Dimension Tool for Curved Geometry with User-Defined Direction

[rayala30]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe

Creating dimensions that are orthogonal to curved geometry in Revit is currently a tedious, manual process. In typical construction documentation, users often need to place dimensions at key inflection points along curves, where orthogonal (normal) dimensions are expected for clarity and standardization. This usually requires manually drawing temporary detail lines perpendicular to the curve at those points to guide dimension placement. Not only is this slow and repetitive, but it also introduces extra geometry that must later be cleaned up or revised if the model changes, increasing the risk of inconsistency.

Describe the solution you'd like

A tool within pyRevit to automate the creation of dimensions that are orthogonal to a user-selected curve point, such as a wall centerline or any curved geometry points.

Example Workflow:

1. User activates the Dimension to Curve Point tool in pyRevit.
2. User selects a point along a curved element (e.g., the tangent of a curved wall).
3. User draws or defines a reference line to set the general orientation or flow of the dimension set.
4. User selects one or more reference points (such as endpoints or intersections) along the curve where dimensions are needed. Orientation of subsequent dimension lines will be followed from the first set dimension.

The tool generates dimension lines at each selected point, oriented orthogonally to the curve at those locations (or user defined for flexibility) and aligned to the specified reference direction.

This would streamline the creation of orthogonal dimensions without relying on temporary linework or visual approximations.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Manual workaround: Drawing temporary detail lines from each reference point perpendicular to the curve, then placing dimensions along those lines. This is time-intensive and prone to alignment errors, and requires cleanup.

Standard dimension tools: The default Revit dimensioning tools don’t offer native support for generating orthogonal dimensions relative to curves or user-defined reference directions, making precise drafting more difficult in curved geometries.

Additional context

[tay0thman]

looking at the API, it is not that easy to get it all done the right way, also many of the dimension creation tools are not fully exposed by the API.

Would you prefer to have a tool like, "Mark Curve ends and Tangents"?

1- Run the tool 2- Pick wall sides 3- the tool will generate markings (Detail Lines) 4- You can use linear dimensions in Revit.

Possible but not fully Automated.

[rayala30]

@tay0thman That sounds like a great start. It will at least eliminate the step of manually drawing detail lines, line by line.

[tay0thman]

Thinking about the tool, I don't think embedding it into the pyrevit toolbar would makes sense, we need to avoid tools fatigue, I am thinking of adding this tool as a part of an 3rd party extension that you can load it for you and your team.

let me get the script started in the next couple of weeks.