Dimension styles added to family and project files

[TBJV]

Fairly recently, we have seen a strange phenomenon where a large number of extra dimension styles are added to our project rvt file. They are simply named "1", "2" ,"3" etc.... In fact, dimension style "1" occurs 20 times in the Types list for linear dimension styles. They cannot be purged nor deleted. However, they have zero instances of use in the Project.

Our family files also have a strange occurrence where I also have 1 or 2 dimension styles named "1", "2" or "3". But I also have an Arrowhead named "SecretInternalTypePreviewgArrowhead54*******". I can purge these but they keep coming back when I edit the family from Project..

What trolls have invaded our Revit files and what are they doing in there???

We have used Revit without issue for 7 years and never had this experience before. Using Revit 2015 UR10.

[RDAOU]

Hey @TBJV

1. Consider getting UR11 and UR12 for Revit 2015
2. One can't be sure without the file in hand but if it is specific to one Revit file then I would assume that this behavior has been envoked by a 3rd party code either from a plugin or if you used/ran any Macros/Scripts/API code obtained from a 3rd party 

[capicella94108]

I am working in Revit 2016 and I am having the same problem with these same weird numerical dimensions populating my projects.  I cannot purge them.

After a little detective work, it appears that the weird numerical dimensions come in when loading specific families.  However, when you open and edit the family, there is no oddball dimension style to be found or purged.

I'm at a loss for solving this issue and am concerned as these families get copied to other projects and transmit the virus/bug.

Any help would be really appreciated.

[HAlbin]

Has anyone figured out a way to purge these yet or prevent them from being added?   I'm working in Revit 2016 and so far these styles are appearing at a rate of 1 or 2 a day, despite our attempts to screen any families coming into the project.   

[TBJV]

HAlbin

I have had zero response from Autodesk so no, I don't have a solution. It seems that we keep purging dimension and arrow styles each day but somehow they keep coming back. I imagine they have something to do with reloading the families but we purge those as well.

I guess I'll just have to live with it...

[capicella94108]

No luck here either.  I read somewhere that this was being generated by some plug in developed by a company called Sofistik but they have no clue about the problem.  Hopefully the problem can be addressed in Revit 2017.  As mentioned in my previous post, if you catch it early enough you can purge it out.  However once the problem replicates itself enough times, no luck.

[Anonymous]

Agreed that this behavior is super annoying. No Softisic add-in here. Pretty sure this is part of the core code of Revit.

I have been making groups of large clusters of families, opening the group as a new .rvt file, purging all, renaming remaining rogue dim styles and arrowhead styles to match what I actually want to see in the project and then reloading all of the families into the project. This is in Revit 2017 so clearly nothing has been done by the factory to correct this. Why on earth would I ever want to pull dim, text and arrowhead styles from a family into a project?!?!?!? WTF ADSK

[hworrell]

Would like to know... it recently popped up in project. 

Thanks!

[GlynnisVP]

We are currently troubleshooting this issue in a 2016 file on behalf of a customer. My testing is leading me to think that railings may be related. Perhaps its the sketch lines of the railings? Perhaps it's a family profile nested within the baluster family of a railing?? Not sure yet, but I have enough to escalate to Autodesk, which I'll do. I'll post back in case I learn anything. In the customer file that I am looking at, there are over 300 Dimension styles named:

1

1

2

3

4

etc.

Note that even the duplication of the style called "1" is troublesome. Duplicate Type names should not be possible.

Glynnis Patterson

www.ideatesoftware.com

[rimacoca]

Hi @TBJV

Check if you have all updates from revit 2016  https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/downloads/content/autodesk-revit-2016-product-upda...

Check if you have this addins installed

https://apps.autodesk.com/RVT/en/Detail/Index?id=8378090046292081175&appLang=en&os=Win64 

Uninstall the addins

Open the revit and purge all dimension and arrows

If some of the styles are in the project you need to select and change for the desired type.

[hworrell]

This has popped up on Revit 2017 projects and still plagues us in 2016, we are up to date on our releases. The addin that was mentioned is not installed on our computers.

Sometimes purge will get rid of the dimension styles, but sometimes it does not.  I have selected all instanced in entire project and deleted so that there are no more that are selectable...  I haven't gone through the process of deleting out all groups to see if the dimension style can be purged after those are deleted.

[GlynnisVP]

For what it's worth, I can recreate the problem as such:

1. brand new project file.

2. Use Purge all so that only one dimension style remains

3. Copy railing from problem file into new project

4. Two new dimension styles show up - they cannot be purged.

5. Edit one of the railings

      a) edit the profile within the railing family - purge all and reload into railing family

      b) repeat above for all other profiles and nested families within the parent railing family

6. Reload the railing family into the project

7. One of the 'rogue' dimension styles as disappeared....

I'm pretty sure this means that the railing family has a sketch line or other dimension style that is being carried forward into the project, which seems like unintended behavior. I have the latest version of Revit 2016, and can recreate in 2017.

We have filed this issue with Autodesk.

Best Regards,

Glynnis

[Anonymous]

Okay, We had this in a 2016 project and we caught it when it was at 12 or 13, we tried everything and had to go back to a clean backup and redo a couple of days work, but it never resurfaced again.

Now we are starting a new project in 2017, we are still at a very early stage, and we caught it at 2. Here are the facts:

1. We have no add-ins installed.

2. Revit 2017, Build 17.0.416.0/20160225_1515(x64).

3. We have no railing families in the project.

4. Only families we have added so far are: Face-based generic model, line-based generic model, generic profile, curtain panel.

I have been able to locate the rogue dimension in 2 locations:

1. Structural model linked into our project.

2. one of our curtain panel families.

I am suspecting that the bug came from the stru. link.

Not sure if that helps, if you have any update on this issue please update the thread. 

[Anonymous]

@GlynnisVP , @hworrell @Anonymous

I just found this in one of our projects.  I found a ton of them were released after removing some In-place families, some were related to model groups and one coming from a line based detail item.  

I'm wondering if it is possible these are a result of really old families not getting upgraded properly?  Is there a way to see the file save history for families like you can with projects?  I notice in this particular project the journal says the file was started in 2014 (not really but that is what journal says).  

Is there any back end (i.e. API or Dynamo) way to remove objects directly?

[GlynnisVP]

 @hworrell @Jason.Bailly @Anonymous

Hi Tom,

I agree that this is rooted in older family upgrade messiness. We ended up working with Autodesk on a case a few weeks ago, and while they could not pinpoint the exact cause, we did get validation on our cleanup methods. We provide this as a service for existing Ideate Explorer owners. 

~Glynnis