AI drawing review for mechanical contractors

Helonic is an AI construction drawing analysis platform for mechanical contractors who review 2D PDF drawing sets.

Detect ductwork routing conflicts, verify equipment clearances, and coordinate with other trades automatically, straight from your 2D PDF drawing set.

What slows down mechanical contractors?

Mechanical contractors find duct, shaft, and equipment clashes after hangers are in when the drawings were never cross-checked.

Ductwork Routing Conflicts

Supply and return ductwork frequently clashes with structural beams, piping mains, and electrical conduit runs in tight ceiling plenums.

Equipment Clearance Issues

AHUs, VAV boxes, and rooftop units need service access that drawings often fail to verify against adjacent structures.

Multi-Trade Coordination

Diffusers, grilles, and registers must align with reflected ceiling plans while avoiding sprinkler heads and light fixtures.

How does Helonic help?

Helonic reviews mechanical sheets against structure and architecture and flags duct, clearance, and controls conflicts before fabrication.

Duct Routing Conflict Detection

Automatically identify where ductwork intersects structural members, piping, or electrical systems. Helonic flags conflicts before they become costly field rework.

Equipment Clearance Verification

Verify that AHUs, chillers, boilers, and VAV boxes have the manufacturer-required service and maintenance clearances shown on drawings.

Diffuser vs Structure Coordination

Cross-reference supply and return diffuser locations against reflected ceiling plans, structural grids, and lighting layouts to catch placement conflicts.

Insulation Space Checking

Confirm that ductwork insulation thickness is accounted for in ceiling plenum space calculations and does not cause new clearance violations.

Control Sequence Verification

Review sequences of operation against mechanical drawings to ensure control points, damper locations, and sensor placements are consistent with design intent.

What issues does Helonic catch?

Helonic flags duct routing clashes, equipment access misses, and shaft conflicts that stall install.

Routing & Clearances

Ductwork routing through structural beams and columns
Insufficient equipment access and service clearances
Return air pathway obstructions and dead zones
VAV box sizing mismatches with design airflow

Coordination & Controls

Diffuser placement conflicts with sprinklers and lights
Insulation thickness exceeding available plenum space
Missing or mislocated control dampers and sensors
Exhaust fan duct routing conflicts at roof penetrations

What return do mechanical contractors see with Helonic?

Mechanical teams fabricate and install with fewer field reroutes because clashes are listed before shop drawings go out.

SAVINGS

$40K–$250K

average per project from early clash detection

CONFLICTS CAUGHT

45+

mechanical issues per drawing set

FASTER REVIEW

70%

vs. manual ductwork coordination

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Helonic verify before mechanical fabrication?

It checks HVAC routing, equipment clearances, and structural coordination, flagging ductwork routed through beams, inadequate service access, and conflicts with other trades in shared ceiling space, each tied to the sheet, before you fabricate.

Does it check equipment service and code clearances?

Yes. It flags where mechanical equipment lacks required service and code clearances under the IMC, before the layout is committed.

Can it catch clashes with structure and other trades?

Yes. It flags ductwork and equipment conflicts with structure, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection in shared space, the clashes that otherwise appear during rough-in.

Do I need a coordinated 3D model?

No. It works on the 2D mechanical and coordinated PDFs you already receive.

Manas Gandhi

Co-founder & CTO, Helonic

Manas 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.

Areas of focus

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: Coordination checks reference IMC clearance requirements, equipment service access, and the mechanical-structural interfaces verified before fabrication. Examples are drawn from Helonic's review of mechanical sets against structural framing and other trades.

Last reviewed by Manas Gandhi · August 1, 2026

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