How to Use Temporary Dimensions in Autodesk Revit

When working in Autodesk Revit, precision is key and temporary dimensions are one of the most helpful features for ensuring accuracy during placement and modification of elements.

Temporary dimensions appear automatically when you select or place elements in Revit. They show the distances between the selected element and nearby reference points like walls, levels or grids. These dimensions are not permanent annotations, instead they serve as real-time guides to help you position elements precisely.

Lets take a look at how to use and control Temporary Dimensions.

• Open Revit, draw some walls down as per the image below. You can use any wall type for this.

• When you select an element, it is going to bring up temporary dimensions. This allows you to view the current dimension size and make accurate changes to the model. Select the middle vertical wall and look at the dimension to the right. Type a value, in this case I have 5000, which will give the inside of the walls a length of 5000mm (provided your units are set to metric mm).

• However, sometimes the witness lines may not sit where you want them to. For example, the above image is showing the witness lines (in blue) attached to the inside of the walls. Click the witness line dot to move the position and watch the dimensions change accordingly, as you click.

To manage where the witness lines will point to, you can manage this for all the temporary dimensions in Revit.

• Go to the Manage tab and click Additional Settings.

• Play around with the below dialog box settings until you find the best for you. Remember you can still toggle the temporary dimensions placement on your display, if you want to.