Model Family with different Types&Names creates model file big ?

[Binu Mathew]

We are making sockets family as one model Family with different types. Eg: single sockets high level,above desk and low level etc.. this will have different 2D generic annotation symbols loaded into the 3D family but the 3D geometry is same. But with different name and typs.
The question here is; this create the model file heavy or these families we have to create separate Family and that will load to model. Which is good ?
Hope you understand my question.
Thanks for your time

[Steve_Stafford]

A single family with many types won't make a project's file size increase dramatically. A family is loaded once and stored then each instance you place in the model is based on one of the types available in that family. A family that is 200 KB does not translate to 200 KB x Each Instance. It is more like 200 KB is added to the project and each instance is a small fraction of the family size, more like 2-4 KB. Complicated families with many voids, nested families and many formulas will usually be larger in family file size but even a large family 1-2 MB usually won't be noticeable to users while placing them. If they notice anything it might be that it takes longer for them to respond to being placed, parameters changed or moved.

Worth mentioning that file size is not a reliable metric for evaluating a Revit family or project by itself. Consider that a single Revit project contains the building model, all the sheets (for a discipline) and all the views required to put on the sheets as well as working views for modelling and internal coordination. If you were to do the same scope in a single AutoCAD file you'd find that it would be quite large, if not larger. If you add up all of the AutoCAD files necessary to create a similar result (using individual files instead) you'd also find that total would most likely exceed the Revit project file's size. Rather than focus on or worry about file size as important I focus on the performance of the project, the experience users have working on it, how things are modelled, the content that is loaded and used versus not used and many other things. File size alone doesn't tell me much, it is just one, of many, potential indicator that a project might not perform as well as it could.

[Binu Mathew]

Thank you so much Dear Mr. Steve. much appreciated for the detail reply

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Thank you so much Dear Mr. Steve. much appreciated for the detail reply