Clash Detection AI
AI-powered identification of conflicts between building systems in design models.
Definition
Clash Detection AI uses artificial intelligence to automatically identify conflicts between different building systems—such as structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing—in BIM models and drawings. Going beyond rule-based clash detection, AI-powered systems can understand design intent, prioritize clashes by severity, suggest resolutions, and learn from past projects to reduce false positives. This significantly reduces coordination time during design and prevents costly conflicts during construction.
In Depth
Clash detection identifies physical conflicts between building systems — a duct that passes through a structural beam, a pipe that intersects a wall, or an electrical conduit that conflicts with a sprinkler main. Every coordination project generates hundreds or thousands of these conflicts, and the challenge is not finding them (Navisworks does that) but triaging which ones require action.
AI clash triage learns from resolution patterns on previous projects. A hard clash between a 24-inch duct and a W18 beam is almost always a real problem that requires one element to move. A soft clash between a 2-inch sprinkler branch line and a light fixture is almost never a problem because the light fixture will be installed around the pipe. AI classifies each clash based on the element types, the severity of the intersection, and the historical resolution pattern, presenting the coordination team with a prioritized action list.
The workflow improvement is significant. A coordination meeting that starts by reviewing 3,000 raw clashes wastes hours on irrelevant items and exhausts the team before reaching the real issues. A coordination meeting that starts with 100 AI-prioritized findings focuses immediately on the conflicts that require design decisions, reaching resolution in a fraction of the time.
Examples
Automatically detecting where ductwork conflicts with structural beams
Prioritizing clashes based on construction sequence and severity
Suggesting routing alternatives to resolve detected conflicts
Nomic Use Cases
See how Nomic applies this in production AEC workflows:
Compatible Platforms
Nomic integrates with these platforms so you can use clash detection ai across your existing project data:
Frequently Asked Questions
Clash Detection AI uses artificial intelligence to automatically identify conflicts between different building systems—such as structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing—in BIM models and drawings. Going beyond rule-based clash detection, AI-powered systems can understand design intent, prioritize clashes by severity, suggest resolutions, and learn from past projects to reduce false positives. This significantly reduces coordination time during design and prevents costly conflicts during construction.
Automatically detecting where ductwork conflicts with structural beams. Prioritizing clashes based on construction sequence and severity. Suggesting routing alternatives to resolve detected conflicts.
Automated Drawing Review: Automatically review drawings against building codes, internal standards, and client requirements.