Family Library · Common Problems

This is the condensed English edition. The Chinese edition carries the full detail.

Quick reference

Symptom	Cause	Fix
First open is slow, scrolling stutters	Thumbnails are pulled over the network	Normal — cached once. Scroll more slowly
Download hangs / spinner forever	Too many downloads at once — the server's concurrency is saturated	Click "Downloaded" again to re-download
After switching category, the previous page never finishes downloading	Switching categories aborts the previous page	Download what you're using, finish before switching
C: drive is full	Library and textures are cached on C:	Use "Clear cache" (it will need to reload next time)
Families lose their textures when dragged into a project	Render path not configured	Missing textures
HD texture replacement stops responding	Known intermittent issue	Replacement not responding
Edited a family, next download reverts it	You edited the cache in place	Edits revert
"Cannot be used as a standalone family type"	That family needs a host	Families that need a host
Mouse does nothing where you drop it	Family placement type mismatch	Won't place
"Copy path" does nothing	Input method issue	Reinstall the US English keyboard

Missing textures (render path not configured)

Symptom: Soft-furnishing families downloaded from the library show no texture / appear flat grey.

Cause: Textures for families are stored in a designated additional render path. If that path isn't configured, the textures can't be found.

Fix (configure once, applies from then on):

1. Click Copy next to "Get render path" in the Family Library panel
2. In Revit: File → Options → Rendering → Additional render appearance paths
3. Add the path

Put it in your template

Configure this path in your project template, and every new project will be set up automatically — all families you download will carry their textures.

Replacement not responding

Symptom: After replacing textures with HD textures, further replacements do nothing.

Workaround:

1. Rename the texture you last replaced
2. Manually swap the material's default texture for anything
3. Use "Replace" again

This is a low-probability known issue. If you hit it, report the texture name to the support group.

Edits revert

The classic trap: editing the cache file and saving in place creates a loop — the cache is overwritten, and the next download overwrites your edits again.

Correct approach:

1. To modify a family from the library, Save As first (never save over the cache)
2. For multi-version compatibility, edit inside an Revit 18 project (library families ship as 18 by default so every user can open them)
3. Change only the symbol — never alter the rules or parameters

Symbol only

Families such as point symbols (electrical/plumbing) have strict naming and parameter requirements. Changing the rules breaks point annotation. Double-click to activate, then double-click again into the innermost drawn symbol, edit it like a drafting view, then load back one level at a time without touching anything else.

A family is already in a project and tuned there — want to push it back to the library?

1. Make sure the family is saved in your cache (saved with Ctrl+S in the family editor; confirm the "File exists" prompt with Yes)
2. Click "Update" and pick up the family using "family path in project"

Families that need a host

Symptom: "Cannot be used as a standalone family type — loaded into the current project, use it from the Project Browser."

Cause: Some families must be referenced by a host element to appear. Dragging them in only loads them. Same principle as profile families.

Family	How to use
Profile family	Reference it from mullions, wall sweeps, reveal, railings
Elevation / section symbols, section index headers	Create the corresponding type first to reference them
Grid-based pattern families	Can only be selected within a grid

Usable directly: paving start symbols, break lines, "+ text note", and similar.

Won't place

Cause: The family's placement type doesn't match where you're dropping it.

Type	Behaviour	Examples
Point-based	Place with one click	Furniture, columns, doors/windows
Line-based	Two points, extends along a line	Walls, beams
Face-based	Requires a geometric face (no response on empty space)	Surface finishes, plasterboard details
Wall-based / grid-based	Must be hosted	Door/window families must go on a wall

Check the family type before choosing

Especially doors and windows: standard door family / curtain-panel door family / face-based door family are three entirely different family types. Mixing them up leads to "it just won't work where I put it".

This is why the library has a family-type classification that is cross-filtered with the construction-part classification.

Other notes

• Uploading: a thumbnail and the family file must both be present; textures are optional (multiple allowed)
• Upload vs. Update: Update modifies an entry you already uploaded (name / thumbnail / family file / textures); Upload pushes a batch you gathered externally
• Replacement type must be chosen correctly, and the material must be a default material ball — not a Revit-specific material such as a named wood or stone
• Local library: folder path follows your folder hierarchy; Chinese paths are fine. To get a thumbnail when saving a family, save while the view is in 3D (a plan view saves a plan thumbnail)
• Wrong category on upload: click "Move", choose the correct category, then move to target category. ⚠️ Requires ownership — you can only move your own
• Download what you're using. Don't download hundreds of families at once — it fills C: and you can't organise the categories anyway