Freeze Elements - Protect critical model elements in Revit

Freeze Elements allows teams to mark model elements as frozen so accidental changes can be prevented during day-to-day work in Revit. The tool is designed for projects where key components must remain protected while still being easy to review and manage.

General Description

The add-in stores a set of frozen elements inside the project and monitors those IDs to block unwanted edits. When an element is frozen, users must unfreeze it before making changes. The tool also includes commands to locate and isolate protected elements in the active view.

Key Features

• Freeze Elements: Adds selected elements to the project's protected-elements list.
• Unfreeze Elements: Removes selected elements from the frozen list so they can be edited normally.
• Select Frozen Elements: Selects every frozen element currently stored in the project.
• Isolate Frozen Elements: Temporarily isolates frozen elements in the active view for quick review.
• Blocks both edits and deletes: Any attempt to modify or delete a frozen element is stopped with a Revit failure message, not just parameter changes.

Requirements

• The frozen list is stored per Revit project file; it travels with the model, not with a specific user or machine.

Usage Procedure

1. Open the Freeze Elements split button from the Model panel on the Frata ribbon tab.
2. Choose Freeze Elements and pick the elements you want to protect, then press Finish.
3. From then on, any attempt to modify or delete a frozen element (by anyone, in any workflow) is blocked with a warning: "Some elements are frozen. Please unfreeze them or contact your BIM Manager."
4. Use Select Frozen Elements to select every currently frozen element in the project, or Isolate Frozen Elements to isolate them in the active view for review.
5. When you need to edit a protected element, choose Unfreeze Elements and pick it to remove its protection.

Recommendations

• Freezing is unlocking-by-tool only — there's no separate password step, so anyone with the addin installed can unfreeze an element. Use it to prevent accidental changes, not as an access-control mechanism between team members.
• Use Select/Isolate Frozen Elements periodically to confirm what's currently protected, especially before a milestone delivery where critical elements shouldn't move.

Frequently Asked Questions

I got the message "Some elements are frozen. Please unfreeze them or contact your BIM Manager." Why? You (or whoever is editing the model) tried to modify or delete an element that's on the frozen list. Use Unfreeze Elements to remove its protection first, then make your change.

Does freezing require a password to undo? No — despite what the ribbon tooltip currently suggests, freezing is a simple on/off list with no password step. Anyone with the addin can unfreeze an element via Unfreeze Elements.

Does the frozen list stay with the project if I send the model to someone else? Yes — the frozen element IDs are stored inside the project file itself, so they travel with the model.

Can I freeze elements from a linked model? No — this tool blocks modifications made directly inside the current, active document; it doesn't reach into linked files.