A first pass over the sheets you actually issue
It reads the PDF set, not a model. Findings come back with a severity, a location, a reference and a reason, as a defect list you work through one finding at a time.
SHEET A-101 · IN ONE PARAGRAPH
What it is
AI drawing review for MEP engineers is software that reads a PDF drawing set and flags likely coordination gaps, code issues and missing details, each tied to a sheet, a location and a code or sheet reference. It is a first pass, not a sign-off: the engineer confirms, disputes or adds context to every finding, and the seal stays with the licensed engineer.
The set is due. The QC pass happens in Bluebeam, by eye, often by the principal. And the mistakes that cost the most usually “sit between sheets, between disciplines, or between revisions, where no single reviewer is looking,” as our MEP drawing QA checklist puts it.
An AI first pass reads every sheet in the PDF you are about to issue and gives you a list of possible issues, each with a location and a reference. You decide what each one means.
Last updated:
SHEET A-102 · FIT
Who it’s for, and who it isn’t.
Written for solo PEs, small MEP shops and firms where a principal still does QA. General contractors, owners, plan reviewers and model-first BIM teams will be better served elsewhere.
Built for
- Solo PEs
- Small MEP and fire protection shops
- Firms where a principal still does QA
- Whoever signs the drawing
- PDF and Bluebeam review workflows
Not built for
- General contractors
- Owners
- Plan reviewers
- BIM clash in the model
- Fully Revit-native teams
// If Navisworks already runs nightly on your models, Redline covers a different gap: the PDF pass that still happens by eye before a set goes out.
SHEET A-103 · DEFINITION
What AI drawing review is, and isn’t.
A sign-off, a clash model, or a chatbot
It doesn’t replace a PE review. It isn’t model-based clash detection. It isn’t a general-purpose chatbot pasted with drawings. The decision to issue stays with the engineer.
Imperfect output, by design
Our AI Disclaimer says the service “generates both false positives and false negatives.” Accuracy varies by mode and drawing complexity. The dispute system exists precisely because no AI is perfect.
SHEET A-104 · ANALYSIS MODES
Six analysis modes. One review record.
Every plan includes all six. One review runs one drawing set, up to 100 pages, in the mode you pick.
General Review
A broad pass across the sheet for annotation quality, missing data, formatting issues, and red flags before anything goes to deep review.
FORMATDATAFLAGS
Clash Detection
Duct-to-conduit overlaps, clearance conflicts, and routing collisions that would otherwise surface as change orders in the field.
DUCTCONDUITPIPE
Code Compliance
Establishes the governing code set from the cover sheet, general notes and jurisdiction, then checks drawings against the codes your drawings adopt, including IMC, IPC, NEC, IBC, NFPA and ASHRAE references. Every finding is flagged with a citation and a severity rating.
IMCIPCNECIBCNFPAASHRAE
Annotation Review
Missing tags, incorrect symbols, unclear callouts, and notation inconsistencies. The kind of thing that slows installation crews down.
TAGSSYMBOLSCALLOUTS
Coordination Check
Inter-discipline gaps between MEP and structural or architectural elements. These are the conflicts that typically come back as field RFIs.
STRUCTARCHMEP
Detail Review
Deep, comprehensive review for high-stakes sheets. Structured sections with full reasoning and a proposed solution for every defect.
REASONINGSOLUTIONS
SHEET A-105 · SAMPLE FINDINGS
What a finding looks like.
Sample findings from the Redline demo sheet M2.01. Each one carries a severity, a location, a reference and the reason it matters, and waits for your decision.
123
All 12High 4Med 5
FindingLocation · Reference
Duct conflict with structural beamHigh · 24×16 supply duct
Grid B.4 – C.2
Sheet S2.01 Service clearance below minimumHigh · VAV-2-16
Mechanical M2.01
IMC 304.1, 306.1 Supply diffuser misalignedMedium
Office 205
Sheet A2.01// Demo content, shown to illustrate the output format. Clearance figures in the demo are not code requirements; check the adopted code.
SHEET A-200 · BY DISCIPLINE
What an AI first pass checks, discipline by discipline.
Automated review is best at consistency checks, where one sheet should agree with another. Redline reviews mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection sheets. The judgment calls, and the decision to issue, stay with the engineer.
Mechanical
First-pass checksSchedules vs plans and unique tags; air devices sum to unit airflow; intake/exhaust separation per the adopted code (IMC 401.4, 501.3.1; IPC 903.5); condensate routes; access and service clearance.
Still the engineer’s call
Whether a clearance or separation is acceptable on this project; equipment selection; design intent.
Electrical
First-pass checksPanel schedules vs one-line vs plans; working space at panels (NEC 110.26); labelled home runs; equipment voltage, phase, MCA and MOCP vs panel schedules.
Still the engineer’s call
Load and feeder decisions; emergency vs normal source design; resolving a mismatch.
Plumbing
First-pass checksFixture counts vs architecture; risers vs plans; vent terminations; cleanouts; relief and overflow routes; equipment scheduled and powered.
Still the engineer’s call
Sizing and routing decisions; local amendments.
Fire protection
First-pass checksSprinkler layout vs the current RCP; obstructions to sprinkler coverage; standpipes and FDC coordinated; fire alarm interfaces shown.
Still the engineer’s call
Hazard classification and design basis; everything, if the reviewer isn’t qualified in fire protection.
Where disciplines meet
First-pass checksCurrent backgrounds; ceiling space at the tightest corridor; equipment fits rooms; penetrations shown on structural and architectural; dampers at rated assemblies; roof equipment on the framing plan.
Still the engineer’s call
Coordination trade-offs with the architect and structural engineer.
// Code Compliance mode works from the codes your drawings adopt, including IMC, IPC, NEC, IBC, NFPA and ASHRAE references. Code sections above come from our MEP drawing QA checklist and mechanical-electrical coordination checklist; verify against the edition your jurisdiction adopted.
SHEET A-300 · REVIEW WORKFLOW
From PDF to your report in four steps.
- 01
Upload drawing
Drop in a PDF set of mechanical, electrical, plumbing or fire protection sheets, up to 100 pages and 45 MB per analysis.
Sheet indexed, ready for review - 02
Pick a mode
Choose from the six analysis modes. Each runs a specialized review informed by code references and engineering practice.
Defect list with severity + citations - 03
Review & dispute
Confirm, dismiss, or dispute each finding, and add a comment where it helps. When the AI is wrong, you log why, and your reasoning is preserved with the drawing.
Decision trail, timestamped by author - 04
Export
Export a PDF report with the review record behind every call you made, carrying your seal and drawn signature once you have uploaded them.
PDF report with your seal
Where it sits in a Bluebeam or PDF QC routine
- 01Export
Export the set to PDF for issue.
Your CAD/BIM tool · Designer - 02AI first pass
Run Redline on the PDF set (up to 100 pages and 45 MB per analysis) in the mode you pick.
Redline · Designer or QA lead - 03Triage
Confirm, dismiss, or dispute each finding with a reason.
Redline · Engineer - 04Markups
Carry confirmed findings into your markup set. By hand today: there is no Bluebeam integration yet.
Bluebeam · Engineer or designer - 05Your QC pass
Run your own QC pass with the firm checklist.
Bluebeam · Engineer of record or QA lead - 06Record
Export the review report with seal, signature and decision record; keep it with the issued set.
Redline · Engineer of record - 07Issue
Issue the set.
Your usual process · Engineer of record
// Bluebeam’s own Smart Review, a Bluebeam Max feature “currently in Preview,” runs document-health checks such as blank or missing sheets; an MEP first pass looks at coordination, code and completeness in the engineering content. No Bluebeam or Autodesk integration yet: confirmed findings are carried into your markups by hand. Compare the two in Bluebeam Smart Review vs AI MEP drawing review.
SHEET A-400 · RESPONSIBLE CHARGE
The engineer stays in responsible charge.
Responsible charge doesn’t move. NCEES Position Statement 6.10 says licensees “retain ultimate responsibility for decisions” and treats AI as “a tool to assist, not replace, professional judgment.” Texas PAO 71 says licensees are “ultimately responsible for any work product they sign and seal.”
The decision record is the practical safeguard: it shows who decided what, and when, and goes out with the exported report. More in AI drawing review and the engineer of record.
“A second set of eyes. Never a second stamp.”Redline product principle
Your seal, on your report
Upload your seal once and draw your signature in the app. Both are placed on the PDF reports you export. Redline drafts findings; the seal and the call are yours.
Every call, attributed
Confirmed, dismissed, disputed: each finding carries its current disposition with the author and time it was set.
Your reasoning, captured
When a flag is wrong, you log why: not applicable, already addressed, incorrect code reference, false positive. The reason stays with the drawing.
SHEET A-500 · PRIVACY
Privacy: what happens to your drawings.
Ask any vendor three questions: does it train on your files, is data shared between firms, and who can open each file? Here are our published answers. For the full list, see how to evaluate an AI drawing review tool.
Private by default
Never used to train models. Never shared between firms. Strict per-user access controls on every file.
Retention
Kept while your account is active. After a plan ends, drawings and reports are kept for a further 90 days, then permanently deleted.
Certification
Not yet SOC 2 certified. SOC 2 Type II is on our roadmap for 2027. Our underlying hosting platform is itself SOC 2 Type II certified.
AES-256Encryption at rest
TLS 1.3Encryption in transit
US-EASTPrivate per-user storage
SOC 2Audit on 2027 roadmap
SHEET A-600 · PLANS & PRICING
What it costs: plans priced by the review.
Every plan includes all six analysis modes. One review runs one drawing set, up to 100 pages, in one mode. Add reviews anytime at your plan rate. Pay yearly and get two months free. Reviews are held per user today.
PlanMonthly priceDrawing reviews / monthAdded reviews
Starter$299 / mo10$50 each
Pro$899 / mo30$42 each
Firm$2,499 / mo100$35 each
EnterpriseCustomSized to youFor multi-office firms and high-volume programs. A review pool sized to you, priority support, and custom disciplines. SSO, SAML and API access are on the roadmap, and Enterprise gets them first.
// Prices in USD, excluding applicable sales tax. Every monthly plan starts with a 14-day free trial that includes two reviews, with a card on file and nothing charged until the trial ends. Unused plan reviews don’t roll over. A failed run isn’t counted. Full terms on Pricing.
SHEET A-700 · STATUS
What’s built, and what isn’t.
StatusCapabilityDetail
LIVEPDF drawing reviewAll six analysis modes run on PDF sheets today, up to 100 pages and 45 MB per analysis.
LIVEPE stamping & exportSeal upload, drawn signature, and PDF report export with the review record included at export time.
ROADMAPDWG / IFC / RevitNative format support is planned but not yet built. Today the workflow is PDF upload.
ROADMAPAutodesk & BluebeamDirect integrations with BIM 360 and Bluebeam Studio are on the roadmap, not implemented.
ROADMAPShared firm review poolReviews are held per user today. Pooling one firm-wide monthly balance across all your engineers is planned, not yet built.
ROADMAPSSO / SAML · API accessPlanned, not built yet. Enterprise gets them first.
ROADMAPSOC 2 Type IIOn the roadmap for 2027. Not audited yet. The underlying hosting platform is SOC 2 Type II certified.
// We publish what’s built and what isn’t. Accuracy varies by mode and drawing complexity. We won’t publish an accuracy number: one headline percentage would be marketing, not measurement. We’d rather run your own set.
SHEET A-800 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
AI drawing review for MEP engineers is software that reads a mechanical, electrical or plumbing drawing set, usually as a PDF, and flags likely problems: coordination gaps between disciplines, code issues and missing details. Each finding points to a sheet, a location and a code or sheet reference. It is a first pass. The engineer decides what each finding means.
Most tools look for consistency and completeness problems: schedules that don’t match plans, equipment electrical data that doesn’t match panel schedules, ducts or pipes that conflict with structure, missing tags and callouts, and likely code issues with a cited section. What a given tool checks varies, so run it on a set you already know before relying on it.
No. It gives the reviewer a prioritized list of possible issues, but a licensed engineer still has to verify each one and decide. Engineering boards treat AI as a tool whose output the licensee must check, and the engineer who seals the drawings remains responsible for them. Dismissing a finding is an engineering decision too, and it deserves a recorded reason.
Many tools work on PDF sets, which suits firms that already QC in Bluebeam. Integration differs by tool: some sync with Bluebeam Studio, others work by PDF upload and export. Redline works by PDF upload today. A direct Bluebeam Studio integration is on its roadmap, not built, so confirmed findings are carried into your markups by hand.
No. Many AI drawing review tools work on 2D PDF sets, the same sheets that get issued and stamped. That covers firms and projects that never build a coordinated model. If your team already runs model-based clash detection, a PDF review covers a different gap: the check of the issued sheets that otherwise happens by eye.
It depends on the tool, so get the answer in writing. Ask whether your drawings train the vendor’s models or any AI provider’s, whether data is shared between firms, and who can open each file. Redline’s published answer is that drawings are never used to train models and never shared between firms, with per-user access controls on every file.
Pricing models vary across tools: per sheet, per check, or a monthly plan. Redline sells monthly plans priced by the review: Starter is $299 a month for 10 reviews, Pro $899 for 30 and Firm $2,499 for 100, with all six analysis modes on every plan. Monthly plans start with a 14-day free trial that includes two reviews.
// More answers on billing, security and PE liability in the Redline FAQ.
SHEET G-002 · GET STARTED
The AI takes the first pass. You make every call.
Run it on a real drawing set in your discipline. The record shows every decision, and your seal goes on the report.
Every monthly plan starts with a 14-day free trial · Cancel anytime