You can create custom parameters for a project, and for any element or component category in the project.
Parameters that you create display in the Properties palette or Type Properties dialog under the group you define and with the values you define.
The following table describes the types of custom parameters.
| Parameter Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Project Parameters | Project parameters are specific to a single project file. They are added to elements by assigning them to multiple categories of elements, sheets, or views. Information stored in project parameters cannot be shared with other projects. Project parameters are used for scheduling, sorting, and filtering in a project. | A project parameter can be used to categorize views within a project. |
| Family Parameters | Family parameters control variable values of the family, such as dimensions or materials. They are specific to the family.
A family parameter can also be used to control a parameter in a nested family by associating the parameter in the host family to the parameter in the nested family. |
Family parameters such as Width and Height may be used in a Door family to control the dimensions of the different door types. |
| Shared Parameters | Shared parameters are parameter definitions that can be used in multiple families or projects. After you add a shared parameter definition to a family or project, you can use it as a family or project parameter. Because the definition of a shared parameter is stored in a separate file (not in the project or family), it is protected from change. For this reason, shared parameters can be tagged and scheduled. | If a parameter in a family or project needs to be scheduled or tagged, that parameter must be shared and loaded in both the project (or element family) and the tag family.
Shared parameters can be used when elements in 2 different families are scheduled together. For example, if you need to create 2 different Isolated Foundation families, and need the Thickness parameter of both families scheduled in the same column, Thickness needs to be a shared parameter that is loaded in both Isolated Foundation families. |
| Global Parameters |
Global parameters are specific to a single project file, but are not assigned to categories. Global parameters can be simple values, values derived from equations, or values taken from the model using other global parameters. Use global parameters to drive and report values. |
A global parameter can assign the same value to multiple dimensions. You can also set the position of one element by the size of another element. For example, beams can be driven to consistently offset from the floor they support. If the floor design changes, beams will respond accordingly. |