Glossary

Plain definitions of the Revit, BIM and Fetch terms used in these docs, from families, nested families and shared parameters to 5D BIM, contract vehicles and texture hydration.

Fetch plugin·Revit 2023–2027·Updated Oct 2026

Revit content

Family

A Revit component (.rfa) that represents one product, such as a locker or a cabinet. Every Fetch family is a real product from a manufacturer Southwest Solutions Group represents.

Nested family

A family placed inside another family, for example a handle inside a cabinet. Fetch keeps nesting shallow (one to five nested families) so families stay fast. See How Fetch families are built and tested.

Model group

A pre-assembled set of families placed in one step, such as a run of casework. See Model groups.

Dynamic model group

A model group that Fetch builds in your project from individual, current families instead of loading a saved Revit group.

Tag

A Revit annotation that labels a family in a view. Fetch tags read Fetch family parameters, so they work without setup.

Schedule

A Revit table of the elements in a project. Fetch schedules come preconfigured with Fetch product data. See Add a master schedule.

Project template

A Revit file (.rvt) used to start new projects, with views, schedules, tags and settings already in place.

Revit category

How Revit classifies a family, such as Casework or Specialty Equipment. The category controls scheduling, tagging and visibility.

Product type

Fetch's grouping by what the product is, such as lockers or shelving, regardless of Revit category.

Market

A curated set of Fetch content for one kind of space, such as Healthcare. Browse by market in the Fetch app.

Level of detail

Revit's Coarse, Medium and Fine view settings. Fetch families show simple geometry at Coarse and more detail at Fine, which keeps plans readable and models fast. Not to be confused with LOD (level of development), below.

LOD (level of development)

How complete and reliable a model element is, on a scale from LOD 100 (a placeholder) to LOD 400 (fabrication-ready). Fetch families represent specific, orderable products with real dimensions and product data.

Parameters

Instance parameter

A value you change on each placed copy of a family, in the Properties palette. Fetch families use instance parameters for their options, so one family covers a whole product line. See Configure a family.

Type parameter

A value shared by every copy of one family type. Changing it changes all of them.

Type catalog

A text file that lists many predefined types for a family. Fetch avoids large type catalogs and uses instance parameters with input validation instead.

Shared parameter

A parameter defined once in a shared file and reused across families, so schedules and tags can read the same value from different families. Fetch uses shared parameters across similar product categories.

Parameter prefixes

ENTER_, ACTUAL_, ADD_, MODIFY_ and MAT_ tell you what a Fetch parameter does. See What the parameter prefixes mean.

Product data and pricing

Product data

The information Fetch keeps on each family: product code, descriptions, budget pricing, lead time and links to specs.

Product code

The manufacturer's orderable code for the exact configuration in your model. Fetch families update it as you change options, so the drawing matches what can be ordered.

Budget pricing

List pricing built into Fetch families for early estimates and value engineering. It's a budget figure, not a quote.

5D BIM

A model that carries cost data alongside geometry (3D) and schedule (4D). Fetch families include budget pricing, so a Fetch schedule doubles as an early cost estimate.

Contract vehicle

A cooperative purchasing contract, such as Omnia, Sourcewell, Equalis or Vizient, that lets public and healthcare buyers purchase without running their own bid. Filter Fetch content by contract to find products your client can buy through theirs. See Search and filter.

CSI specification

A specification section written in the Construction Specifications Institute's MasterFormat structure, ready for a project manual. Many Fetch products include one. See Documents and specs.

ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act. Fetch content tagged ADA includes accessible products or configurations.

Materials

Fetch material

A real finish a manufacturer offers for a product, applied from the product's card in the Fetch app. See Fetch Materials.

Appearance asset

The part of a Revit material that controls how it looks when rendered. Fetch gives each material its own, so two products can't overwrite each other's look.

Texture

An image file a Revit material uses to look realistic when rendered, such as a wood grain.

Texture hydration

How Fetch makes a model's textures appear on any machine. The model records which texture files each Fetch material needs, and when someone with Fetch opens it, Fetch downloads any that are missing in the background.

ADSKLIB

Autodesk's material library file format. Some Fetch products include one for download.

Keeping content current

Sync

Pulls the latest product data into the families already in your project, without replacing the families. See Sync product data.

Update

Replaces a family in your project with its newest version, for example after the content team changes its geometry. See Update families.

Version

Every published change to a Fetch family gets a new version number. Your project keeps the version you placed until you update it, so nothing changes under you.

Changelog

The notes that come with each new version, grouped into new features and bug fixes. See See what changed.

Evergreen content

Content that's maintained after you download it. Fetch families stay current through sync and update instead of going stale in your library.

Fetch Family ID

The 36-character code that links a family in your project to its record in the Fetch database. Find it with Get Info on the Fetch tab.