8 Principles of Powerful Revit Window Families

This tutorial includes a free, powerful Revit family window sample. The principles described in this guide are included in the family. It is essential to make the most out of this guide. Download it here:

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1- Strike the right balance

Before creating the windows, be clear and upfront about your needs. Write down what you want your window to accomplish. Make sure to balance flexibility and options with user-friendliness and simplicity.

Then, plan the structure of the window. In most cases, you should use nested families. Nested families are “families inside of families”. This allows you to easily reuse components without starting from scratch.

A good strategy is to place the window panels, trims, and sills as nested components.

2- Set Intuitive Dimensions

Order the dimensions in a logical and consistent way. Start with the most important values (width, height, division distance). Then, group other kinds of dimensions together (frame, subframe, glass, trim, etc.)

In the family editor, you can click on the blue arrow symbol to move parameters up and down.

3- Add a Centered Division Option

To make the window easier to use, add a yes/no parameter to make the division centered.

In this example, checking this box centers the vertical division based on the width. If the box is not checked, the Vertical Division Distance parameter is used instead.

This technique is possible by using a formula in the family editor. The parameter called Actual Vertical Division Distance is linked to the reference plane and has this formula:

4- Swap Between Different Opening Types for Each Panel

Set up a <Family Type> parameter for the nested panel families, and easily swap from fixed panel to casement, awning, hopper or others.

At page 15, you’ll learn how to recreate nested window panels compatible with this technique.

5- Clean the Graphics and Set The Level of Details

You want your family to look great in all views. You can use a mix of 2D and 3D elements in plan views and sections. Use symbolic lines and masking regions 2D tools to properly control certain elements.

In the section below, the frames are displayed with the 3D geometry. But the glass is using 2D techniques. This allows us to use a single line in the Coarse and Medium level of detail view setting. The full thickness of the glass is displayed in the Fine setting.

Other elements can be visible or not based on the level of detail. You can see the trims only show up in the Medium and Fine settings.

6- Easily switch between sill/trim options

Create a nested shared family with trim and sills included. Use a <Family Type> parameter to easily swap from one option to the other.

This technique is possible with a nested shared family. It can be reused in all families inside your collection.

7- Adjust Sill/Trim Families Type Properties

When using nested shared families for windows components, you can adjust type properties and affect different windows families at the same time.

In this example, we can adjust the sill depth and extension. This affects all windows using this specific sill/trim type.

8- Keep Family Size Below 1MB

Try to keep your windows below 1 MB. Lean families are easier to use. With the smart use of nested shared families, you can offer flexibility while keeping a small file size.

We’ve worked hard to keep the BIM Pure collection below 1 MB.

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