Drawings - Early Preview

Last updated: August 6, 2026

Background

Drawings support lets you chat with the text on your construction drawings the same way you already chat with specs and contracts. Document Crunch now extracts and indexes the text on drawing sheets — schedules, legends, keynotes, and general notes — so you can quickly surface a buried detail, confirm scope, and catch mismatches on topics between your drawings and specs before they turn into RFIs, change orders, or claims. With contracts, specs, and drawings in one place, you can find scope-defining language across hundreds of sheets instead of flipping through the set or using Ctrl+F. This feature is releasing as a preview (beta), so it is genuinely useful today for reading the text on your sheets — just keep an eye on the citations and back-check anything that carries cost or risk.

Things to Consider

  • Preview. Drawings is an opt-in preview and won't appear on every account. If you don't see it, reach out to your CSM or Support to request access.

  • Upload a PDF and select "Drawing Set." Your drawings must be a PDF, and you should select the Drawing Set document type in the upload flow. Any file containing drawings — including addenda or mixed files — should be uploaded as a Drawing Set. Selecting Drawing Set also defaults the Crunchview toolbar to the grab tool for moving around the sheet.

  • Archive superseded versions first. There is no drawing version compare yet. If an old set or addendum stays in the project, Document Crunch may pull stale sheets alongside current ones and degrade the answer, so archive prior versions before running.

  • Larger sets take longer to process. Drawing sheets contain more information to process than a text-based page, so a drawing set processes more slowly than a spec or contract. In closed beta, sets with 2100 pages in a single file have processed successfully; there is a soft ceiling, so upload unusually large sets and let us know if you hit a wall.

  • Reads text only — no visual interpretation. Document Crunch reads the text on the sheets, not line work, symbols, geometry, or spatial relationships. It can read a detail's title but cannot interpret the lines. Questions that require looking at the geometry (for example, whether a pipe detail conflicts with an elevation) are out of scope.

  • No takeoff. Drawings does not count objects, calculate footage, or measure quantities. Do not use it for takeoff.

  • No version or clouded-change comparison. Drawing version/addendum comparison and detection of clouded (visual) changes are not supported yet. Document Crunch can read text or notes tied to a revision if they're written on the sheet, but it won't compare sets or flag visual changes.

  • Answers are query-driven, not automated scanning. Document Crunch answers the questions you ask; it does not proactively scan a set and flag every issue on its own.

  • Coverage isn't guaranteed complete. Outputs like trade scope extraction are a strong starting point to build on, not a comprehensive list.

  • Specs-on-drawings is supported. If your specs are printed directly on the sheets, Document Crunch can read them, and you can run spec checklists against the drawing set. Reach out to your CSM to enable spec checklists for your drawings on upload.

  • Mobile access. Document Crunch is mobile responsive, so you can access and chat with your drawings on a phone or iPad wherever you have internet access.

Steps

Turning on and uploading

  1. Confirm access. Drawings is a gated preview. If it isn't enabled on your account, contact your CSM or Support to request it.

  2. Archive superseded versions. Before uploading, archive any old sets or prior addenda so Document Crunch doesn't pull stale sheets.

  3. Navigate to your Dashboard and click the +New button to start an upload.

  4. Select the "Drawing Set" document type in the upload flow.

Note: Selecting Drawing Set defaults the Crunchview toolbar to the grab tool, so you can move around the sheet more easily. If it's a mixed file, the drawings will still process — categorize it however you need to get the right checklists to display.

  1. Upload your PDF drawing set by dragging and dropping or browsing to the file.

  2. Wait for processing.

Note: You will see an In Progress icon next to your upload on your Dashboard. This means that our system is still processing your document(s), and once completed, the icon will disappear, and you will receive an email informing you that your crunch is ready. Larger drawing sets take longer than specs or contracts because sheets have more information to process than a text-based page.

Chatting with your drawings

  1. Start in drawing chat (single document / Crunchview) when the answer lives in the drawings and you want to cross reference the sheet while you read — a note, keynote, schedule, or detail reference. Use the grab tool to move around the sheet in Crunchview. Single-document chat also returns answers faster because it isn't querying the whole project.

  2. Switch to Project Assist (multi-doc) when the question could cross documents — for example, whether the equipment schedule in the drawings matches what the specs require, or whether the specs and drawings agree on a material or rating.

Tip! Rule of thumb: chat when the answer is in the drawings and you want to cross reference the sheet easily or speed up response time; use Project Assist when the question could cross documents.

Tip! For best results when chatting with your drawings, you will want to:

  • Ask text-based questions: notes and keynote lookups, schedules, allowances/alternates, "where is X called out," and "contractor to verify" references.

  • Be specific about the sheet, trade, or discipline you want to analyze (for example, "the keynotes on each mechanical sheet").

  • Use relevant context, such as the project type, discipline, or relevant party contractual relationship (for example, general contractor vs. trade).

  • Iterate and refine: if the answer doesn't fully address your concern, clarify the request or add details.

  • Check the citations. Every answer includes source citations — file name, file page number, sheet name, and a link back to the page. Follow the source link to confirm the answer against the sheet.

Note: As with anything on high-stakes work, always back-check answers that carry cost or risk.

Running a Review

  1. Run a review/checklist against your drawing set for the things you consistently check on each set. You can use the Drawing Set Review [Beta] checklist as a template.

  2. Apply a spec checklist to drawings when your specs are printed on the sheets. Reach out to your CSM or Support to enable spec checklists for your drawings on upload.

  3. Create a project-level review if you'd like your checklist to check multiple documents.

Handling new versions

  1. When a new version arrives, archive the old drawing version(s). There's no drawing version compare yet, and stale sheets degrade answers.

  2. Re-upload the current set as a Drawing Set.

Tip! If there is an addendum, Document Crunch performs best when the addendum narrative is included in the file on upload.