SD Toolkit | The Full Collection

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SD Toolkit | The Full Collection

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Revit Families that help you design.

The SD Toolkit is a set of custom Revit families that allow for more efficient and fluid design than the default families. They use "instance" parameters, making it easy to adjust properties like Width and Height without navigating through dialogues. The Toolkit makes Revit feel more like SketchUp while still utilizing all of Revit's BIM capabilities.

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Origins of the SD Toolkit

A few years ago I was exploring alternative 3D modeling platforms and one of them caught my attention for how easy it was to work through a concept in Schematic Design. This was due to the design and features of it's native 3D object library. Out of the box, the 3D models all seemed polished, easy to adjust on the fly, and had a consistent graphic aesthetic. Long story short, the Revit documentation tools were far superior to anything else I experimented with so I couldn't permanently justify a switch but the experience had given me an idea:

If Revit families were simply easier to design with, could I have the perfect workflow?

I've been a Revit user for a long time and my biggest gripes with the software are almost exclusively related to working with poor Revit families.

Some of the common issues that constantly took too much of my focus include:

Needing to dive into ~3 different menus just to duplicate/rename families to make basic adjustments.
Trying to adjust a parameter of a family and finding it would adjust the wrong element of the family or that it simply didn't work.
Unknowingly importing random materials into my scene and not having them applied properly
Finding a model that looks great in 3d, only to find that no 2d views were set up. Or vice versa.
Being unable to contact the model author who shared a model on RevitCity 20 years ago
Discovering a bad model got slipped into the office template and it has propagated into 60 different projects across and is now destined to haunt us forever

I figured that if I build my own library of families, from the ground up, I could not only make them function better during Schematic Design, but I could try to address some of my other pain points.

Hundreds of hours of trial and error, testing, and a handful of sleepless nights later, I deemed my SD Toolkit complete.

And it turned out awesome.

What is the SD Toolkit?

The SD Toolkit is a comprehensive collection of my custom-built Revit families that allow me to design in a much more fluid and efficient way than what is capable with the default “out-of-the-box” Revit families. They heavily rely on “instance” parameters, which enable you to adjust properties like Width and Height, without having to navigate through various Properties dialogue boxes. They help make Revit feel a bit more like SketchUp, while still capable of leveraging all the tools that make Revit such a powerful BIM platform.

Free

How I Use The SD Toolkit

Course

A Free Mini-Course that covers:

Video overview of my SD process
3 families to download and try
Full Collection Catalogue

Access Now Learn more

My Modeling Principles

I carefully consider each of the following for every family I create:

Speed

Schematic models need to allow for rapid design iterations.

Aesthetics
Models need a consistent & contemporary aesthetic in Plan, Elevation, and 3D Views.

Flexibility
Major design criteria should be easily adjustable without sifting through menus.

Reliability
Models should not explode while making common sense adjustments.

Materials
All materials should use a consistent naming convention and be easily editable.

Full Project Life-Cycle
Models should be useful throughout SD, DD, & CD design phases.

Presentation Graphics

Consistent, minimal style

Render-Ready

Clean modeling for schematic renderings.

Useful Parameters

Parameters that designers need such as sliding door systems that open and close, adjustable grids for windows, sash and frame adjustments, door track visibility and more.

Full Documentation

Comprehensive documentation highlighting the key parameters that control each family.

Testimonials

Tyler Wilson

Tyler Wilson Architects

I’ve worked with Jeff for years now and he's exceeded my expectations time and again. He is one of the most genuine guys you’ll ever work with and he’ll go the extra mile to make sure he’s producing the highest quality products using the latest cutting edge technology.

Daniel Hlynianchuk

Jeffrey Demure + Associates

[His] Revit solutions improved our team workflow and graphics quality. Highly recommended for innovation and fast results.

Jay Studer

Studer Residential Designs, Inc.

The tools have allowed us to quickly get renderings and concepts developed for clients, without having to leave the Revit world, which has been great.

You'll also Receive:

A PDF guide that lists the most important parameters that control the families as well as a couple example projects showing the families incorporated into an actual design
Some bonus hatches, lineweights, and floor families that I use frequently
My preferred plan and elevation view templates to achieve the same look as my typical plans

Lifetime Warranty

If you discover an issue with a family, contact me and I will personally review, fix it and send you an updated version.

30-Day | 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

I stand by the quality of these Revit families and am confident you will be satisfied with your purchase. Email me if you have any issues, concerns, or questions. If I can't make it right, I will issue a full refund.

Contents of the Full Collection

*Each Collection Can Be Purchased Individually

STKD_SD ToolKit.rvt

75.4 MB

VVA_SD Toolkit_Manual_2024.pdf

12.2 MB

Door Collection

The set includes standard and complex doors such as Pocket Sliders and Tilt-Up Doors that actually open.

STKD_Double Door.rfa

452 KB

STKD_Single Door.rfa

444 KB

STKD_Pivot, Solid.rfa

452 KB

STKD_Pivot, Glass.rfa

468 KB

STKD_Single Int Pocket.rfa

456 KB

STKD_Tilt Up Door.rfa

1.76 MB

STKD_Glass Pocket, Single.rfa

2.02 MB

STKD_Glass Pocket, Single, Cottage Grids.rfa

2.02 MB

STKD_Glass Slider.rfa

3.6 MB

STKD_Glass Pocket, Cottage Grids.rfa

3.85 MB

STKD_Glass Pocket, Grids.rfa

3.85 MB

STKD_Glass Pocket, Single, Grids.rfa

2.02 MB

STKD_Glass Slider, Grids.rfa

3.64 MB

STKD_Glass Pocket.rfa

3.76 MB

STKD_Glass Slider, Cottage Grids.rfa

3.66 MB

STKD_Double French Door.rfa

1.88 MB

STKD_Single French Door.rfa

1.86 MB

Window Collection

A collection of common windows configurations with parametric grid layouts to fit a variety of architectural styles.

STKD_Dbl Casement.rfa

484 KB

STKD_Casement.rfa

468 KB

STKD_Awning.rfa

460 KB

STKD_Casement, Cottage Grids.rfa

1.84 MB

STKD_Awning, Cottage Grids.rfa

1.83 MB

STKD_Dbl Casement, Grids.rfa

1.86 MB

STKD_Fixed, Cottage Grids.rfa

1.83 MB

STKD_Awning, Grids.rfa

1.84 MB

STKD_Fixed.rfa

2.11 MB

STKD_Dbl Casement, Cottage Grids.rfa

1.88 MB

STKD_Casement, Grids.rfa

1.83 MB

STKD_Fixed, Grids.rfa

1.82 MB

Casework Collection

Standard, pre-assembled casework configurations that are adjustable via shape handles. Includes base, upper, and tall cabs as well as adjustable vanity, kitchen sink, and waterfall island assemblies.

STKD_Counter.rfa

308 KB

STKD_Cabinet, Sink Unit.rfa

324 KB

STKD_Cabinet, Base Double.rfa

312 KB

STKD_Cab System, Base Cabinets.rfa

568 KB

STKD_Counter, L Shaped.rfa

308 KB

STKD_Cabinet, Upper Corner.rfa

324 KB

STKD_Cabinet, Base, Single w Pull Outs.0001.rfa

332 KB

STKD_Counter, U Shaped.rfa

308 KB

STKD_Cab System, Base Cabinets + Counter.rfa

648 KB

STKD_Cab System, Tall Cabinets.rfa

592 KB

STKD_Cabinet, Base Corner.rfa

324 KB

STKD_Cab System, Closet Built-In.rfa

596 KB

STKD_Cabinet, Base, Single w Pull Outs.0002.rfa

572 KB

STKD_Cab System, Upper Cabinets.rfa

648 KB

STKD_Cabinet, Base, Single w Pull Outs.rfa

704 KB

STKD_Cab System, Waterfall Island.rfa

1.09 MB

STKD_Cabinet, Base, Single w Pull Outs.0003.rfa

704 KB

STKD_Cab System, Kitchen Sink.rfa

676 KB

STKD_Cab System, Vanity.rfa

696 KB

STKD_Cab System, Kitchen Sink, L Counter.rfa

680 KB

Building Component Collection

Common building elements such as sinks, fireplaces, toilets, and more, built to function more smoothly than traditional Revit families. All are consistently designed with a clean and contemporary aesthetic.

STKD_Bed, Platform.rfa

328 KB

STKD_Table, Nightstand.rfa

316 KB

STKD_Floating Shower Seat.rfa

304 KB

STKD_Pool, Linear.rfa

344 KB

STKD_Screen, Vertical.rfa

376 KB

STKD_Spark Arrestor.rfa

316 KB

STKD_Vegetation Symbol, Medium Tree.rfa

264 KB

STKD_Fireplace, Free-Standing.rfa

352 KB

STKD_Toilet.rfa

316 KB

STKD_Vegetation Symbol, Small Tree.rfa

264 KB

STKD_Fireplace, Linear Recessed.rfa

712 KB

STKD_Kitchen Sink.rfa

444 KB

STKD_Vanity Bowl Sink.rfa

324 KB

STKD_Tub, Free-Standing.rfa

460 KB

STKD_Toilet, Wall-Mounted.rfa

396 KB

STKD_Firepit.rfa

700 KB

STKD_Vegetation Symbol, Large Tree.rfa

260 KB

STKD_Trellis.rfa

416 KB

Frequently asked questions

What is a Revit family?

A Revit Family is a small 3d Model used by architects to represent some component of a building. A Family could be built to represent literally anything: sinks, toilets, light fixtures, furniture, cabinets, etc. A fully developed Revit model is effectively just a collection of hundreds of these families assembled to represent a building before it’s constructed. What makes these “Families” so powerful is that each 3D model has a matching 2D symbol.

In practice, that means when you place a family in a project, you can instantly see it in both floorplans and renderings. This feature is what enables Revit to be such an efficient and powerful program.

What is SD?

SD stands for "Schematic Design". The other important phases of a design are "Design Development" (DD) and "Construction Documentation" (CD).

Typically, Schematic Design is the first phase of a new project where initial ideas are presented and developed. It is characterized by lots of quick testing and exploration of different design directions. My Revit families are built from scratch to help Architects iterate quickly in this phase.

That said, when loaded with the proper specifications and keynotes for your office, all my families can be used through DD (Design Development) and CDs (Construction Documentation) as well. To be efficient, I always try to avoid swapping out families in DD and CD.

Why did you build these?

Oddly enough, I was inspired to develop these by the way that another BIM program, ArchiCAD, handles 3d Objects. Although I strongly dislike the ArchiCAD documentation tools (relative to Revit), I did like how easy it was to develop a design in SD as you can effectively manipulate all your objects on the fly without digging through menus. Generally speaking, the built-in ArchiCAD objects were reliable, offered all the basic parameters a residential designer needs, and had consistent graphic aesthetics. That’s virtually the opposite of my experience with Revit families. I figured that the best investment for my workflow would be to build a whole Revit library that functions similarly to those ArchiCAD families. I can now design as fluidly as I did in ArchiCAD while still leveraging the powerful documentation tools that Revit offers. It was one of the best investments in my workflow that I could have made.

How did you learn to build them?

Having acted as an accredited BIM Manager for a firm of 20+ people, I have firsthand experience organizing and developing Revit families in a live office environment. If I released a new family to the firm that wasn’t properly vetted, it would propagate silently into dozens of projects before the errors were caught. Like a virus, that initial version of the rogue family would be difficult to completely remove.

The SD Toolkit forms the foundation of my personal Revit library is the accumulation of lessons learned from these, occasionally painful, moments.

I take a lot of pride in releasing families that simply work.

Do these match any manufacturer products?

All of the families in the SD ToolKit are intentionally designed to represent generic version of common building products. During schematic design, I’m rarely concerned with the exact specification or model of any singular item. IE the first time I’m proposing a pocketing glass door system, I’m not concerned yet whether it’s from Western, Fleetwood, or Sky-Frame. Those are discussions for the Design Development phase.

My families are intended to quickly cover what Architects care about during the early phases of design. We need to account for widths, heights, clearances, etc. in plan views and immediatley have a good looking 3D representation for renderings.

Generally speaking, I’ve found the Revit families developed from most manufacturers are built to be more of a sales tool than be a useful tool for schematic design; They are overly constrained with parameters we don’t care about or they provide us with 30 different models with minor variations that are difficult to swap out. Neither of these approaches are useful in SD when the goal is rapid iteration.

Is it normal to pay for Revit Families?

Families are often free and that is precisely why they are so horrible to work with. There are no quality standards and no incentives for people to make and share better families. By selling my families to you, I am 100% committed to making sure you get the value you are paying for. As a professional, I expect your billable rates to be ~$250-$500 per hour. My full collection is therefore a rough equivalent of a couple hours of your billable time. You could easily waste more time than that scouring the bowels of the internet trying to build your own “free” library from scratch but end up with something a fraction as useful and organized. I’ve spent hundreds of hours building, testing, and organizing these so that you can jump in and start using them immediately without issue.

What version of Revit do these work with?

These were developed in Revit 2020 and will work in all versions of Revit that have been released since. There will be an "upgrade" process the first time they are opened to get them up to the version you are on. Since Revit doesn't offer backwards compatibility, they won't work if you're in Revit 2019 or older.

What if I find an issue with one of your families?

Email me asap! I offer a lifetime warranty on the families I sell. If you've purchased any of my collections, you should expect them to work without needing to troubleshoot them yourself. I will personally fix it and send you an updated version.

Can I modify the families once I've downloaded them?

Yes, I actually encourage this. Though if you break any of the parameters I won’t be able to help fix it for you. Just make sure you have a backup of the original. If you need help creating custom families reach out to me directly and we can develop a strategy to reach your goals.