
Linkingconnectorsonfittingsshouldincludetheprimaryconnector.

Version2.1

RMCSG61

CONNECTORMAPPING
EditElementPropertiesfortheconnectortodefineparametersfortheconnector.

Forpartparameters,clickingabrowsebuttondisplaysadialogthatmakesiteasytomapconnectorparametersto
familyparameterswiththesameunits.Connectormappingmakestheconnectorparametricwiththefamily.

RMCSG62

Version2.1

CONNECTORDESCRIPTIONS
Inthefollowingexampleofcomplexequipment,itwouldbedifficulttodeterminethefunctionofeachconnector.

Tomakeiteasiertoidentifythefunctionofconnectorsinthefamily,addconnectordescriptions.These
descriptionsdisplayintheSelectConnectordialog.Inthefollowingimage,descriptionsareunderlinedinredfor
illustrationpurposes.

Version2.1

RMCSG63

SECTION3:
TESTINGGUIDELINES
ToensurethequalityofRevitfamilycontent,thoroughlytestfamiliesbeforeusingtheminproductionorsharing
themonAutodeskSeek.Testfamilieswiththeguidelinesinthissectionto:

verifythatnewfamilycontentmeetsAutodeskstandards
ensurefamilyparametricrelationships
ensureaconsistentuserexperience

Twosetsoftestingguidelinesareincluded:generalguidelinesandfamilyspecificguidelines:

Usethegeneralfamilytestingguidelinestotestallfamilies.
Usethefamilyspecifictestingguidelinestotestspecificcriteriaperfamilytype.

Inaddition,categoryspecifictestingguidelinesareavailableforsomefamilycategories.Thesedocumentscontain
specifictestingguidelinesthatyoushouldusewhenavailable.Beforetestingafamily,determinewhethera
categoryspecificdocumenthasbeenpublishedforthecategoryofthefamilythatyouaretesting.

RMCSG64

Version2.1

3.1GENERALFAMILYTESTINGGUIDELINES
Performgeneraltestingonafamilywhenitis:

openintheFamilyEditor
loadedintoaproject

Usethecriteriainthechecklistsbelowtotestfamiliesineachoftheaboveenvironments.
Whentestingfamiliesinprojects,itisstronglyrecommendedthatyou:

Testfamiliesinprojectscreatedwiththegenericmetricandimperialtestingtemplateprojectsthatwere
includedinthedownloadpackage.
Testfamiliesinprojectsthatmatchthedesignintentofthefamily.
Forexample,testawindowfamilythatisdesignedtobeplacedinalargecommercialbuildinginalarge
commercialproject.
ContentthatisdesignedtoworkinmorethanoneRevitdisciplinemustbetestedinallapplicable
disciplines.Forexample,foralightingfixture,testtheconnectorsinRevitMEP,andverifythatthefixture
castslightasexpectedwhenrenderinginRevitArchitecture.

TIP:Forlargecontentcreationprojects,itisrecommendedthatspotcheckingorrandomtestingof10%ofthe
contentbeperformedbyatesterwhoisnotthecontentcreator.

FAMILYEDITORTESTINGCRITERIA
R

Testallfamilyparameterstoensurethatthegeometryflexes/adjustscorrectlywhenthefamily
parametersaremodified.

Testallfamilytypeschangethetype,applyit,andinspectthegeometrytoverifythatthedimensions
andrelationshipsaremaintained.

Inahostbasedfamily,verifythatthehostflexesasexpected.Changethehostthicknessandensurethat
thefamilygeometryadjustsappropriately.

VerifythatthefamilypreviewimageisusingthePreviewview.

Checkallviewstoensurethatthefamilydisplaysappropriatelyindifferentdetaillevelsandwhen
differentModelGraphicsstylesareapplied.

Testconstraints:
o Testthehandlesontheedgeofthegeometryandmakesurethatallgeometryisconstrainedto
eitherareferenceplaneorareferenceline.
o Testthedimensionparametertomakesurethatthereferenceplaneorlineisbeingadjustedby
theparameterandnottheactualgeometry.

Version2.1

RMCSG65

PROJECTTESTINGCRITERIAFORREVITARCHITECTURE
R

Usingatestprojectoroneofthetestingtemplateprojectsavailablefordownload,loadthefamilyina
projectenvironment,andcheckallviewsforanomalies.Ifthefamilyincludesatypecatalog,useittoload
thefamily.
R

Inspectthefamilyappearanceinallviews(plan,reflectedceilingplan,elevation,Section,3D)at
alldetaillevels(Coarse,Medium,Fine).

InspectthefamilyappearanceindifferentModelGraphicsStyles:Wireframe,HiddenLine,
Shading,andShadingwithEdges.

Testallfamilytypeschangethetype,applyit,andinspectthegeometrytoverifythatthedimensions
andrelationshipsaremaintained.

Createnewtypesandmodifyallparameters,checkingallviewsforanomalies.

Modifyallmaterialassignmentstoverifythatmaterialsareassociatedtothegeometrycorrectly.
TIP:Tobetterinspectfamilygeometry,modifyallmaterialtypeparameterstoglass.Also,ifanyofthe
familygeometrydoesnotdisplayasglass,thenamaterialparameterisassignedincorrectly.

Modifycategoryandsubcategorymaterialstoverifythefamilyisnotusingmaterialtypeparameters.

Forhostedfamilies:
R

Placehostedfamiliesintotheprovidedhostthicknessesandconfirmfamiliesworkinallhosts
appropriatetothefamiliesuse,includinginplacewallsandmasselements.

Modifythehostthicknessby25%400%,andcheckforunconnectedgeometryand/orplan
representationsthatmaybedisconnectedfromthegeometry.

Reinspectthefamilyappearanceinallviewstoensurethatthegeometrydisplaysasexpected.

Dimensiontoallreferencesandsnapallreferencestowalls.

Createatestrendering.

Testthefollowingcommandsongeometrycreatedinthefamily:
R

Copy/Paste

Rotate

Mirror

VerifythatthefamilypreviewimageisusingthePreviewview.

Testthefamilyinanactualproject,verifyitsperformance,andensurethattheprojectmatchesthe
designintentofthefamily.

RMCSG66

Version2.1

3.2FAMILYSPECIFICTESTINGGUIDELINES
Dependingonthetypeoffamilybeingtested,theremaybespecificcriteriatotestinadditiontothegeneral
testingthatshouldbeperformedonallfamilies.

Usethistabletodetermineifafamilyrequiresanyspecifictesting:

REVITFAMILYSPECIFICTESTING
FamilyType

Example

Test

FreelyPlaced

Furniture,entourage

Hosted

Window,door

FaceBased

Lightfixture

DetailComponent

Detailcomponent

Testinarelevantprojectcontext.

Forexample,placefurnitureorcaseworkelements
onafloorwithatexturetoensurethatthe
elementsmaskthefloor.

Ensurethatthefamilyinteractsproperlywitha
hostandadjuststodifferenthostthicknesses.

Ensurethatthefamilyattachesproperlytofaces
anddoesntimproperlyembedin,orprojectaway
from,thefaceoftheobjecttowhichitisattached.

Ensurethatthefamilysnapstoothergeometry
correctlyandthatitmasksanygeometryonwhich
itisplaced.

Version2.1

RMCSG67