Dim Pile and Pile Coordinate — dimensions and coordinate parameters
Open both commands under BimSpeed.STR → Common. Dim Pile creates plan annotations; Pile Coordinate writes instance parameters. Running one does not establish completion of the other.
Observed Revit images
Captured in Revit 2024 on a project copy using tool windows opened independently. UI screenshots do not establish the complete ribbon/picking/generation flow. Click an image to open the unchanged original at full resolution.
The original English UI is used. No dimensions were generated and no coordinate parameters were written.
- Select a linear DimensionType, offset in mm and view template. Dim Type is still None, so this capture is not ready to run.
- Enable the required top/left/right/bottom sides.
- All Pile or Selected Pile And Grid selects the scope. This is Dim Pile, not a Pile Coordinate dialog.
Dim Pile
| Control | Use |
|---|---|
| Dimension Type | Select a loaded Linear/Linear Fixed style; an empty value does not establish a correct default. |
| Offset | Model mm, reviewed default 800; dimension-line position rather than pile spacing. |
| View Template | All Pile applies the template to the active view; None removes it. The reviewed Selected Pile And Grid branch does not apply that template. Inspect which view values the template controls. |
| All Pile / Select Pile Grid | All Pile collects Structural Foundations from the whole document, grouping caps/piles by bounding-box elevation and geometry intersections; grids come from the active view. Selected Pile And Grid picks Structural Foundation FamilyInstances and Grids, then Finish; Esc exits repeated picking. That branch casts foundations to FamilyInstance, so a Floor cap is not a valid picked pile. |
| Top / Bottom / Left / Right | Enables sides. Reviewed defaults are Top/Left; follow installed labels. |
Use a Floor/Engineering Plan with native Structural Foundations and grids. Test a two-pile cap and compare center spacing with a direct Revit measurement. Increasing Offset moves annotations rather than piles. Count new chains and inspect their references and owner view. A Generic Model renamed as a pile does not establish the required category/geometry.
Dim Pile can edit a pile family to add a missing Z-axis reference line and reload it with parameter-value overwrite enabled. Family changes can affect multiple instances; use a project copy and inspect family/type parameters as well as the resulting dimensions.
Pile Coordinate
Pick Structural Columns or Structural Foundations with LocationPoint, then Finish. Direct FamilyInstance subcomponents are also considered. This writes parameters; it does not import Excel or move piles.
| Written parameters | Coordinate interpretation |
|---|---|
| BS_PROJECT_POINT_X / Y / Z | Placement coordinates relative to Revit's Internal Origin, without subtracting the Project Base Point. Do not relabel them as Shared/Survey Coordinates. |
| BS_SURVEY_POINT_X / Y | Placement coordinates rotated by the Active Project Location angle, then translated by East/West and North/South. |
| BS_SURVEY_POINT_Z | Placement Z plus Active Project Location elevation. |
Provide writable instance Length parameters with the required names. Missing/read-only fields require actual value checks. Compare a known point against the project's survey coordinates; do not change Project Location merely to match an expected number. Rerun after moving/rotating piles or changing location data: written values represent the run time, not guaranteed automatic updates. Save/reopen and inspect parent and child instances.
Practice input
Download the shared Revit 2024 column/foundation input. This educational file has four rectangular columns and one footing; it is not output from this article's command. Read the ZIP README/provenance and Save As before editing. It does not contain every roof, pile, link, Legend or dimension case; prepare the categories/grids/views/families required above. Screenshots on a real-project copy do not imply distribution of its private RVT.
Observed build and verification scope
The image shows the actual Dim Pile window. A valid DimensionType was not selected and dimensions were not generated. Pile Coordinate writes parameters and does not use the Dim Pile window. Its coordinate formulas and parameter requirements below were checked against the implementation; pile coordinates were not written/read back during this runtime review.