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Revit Architecture 2021
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An Introductory Guide for Electrical Workers
Elise Moss
SDC
P U B L I C AT I O N S
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Lesson
02
Revit Families
Revit projects use Revit families.
• System
• In-Place
• Loadable
System families are specific to a project. You can copy system families from one project to
another, but they are not stand-alone files, like loadable/model families. Examples of system
families are walls, conduits, wires, and ceilings.
In-Place families are elements which are created “on the fly” using massing tools. Users often
create an in-place family for a feature that is unique to a project. A generator or electrical
equipment that is specialized may be created using massing tools, so that users can see the
amount of space it takes up in a project.
Loadable families are the most common type of family. Examples include cable trays, power
devices, and electrical equipment. These are external files which are inserted/loaded into a
project and placed in the desired location. These families can be counted and their properties can
be organized in schedules. These elements can be created from scratch using the Family Editor
using family templates. They can be created and loaded into a project, as well as deleted or saved
from a project.
Revit families are defined using parameters. There are two types of parameters: Type and
Instance.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
In the Revit Project Browser under the Families folder, you see the families organized into
categories. Lighting Fixtures is a Category. The Plain Recessed Lighting Fixture is a Family. A
family is an element that represents a specific component used in a project. Each Family can
have several different types. This lighting fixture has different types which are defined by size
and voltage. The family type doesn’t change regardless of where it is placed in the project. If
you place a 1x4 lighting fixture in the living room or the bedroom, it is still a 1x4 lighting
fixture.
Every time you place or define a family in a project, you are creating an “instance” of that
family. Location is an instance parameter. Hardware or finish can be unique to each family
places, so these can also be instance properties. Type properties are properties that are common
to all elements of that type. Instance properties are properties that are unique to each individual
element.
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Revit Families
Throughout the rest of the text, we will be creating new types of families.
Here are the basic steps to creating a new family.
1. Select the element you want to define (switch gear, receptacle, panel, etc.).
2. Select Edit Type from the Properties pane.
3. Select Duplicate.
4. Rename: Enter a new name for your family type.
5. Redefine: Edit the structure, assign new materials, and change the dimensions.
6. Reload or Reassign: Assign the new type to the element.
Elements are the building blocks of any Revit Project. Everything used in a Revit project is
considered an element.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
• Model
• Datum
• View-Specific.
Model families are families which you can physically touch if you were walking through a
building, such as walls or electrical panels. A host model family is an element which can be
used to hold or place other components. For example, a wall can host a door, window, or
electrical panel. An element which is placed on a host is considered a component. Datums are
levels, grids, and survey points. They are used to constrain the project. View-specific families
are annotations, like dimensions or text, and detail items, like filled regions
Non-hosted families can be placed anywhere in the view. They are typically placed aligned to
the elevation of the view. If you need to offset them from the elevation, place the element in the
view, then select it, then change the offset from elevation value in the Properties palette to the
desired location.
Hosted families must be placed on a surface or work plane and the surface must be visible in the
view. If a fixture needs to be placed on a ceiling, the view needs to be a ceiling plan. Check on
the ribbon to specify the type of face to be used for placement. If the placement face is deleted,
any elements hosted by the face will also be deleted. If the placement face is moved, then the
elements will also move.
Electrical Devices
The workflow to add electrical devices.
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Revit Families
Some guidelines when working with Revit families to help you work efficiently:
• Familiarize yourself with the content libraries which come with the software as well as
the libraries used within your company. Then, when you are looking for a specific
family, you might be able to use or modify an existing family.
• When you modify a Revit family or element, save the family under a new name and save
it to a custom library location, preferably on your company’s server. This will make the
family type available across projects as well as to other users in your company.
• Avoid accidentally selecting elements in a view so they don’t get modified.
• If you hover your cursor over an element, a small dialog will appear informing you of the
family and type.
Lighting Fixtures
Lighting fixtures follow the same workflow as other electrical devices and are powered the same
way. They also have the ability to calculate an average estimated illumination level for spaces.
When loading light fixture families, make sure to pull them from the MEP folder, not the
Architectural folder.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-1:
Working with Revit Families and Elements
Drawing Name: elements.rvt
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
1. Open elements.rvt.
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Revit Families
11. Notice that the element is updated to the new type which
you selected.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
2-8
Revit Families
Many electricians need to determine the location of the stud framing in a wall as they are routing
their wiring between the studs. Most Revit projects created by electrical workers are defined by
using a host project which links to the files provided by the architect and the other sub-
contractors. It is helpful to be able to select elements that reside in the linked file, so you can
identify them and determine how they are defined.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-2:
Identifying a Wall in a Linked File
Drawing Name: simple-building.rvt
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
System Families
Revit Links
Walls
1. Open simple-building.rvt.
Select Open.
5. The file now shows as loaded.
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Revit Families
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
10.
You see how the wall has been defined
by the architect.
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Revit Families
Exercise 2-3:
Place a Lighting Fixture and a Switch
Drawing Name: simple-building.rvt
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
System Families
Revit Links
Walls
1. Open simple-building.rvt.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
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Revit Families
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-4:
Select and Modify a Component
Drawing Name: modify.rvt
Estimated Time: 5 minutes
Filter
Type Selector
4. Left click at the upper left corner of the room with the
lighting fixtures. Hold down the left mouse button to
create a window.
Left click at the lower right corner of the room with the
lighting fixtures.
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Revit Families
Press OK.
7. Use the Type Selector to change the lighting fixtures to
1x4 – 277.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-5:
Copy a Component
Drawing Name: copy.rvt
Estimated Time: 5 minutes
Copy
Type Selector
1. Open copy.rvt.
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Revit Families
5.
Select the top left corner of the first room as the base
point.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-6:
Mirror a Component
Drawing Name: mirror.rvt
Estimated Time: 5 minutes
Mirror→Draw Axis
1. Open mirror.rvt.
Save as ex2-6.rvt.
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Revit Families
Exercise 2-7:
Align a Component
Drawing Name: align.rvt
Estimated Time: 5 minutes
Align
1. Open align.rvt.
4. Select the ceiling grid line to the left of the lighting fixture.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Save as ex2-7.rvt.
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Revit Families
Exercise 2-8:
Draw, Modify, and Offset Cable Trays
Drawing Name: cable_trays.rvt
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Cable Trays
Offset
Trim
Split
Options Bar
Properties
1. Open cable_trays.rvt.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
7. Press ESC to complete placing the tray but remain in the Cable Tray command.
8. Place a second cable tray perpendicular to the first
cable tray and into the Mech/Elec room (lower left).
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Revit Families
Enable Numerical.
Set the Offset to 15’-0”.
Enable Copy.
13. Left pick the cable tray.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
16. Select the horizontal cable tray and the far right cable
tray.
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Revit Families
23. Use the temporary dimension to split the cable tray 7’-
0” from the end.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
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Revit Families
Exercise 2-9:
Place Light Fixtures and Switches (reprised)
Drawing Name: i_elec_circuits.rvt
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
Place Components
Copy
1. Open i_elec_circuits.rvt.
3. Verify that you are in the 3rd Floor Ceiling Plan view.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
11. Left click to select the upper left corner of the light fixture
as the base point.
Move the cursor to the right and type 8’ for the distance.
Press ENTER or left click to complete the copy.
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Revit Families
13. Use the CTL key to select the three light fixtures.
Use the COPY tool to place a copy of the three fixtures 8’
below them.
19. Place a light switch next to each door located at the south
wall of the room.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-10:
Adding and Modifying Equipment, Devices
and Fixtures
Drawing Name: adding_elements.rvt
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
Place Components
Electrical Equipment
Load Families
Type Selector
Naming Equipment
1. Open adding_elements.rvt.
2. Verify that you are in the Main Floor – Power floor plan
view.
6. Press Yes.
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Revit Families
Press Open.
9. On the Properties palette:
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Press Open.
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Revit Families
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-11:
Adding Receptacles
Drawing Name: receptacles.rvt
Estimated Time: 15 minutes
Place Components
Electrical Fixture
Load Families
Type Selector
1. Open receptacles.rvt.
4. Press Yes.
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Revit Families
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-12:
Create a New Family Type
Drawing Name: receptacle_family.rvt
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
Place Components
Electrical Fixtures
Load Families
Type Selector
Type Properties
New Type
1. Open receptacle_family.rvt.
• GFCI
• Standard
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Revit Families
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
15. Using the left mouse button, drag and drop the EWC
receptacle family to place it on the west wall in Room 205
– Ready Room.
16. Using the left mouse button, drag and drop the TV
receptacle family to place it on the south wall in Room
205 – Ready Room.
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Revit Families
Revit doesn’t have a lot of MEP families which work well with creating legends. In this
exercise, we create a detail component family which can be used when creating an electrical
symbol legend.
Exercise 2-13:
Create a Detail Component Family
Drawing Name: none
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
Families
Detail Components
Detail Lines
Dimensions
1. Go to Files→New→Family.
4. On the ribbon:
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
7.
9. On the ribbon:
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Revit Families
11.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Exercise 2-14:
Create a Detail Item Family
1. Go to File→New→Family.
5. Draw a square.
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Revit Families
6.
Place a continuous dimension in the vertical
and horizontal direction to center the square
on the insertion point.
To place the dimension, select one line, then
the center reference plane, then the next line,
then left click to place.
Left click on the EQ icon to set the dimension
equal.
7.
Place an overall horizontal dimension and an
overall vertical dimension.
To place the dimensions, select the outside
lines, then left click to add the dimension.
9. On the ribbon:
Select New to add a label parameter to the
dimension.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
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Revit Families
18.
The values in the display window should update.
If the values do not update, you did not place the
dimensions correctly. You will need to delete the dimensions
and try again.
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Lab Exercises
Create the following legend symbols:
SWITCH
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Revit Families
RECESSED LIGHT
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Revit Architecture for Electrical Workers
Notes:
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