Skip to main content
Search is at the heart of Kinship. It was the very first feature we built, and it’s still the one that people notice most — especially when they see it working inside Revit. The idea is simple: type what you need, and get accurate, tailored results in seconds. No dropdowns. No forms. No digging through folders. But behind that simple experience is a lot of powerful logic. Kinship search doesn’t just look at file names — it understands BIM content, interprets parameters, and ranks results based on where and how you’re working. This page explains how Kinship’s search works to help you build a solid mental model of how search behaves — how it interprets what you type and handles your search terms, what it looks at behind the scenes, and why certain results show up first.
This page is especially useful for BIM Managers and Content Managers. If you’re responsible for helping your team find the right content quickly, this overview will help you focus your efforts where they’ll have the most impact by understanding what’s being searched, what affects results, and what’s already handled automatically.

​
What Kinship actually searches

When someone types into the Kinship search box — whether in Revit or on the web — Kinship isn’t just scanning file names. It’s searching across a broad index of content data to bring back accurate, useful results. Here’s what’s included:
  • Family name
  • Type names
  • Category — You can search by category name (like “Doors” or “Lighting Fixtures”) to find content from that category, even if it’s not part of the family or type name.
  • Description — This refers to the Kinship description, which can be added or edited on the web app. It’s separate from the Revit description parameter and gives you an easy way to add searchable context to your content.
  • Parameter names and values — All parameter data is indexed:
    • Some standard Revit parameters, like Manufacturer, are automatically included in every search.
    • Other parameters are only searched when users call them out directly (e.g. FireRating:60Minutes).
You don’t need to configure or enable anything to make this work. As long as your content is in Kinship, it’s searchable — including all its parameter data. That means your team can search based on practical, real-world details — like “300mm”, “60 Minutes”, or “Butterfly Valve” — even if they don’t know the exact file name. And for admins, it means efforts to structure and standardize parameter data can directly improve the search experience for your users.

​
How Kinship orders search results

Kinship search is designed to surface the most relevant content first — so your team can get what they need with as few clicks as possible. But what actually determines “relevant”? A few key signals influence how results are ranked:
  • Field matches Content that matches across multiple fields — like family name, type name, parameters, and description — ranks higher than content with fewer or weaker matches.
  • Exactness The closer a match is to what was typed, the higher it scores. An exact phrase or full-word match will generally outrank a partial or fuzzy match.
  • Project awareness If content is already loaded in the current Revit project, or comes from a collection assigned to that project, Kinship will place it at the top of the results. This helps promote reuse and avoids duplicate loading.
  • Library priority Next in line is content from your team’s library — the centrally managed, approved content for project use. When the needed content isn’t already in the project, Kinship suggests approved content from the library.
  • Parameter strength Matches on indexed parameters (like Manufacturer or Model) can help boost a result — especially when users are searching for a specific product.
For BIM and content managers, this means:
  • Assigning collections to projects ensures the right content is surfaced first.
  • Maintaining a strong library helps reinforce approved content as the go-to choice for your team.
  • Standardizing key parameter values and BIM data allows your team to leverage them more effectively in searches.
And for your team, it means search naturally guides them toward the most appropriate content — without extra training or rules. Kinship uses a keyword-based search — that means it’s designed to respond to what you’re looking for, not just what something is named. So instead of typing exactly what a family is called, just describe what you need: “access panel 600x600” “wall FireRating:60Minutes” “white leather chair” Kinship looks at multiple data points — names, parameters, category, description — and interprets your input across all of them. It doesn’t expect you to know the exact file name or structure, and it doesn’t require perfect spelling or formatting. This makes search flexible and forgiving — but also powerful when you want to get specific. Here’s how it works:

​
Fuzzy matching

Kinship can match terms that are close but not exact. This includes small typos, punctuation differences, and even alternate spellings. Example: Typing center will also find centre, and a mistyped accses will still match access panel.

​
CamelCase awareness

Search recognizes CamelCase formatting and treats it as both a single word and a combination of parts. Example: Searching for ButterflyValve will match “ButterflyValve”, “Butterfly Valve”, and even “Valve Butterfly”.

​
Partial string matches

You don’t have to type the whole word. Kinship matches partial strings within names, descriptions, and parameter values. Example: Typing waste will match “wastewater”, “greywater waste”, etc.

​
Exact phrases with quotation marks

Use quotes when you want an exact phrase in a specific order. This narrows the search and excludes loose matches. Example: "Liberty Pumps" will only return results that include those two words together, in that order.

​
Parameter-specific queries

You can target specific parameters by name or value:
  • To find content with a certain parameter: FireRating:
  • To find a specific value: FireRating:60Minutes
This lets users search based on real project specs, like dimensions, pressure ratings, or material types — without needing to open families to check.

​
Required terms with ”+”

Add a + before a term to make it mandatory in the results. Example: bend MJ x PE DI +150 will only return content that includes “150” somewhere in its data.
Together, these behaviors give your team a search that’s both powerful and intuitive — from a quick scan for a “valve” to a precise search for a 600mm fire-rated component. Understanding how Kinship interprets search input can help you guide your team to better results — not by memorizing commands, but by encouraging them to search the way they think. And for admins, it’s a reminder that clean, consistent data doesn’t just look good — it makes your content easier to find and use, exactly when it’s needed.