Reducing Family File Sizes...

[FWSchreck]

Hello:

I've got some families that, after a lengthy editing process, have file sizes that are abnormally large for the number of entities included in them. I've tried using "Purge Unused" and "Compact File" options to reduce the file sizes, but the condition persists.

Are there any other methods that can be employed to reduce the file sizes?

[Steven Campbell]

Try file save as to a new name.
Steve

[wmullett]

Do you have un-used families in groups?
Do you have CAD files in these?

[FWSchreck]

All:

Thanks for your suggestions, but I've tried all those approaches, and none work in reducing the file size.

I find that if you start with a blank family, then copy and paste the objects into this new file, that this will do the trick. Unfortunately, this takes time, and sometimes constraints do not copy over properly, "breaking" the family.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Fred,
care to post one of the 'bloated' families for us to take a look at?

[FWSchreck]

Dimitri:

I did a little more research on this. It appears that the large file sizes were due to embedded macros within the families.

I discovered this by accident when opening the family in Revit Architecture 2010. (We're still on RAC 2009.) RAC 2010 alerted me to the existence of the macros. After I removed them, the file size reverted to an expected amount.

Revit Architecture 2009 did not alert me to the existence of the macros, and the Macro manager commands were grayed out.

[jsteinhauer]

Dimitri:

I did a little more research on this. It appears that the large file sizes were due to embedded macros within the families.

I discovered this by accident when opening the family in Revit Architecture 2010. (We're still on RAC 2009.) RAC 2010 alerted me to the existence of the macros. After I removed them, the file size reverted to an expected amount.

Revit Architecture 2009 did not alert me to the existence of the macros, and the Macro manager commands were grayed out.

Hey Fred,

I have been relying on "Type Catalogs" when I have many types within a family (5+ types). The biggest catalog I have is 6kg with 20 rows & +40 columns. This saves kg's from the family. It also allows you to select which types you want to load into a project. Less stuff to purge out later.

Although I have yet to use families w/ TC's in 2010. May have to do that this afternoon.

Hope this helps as well.

Jeff S.

[jsteinhauer]

Hey Fred,

I have been relying on "Type Catalogs" when I have many types within a family (5+ types). The biggest catalog I have is 6kg with 20 rows & +40 columns. This saves kg's from the family. It also allows you to select which types you want to load into a project. Less stuff to purge out later.

Although I have yet to use families w/ TC's in 2010. May have to do that this afternoon.

Hope this helps as well.

Jeff S.

I've just beat my type catalog record. 180 rows & 19 columns = 20kb file. God I love the possibilities for doors.

Jeff S.

[patricks]

Dimitri:

I did a little more research on this. It appears that the large file sizes were due to embedded macros within the families.

I discovered this by accident when opening the family in Revit Architecture 2010. (We're still on RAC 2009.) RAC 2010 alerted me to the existence of the macros. After I removed them, the file size reverted to an expected amount.

Revit Architecture 2009 did not alert me to the existence of the macros, and the Macro manager commands were grayed out.

What sort of macros would be embedded into a family?? How does that even happen?

I've just beat my type catalog record. 180 rows & 19 columns = 20kb file. God I love the possibilities for doors.

Jeff S.

Dang man, our most simple door family is probably 150 KB by itself with no TC. What do you have that is only 20 KB?

*edit* n/m that must be the TC file itself.

[jsteinhauer]

Dang man, our most simple door family is probably 150 KB by itself with no TC. What do you have that is only 20 KB?

*edit* n/m that must be the TC file itself.

Hey Patrick,

The door family is 3.7MB with four different door panels nested inside of it. The TC is 20KB. But, if I were to embed those 180 types into the family I think it would become unusable. Has anyone looked at file size of a family fully loaded with types vs. an empty family with a TC? Compare and contrast the file sizes? Might be an interesting idea.

Thanks,

Jeff S.