Before you place your first reference plane, decide on the family's purpose.
Show the actual shell, nozzles, and saddles.
A great Revit family looks good in 3D but remains clean in 2D. shell and tube heat exchanger revit family work
If you have already spec’d a unit from a brand like Bell & Gossett or Alfa Laval, download their RFA file. However, be warned: manufacturer families are often "heavy" with over-modelled geometry that slows down your project.
Model these as separate extrusions. Ensure they have a "Length" parameter so they can adjust based on the shell's size. 3. Setting Up Smart Connectors Before you place your first reference plane, decide
Use a simple Extrusion or Revolve . Avoid modelling the internal tube bundle; it adds "polygons" that Revit has to calculate without providing any BIM value. The Heads: Use Sweeps for the rounded end-caps.
Assign two connectors to "Hydronic Supply" and two to "Hydronic Return" (or "Steam" depending on the application). If you have already spec’d a unit from
If you are in the early design phase, building a flexible "Type Catalog" family is better. This allows you to swap between a 2-pass and 4-pass configuration or adjust shell diameters as the load requirements change. 2. Essential Geometry and Nested Components
to those planes so the model doesn't "break" when resized.
Link the connector's "Pipe Diameter" to a family parameter. This ensures that when you change the unit size, the pipe pipes automatically resize to match. 4. Visibility Graphics (LOD Management)