Shop Drawing Review
AI-assisted review of contractor shop drawings for design compliance.
Definition
Shop Drawing ReviewDrawing Review uses AI to assist engineers in reviewing contractor-prepared shop drawings against contract documents. The system compares dimensions, details, and specifications between shop drawings and design drawings, identifying discrepancies and deviations. AI can flag potential issues like incorrect dimensions, missing details, or specification non-compliance, allowing engineers to focus their review on items requiring professional judgment.
In Depth
Shop drawing review is where design intent meets fabrication reality. The contractor or fabricator prepares detailed drawings showing exactly how they intend to build a system — steel connections, curtain wall framing, mechanical ductwork layout — and the design team reviews them to verify compliance with the contract documents.
AI can accelerate shop drawing review by comparing the shop drawings against the contract documents automatically. For structural steel, the AI compares connection details, member sizes, and bolt patterns against the structural drawings and specifications. For curtain wall, it verifies sightline dimensions, thermal break details, and anchorage systems against the architectural details and performance specifications. Discrepancies are flagged with references to both the shop drawing and the contract document.
The volume makes AI assistance especially valuable. A large commercial project might have thousands of shop drawing sheets across all trades. The AI does not replace the engineer's review — it creates a marked-up set that highlights potential issues, saving hours of side-by-side comparison per submission. The engineer's time is spent evaluating flagged items and applying judgment, not scanning for obvious discrepancies.
Examples
Comparing steel shop drawings against structural design drawings
Verifying curtain wall shop drawings match architectural details
Checking MEP coordination in mechanical shop drawings
Nomic Use Cases
See how Nomic applies this in production AEC workflows:
Compatible Platforms
Nomic integrates with these platforms so you can use shop drawing review across your existing project data:
Frequently Asked Questions
Shop Drawing Review uses AI to assist engineers in reviewing contractor-prepared shop drawings against contract documents. The system compares dimensions, details, and specifications between shop drawings and design drawings, identifying discrepancies and deviations. AI can flag potential issues like incorrect dimensions, missing details, or specification non-compliance, allowing engineers to focus their review on items requiring professional judgment.
Comparing steel shop drawings against structural design drawings. Verifying curtain wall shop drawings match architectural details. Checking MEP coordination in mechanical shop drawings.
Automated Submittal Review: Let AI do the first-pass review of submittal packages against your drawings and specs. Automated Drawing Review: Automatically review drawings against building codes, internal standards, and client requirements.