Family requirements

In order to save openings in IMPACT Revit from external Revit models, the user needs to be aware of the following family requirements from the Revit software and the IMPACT database: 

Family category

It is important to choose the correct family category for the opening family. Open the opening family in the family editor in Revit and choose Doors category for door openings and the Windows category for window openings. 

Figure 1.  Family Category list in the family editor. 

Family type name

The opening name, recorded in the IMPACT database, will be taken from the Family Type name, given by the user. In the example below the Type name is 400x600 mm and that will be the IMPACT opening name recorded in the database after saving. There is a limitation of 30 characters for the length of the IMPACT opening name. Therefore it is recommendable to keep the Type name in the Revit family under 30 characters. 

Figure 2. The Type name will give the name of the opening in the IMPACT database. Keep to maximum 30 characters.

Parameters

There are two important parameters for opening families that IMPACT reads while saving: Width and height.

Depth or Thickness parameters are not required as the opening always takes the thickness of the wall element. 

Figure 3. Width and Height are the two required parameters from the IMPACT database when saving an opening. 

Insertion point

The insertion point for opening families must be at the bottom of the opening as Revit takes a reference to the bottom of the host element. 

The insertion point of a family is the intersection point of base reference planes. Open the opening family at the family editor. Click on a reference plane and go to Properties, where the user can find a property called ‘Defines Origin’. The point, at which two origin defining reference planes intersect becomes the insertion point of the Revit Family. For opening families, the intersection point must be at the bottom of the opening. 

Figure 4. Reference plane in the Revit family, that defines origin in the bottom of the window. 

Figure 5. Reference plane in the Revit family, which defines origin in the middle of the opening.