Revit MEP Content Changes: What You Need to Know

With the release of the Web Update #2 for the Revit MEP 2008 software application, there has been a re-structuring of the Imperial Content Library that is installed with the application. There are two main components to the re-structuring.

• Re-Organization of the Folder Structure
• New Naming Conventions

These changes have been made to allow Families to be more easily located, and also to provide a more consistent naming convention to apply to similar types of Families.

In order to manage these changes, there are recommendations for the installation process that are outlined in the What to Do section of this document.

What to Do
There are two recommended ways to handle the installation of content from the Web Update #2 build, depending on the customization you have applied to the standard catalog.

If You Have Modified Your Content Catalog
The recommended way to manage this change is to manually move your existing Content Catalog, usually found at C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\RME 2008, before installation of the Web Update #2 build. During installation, download and install the new content to your desired location. This will allow for the new folder structure and content naming to be installed cleanly, avoiding the confusing situation of having both old and new families contained in your Content Catalog. After installation is complete, you need to move your customized Families into the newly installed Folder Structure, or move the installed Families into your customized Content Catalog.

If You Have Not Modified Your Content Catalog
The recommended way to manage this change is to manually delete your existing Content Catalog, usually found at C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\RME 2008, before installation of the Web Update #2 build. This will allow for the new folder structure and content naming to be installed cleanly, avoiding the confusing situation of having both old and new Families contained in your Content Catalog.

Folder Structure Changes

Electrical Folder
The Electrical folder has been renamed Electrical Components. There have been three changes made to the contents of the Electrical folder, as highlighted below in Figure 1.

1. The Devices folder has been broken into a Data Devices and Power Devices folder.
2. The Annotation folders have been moved to the Electrical folder found in the top-level Annotations folder.
3. The Equipment folder has been broken into three sub-folders; Panelboard,
   Switchboard, and Transformer.

FIGURE 1 - ELECTRICAL FOLDER CHANGES

Fire Protection Folder
There have been no changes to the Fire Protection folder.

Mechanical Folder
The Mechanical folder has been renamed to Mechanical Components. There have been a number of changes made to the Mechanical folder, as highlighted below in Figure 2.

FIGURE 2 - MECHANICAL FOLDER CHANGES

1. The Air Handling Equipment folder has been removed, and its families distributed to new folders depending on the type of Family.
2. The Duct Fittings folder has been moved to the new top-level folder named Duct. The Duct folder contains Fittings as well as Accessories that can be placed directly on Ducts.
3. The General Components folder has been removed, and the Families it contained distributed according to their type. The Connector Families were moved to the Air-Side
   Components\Air Terminals folder, and the remaining Families were moved to the Duct\Accessories folder.
4. The Heating Equipment folder has been removed, and the Families it contained distributed according to their type.
5. The Unitary Equipment folder has been removed, and the Families it contained were moved to the Air-Side Components\Air Conditioners folder.
6. The Air-Side Components folder has been created to assist in understanding the purpose of the Families found in the Mechanical Components folder. All Families in these folders produce air, although they may consume things like electricity, hot water, steam, chilled water, etc.
7. The General Components folder has been created for Families that do not fall under Air-Side or Water-Side classifications. Examples of these are Condensing Units or Heat Pumps, which produce refrigerant.
8. The Water-Side Components folder has been created to assist in understanding the purpose of the Families found in the Mechanical Components folder. All Families in these folders produce liquids, typically water, although they may consume other things like gas or electricity.

Pipe Folder
There have been no changes to the Pipe folder.

Plumbing Folder
The Plumbing folder has been renamed to Plumbing Components. There has been a restructuring of the Plumbing folder, as highlighted in Error! Reference source not found. below.

FIGURE 3 - PLUMBING FOLDER CHANGES

1. The Bathroom & Kitchen Fixtures folder has been removed, and the Families it contained distributed to new folders in the Fixtures folder depending on their type.
2. The Drainage Equipment folder has been removed, at the Families it contained distributed to the Fixtures\Drains folder.
3. The Emergency Fixtures folder has been moved to the Fixtures folder.
4. The Pumps folder has been moved to Mechanical Components\Water-Side Components\Pumps folder, as these Families produce water.
5. The Water Supply Equipment folder has been removed, and the Families it contained distributed to new folders according to the Family type.

Naming Conventions
As there are situations where there are multiple Families of the same type, we have established a more uniform naming convention across Family names. The first section of a Family name is the type of Family, for example Supply Diffuser, Floor Drain, or Sink. This allows for Families of the same type to be more logically grouped together when viewed in list form. The remaining sections of the Family name further define the characteristics of that Family.