Complexity in Creating Revit Families

Introduction

The growing importance of BIM in the construction industry is unquestionable. As BIM frameworks and processes are utilised globally at an increasing rate, it’s important for manufacturers to provide high-quality Revit families to be viewed favourably in the selection process by specifiers. The role of Revit families in product representation extends far beyond simple 3D models or geometric representations; they are information-rich digital representations that contain essential data such as product information, performance criteria and relevant attributes. Despite this, many manufacturers fail to grasp the multifaceted nature of high-quality Revit families and the specialised skills required to create them effectively.

Whilst high quality Revit families are the foundation of a project design model that generates all required project deliverables and operates with an optimised level of performance, sub-par Revit families have the potential to have the opposite effect, and they are often the root cause of project models that perform poorly, slow the model down (or crash it entirely), or generate problematic project documentation. For this reason, it’s important manufacturers provide high quality Revit families for their products, lest their assets be the cause of project delivery issues which would see their models removed from the project and potentially have a negative impact on their brand equity among clients.

This article aims to explore why building product manufacturers often underestimate the complexity of creating high-quality, ‘fit-for-purpose’ Revit families suitable for use in project models. We will take a look at the technical intricacies, design software expertise required, and the challenges of product data management that contribute to this complexity. By understanding these factors, manufacturers can better appreciate the value of Revit families to design professionals, the benefits of engaging Revit content creation specialists, and make informed decisions about their own BIM strategy.

The Multifaceted Nature of High-Quality Revit Families

Technical complexity

Creating high-quality Revit families requires a deep understanding of Revit’s parametric modelling system. This system allows for the creation of flexible, intelligent components that can adapt to different environments, BIM systems and design scenarios. However, mastering this system is far from trivial. It requires a thorough understanding of how parameters interact, how to create and manage nested families, and how to optimise performance in a project model environment without inhibiting functionality.

Proficiency in family creation tools and techniques is essential. This includes understanding the nuances of different family templates, knowing when to use 2D or 3D elements, how the Revit software accesses and utilises various Revit family attributes, and being able to create complex geometric forms that accurately represent the product while maintaining model efficiency. The ability to create families that work seamlessly across different view types (plan, elevation, 3D) and scales is a skill that designers find essential when observing the final product.

Design software expertise required

Creating high-quality Revit families demands more than just basic familiarity with the Revit software. It requires a deep, nuanced understanding of Revit’s operation methods, capabilities and limitations. This expertise extends beyond just modelling skills to include knowledge of best practices for family creation, understanding of how families interact within project environments, and the ability to troubleshoot complex, unexpected issues that may arise during Revit family development or testing.

Furthermore, keeping up with software updates and industry trends is essential. Revit is continually evolving, with new features and improvements being added regularly. In fact, a new version of Revit is released every year. A professional Revit family creator must stay abreast of these changes and understand how they impact family creation and functionality.

Product data management challenges

One of the most critical aspects of creating high-quality Revit families is the accurate representation of product attributes. This requires not only a thorough understanding of the product itself but also the ability to translate that understanding into a digital format that is both accurate and useful for designers and engineers within the Revit project environment.

Incorporating manufacturer-specific information into Revit families presents its own set of challenges. This includes managing a wide range of data points, from basic dimensions and materials to more complex information like performance characteristics, rule-based behaviours, and compliance with various standards and regulations. Ensuring that this data is not only accurate but also structured in a way that is easily accessible and usable within the BIM environment is a complex task that requires both technical skill and industry knowledge.

Common Misconceptions Among Building Product Manufacturers

“It’s just another kind of 3D CAD model”

One of the most prevalent misconceptions among manufacturers is that a Revit family is simply a 3D representation of their product. This oversimplification leads to a fundamental misunderstanding of the intelligence behind Revit families. Unlike static 3D models, high-quality Revit families are parametric, data-rich objects that can adapt to different design scenarios and provide valuable information throughout the project lifecycle.

This misconception often results in manufacturers underestimating the impact on design workflows. They fail to recognise that poorly created Revit families can significantly hinder productivity, leading to frustration among designers and potentially damaging the manufacturer’s reputation. Conversely, well-crafted families can streamline workflows, enhance project coordination, and ultimately increase the likelihood of product specification.

Moreover, the perception of Revit families being another kind of CAD model also suggests a broader misunderstanding of their actual purpose and how they are utilised.

“Our in-house team can handle it”

Many manufacturers believe that their existing CAD, Drafting or product design teams can easily transition to creating Revit families. However, this overlooks the specialised skills required for BIM content creation. While CAD and modelling expertise is a valuable experience to have, it doesn’t necessarily translate directly to proficiency in creating Revit families. The parametric nature of Revit, its unique file structure, and the specific requirements for creating families that perform well in various project contexts all require specialised knowledge and experience.

A misconception of what Revit families actually are can also lead to underestimating the time and resources required to develop and maintain a library of high-quality Revit families. This often results in competing priorities and resource allocation issues, where the creation of BIM content is shelved in favour of other tasks, resulting in subpar families that don’t meet the needs of design professionals.

The “one-size-fits-all” fallacy

Another common misconception is that a single version of a Revit family can meet the needs of all users. This ignores the diverse needs of different design professionals and the varying requirements of different project types and stages. Architects, engineers, and contractors may all require different levels of detail or specific types of information from the same family.

Furthermore, manufacturers often fail to consider regional or project-specific requirements. Building codes, standards, and practices can vary significantly between regions, and these differences need to be taken into consideration when developing a Revit library and broader BIM strategy. Ignoring these factors can result in a Revit library that is unusable or irrelevant in certain markets or project types.

The Impact of Revit Family Quality on Product Adoption

Designer preferences and expectations

Design professionals have high expectations when it comes to Revit families. They require Revit families that are not only visually accurate when necessary, but also easy to use and integrate seamlessly into their projects. High-quality Revit families should enhance productivity, not hinder it. This means they should load quickly, not cause performance issues in large projects, and behave predictably when modified or placed in different contexts.

Accuracy and reliability of product information are mandatory. Designers rely on the data embedded in Revit families for various aspects of project development, from initial design concepts to detailed documentation and performance analysis. Inaccurate or incomplete information can lead to errors in design, estimation, and construction, that may cause significant issues down the line.

How high-quality families influence specification decisions

The quality of Revit families can significantly impact a product’s visibility and adoption in the design process. High-quality Revit families are more likely to be included in BIM content libraries, both within design firms and in centralised online platforms that enforce quality control standards like BIMcontent.com. This increased visibility can lead to more frequent use of the product in projects, ultimately increasing the chances of specification.

Well-crafted Revit families enhance trust in the manufacturer’s digital offerings and speaks to their overall commitment to quality as a business. When designers have positive experiences with a manufacturer’s BIM content, they are more likely to consider other products from the same manufacturer and view the brand as technologically competent and supportive of their workflows that utilise BIM.

Key Challenges in Creating High-Quality Revit Families

Balancing detail and performance

One of the most significant challenges in creating high-quality Revit families is striking the right balance between detail and performance. While it might be tempting to include every possible detail of a product in its digital representation, this can lead to overly complex Revit families that slow down project files and hinder workflow efficiency for designers working on that project.

Optimising file performance without sacrificing functionality requires a deep understanding of Revit’s capabilities and limitations. It involves making informed decisions about the various tools in the family editor that can be used to create geometry, and which details are essential for different use cases and project stages. For instance, a family might need different levels of detail for conceptual design, detailed documentation, and visualisation purposes.

Ensuring smooth operation in large, complex projects is another consideration to be aware of. High-quality Revit families should be designed to perform well not just in isolation, but also when multiple instances are used in a project with hundreds or thousands of other Revit families. This requires careful optimisation of geometry, parameters, and embedded data, then comprehensive testing in various scenarios.

Maintaining consistency across product lines

For manufacturers with extensive product offerings, maintaining consistency across their Revit family library can be a significant challenge. This involves developing standardised templates and workflows that ensure all families adhere to the same quality standards, data structures and design principles. Consistency in naming conventions, parameter definitions, modelling methods, graphics settings and overall structure not only improves usability for designers but also facilitates easier updates and maintenance of the library when amendments are inevitably required to reflect changes in the product offering.

Managing updates and revisions efficiently is another key aspect of maintaining a high-quality Revit family library. As products evolve or product data changes, the corresponding families need to be updated promptly and accurately. This requires robust version control systems and processes for notifying users of the update.

The Value of Professional BIM Content Creation Services

Expertise and specialisation

Professional BIM content creation services, like those offered by IGS Group, bring a level of expertise, specialisation and execution capacity that is difficult to match with in-house resources. These specialists have a deep understanding of BIM and Revit family development, honed through years of experience working with a wide range of product types and industries.

This expertise translates into developing Revit libraries that are not just visually accurate, but also optimised for performance, rich in relevant data, and designed to enhance the workflow of design professionals. Professional creators, especially those with experience working in BIM-enabled design practices, understand the nuances of different design disciplines and can tailor Revit families to meet the specific needs of architects, engineers, and contractors.

Time and resource efficiency

Outsourcing Revit content creation to specialists can result in significant time and resource savings for manufacturers. Professional services can typically deliver high-quality families faster than in-house teams, especially those without dedicated BIM specialists. This speed doesn’t come at the cost of quality; in fact, the expertise of professional creators often results in superior outcomes in shorter timeframes.

By leveraging professional services, manufacturers can focus on their core competencies – designing and producing high-quality building products – while leaving the complexities of Revit content creation to experts who monitor the evolving needs of the industry on an ongoing basis. This division of labor often leads to better results in both areas.

Quality assurance and ongoing support

Professional Revit content creation services typically have rigorous testing and validation processes in place to ensure the quality and accuracy of the families they produce. This includes checks for visual accuracy, data integrity, performance in various project scenarios, and compatibility with different Revit versions.

These services often provide ongoing support and maintenance for the Revit content they create. This can include regular updates to keep families in line with product changes or software updates, as well as technical support for designers using the Revit families in their projects should they encounter any issues. This ongoing relationship ensures that the manufacturer’s Revit content remains valuable, relevant and supported over time.

Developing a Robust Manufacturer BIM Strategy

Setting clear goals and quality standards

Manufacturers should set clear goals for their BIM content strategy. This might include targets for the percentage of product catalogue available as Revit content, timelines for creating or updating Revit families, specifier engagement targets, or specific quality benchmarks to be met.

Establishing clear Revit content quality standards is crucial. These standards should cover aspects like level of detail, naming conventions, data inclusion, performance optimisation, and adherence to industry best practices. Having these standards in place ensures consistency across the BIM content library and provides clear guidelines for content Revit creation, regardless of who actually develops the content.

Integrating BIM content into overall marketing strategy

BIM content should not be viewed in isolation but as an integral part of a manufacturer’s overall product marketing strategy. High-quality Revit families can be powerful in enabling specifier engagement, showcasing products in the digital environment where design decisions are increasingly being made.

Integrating BIM content into marketing efforts might include featuring it prominently on product web pages, using it in digital catalogues or configurators, promoting it in EDMs and social media, and leveraging it in presentations or trade show displays. It’s also important to consider how BIM content fits into the broader customer journey, from initial product discovery through to specification and installation.

Summary

The complexity of creating high-quality Revit families which are suitable for use in project models is often underestimated by building product manufacturers. This underestimation stems from misconceptions about the nature and use case of BIM content in general, the specialised skills required to create it, and its impact on product adoption and specification.

High-quality Revit families are not just 3D models; they are intelligent, data-rich digital assets that play a vital role in modern design and construction processes. Creating them requires a deep understanding of Revit’s capabilities, industry-specific knowledge, project delivery processes and a keen awareness of the needs of design professionals.

The challenges in creating Revit families – from balancing detail and performance to maintaining consistency across product lines and ensuring interoperability – are significant. However, the benefits of overcoming these challenges are equally substantial. High-quality Revit families can enhance a manufacturer’s visibility in the digital design space, increase the likelihood of product specification, and contribute to more efficient and accurate building projects.

Recognising the complexity and importance of high-quality Revit families is an important strategic step for building product manufacturers. Investing in high-quality BIM content is increasingly becoming a necessity rather than being seen as ‘innovative’ or a ‘nice to have’ in the competitive building products market.

By embracing the challenges and opportunities presented by BIM, and becoming an active participant in the industry’s adoption of BIM, manufacturers can position themselves at the forefront of the digital transformation in the construction industry, enhancing their products’ visibility, usability, and ultimately, their market success.