Family library management encompasses several key aspects: managing family files, controlling permissions, and handling information effectively.
1. Family File Management involves organizing folder structures, establishing file naming conventions, and related tasks.
First, consider the folder structure. It’s helpful to classify families into groups by categories and create a root directory. For large quantities and diverse types of families, multi-level subdirectories can be set up, organized by function, form, material, or other criteria. However, avoid creating too many folders to prevent hindering the creation process.
Second, focus on file naming conventions. These should clearly cover three elements: family files, family types, and family parameters.
- Family files: Names should be accurate, concise, and clear—for example, “double leaf sliding door.” When multiple similar families exist, emphasize their distinguishing features, such as “glass doors” or “wooden doors.”
- Family types: Name based on differing parameters like size, material, or quantity to highlight distinctions among types.
- Family parameters: For primary parameters (e.g., material, size), use straightforward and explicit names. For auxiliary parameters, pinyin abbreviations or codes are acceptable.
2. Permission Management divides into upload and download permissions. These are assigned based on team roles and project phases.
Core team members typically have download access to all family libraries, while temporary contributors may only access basic project libraries to maintain confidentiality.
Uploading permissions are more complex and usually granted to designated reviewers responsible for quality control and categorization. Allowing modelers to upload freely after creation risks lowering library quality, causing classification confusion, and ultimately reducing work efficiency.
3. Information Management focuses on statistics, backup, and confidentiality.
Statistics involve regularly tracking storage capacity, browsing, and download volumes within the family library. These insights help tailor rewards to motivate staff, encourage experience sharing, and stimulate library development.
Backup is essential to prevent data loss or corruption. Daily backups should be performed on storage servers. Data can be segmented by specialty or project phase and stored across multiple smaller servers, each with targeted backup schedules. This approach enhances data security and reduces the load on central servers.
Confidentiality is critical, as the family library contains a team’s core technology. While collaboration in building information modeling is necessary, it also poses risks of information and intellectual property leakage.
To protect sensitive data, the Revit family library should be hosted on a local area network without copy or burn permissions. When sharing with external parties, confidentiality agreements should be prepared, and files encrypted and packaged securely. Encryption can be linked to authorized design systems or restricted to designated devices.
Internally, permissions must be tiered, with BIM-related technical information accessible only on fixed, secure devices. External network access should be prohibited, and strict legal consequences enforced against any breaches.
——Excerpt from “Research on Standardization of Prefabricated Housing and Integration of BIM Family Library” by Liu Shuokun
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