Revit Lesson 1: Create a Generic Model Plate

Learning outcome

Create a reusable Generic Model family containing a blank 100 × 30 × 5 mm plate as a native editable extrusion. Understand the family-and-project relationship using the lesson’s simplified part-and-assembly analogy.

Before you start

Beginner lesson · approximately 5 minutes · English. The video uses Revit 2027.3. Work in a new practice family and keep your saved files separate from other projects. Lesson 1 has no hole.

Step-by-step guide

1. Set up the family (00:53)
Follow the video’s Generic Model setup to create one reusable object in the Family Editor.

2. Set exact dimensions (01:35)
Build the rectangular plate footprint at 100 × 30 mm. Use numerical dimensions rather than judging its size by eye.

3. Set extrusion depth (02:22)
Give the plate an extrusion depth of 5 mm. Keep the footprint unchanged.

4. Inspect the native result (03:02)
Inspect the plate and confirm that the extrusion remains editable in the family. This is a blank plate, without a hole.

5. Save and reopen (03:52)
Save your practice family as an RFA file, reopen it and check the 100 × 30 × 5 mm result and editable extrusion.

Try it yourself

Repeat the blank-plate exercise in a new family. Explain how a reusable family relates to a project and where its extrusion is edited.

Check your result

• Generic Model family.
• Blank plate measuring 100 × 30 × 5 mm.
• Native editable extrusion retained.
• Saved practice RFA reopens with the intended geometry.
• No hole is included in Lesson 1.

Common mistakes

Check the units and numerical dimensions before saving. Keep the distinction between editing the family and using that reusable component in a project. Do not add features that are outside this first exercise.