# Dimension by element, Auto-dimension dynamo **URL:** \ **Category:** Revit\ **Tags:** rooms\ **Created:** [November 2, 2017, 10:08am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173 "2017-11-02T10:08:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jamess166](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/59ef9b/32.png) [@jamess166](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/jamess166)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/21 "2018-03-09T14:59:20Z")
Hello, As you should do to place dimensions of a beam such as the image. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/4/e/4e4843eae7680add8e1461c00d5de0e719e91c6c.png) ---
**Author:** ![rickycorza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c89c15/32.png) [@rickycorza](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/rickycorza)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/22 "2018-10-08T22:32:02Z")
Hello, I’m just new to Dynamo and I’ve been looking for a script that allows to automatically place dimensions on all the balustrades of a railing, instead of going one by one. So far I haven’t found anything that accomplishes that. Thank you, ---
**Author:** ![Mark.Ackerley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/mark.ackerley/32/79310_2.png) [@Mark.Ackerley](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Mark.Ackerley)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/23 "2018-10-11T20:36:09Z")
Hi we might need a new topic for this… Here’s my quick and dirty go which shows you most of the key things… I set it to work in a section view as the most useful one… Most aspects of the graph are a bit quirky… The end and start transaction is required otherwise it tries to make the dimension before the reference planes…! ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/3/2/325aba53eed2a70f4502471fd9183a963fc87134.png) The big problem is that I couldn’t extract Faces (therefore References) from the Railing… I could extract geometry from the railing and get Face References, but I can’t convert those. This means I can’t make the dimension locked to the balustrades, all I can do is make a reference object and dim those. Which means you get a bunch of reference planes you don’t want, and if the spacing changes it’s out of date. ![Capture](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/0/8/08cab5e020900b8e3fa9e48d6e9b94ba2869aa93.png) [DimensionBalustrade-3.dyn](https://forum.dynamobim.com/uploads/short-url/oehM2QWymx1ZIwisg7LDMNTXK0A.dyn) (331.7 KB) Hopefully someone can fix that! Cheers, Mark ---
**Author:** ![rickycorza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c89c15/32.png) [@rickycorza](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/rickycorza)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/24 "2018-10-11T21:04:49Z")
Hello Mark, Thanks a lot for your effort! Not sure if this might work; but I was thinking of adding some invisible reference detail lines to the balustrades center (inside the family editor), so Revit can read those invisible lines. That could replace the reference object and maintain dims updated when the distance of balustrades changes. Cheers, Ricardo. ---
**Author:** ![Mark.Ackerley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/mark.ackerley/32/79310_2.png) [@Mark.Ackerley](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Mark.Ackerley)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/25 "2018-10-11T21:08:23Z")
Hey Ricardo, I know mine is not a perfect solution, it would be great if you could refine and see what works! I’m not absolutely clear in my mind what is allowed to be a reference… Detail lines would certainly be better 🙂 Cheers, Mark ---
**Author:** ![rickycorza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c89c15/32.png) [@rickycorza](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/rickycorza)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/26 "2018-10-13T17:23:09Z")
Hey Mark, Thanks for your answer. Oh, just to clarify, I actually don’t know how to program in Dynamo, yet. I’m relying on my imagination to put forward my ideas and see how they can be developed by experts like yourself. When I get the basic knowledge to do scripting, I will be adding my work here, so everyone can refine it. In the meantime, I would like to post automation ideas so you can have food for thought =). Cheers, Ricardo. ---
**Author:** ![naturalnature](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/839c29/32.png) [@naturalnature](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/naturalnature)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/27 "2019-01-19T05:22:44Z")
how to give automatic dimension from pipe to wall ---
**Author:** ![phambao152500276](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@phambao152500276](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/phambao152500276)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2020, 9:22am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/28 "2020-12-29T09:22:19Z")
the Surfaces.DeconstructSurface node belongs to any packages ---
**Author:** ![nhlinh39](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecb155/32.png) [@nhlinh39](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/nhlinh39)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 8:38am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/29 "2022-01-03T08:38:49Z")
Help me, I need dimenion by center to center, but this scrip dim from left to left ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/3/3/33e0982bf97f3e2c3fc905e31dc7d411ef312e6a.png) ---
**Author:** ![nhlinh39](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecb155/32.png) [@nhlinh39](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/nhlinh39)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 8:39am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/30 "2022-01-03T08:39:42Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/7/f/7fd42f1fe8ee1586a4f253e0d98b35356f647d2e.png) ---
**Author:** ![Alban\_de\_Chasteigner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/alban_de_chasteigner/32/39650_2.png) [@Alban\_de\_Chasteigner](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Alban_de_Chasteigner)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 8:59am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/31 "2022-01-03T08:59:36Z")
Hi, Verify where are the Reference Planes Center Front/Back and Center Right/Left in your family and if the property “Defines the origin” is checked. ---
**Author:** ![nhlinh39](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecb155/32.png) [@nhlinh39](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/nhlinh39)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 9:45am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/32 "2022-01-03T09:45:58Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/4/a/4ab4d54a88817b3798e1ca4d439fe995e6acbb5a.png) Hi, I ticked “Defines the origin” but remain so ---
**Author:** ![VDCTrades3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e274bd/32.png) [@VDCTrades3](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/VDCTrades3)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/33 "2022-01-03T23:49:25Z")
[Grid Dimensions Working X-Y.dyn](https://forum.dynamobim.com/uploads/short-url/b7dPFt44pTOTjPabyQWScEzRMZV.dyn) (99.3 KB) Not sure this is helpful or not to others but attached is a graph that auto dimensions from sleeves to walls. I used Albans node to great success so thank you very much sir!(Also Kulkul for grouping local elements). If anyone has questions let me know! ---
**Author:** ![VDCTrades3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e274bd/32.png) [@VDCTrades3](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/VDCTrades3)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/34 "2022-01-03T23:53:35Z")
In the future I’d love to create studies from it so that it minimizes overlapping lines and optimizes grouping such that we have less groups(i.e. more elements dimensioned together) and also minimizes line lengths but future problems. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dibyendu.b](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@dibyendu.b](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/dibyendu.b)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2022, 5:11am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/35 "2022-07-14T05:11:33Z")
Hi, Any idea how do I dimension Column using scripts. ---
**Author:** ![New-to-Dynamo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@New-to-Dynamo](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/New-to-Dynamo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/36 "2024-03-14T16:03:52Z")
Hey @Alban_de_Chasteigner, @VDCTrades3 Just picking it up from here, Can you elaborate more in this, I understand that these are the references for the columns but how does it decide which one to select it from ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/a/0/a0b900f86b35bcf0266643eaed86a9bffbc9c900.png) Is there any way to make the dims centered regardless of whether its using (Left/Right) or (Front/Back) because at the moment its only picking up (Left/Right) dims but not (Front/Back), It behaves as shown above ---
**Author:** ![Thajmul.Iqbal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/91b2a8/32.png) [@Thajmul.Iqbal](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Thajmul.Iqbal)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173/37 "2025-02-05T14:20:52Z")
hi, use 4th index u will exact center to center dimension. [Previous page](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/dimension-by-element-auto-dimension-dynamo/16173.md?page=1)