Datasheet

Chapter 1 • The Revit World
36
system family can be found only within a Revit model and cannot be stored in
a separate location. A hosted family is inserted similar to a block (or cell) and is
stored in an external directory. The fi le extension for a hosted family is
.rfa.
System Families
System families are inherent to the current model and are not inserted in the
traditional sense. You can only modify a system family through its Element
Properties within the model. The walls you’ve put in up to this point are system
families, for example. You did not have to insert a separate fi le in order to fi nd
the wall type. The system families in a Revit Architecture model are as follows:
Walls
Floors
Roofs
Ceilings
Stairs
Ramps
Shafts
Rooms
Schedules/quantity takeoffs
Annotation items
Views
System families defi ne your model. As you can see, the list pretty much cov-
ers most building elements. There are, however, plenty more components not
included within this list. These items, which can be loaded into your model, are
called hosted families.
Hosted Families
All other families in Revit Architecture are hosted in some way by a system fam-
ily, a level, or a reference plane. For example, a wall sconce is a hosted family in
that, when you insert it, it will be appended to a wall. Hosted families carry a fi le
extension of
.rfa. To insert a hosted family into a model, follow these steps:
1. Open the
NER-01.rvt fi le or your own fi le.
2. Go to Level 1.
3. On the Home tab, select the Door button.
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