In Revit, a family is the fundamental building block of any project. The project model consists of various graphical components, which are created and edited through families. A single family can define multiple family types, each with distinct dimensions, materials, or other parameter variations. Using the Family Editor, you can add parameters such as distance, material, and visibility to template families, enabling the creation of fully parameterized component families.
Specific families and their types generate graphical instances by adjusting relevant parameters. As the core data carriers for parametric modeling, families act as building blocks for project models. Generally, families fall into three categories based on their purpose: system families, loadable families, and built-in families. Their characteristics are summarized below:
System Families
Creation: These come pre-installed with Revit templates and cannot be created anew.
Transferability: They can be transferred between different projects.
Loadable Families
Creation: Created using family templates.
Transferability: Loaded into projects as component families.
Built-in Families
Creation: Created directly within the current project.
Transferability: Restricted to use within the current project only.
Since Revit is specifically designed for architectural applications, it does not include system families for bridge components. All elements related to bridges must be created as loadable or built-in families.
Based on their graphical characteristics, families can also be categorized into three types: model, datum, and view classes. Model families primarily include 3D components, such as box girders, bridge piers, and abutments. Datum families consist of positioning elements like grids, elevations, and reference lines. View families cover 2D elements used within specific views, including text annotations, dimensions, detail lines, and fill patterns.
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