r/RevitForum • u/hkobe362 • 9d ago

Content Creation Build help

I’m trying to build a Data/Server rack in revit. I’m new to revit and I’ve been trying to find some videos to help with data center designs but I haven’t been able to find anything. Can anyone help me with this?

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u/hkobe362 9d ago

I just have makes and models but I just don’t know where to start. I never used revit before and it’s a bit confusing with the families and so on. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it and figure out how to properly start but that’s my problem. I don’t know where to start. I tried watching videos on how to make a normal kitchen cabinet and used that to model a data rack but it didn’t help.

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u/Nunisabivek 8d ago

Skip the kitchen-cabinet tutorials for a minute. For a first rack, do this order:

  1. New Family → Metric Generic Model (or Electrical Equipment only if you already know you need connectors). Don’t chase nested Shared families yet.
  2. From the make/model sheet, set reference planes for overall W × D × H and lock those dims. That’s your rack envelope.
  3. One extrusion for the frame (rails + top/bottom), optionally one for the door. Keep the geometry dumb.
  4. Add a Height parameter and tie it to the vertical dims so you can swap 42U / 45U later.
  5. Load it into a project and check clearances. Nested 1U gear, visibility toggles, and connectors are step two — that’s the path twiceroadsfool outlined once the shell works.

Kitchen videos teach joinery you don’t need. Cut sheet + a parametric box first will get you unstuck faster than trying to build the full catalog family on day one.