By John Flanagan
Using the Family Editor
Many families are included in the default installation. These are the main building blocks in Revit. You can also create custom families. Almost every element, from walls to furniture, is a family.
When you want to create a new Revit Family, you go to the Family Editor. The Family Editor is a graphical editing mode that allows you to create and modify families to include in your project.
The Family Editor has the same look and feel as the project environment in Revit, but it features different tools. The availability of tools depends on the type of family you are editing. In the example below an existing Revit sample family has been opened in the Family Editor.
As you can see the template can include multiple views, such as plans and elevations and 3D views.
There are two ways to access the Family Editor.
- In a Revit Project > select an element > in the contextual Modify tab > click Edit Family.
- In the Revit Home page > click:
• Open > to select a pre-existing Revit Family file to edit.
• New > to select a Template > then create a brand-new Revit Family file.
The Template you select will influence what controls are available when creating your Family content.
When you are not certain which Template to use, select the Generic Model option.
This Template is suited for a wider variety of applications in your Revit project than other counterparts.