BIM Software Tips: How to Create Regular Families in Revit
1. Set the Correct Origin Point
In the Family Editor, you can specify the origin point in the plan view by selecting the origin option within the reference plane properties. However, in the elevation view, the origin is fixed at the reference elevation and cannot be modified by the user.
2. Handling Inconsistent Unit Errors
When adding formulas involving certain parameters, Revit may display an “Inconsistent Unit Error.” This happens when the units of the parameters don’t match. For example, if parameter A is a volume and parameter B is a weight, the formula B = A * 9.8 will cause an error. To fix this, adjust the formula to B = (A / 1) * 9.8 to ensure unit consistency.
3. Resolving Constraint Errors
If you encounter an error indicating that constraints are not met, click the “Details” button in the error dialog box. Identify the element ID that is restricting the dimension, then remove or adjust the constraint accordingly.
4. Controlling Visibility of Geometric Elements
You can select geometric primitives and set their visibility by linking them to the level of detail in the view settings. This helps manage how elements appear across different view settings.
5. Using Subcategories in the Family Editor
Access the Object Styles dialog box to add various subcategories. You can then assign geometric shapes to these subcategories, allowing for more precise control over their graphical properties.
6. Creating Shared Parameters
To display a parameter in schedules, it must be created as a shared parameter. When creating shared parameters, ensure you select the correct instance or type options to suit your needs.
7. Sharing Nested Families
When a family is loaded into the main family file, nested families do not automatically appear in schedules. To include nested families in detailed lists, you need to make them shared. Open the nested family and reload it into the main family file, ensuring the sharing option is checked in the Family Category and Parameters dialog box. This allows nested families to be loaded into the project and included simultaneously in both the project and schedules.
8. Radial Arrays and Nested Families Limitations
It is not possible to rotate or create radial arrays of conventional model families due to their constraints. The work plane (reference plane) that hosts these constraints in the generic model template cannot be deleted, limiting such operations.
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