Heavily in the "All" camp.

Stuff that's not in the template, users will assume it's not available. Some might ask, others might use the tools provided to find it, but the "can't teach me anythings....." will just go straight to RevitCity because they heard it was chock full of good stuff and grab anything they can. Forget that it doesn't use our keynotes/materials, can be non-parametric but yet with multiple types and parameters that aren't driving geometry, or it's just dwg/stl files that bring our models to their knees.

The empty file feels good for a couple weeks and then it gets loaded to bear with all the stuff you're gonna use on projects anyway, why not save the time in advance. If the filesize is that important, purge unused after DDs.

Actually, it's not file size that we are concerned about. We are going to have a well organized library for the content and the training to back it up.

I think you are wrong not to compromise, but I agree with not putting all in. My full door library is loaded, because my panel and frame types are done as live elevations in the template. So if they aren't loaded, they can't be used.

Making people set up all those legends is a waste of project fee.

Doors, annotations, titleblocks, system families, and a few other things used in my legends, are all loaded in.

Curious- why the all or nothing mandate?

Sent from my LON-L29 using Tapatalk

Legends will be static library type, not a list of what is used in the project. Again, lot's of small projects, so they can be pared down to suit when necessary.

Families will be being developed and we want to make sure everyone is using the latest and greatest during the transition.

Mine are a static library type as well (not a list of what is used in the project). But Frame Types and Panel Types get adjusted in projects.

You also get in to things like: A single door that gets loaded has 15-20 nested panel options, and 150 nested frame options. So users have to know to load all 175 extra families, when they load a single door, or they arent really seeing all of the options. Or, you have to load all 175 spare families in to all of the Parent Doors, which is insane. Or... you load the nested families in to the template, so they are there already.

Looking at it a different way: Acknowledging that loading everything in is a massive burden, what do you LOSE having SOME things loaded in?

We follow the 80-20 rule here.
If it's used in 80% of our projects, it's in the Template.
We've been doing Revit for 12 years now, and we've gone back and forth with loading it up vs stripping it down.
One of the main reasons we're leaning toward the "loading it up" option lately is that it's a lot easier to delete something than it is to load it.
Case in point, we used to have 3 Levels - Lower, First, and Second. We do a fair amount of 4 & 5 floor buildings, so people always had to create the upper floors. Assuming each level has two Zones, that's a total of 99 Views and Sheets to create. (11 Sheet Types times 3 Views per Level times 3 additional Levels)
We decided to add 3, 4 & 5 in our template after we issued a project that had about a dozen Sheets labeled THRID FLOOR PLAN. Yes, "THRID".
Nobody caught it in QA.

On things like Levels and Sheets, im with you.

My template is currently 13 levels tall (3 under, 10 above). But with Families, i wont load it (even if its used on every job), unless there is another reason. Otherwise, updating things in the library is a bit harder. You have to update it in the library, AND update the template, and worry about whos project has what version, since they got the component loaded- not when they used the component- but when they started the file.

A good content navigator and organization makes it a fairly moot argument, but for the heck of it, here is whats loaded in my template right now:

1. Annotations
2. Casework- 1 Cabinet (used in a Live Legend)
3. Detail Components- All that are used in my Partition Types
4. Doors- Full Library
5. Generic Models- Straight Countertop
6. Lights- Generic Recessed Light, Undercabinet Light (both used in Live Legend)
7. Profiles- Curtain Wall / Storefront Profiles, since the Mullion Types and Wall Types are built in the project. Railing / Baluster Profiles.
8. Railing- Baluster Families, for Railing types that are standard in the template.
9. Specialty Equipment- Just a few objects (5) that are tagged in Live Legends.

And, of course, System Family types are all built and loaded. Walls, Floors, Ceilings, Roofs, etc.

My template also has 754 sheets created, with views already populated on the sheets. I still dont consider it a "loaded" template, since it DOESNT have all of my content in it (nowhere near it). It only has what is needed to create what is already established on the sheets, in terms of views. But i would never go back to working with a bare template again. All of the clients that are using a current variant of this template are loving it, too. One of my Multi-Family clients is flying through 30 story buildings with it, loving that they dont have to keep recreating as much stuff as they used to. They have actually asked about putting even more levels and sheets in it, for their taller projects.

Ironically, i only know of one firm that has a "version" of my template that is looking to "strip it back," and all i can say is... LOL!

The Levels thing that Aaron talked about is an absolute must, but it's only worth it if you have the Views created with View Templates applied to go along with it.

Filters, definitely Filters. And most definitely Equipment Schedules.

-TZ