Lighting Fixtures Family

[Anonymous]

Extremely new to Revit and have been tasked creating families of ligh fixtures that the company I work for manufactures.  After much research, most Revit users seem to perfer "Face Based" and most are suggesting NOT to use "Ceiling Base".  I'm just curious as to why "Ceililng Base" is not desirable if it is a ceiling mounted fixture only?  I've also seen suggestions to create the fixture as "Face Based" and then nest that into a "Ceiling Based" family?

[Anonymous]

Extremely new to Revit and have been tasked creating families of ligh fixtures that the company I work for manufactures.  After much research, most Revit users seem to perfer "Face Based" and most are suggesting NOT to use "Ceiling Base".  I'm just curious as to why "Ceililng Base" is not desirable if it is a ceiling mounted fixture only?  I've also seen suggestions to create the fixture as "Face Based" and then nest that into a "Ceiling Based" family?

[L.Maas · Accepted solution]

Depending on the workflow of companies. It is not uncommon that one company/division will make the building including the ceiling. The other company/division will place the lights. They link the building into their MEP file. At this stage you can not place your ceiling based light to the ceiling of the linked file. Only Face based families will 'stick'.

Nesting a face based family in a ceiling based family will allow for easy modification of your family. If you need the face based family you only will have to 'extract' the nested face based family and use it. So you only will have one family to keep up to date. This instead when you have a separate face based family and a separate ceiling based family. Whne you have to modiy you wll have to do it to both families.

[L.Maas · Accepted solution]

Depending on the workflow of companies. It is not uncommon that one company/division will make the building including the ceiling. The other company/division will place the lights. They link the building into their MEP file. At this stage you can not place your ceiling based light to the ceiling of the linked file. Only Face based families will 'stick'.

Nesting a face based family in a ceiling based family will allow for easy modification of your family. If you need the face based family you only will have to 'extract' the nested face based family and use it. So you only will have one family to keep up to date. This instead when you have a separate face based family and a separate ceiling based family. Whne you have to modiy you wll have to do it to both families.

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for your reply. I really appreciate the insight.

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for your reply. I really appreciate the insight.

[David_W_Koch]

Another reason to use face-based is that if the ceiling is deleted and replaced, face-based fixtures will become orphaned, but remain in the model.  Ceilit-based fixtures will be deleted.  This tends to upset the electrical engineers, but that does not always deter the architects from deleting ceilings.

[David_W_Koch]

Another reason to use face-based is that if the ceiling is deleted and replaced, face-based fixtures will become orphaned, but remain in the model.  Ceilit-based fixtures will be deleted.  This tends to upset the electrical engineers, but that does not always deter the architects from deleting ceilings.

[sakar_deepak]

@L.Maas your knowledge of Revit is awesome. You seem to be knowing almost every thing. 

[sakar_deepak]

@L.Maas your knowledge of Revit is awesome. You seem to be knowing almost every thing. 

[chrisplyler]

Enlint DOES know everything.

[...que spooky old black-and-white science-fiction movie music and crazy old mad-scientist cackling noise...]

[chrisplyler]

Enlint DOES know everything.

[...que spooky old black-and-white science-fiction movie music and crazy old mad-scientist cackling noise...]