Sketch-to-CAD · Commercial doors & hardware

Turn Door Surveys into CAD Drawings

LaunchAI converts door surveys and opening sketches into CAD drawings. Create frame elevations, opening layouts and drawings for hardware schedules. The drawing is built from the supplied measurements, notes and specifications. Unclear details are flagged for your team to review.

See your sketches converted to CAD See the approval screen

For detailers, hardware consultants, estimators and project managers at commercial door, hollow metal frame and architectural hardware distributors

June. School let out Friday. Every district wants its doors done by August.

The survey sheets came back on a clipboard. B-wing, 22 openings: "104 RH 3070 16ga KD", "match exist. hinges", a photo of a hinge with a tape held against it, a pair sketched with "astragal? flush bolts?" in the margin. Then the architect's door schedule for the new addition with hardware sets on page 11, a GC email asking whether 104 is rated, and a locksmith voicemail saying the closer on 112 is parallel arm, not regular.

So you open Comsense and build it, opening by opening. Number, size, hand, door type and elevation. Frame profile, gauge, jamb depth, anchors, label. Hardware set, then every prep it implies: hinge size and locations, 161 or 86 lock prep, strike, closer reinforcement, power transfer if it's electrified. On a retrofit the frame stays, so the new door has to be prepped to whatever the old frame has, which is whatever the surveyor wrote down. Then frame elevations for the submittal, the hardware schedule, and the orders.

Hollow metal doesn't get fixed in the field. A door prepped to the wrong hand is a new door, a field-modified label is no label, and every re-order is another lead time. Miss the ship date and the district opens in September with the old doors propped open.

What the job looks like today

  1. Read the survey

    Work out the hand, the gauge, the jamb and what "match exist." meant.

  2. Build every opening

    Size, hand, frame, label, set and preps, by hand in Comsense.

  3. Draw the frames

    Elevations with hinge and strike locations for the submittal.

  4. Chase the gaps

    Call the surveyor about 104. Answer the GC's RFI. Wait.

  5. Release the orders

    Frames, doors and hardware, hoping nothing comes back prepped wrong.

Where it goes wrong

Every re-order started on the survey clipboard

Surveyors walk a lot of openings in a day. The sheet is mostly right. The expensive part is the one character they weren't sure of.

  • Hand from the wrong side

    Hand is read from the key side. The surveyor read the stair door from the other side and wrote RH. From the key side it's LHR, and on a 90-minute door that's a new door.

  • "Match existing"

    Frames from the seventies don't put hinges where today's standard does. "Match existing" with no locations is a door that won't hang in the frame it was bought for.

  • The label under the paint

    An opening into a stair enclosure needs a labeled door and frame, fire exit hardware and a closer. The survey said standard, because the label was under four coats of paint.

  • Wall isn't jamb

    A 4-7/8" wall takes a 5-3/4" jamb. Type the wall dimension in as the jamb depth and the KD frame won't wrap the drywall.

Why it's still manual

Software hasn't fixed this. Here's why.

Distributors run good detailing software. It assumes somebody already turned the survey and the door schedule into clean openings.

  • Your CAD and quoting software

    Waits for someone to type

    Comsense, Openings Studio and Overtur detail, schedule and order beautifully, and AutoCAD draws the odd frame. All of them need each opening entered by a detailer who has read the clipboard and the spec.

  • Generic AI and OCR models

    Confidently wrong

    A chat model reads "4½ x 4½ HW" as hardware, drops the question mark off "LHR?", and fills in hinge locations from a standard the 1970s frame never followed. Nothing tells you which preps it assumed.

  • Image-to-CAD converters

    Traces lines, not intent

    Image-to-CAD converters trace the rectangle on the survey sketch. You get a box in a DXF with no hand, no preps, no label and no jamb depth.

  • Measuring apps and configurators

    Only if everyone uses them

    Survey apps and tablets help the surveyors who use them. Most retrofit surveys still come back as clipboard photos, and the architect's schedule still comes in as a PDF.

Written on the paperGeneric OCR / AI modelLaunchAI agent
4½ x 4½ HW 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 hardware 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" heavy-weight hinge HW is heavy weight here and hardware on the next line.
161 prep 2¾ BS 161 prep 23/4 BS ANSI 161 cylindrical lock prep, 2-3/4" backset Prep numbers and fractions run together.
LHR? LHR LHR, low confidence: survey photo taken from the stair side The question mark on a hand is the most expensive character on the sheet.

How the agent does it

From sketches to CAD drawings and layouts

LaunchAI converts the sketch and its measurements into CAD geometry, applies your drawing standards and prepares the related order information. Missing dimensions and unclear notes are flagged for your team to review.

ComsenseOpening 104 · Lincoln MS B-wing retrofit Agent working · your login · this PC
GeneralDetailsPricingNotes
  • 104 · Stair B to corridor ← Survey sheet, line 4
  • 3' 0" x 7' 0" · single ← Survey, "3070"
  • LHR ← Survey, low confidence
  • 16 ga KD drywall · 5-3/4" jamb ← Survey, wall 4-7/8"
  • 90 min door and frame ← Your rule: stair enclosure
  • 3 @ 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" HW · existing locations ← Survey photo with tape
  • 40-5/16" to C/L · 161 prep ← Survey + ANSI default
  • HW-07: fire exit device, PA closer, kick, silencers ← District standard set
Saved as draft. Nothing is sent until you approve.Send to review

  1. Reads what came in

    Surveys, photos, door schedules and voicemails, with a confidence score on every value.

  2. Applies your rules

    Your label rules, jamb-by-wall table, district standard sets and ANSI default preps.

  3. Details each opening

    Opens Comsense and builds the opening and elevation the way your best detailer would.

  4. Asks only what it must

    No hinge locations? It drafts the question to the surveyor instead of guessing.

  5. Your detailer approves

    Confirm the flagged hand; the submittal goes out and the orders wait for release.

Caught at the desk

Problems caught before the shop floor

Today the order bounces when someone hits save. The agent runs the same checks first, fills what it can from a trusted source, and brings you only the one thing that needs a person.

Today

Convert to order · quote #10482Failed rules 4

Opening incomplete · cannot release frame or door order

  • Hand not confirmed on 104
  • Existing hinge locations missing on 106
  • Fire label not set on stair openings
  • Lock prep not specified (161 or 86)

Verify the following

  • Jamb depth vs wall thickness on 108

With the agent

Agent checks · before review5/6 passed

  • Size matches the frame

    3' 0" x 7' 0" opening agrees with the survey line and the frame photo.

    Pass

  • Hand unclear

    Written "LHR?". Entered as LHR; confirm before the door is ordered and prepped.

    Needs you

  • Label carried through

    Stair enclosure: 90-minute door and frame, fire exit device, closer.

    Pass

  • Jamb fits the wall

    4-7/8" wall: 5-3/4" KD jamb.

    Pass

  • Preps match the hardware

    Hinge, strike and closer reinforcement agree with set HW-07.

    Pass

  • Latest change applied

    Locksmith voicemail: opening 112 closer changed to parallel arm.

    Pass

Human review

You approve the drawing, not the typing

The paperwork on one side, the agent's drawing on the other, and every value it read in between, with the one it's unsure of called out.

LaunchAI Portal · Reviews

Approval you asked for

Approve opening 104 frame and hardware Pending

The agent detailed opening 104 from the field survey and the district's standard set and drafted the frame elevation. The hand is unclear.

Medium risk 1 of 22 in your queue Sketch to CAD · step 02.5 · Review opening

Agent suggests: Approve after confirming LHR. Size, frame, jamb, label, strike and hinge preps match the survey and your rules.

Source sketchlincoln_bwing_survey_p1.jpg
36"84"40 5/16 stk 3 hinges 4½ closer LHR? 16ga KD 90 min jamb 5¾
HM frame · elevationOpen in Comsense
3' 0" OPNG7' 0" OPNG40-5/16" STK 3 HINGES 4-1/2" CLSR REINF HAND: LHR 16 GA KD 90 MIN 5-3/4" JAMB HM frame · elevation · Rev A ● Preview synced just now

Dimensions read from sketch

  • Opening width“36"” 3' 0"
  • Opening height“84"” 7' 0"
  • Strike“40 5/16 stk” 40-5/16" to C/L
  • Frame“16ga KD” 16 ga KD · 5-3/4" jamb
  • Label“90 min” 90 min
  • HandLooks like “LHR?” LHR
Every value links back to where it was read on the sketch. Request changes Approve CAD

Inputs and outputs

Sketches and measure sheets in. CAD drawings out.

  • Field surveys of existing openings: clipboard sheets and photos
  • Architect door schedules and hardware sets from the spec
  • GC RFIs, change emails and addenda
  • Locksmith and facilities notes, voicemails and keying requests
  • Photos of hinges, preps, labels and frame profiles with a tape in frame
  • Every opening built in Comsense, Openings Studio or Overtur
  • Frame elevations with hinge, strike and closer preps for the submittal
  • A hardware schedule by set, with labels and electrified items carried through
  • Frame, door and hardware orders ready to release once approved
  • Questions back to the surveyor or GC only for what's missing

Your numbers

What it gives back to your team

Change the numbers to match your shop.

Example values. Put in your own.

25hours back per week
1,250hours back per year (50 weeks)
0.6full-time people's worth of typing

today with the agent: review only

Your software

Create CAD drawings in your team's tools

LaunchAI converts sketches into drawings through your CAD and design workflow. Bring your software version, drawing standards and a sample sketch so we can confirm the conversion steps and outputs for your setup.

  • Comsense
  • ASSA ABLOY Openings Studio
  • Allegion Overtur
  • AutoCAD
  • Bluebeam
  • Excel survey sheets
  • Outlook inbox

FAQ

Commercial doors & hardware: questions we hear

Does it work in Comsense or Openings Studio?

Yes. LaunchAI agents use your detailing software through the screen with your team's logins, the same way your detailers do. There's no integration or import to set up.

Is this only for retrofit surveys, or new construction too?

Both. For new work it reads the architect's door schedule and hardware sets and builds the openings; for retrofits it reads the field survey and preps the new doors to the existing frames.

What happens when the survey is missing a hinge location or the hand?

The agent never assumes a hand or a prep on an existing frame. It flags the opening, drafts the question to the surveyor with the photo attached, and holds that opening while the rest are detailed.

Who approves before frames and doors are ordered?

Your detailer or hardware consultant. The agent stops at the detailed opening and the elevation. Every flagged value has to be confirmed, and nothing is submitted or released for fabrication without that approval.

How does it handle fire-rated openings?

From your rules: stair enclosures, corridors and whatever else your code reviewer lists. It never drops a label requirement; if the survey and the location disagree, it flags the opening instead of picking one.

Will it choose the hardware?

No. It applies the architect's sets or your district standards and your default preps. Specification stays with your consultants; the agent saves them the typing.

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The same agent, other trades

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How the Sketch-to-CAD agent works

Send us last summer's survey sheets.

See your door surveys converted into CAD elevations.

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