The Families page in Pirros works like the Details page but is dedicated to Revit Families (.rfa files). Use it to find, preview, and download loadable Families for your Projects.
Prerequisite: Your Admin must have uploaded Families into Pirros before they appear on this page. Families can be uploaded as individual RFA files or extracted from RVT models.
Browsing Families
Navigate to the Families page from the left navigation panel. You'll see a card grid showing each Family with:
Family name and category
Thumbnail preview showing the family's 3D or 2D representation
Tags applied by your admin for categorization
Type count indicating how many Family types are available
Click any Family card to open its full page with more detail.
Searching for Families
Use the search bar at the top of the Families page to search by:
Family name
Category (e.g., "Doors," "Windows," "Casework")
Tags applied by your Admin
Text within Family parameters
Filtering Families
Use the filter panel on the right to narrow results by:
Tags — categories and labels your admin has applied
Family category — the Revit category (Doors, Walls, Furniture, etc.)
Source — whether the family came from a Typical library or a specific project
Viewing a Family's Full Page
Click a Family card to see:
All available types within that Family, with individual previews
Tags and metadata applied to the Family
Version history showing when the Family was uploaded or updated
Associations linking this Family to related Details or other Families
Download options to pull specific types into your Revit Project
Typical vs Project Families
Like Details, Families are categorized as Typical Families (vetted standards) or Project Families (extracted from uploaded Project models). Your Admin controls which Families are promoted to the Typical library.
What Happens Next
After finding the Family you need, select the types you want and insert them into Revit.
Pirros in Revit: open the Pirros panel, go to Browse → Families, find the Family and click Insert (or drag it into Revit).
If it has more than one type, choose the types in Select types to import and click Import. Revit then puts the Family on your cursor so you can place it.
If you click Insert on the website instead, Pirros in Revit loads the Family into the open model without placing it; this needs Live Link turned on in the panel's Settings tab (it's on by default).
Classic plugin: on the Family's page, click Stage for Download/Insert (will say "Stage for Download if not connected to Revit).
In Revit, click Download → Download on the Pirros tab.
In the Download Items window, tick the types you want and click Confirm, and the Families will load into your Project.
For more, see Get Details and Families into Your Revit Project (Pirros in Revit and Classic Plugin) and How to Download Families with Different Types.
Which plugin do you have? Look at the Pirros tab in the Revit ribbon. A single Pirros button that opens a docked panel with Browse, Updates, Sync and Settings tabs means you have Pirros in Revit. Separate Sync, Download, Settings, Pirros and Live Link buttons mean you have the classic plugin. Don't go by the version number alone: on Revit 2020–2023 the classic plugin can show a 4.x version number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do some Family thumbnails look blank or incorrect?
A: System Families (like walls, floors, and curtain walls) often generate poor default 3D thumbnails in Revit. This is a Revit limitation, not a Pirros issue. The actual Family file is correct — the thumbnail is cosmetic only.
Q: Can I upload my own Families?
A: Only Admins can upload families to Pirros. If you have a Family that should be in the Library, send it to your Admin or flag an existing Family with a Note.
Q: How do I download a Family with only specific types?
A: On the Family's full page, select the individual types you want, then click Insert. Only those types will be included when you download in Revit. You can also pick the types in Revit. In Pirros in Revit, click the Family on the Browse tab to see its types, tick the ones you want and click Insert. In the classic plugin, tick the types in the Download Items window before you click Confirm.