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revit-types.md

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Revit: Types & Families
Revit's categorization system, Categories, Types, ...
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Essentials
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/static/images/guides/revit-types.png

{% capture link_note %} When working with Revit or Revit API, we are mostly dealing with Revit Types and Custom Families. This guide takes you through the various Grasshopper components that help you query and create types and families. For a look at how these elements are organized within Revit, see [Revit: Types & Families]({{ site.baseurl }}{% link _en/1.0/guides/revit-revit.md %}#categories-families--types) {% endcapture %} {% include ltr/link_card.html note=link_note thumbnail='/static/images/guides/revit-types.png' %}

Querying Types

You can use the combination of a category picker components e.g. {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="af9d949f-" %}, the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="d08f7ab1-" %} component, and {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="7b00f940-" %} component to collect types in a certain Revit category:

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families01.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

The {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="7b00f940-" %} component can further filter the list of types:

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families02.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Querying Type Info

Use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='7dea1ba3' %} to access information about that type. Please note that the Family Name parameter, returns the System Family name for System Types and the Custom Family name for Custom Types:

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families02a.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Accessing Family of a Type

When querying the custom types that exist in a Revit model, we can find out the custom family definition that contains the logic for each of these types. We are using {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="742836d7" %} component to grab the family of each type being passed into this component. You can download this component, as a Grasshopper user object, from the link below.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families03.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Notice that Duct Systems for example, is a system type and therefore have no associated custom family definition. Therefore the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="742836d7" %} component is returning null.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families04.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Choosing A Specific Type

{% include ltr/comp.html uuid="af9d949f-" %} component allows selecting a specific model category e.g. Walls

You can pass the any of the categories above to the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="d3fb53d3-9" %} component to select a specific type from that category:

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families05.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Determining Default Types

When a build tool is launched (e.g. Place Door), Revit will automatically select the last-used type for that specific category (e.g. Doors for Place Door tool). This is called the Default Type for that category. This information is helpful when creating elements using the API. Use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='d67b341f' %} component to inspect the default types for the provided category:

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-types-defaulttype.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

In case of families, the script value returned by this component will be the default DB.FamilySymbol representing the default type:

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-types-defaultsymbol.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Modifying Types

Once you have filtered out the desired type, you can query its parameters and apply new values. See [Document Model: Parameters]({{ site.baseurl }}{% link _en/1.0/guides/revit-params.md %}) to learn how to edit parameters of an element. The element parameter components work on element types as well.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families06.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Extracting Type Geometry

Once you have filtered out the desired type, you can extract the geometry for that element type using the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="b3bcbf5b-" %} component. The {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="b078e48a-" %} value list component makes it easy to provide correct values for LOD input parameter.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families07.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

The {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="b3bcbf5b-" %} component automatically previews the geometry in Rhino window.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families08.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Extracting Type Geometry by Category

The Element Geometry By SubCategory component shared here helps you extract geometry of a family instance alongside information about its subcategory definition inside the family. The example here extracts the geometry from a series of window instances

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families08a.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families08b.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

{% include ltr/download_comp.html archive='/static/ghnodes/Element Geometry By SubCategory.ghuser' name='Element Geometry By SubCategory' %}

Creating New Types

To create new types, you would need to find an existing type, use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="5ed7e612-" %} component to duplicate that type with a new name, and adjust the desired properties.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families09.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Revit Project Browser now displays the new type under Families

Removing Types

You can use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="3ffc2cb2-" %} component to delete types. Remember that deleting types will delete all instances of that type as well. If you don't want this, find the instances and change their types before deleting a type from model.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families09d.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Loading Families

Use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="0e244846-" %} component to load a new family file into your model.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families10.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Revit Project Browser now lists the new family under Families

Saving Families

Use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="c2b9b045-" %} component to save a family into an external file.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families11.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Creating New Families

Under current {{ site.terms.rir }} implementation, you can use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='82523911' %} component to generate new Revit families and insert a new geometry into the family. Make sure to assign the correct template file to the component for best results.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families12.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Revit Project Browser now lists the new family under Families

You can also pass the Generic Model template to the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='82523911' %} component and set the category manually using the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid="af9d949f-" %} component.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families13.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

There are a series of components under the Revit > Family panel that will help you generate geometry for Revit families:

  • {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='8a51d5a1' %}
  • {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='f0887ad5' %}
  • {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='6fbb9200' %}
  • {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='72fdc627' %}

The Component Family components above can be edited in Revit, set the visibility, subcategory, and material of elements. For further details see the [Rhino Objects as Loadable Families guide]({{ site.baseurl }}{% link _en/1.0/guides/rhino-to-revit.md%}#rhino-objects-as-loadable-families).

![Creating subcategory]({{ "/static/images/guides/subcategory-rhino-revit-gh.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

As shown in the example above, you can use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='10ea29d4' %} component to create visibility options for the generated geometry. This components provides all the options available in the native Revit Visibility/Graphics editor for family geometries.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families15.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Editing Families

You can use the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='82523911' %} component to edit existing families as well. Just pass the appropriate template and family name, the new geometry, and the {% include ltr/comp.html uuid='82523911' %} component automatically finds the existing family, replaces the content and reloads the family into the Revit model. Make sure the OverrideFamily is set to True and OverrideParameters is set appropriately to override the family parameters if needed.

![]({{ "/static/images/guides/revit-families16.png" | prepend: site.baseurl }})

Creating new Family Templates

Revit comes with a series of Revit Family Template (.RFT) files. These contain the necessary basic defaults to create loadable families for specific categories. Interestingly many of the most popular categories do not have templates built for them. Examples of these categories would be Walls, Roofs, Floors, Windows, HardScape, etc. It is possible to create family templates and create loadable Families in these popular Categories by following the steps below. A list of Default Templates and Categories that will support customer RFT files is listed in this spreadsheet.

{% include vimeo_player.html id="726191224" %}

The steps to create a new family template:

  1. Create in-place component using the needed category. i.e. Stairs
  2. Draw an object.
  3. Group that object
  4. Right-click on the Group and Save Group.
  5. Save that file and an RFA file.
  6. Open the RFA and delete any objects in it.
  7. Save
  8. Rename the RFA as an RFT using File Explorer.
  9. Use the RFT to create a new family in New component family.