Learn how to use family elements to build your model.
All of the elements you use in Revit are families. Some families, such as walls or level datums, are included in the model environment. Other families, such as specific doors, or fixtures, need to be loaded into the model from an external library. You can't create anything in Revit without using a family.
| Term/Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| System Families | Part of the Revit environment used to create basic building elements, such as walls, roofs, and floors. |
| Loadable Families | Families that are:
|
| In-place Families | Custom elements that you create in the context of a model. Create an in-place family when your model needs unique geometry that you do not expect to reuse or geometry that must maintain relationships to other model geometry. Because in-place elements are intended for limited use in a model, each in-place family contains only a single type. |
| Modeling Families | Loadable families that represent real objects, such as doors, floors, or furniture. These families display in all views. |
| Annotation Families | Loadable families that are for annotation purposes, such as text, dimensions, or tags. These families do not have a 3D purpose and display only in the view in which you place them. |
| Category | Classification for families, for example doors, curtain walls, furniture, lighting fixtures, and so on. Families are grouped and sorted by category in the content libraries and in the Project Browser. |
| Family Types | Variations of the family element. For example, a family could be a door with a vision lite, and the types are 3 different sizes of that style door. |
| Instance Properties | Contain information related to a specific placed instance of the family element in a model. For example, instance properties for a door could include the sill height and the frame material. Changes made to instance properties affect only that instance of the family. |
| Type Properties | Contain information that applies to all instances of the same family type in the model. For example, type properties for a door could include the thickness and the width. Changes made to type properties affect all instances of the family created from that type. |
This video demonstrates how to place a family element in a project and view the properties for the element. All of the elements in a project are families.
A family contains the graphic information, plan, elevation, section, and 3D views used for an element. When you place a model family into a project, the family displays in all views of the model. Revit includes a library of content from which you select families and load them into your project. Usually, you can replace a family with a different family by using the Type Selector on the Properties palette.
The families also contain non-graphic information in the properties of the element. When an element is selected, instance properties display on the Properties palette. Instance properties contain information related to that specific instance of the element in the model. The type properties of a family are applied to all of the elements of the same type in the model. Create a new family type by duplicating an existing type and making changes to the properties.
Use the instance and type properties of families to specify and track information about the elements in your project.