01. familes overview

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Revit Families

All of the elements that you add to your Revit projects from the structural members, walls, roofs, windows, and doors that you use to assemble a building

model to the callouts, fixtures, tags, and detail components that you use to document it are created with families.

By using predefined families and creating new ones in Revit Architecture, you can add both standard and custom elements to your building models. Families

also provide a level of control over elements that are similar in use and behavior, allowing you to easily make design changes and manage your projects

more efficiently.

For complete information about creating, modifying, and working with families, download the Revit Architecture Families Guide, which contains detailed

conceptual information, tutorials, and information about best practices. For more information, seeThe Families Guide.

Topics in this section

Families Overview Working with Families System Families Loadable Families In-Place Elements Connectors

Revit Families>

Families Overview
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A familyis a group of elements with a common set of properties, called parameters, and a related graphical representation. Different elements belonging to

a family may have different values for some or all of their parameters, but the set of parameters (their names and meanings) is the same. These variationswithin the family are called family types or types.

For example, the Furniture category includes families and family types that you can use to create different pieces of furniture, like desks, chairs, and

cabinets. Although these families serve different purposes and are composed of different materials, they have a related use. Each type in the family has arelated graphical representation and an identical set of parameters, called the family type parameters.

When you create an element in a project with a specific family and family type, you create an instance of the element. Each element instance has a set ofproperties, in which you can change some element parameters independent of the family type parameters. These changes apply only to the instance of the

element, the single element in the project. If you make any changes to the family type parameters, the changes apply to all element instances that you

created with that type.

For complete information about creating, modifying, and working with families, download the Revit Architecture Families Guide, which contains detailed

conceptual information, tutorials, and information about best practices. For more information, seeThe Families Guide.

Topics in this section

Different Kinds of Families Family Editor Opening the Family Editor The Families Guide

Revit Families>Families Overview>

Different Kinds of Families

There are 3 kinds of families in Revit Architecture:

system families
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loadable families in-place familiesMost elements that you create in your projects are system families or loadable families. Loadable families can be combined to create nested and sharedfamilies. Non-standard or custom elements are created using in-place families.

System Families

System families create basicbuildingelements such aswalls, roofs, ceilings, floors,and other elements that you would assemble ona constructionsite. System settings, which affect the projectenvironment and include types for levels, grids, drawing sheets, and viewports, are also system families.

System families are predefined in Revit Architecture. You do not load them into your projects from external files, nor do you save them in locations external to the project.

Loadable Families

Loadable families are families used to create bothbuildingcomponents and some annotation elements. Loadable families create thebuildingcomponents that would usually be purchased,delivered, and installed in and around a building, such as windows, doors, casework, fixtures, furniture, and planting. They also include some annotation elements that are routinely customized,such as symbols and title blocks.

Because of their highly customizable nature, loadable families are the families that you most commonly create and modify in Revit Architecture. Unlike system families, loadable families are

created in external RFA files and imported, or loaded, in your projects. For loadable families that contain many types, you can create and use type catalogs, which allow you load only the typesthat you need for a project.

In-Place Families

In-place elements are unique elements that you create when you need to create a unique component that is specific to the current project. You can create in-place geometry so that it referencesother project geometry, resizing or adjusting accordingly if the referenced geometry changes. When you create an in-place element, Revit Architecture creates a family for the in-place element,which contains a single family type.

Creating an in-place element involves many of the same Family Editor tools as creating a loadable family. For detailed information about Revit Architecturefamilies, seeThe Families Guide.


Family Editor
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The Family Editor is a graphical editing mode in Revit Architecture that allows you to create and modify families to include in your project. When you start

creating a family, you open a template to use in the editor. The template can include multiple views, such as plans and elevations. The Family Editor has thesame look and feel as the project environment in Revit Architecture, but it features different tools. The availability of tools depends on the type of familyyou are editing.


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Before you use the Family Editor to edit or create a family, you should learn about families. SeeThe Families Guide.
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To learn how to start the Family Editor, seeOpening the Family Editor.


Opening the Family Editor

You use the Family Editor to make changes to existing families or to create new families. The method you use for opening the Family Editor depends onwhat you want to do.

You use the Family Editor to create and edit loadable families and in-place elements. The tabs and panels change depending on the type of family that you

are editing. You do not use the Family Editor to edit system families.

Before you edit or create a family, you should become familiar with families. SeeThe Families Guide.

To edit a family from a project

Do one of the following:

Select an instance of the family in the drawing and click Modify tab Family panel Edit Family. In the Project Browser, right-click the family and click Edit.To edit a loadable family outside a project

1. Click Open Family.2. Browse to the file containing the family, and click Open.To create a loadable family from a template file

1. Click New Family.
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2. Browse to the template file, and click Open.To create an in-place element

1. Click Home tab Build panel Component drop-down Model In-Place.2. In the Family Category and Parameters dialog, select the family category, and click OK.3. Enter a name for the in-place element family, and click OK.To edit an in-place element

1. Select the in-place element in the drawing.2. Click Modify tab Model panel Edit In-Place.Revit Families>Families Overview>

The Families Guide

The Revit Architecture Families Guide provides detailed information about working with families and creating custom content. The Families Guide includesthe following information:

how to use families in your projects concepts of parametric design and family creation best practices to use when creating your own familiesThe Families Guide contains conceptual explanations, procedures, and reference information.

To access the Revit Architecture Families Guide, click (Help) drop-down Families Guide.
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01. familes overview

Documents