In the landscape of the AEC sector, technologies and constantly growing innovation continue to alter the working approach for architects, engineers, and other professionals. With emerging technologies, the complexity of the process is simplified for professionals. However, it also comes with a new scope of challenge, where innovations become a solution. As we all know, in the ancient period of the architecture industry, traditional approaches and working methods were filled with errors, costly rework, and much more. Above all, the process was time-consuming as the burden was completely on the laborers.
As time passed, innovations in the AEC realm completely transformed and made it easier for architects and engineers to execute construction projects. With its keeping aligned with various technological innovations, BIM is one of the best and most powerful additions to the AEC industry.
The architecture and construction process is long, complex, and time-consuming; however, the introduction of building information modeling (BIM) has completely transformed it and brought various benefits to the AEC market. Today, architects and other professionals cannot carry out a project without the use of BIM. Hence, it has become a mandatory tool in any construction project since its inception.
As powerful as BIM services are, it has also brought related technologies and services that enhance the work approach, streamline construction operations, and provide accurate, quality results. Among the many cutting-edge technologies that are shaking the AEC sector, a variety of software applications have been introduced that support modern innovation. Out of which Autodesk’s Revit software is powerful for BIM operations that also supports Revit family creation.
Since the construction process is integrated with a variety of different methods to get the desired end results. The digital representation of the entire construction project is the pre-construction stage, where virtual models showcase how the project is going to look in reality. As a matter of fact, the virtual model of the project consists of everything that gives a life-like feel and helps architects and engineers with groundwork responsibilities.
Among many different things, the model also includes types of windows, curtains, furniture, decor, and much more. All such elements are Revit families, a DNA of the Revit model, as it is a robust, flexible, and scalable way to represent real-life objects virtually. This results in dynamic data and functional parameters.
Getting project objects set accurately in the 3D BIM model isn’t a piece of cake. The right knowledge, skill sets, and expertise to engage with software is a must for professionals to enhance the quality of the model. Therefore, a good and deeper understanding of software technicalities for Revit family creation services can take the construction project to the next level of accuracy and efficiency. Although, it is vital to understand what the Revit family is and its benefits in any architecture project.
Understanding Revit Family Creation
With a brief overview of how BIM as a technology is an integral part of the architecture and construction project, AEC professionals can only imagine working with BIM services. As BIM is one of the pivotal role players in the process, it comes with different technological curves that shape and enhance the project. Among various technologies, Revit family creation services are one of the most adopted and vital approaches integrated with 3D BIM modeling. Revit is an important and efficient Autodesk design software in the AEC industry, as it brings a wide range of features, benefits, and other easy operations that save time, effort, and money while enhancing the digital model.
As time went by, software applications have become more accurate and progressively offered end results with precision. With easy use and accurate end results, Revit quickly became an essential tech in making the pre-construction stage accurate. Among different features of the architecture design software, Revit offers Revit family creation that has gained a significant position in designing the virtual 3D model of the project.
Revit family creation services are referred to as a digital library or a digital collection of objects/elements that can be used in making the 3D BIM model a real-life representation. Elements or the use of different objects give life to the virtual model, which helps architects and engineers design projects efficiently on the ground. Objects like curtains, furniture items, lightning, staircases, windows, doors, and much more can be added to enhance the quality and make the digital model easier to interpret.
These families are organized into a specific hierarchy for easy use and considered as a group of objects with properties called parameters. Furthermore, Revit family groups are pre-installed into the systems with basic and common objects for use in the project. It not only enhances the visual appearance of the object but also a great marketing tool for designers that engages stakeholders and viewers with comprehensive 3D visualization. Apart from that, Revit family creation offers a wide range of perks, such as:
- Better Design Options
- Enhanced 3D Visualizations
- Easy Asset and Documentation
- Time Efficient
- Design Flexibility and Scalability
- Efficient Change and Updates
These are some of the benefits of the Revit family; however, the list can go long. In fact, with the right skill set and expertise, designers can create their own custom Revit family by following a few simple steps. Following are the details of the step-by-step process of custom Revit family creation.
Guide to Creating Custom Revit Family
As discussed in the long list of benefits of Revit family creation services, there is a customizable option available for architects and designers to create their own collections of objects for projects. There are times when pre-installed elements need to fit into the model attractively or might not be appropriate according to the project’s requirements.
Hence, in such scenarios, designers and architects can create a custom Revit family that is either simple or complex, depending on the requirement. The following are five easy steps for creating a custom Revit family in Autodesk design software.
- Define your object: Before starting with custom Revit family creation services, it is vital to design a concept and define objectives for creating elements. For example, the requirement of creating French-styled windows and doors must be defined at an initial stage. This can help in understanding the use and object’s location.
- Start a New Family: Open Revit and select an appropriate object category for the item. Choosing a template beforehand helps create Revit families easily, as this dictates the overall shape and structure of the object by adding basic geometrics that define the element.
- Build the Object: Once the object is defined with the overall shape and necessary geometry guidelines, the next step is to design the 3D element with the help of software tools for drafting and modeling forms.
- Add Parameters: After building the object, the next step in creating a custom Revit family is to construct dimensions, material properties, and other parameters that enhance the object’s nature, use, and adaptive quality for other projects.
- Quality Check: After finishing the object’s parameters, testing the custom Revit family creation in the 3D model is better for understanding if the desired object fits in the different scenarios.
These are the five basic steps of creating your own Revit family; however, they can be altered according to the requirement. Creating well-designed elements can save time and enhance the workflow by using reusable content for different cases.
Bottom Line
Revit family creation services are easy or complex, depending upon the project’s requirements. Basically, it is a standalone of art and science integrated with BIM. However, emerging technologies and innovation in the industry can give a curve to the Revit family creation and enhance the project more creatively and accurately.