Revit loadable families are the most commonly used and highly customizable families in Revit. While you have the option to create your own custom families, there are already numerous families available in the family library and on the web for your use.
Before initiating a project, follow this workflow to determine whether you can use an existing family or need to create your own custom family:
1. Identify the required families for your project.
2. Search for existing loadable families and check if the desired family can be found in the library, online resources, Revit templates, or Office templates.
If you find a corresponding family but it does not match the specific type you need, you will need to create a new type. If you locate a family similar to what you require, modifying the existing family as needed can significantly reduce design time. However, if you cannot find the component family you need and modifying similar families does not fulfill your requirements, you should create your own component family.
Revit loadable families are used to create the following types of components:
1. Building components that are typically purchased, supplied, and installed inside or around buildings, such as windows, doors, cabinets, fixtures, furniture, and plants.
2. System components that are generally purchased, supplied, and installed within and around buildings, including boilers, water heaters, air handling equipment, and bathroom fixtures.
3. Certain custom annotation elements, such as symbols and title blocks, which offer highly customizable features.
Loadable families are those you frequently create and modify in Revit. Unlike system families, loadable families are created in external RFA files and can be imported (loaded) into projects. For families with many types, you can create and use a type directory to ensure you only load the types needed for your specific project.
When creating a loadable family, start by using the template provided in the software. This template includes relevant information about the family to be created. First, draw the geometry of the family. Then, use parameters to establish relationships between its components, create variations or family types within it, and set its visibility and level of detail in different views.
After completing the family, test it in a sample project before using it to create elements in your actual project.
Revit provides a content library that allows you to access loadable families supplied by the software, as well as save families you create. Additionally, you can obtain loadable families from various online resources.
Nested and Shared Families
You can load instances of a family into other families to create new families. By nesting existing families within other families, you can save modeling time.
You may specify whether to share nested families or not, depending on how you want the instances of these families to behave when adding them to your project—either as a single element or as separate elements.
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