With the ever-evolving design industry, finding quality 3D models to use in projects has become an important part of the workflow for many professionals. There are a number of websites and platforms that provide these models, but it can be difficult to determine which ones are reliable sources. To make this process easier, we’ve compiled a list of the five best websites for downloading free Revit families.
At number five is Revit City. This site is well known within the design community for offering a variety of Revit families for download. However, one issue with Revit City is that there are no real standards or criteria to determine whether the families provided on the website have been adequately maintained or updated, leading to a variety of potentially unreliable or unsafe models on the site. Despite this, many experienced designers still recommend looking for models here if you’re willing to take some risks.
Number four on our list is BIMObject. This platform has been growing rapidly over the last few years and provides an easy-to-navigate library of high-quality 3D models from building products and artificial plants to furniture and equipment. Creating an account and downloading models is easy as well—BIMObject even asks you which version of Revit you need before downloading! However, not all products include 3D models—sometimes they only have PDFs or images instead—so be sure to double check before expecting actual digital content from this platform.
ARCAT comes in at number three on our list. Founded in 1991 as a desktop reference for manufacturer catalogs, ARCAT is now a major repository for specs and CAD/BIM models related to building products such as doors and windows (though not necessarily more specific items like furniture). Additionally, many entries include links to spec guides, sales info, product brochures, and LEED documents. It also does not require an account to download files or take advantage of its popular CSI Spec Wizard feature; however, some users may find that its extensive type catalogs offer limited flexibility when creating their own customised designs from downloaded materials.
Our second spot goes to FetchBIM by Southwest Solutions Group—a major commercial furniture and equipment supplier based in the Midwest US. FetchBIM offers a large selection of real-world products specifically modelled in Revit with lots of product data attached as well as flexible family input parameters which allow users more freedom when customising their own designs from downloaded materials. The optional Fetch plugin makes downloading and inserting families even faster and simpler too! The only downside we found with FetchBIM was that it focused primarily on furniture/equipment rather than generic building products like ARCAT does so if you’re looking for those kinds of items it may be better suited there instead.
Finally, BIMSmith takes our top spot on our list at number one! From fire alarm poles and cabinets to pint glasses and Christmas lights—you can stage everything imaginable with BIMSmith’s comprehensive library full of practical yet fun 3D models which can easily be downloaded using its optional Revit plugin system or through manual downloads via zip files (which will need extracting before use). Most entries also come with links to material such as documentation brochures/catalogues/installation guides making them even more helpful when planning out your project needs ahead of time! The only slight downside we noticed was that some models were made very recently so they might not be compatible with older versions so please bear this in mind when selecting content from here too!
Overall these five sites should cover most (if not all) your needs when it comes searching for quality 3D models online but if you’re still struggling then consider trying out Fetch’s evergreen content which is kept consistently up-to-date with fast & easy support if any issues arise during use plus direct purchase pipelines into its sales department should you wish to specify furniture/equipment directly through them too! With such extensive resources at hand it shouldn't be difficult finding exactly what you need no matter what project task lies ahead so why wait? Get started today!