Element Inspector

Element Inspector provides deep, read-only inspection of Revit element parameters without needing the Properties panel or external tools. It displays every instance and type parameter for a selected element in a single sortable grid with real-time search, source and empty filtering via toggle chips, and multiple copy modes for quick data extraction. It also supports multi-element comparison and geometry diagnostics. The modeless window stays open while you work, and supports picking new elements, picking multiple elements for comparison, or refreshing values without closing.

Experimental

Element Inspector is currently in the Experimental panel. Features and behavior may change as development continues.

Getting Started

Find Element Inspector on the Amorphous ribbon tab in the Experimental panel.

If a single element is already selected when you click the button, its parameters load immediately. If multiple elements are already selected, comparison mode opens automatically. Otherwise, you are prompted to pick an element from the active view.

Note

An active document must be open to use Element Inspector.

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Features

• All parameters in one view - Instance and type parameters displayed together in a unified grid
• Multi-element comparison - Select 2 or more elements to compare parameters side by side with difference highlighting
• Geometry diagnostics - View solid, curve, and mesh counts, total volume, and bounding box dimensions for a single element
• Real-time search across parameter names, values, groups, and kinds
• Filter chips to toggle visibility of Instance, Type, and Empty parameters
• Comparison filters - ShowSame and ShowDifferent chips to focus on matching or differing parameters in comparison mode
• Sort by any column - Name, Value, Group, Source, Storage, Kind
• Multiple copy modes - Individual fields, Name=Value pairs, selected rows as TSV, or all visible rows as TSV
• Pick and refresh - Inspect new elements or refresh current values without reopening the window
• Pick Multiple - Select several elements interactively for comparison mode
• Modeless window - Stays open while you continue working in Revit
• Element info bar - Shows the category, family, type, and element ID of the inspected element, or the selected element count and categories in comparison mode

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How to Use

Basic Workflow

1. Select or pick an element - Pre-select one element before clicking the button, pre-select multiple elements to enter comparison mode immediately, or pick one when prompted
2. Review the element info bar - Confirms the selected element’s category, family name, type name, and element ID
3. Browse parameters - Scroll through the sortable grid showing all instance and type parameters
4. Search and filter - Type in the search box to filter across names, values, groups, and kinds. Toggle the Instance, Type, or Empty chips to narrow results further
5. Review geometry - In single-element mode, toggle the Geometry chip to view solid, curve, and mesh counts, total volume, and bounding box dimensions
6. Copy data - Right-click for individual copy options, use Ctrl+C for selected rows as TSV, or export all visible rows
7. Inspect another element - Click “Pick New” in the title bar to select a different element without closing the window
8. Compare elements - Click “Pick Multiple” to select 2 or more elements for side-by-side parameter comparison
9. Refresh values - Click the refresh button to re-read parameter values from the current element, current selection, or current comparison set

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Multi-Element Comparison

When 2 or more elements are selected before launch, or when you click Pick Multiple, Element Inspector switches into comparison mode.

Parameters are matched by name and source across all selected elements:

• Matching values display normally in the Value column
• Differing values display as <varies> in amber
• Partial parameters present on some elements but not others display as <partial: X of Y> in gray
• Hover the Value cell to see per-element values in a tooltip when values differ or are partial

The comparison toolbar adds two extra filter chips:

Filter	Description	Default
ShowSame	Show parameters where all compared elements match	On
ShowDifferent	Show parameters where values differ or are only present on some elements	On

The status bar shows the total parameter count and how many parameters differ.

Note

Geometry diagnostics are only available in single-element mode. The Geometry chip is hidden in comparison mode.

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Element Info Bar

In single-element mode, the bar below the title shows the inspected element’s details in the format:

Category : Family Name : Type Name  (ID: 12345)

For non-family elements, the family name is omitted. If the element has no type, the type name is omitted.

In comparison mode, the info bar switches to a summary of the selected set, such as:

3 Wall elements selected

or

4 elements (Walls, Floors)

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Parameter Grid

Each parameter row shows the following columns:

Column	Description
Name	Parameter name
Value	Formatted value with intelligent display (units for doubles, resolved element names for ElementIds, Yes/No for booleans)
Group	Parameter group label (e.g., “Dimensions”, “Identity Data”, “General”)
Source	”Instance” or “Type”
Storage	Underlying data type: String, Integer, Double, or ElementId
Kind	”Built-in” (Revit-native), “Shared” (shared parameter file), or “Project” (custom project parameter)

Click any column header to sort the grid by that column.

In comparison mode, the Value column switches to a comparison display that shows matching values normally, differing values as <varies>, and partial parameters as <partial: X of Y>.

Tip

The Kind column is especially useful for identifying whether a parameter comes from Revit itself, a shared parameter file, or was added as a project parameter. This helps when debugging schedules, tags, or data exchange workflows.

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Search and Filter

Search Box

Type in the search box to filter parameters in real time. The search matches against the Name, Value, Group, and Kind columns simultaneously.

Use Ctrl+F to focus the search box and select all text for quick re-searching.

Filter Chips

The toolbar toggle chips control which parameters are visible:

Filter	Description	Default	Mode
Instance	Show instance parameters	On	Both
Type	Show type parameters	On	Both
Empty	Show parameters with no value (includes “(not set)”, “(empty)”, “(none)“)	On	Both
ShowSame	Show parameters where all compared elements match	On	Comparison only
ShowDifferent	Show parameters where values differ or are partial	On	Comparison only
Geometry	Show the geometry diagnostics panel	Off	Single only

Tip

Turn off the Empty filter chip to hide parameters with no meaningful value. This significantly reduces clutter on elements with dozens of parameters, making it easier to find the data you need.

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Copy Options

Element Inspector provides multiple ways to extract parameter data.

Context Menu (Right-Click)

Right-click on a parameter row to access these options:

Option	Description
Copy Name	Copies the parameter name to the clipboard
Copy Value	Copies the parameter value to the clipboard
Copy Name = Value	Copies formatted as “Name = Value”
Copy All Visible (TSV)	Copies all currently filtered parameters as tab-separated values with a header row (Name, Value, Group, Source, Storage, Kind)

Keyboard Copy

Select one or more rows in the grid and press Ctrl+C to copy them as tab-separated values. This is useful for pasting directly into Excel or other spreadsheet applications.

Tip

Use Copy All Visible (TSV) after applying search and filter settings to export only the parameters you care about into a spreadsheet.

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Geometry Diagnostics

In single-element mode, toggle the Geometry chip to show a diagnostics panel below the parameter grid.

The panel includes:

• A summary line showing the best available counts for solids, curves, and meshes, plus total solid volume and bounding box size
• A detail-level breakdown for Coarse, Medium, and Fine geometry
• An amber warning when no geometry is found at any detail level

This is useful for verifying that an element actually contains solid geometry, checking overall extents, or quickly spotting elements that are symbolic, empty, or otherwise not producing model geometry as expected.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+F	Focus the search box and select all text
Ctrl+C	Copy selected rows as tab-separated values
Esc	Close the window

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Use Cases

Scenario	Recommended Approach
Debugging parameter values	Inspect the element to see raw parameter values when a schedule or tag shows unexpected data
Identifying parameter types	Check the Kind column to determine whether a parameter is Built-in, Shared, or Project-defined
Data extraction to Excel	Filter to the parameters you need, then use “Copy All Visible (TSV)” to paste into a spreadsheet
Comparing instance vs. type values	Toggle the Instance and Type chips to focus on one source at a time, or view both side by side with the Source column
Comparing similar elements	Select multiple elements of the same category or type to find which parameters differ and which match
Finding storage types	Check the Storage column to understand the underlying data type (String, Integer, Double, ElementId)
Locating shared parameters	Search for a parameter name and check the Kind column for “Shared” to confirm it comes from a shared parameter file
Verifying geometry	Use the Geometry chip in single-element mode to inspect solid counts, volume, and bounding box dimensions

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Tips & Best Practices

• Pre-select before launching - If you already have an element selected, clicking the button loads its parameters immediately, skipping the pick prompt
• Pre-select multiple elements for comparison - If you launch with 2 or more elements selected, the tool opens directly in comparison mode
• Use search liberally - The search box matches across names, values, groups, and kinds, so you can search for a value like “2400” to find all parameters containing that number
• Filter out empty parameters - Toggle off the Empty chip to reduce noise on elements with dozens of unused parameters
• Use comparison filters to focus quickly - Turn off ShowSame to focus only on differences across selected elements
• Use geometry when an element seems wrong - If a family looks empty, symbolic, or oddly sized, toggle Geometry to inspect its actual model geometry output
• Stay in the flow - The window is modeless, so you can continue working in Revit. Select a new element and click “Pick New” or “Pick Multiple” without closing
• Export filtered results - Apply your search and filter settings first, then use “Copy All Visible (TSV)” to export only matching parameters
• Sort by group - Click the Group column header to organize parameters by their parameter group (Dimensions, Identity Data, etc.)

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Limitations

Limitation	Details
Read-only inspection	Parameters cannot be edited through this tool. For bulk editing, filtering, and CSV export, use Element Data Manager.
Element must be selectable	The element must be selectable in the active view for Pick mode to work
Active document required	A Revit document must be open to use Element Inspector
Geometry diagnostics are single-only	The Geometry panel is not available in comparison mode
No persistent settings	Filter states and search text reset when the window is closed

From the developer

The comparison view ended up being one of the most useful additions here. It is especially handy when two elements look similar in the model but behave differently in schedules, tags, or downstream exports.

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Troubleshooting

No parameters appear after picking an element

Possible causes:

• The element may not have any parameters (rare, but possible for some element types)
• The pick operation may not have registered correctly

Solution: Try clicking “Pick New” to re-select the element, or click Refresh to re-read the current element.

Cannot pick an element

Possible causes:

• The element is not selectable in the current view (hidden, covered by other elements, or in a linked model)
• No active view is open

Solution: Make sure the element is visible and selectable in the active view. Elements inside linked models cannot be picked directly.

”Pick New” or “Refresh” does not update

Possible causes:

• The element may have been deleted since it was first inspected
• The document may have been closed

Solution: Close Element Inspector and relaunch it from the ribbon.

Comparison mode does not show geometry

Possible cause:

• Geometry diagnostics are hidden whenever the tool is comparing multiple elements

Solution: Inspect one element by itself to re-enable the Geometry chip and geometry panel.

Copied TSV data does not paste correctly

Possible causes:

• The target application may not support tab-separated paste

Solution: Paste into Excel, Google Sheets, or another application that supports TSV format. If pasting into a text editor, the tabs will appear as whitespace between columns.

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Related Tools

• Element Data Manager - Export element data from views and schedules to CSV and Excel