Loading BuildVision AI
Loading BuildVision AI
Review plan-linked AI suggestions, verify equipment and air-device counts, and add or correct measured runs before carrying accepted scope into editable quote lines.
Test the workflow on a representative plan.
AI
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Manual
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Quote
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The trade
HVAC estimating brings together ductwork, piping, equipment, air devices, controls, insulation, testing, and labor across mechanical plans, schedules, details, risers, and specifications. A complete scope often spans heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, hydronic, refrigerant, and controls systems.
Measured plan geometry is only one input. The estimator still needs to review duct sizes and gauges, fittings, insulation, supports, equipment selections, piping, access, coordination, fabrication, commissioning, productivity, and exclusions. Load calculations and equipment sizing are design tasks, not automatic consequences of a takeoff line.
BuildVision AI supports reviewable plan takeoff rather than HVAC design or fabrication math. Review plan-linked AI detections, add or correct equipment and air-device counts, calibrate the sheet, and draw straight or segmented measurements for estimator-selected runs. Complete-document totals, workspace-owned Costing rows, CSV export, and editable quote lines support the next pricing step; load calculations, sizing, weight, fittings, labor units, assemblies, and supplier pricing remain estimator-owned.
Cost structure
Use these categories as an estimating checklist. BuildVision AI does not supply equipment catalogs, live prices, or labor units; your workspace owns those inputs.
| Category | Typical items | Unit | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ductwork | Sheet metal, flex duct, duct board, spiral, fittings, transitions, dampers | Linear ft / Each | Set in your workspace |
| Equipment | Furnaces, AC condensers, heat pumps, air handlers, RTUs, boilers | Each | Set in your workspace |
| Controls & Thermostats | Programmable, smart, building automation, zone controllers, sensors | Each | Set in your workspace |
| Refrigerant Piping | Copper lineset, insulation, flare fittings, brazed joints, hangers | Linear ft / Each | Set in your workspace |
| Insulation | Duct wrap, duct liner, pipe insulation, mechanical insulation | Linear ft / Sq ft | Set in your workspace |
| Labor | Sheet metal worker, HVAC technician, pipefitter, apprentice | Per hour | Set in your workspace |
| Permits & Testing | Mechanical permits, duct leakage testing, commissioning, balancing | Per project | Set in your workspace |
Workflow
Upload the relevant PDF or image sheets and confirm they are saved before starting an AI takeoff.
Compare plan-linked suggestions with plans, schedules, details, risers, and specifications; accept or dismiss each item deliberately.
Calibrate the drawing, add missing equipment or air-device counts, and measure estimator-selected runs with line or polyline tools.
Collect all pages, review totals by label, and apply your own sizing, fittings, labor, equipment, and price decisions in the quote.
Margin pressure
Airflow, static pressure, and velocity drive duct size. Undersizing creates noise; oversizing wastes material and space.
Orientation, insulation, glazing, occupancy, and climate determine loads. Incorrect loads create costly comfort callbacks.
Heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, and controls must coordinate with every other ceiling system.
Refrigerant rules, availability, and seasonal demand move equipment prices between bid and buyout.
Capabilities
These are BuildVision AI review, measurement, and quote controls. Trade calculations and pricing decisions remain estimator-owned.
Inspect plan-linked suggestions and accept or dismiss HVAC scope without treating AI output as a designed or sized system.
Add or correct equipment, air devices, controls, accessories, and other estimator-defined items.
Calibrate the sheet and draw straight or segmented paths for estimator-selected duct, pipe, or control routes.
Organize reviewed work by heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, piping, controls, or your own scope structure.
Roll quantities up across loaded pages and disclose incomplete collection before CSV export or quote creation.
Use workspace cost references and editable quote lines for job-specific equipment, material, labor, tax, discount, and terms.
FAQ
It helps an estimator connect mechanical plan evidence, reviewed quantities, cost references, and quote preparation. The estimator remains responsible for system design, sizing, fabrication, labor, and price.
AI creates plan-linked suggestions for review. Accept or dismiss those items, compare them with every relevant plan and schedule, and add or correct counts and measurements manually.
No. It does not perform Manual J, D, S, or T calculations, select equipment, validate airflow, or provide code compliance. Use the appropriate design workflow and qualified judgment.
No. You can measure chosen runs and count or label visible scope, but sizes, gauges, fittings, transitions, weight, insulation, supports, and fabrication logic remain estimator inputs.
Your workspace owns material, labor, and subcontractor Costing rows. BuildVision AI does not provide manufacturer catalogs, live distributor pricing, or a SMACNA labor library.
BuildVision AI accepts saved PDF and image plans. CAD, BIM, schedule parsing, and universal file conversion are not currently supported.
Yes. Use labels and CSI categories to organize reviewed counts and measurements by your chosen system or scope, then inspect totals across the complete document.
CSV preserves every row with its review state; editable grouped quote lines use accepted AI and manual work only. You decide equipment, fabrication, labor, price, terms, and exclusions.
Related scopes
Move between dedicated estimating workflows without losing the project-wide context.
In the product
Correct geometry and naming without changing quantities accidentally.
Activate Select and choose one item; Shift adds more items or an empty-space drag creates a marquee.
Drag a selected shape to move it, or drag a square vertex handle on a single non-count selection.
Commit Label or Category on blur/Enter; Escape reverts the field draft.
To split one combined item—balcony guardrails and interior handrails, for example—select just the runs for one scope and type a new Label in the Inspector that appears at the top of the right dock; the Items list re-groups them under separate totals.
Right-click eligible work for Search more, Rotate left/right 90°, Duplicate, or Delete; Inspector also exposes applicable actions.
Use Ctrl/Cmd+C and Ctrl/Cmd+V for copy/paste, Ctrl/Cmd+D for duplicate, or Delete/Backspace for removal.
Review the full scope
Verify counts and measured runs first, then apply your own design, fabrication, labor, and pricing judgment.