Autodesk Revit Model Content 2009 User guide

REVITMODELCON T EN T STY L E GUIDE



December2009

Version2.1

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RAL DESIGN© RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002

RAL CLASSIC© RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002

RMCSG—2 Version2.1

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Representation of the RAL Colors is done with the approval of RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und

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Version2.1RMCSG—3

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CO N T EN T S 

FeedbackontheGuide7

Audience7

Definition:QualityRevitContent7

Contents8

SupplementaryFiles8

AdditionalFiles9

Section1:PlanningRevitModelContent10

RecommendedRevitReleaseandDisciplineforContentCreation10

1.1DeterminingDesignIntent11

DeterminingtheTemplatetoUse11

FamilyRepresentations12

1.2BalancingPerformanceandDesignComplexity16

DesignIntentvs.Performance16

RecommendedFamilyFileSizes18

LevelofDetail19

ElementVisibility20

AreastoAvoidforOptimumPerformance20

ExamplesofFamilieswithAppropriateandcomplexLevelsofDetail21

ConsiderationsforNestingFamilyContent22

NestingRecommendations:22

1.3AutodeskExchangeFormat(.ADSK)23

AECExchangeEnvironment23

CreatingIntelligentConnectors23

SimplifyingtheGeometricRepresentation24

Publishingtothe.ADSKformat24

reading.ADSKfiles25

ImportingintoRevitFamilies25

Limitations25

1.4UsingImportedContent26

RMCSG—4 Version2.1

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SupportedContent26

Limitations26

1.5PlanningaRevitModelFamily27

Section2:ModelContentCreationStandards28

2.1WorkflowforModelContentCreation29

Prototyping30

2.2FamilyUnits30

2.3FamilyNamingConventions31

2.4TypeNamingConventions33

2.5CategoryandSubcategoryStandardsandUsage35

AddingSubcategoriesToModelFamilies35

SubcategoryNamingConventions36

2.6AutodeskApprovedParameterUsage37

AddingManufacturerDatatoFamilies38

CSIOmniClassTable4938

CSIClassificationCodes39

AssigningtheMasterFormatandUniFormatClassificationinRevit39

AssigningtheOmniClassclassificationinRevit(Revit2010andlater)40

2.7ParameterNamingConventions41

2.8MaterialNamingConventions44

Guidelines44

FormatForIndividualFinishMaterials(StoredInsideProjects)44

FormatForIndividualFinishMaterialsUsinganExternalImageFile45

FormatForIndividualMaterialsImages(StoredOutSideofRevit)45

2.9PreviewImageStandards46

CreatingAutodeskStandardFamilyPreviewImages47

2.10TypeCatalogStandardsandUsage52

TypeCatalogStandards52

2.11MaterialApplicationinModelFamilies54

Option1–ApplyMaterialswiththeMaterialParameter54

Version2.1RMCSG—5

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Option2–ApplyMaterialstoFamilyGeometrybyCategoryandSubcategory55

Option3–ApplyMaterialswithCustomInstanceorTypeMaterialParameters55

Example:AssigningMaterialstoaTableFamily56

2.12BestPracticesfo rAddingConnectorsinRevitMEPFamilie s58

AddingaConnector58

SystemTypes59

ConnectorDirection60

PrimaryConnector60

LinkingConnector61

ConnectorMapping62

ConnectorDescriptions63

Section3:TestingGuidelines64

3.1GeneralFamilyTestingGuidelines65

FamilyEditorTestingCriteria65

ProjectTestingCriteriaforRevitArchitecture66

3.2Family‐SpecificTestingGuidelines67

RMCSG—6 Version2.1

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INTRODUCTION

ThepurposeofthisguideistodefineAutodeskguidelinesandstandardsformodelcontentcreationinRevit®

Architecture,Revit®MEP,andRevit®Structure.Modelcontentreferstothetwo‐dimensionalandthree‐

dimensionalstandardcomponentfamiliesthatareusedtocreateelementsthatrepresentmanufacturedcontent

(forexample,windows,furnaces,heatpumps,andstructuralsteelmembers).

Byfollowingtheguidelinesandstandardsinthisguide,contentcreatorswillensuretheportabilityand

performanceoftheircontent,andfulfillthenecessarydistributionrequirementsfortheAutodesk®Seekweb

service.TheAutodeskSeekwebservicerequires:

• theuniformdisplayofproductsofferedbyasinglemanufacturer

• complete,consistent,andaccuratepresentationofproductdataacrossmanufacturers

• thefulluseofAutodeskSeeksearchcapabilities

FEEDBACKONTHEGUIDE

PleasesendyourcommentsontheRevitModelStyleGuideandsupportingdocumentationto:

[email protected]m



Wecan’trespondtocommentsindividually,butfeedbackwillbeconsideredinfutureversionsoftheRevitModel

ContentStyleGuide.

AUDIENCE

Thisguideisintendedformanufacturers,contentserviceorganizations,andothercontentcreatorswhohave

advancedknowledgeofbothRevitsoftwareandRevitmodelcontentcreation.

DEFINITION:QUALITYREVITCONTENT

QualityRevitcontentbalancesperformancewithdesignaccuracyandrequiredlevelsofdetail.Qualitycontentis

easytousebecauseitfunctionsreliablyinarangeofprojectsandprojectphases,whiledeliveringmanufactured

contentinaformatappropriateforarchitectureandengineeringdocumentationdeliverables.

QualityRevitcontentiscreatedwiththefollowingconsiderations:

• Designintent–theauthorhasconsideredhowthefamilywillbeusedinaproject.

• Appropriatelevelofdetaildesigned

• Adequatenumberoftypescreated

• Flexibleuseofparameters

• Accuracy–complete,consistentpresentationofproductdata.

• Standards–adherestoindustryandAutodeskstandards.

• Namingconventions

• Graphicguidelines

Version2.1RMCSG—7

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• Parameterusage

• Performance–contentdesignedtoreducetheperformanceimpactofthefamilyonaproject.

• Testing–thoroughtestingofthefamilyparametersandtypesindependentlyandinaproject

environment.

CONTENTS

Section1:PlanningRevitModelContent

• Explainshowdesigncomplexityinfamiliescanaffectprojectperformanceandoffersguidelinesfor

reducingperformanceimpact

• DetailstherecommendeduseandlimitationsofcontentcreatedwithotherCADsoftware

• Providesbestpracticesforplanningmodelcontent

Section2:ModelContentCreationStandards

• Describesbestpracticesformodelcontentcreation

• ContainsAutodeskstandardsforunits,namingconventions,subcategories,parameters,previewimages,

andtypecatalogs

Section3:TestingGuidelines

• Containsgeneralandfamily‐specifictestingguidelinesformodelcontentfamilies.

Notincludedinthisguide:

• Detailedfamilycreationinstructions

• Standardsforannotationorsystemfamilycreation

• Category‐specificguidelinesforfamilycreation

• In‐depthbestpracticesforfamilycreation

SUPPLEMENTARYFILES

Thefollowingdocumentsandfilesarereferencedforusewiththisguideandareincludedinthedownload

package.

• RevitMasterParameterList.xls‐includesAutodesk‐approvedRevitmastersharedparameters

• RevitMasterSharedParameterFile.txt‐includesAutodesk‐approvedsharedparameterstouseinyour

projects

• RevitMasterSubcategoryList.xls–includesAutodesk‐approvedRevitsubcategories

• RevitMasterPartTypeList.xls–includesAutodesk‐approvedRevitparttypes

• RevitModelContentSampleFiles–includessampleRevitmodelcontentandimages

• Category‐specificModelContentGuides–includescreationguidelinesforspecificcontent

• SharingRevitContentonAutodeskSeek–includesdistributionrequirementsfortheAutodeskSeekweb

service.

RMCSG—8 Version2.1

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ADDITIONALFILES

ThefollowingresourcesareavailableforworkingwithbothRevitmodelcontentandAutodeskSeek.

AUTODESKMETADATASTYLEGUIDEAND PRODUCT WORKBOOK

TheAutodeskMetadataStyleGuidedefinesstylesandformattingrulesthatmanufacturers,contentservice

organizations,andcontentspecialistsmustabidebysothatthecontentthattheyproducecanbeloadedintothe

AutodeskSeekstagingenvironment.

Downloadat:http://seek.autodesk.com/participate.htm.



DOCUMENTATION 

FormoreinformationonRevitfamilycontentcreation,seethefollowingreferencemanualsandtutorials:

• Revit®ArchitectureFamiliesGuide

Downloadatwww.autodesk.com/revitarchitecture‐documentation

.



• RevitArchitecture,Revit®MEP,andRevit®StructureTutorials

Downloadat:

www.

autodesk.com/revitarchitecture‐documentation

www.

autodesk.com/revitmep‐documentation

www.

autodesk.com/revitstructure‐documentation

DISCUSSIONGROUPS

• AUGI(AutodeskUserGroupInternational)

Accessatwww.

augi.com.



• AutodeskSeekDiscussionGroup

Accessatwww.autodesk.com/contentsearch‐discussion.



Version2.1RMCSG—9

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SECTION1:

PLANNINGREVITMODEL CO N T ENT 

InordertoensureRevitmodelcontentisdevelopedefficientlyandtoAutodeskstandards,contentcreatorsshould

followAutodesk‐approvedbestpracticeswhencreatingRevitfamilies.

Byfollowingtheguidelinesinthissection,youcan:

• createRevitfamilycontenteasilyandwithfewererrors

• ensureconsistencyandstabilityofRevitfamilycontent

• createcontentsuitablefordeliveryonAutodeskSeek



RECOMMENDEDREVITRELEASEANDDISCIPLINEFORCONTENTCREATION

Note:AllsamplefamilyandprojectfileswerecreatedbasedontheRevitPlatform2009release;therefore,they

can’tbeopenedinearlierversionsofRevit.

RECOMMENDATION:Toensurethatcontentisavailabletothelargestnumberofendusers,createthecontent

usingAutodeskRevit2009.Contentcreatedinrelease2009canalsobeusedinlaterversionsofRevit.Ifthe

contentrequiresfunctionalityavailableinalaterrelease,thencreatethecontentinthatreleaseofRevit.

UsetheRevitproduct(RevitArchitecture,RevitMEP,orRevitStructure)thatisappropriateforthecontentyouare

creating,forexample,foraDoorfamily,useRevitArchitecture,foranAirHandlingUnit,useRevitMEP.Ifthe

contentcrossesdisciplines,forexample,alightingfixtureorplumbingfixture,usetheproductthathasthemost

requirements,inthiscaseRevitMEP.

RMCSG—10 Version2.1



1.1DETERMININGDESIGNINTENT

WhencreatingaRevitfamily,theintendeduseofthefamilyinaprojectenvironmentdeterminestheextentto

whichitisdesigned.Youcandesignallfamiliestoincludeanumberofrepresentationsforuseindifferentproject

viewsandprojectphases.

Thetypeandsizeoftheprojectthatafamilyisintendedforuseinisacriticalpointtoconsiderwhendeciding

whatrepresentationsshouldbeincludedinthefamilyandwhatlevelofdetaileachrepresentationshouldhave.

Themoredetailedafamilyis,thelargeritsfilesizewillbe.Thelargerthefilesize,theslowertheperformance,

loading,andregenerationtimeofthefamilywillbe.Whenconsideringthedesignintentofafamily,usethe

followingguidelines:

• Forlargercommercialorinstitutionalprojects,inwhichhundredsofelementsmaybecreatedwitha

singlefamily,designthefamilytobeassmallaspossibletominimizeprojectsizeandperformance

impact.

• Forsmallerresidentialprojects,whereelementscreatedwithasinglefamilyarenotusedubiquitously

andwheretheoverallprojectsizeissmaller,designthefamilytoincludemoredetail.

Thenexttopic,BalancingPerformanceandComplexity,addressestheissueoffamilysizeandcomplexityinmore

detail.

DETERMININGTHETEMPLATETOUSE

Forobjectstypicallyhostedbyothercomponents,suchasawindoworlightfixture,startwithahost‐based

template.Forexample,forawindowordoor,useawall‐basedtemplate,suchasWindow.rftorDoor.rft.Howthe

familyishosted(orwhatitdoesordoesnotattachto)determineswhichtemplateshouldbeusedtocreatethe

family.Ingeneral,thechoiceofatemplateisdrivenbythehostoftheobject,withthefollowingexceptions:

• Floor‐basedobjectstypicallyusealevel‐basedtemplateunlesstheyarerequiredtocutthefloor.For

example,Furnitureobjectsarecreatedwithalevel‐basedtemplate.

• Forobjectsthataredesignedtobeusedinmorethanonediscipline,suchasplumbingorlightingfixtures,

useahost‐basedtemplatethatallowsthegreatestflexibilityforalldisciplines.Forexample,alighting

fixtureusedexclusivelyinanarchitecturaldisciplinecouldbecreatedwithaceilingorwall‐based

template,butforanengineeringenvironment,aface‐basedtemplateisrequiredforthemodellinking

workflow.Therefore,foralightingfixturethatwillbeusedinbothdisciplines,useaface‐basedtemplate.





Version2.1RMCSG—11



FAMILYREPRESENTATIONS

Dependingontheintendeduseofafamily,itmaycontainthefollowingrepresentations:

• Schematic(genericcontent;typicallynotmanufacturerspecific;mayincludemultiplelevelsofdetail)

• Designdevelopment(manufacturer‐specificcontent;typicallyCoarselevelofdetail)

• Constructiondocument(manufacturer‐specificcontent;typicallyMediumlevelofdetail)

• Highqualityrendering(manufacturer‐specificcontent;typicallyFinelevelofdetail)

Dependingontheusecaseforthecontent,the3manufacturer‐specificrepresentations(Designdevelopment,

Constructiondocument,andHighqualityrendering)maybedevelopedin1or2familyfiles.Forexample,one

familyfilemaycontaintheDesigndevelopmentandConstructiondocumentationrepresentationsofthecontent

andasecondfilemaycontainthehighqualityrenderingrepresentation.TypicallyMEPcontentdoesnotincludea

highqualityrendering,soforthistypeofcontentonefamilyfilemaybecreatedcontainingtheDesign

developmentandConstructiondocumentationrepresentations.

SCHEMATIC

Schematicrepresentationsarecreatedfromtwo‐dimensionallineworkandrepresentthefamilyobjectinitsmost

basicappearance.Theycanbeconsidered“placeholders”forelementsthatwillbeincludedinmoredetailed

designdrawings.Schematicrepresentationsdonotusuallydisplaymaterials.

RMCSG—12 Version2.1



Schematicrepresentationsofatoiletfamilyandofatablefamily

 



DESIGNDEVELOPMENT

Designdevelopmentrepresentationsincludemoredesigndetailthanschematicrepresentations,aswellas3D

forms.Theymayalsoincludebasicmaterials.Dependingontheelementthatwillbecreatedfromthefamily,the

designdevelopmentrepresentationmayincludethefollowingviews,aswellasappropriatelevelsofdetail:

• Model

• Plan/ReflectCeilingPlan(RCP)

• Section/Elevation

• TypicallyCoarselevelofdetail

Designdevelopmentrepresentationofawindow:displaysminimaldetail,mullionsarerepresentedbymodellines



Version2.1RMCSG—13



Designdevelopmentrepresentationofawatersoftener:displaysbasicshapesofthesoftenerandshows

connectors



CONSTRUCTIONDRAWING

Constructiondrawingrepresentationsareusuallysymbolictwo‐dimensionalrepresentations.Dependingonthe

elementthatwillbecreatedfromthefamily,theconstructiondrawingrepresentationmayincludethefollowing

viewsaswellasappropriatelevelsofdetail:

• Plan/ReflectedCeiling Plan(RCP)

• Section/Elevation

• TypicallyMediumlevelofdetail

Constructiondocumentationrepresentationofawindow:includesmullionsandswing



RMCSG—14 Version2.1



Constructiondocumentationrepresentationofawatersoftener:displaysamorerealisticrepresentationofthe

softeneranditsconnections



HIGHQUALITYRENDERING

Todefinetheappearanceoffamilyelementsinhighqualityrenderings,materialsmustbeassignedtofamily

geometry.Materialpropertiesandlightingmustbedefined.Therenderingistypicallycreatedfroma

representationwithFinelevelofdetailthatincludesobjectsnotusuallyshowninconstructiondrawings,suchas

thehardwareorinlayinthetablebelow.

Highqualityrepresentationofatableinashadedviewandinarenderedimage

  

Version2.1RMCSG—15



1.2BALANCINGPERFORMANCEANDDESIGNCOMPLEXITY

ThedesigncomplexityofafamilycanaffectitsperformancewhenitisusedtocreateelementsinRevitprojects.

Thisisanimportantconsiderationwhencreatingfamiliesthatincludealotofgeometry,multipleparametric

relationships,and/oralargenumberoffamilytypes(sizes).Efficientgeometrycreation,judicioususeof

parametricconstraints,andcarefullyplanneddetailandvisibilitysettingscanreducetheperformanceimpacta

familywillhaveontheprojectsinwhichitisused.

Inthissection,youlearnto:

• Identifypossibleperformancegainsandimpedimentspriortofamilycreation

• Managedifferentperformancefactors,includingparametricrelationships,detaillevel,andvisibility

settings

• Createefficientfamilies



DESIGNINTENTVS.PERFORMANCE

Themorecomplexanddetailedafamilyis,thelargeritsfilesizeandimpactonperformancewillbe.Before

creatingafamily,determinethefollowing:

• Thedesignintentofthefamily:Whataretherepresentationsthatthefamilymustcontain(schematic,

designdevelopment,constructiondocumentation,highqualityrendering),andhowdetailedmusteach

representationbe?



• Thetypeofprojectinwhichthefamilywillbeusedandhowfrequentlyitwillbeused:Willthefamily

createonly10elementsinasmallresidentialproject,orwillitbeusedtocreatehundredsofelementson

manyfloorsofalargecommercialbuildingmodel?



RMCSG—16 Version2.1



Thefollowinggraphdisplaysthegeneraltrendfortheimpactofdesigncomplexityonfilesize.Generallythemore

representationsafamilyhasandthemoredetailedtheyare,thelargerthefamilyfilesize.Thelargerthefamilyfile

sizeis,themoreofanimpactitwillhaveonperformance(longerloadingandregenerationtimesandgreater

increaseinprojectfilesize).

ImpactofDesignComplexityandProjectSizeonFamilyFileSize



Forexample,awindowfamilythatisintendedtobeusedhundredsoftimesinalargecommercialprojectwillhave

asmallerfilesizeifitcontainsonlybasicschematicanddesigndevelopmentrepresentations.Impactonthe

projectsizewillbeasminimalaspossible.

Conversely,adifferentwindowfamilyintendedforuseinasmallresidentialprojectmaycontainahighquality

renderingrepresentationthatwillincreaseprojectfilesizewhenthefamilyisadded,butbecausethewindowsit

createsareaddedtotheprojectonlyafewtimes,theincreaseinfilesizeismanageable.



Version2.1RMCSG—17



RECOMMENDEDFAMILYFILESIZES

Toprovidecontentcreatorswithatangibleguidelineforfamilyfilesize,somecommonfamilytypesandtheir

recommendedfilesizesarelistedbelow.Usethefilesizesbelowasarecommendation,asactualsizemayvary.

Large,complex,and/orunusualfamiliesmayexceedtheserecommendations.

Application Element ComplexityLevel FileSize

 

RevitArchitecture Casework Simple 200

–

300K

 Complex 500K



 Door(single‐panel) Simple 300

–

400K

 Complex 600K



 FurnitureSystem Simple 200

–

300K

 Complex 500K



 Window(single‐unit) Simple 300

–

400K

 Complex 600K



RevitMEP AirHandlerUnit Simple 300

–

400K

 Complex 800K

–

1000K



 Chiller Simple 300

–

400K

 Complex 800K



 Fan Simple 200

–

300K

 Complex 400K



 PlumbingFixture Simple 300

–

400K

 Complex 600K



RevitStructure W‐Shape Simple 180

–

200K

 Complex 300K





IMPORTANT:Tohelpreducethefilesize,inRevit,clickFile→PurgeUnusedtodeleteitemsthatarenotinuse,

clickFilemenu→SaveAs,andverifythattheCompactFileoptionisselectedwhensavingthefile.



RMCSG—18 Version2.1



LEVELOFDETAIL

Detaillevelsdeterminewhichpiecesoffamilygeometrydisplayindifferenttypesofprojectviews.WhenaRevit

elementiscreatedwithafamilyandaddedtoaprojectview,thecurrentdetailleveloftheview(coarse,medium,

orfine)displaystheappropriatefamilygeometry.

INTENT:Theintentistobuildthefamilybasedontheexpectedfinerepresentation,thenremovedetailtocreate

thelowerlevelsofdetail.Thisapproachimprovestheperformanceofthefamilyinlowerlevelsofdetailviewsin

theproject,butstillprovidestherequiredgraphicsforproperdocumentationofaproject.Theintentisnotto

buildeachlevelofdetailincrementallyoradditionally.



AwindowdisplayedinbothCoarseandFinedetail

 



Familiesthatincludeintricatelevelsofdetailcanimpedeperformancewhenusedinprojects.Foroptimalfamily

performance,onlythenecessaryfamilygeometryshouldbemodeledandtheuseofhighlydetailed

representationslimited.

Whendecidingwhatlevelofdetailshouldbeshown,usethefollowingrecommendations:

• Don’tmodelgeometrythatwillnotbevisiblewhenthefamilyisaddedtoabuildingmodel.

Forexample,foratablefamilythatincludesadrawer,modelthefaceonly,nottheentiredrawer.

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• Dependingonthetypeoffamily,usethefollowingguidelinewhenmodelinggeometry:

Ifthegeometryis… Setthedetaillevelto…

Smallerthan1’ Fine

1’

–

3’ Medium

Largerthan3’ Coarse

• Donotduplicategeometrythatcanbeusedfordifferentlevelsofdetail.

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Version2.1RMCSG—19

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ELEMENTVISIBILITY

Typically,thegeometryofanelementcreatedbyafamilywillchangedependingonthecurrentprojectview.The

visibilitysettingsofthefamilydetermineinwhichprojectviewselementscreatedwiththefamilywilldisplay.

Inaplanview,youmaywanttoseea2Drepresentationoftheelement.Ina3Dorelevationview,youmaywant

todisplayafullydetailed3Drepresentationoftheelement.Inotherviews,youmaywanttohidetheelement.

Limitingthevisibilityofhighlydetailedfamilygeometrytoonlycertainviewscanimproveprojectperformance.

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AREASTOAVOIDFOROPTIMUMPERFORMANCE

Usethistableasaguidetoimprovetheperformanceofyourfamilies.

CommonMistakeWhenCreatingFamilies RecommendedApproach

Lackofplanningpriortofamilycreation Beforecreatingafamily,usetheguidelinesoutlinedin

1.4PlanningaRevitModelFamily.

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Unnecessaryparametricrelationships Beforeaddinggeometrytoafamily:

• Plantheparametricrelationshipsandcreatea

familyskeletonthatfeaturesthemain

parametricrelationships.

• Buildonlytheparametricfamilybehaviorthat

youneedtoavoidover‐constrainingthe

model.

• Flextheskeletontotesttherelationships

beforeyouaddgeometry.

Useofgeometryinsteadofsymboliclinesinplanviews Inplanviewrepresentations,geometryusuallycanbe

representedwithsymboliclines,ratherthan(solid)

geometry.Usinggeometryinsteadofsymboliclineswill

createanunnecessarilylargerfamily.

Highlevelsofgeometricdetailandunderuseofvisibility

settings

UsetheguidelinesintheLevelofDetailandElement

Visibilitysectionsofthisguidetoavoidunnecessarily

largefamilyfiles.

Overuseofvoids,formulas,andarrays Extensiveuseofvoids,formulas,andarrayswilladdto

theoverallfamilysizeandaffectitsperformancein

projects.

Useoftoomanynestedfamilies(familiesimportedinto

otherfamilies)

Nestfamiliestocreategeometryinotherfamilies only

whennecessary.Onlyusenestedcontenttoshare

objectsamongmultiplefamilies,forexample,door

hardware,muntinpatterns,andsoon.

Largefamilieswithmanytypesthatdonotincludetype

catalogs

Themoretypes(particularlyunused)theheavierthe

family.Createtypecatalogsforfamiliesthatcontain6

ormoretypes.See2.10TypeCatalogStandardsand

Usage.

Inadequatefamilytesting See 3.1 GeneralFamilyTestingGuidelines.

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RMCSG—20 Version2.1

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