AI drawing review for commissioning agents
Helonic is an AI construction drawing analysis platform for commissioning agents who review 2D PDF drawing sets.
Verify design intent, cross-reference sequences of operation, and identify control points across all building systems.
What slows down commissioning agents?
Commissioning agents lose test days when sequences, setpoints, and equipment tags on the drawings do not match the OPR or specs.
- Verifying Design Intent. The Owner's Project Requirements must be traced through Basis of Design documents to actual drawing details, a tedious manual process.
- Systems Coordination. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and controls systems must work together as designed, but drawing sets often contain conflicting information.
- Sequence of Operations. Written sequences frequently do not match what is shown on control diagrams, mechanical schedules, and electrical power drawings.
How does Helonic help?
Helonic reads the OPR, drawings, and controls sheets together so Cx agents see coordination and sequence gaps before functional testing.
Sequence and control-point checks use specification analysis to compare the mechanical and controls specs with the drawings, and schedule verification to match equipment schedules to plan tags.
- Design Intent Verification. Cross-reference OPR and BOD requirements against actual drawing details to confirm that design intent is accurately reflected in construction documents across all disciplines.
- Sequence of Operations Cross-Reference. Compare written sequences of operation against mechanical drawings, control diagrams, and electrical schematics to flag inconsistencies before functional testing begins.
- Control Point Identification. Automatically catalog all control points, sensors, actuators, and monitoring devices shown on drawings to build comprehensive pre-functional checklists and points lists.
- Test and Balance Preparation. Extract airflow and water flow design values from mechanical schedules and drawings to prepare TAB requirements and verify consistency across the document set.
- Systems Integration Review. Identify where building systems interact, BAS to fire alarm, lighting controls to HVAC, emergency power to life safety, and verify integration points are properly documented.
What issues does Helonic catch?
Helonic flags missing sequences, conflicting setpoints, inaccessible equipment, and spec-to-drawing mismatches that stall testing.
Controls & Sequences
- Missing control points not shown on control diagrams
- Sequence of operations contradicting mechanical drawings
- Sensor placement errors affecting system performance
- Damper and valve positions inconsistent with sequences
Integration & Coordination
- Integration gaps between BAS, fire alarm, and lighting
- TAB design values inconsistent across schedules and plans
- Emergency power sequences not matching life safety requirements
- Metering and monitoring points missing from energy systems
What return do commissioning agents see with Helonic?
Cx teams start functional testing with fewer document RFIs because design intent and sheet notes already agree.
| Figure | What it measures |
|---|---|
| 40% | Faster Cx plan from automated drawing extraction |
| 30+ | Design issues caught pre-construction per project |
| Better | Functional testing outcomes from thorough design review |
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Helonic help commissioning start earlier?
What commissioning-relevant issues does it catch?
Does it replace functional performance testing?
Does it work on the design PDFs?
Manas Gandhi
Co-founder & CTO, HelonicManas is the co-founder and CTO of Helonic, where he leads engineering and AI research for construction drawing analysis. He works directly with structural, MEP, civil, and fire protection engineers to translate the way they review drawings into AI systems that flag the issues that actually matter in the field. Before Helonic, he built machine learning pipelines for technical document understanding and has spent the last several years interviewing licensed design engineers and discipline leads to ground product decisions in real practice rather than industry assumptions.
- AI for technical document understanding
- Cross-discipline coordination workflows
- Code compliance automation (IBC, NEC, NFPA, IPC, IMC, ASCE)
- Structural and MEP drawing review systems
How this page was researched: Guidance references ASHRAE commissioning process expectations and the design-phase review Cx agents perform. Examples are drawn from Helonic's review of MEP and controls documentation against commissioning requirements.
Last reviewed by Manas Gandhi · August 25, 2026