It would be criteria based tool (you can define what it reads, so it can dimension structural elements or cabinets) and reads the model just like the section tool; but instead of generating a section it generates a string of dimensions. And as it "reads" the model like the section tool it's always updated no matter if you move or erase things, without doing further clicking
It's not completely automatic as it would need setting it in place, but once set you can work in the model without much worry, and of course it would allow for manual input for very specific cases. You can copy it on any level, adjust level of detail, criteria... one can just imagine
