1. Purpose
Scans the ARC and STR Revit links in the active view and writes the walls, columns, and beams that view can see to an Excel cache file, AutoDIMDataBase.xlsx on your Desktop — the mandatory warm-up before Auto dim can run. Run it in a view that shows every wall you will dimension against (a 3D view holding the two links covers the whole project); rebuild it for any floor whose layout differs.
2. Quick video (≤ 2 minutes)
[Video in production — follow the steps below for now.]
3. Steps
- In a view showing both links, select exactly 2 loaded Revit links (1 ARC, 1 STR). [image 01: ARC and STR links selected]
- Click Dim cache in the VP_LAYOUT tab, Layout panel.
- In the dialog, confirm which link is ARC, which is STR, and the dim offset, then click OK. [image 02: ARC/STR confirmation dialog]
- The tool scans walls (ARC), columns, and beams (STR), writes AutoDIMDataBase.xlsx to your Desktop, and reports the count of each — keep this file, Auto dim reads it next. [image 03: wall/column/beam count report]
4. Real-world example
A 12-storey tower needs column-to-wall dims on every level. Open a 3D view holding both links, select the ARC+STR links, run the command, confirm in the dialog — one minute later the Excel cache covers every level of the tower. Levels 2–12 then run Auto dim against this one file.
5. Common errors
| Symptom (tool message, Vietnamese) | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Vui lòng chọn đúng 2 Revit Link (ARC và STR) trước khi chạy DimCache." | Fewer than 2 loaded links selected — pick exactly 2, then rerun |
| Dialog suggests ARC/STR the wrong way round | Read the hint line, swap ARC/STR yourself, then click OK |
| Excel cache reports zero counts | A link is unloaded or the view shows nothing — check the links and rerun |
6. See also
- Auto dim cache — step 2: read this cache to dimension.
- DWG — reload links first so the scan reads the latest data.