In Revit Architecture, most object identification terms align with industry standards. However, certain family-related terms carry specific meanings unique to Revit Architecture. Understanding these terms is essential to grasp the concept of families within the software.
1. Project. In Revit Architecture, a project represents a single design database model. The project file contains comprehensive design information about the building, ranging from geometric shapes to construction details. This includes all components used in the model design, project views, and design drawings. Utilizing a single project file allows users to modify the design easily, with changes automatically reflected across all related views—such as plans, elevations, sections, and schedules—streamlining project management by maintaining only one file.
2. Family. A family is a project component that serves as a container for parameter data. Families group elements based on shared parameters (attributes), similar functions, and graphical representations. While different elements within a family may have varying property values, the property settings—their names and meanings—remain consistent. For example, the “dining table” family can include tables of varying sizes and materials.
Revit features three types of built-in families: loadable families, system families, and in-place families.
① Loadable Families: These are RFA files created outside of a project using family templates. They can be loaded into projects and offer extensive customization options, making them the most commonly created and modified families. This guide mainly focuses on the fundamentals of loadable families.
② System Families: These families are predefined within a project and can only be created or modified inside that project. Examples include walls, floors, and ceilings. They cannot be loaded or saved as separate external files but can be copied, pasted, or transferred between projects and templates.
③ In-Place Families: Created directly within the current project, these differ from loadable families in that they exist solely within the project file and cannot be saved separately as RFA files or reused in other projects.
3. Category. Categories classify building model elements based on the characteristics of building components. For instance, Revit Architecture includes categories such as doors, windows, columns, furniture, and lighting fixtures.
4. Type. Families can contain multiple types, which represent different parameter values within the same family. For example, a “single leaf swing door.rfa” family might include three types: “700mm × 2100mm,” “800mm × 2100mm,” and “900mm × 2100mm” (width × height).
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