New to Revit - piping

[JohnHolder]

i have been using Inventor and Plant 3d for years.

I've been told many times by people that Revit can do piping for what I'm doing quite easily.  I'm really interested in the live documentation.  with P3D, if I make changes in piping, I have to manually update each and every ortho view for documentation and that can take AGES.

The issue, is that out of the box revit lacks the piping I need.  I have a massive catalog in P3D, but there is no realistic way to get it over.

I've been looking for HDPE families, and a full sch 40 pvc family catalog, but nothing.  The one that I sort of found isn't correct and now I'm completely lost.

I can import Inventor into Revit - no problem. Now I just want to do the piping, virtually nothing else.

but it's been an exercise in frustration so far.  Maybe I'm just not googling the right words?

Anyone able to point me in the right direction?

[HVAC-Novice]

It may not matter to OP... but fabrication pipes cannot handle pressuredrop before Revit 2026. 

(I'm still on 2025, this only is listed on the roadmap for 2026, but not on the new features.. https://www.autodesk.com/blogs/aec/roadmap/revit-mep-roadmap/?redirected=1)

I still think OP is over-modeling for mechanical design purposes. Unless actual fabrication is the goal here. 

[JohnHolder]

That's good to know.

One if the issues is that I generally do it with butt welds to get the piping done, but they don't make a decision on fusion or butt.  and the HDPE pipe catalog I have is quite large, and I have to replicated it for metric as well.  Lots of fittings, I can do them all in inventor and import them as a revit family... 

[sagnewYUXLR]

yeah if fab parts can handle the design side (pressure drops etc) going forward i think this is got to be the way forward for people to model MEP services. 

[HVAC-Novice]

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@sagnewYUXLR wrote:

yeah if fab parts can handle the design side (pressure drops etc) going forward i think this is got to be the way forward for people to model MEP services. 

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I'm not familiar with, nor using fabrication parts. But what advantage would fabrication parts have for someone only designing (and not fabricating)? My understanding is, fabrication parts allow more detail, which I don't really need in design. For me in design a pipe fitting needs to have the correct overall size (radii etc.) so it later fits in construction. Outside that, it can look generic. I'm here to learn for when I move to R2026...

[sagnewYUXLR]

ultimately it can benefit the project as a whole if it's modelled using the correct items to begin with rather than having to have it re-modelled. can also flag up any issues if the designer takes into consideration how the fittings actually go together, it's not just about the overall size when you are in a potential tight space. if consultants/designers are going to model they'd be as well modelling using the correct items , otherwise they'd be as well just sticking to schematics and ensuring these are correct (all just imo of course 🙂  likewise with structural consultants the software has connection detail capabilities now, why not model them rather than leaving it to later in the project when it can cause further heartache down the line.  a prime example of this is with domestic water services, which are designed as copper based systems but are actually going to be installed using gerbrit mepla which is a totally different system to copper and has far greater pressure drops over the same sized fittings resulting in return pumps being undersized etc 

[sagnewYUXLR]

added to reply above* (not sure how to delete)

[sagnewYUXLR]

as HVAC has said before, it all depends what you want to get out of your model/drawings. good luck 

[pkolarik]

"if consultants/designers are going to model they'd be as well modelling using the correct items"

It's 100% feasible to "use the correct items" when modeling in Revit without having to go to the extremes of use fab-level families. We've done if for many years without the need to show every single bolt on every single fitting. The fittings/accessories families we use have the correct lay-lengths and connection geometry/constraints without the added burden of showing every tiny little unneeded detail for the design.

[RSomppi]

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@pkolarik wrote:

It's 100% feasible to "use the correct items" when modeling in Revit without having to go to the extremes of use fab-level families.

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I'd be careful about such generalities. Fab level doesn't necessarily mean extreme graphical detail. In fact, fab parts aren't much use in system design. Once you get into fab parts, the system calc information is not there. Personally, I would consider system pipe to be extreme for fab level CAD.  

[sagnewYUXLR]

great, if that works for you and your team then that's the way to go. we don't necessarily show every bolt either, but we do show all flanges etc, and ensure the stuff we model can be built 

also there is a difference between families and fabrication itms which is what we were talking about. 

i would be interested to see how you got your pipe routing prefs are setup to suit welded fittings / flanges etc as this is something i couldn't get to work properly without having to create multiple pipe types

thanks 

[JohnHolder]

Yeah I don't need tones of detail. 

Basically the clients need the total length of the pipe and all the fittings so they can buy it.  TBH The piping is not that difficult.  low pressure ( 1.4 bar MAX ) and gravity.  They don't care about how many gaskets and bolts - that's easy enough.  

[sagnewYUXLR]

should Check out some of these then see if they can help instead of having to create all new families 

https://www.bimstore.co/products/superflo-abs-complete-system

https://bim.gfps.com/

https://www.bimobject.com/en/valsir/product/hdpe

https://bim-warehouse.co.uk/products/vulcathene-mechanical-pipe

https://bim-warehouse.co.uk/products/geberit-hdpe

https://bim-warehouse.co.uk/products/geberit-mapress-copper

https://bim-warehouse.co.uk/products/pvc-complete-system

https://bim-warehouse.co.uk/products/geberit-mapress-stainless-steel

https://bim-warehouse.co.uk/products/friaphon-complete-system

cheers 

[HVAC-Novice]

Detail level has impact on two crucial finite resources: Your time, and computing power.

I started out trying to be over-detailed. But quickly learned to "detail as fine as necessary and as simple as possible". 

For every family I ask myself "does more detail really benefit the review/bidding/construction process?"

The answer to "how much detail?" depends on client/AHJ/bidding process/contractor. And your situation will differ from anyone else.  

Whenever I switch to R2026 I may look into fabrication pipes. but I suspect I won't benefit much from it (but I'm willing to change my mind). YMMV

[sagnewYUXLR]

fabrication itm models are less heavy on your computer than families especially if you have loads of valves on a hospital etc. 

[RSomppi]

How so?

Is it because they don't carry any system information and therefore no background calculations? If you turn the calculations off, does that make them more inline with fab parts?

[sagnewYUXLR]

From tinterweb, 

 1. Geometry Complexity

• Fabrication ITMs often use simplified geometry optimized for MEP workflows, mainly intended for coordination and fabrication.

• Revit families, especially valves, may have detailed 3D geometry with unnecessary features (like threads, logos, or high-poly components) that increase model complexity and processing load

2. Parametric Behaviour

• ITMs have limited parameters focused on fabrication needs (e.g., size, material, connectors).

• Revit families can have many parameters, formulas, nested families, and visibility controls, which require more system resources to evaluate and display.

3. Revit's Data Handling

• Revit continuously processes family data for things like schedules, system connectivity, and visibility. This makes heavy families more taxing.

• ITMs, in contrast, are treated more like "dumb" objects with basic connectors, especially when used in Revit via the Fabrication Parts environment.

4. Level of Detail

• ITMs are typically designed with fabrication in mind, so their visual representations are often optimized for performance.

• Many Revit families are created by manufacturers or third parties who prioritize visual accuracy over performance, leading to bloated models.

again there's no right or wrong way when it comes to how you use the software (unless you are designing from scratch and looking to use the software to do calcs) as long as you get the information you need from the model and the end user can use it (for me that's a pipe fitter , fabricator etc) 

hope that helps bud 

[RSomppi]

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@sagnewYUXLR wrote:

hope that helps bud 

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Sorry, I wasn't looking for help but thanks for verifying what I already knew which is that the blanket statement "fabrication itm models are less heavy on your computer than families" is inaccurate without context. That statement is reliant on the content of either fab or system elements. Either can be heavier depending on how they were made and calculations can be turned off. 

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@sagnewYUXLR wrote:

(for me that's a pipe fitter , fabricator etc) 

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You're preaching to the choir. I've also managed a lot of design models so I know both sides of the fence rather well.

[sagnewYUXLR]

That's a fair point. How effective is Revit for design work these days? From my experience so far, I’ve only seen consultant models used primarily for drafting or basic modelling, with most of the calculations still being carried out in external tools like Hevacomp—so I’d be interested to see how far it’s come in that regard. Also, I didn’t mean to give any incorrect information—just sharing what I’ve encountered in practice with regards to how i found it 

[RSomppi]

It's been years since I did design work and I've only used calculations for light design work. Full engineering calcs were done outside of Revit by the engineers. Some of Revit's features were added for convenience and don't do what specialized software does.

[sagnewYUXLR]

It raises the question of why the calculation software would be run in the background if it impacts performance, particularly if it isn’t being used to carry out the complete design. but again it might have come on and can now carry out these tasks to its full potential.