Revit Nested Families: How They Work and When to Share Them

1 day ago

11 min read

Technician modeling a nested Revit family

A nested family is a family loaded into another family, so the two behave as one object in your project. You build a table once, load a leg or a lamp into it, and reuse that part everywhere. Whether you can later tag, schedule or select the nested part on its own depends on one checkbox: Shared. This guide covers how to nest, how to link parameters, how to swap components, and how to fix the usual problems.

TL;DR

A nested family is an instance of one family placed inside another family file (the host), which saves modeling time because you reuse existing parts.
Leave a nested family unshared and it acts as one unit with the host. Make it shared and you can select, tag and schedule it separately.
Link host parameters to nested parameters with the Associate Family Parameter button. The two parameters must be the same data type.
Use a family type parameter to make nested components swappable, and visibility parameters to show or hide them.
Always test the finished family in a sample project before you place it in a live model.

What a nested family is
When nesting is worth it
How to create a nested family
Shared or not shared
Linking host parameters to nested parameters
Swapping nested components with a family type parameter
What happens in the project
Troubleshooting nested families
Our perspective on nesting
Learn Revit families step by step
FAQ
Sources

What a nested family is

In Revit, a loadable family is an external RFA file that you load into a project. According to Autodesk’s 2026 documentation on loadable families, a nested family is an instance of a family loaded into another family to create a new family, and nesting existing families can save modeling time.

Compare the two situations:

Loaded into a project: the family is placed directly as a model element, such as a door or a chair.
Nested in a family: the family is placed inside a host family file, such as a leg inside a table, or a handle inside a cabinet door.

The host is what the project eventually sees. The nested pieces are its building blocks. Autodesk University’s introduction to families describes nesting as a way to split a complex object into discrete, reusable parts, with subcategories and visibility parameters giving extra control over how those parts display.

If you are new to building families at all, start with our walkthrough on building one parametric Revit family in one sitting. Nesting makes more sense once you have made a simple family with parameters.

When nesting is worth it

Not every family needs nesting. Extrude a simple box and you are done. Nesting pays off in these situations:

Repeated parts. A workstation desk with four identical legs, or a window with two identical sashes. Build the part once and place it several times.
Components that change between types. The same cabinet with different handle styles.
Elements you need to count separately. A light fixture assembly where the lamp must appear in its own schedule.
Detail work. Placing a detail component inside a model family so that it shows only in certain views. See our guide to the Revit detail component for how those behave.

There is also a cost. Every nested family adds to file size and to the number of things that can go wrong when loading. A good rule: nest when reuse or independent scheduling genuinely helps, and model directly when it does not.

How to create a nested family

The process is the same regardless of the content. Autodesk’s advanced loadable family guidance says to create or open a host family, then load and insert instances of one or more family types into it.

In practice:

Pick the right template. Open the host family from the correct family template. If you are unsure where templates live on your machine, see where the Revit family templates and library are stored.
Prepare the component family. Open the part (for example the leg) in its own file. Give it sensible parameters such as height and width, and save it with a clear name.
Load it into the host. In the host family, go to Insert > Load Family, choose the component, and load it.
Place it. From the Project Browser, drag the loaded family into the view, or use Create > Component.
Constrain and align. Use reference planes, align and lock so the nested part moves with the host. A nested part that is only placed by eye will not follow the host’s dimensions.
Test in a project. Save the host, load it into a sample project, and flex the types.

That last step is not optional. Autodesk’s documentation recommends testing a completed family in a sample project before you use it to create project elements.

Shared or not shared

This is the decision that causes most of the confusion. Autodesk’s Family Category and Parameters documentation explains that the Shared setting matters when a family is nested and loaded into a project. If the nested family is shared, you can select, tag and schedule it separately from the host. If it is not shared, the host and nested components act as a single unit.

Not shared	Shared
Selection in project	Selected as part of the host	Can be selected separately with Tab
Tagging	Host only	Host and nested component
Scheduling	Host only	Host and nested component
Project Browser	Not listed on its own	Listed under its own family category
Best for	Parts that are purely visual or internal	Parts you need to count, tag or reuse across hosts

Autodesk’s video on nested and shared families confirms the same behavior: unshared nested components cannot be individually tagged or scheduled, while shared ones can be selected with Tab, tagged and scheduled.

How to make a component shared

The order matters. Per Autodesk’s procedure for nested and shared components:

Open the component family.
Open Family Category and Parameters and select Shared.
Save the component.
Open the host family, then load and place the component.
Repeat for any other components.

The host itself does not need to be shared. Only the nested components must be shared, and they must be shared before you nest them if you want separate behavior in the project. Setting Shared after nesting does not retroactively fix a host that already contains the unshared version.

The schedule trap

Sharing everything is tempting, but it has a side effect. Autodesk’s own example shows that when every component is shared, a schedule can list both the overall host and its subcomponents. Think about what you want to count before you tick the box. A door schedule that suddenly includes every handle and hinge as separate rows is rarely what the project team asked for.

A practical test: ask who needs the number. If the quantity surveyor or contractor needs a count of lamps, share the lamp. If nobody will ever count the screws, leave them unshared.

Linking host parameters to nested parameters

A nested family on its own is just a copy of a part. It becomes useful when the host drives it. That is what parameter association does.

Host parameter controlling a nested component

According to Autodesk’s documentation on associating family parameters, associated parameters must be the same type, such as text with text, and a small equal-sign button indicates the link.

The steps:

In the host family, create a parameter with the same data type as the nested one (for example a Length parameter called Leg Height).
Select the nested instance in the host.
Open its Properties (instance parameters) or Type Properties (type parameters).
Click the small button to the right of the nested parameter you want to control.
Choose the matching host parameter and click OK.
The button now shows an equal sign. Change the host value and the nested geometry follows.

Autodesk’s video on associating a family parameter to a nested family shows the same sequence on screen. Jeremy Tammik of Autodesk also describes this in Key Concepts of the Family Editor: nested parts are reusable, driven by the host, and the Associate Family Parameter command is the link between them.

Worked example: a table with legs

Say you want one table family where the overall height drives the leg height:

Nested family: Table Leg, with a Length parameter Leg Height.
Host family: Table, with a Length parameter Table Height and a second one Top Thickness.
You cannot subtract directly through association, so in the host you create Leg Height Host with the formula Table Height - Top Thickness.
Associate the nested Leg Height with Leg Height Host.

Flex the type and the legs resize. Because the formula lives in the host, the nested family stays generic and reusable in other tables.

One caution: associate the parameter you actually need. If you link a type parameter of the nested family, every instance of that nested type inside the host takes the same value. That is usually what you want for four identical legs, but not for a cabinet with two different door widths. In that case use two types or two instances with their own associations.

Swapping nested components with a family type parameter

Nested families can be interchangeable. Autodesk’s guidance on nesting and sharing describes using a family type parameter on a nested component to create interchangeable subcomponents that can be swapped after the family is loaded and an element is created.

This is how a single cabinet family can offer round, bar and knob handles from a dropdown in the Properties palette. The steps are in outline:

Create the handle families, all in the same category.
In the host, add a Family Type parameter and pick the handle category.
Place one handle in the host.
Associate the handle’s type with the family type parameter.
Load the host into a project and change the handle from the Properties palette.

The same Autodesk advanced techniques page also covers visibility control, for example specifying when a nested detail component displays in a host sweep profile family. Our article on Revit detail level is worth reading alongside it, because visibility settings in families interact with Coarse, Medium and Fine view detail.

Visibility parameters

To hide a nested component with a Yes/No parameter, select the nested instance, open Properties, click the button beside Visible, and associate a host Yes/No parameter. Toggle it and the part disappears. This is useful for optional elements such as a drawer, a glazing bar or a hanging rail. Use it sparingly: every hidden element is still part of the file and still costs performance.

What happens in the project

When you load a host that contains nested shared components, Autodesk’s loading documentation says to use Insert > Load from Library > Load Family. The host and its nested shared components then become available. Each nested shared component appears in the Project Browser under its own family category, and one shared component can serve more than one host.

This is why a clear Project Browser organization matters in larger models. Our guide to the Revit Project Browser shows how to keep those lists manageable when shared components multiply.

If you need data from the nested part in the project, for example a manufacturer or a cost, put it on the nested family and share it. Then schedule that category. If the data must appear on the host’s schedule instead, create a host parameter and associate it. Data entered on an unshared nested part is not reachable from the project.

Troubleshooting nested families

Most nesting problems come from five causes.

The nested part will not load into the host

Nesting has category restrictions. Autodesk’s documentation says restrictions apply to which categories can be loaded into other families, including the rule that only annotation families can be loaded into other annotation families. If Revit refuses the load, check the categories of both families first.

A shared family will not update

Autodesk warns that once a shared family has been loaded into a project, an unshared version of the same family cannot overwrite it. The family has to be deleted and reloaded. Check this if you fix a family by turning Shared off and the project does not change.

Revit asks which version to keep

If a shared family already exists in the project, Revit offers a choice between the project version and the version from the family you are loading. Choose the project version when you want to keep project-specific changes. Choose the loaded version when you are deliberately updating the nested part.

The nested part does not follow the host

The usual cause is missing constraints. Check that the nested instance is aligned and locked to reference planes in the host, and that the parameter you flex is actually associated (look for the equal sign).

Schedules show too many rows

You made too much shared. Open the nested family, uncheck Shared, save, and then delete and reload as described above. For general habits that prevent these headaches, see our list of common Revit modeling mistakes.

A checklist before you load into a live model

Does every nested part have a clear name and a correct category?
Are the parts that need scheduling set to Shared before nesting?
Are all nested parts locked to reference planes?
Have you flexed every type in a sample project?
Have you purged unused nested types to keep the file light?

If the host also relies on project-wide data, our article on Revit project parameters explains where family parameters stop and project parameters begin.

Our perspective on nesting

We see the same pattern with almost every student who reaches nested families. They build a clever family with eight nested parts, share everything, and then wonder why their schedule is unreadable. The fix is not a technical trick. It is deciding, before you open the family editor, what the project needs to know about each part.

Our rule is simple. Nest to reuse, share to count, and associate to control. If a part is only there to make the host look right, keep it unshared. If someone downstream will order, price or tag it, share it from the start. And whatever you build, test it in a throwaway project before it goes near a live model, because a broken family inside a central file is far harder to remove than to prevent.

We teach this through real project work rather than isolated exercises, because nested families only make sense when you see them in a schedule and a sheet. That approach comes from more than 20 years of working as an Autodesk Certified Trainer.

— Steve

Learn Revit families step by step

If you want a structured route from basic modeling to custom families, our Revit Course Only costs €79 as a one-off payment. It is project-based, includes direct trainer support, certificates and lifetime access to the materials, and carries a money-back guarantee. If you are still finding your feet, the Revit Introduction course costs €20. Browse everything else on S15studio.

FAQ

Can I nest a family inside a nested family?

Yes. A nested family can itself contain nested families, which Revit allows as long as the category rules are respected. Keep the depth shallow, though. Each extra level makes parameter association and troubleshooting harder, and a long chain is difficult for colleagues to edit.

Why can’t I tag or schedule my nested family in the project?

It is almost certainly not shared. Unshared nested components act as one unit with the host, so only the host can be tagged or scheduled. Open the component family, tick Shared in Family Category and Parameters, save it, then reload it into the host and reload the host into the project, deleting the old version first if needed.

Does the host family need to be shared too?

No. According to Autodesk, the host does not need to be shared. Only the nested components must be shared, and they must be shared before nesting if you want separate behavior in the project.

Why won’t my host parameter associate with the nested parameter?

The two parameters must be the same data type, for example Length with Length or Text with Text. Create a host parameter of the matching type, then use the small button next to the nested parameter to link them. If the button is missing, check that you selected the nested instance and not the host.