© 2010 Autodesk
Introduction to Revit 2011 API
DB Element
Class Derivations
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Host and component objects, standard and system
Families and types, aka ElementType
API Object
Element
HostObject
HostObject Attributes
Insertable Object
Family Symbol
Group Type
Floor Type
Cont. Footing Type
Wall Type
Wall
Floor
Clg. & Flr
Cont. Footing
RoofBase
Family Base
ElementType
Family
Instance
Insertable Instance
Family Instance
Group
Here is a smaller subset of the most important database classes, i.e. non-geometrical classes, that appear in a typical Revit model programming task. The red classes are the most commonly used. The RoofBase class and its derived types FootPrintRoof and ExtrusionRoof were added in Revit 2009. In the model, we see the host and component objects, such as windows and doors. These are actually instances of types. The family base and family are used to manage collections of related types. Symbol is a base class for all types, also known as symbols. Family symbol is the generic class for these, whereas wall and floor type are more specialised classes. Family instance represents an occurrence or usage instance of a generic family symbol, whereas wall and floor represent the same for a wall or floor type.