Creating an Entourage Family

You can create an entourage family that does not use RPC content for render appearances. For example, if you have already used AutoCAD or other design software to create a render appearance for the object, use the following procedure.

To create an entourage family

1. Click NewFamily.
2. In the New Family – Select Template File dialog, select Entourage.rft or Metric Entourage.rft, and click Open.
3. In the drawing area, sketch the geometry to represent the entourage in 2D and 3D views, or import a CAD file that contains the geometry.

   See Family Editor or Importing or Linking CAD Formats.

4. Specify visibility settings for the entourage placeholder.

   To specify visibility settings

   1. In the drawing area, select the placeholder.
   2. Click Modify | <Element> tabMode panel (Visibility Settings).
   3. In the Family Element Visibility Settings dialog, select the desired settings.

      See Setting Family Geometry Visibility.

   4. Click OK.
5. Create family types, and specify their parameters.

   See Creating Family Types.

6. Specify a render appearance.

   By default, for an entourage family, Revit uses the family geometry (that you imported or sketched in the drawing area) to represent the object in a rendered image.

   If desired, you can specify an RPC file to define its geometry, instead.

   To specify an RPC file

   1. Click Create tabProperties panel (Family Category and Parameters).
   2. Under Family Parameters, for Render Appearance Source, select Third Party.
      Note: If you want to use the geometry that you create or import for a render appearance, for Rendering Appearance Source, select Family Geometry.
   3. Click OK.
   4. Specify the render appearance.

      See Specifying a Render Appearance for an RPC Family.

7. Save the family.
8. Load the family into a project.