How to Create a Revit Family: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Introduction

Creating custom families in Revit is a powerful way to add unique elements to your projects, whether they are furniture, custom components, or specific building elements not available in the default library. This tutorial guides you through the fundamental steps of creating a basic parametric Revit family from scratch, enabling you to build flexible and intelligent components for your models.

Prerequisites

• A working installation of Autodesk Revit.
• Basic familiarity with the Revit user interface (Ribbon, Properties Palette, Project Browser).
• An understanding of basic geometric shapes.

Steps

1. Start a New Family

   • Open Revit.
   • Go to the "File" tab in the Ribbon.
   • Select "New" > "Family".
   • In the "New Family - Select Template File" dialog, navigate to your desired template folder (e.g., Imperial or Metric libraries).
   • Choose the most appropriate family template. For a generic object, "Generic Model.rft" is a good starting point. For specific categories like furniture, windows, or doors, select their respective templates (e.g., "Furniture.rft"). The template you choose determines the family's initial behavior and available parameters.
   • Click "Open".

2. Understand the Family Editor Environment

   • You will be in the Family Editor, which resembles the project environment but features specialised tools for family creation.
   • You'll typically see pre-defined Reference Planes representing the origin and centerlines of your family in the "Ref. Level" (floor plan) view.
   • The "Create" tab in the Ribbon contains tools for creating geometry (Extrusions, Blends, Revolves, Sweeps, Void Forms).
   • The "Properties" palette will display the family's category and parameters.

3. Save Your Family

   • It's good practice to save your family immediately.
   • Go to the "File" tab > "Save As" > "Family".
   • Navigate to a suitable location on your computer.
   • Give your family a descriptive name (e.g., "MyCustomDesk.rfa").
   • Click "Save". Remember to save frequently as you work.

4. Establish Reference Planes and Parameters (For Flexibility)

   • Go to a Plan view (e.g., "Ref. Level") from the Project Browser.
   • From the "Create" tab > "Datum" panel, click "Reference Plane" (keyboard shortcut: RP).
   • Draw additional Reference Planes to define the boundaries or key features of your object (e.g., front, back, left, right edges of a desk). These planes will control the geometry's dimensions.
   • Use the "Dimension" (DI) tool to add dimensions between your Reference Planes. For example, add dimensions between the center Reference Plane and the left/right planes, and then make them equal using the EQ toggle. Add an overall dimension as well.
   • Select a dimension line. In the Ribbon, click "Create Parameter" (or select from the "Label" dropdown if a parameter already exists).
   • In the "Parameter Properties" dialog:
     • Name: Give it a clear name (e.g., "Length", "Width").
     • Parameter Type: Choose "Type" (the parameter value applies to all instances of this family type) or "Instance" (the parameter value can be different for each instance placed in the project). For most dimensions, "Type" is common.
     • Group Parameter Under: Select a logical group (e.g., "Dimensions").
   • Click "OK". Repeat this process for all desired dimensional parameters.

5. Create Basic Geometry (e.g., an Extrusion)

   • Go to the "Create" tab > "Forms" panel, and click "Extrusion".
   • Use the drawing tools (e.g., "Rectangle") to sketch the profile of your extrusion in the current plan view.
   • Crucial Step: After drawing the sketch, use the "Align" (AL) tool to align each sketch line to its corresponding Reference Plane. Click the small lock icon that appears after aligning to lock the sketch line to the Reference Plane. This ensures the geometry will move when the Reference Plane's dimension changes.
   • Once your sketch is complete and locked to the Reference Planes, click the green checkmark "Finish Edit Mode".
   • Go to an Elevation view (e.g., "Front" or "Left") from the Project Browser.
   • You'll see your extrusion. Adjust its height by dragging the top/bottom grips, or by entering "Extrusion Start" and "Extrusion End" values in the Properties palette.
   • Again, Crucial: Create a new Reference Plane for the top or bottom of your geometry (e.g., "Top of Desk").
   • Add a dimension between the "Ref. Level" and this new Reference Plane. Label this dimension with a new parameter (e.g., "Height").
   • Align the top/bottom of your extrusion to this new Reference Plane and lock it.

6. Test Your Family (Flex)

   • Go to the "Create" tab > "Properties" panel, and click "Family Types" (the blue box icon with an arrow).
   • In the "Family Types" dialog, locate the parameters you created (e.g., Length, Width, Height).
   • Change the values of these parameters and click "Apply".
   • Observe if your geometry updates correctly and maintains its constraints. If it doesn't, go back to the relevant view, check your alignments, and ensure all locks are engaged.
   • Click "OK" when you are satisfied with the flexibility.

7. Set Family Category and Other Parameters

   • In the "Create" tab > "Properties" panel, click "Family Category and Parameters".
   • From the "Family Category" dropdown, select the most appropriate category for your family (e.g., "Furniture" for a desk, "Windows" for a window). This is critical for how the family behaves in a project, how it schedules, and how it is filtered.
   • Review other parameters like "Part Type", "Cut with Voids When Loaded", etc., and adjust as needed for your specific family.
   • Click "OK".

8. Load into a Project and Test

   • If you don't have a project open, open one or start a new default project.
   • In the Family Editor, go to the "Create" tab > "Family Editor" panel, and click "Load into Project" (or "Load into Project and Close" if you're done editing).
   • Revit will switch to your open project.
   • Navigate to a suitable view (e.g., a floor plan or 3D view).
   • Place an instance of your family.
   • Select the placed family instance in the project.
   • In the Properties palette, you can modify any "Instance" parameters you created.
   • To modify "Type" parameters, click "Edit Type" in the Properties palette.
   • Observe how your family behaves and appears in the project environment. If you need to make further edits, select the family instance and click "Edit Family" in the Ribbon.

Conclusion

You have now completed the fundamental steps to create a basic parametric Revit family. This process of creating Reference Planes, adding parameters, creating geometry, locking it to the planes, and testing its flexibility forms the core of all family creation. With these skills, you can begin to create more complex and intelligent components to enhance your Revit projects.