In Revit Electrical Design workflows, when a designer wishes to add a parameter to a lighting fixture schedule without editing the families themselves, the proper approach is to use a Project Parameter.

The Revit MEP documentation clearly explains:

“To add a custom field to a schedule, you can create a custom parameter using the Parameter Properties dialog. Under Parameter Type, select Project parameter.”

This method links the parameter directly to the project and to all instances of the specified category (in this case, Lighting Fixtures), allowing it to appear in the schedule automatically without requiring any modification to the family files (.RFA).

In contrast:

Family Parameters apply only within the family file and are not schedulable across multiple families.

Global Parameters control dimensional or relational constraints, not schedule data.

Reporting Parameters are read-only and extract model information; they cannot be manually added to schedules.

Revit’s scheduling workflow defines this process:

“On the Fields tab of the Sheet List Properties dialog, click Add Parameter… Under Parameter Type, select Project parameter.”

This same mechanism applies to lighting fixture schedules, as schedules and sheet lists share parameter structures in Revit. The new project parameter can then be sorted, filtered, and displayed in the schedule view for documentation or tagging purposes.

The Placement panel shown in the exhibit — with options such as Place on Vertical Face, Place on Face, and Place on Work Plane — is displayed only when the family being placed was created using a wall-hosted (face-based or vertical face-based) template. This indicates that the family is designed to be hosted on a vertical surface, such as a wall, rather than a floor or level.

According to the Autodesk Revit MEP User’s Guide (Chapter 44 “Creating and Modifying Families”):

“When placing a hosted family, the placement options depend on the family’s host type.

Wall-based families display the Place on Vertical Face option.

Ceiling-based families display Place on Face or Place on Work Plane.

Floor-based families display Place on Work Plane only.”

The “Place on Vertical Face” option specifically appears for wall-hosted or face-based components because it allows the user to select a vertical plane, typically representing a wall surface. This confirms that the family template used during creation was Wall-based (commonly “Electrical Equipment - Wall Based.rft” or “Generic Model - Wall Based.rft”).

In electrical design, examples of such components include:

Wall-mounted panelboards, switchboards, or transformers.

Receptacles or lighting control devices hosted on walls.

The Smithsonian Facilities Revit Template Guide reinforces this explanation:

“Wall-based components, such as surface-mounted panels, display the Place on Vertical Face option. This confirms the family is wall-hosted and cannot be placed freely on floors or reference planes.”

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Face-based template: Would show “Place on Face” (not necessarily limited to vertical).

C. Floor-based template: Displays “Place on Work Plane” only.

D. Always Vertical option: Controls orientation (rotation relative to surface), not placement host type.

Therefore, the Placement panel confirms the component was created using a wall-based family template, allowing it to be attached only to vertical surfaces.

The exhibit shown in the image is taken directly from the Revit MEP Electrical Systems workspace, specifically from the Parallel Conduits command interface. This dialog box appears when the designer activates the Place Parallel Conduits tool in the Systems tab → Electrical panel → Conduit dropdown → Parallel Conduits.

In this interface, the designer can specify:

Horizontal Number / Offset – defines how many conduits will be created horizontally and their spacing.

Vertical Number / Offset – defines how many conduits will be created vertically and their spacing.

Bend Radius Options:

Same Bend Radius – all conduits use identical bend radii.

Concentric Bend Radius – conduits bend concentrically around a common center point.

According to Autodesk’s Revit MEP 2011 User’s Guide (Chapter 18, Electrical Systems – Conduit Layout):

“The Parallel Conduits tool allows you to create multiple conduits side-by-side at the same time.

You can specify the number of conduits horizontally and vertically, as well as the offset between them.

You can also define whether bends have the same bend radius or concentric bend radii.”

— Revit MEP User’s Guide, Electrical Systems, Section: Conduit Layout

This tool is used when electrical designers need to route groups of conduits that run in parallel—such as power and data conduits running between panels or equipment racks.

The Concentric Bend Radius option (as shown in the exhibit) ensures all conduit bends share a common center, which is critical for maintaining uniformity in conduit sweeps and avoiding clashes during coordination.

Therefore:

A. Add Cable Tray – incorrect; the cable tray tool is separate and does not use bend radius options.

C. Array Conduit – incorrect; arraying is a different geometric function not specific to conduit routing.

D. Place Multiple Pipe – incorrect; applies to mechanical piping systems, not electrical conduits.

The display of Concentric Bend Radius, Horizontal Number, Vertical Number, and Offset confirms that the designer is using the Parallel Conduit placement tool.

Verified Reference Extracts from Revit Electrical Design Documentation:

Autodesk Revit MEP User’s Guide (2011) – Electrical Systems → Conduit Layout → “Parallel Conduits Tool” description.

Autodesk Revit MEP Training Curriculum – Electrical Module, Exercise 6.3 “Placing Parallel Conduits,” which illustrates the same interface for bend radius configuration.