Limitations of Revit Families and Curves

[pragati_khond]

What is the most efficient way to rebuild manufacturer products like water closets or faucets as revit solids which are very curvy? We spent a lot of time getting close to the geometry but it does not match the curves of the actual product. I checked out lot of similar families online but to only find that they are all imported dwg files saved as revit families but not actual revit solids. Can these extremely curved shapes be achieved in revit or is importing a dwg the better way to get accurate with these shapes?

I know that you have an advantage in RVTs when you are using massing models to do complex walls, floors, etc. But you don't have those tools in RFAs. So at what point do you say that that is not something that Revit will realistically model and we have to find an alternate way?

Attached are some images of products that may not be impossible but hopefully illustrate the difficulty. I would appreciate your opinions on this. Thank you.

[tomnewsom]

What is the most efficient way to rebuild manufacturer products like water closets or faucets as revit solids which are very curvy? We spent a lot of time getting close to the geometry but it does not match the curves of the actual product. I checked out lot of similar families online but to only find that they are all imported dwg files saved as revit families but not actual revit solids. Can these extremely curved shapes be achieved in revit or is importing a dwg the better way to get accurate with these shapes?

I know that you have an advantage in RVTs when you are using massing models to do complex walls, floors, etc. But you don't have those tools in RFAs. So at what point do you say that that is not something that Revit will realistically model and we have to find an alternate way?

Attached are some images of products that may not be impossible but hopefully illustrate the difficulty. I would appreciate your opinions on this. Thank you.

Personally, I approximate things in 3d - if required - and then hide those objects in orthoganal views and use the manufacturer's drawings to generate those views. Always remember "why am I drawing this". If there's no actual advantage in having the precise geometry in your model, why bother?

[Steve_Stafford]

...I know that you have an advantage in RVTs when you are using massing models to do complex walls, floors, etc. But you don't have those tools in RFAs...

Just to clarify this comment. You have exactly the same modelling tools in a family as in a project so that doesn't factor in.

Revit needs a loft feature and we'll be able to model far more things more easily.

[cphubb]

We use 3D objects from AutoCad or 3DS as the 3D portion if we need to render the the object. We typically do not bother with Toilets and such. You then use 2D symbolic lines for the symbol in the drawings.
We have done this with furniture appliances light fixtures and plumbing fixtures.