RISERUN places a single aligned dimension between two picked points, but overrides the measured text with the horizontal and vertical components of the run:
What RiseRun does
X: +1250
Y: -300
Signed values are used deliberately. The sign tells you the direction of travel from the first point to the second, which is what makes this useful for setting out — somebody on site needs to know which way to go, not just how far.
Values are formatted to the current DIMDEC precision so they match the rest of the drawing’s dimensions.
How to use it
- Load the routine with
APPLOAD, or put it on your support file search path. - Type
RISERUN. - Pick the point you are measuring from first — the signs are relative to it.
- Pick the point you are measuring to.
How it works
The dimension itself is a real aligned dimension, so it behaves normally: it can be moved, restyled and it plots like every other dimension on the sheet. Only its text is overridden.
Pick order matters. The components are calculated from the first point to the second, so reversing the picks reverses both signs. On a setting-out drawing that is the difference between “go north-east” and “go south-west”.
Because the text is overridden, this dimension will be flagged by DIMTATTLE on a pre-issue check. That is correct behaviour — the text no longer reports the measurement — and it is worth knowing so you can confirm it rather than wonder.
Notes and limits
- Pick the from-point first. The signs are relative to it.
- The text is an override, so the dimension does not update if the points move, and DIMTATTLE will flag it.
- Precision follows DIMDEC, matching the rest of the drawing.
- One undo group covers the dimension.
Download and details
| Name | RiseRun — dimension the X and Y difference between two points |
| Download | RiseRun.lsp — 5.2 KB, plain AutoLISP source. Downloads directly; no zip to unpack. |
| Type | AutoCAD AutoLISP routine |
| Command | RISERUN |
| Requires | nothing beyond a CAD platform with AutoLISP. |
| Source size | 5.2 KB, 125 lines |
| Error handling | Yes — a *error* handler restores every system variable it changed, on cancel as well as on error. |
| Undo | The whole operation is wrapped in a single undo group, so one U reverses all of it. |
| Compatibility | AutoCAD (any release with AutoLISP), BricsCAD, ZWCAD, GstarCAD, ProgeCAD and other IntelliCAD-based platforms. AutoCAD LT needs a LISP enabler. No .NET, no ObjectARX, no installer. |
| Author | YZ, August 2026 |
| Licence | Free to use, supplied “as is” with no warranty. |
References
- SPANLINE LISP — aligned dimensions at a consistent automatic offset
- DIMTATTLE LISP — why an overridden dimension gets flagged before issue
- Grid systems on drawings — setout, naming and direction conventions
- More free AutoLISP routines on this site
- Wisey’s Steel Shapes — free structural steel section drawing program