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Jitterbug Parametric Revit Family

Complete guide to creating a transformable Jitterbug family in Revit. Choose Manual to learn deeply, or Hybrid to save 30+ minutes with Dynamo automation.

⏱️ 25-90 min 📊 Intermediate 🔧 Revit 2022+

🎯 What You'll Create

A parametric Revit family with 10 transformation states. Change the Family Type to instantly transform between Vector Equilibrium (90°), Icosahedron (60°), and near-Octahedron (5°) — no Dynamo required after setup.

Prerequisites

Revit 2022 or later — Any edition (Architecture, Structure, MEP)
Dynamo — Comes bundled with Revit (Hybrid approach only)

For Both Approaches

Creating a new Revit family (File → New → Family)
Working in the Family Editor environment
Adding dimensions and using Labels to link to parameters

For Hybrid Approach (Additional)

Opening Dynamo from Revit (Manage tab → Dynamo)
Adding nodes to the Dynamo canvas
Connecting nodes with wires

Need a refresher? See Revit Fundamentals and Dynamo Basics.

⚡

Jitterbug_FamilyAutomation.py

Dynamo Python script (Hybrid only)

📊

Jitterbug_Positions.csv

Pre-computed vertex coordinates

Choose Your Approach

Both approaches produce identical results. Choose based on your goals and time.

🔧 Manual (Pure Revit)

Build everything in Revit's Family Editor. Best for learning family creation deeply.

Time: 60-90 min

Dependencies: None

⚡ Hybrid (Recommended)

Automate repetitive tasks with Dynamo. Finish geometry manually in Revit.

Time: 25-35 min

Saves: 30+ min

Workflow Comparison

Hybrid Workflow

Create Family

Revit

→

Run Script

Dynamo • 2m

→

Create Points

Revit

→

Link Params

Revit

→

Create Edges

Revit

💡 What Dynamo Automates

The script creates 39 parameters, 10 family types, and enters 360 coordinate values — all in about 2 minutes. This manual work takes 30+ minutes.

Step 1: Create Family in Revit

Create New Family Revit

Open Revit and create a new family:

File → New → Family
In template browser, select: Metric Generic Model.rft
Click Open

Save the Family Revit

File → Save As → Family
Name: Jitterbug_Parametric.rfa
Choose a location you'll remember

💾 Why Save Now?

Saving before running Dynamo creates a backup. Dynamo operations can't always be undone.

Step 2: Set Up Dynamo Canvas

⚠️ Critical

Open Dynamo while the family is open in Family Editor. If you open Dynamo from a project file, the script won't work.

Open Dynamo Dynamo

In Revit, go to Manage tab
Click Dynamo button
Wait for Dynamo to load
Click File → New to create a blank graph

Add Python Script Node Dynamo

In the library panel (left side), search: Python Script
Drag the Python Script node onto the canvas

Expand Core → Scripting → Python Script in the library tree, or use Ctrl+F to search.

Paste the Script Code Dynamo

Double-click the Python Script node to open the editor
Select all existing code: Ctrl+A
Delete it: Delete
Open Jitterbug_FamilyAutomation.py in a text editor (Notepad, VS Code, etc.)
Copy entire contents: Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C
Paste into Dynamo editor: Ctrl+V
Click outside the editor window to close it

Canvas Layout Dynamo

📐 Option A: Minimum Setup (Recommended)

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │ Python Script │────▶│ Watch │ │ (paste code, click Run) │ │ (optional) │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ The script uses defaults: • Edge length: 15.24 cm • Create all 10 types: Yes

Just the Python Script node. Add a Watch node to see the status message.

┌─────────────────────┐ │ Number Slider │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Min: 5 Max: 50 │ │ │ │ Value: 15.24 │────▶│ IN[0] │ │ (edge length cm) │ │ │ └─────────────────────┘ │ Python Script │ ┌────────────────┐ │ (Jitterbug_FamilyAutomation) │────▶│ Watch │ ┌─────────────────────┐ │ │ └────────────────┘ │ Boolean │────▶│ IN[1] │ │ Value: True │ │ │ │ (create types) │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────┘ How to add input nodes: 1. Search "Number Slider" → drag to canvas → double-click to set value 2. Search "Boolean" → drag to canvas → click to toggle True/False 3. Click output port → drag wire to Python Script input ports

Step 3: Run the Automation

Click Run Dynamo

In the bottom-left corner of Dynamo, click the Run button.

The script takes a few seconds to execute.

Verify Output Dynamo

The Watch node (or Python Script output) should display:

JITTERBUG FAMILY AUTOMATION COMPLETE
====================================

PARAMETERS CREATED: 39
  - 36 vertex coordinate parameters (V0_X through V11_Z)
  - EdgeLength, VertexRadius, PipeRadius

FAMILY TYPES CREATED: 10
  VE_90, Trans_80, Trans_70, Icosa_60, Trans_50,
  Trans_40, Trans_30, Trans_20, NearOcta_10, NearOcta_5

Edge Length: 15.24 cm

✅ Checkpoint

Dynamo has created all parameters and types! In Revit, go to Create → Family Types to verify you see 39 parameters and 10 types in the dropdown.

Step 4: Finish in Revit

Now create the geometry and link it to the parameters. This step must be done manually.

⚠️ Why Manual?

Linking geometry to parameters requires Revit's interactive dimension/label workflow. Dynamo cannot automate this step in the Family Editor.

Create 12 Reference Points Revit

Go to Create tab → Point → Reference Point
Click anywhere in the view to place a point
Repeat 12 times (position doesn't matter yet)
Optional: Name them V0 through V11 in Properties panel

Link Points to Parameters Revit

For each Reference Point (V0 through V11):

Select the Reference Point
In Plan view: Add dimension from point to origin (X axis)
Select the dimension → In Options bar, click Label dropdown → Select V#_X
Repeat for Y axis → Label as V#_Y
In Elevation view: Add dimension (Z axis) → Label as V#_Z

⏱️ Time Estimate

This linking step takes about 10-15 minutes. It's the main manual work remaining.

Create Edge Lines Revit

Go to Create tab → Model → Model Line
In a 3D view, click one Reference Point, then another to create a line
Repeat for all 24 edges (see Edge Topology)

Test the Transformation Revit

Go to Create tab → Family Types
Change the Type dropdown from VE_90 to Icosa_60
Click Apply
The geometry should transform! 🎉
Save the family

🎉 Congratulations!

You've created a parametric Jitterbug family! Load it into a project with Load into Project button.

Manual Approach Overview

🔧 Manual Approach

Build everything in Revit's Family Editor without Dynamo. Time: 60-90 minutes. Best for learning Revit families thoroughly.

Steps Summary

Create Family: File → New → Family → Metric Generic Model.rft
Add 39 Parameters: Create → Family Types → Add each V#_X, V#_Y, V#_Z (36 total) plus EdgeLength, VertexRadius, PipeRadius
Create 10 Types: VE_90, Trans_80, Trans_70, Icosa_60, Trans_50, Trans_40, Trans_30, Trans_20, NearOcta_10, NearOcta_5
Enter Values: For each type, enter coordinates from Jitterbug_Positions.csv
Create Reference Points: Place 12 points, link to parameters via dimensions/labels
Create Edges: Connect 24 vertex pairs with Model Lines

Steps 5-6 are identical to the Hybrid approach — see Step 4: Finish in Revit above for detailed instructions.

⏱️ Time Investment

Steps 2-4 (creating parameters, types, entering values) take 30-45 minutes manually. This is what the Hybrid approach automates.

What Dynamo Can & Cannot Automate

Task	Dynamo	Manual	Notes
Create family document	✗	✓	Must create in Revit first
Select template	✗	✓	Choose manually
Create Family Parameters	✓	✓	`FamilyManager.AddParameter`
Create Family Types	✓	✓	`FamilyManager.NewType`
Set parameter values	✓	✓	`FamilyManager.Set`
Create Reference Points	⚠	✓	Can create, but linking is tricky
Link geometry to parameters	✗	✓	Requires interactive dimension/label
Compute vertex positions	✓	✗	Python constraint solver
Save family	✗	✓	Manual save required

Edge Topology

Connect these vertex pairs with Model Lines (24 edges total):

# Edge connections (vertex index pairs)
(V0,V4), (V0,V5), (V0,V8), (V0,V9),
(V1,V4), (V1,V5), (V1,V10), (V1,V11),
(V2,V6), (V2,V7), (V2,V8), (V2,V9),
(V3,V6), (V3,V7), (V3,V10), (V3,V11),
(V4,V8), (V4,V10), (V5,V9), (V5,V11),
(V6,V8), (V6,V10), (V7,V9), (V7,V11)

Pre-Computed Vertex Positions

For manual entry or verification. Edge length = 15.24 cm.

Vertex	X (cm)	Y (cm)	Z (cm)
V0	10.7763	10.7763	0.0000
V1	10.7763	-10.7763	0.0000
V2	-10.7763	10.7763	0.0000
V3	-10.7763	-10.7763	0.0000
V4	10.7763	0.0000	10.7763
V5	10.7763	0.0000	-10.7763
V6	-10.7763	0.0000	10.7763
V7	-10.7763	0.0000	-10.7763
V8	0.0000	10.7763	10.7763
V9	0.0000	10.7763	-10.7763
V10	0.0000	-10.7763	10.7763
V11	0.0000	-10.7763	-10.7763

📊 Full Dataset

All 10 type configurations are in Jitterbug_Positions.csv. Open in Excel for easy copy-paste.

Troubleshooting

❌ "This script must be run in the Family Editor"

✅ Solution

You opened Dynamo from a Revit project instead of a family. Close Dynamo, open your .rfa family file, then reopen Dynamo from the Manage tab.

❌ Python import error or syntax error

✅ Solution

Make sure you copied the entire script file, including all import statements at the top. Check that nothing was truncated.

❌ Geometry doesn't move when changing types

✅ Solution

Reference Points aren't linked to parameters. Add dimensions from each point to the origin and label them with V#_X, V#_Y, V#_Z parameters.

❌ Can't find Python Script node

✅ Solution

In Dynamo library, expand Core → Scripting → Python Script. Or use the search box (Ctrl+F) and type "python".

Downloads

⚡

Jitterbug_FamilyAutomation.py

Dynamo Python script — automates parameter and type creation

📊

Jitterbug_Positions.csv

Pre-computed vertex coordinates for all 10 states

🔄

Jitterbug_Fast.py

Optimised script for live transformation preview

🏠

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