In 2025, the UK stands out as a leader in using Autodesk Revit, with 1,196 users making up 10.46% of the global customer base. This shows the vital role of tools like Revit families in modern building design. Revit families are the building blocks of your project, including elements like doors, windows, furniture, and equipment that bring your model to life.
Knowing how to add, download, customise, and manage these families can make your workflow smoother and improve your designs. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Revit families—how to use them in your projects, customise them to fit your needs and organise them effectively with subcategories.
What are Revit Families?
Revit families are the foundation of Autodesk Revit and are used to create and manage various parts of a building model, like walls, windows, doors, furniture, and components for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. A Revit family is essentially a group of similar elements that share the same properties and behave in the same way.
Using Revit families saves time and ensures consistency because they can be reused in different projects. Revit families are often confused with libraries, but there is a clear distinction between the two.
For your understanding, Revit libraries are collections of pre-built families and components that can be used to simplify the design process, ensuring efficiency and consistency across projects. They also improve collaboration by providing a standard set of components for the entire team.
The flexibility of Revit families lies in their ability to adapt to different project needs. To better understand their potential, learning about the kinds of families available in Revit is important.
Kinds of Families in the Revit
Families are the backbone of Revit, helping users efficiently create and manage building components. They are categorised into different types, each designed for a specific purpose in the design and modelling process. Each type has its unique features and uses, making them valuable and versatile tools for professionals.
The main types of Revit families are:
| Types | Key Details |
| System Families | Built-in elements like walls, floors, and roofs that are created directly within the project. |
| Loadable Families | Custom or pre-made elements like doors, windows, and furniture that you can create or edit in the Family Editor and load into your project. |
| In-Place Families | Unique, project-specific elements made directly in the project. |
| Nested Families | Families placed inside other families to create more complex components. |
| Grouped Families | Multiple elements grouped together into a single reusable object. |
| Face-Based Families | Families placed on flat surfaces, adjusting to the surface’s orientation and location. |
| Work Plane-Based Families | Families that require a defined work plane for placement. |
| Line-Based Families | Families created by drawing a line, often used for elements like pipes or fences. |
| Adaptive Families | Flexible families that can adapt to different shapes and conditions using adaptive points. |
Understanding the kinds of families in Revit is just the beginning. What truly makes them stand out is the variety of benefits they offer for your projects.
Benefits of Using Revit Families
Revit families are an important part of Autodesk Revit, offering many advantages for building design projects. They allow professionals to create and organise standardised elements, keeping the model consistent and well-structured.
Families can be customised to fit specific project requirements and reused in future projects, saving time and improving efficiency.
Here are some reasons why Revit families are so useful:
- Customisation and Flexibility: Families allow users to create custom components designed to meet project needs and easily modify them to match design changes.
- Consistency and Collaboration: Standardised families ensure uniformity across project elements and enable smooth collaboration among architects, engineers, and contractors.
- Efficiency and Library Management: Families can be reused across projects and stored in central libraries for quick access, saving time and effort.
- Data-Driven Parametric Design: Each family includes detailed data such as dimensions and materials and features parametric capabilities to adapt automatically to changes in size or requirements.
- Visualisation and Cost Estimation: Families support detailed 3D models for better visualisation, accurate material quantities, and cost estimates.
Recognising the benefits of using Revit families shows their value in simplifying projects and improving designs. To make the most of these advantages, it’s important to understand how to add families in Revit effectively.
How to Add Families in the Revit?
Adding families in Revit is an important step in building your project with customisable components. Families allow you to add standard or custom elements like doors, windows, furniture, and other parts to your model. Learning how to load and use these families makes your work faster, keeps your design consistent, and improves accuracy.
To add families in Revit, follow these steps:
- Open your Revit project or template where you want to add the family.
- On the top ribbon, click on the “Insert” tab to access the options for inserting components.
- In the “Insert” tab, click “Load Family” to open the Family file selection dialog.
- Go to the location on your computer or network where the Revit family file (.rfa) is stored. Select the family you want to add and click “Open“.
- After loading the family, you can place it directly into your project.
By following these steps, you can add families in Revit for more efficient and customised project development. Once you know how to add families in Revit, the next step is finding the right ones to suit your project needs.
Also read: Revit Tutorial: Elevation Views, Levels, and Spot Elevations Guide.
How to Download Revit Families?
Downloading Revit families is a fast and easy way to improve your projects with ready-made components. You can find and download the exact families you need from online libraries or manufacturer websites. These families save time by providing pre-designed, high-quality elements that can be directly used in your project.
To download Revit families, follow these steps:
- Visit a Reputable Family Resource Website: There are several websites where you can download Revit families, such as RevitCity, BIMObject, and NBS National BIM Library.
- Search for the Desired Family: Use the search bar to look for specific families you need, such as doors, windows, furniture, or other components. Filter the results based on the family type, size, and other preferences.
- Download the Family File: Once you find the family you want, click on the download button or link. Most families are downloaded as .rfa files (Revit Family files), but they may also be provided in ZIP format, so ensure to extract them if necessary.
- Save the File to Your Local Drive: Select a folder on your computer where you want to save the downloaded family file, or organise them in a specific Revit Family library folder for easy access.
- Import the Family into Your Revit Project: Once the family file is downloaded, follow the earlier steps to load the family into your Revit project by going to the “Insert” tab and clicking “Load Family“.
- Check Compatibility: Ensure that the Revit family file you download is compatible with the version of Revit you are using. Some files may require updates or adjustments to work correctly in newer or older Revit versions.
By following these steps, you can download Revit families and start using them in your projects for more efficient and detailed designs. After downloading the right Revit families, the next step is integrating them into your project.
Ready to simplify your projects and achieve these benefits?
BIM ASSOCIATES is your one-stop BIM Solution provider for Revit Architectural and Structural Solutions. They coordinate with your team to develop, record, and streamline the BIM Revit Model, along with the sheets, Bill of Quantities, Bill of Materials, and clash coordination.
Using Revit Families in a Project
Revit families are crucial in creating detailed and efficient designs for any project. When used correctly, they not only improve the visual and functional aspects of your project but also provide important data for material takeoffs, scheduling, and cost estimation.
Whether you’re working with system families, loadable families, or in-place families, knowing how to use them effectively ensures your project meets design and documentation standards.
Here’s how you can make the most of Revit families in your design:
Place Families in the Project Environment
After loading a family into your project, go to the “Architecture” or “Component” tab and click “Place a Component.” This will show a list of all the families you’ve loaded into the project.
Choose the family you want to use, then click in the drawing area to place it. You can do this in plan, elevation, or 3D views, depending on the type of family.
For items like windows or furniture that need to appear in multiple locations, you can quickly place them in different spots without reloading the family.
Edit Family Parameters for Customisation
To customise a family, select it in your project and open the Properties Palette. Here, you can adjust settings like size, material, or other predefined options.
For example, you can change the height of a door or the width of a window to match your design needs by editing its parameters in the Properties Palette.
If the default options don’t meet your requirements, you can add custom parameters. This gives you more flexibility and ensures the family fits your specific requirements.
Adjust Placement and Orientation Within the Project
If a family isn’t in the right spot, you can use the Move tool to reposition it or the Align tool to align it with other components. This keeps your design accurate and organised.
To change the direction of a family, use the Rotate tool. Select the family, click Rotate, and turn it around its pivot point. This is especially helpful for items like furniture or fixtures that need to match the layout.
In 3D views, you can fine-tune the placement and orientation of a family to ensure it fits properly with walls, floors, or other parts of the model.
By placing, editing, and adjusting Revit families, you can create an accurate model and meet your project needs. These steps make the design process smoother and more efficient.
Once your Revit families are placed and adjusted, taking the time to customise and manage them ensures they align perfectly with your project requirements.
Customising and Managing Revit Families
Customising and managing Revit families are essential for shaping your design to meet specific project needs while staying efficient and organised. As the building blocks of your project, Revit families can be customised to create unique components that match your design intent, whether it’s adjusting dimensions, adding parameters, or changing materials.
Here’s how you can customise and manage Revit families in your design:
Modifying Revit Family Types and Instances
Modifying Revit family types and instances helps you adjust components to fit your project’s specific needs. You can update dimensions, materials, or placement to create a design that is accurate and adaptable. Knowing how to modify families ensures consistency while meeting the unique requirements of each element in your project.
To modify Revit family types and instances, follow these steps:
- Edit Family Types: Select the family in your project. Open the Properties Palette and use the Type Selector to pick a different type or change its parameters, like size or material.
- Adjust Instance Parameters: Click on a specific family instance (like a window or door) in your project. In the Properties Palette, update instance-specific settings, such as height, position, or other unique attributes.
- Change Family Type Properties: Right-click on the family and select “Edit Type”. Adjust type-specific settings, such as dimensions or materials, which will apply to all instances of that family type. Click OK to save the changes.
Creating New Revit Family Types within Existing Families
Creating new family types from existing ones is a simple way to make variations without starting from scratch. By duplicating an existing type and customising it, you can quickly adapt it to fit specific design needs. This approach helps you manage different versions of a family while keeping your project organised and efficient.
To create new Revit family types within existing families, follow these steps:
- Duplicate Family Types: Select the family type you want to use as a base. In the Properties Palette, click “Duplicate” to create a new type with the same settings.
- Customise Type Parameters: After duplicating, change the parameters for the new type, like its size or material. Update other settings, such as visibility or materials, to fit your design needs.
- Rename New Types: Right-click the new family type in the Properties Palette, select “Rename“, and give it a clear, descriptive name. Click OK to save the new name.
Managing and Organising Revit Families in the Project Browser
Organising Revit families in the Project Browser is important for keeping your project structured and easy to manage. Group similar families, use filters, and apply clear naming conventions to simplify finding and handling components. Good organisation improves workflow and ensures consistency throughout the design process.
To manage and organise Revit families in the Project Browser, follow these steps:
- Organise Project Browser: When you add families to your project, they are automatically listed in the Project Browser. Use filters or worksets to group related families.
- Group Families Using Type Mark or Comments: Open the Properties Palette for each family and use the Type Mark or Comments field to organise them further. This is especially useful in large projects to group similar families.
- Use Family Management Tools: To remove unused families, go to Manage > Purge Unused. Select the families you want to delete and click OK to clean up your project.
- Load Families from External Sources: If needed, click the Load Family button to add families from external libraries, like manufacturer websites or online repositories. Once loaded, they will appear in the Project Browser for easy access.
By following these steps, you can easily edit, create new types, and organise families in your Revit project. This helps keep your design clear, organised, and efficient. To take your Revit projects a step further, using subcategories within families allows for even greater control and precision.
Revit Families: Gaining Control with Subcategories
Revit families are the foundation of detailed models, and subcategories make it easier to organise and manage them. Subcategories are smaller groups within a family category, like organising “Chairs,” “Tables,” and “Desks” under the “Furniture” category. This allows you to control the visibility and settings of these elements separately.
By grouping similar family types into subcategories, you can easily filter, control, and manage specific elements in your design.
To create and use subcategories, follow these steps:
- Go to the “Manage” tab and click on “Object Styles“. Create a new subcategory under an existing category like “Furniture” or “Doors.”
- Assign them to the correct subcategory in the Properties Palette when adding or creating families. You can do this either while placing the family or after it’s been added to your project.
- Use the Visibility/Graphics settings to control how subcategories appear in your project. You can adjust the visibility of specific subcategories in different views based on your needs.
BIM Supports GREEN EARTH.
Conclusion
Using Revit families effectively is essential for organising your projects and improving efficiency. Learning to load, customise, and manage families allows you to simplify your design process and ensure all components work together smoothly.
Additionally, you can explore online libraries to access a wide range of family content. These resources provide many options for adding detailed elements to your project that help you create a more polished and professional design.
Are you looking for BIM solutions?
BIM ASSOCIATES is your one-stop BIM Solution provider for the Architecture and Structure discipline. Their solutions help clients with better decision-making, cost-saving, efficient construction planning, and green earth initiatives.
You might also like: BIM & Revit Model: Key Differences, Connections, and Challenges.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. Where are Revit family templates located?
Revit family templates are usually found in C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT <Year>\Family Templates\. The exact folder may vary depending on your Revit version and the region, such as “English_I” for Imperial or “English_M” for Metric.
2. How do I see all families in Revit?
In the Project Browser, find the family type you need by using the Search bar or by expanding the right category and family. Right-click the type and choose one of these options: “Select All Instances In Entire Project” or “Select All Instances Visible in View.”
3. What is a Revit library?
Revit libraries are collections of Revit families, projects, materials, and more. When people talk about Revit libraries or downloading them, they refer to Revit families.