Switching units (metric to imperial) in families

[argman]

Hello, I'm glad I found this forum - it looks very useful.

I have been working in Revit for the first time for a project in Cyprus where they use metric.
I am now working on a project in the US which needs to be in imperial units.

Under 'Settings' I changed the Project Units to feet and inches, which helps for dimensioning, but my Families are still in metric. Is there a way to change those to imperial as well?

Thanks for your help.

[dhurtubise]

It doesnt really matter because Revit will convert them accordingly. the only thing to be careful with is standard dimension. Revit will convert mathematically.

[argman]

I'm not sure I understand.

If I want a 12" concrete wall, for instance, my closest metric option is 300mm, which is just shy of 12".
The same goes for all the other options. They work out as nice whole numbers in metric, but not quite so for imperial.
While this is ok for schematic design (as the differences are small), I feel like it will create problems as the project progresses (especially when it comes to finishes and details).

I also feel my work flow would be more fluid if I can see everything in the system I am working in rather than doing these calculations to make sure i have the metric equivalent of 2'-4" rather than 2'-6".

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Revit has both metric and imperial content and templates available for download. The default installation only installs one. Go here http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet...2&id=9262641to download the content you don't have and install on your machine.
Rather than changing the units in the project you are better off starting the project with the appropriate template file that way all settings will be in the preferred units.
Daniel is correct that Revit will do the conversion on the fly (even if you enter imperial values in a metric project or vice versa) but all conversion are 'hard' conversions and can result in some odd values.
To speed up workflow one more notch you can also adjust your file locations under Settings/options to point Revit to the right content

[dhurtubise]

I'm not sure I understand.

If I want a 12" concrete wall, for instance, my closest metric option is 300mm, which is just shy of 12".
The same goes for all the other options. They work out as nice whole numbers in metric, but not quite so for imperial.
While this is ok for schematic design (as the differences are small), I feel like it will create problems as the project progresses (especially when it comes to finishes and details).

I also feel my work flow would be more fluid if I can see everything in the system I am working in rather than doing these calculations to make sure i have the metric equivalent of 2'-4" rather than 2'-6".

Like Dimitri mention, download the imperial content. What i meant is that if you wanna use the family that you've already created, go ahead no problem. Just be careful a 300mm will give you 11.81099"

[argman]

Thanks so much for your replies guys!
I will try it later on and let you know how it goes. (currently working on what I hope to be one of my last acad projects
I may need some help after downloading the content to figure out how to get Revit to load the appropriate template.

The on the fly conversion is very cool! The more I'm learning about this the better it gets.
I also signed up for a Revit class to help me understand how to better use the program.

[dhurtubise]

Enjoy, and welcome to AUGI

[Elmo]

You can install both the imperial and metric content form the dvd. You need to go and configure the revit instillation. Here is a screen shot of what you should be looking for when you configure your instillation.

[CAtDiva]

Also, it is possible to change the Project Units under Setting in the Family Editor for each family just like you would for a project. While this would be time consuming for an entire library, it is helpful if you download (or have created) a metric family and need imperial or vice versa.

[dhurtubise]

Once you load a metric family in an imperial project, Revit will adjust accordingly.