REVIT 2023 FAMILIES COURSE: Module 1 | 1. Why you should learn how to create families in Revit?

Summary

This introductory lesson of the Revit family creation course sets the stage for learning how to craft custom families within Revit 2023.1. The instructor emphasizes the importance of understanding and creating families, such as furniture and windows, which are the building blocks of any Revit project. With the evolution of the BIM market, readily available families have improved, yet the ability to create and edit these components is crucial for advancing in Revit. The lesson also touches on the necessity of mastering family creation to tackle unique project requirements and to maintain high-quality models.

Takeaways

• 📚 The course is an introduction to creating Revit families in Revit 2023.1.
• 🏢 The speaker is already in the Revit environment, highlighting the distinction between 'Models' and 'Families'.
• 🛠️ Families are components used in projects, such as furniture, beams, windows, and doors.
• 🏗️ There are system families created directly in the project and non-system families created in the family editor.
• 🔍 The course will focus on the family editor, which is used for creating non-system families.
• 💡 The speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing how to create custom families for unique project needs.
• 🌐 Families can be sourced from sites like Bim object or Revit City, or directly from manufacturers.
• 📈 The speaker notes the improvement in the quality of available families over time but stresses the need for custom creation skills.
• 🛠️ Understanding and modifying existing families is crucial for avoiding project delays and maintaining model standards.
• 🔑 Knowledge of family creation is key to fully understanding how they work and to improve the overall quality of a Revit project.
• 📁 Families are saved in RFA file format, separate from the project file (RVT), and can be opened from the default Autodesk library.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the Revit family creation course?

The purpose of the Revit family creation course is to teach users how to create and understand Revit families, which are essential components in a Revit project, and to enhance their skills in using Revit to a higher level.

Which version of Revit is the instructor using in the course?

The instructor is using Revit 2023.1 English version for the course.

What are the two main parts of the Revit welcome screen?

The two main parts of the Revit welcome screen are 'Models' and 'Families'.

What are families in Revit?

In Revit, families are components that go into a project, such as furniture, beams, windows, doors, etc. They can be system families created directly in the project or component non-system families created in the family editor.

What is the family editor?

The family editor is a separate environment in Revit where users can create component non-system families, which are then used in projects.

Why is it important to know how to create your own family in Revit?

Knowing how to create your own family in Revit is crucial because it allows for customization for specific project needs, the ability to edit found objects to fit project requirements, and a deeper understanding of how families work, which is essential for maintaining a high standard of the model.

What are some sources where pre-created Revit families can be found?

Pre-created Revit families can be found on sites like Bimobject, Revit City, or directly on manufacturer sites.

What is the file format for a Revit family?

The file format for a Revit family is RFA.

What is the difference between system families and component non-system families?

System families like walls, floors, and roofs are created directly in the project environment, while component non-system families are created in the family editor and are more customizable.

Why is it necessary to understand how a family works in Revit?

Understanding how a family works is necessary to fully utilize its parameters and settings effectively within a project, and to troubleshoot or modify it when needed.

What is the next step in the course after the welcome screen introduction?

The next step in the course is to start selecting a new family template.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Introduction to Revit Family Creation

This paragraph introduces the Revit family creation course, highlighting the importance of understanding and creating families within the Revit environment. The speaker is using Revit 2023.1 and explains the distinction between model and family environments. Families are defined as components like furniture, beams, windows, and doors that are used in a project. The speaker distinguishes between system families, which are created directly in the project, and non-system families, which are created in the family editor. The course will focus on the latter. The speaker also discusses the availability of pre-created families from sources like Bim object and Revit City, and emphasizes the necessity of knowing how to create custom families for unique project needs, editing existing ones, and understanding the core functionality of families in Revit.

Keywords

💡Revit

Revit is a Building Information Modeling (BIM) software used by architects, engineers, and construction professionals to design, build, and manage high-quality, energy-efficient buildings and infrastructure. In the video, Revit is the primary software environment where the lesson takes place, and it is used to create and manipulate 'families', which are the components of a Revit project.

💡Families

In Revit, 'families' refer to the various components or objects that make up a project, such as furniture, beams, windows, and doors. The script mentions that families are essential to the project environment and are the focus of the course, emphasizing the importance of understanding and creating these components for advanced Revit use.

💡System Families

System families in Revit are built-in families like walls, floors, and roofs that are created directly within the project environment. They are integral to the structural and functional aspects of a Revit model and are highlighted in the script as a type of family that differs from non-system or component families.

💡Component Families

Component families, as discussed in the script, are non-system families created in a separate environment called the family editor. These include items like furniture and fixtures that are not part of the building's structure but are crucial for detailing the project's interior and aesthetics.

💡Family Editor

The family editor is a specialized environment within Revit where users can create or modify component families. The script emphasizes the family editor as the main focus of the course, where the process of creating custom families from scratch will be taught.

💡BIM Object

BIM Object is a platform mentioned in the script where pre-created Revit families can be downloaded for use in projects. It represents one of the resources available to Revit users for sourcing families, though the script also stresses the importance of being able to create custom families when needed.

💡Revit City

Like BIM Object, Revit City is another site mentioned in the script where users can find and download pre-made Revit families. It signifies the growing availability of resources for Revit users to enhance their projects with pre-built components.

💡RFA File Format

RFA stands for Revit Family file format, which is the way families are saved in Revit. The script mentions RFA files to distinguish them from project files (RVT), highlighting the separate storage and usage of families within the Revit ecosystem.

💡Customization

Customization in the context of the script refers to the ability to create or modify Revit families to suit specific project needs. It is a key concept as the script suggests that having the skills to customize families is crucial for advancing as a Revit user.

💡Parameters

Parameters in Revit are the settings and attributes that define the characteristics of a family, such as width, height, and other properties. The script uses the example of a window family to illustrate the numerous parameters that can be adjusted to control the behavior and appearance of a family within a project.

💡High Standard of Model

Maintaining a high standard of model in Revit, as mentioned in the script, is about ensuring the quality and accuracy of the project's digital representation. It is tied to the quality of the families used and the user's ability to understand and effectively utilize them within the project.

Highlights

Introduction to the Revit family creation course in a Revit 2023.1 environment.

Explanation of the two main parts of the Revit welcome screen: models and families.

Clarification of the concept of families as components in a Revit project, including furniture, beams, windows, and doors.

Differentiation between system families created in the project and non-system component families created in the family editor.

Emphasis on the importance of learning to create your own families for custom project needs.

The evolution of Revit libraries from poor quality to more reliable sources like Bim object and Revit City.

The necessity of understanding how to modify existing families for project customization.

The core role of families in the overall quality and functionality of a Revit project.

Demonstration of a window family with multiple parameters and the importance of understanding these parameters.

The importance of learning how families are created to fully understand their functionality in a project.

The benefit of knowing how to create families from scratch to comprehend how others create them for you.

The process of opening an existing family from the default Autodesk library in RFA file format.

The distinction between the RFA file format for families and the RVT file format for projects.

Anticipation of the next lesson focusing on selecting a new family template.

The significance of the family editor environment for creating and understanding non-system families.

The importance of having good families for maintaining a high standard of the model in Revit.

Transcripts

hi and welcome to the first lesson of

Revit family's creation course as you

can see I'm already in a Revit

environment in the welcome screen I'm

using Revit

2023.1 English version uh welcome screen

is divided into two parts first one is

models and the second families I guess

you probably uh already familiar with

the model environment project

environment to be precise and you

already know what the families are but

if not I will explain it really quickly

so families are all the component that

will go into the project like Furnitures

beams and Windows Doors Etc everything

that goes into the project are families

some families are system families and

they are created directly in the project

like walls floors roofs Etc but some are

component non-system families and they

are created in in a separate environment

called family editor and we will focus

on this family editor in this course so

as you probably know you can use already

created families or downloaded from the

sites like Bim object

or for example Revit City or search for

them directly on the manufacturer sites

and when I was starting using Revit the

libraries were were very poor poor

quality I so I couldn't fully relate on

on them but now once the

market is is growing and the knowledge

in the market is is greater than

families that we may find on sites like

beam objects are very good but still I

think that the necessity to know how to

create your own family is crucial for

you to go to another level in Revit as a

Revit user I will tell you why

first of all there will always always be

a chance that you need to create

something very custom for your project

and you will not find it on other sites

like beam object secondly you will

probably even if you find something on

the Internet

you will face the problem of slight

editing of such object and you may face

a welder where you you don't know how to

edit and you will stack in your project

if you don't have the skills of

modifying the existing families and the

third thing is that you need to

understand how the families work

families are very core of whole Revit

project if you have good families the

project will be also good if you have

bad families and you don't know how to

use them and then you will probably

always have problems with maintaining a

high standard of your model for example

let me show you some something really

quickly I have a German I have here a

window all and you see that there are

many parameters there and when I will

try to use all of this all of this

settings inside of the project some of

them might be really quick to quick to

guess how to how how they work represent

the width height

Etc but if we want to understand fully

how this family work we we have to go to

the family editor and basically learn

how someone created this family for us

so it's also a very important lesson for

the Revit user to to learn how the

family was created so this knowledge is

also very important and when you know

how to create such family from scratch

then you will understand also how

someone else does it for you

so this was the three uh things that I

mentioned here and uh you can always

open an existing family

I'm redirected to the default Autodesk

library and they are of course saved as

RFA in an RFA file format

a project is saved as rvt this one is

RFA so they are stored in a separate

file but I'm guessing you probably know

such basic stuff

okay so that's it for this lesson in the

next we will start to select a new

family template