There are several considerations when planning to create a loadable family. Placing content in these Revit categories is what gives families their “intelligence” and also provides visibility controls for that content within a project.

In-place families are the least used kind of family.įrom an MEP perspective, loadable families make up the vast majority of the kinds of elements that get placed in a model: air terminals, duct accessories, pipe fittings, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment, electrical fixtures, data devices, security devices, etc. They are project specific and generally reserved for unique scenarios where a loadable family is not pragmatic. Lastly, in-place families are those that are neither a system nor a loadable family. When modifying or opening a loadable family, it is automatically opened in what is called the family editor, providing functions and controls specifically for family creation and management-different from what you would see in a project or template. Because these families can be stored in external file locations, they can then be loaded into projects on-demand, hence the term loadable families. These families have their own file type (.rfa) and can be created and modified independently of a project or template. In contrast, a loadable family is one that can exist externally from a project or template. These family “systems” cannot exist outside of a project or template (.rvt or. System families include elements like walls, duct, piping, and conduit. There are three basic types of families: system, loadable, and in-place families.

In this article we will explore just one aspect of families: hosted versus unhosted. However, the topic of families is a broad subject with several layers of complexity. In Revit terms, without families there would not be a Revit model.īecause families are so integral to a Revit model, it might be said that a proper grasp of Revit itself requires a proper grasp of families. According the Revit help file, “A family is a group of elements with a common set of properties, called parameters, and a related graphical representation.” They are the “things” that contain and display information in the model. Back April 11th, 2019 To Host or Not to Hostįamilies are the building blocks of an Autodesk® Revit® model.

Revit generic model