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Module 2 – Essential Skills
Lesson -03 Revit Family Components
In Revit, Families can be divided into 3 groups

1. System Family.
2. Loadable Family.
3. In Place family.

System Families

System families create basic elements that you would assemble on a construction site.

Examples: Walls, roofs, floors, Ducts, pipes, Wires

System settings, which affect the project environment and include types for levels, grids, drawing
sheets, and viewports, are also system families. System families are predefined in Revit. You do not
load them into your projects from external files, nor do you save them in locations external to the
project.

Loadable Families

Loadable families are families used to create the following: Building components that would usually
be purchased, delivered, and installed in and around a building, such as windows, doors, casework,
fixtures, furniture, and planting

System components that would usually be purchased, delivered, and installed in and around a
building, such as boilers, water heaters, air handlers, and plumbing fixtures. Some annotation
elements that are routinely customized, such as symbols and title blocks.

Because of their highly customizable nature, loadable families are the families that you most
commonly create and modify in Revit. Unlike system families, loadable families are created in external
RFA files and imported, or loaded, in your projects. For loadable families that contain many types, you
can create and use type catalogues, which allow you to load only the types that you need for a project.

In-Place Families

In-place elements are unique elements that you create when you need to create a unique component
that is specific to the current project. You can create in-place geometry so that it references other
project geometry, resizing or adjusting accordingly if the referenced geometry changes. When you
create an in-place element, Revit creates a family for the in-place element, which contains a single
family type.

Creating an in-place element involves many of the same Family Editor tools as creating a loadable
family.

Downloading Light Fixture Family from Free resources

 Google Search: - lighting fixtures free BIM download

 https://www.lighting.philips.com/main/support/support/revit-library#page=2
 https://www.trilux.com/in/service/downloads/software/revit/
 https://www.revitcity.com/downloads.php?action=viewrevit&revit_l1_id=0&revit_l2_id=77
&revit_l3_id=0&start=450
 https://www.bimstore.co/categories/lighting-fixtures.

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Lesson -4. Placing methods for Lighting Fixture Switch Receptacle other Electrical Fixture
Place the component through the Respective Command and Load Family.

1. Placing Lighting Fixtures

System Tab- Electrical Panel – Lighting Fixtures – Load Family – (US Metric/ UK/Australia) – Lighting –
MEP – Internal / External – Select Lights

2. Placing Fan / Room Heater / Drier

System Tab- Electrical Panel– Device – Electrical Fixtures – Load Family – browse or Electrical folder –
MEP – Electrical Power – Appliances

3. Placing AND viewing Mechanical Equipment

Activate 1- Power view (Any Power View) - Change the Visibility Graphics - Switch on Mechanical
Equipment visibility.

To Place a Mechanical Equipment:- System- mechanical Equipment - Load Family – (US Metric/
UK/Australia) – Mechanical - MEP - Browse folder

4. Placing Panel Board

System Tab- Electrical Panel- Electrical Equipment - Load Family -– (US Metric/ UK/Australia)
- Electrical folder - MEP - Electrical Power - Distribution - select Panel board – place on vertical face
– use space bar to adjust the position – assign distribution 230 /440 – type a name.”LA-Plinth Level”
(an example)

5. Placing the Switch

System Tab- Electrical Panel- Device – Lighting – From the type selector – select the Switch type –place
on the vertical face – select and add switch id, change the voltage to 230V.

To search for more options on Switches, System Tab- Electrical Panel- Device – Lighting- Load family
- (US Metric/ UK/Australia) - Electrical folder - MEP - Electrical Power - Terminals - Select.

6. Placing Receptacles

System Tab- Electrical Panel –Device – Electrical Fixture –Choose Receptacle Standard from the Type
selector – Place on vertical face – Select the placed receptacle – Edit type –Duplicate – type the name
100 W - Change voltage =230V, change the Load =100 W. ( Change Units – Electrical –Apparent power
to Watts) – Use Copy and place more.

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Lesson -5 Create an Electrical Lighting Circuit

Objective: - In this exercise, you create an electrical lighting circuit by placing lighting fixtures,
assigning them to an electrical circuit, and editing the circuits in the panel.

Data Set: - (Open the given data set Folder and Open to upgrade to your current version, then save
and close, the given files (in order) Arch Project for Elec.rvt and then M_elec_circuits.rvt.)

1. Open M_elec_circuits.rvt. The file opens in the 3rd Floor Ceiling Plan view. (Open manage Links
and use Reload From and choose the "Arch Project for Elec.rvt" from the same folder
2. Start placing light fixtures in the view. Go to SYSTEM tab > Electrical panel > (Click on) Lighting
Fixture - From the Type Selector - (drop-down list) Choose Plain Recessed Lighting Fixture:
(M_Plain Recessed Lighting Fixture: 600x1200 - 277)
3. Click Place on Face (from the context tab) Place Fixture tab > Placement panel.
4. Place the Lighting Fixture in the Class room 5 (Room no.307) which is at the upper portion of the
drawing. Zoom to the Class room 5.

5. Press SPACEBAR to rotate the fixture vertically. Click to place the light fixture at the intersection
of the ceiling grid lines in the upper-left area of the room, as shown. Tip: Zoom in to the view, if
required.
6. Click Modify or Press ESC key twice.

Placing Multiple Lighting fixtures using Copy tool.

In the view window, Click and select the light fixture you just placed.

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7. Select the Click on Copy tool (Modify Lighting Fixtures tab > Modify panel) to create a copy of the
light fixture.

8. To place the copy of the light fixture, in the view window:

9. Click on a point of selected light fixture to specify a start point. The exact location is not critical.
10. Move the Pointer (Cursor) (2300 mm) to the right of the selected light fixture.
11. Click to place the copy of the light fixture. Note: Alternatively, you can enter (2300 mm) as the
distance while moving the cursor and press ENTER.
12. Place another copy of the light fixture (2300 mm) to the right of the first copy you placed.

13. Exit the Copy tool.

14. In the view window, CTRL+ select the three light fixtures you just placed.

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15. Place copies of the selected light fixtures (2300 mm) below them. Use Multiple Copy option.

16. Open the 3rd Floor Lighting Plan view.

17. Click SYSTEM tab > Electrical panel > Device drop-down > Lighting to place switches in the plan
view.
18. Select Lighting Switches: Three Way (Lighting Switches: Three Way) from the Type Selector drop-
down.
19. Ensure that Place on Vertical Face is selected on the Placement panel of the Place Lighting Device
tab.
20. In the view window:
21. Click to place a switch on the walls near each door as shown. The exact location is not critical.
22. Press ESC two times to end the currently active tool.

Placing Switches

23. Open the 3rd Floor Lighting Plan view (Under Electrical – Lighting – floor Plans)
24. Go to SYSTEM tab > Electrical panel > Device drop-down > and Click on “Lighting” - to place
switches in the plan view.
25. From the Type Selector drop-down. Select Lighting Switches: Three Way (Lighting Switches: Three
Way)
26. Ensure that “Place on Vertical Face” is selected on the Placement panel of the Place Lighting
Device Context tab.
27. In the view window:
28. Click to place a switch on the walls near each door as shown. The exact location is not critical.

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29. Press ESC two times to end the currently active tool.

Observe Space Lighting Calculations

30. In the view window: Move the cursor over the edges of room 307 to highlight the room space.

31. Click to select the space.

32. Click Modify Spaces tab > Element panel > Element Properties to view lighting calculations.
33. In the Instance Properties dialog box:

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34. Under Electrical - Lighting, notice that the Average Estimated Illumination value is 723.92 lx, based
on the light fixtures you just added. Click OK.

Lesson 06 -Working with Electrical Circuit.

Create an Electrical Circuit

1. In the view | Drawing window, select a light fixture that you placed in room 307.
2. Click Power- under the Modify Lighting Fixtures tab > Create Systems panel.
3. Click Edit Circuit. Modify Electrical Circuits tab > System Tools panel >
4. Click Add To Circuit - Edit Circuit tab > Edit Circuit panel - to add the selected light fixture to an
electrical circuit.
5. In the view|Drawing window, select the remaining light fixtures in the room.

6. To assign the circuit to a panel: On the Edit Circuit panel, click Select Panel. Select LP-3 from the
Panel list.
7. On the Edit Circuit panel, click Circuit Properties.( By default, this window is opened)

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8. In the Instance Properties dialog box, under Instance Parameters, Electrical - Loads Notice the
voltages and current information that are extracted from the electrical properties of the light
fixtures you placed.
9. On the Edit Circuit panel, click Finish Editing Circuit to save changes to the circuit.

Tag Light Fixtures

1. Click Tag By Category from the Annotate tab > Tag panel > to add tags to the light fixtures.
2. On the Options Bar, ensure that the Leader check box is cleared to avoid adding a leader on the
tag.
3. In the view|Drawing window: Select each light fixture in succession to tag it.
4. Press ESC to exit the Tag tool.

Modifying Tag Family

1. Select one of the Tag (Lighting Fixture Tag) and Click on Edit Family (from Context tab -Modify
Lighting Fixture tab)

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2. Click inside the Label and then Click on Edit Label from Context tab.

3. Select 'Mark" from the Category parameters field and Click on "Add Parameter" button.-Click OK

4. Click on "Load into Project and Close" from the context tab. Do not save the family file.
5. Click on 'Overwrite the existing version'. You can find the tags are updated as shown below.
(Ignore if any difference in order).

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Edit Circuits on the Panel

1. In the view|Drawing window: Zoom in to the electrical room to the right of room 307.Select the
panel LP-3.
2. Click Circuits from Modify Electrical Equipment tab > Electrical panel
3. In the Edit Circuits dialog box, under Electrical Circuits:
4. Notice that circuit 11 is listed with the load name Lighting Classroom 5 307.
5. Tip: Click and pull out the load name list so that you can see the complete load name.
6. Clear the selection.
7. Close the file without saving changes.

Lesson 07:- Create Wiring

Objective: - In this exercise, you create and work with electrical wiring in a project.

Data Set: - (Open the given dataset – Create wiring Folder and Open the files to upgrade to your
current version, then save and close, the given files (in order) Arch Project Metric.rvt and then
m_rmep_wiring.rvt.)

Place Electrical Devices

1. Open m_rmep_wiring.rvt. The file opens in the Level 1 - Power Plan view. Notice the linked
architectural model.
2. Go to SYSTEM tab > Electrical panel > Device drop-down > and Click on Electrical Fixture to place
receptacles.
3. Ensure that Duplex Receptacle: Standard (M_Duplex Receptacle: Standard) is selected in the Type
Selector drop-down.
4. In the view window, click the walls in rooms 27, 28 and 30 to place two receptacles in each room,
as shown. The exact location of the receptacles is not critical. Exit the Device tool.

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5. In the view window, select a receptacle that was placed in room (30). Go to Modify Electrical
Fixtures tab > Create Systems panel > and Click on Power to create an electrical circuit.

6. Go to Modify Electrical Circuits tab > System Tools panel > Click on Edit Circuit.
7. Go to Edit Circuit tab > Edit Circuit panel > Click on Add to Circuit.
8. In the view window, select the remaining three receptacles placed in rooms 30 and 28

9. On the Edit Circuit panel, click Select Panel to indicate the panel from which a circuit originates.

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10. On the Options Bar, select PP-1N from the Panel list.
11. On the Edit Circuit panel, click Finish Editing Circuit.

Generate Automatic Circuit Wiring

In the view window:

1. Move the cursor over one of the duplex receptacles in room 104 (30).
2. Press TAB so that dashed lines appear, indicating the intended wiring of the new circuit.
3. Click the receptacle to establish the wiring of the new circuit.

4. To generate arced wiring, select the arced icon that appears with the dashed wire preview.

5. Select the SYSTEM run wire in room 107 (28) to display the grips, as shown.

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6. Select the square grip at the end of the SYSTEM run wire and drag it to reposition the wire for a
clear view, as shown.

7. Go to Annotate tab > Tag panel > Click on Tag By Category to add a tag to the SYSTEM run wire.
8. On the Options Bar, clear the Leader check box to remove the display of a leader.
9. Click the SYSTEM run wire in room 107 (28) to add a circuit number tag.

Create Wiring Manually for Receptacles

1. Go to SYSTEM tab > Electrical panel > Click on Wire to manually start creating the wiring.
2. Ensure that Wire Types: THWN (Wire Types: XHHW) is selected in the Type Selector drop-down.
3. In the view window:

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4. Move the cursor in room 103 (25) over the area where the duplex receptacle is mounted on the
left wall until the wiring connection point appears.
5. Click the connection point to establish the first point for the arced wiring.

To create wiring:

1. Click inside room 25 to establish a second point for the wiring arc. The exact location is not critical.
2. Click the electrical connection point at the base of the receptacle on the right wall in room 103
(25).
3. Connect the two receptacles in room 26 as shown.

4. Exit the Wire tool.

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