CompanionBits

LevelBit — elevation markers with automatic values

LevelBit places architectural elevation markers in AutoCAD and calculates the correct value automatically — whatever your drawing units are.

How LevelBit works

You set a reference point for elevation ±0.00. From there, every click places a marker with the exact elevation value filled in automatically.

1. Set reference

Tell LevelBit where elevation ±0.00 is. Pick a point in the drawing, click an existing mark, or use the current UCS origin. All subsequent markers are calculated relative to this point.
Key: Elevation ±0.00 as fixed anchor

2. Configure units

Tell LevelBit what your drawing units represent in the real world — for example, 1 drawing unit = 1 cm. LevelBit converts automatically to whatever display unit you want (m, cm, mm, ft, in).
Key: Draw in mm, display in m

3. Place markers

Click any point in your drawing. LevelBit inserts your symbol block with the elevation value already filled in the attribute. Keep clicking — press Enter when done.
Key: Value filled in automatically

4. Recalculate

Design changed? Select any set of markers and recalculate — either from a new reference point, or by applying a fixed offset to all selected marks at once.
Key: Update everything in one operation

The LevelBit dialog

Type LEVELBIT to open. Everything in one dialog.

LevelBit v1.0 — CompanionBits SnipBit

Set reference point (±0.00)

Pick point...Pick existing elevation mark...Use current UCS

Current UCS (Y = 0)

Block scale factor1.000000
Place elevations...Recalculate...
Settings...Cancel

Reference: current UCS · Scale: 1.0

Set reference point

Three ways to define elevation ±0.00. The current method is always shown below the buttons. The reference is remembered between sessions.

Place elevations & recalculate

Start the placement loop and click any number of points. Recalculate updates existing marks from a new reference or with a fixed offset.

Workflows

From your first placement to recalculating after a design change.

Set a reference, then click to place markers. LevelBit fills in the values automatically.

  1. Type LEVELBIT to open the dialog. If this is the first time, go to Settings... first and pick your symbol block.
  2. Choose how to set the reference point. The easiest is Use current UCS — LevelBit then uses Y=0 of the current UCS as elevation ±0.00.
  3. Click Place elevations.... The dialog closes.
  4. Click any point in the drawing. The elevation symbol appears with the correct value. Keep clicking as many points as you need.
  5. Press Enter to stop the placement loop.
Tip: Use object snaps (OSNAP) while placing markers — LevelBit does not disable them. Snap to floor levels, slab edges, or finished floor heights for precise placement.

Use this when your ±0.00 level is a specific point in the drawing — a finished floor level, a benchmark, or a grid intersection.

  1. Click Pick point.... The dialog closes.
  2. Click the point that represents elevation ±0.00. Use object snaps for precision.
  3. LevelBit shifts the UCS origin to that point internally. The dialog reopens showing the picked coordinates.
  4. Click Place elevations... and start placing markers.
Note: LevelBit uses AutoCAD's UCS to track the reference point. The Y-axis of the UCS is the elevation axis. Markers placed above the reference show positive values, below show negative.

Use this when you already have a placed elevation marker in the drawing and want to add more markers consistent with it.

  1. Click Pick existing elevation mark.... The dialog closes.
  2. Click an existing LevelBit symbol in the drawing.
  3. LevelBit reads the attribute value from that mark and back-calculates where ±0.00 must be. The UCS origin shifts accordingly.
  4. The dialog reopens showing the value and position of the picked mark as confirmation.
  5. Click Place elevations... and continue placing.
Tip: This is the most reliable way to continue work on a drawing that already has elevation markers — no need to remember or re-enter the original reference point.

The floor level changed, or the whole building shifted. Update all affected markers in one operation.

  1. Click Recalculate.... A small dialog opens with two options.
  2. Choose Pick new reference point to recalculate all selected marks from a new ±0.00 — or choose Apply offset value to add a fixed value to all marks (e.g. +0.150 if the finished floor rose by 15 cm).
  3. Click OK. Select the marks you want to update. LevelBit updates every attribute in the selection.
  4. The command line reports how many marks were updated.
Offset tip: A positive offset raises all values, a negative offset lowers them. Enter values in the same unit as your display unit (configured in Settings).
Note: Recalculate only selects blocks with attributes (INSERT entities with 66=1). If your selection includes other attributed blocks, those will be updated too. Use a window selection limited to your elevation markers.

Tell LevelBit what your drawing units mean and how you want elevation values to appear in the attribute.

  1. Click Settings.... The settings dialog opens.
  2. Under Drawing units, set the conversion: Drawing units = Real-world value + Unit. For example: 1 drawing unit = 1 cm, or 100 drawing units = 1 m. A live preview shows the resulting factor.
  3. Under Attribute display, choose the display unit (m, cm, mm, ft, in), the number of decimal places, and whether to show the unit suffix in the attribute text.
  4. Click OK to save.
Common setups:
Drawing in mm, display in m: 1 du = 1 mm → factor 0.001
Drawing in cm, display in m: 1 du = 1 cm → factor 0.01
Drawing in m, display in m: 1 du = 1 m → factor 1.0

Limitations

LevelBit works with any attributed block, but a few things are worth knowing.

CaseBehaviourWorkaround
Symbol block with one attributeFully supported — the first attribute receives the elevation value—
Symbol block with multiple attributesOnly the first attribute is written — others are left at their default valueDesign your symbol with the elevation attribute first
Symbol block without attributesBlock is inserted but no value is written — silent failureEnsure the block has at least one attribute defined
Elevation axisAlways the Y-axis of the current UCSRotate UCS if your elevation axis is not vertical
Recalculate selection filterSelects all INSERT entities with attributes — not only LevelBit symbolsUse a precise window selection or isolate the elevation layer first
Settings persistenceSaved in Windows registry — survives restarts and new drawings—
AutoCAD LTSupported from AutoCAD LT 2024 onwards—
3D drawingsLevelBit reads the Y-coordinate only — Z is ignoredWork in plan view with the correct UCS set for your elevation axis

Commands

LevelBit is reachable through two commands at the command line.

Command:LEVELBIT

Opens the main LevelBit dialog: set reference, place elevations, recalculate, and settings.

Command:LB

Short alias for LEVELBIT — opens the same dialog.

CompanionBits

LevelBit is part of the CompanionBits suite for AutoCAD. Every tool solves one problem — completely.

HatchBit

Scales hatch patterns independently in X and Y — something AutoCAD cannot do natively. Works on any line-based pattern. Free SnipBit.

BlockHub

Scans your DWG folders, renders thumbnails for every block, and lets you find and insert anything in seconds — without touching a single file.

StyleFitter

Find all objects matching a filter and apply layer, style, and ByLayer properties in one click. The fastest way to normalise a drawing from a third party.

StateSync

Links viewports to Layer States and watches for changes. Coloured frames show sync status at a glance. Fix mismatches with one click.

All tools install as a single bundle. One licence per tool.

Ready to banish elevation math errors from your sections for good?

A free SnipBit from CompanionBits.

Download LevelBit