Add Shared Parameters to Families

Use the Family Editor to add shared parameters to families.

1. Start creating a family or open an existing one.
2. In the drawing, select the object.
3. Click Modify | <object> tabProperties panel (Family Types).
4. In the Family Types dialog, near the bottom, click New Parameter.
5. In the Parameter Properties dialog, select Shared parameter.
6. Click Select and choose the appropriate shared parameter from the appropriate parameter group.
7. If desired, click Edit; this returns you to the Edit Shared Parameters dialog, where you can open a different shared parameter file or add new parameters.
8. Choose whether to store the parameter by instance or type.
9. Click OK.

   The parameter name appears in the Family Types dialog.

10. Enter a value for the shared parameter or create a formula to calculate its value.
11. Optionally, in the Family Types dialog, select a parameter and use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the order of the parameters within a group.

    This parameter order will be maintained in the Properties palette (instance parameters) and Type Properties dialog (type parameters) for the family when it is loaded into a project.

12. Click OK.
13. Save the family and load it into a project.

Note: The first time you load a shared parameter (as part of a family) into a project, the definition of the parameter is stored in the project. If you change the group for the parameter in the family, and reload the family into the project, it does not override the project definition because that would affect other families that use this shared parameter. However, the definition of a non-shared family parameter is not stored in the project. You can change the group for a non-shared family parameter and see that change applied when you reload the family into the project.