Quota — How to Use
Last Updated: January 1, 2026
What Quota does
Quota places dimension strings automatically by reading the geometry of elements visible in your active view. Instead of clicking individual face references one at a time, you select a category, choose an axis, and Quota dimensions every proximity group in that view in one command.
All dimensions Quota places are tagged so they can be found and removed independently of any dimensions you placed manually.
Where to find it
After installation, Quota appears on the Avant Leap tab in the Revit ribbon, in the Quota panel.
| Button | Command |
|---|---|
| Spacing Chain | Dimension widths + gaps across a group of elements |
| Grid Split Chain | Same chain with structural grid references inserted |
| Overall Span | One total dimension from outermost to outermost face |
| Clear Quota Dims | Remove all Quota-placed dimensions from the active view |
Before you start
- Open a plan, section, or elevation view. Quota does not work in 3D or drafting views.
- The document must be editable (not read-only or workshared-checked-out by another user).
- For Grid Split Chain, at least one grid line must be visible in the active view.
Spacing Chain
What it does: Groups visible elements of a chosen category by physical proximity and places one multi-reference dimension chain per group. Each chain reads: element width · gap · element width · gap — all in a single connected string.
When to use it: Documenting wall thickness and clear distances, column spacing in a bay, or any row of elements where individual widths and gaps matter.
Steps:
- Open the view you want to dimension.
- Click Avant Leap → Quota → Spacing Chain.
- Choose a Category from the dropdown (only categories with visible elements appear).
- Choose a Measurement axis:
- Horizontal — measures left-to-right widths and gaps.
- Vertical — measures bottom-to-top heights and gaps.
- Choose a Dimension line side:
- Horizontal axis: Top or Bottom.
- Vertical axis: Right or Left.
- Click Place Chain Dimensions.
Quota groups the elements by proximity along the perpendicular axis and places one chain per group. Elements already dimensioned by Quota on the same axis are skipped.
Grid Split Chain
What it does: Same as Spacing Chain, but inserts the nearest structural grid line as a reference point inside each chain. The result shows how each element segment relates to the structural grid without any manual reference picking.
When to use it: Documenting column bays against the structural grid, or verifying wall positions relative to grid lines on a plan.
Steps:
- Open a view where structural grids are visible.
- Click Avant Leap → Quota → Grid Split Chain.
- Choose a Category, Measurement axis, and Dimension line side — same as Spacing Chain.
- Click Place Grid Split Dimensions.
If no grids are visible in the active view, the command will notify you and stop.
Overall Span
What it does: Places one single dimension per proximity group from the outermost face on one side to the outermost face on the other — the total span with no intermediate segments.
When to use it: Total wall run length, overall bay width, or any situation where you need the headline measurement rather than the breakdown. Use alongside Spacing Chain to show both detail and total in the same view.
Steps:
- Click Avant Leap → Quota → Overall Span.
- Choose a Category, Measurement axis, and Dimension line side.
- Click Place Overall Span.
One dimension per proximity group is placed. Elements already dimensioned by Quota on the same axis in the same view are skipped.
Clear Quota Dims
What it does: Finds every dimension placed by Quota in the active view and deletes them after confirmation. Dimensions you placed manually are never touched.
Steps:
- Click Avant Leap → Quota → Clear Quota Dims.
- The dialog shows how many Quota-placed dimensions exist in the active view.
- Click Confirm Delete to remove them, or Cancel to exit without changes.
Use this to reset a view and re-dimension with different settings (axis, side, or category).
Proximity grouping — how it works
Quota does not treat all elements as one single group. It clusters elements by their position along the axis perpendicular to the measurement direction:
- Horizontal measurement — elements are grouped by their vertical (Y) position. A row of walls at the bottom of the building and a row at the top are two separate groups → two separate dimension chains.
- Vertical measurement — elements are grouped by their horizontal (X) position.
Short elements (e.g. wall thickness ≤ ~60 cm) define the row positions. Long elements that span multiple rows (e.g. full-height walls running the length of the building) are added to every row they overlap, without creating spurious extra groups.
Supported element types
| Category | Reliability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | High | Side faces extracted via Revit wall face API |
| Structural Columns | Medium | Solid face analysis; tested on rectangular profiles |
| Generic Models | Medium | Solid face analysis; complex geometry may yield fewer references |
| Floors / Slabs | Limited | Face extraction partial in this release |
| Linked model elements | Not supported | Elements in linked models are skipped |
Tips
- Combine Spacing Chain + Overall Span on the same category in the same view to show the detail and the total together.
- Run on Walls first — walls have the most reliable face reference extraction.
- Use Clear Quota Dims freely — experiment with axis and side, clear, and try again. Manual dimensions are always preserved.
- Grid Split Chain works best on structural columns — places per-bay widths against the grid in one pass.
- If a category appears in the dropdown but produces no dimensions, the elements may have geometry that cannot be fully resolved in this view. Try switching axis or check that the elements have solid bodies visible in the view (not symbolic representation).
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Quota panel not visible | Addin not loaded | Check installation; restart Revit |
| "View type not supported" message | Active view is 3D or drafting | Switch to plan, section, or elevation |
| "Document is read-only" message | Model checked out by another user or workshared | Make the model editable |
| Category dropdown is empty | No model elements with bounding boxes visible | Ensure elements are visible in the active view crop |
| No dimensions placed, no error | All elements already dimensioned on that axis | Run Clear Quota Dims first, then retry |
| Dimension placed but looks wrong | Chain line too short for all references | Revit API issue — try a different axis |
Uninstalling
Run the Quota uninstaller from Windows Settings → Apps. This removes the DLL and the Revit manifest. All Revit projects and manually placed dimensions are unaffected.