Mastering Autodesk

Revit MEP 2016

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Types of Fixture Families
• Non-hosted
– Areas without ceilings
– Freestanding fixtures
– Annotation symbols can be used
• Geometry must be modeled in orientation that it
will appear in projects
• Annotation symbol nested in plan view of family

– Reference planes can be used to provide

mounting height

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

 Plan view of face-
Types of Fixture Families hosted fixture
family for wall light
• Face hosted
– Better coordination with changes to architectural
model
– Can be hosted by reference planes in project
– Default Elevation parameter for vertical hosts
– Generic Annotation families cannot be nested into
face-hosted fixtures if they are hosted to a vertical
surface
• No Maintain Annotation Orientation parameter

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Types of Fixture Families
• Performance-based fixture types
– Family types driven by lighting
characteristics of fixture
• Number of lamps, voltage, photometrics, etc.

– Important for analysis that fixtures can be

associated with Space objects

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Lighting Analysis
• Light Source
– Fixtures with a light source can be used
for lighting analysis
– Properties of light source determine
visual and analytical behavior
– Multiple sources can exist in one family
by nesting a family with a single source
and copying multiple times

Light Source object in

Family Editor

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Lighting Analysis
• Light Source Location
– Object can be associated with a reference plane
in the family or aligned with 3D geometry faces
– Location of source in family can affect
calculations in project
– When inside 3D geometry, no light will be
emitted from family in rendered views
• Light source object shows through geometry in
Family Editor
• Sources within voids will render properly

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Lighting Analysis
• Light Source Definitions
– Shapes
• Point – spot lights, beams
• Line – linear, strip lighting
• Rectangle – troffers and surface lighting
• Circle – downlights, sconces

– Patterns
• Spherical – light emitted in all directions
• Hemispherical – light emitted 180 degrees from face
• Spot – light emitted in focused beam
• Photometric Web – light emission based on .ies file

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Lighting Analysis
• Light Source Parameters
– Properties of the light source object
that have to do with rendering

• Photometric Parameters
– Properties of fixture family related to
lighting analysis and performance
• Light Loss Factor
• Initial Intensity
• Initial Color
• Location of .ies file used

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Fixture Families
• Room Calculation Point
– Allows for family body to be outside a
space
– The node of the Room Calculation
Point is for spatial orientation

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures

Fixture Families
• Fixtures on Drawings
– 3D graphics do not need to be
shown in plan views
• Symbolic lines, model lines, or
annotation families can be used

– Additional graphics can be added Detail component family nested into

and their visibility controlled to fixture family for display of
emergency fixture
display fixture features or variations

CHAPTER 20: Creating Light Fixtures