When working on a project, most Revit users run into a need for families that aren't included with the software. If they lack the time or skill to create the families on their own, users might download or purchase user-generated families, or ask colleagues or forum contacts for help. But families obtained in this way usually aren't parameterized correctly or have some other defect that prevents them from being useful. These were the main findings in a survey conducted to find if there was a strong need for quality Revit content supplied by the user community. The answer was a resounding "Yes!"

The survey focused on the needs of users involved in architectural design (71 percent of respondents), but also included MEP, documentation, and visualization professionals. It asked specifically about user-generated content and not manufacturer-supplied content, which is already being addressed by Autodesk Seek. The survey was conducted by TurboSquid, a marketplace for user-generated 3D models.

"We talked to Revit users all over the world, asking them what they do when they need content," says Michele Bousquet, Director of Marketing for Emerging Markets at TurboSquid. "We got a wide range of responses, but there was one common thread. While just about everyone needs families beyond what Revit provides, there are major concerns about the quality of Revit content out there."

Survey Findings
The survey’s findings illuminated the current state of the user-generated Revit content, and pointed to possible directions for the future.

How often do you need to create custom Revit families for your projects?
All respondents reported that they've searched the Internet for Revit families beyond those provided by Revit. It stands to reason that Revit users would have a need for pre-made families in the same way that 3D artists need stock 3D models for visualization. But, the survey found, Revit users don't want to waste time downloading unusable files. "Usually, the time spent amending a family that's been downloaded could have been spent making it from scratch in the first place," commented one user.

A whopping 98 percent of respondents answered that they regularly have to create custom families for their projects, with 66 percent creating them for more than 50 percent of their projects. More than 40 percent of respondents have to create 10+ families per project.

Concerns
When asked why they don't use families they find at free sites, users reported a variety of concerns. The number one answer was quality and correct parameterization (96 percent), which, according to most respondents, is basically non-existent in free user-generated content.

Questions about quality yielded emotional responses from users, ranging from mildly annoyed to disgusted and even gloomy and sad. "Every single family I've downloaded has been broken in some way," said one user. "I don't even bother looking anymore."

Would a Marketplace Work?
When TurboSquid queried users directly to get a better idea of how to solve this problem, at first the discussion went round and round. Many users have well-structured families they could offer to others, but they don't want to give them away, so they don't want to upload them to free sites. At the same time, no one wants to download "junk."

So where can a user go to get quality user-generated families? They can look all over the Internet, but that's time-consuming and they might as well make it themselves.

While most respondents agreed that there was a need for some kind of marketplace, they also expressed that the families would need to be vetted for quality. "Who would test the families to make sure they're worth it?" one user asked. "They would have to be quality, but someone needs to define what 'quality' is," another user said.

Then the survey asked the million-dollar question: "Do you have Revit families you would consider making available to others, in some kind of exchange scheme?" The highest-scoring answers were Yes (46 percent) and Maybe (48 percent). Here, the survey was definitely on to something.

Liability concerns are also foremost on users' minds. If a downloaded family's usage leads to structural or cost errors, would the person who uploaded the family be responsible?

Revit Market Addresses Survey Findings
In response to the survey's findings, TurboSquid started Revit Market, a marketplace for user-generated content for pay. Revit Market is designed to complement Autodesk Seek, which deals strictly in free, manufacturer-specific content. Revit Market is currently in public beta.

To address Revit users' concerns about the quality of user-generated content, Revit Market has set up a certification process for all Revit families uploaded for sale. The process, using guidelines from Autodesk, flexes each Revit family, checks its hosting capabilities, verifies correct naming conventions, and makes sure the family looks right with all viewing options. Revit families that pass the test will be clearly marked as Certified so customers can easily see which ones made the grade.

Regarding liability, TurboSquid's End User License Agreement (EULA) specifically states that the user (the customer who downloads the family) is completely responsible for appropriate usage of the family, and for any structural, monetary, or other data associated with it. The seller (the person or entity that created or uploaded it) is not responsible in any way. "This is the only way that makes sense," says Ms. Bousquet, adding that this arrangement has been used successfully with the 3D model community for nine years.

A last concern voiced by some respondents was that the company they work for owns all the families they've created, so they can't participate in Revit Market. For these users, TurboSquid has corporate accounts where royalties earned will roll over to a credit account for next month's spending. In this way, company employees that use Revit can spend the money earned on other families for their projects.

While some users are skeptical of user-driven marketplaces, many are confident that they know what they need for their workflows. They see community-driven efforts like Revit Market as a way to make some extra cash in an uncertain economy, while at the same time filling a useful role in the Revit world. "Our catalog is growing every day,” says Ms. Bousquet. “We hope to reach critical mass in the next few months, so Revit users will have to make only one stop when they need families. If we keep listening to users and giving them what they ask for, Revit Market will be the place."

Visit Revit Market at http://www.turbosquid.com/Revit. Questions about Revit Market can be directed to Michele Bousquet at mbousquet@turbosquid.com.