How to create a simple custom table or desk in Revit?
Short Answer
Yes — in Autodesk Revit, the most common professional way to create a simple custom table or desk is to build a Furniture family in the family editor using Extrusion, then load it into the project. This gives clean parametric control for size. Limitation: very complex joinery is better modeled in dedicated furniture software.
What You Need to Know Before
Warning: If you model the desk directly in the project instead of a proper Furniture family, scheduling, reuse, and resizing become difficult very quickly. A common failure is choosing the wrong family category, which can prevent correct tagging, visibility, and furniture scheduling.
How to Create a Simple Custom Table or Desk in Revit
Command: Extrusion
Shortcut: None
Quick Steps:
- Go to Ribbon > File > New > Family, then choose a furniture template such as Metric Furniture.rft or Furniture.rft.
- In the Family Editor, create the tabletop and legs with Ribbon > Create > Forms > Extrusion; sketch the shapes, then set real dimensions in the Properties palette and add parameters if needed.
- In Family Category and Parameters, confirm the category is Furniture, then use Load into Project and place the desk in the model.
Variables & Settings
Key Setting: Family Category and Parameters > Furniture
Expert Setting: This controls how the custom table or desk behaves in schedules, tags, filters, and view visibility. If you leave it in the wrong category, the family may display correctly but fail in furniture schedules and documentation.
Why it Fails
- Cause 1 (Geometry): Extrusion profiles are not closed loops, so Revit cannot create the tabletop or leg solids.
- Cause 2 (layers/Locks): Reference planes or dimensions are not locked, so geometry shifts or breaks when you change size parameters.
- Cause 3 (Command/Logic): The family is created from the wrong template or category, so the desk does not schedule or behave like standard furniture.
Quick Fix & Best Practice
- Quick Fix: Open the family, use Family Category and Parameters to set it to Furniture, then lock geometry to reference planes before reloading.
- Manager’s Verdict: Use a simple parametric Furniture family for most custom desks and tables because it is fast, reusable, and schedule-friendly. Avoid in-place modeling unless the item is one-off and will never need to be reused.
FAQ
Can I make the desk resizable in Revit?
Yes, add width, depth, and height parameters in the family.
Should I use Model In-Place for a custom desk?
Only for unique one-off cases; a loadable Furniture family is the better standard method.
Can the custom table appear in furniture schedules?
Yes, if the family category is set correctly to Furniture.
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