Revit Model Content Style Guide

7/25/2019 Revit Model Content Style Guide

1/67

REVITMODELCONTENTSTYLEGUIDE

December2009

Version2.1


2/67

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.

IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK, INC., BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL, COLLATERAL, INCIDENTAL, ORCONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF PURCHASE OR USE OF THESE MATERIALS.

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-

X, Animator Pro, Animator Studio, ATC, AUGI, AutoC AD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Map, Autodesk, Autodesk Envision,

Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk (logo), Autodesk Map, Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Streamline, Autodesk University

(logo), Autodesk View, Autodesk WalkThrough, Autodesk World, AutoLISP, AutoSketch, backdraft, Biped, bringing

information down to earth, Buzzsaw, CAD Overlay, Charac ter Studio, C inepak, Cinepak (logo), c leaner, Codec Central,

combustion, Design Your World, Design Your World (logo), EditDV, Education by Design, gmax, Heidi, HOOPS, Hyperwire,

i-drop, Inside Track, IntroDV, Kinetix, lustre, MaterialSpec , Mechanical Desktop, NAAUG, Ob jectARX, Physique, Planix,

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

Roads, Visual Survey, Visual Toolbox, Visual Tugboat, Visual LISP, Volo, WHIP!, and WHIP! (logo).

The following are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries: AutoCAD Learning Assistance,

AutoCAD LT Learning Assistance, AutoCAD Simulator, AutoCAD SQL Extension, AutoC AD SQL Interfac e, AutoSnap,

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.

Autodesk Canada C o. Trademarks

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

RMCSG2 Version2.1


3/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG3


4/67

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

RMCSG4 Version2.1


5/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG5


6/67

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

RMCSG6 Version2.1


7/67

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:

[email protected]

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

Version2.1 RMCSG7
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Revit%20Model%20Style%20Guide%20-%20Version%202.1mailto:[email protected]?subject=Revit%20Model%20Style%20Guide%20-%20Version%202.1mailto:[email protected]?subject=Revit%20Model%20Style%20Guide%20-%20Version%202.1


8/67

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.

RMCSG8 Version2.1


9/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG9
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


10/67

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.

RMCSG10 Version2.1


11/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG11


12/67

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.

RMCSG12 Version2.1


13/67

Schematicrepresentationsofatoiletfamilyandofatablefamily

DESIGNDEVELOPMENT

Designdevelopmentrepresentationsincludemoredesigndetailthanschematicrepresentations,aswellas3D

forms.Theymayalsoincludebasicmaterials.Dependingontheelementthatwillbecreatedfromthefamily,the

designdevelopmentrepresentationmayincludethefollowingviews,aswellasappropriatelevelsofdetail:

Model

Plan/ReflectCeilingPlan(RCP)

Section/Elevation

TypicallyCoarselevelofdetail

Designdevelopmentrepresentationofawindow:displaysminimaldetail,mullionsarerepresentedbymodellines

Version2.1 RMCSG13


14/67

Designdevelopmentrepresentationofawatersoftener:displaysbasicshapesofthesoftenerandshows

connectors

CONSTRUCTIONDRAWING

Constructiondrawingrepresentationsareusuallysymbolictwodimensionalrepresentations.Dependingonthe

elementthatwillbecreatedfromthefamily,theconstructiondrawingrepresentationmayincludethefollowing

viewsaswellasappropriatelevelsofdetail:

Plan/ReflectedCeilingPlan(RCP)

Section/Elevation

TypicallyMediumlevelofdetail

Constructiondocumentationrepresentationofawindow:includesmullionsandswing

RMCSG14 Version2.1


15/67

Constructiondocumentationrepresentationofawatersoftener:displaysamorerealisticrepresentationofthe

softeneranditsconnections

HIGHQUALITYRENDERING

Todefinetheappearanceoffamilyelementsinhighqualityrenderings,materialsmustbeassignedtofamily

geometry. Materialpropertiesandlightingmustbedefined.Therenderingistypicallycreatedfroma

representationwithFinelevelofdetailthatincludesobjectsnotusuallyshowninconstructiondrawings,suchas

thehardwareorinlayinthetablebelow.

Highqualityrepresentationofatableinashadedviewandinarenderedimage

Version2.1 RMCSG15


16/67

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?

RMCSG16 Version2.1


17/67

Thefollowinggraphdisplaysthegeneraltrendfortheimpactofdesigncomplexityonfilesize.Generallythemore

representationsafamilyhasandthemoredetailedtheyare,thelargerthefamilyfilesize.Thelargerthefamilyfile

sizeis,themoreofanimpactitwillhaveonperformance(longerloadingandregenerationtimesandgreater

increaseinprojectfilesize).

ImpactofDesignComplexityandProjectSizeonFamilyFileSize

Forexample,awindowfamilythatisintendedtobeusedhundredsoftimesinalargecommercialprojectwillhave

asmallerfilesizeifitcontainsonlybasicschematicanddesigndevelopmentrepresentations.Impactonthe

projectsizewillbeasminimalaspossible.

Conversely,adifferentwindowfamilyintendedforuseinasmallresidentialprojectmaycontainahighquality

renderingrepresentationthatwillincreaseprojectfilesizewhenthefamilyisadded,butbecausethewindowsit

createsareaddedtotheprojectonlyafewtimes,theincreaseinfilesizeismanageable.

Version2.1 RMCSG17


18/67

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.

RMCSG18 Version2.1


19/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG19


20/67

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.

RMCSG20 Version2.1


21/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG21


22/67

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.

RMCSG22 Version2.1


23/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG23Figure1ElectricalConnectorsonanHVACUnit


24/67

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.

RMCSG24 Version2.1


25/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG25


26/67

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.

RMCSG26 Version2.1


27/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG27


28/67

SECTION2:

MODELCONTENTCREATIONSTANDARDS

InordertoensureRevitmodelcontentisdevelopedefficiently,consistently,andtoAutodeskstandards,content

creatorsshouldfollowtheAutodeskapprovedstandardsinthissectionwhencreatingRevitfamilies.

Usethetopicsinthissectionto:

ensureconsistencyandstabilityofyourRevitfamilycontent

ensureaconsistentuserexperience

createcontentsuitabletoshareonAutodeskSeek

RMCSG28 Version2.1


29/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG29
http://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentationhttp://www.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture-documentation


30/67

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.

RMCSG30 Version2.1


31/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG31


32/67

Examples

WindowDouble_HungAcmeTilting_SashClad.rfa

ChillerAir_CooledAcmeLow_Profile.rfa

FountainDrinkingAcmePolished_Chrome.rfa

WindowDouble_HungGenericWood.rfa

ChillerAir_CooledAcmeScroll(75100_Ton)Pkgd.rfa

RMCSG32 Version2.1


33/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG33


34/67

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

RMCSG34 Version2.1


35/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG35


36/67

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.

RMCSG36 Version2.1


37/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG37


38/67

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.

RMCSG38 Version2.1


39/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG39
http://www.csinet.org/s_csi/index.asphttp://www.csinet.org/s_csi/index.asphttp://www.csinet.org/s_csi/index.asp


40/67

ASSIGNINGTH EOMNICLASS CLASSIFICATIONIN REVIT(REVIT 2010AN D LATER)

TheOmniClass1.0codeisassignedtothefamily.Youdonotneedtoassignittoeachfamilytype.

5.

InRevit,OpentheFamilyCategoryandParametersdialog.

6. UnderFamilyParameters,forOmniClassNumber,clickinthefield,andclickthebrowsebuttontoselect

theappropriateOmniClasscodefromthedialog.

NoticethattheOmniClassTitlevalueisaddedautomatically.

RMCSG40 Version2.1


41/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG41


42/67

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

RMCSG42 Version2.1


43/67

PARAMETERSTHATDESCRIBETHELINEARDIMENSIONOFASUBCOMPONENT(CONNECTOR)

Format:Connection

HotGasBypass2ConnectionDiameter

CondenserWaterConnectionDiameter

SupplyAirConnectionWidth

SupplyAirConnectionHeight

Version2.1 RMCSG43


44/67

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

RMCSG44 Version2.1


45/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG45


46/67

2.9 PREVIEWIMAGESTANDARDS

Afamilypreviewimageisareducedthumbnailimageofa2Dor3Dfamilyviewthatgraphicallyidentifiesafamily

beforeitisdownloadedoropened.Previewimagesdisplayin:

ThumbnailsviewinMicrosoftWindowsExplorer

AutodeskSeeksearchresults

thePreviewwindowinRevitOpenandLoadFamilydialogswhenafamilyisselected

BycreatingpreviewimagesthatadheretoAutodeskstandards,userscanviewconsistentpreviewsacrossfamilies,

ensuringaconsistentuserexperiencebothinAutodeskSeekandinRevitsoftware.

FamilypreviewimagesinAutodeskSeek,WindowsExplorer,andRevitOpenFamilydialogs

RMCSG46 Version2.1


47/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG47


48/67

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.

RMCSG48 Version2.1


49/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG49


50/67

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.

RMCSG50 Version2.1


51/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG51


52/67

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

RMCSG52 Version2.1


53/67

Dialogdisplayedbythetypecatalogwhenthedoorfamilyisloaded

STRUCTURALCONTENTINDUSTRYSTANDARDNAMING

Atypecatalog(TXTfile)forasteeljoistfamily

Dialogdisplayedbythetypecatalogwhenthesteeljoistfamilyisloaded

Version2.1 RMCSG53


54/67

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.

RMCSG54 Version2.1


55/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG55


56/67

EXAMPLE: ASSIGNINGMATERIALS TOATABLEFAMILY

Inthisexample,acombinationofmaterialoptionsisusedtoapplymaterialsinasimpletablefamily.

Materialassigneddirectlytogeometry(Option1):Thehardwarewillnotneedtochangewhenthisfamilyisused

inaproject,soamaterialisapplieddirectlytotheknobforthetabledrawer.IntheElementPropertiesdialogfor

theknobgeometry,underMaterialsandFinishes,theMaterialparametervalueissettoMetalChrome.

Materialsassignedwithtypematerialparameters(Option3):Twotypematerialparametersarecreatedinthe

tablefamily:

LegMaterialassignedtoablackpaintfinish

TopMaterialassignedto

RMCSG56 Version2.1


57/67


58/67


59/67

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

Version2.1 RMCSG59


60/67

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.

RMCSG60 Version2.1


61/67

Forotherfamilies,thelocationoftheprimaryconnectorisnotimportant.

LINKINGCONNECTOR

Whentherearemorethanonepipe/ductconnectors,thereisachoiceforlinkingconnectors.

Linkedconnectorsonlyhaveaneffectwhenthesystemtypeissettoglobalforequipmentorfitting.

Linkingconnectorsonequipmentmakesitpossibletopropagateengineeringdata,allowingyoutouse

equipmentasaninlinecomponentinasystem.

Linkingconnectorsonfittingsshouldincludetheprimaryconnector.

Version2.1 RMCSG61


62/67

CONNECTOR MAPPING

EditElementPropertiesfortheconnectortodefineparametersfortheconnector.

Forpartparameters,clickingabrowsebuttondisplaysadialogthatmakesiteasytomapconnectorparametersto

familyparameterswiththesameunits.Connectormappingmakestheconnectorparametricwiththefamily.

RMCSG62 Version2.1


63/67

CONNECTOR DESCRIPTIONS

Inthefollowingexampleofcomplexequipment,itwouldbedifficulttodeterminethefunctionofeachconnector.

Tomakeiteasiertoidentifythefunctionofconnectorsinthefamily,addconnectordescriptions.These

descriptionsdisplayintheSelectConnectordialog.Inthefollowingimage,descriptionsareunderlinedinredfor

illustrationpurposes.

Version2.1 RMCSG63


64/67

SECTION3:

TESTINGGUIDELINES

ToensurethequalityofRevitfamilycontent,thoroughlytestfamiliesbeforeusingtheminproductionorsharing

themonAutodeskSeek.Testfamilieswiththeguidelinesinthissectionto:

verifythatnewfamilycontentmeetsAutodeskstandards

ensurefamilyparametricrelationships

ensureaconsistentuserexperience

Twosetsoftestingguidelinesareincluded:generalguidelinesandfamilyspecificguidelines:

Usethegeneralfamilytestingguidelinestotestallfamilies.

Usethefamilyspecifictestingguidelinestotestspecificcriteriaperfamilytype.

Inaddition,categoryspecifictestingguidelinesareavailableforsomefamilycategories.Thesedocumentscontain

specifictestingguidelinesthatyoushouldusewhenavailable.Beforetestingafamily,determinewhethera

categoryspecificdocumenthasbeenpublishedforthecategoryofthefamilythatyouaretesting.

RMCSG64 Version2.1


65/67

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.

Version2.1 RMCSG65


66/67

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.

RMCSG66 Version2.1


67/67

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.

Revit Model Content Style Guide

Documents

Transcript of Revit Model Content Style Guide