---
title: Upload Your First PDF
slug: upload-first-pdf
summary: "Upload a building file and get back a report that checks it against European building rules — like a teacher grading your homework."
youll_need:
  - "A sample IFC or PDF of a structural model"
  - "FrameAI Starter account or trial"
  - "~3 minutes"
steps:
  - "Log in to FrameAI → go to /intake"
  - "Drop or browse to your PDF/IFC file"
  - "Select your country/region (sets the right Eurocode national annex)"
  - 'Click "Run Analysis" — wait ~30s'
  - "Download your IFC + Eurocode report"
what_you_should_see: "Final report screen with green checkmarks and a downloadable PDF"
common_problems:
  - "File too large: If your file is over 50MB, split the model by floor."
  - "Unsupported format: We support IFC2x3, IFC4, and PDF. Check your file format."
  - "No results: Make sure your IFC has structural elements (beams, columns, slabs)."
  - "Wrong country annex: Check the region dropdown — wrong annex = wrong safety factors."
video_slug: upload-first-pdf
category: get_started
locale: en
---

## Upload Your First PDF

FrameAI takes your building file — PDF drawings or IFC BIM models — and checks every beam, column, and connection against European building rules (Eurocode). Think of it as a teacher grading your homework.

### Before you start

| Item | Details |
|------|---------|
| File formats | IFC2x3, IFC4, PDF |
| Maximum size | 50 MB |
| Account | Starter or trial (free tier available) |
| Time | ~3 minutes |

---

### Step 1 — Log in and open /intake

Log in at [frameai-structural.polsia.app](https://frameai-structural.polsia.app) and navigate to `/intake`.

```
<div class="screenshot-placeholder">
  📸 Screenshot: The /intake upload page with drag-and-drop zone.
  TODO: replace with actual screenshot
</div>
```

### Step 2 — Drop your file

Drag your PDF or IFC onto the upload zone, or click **Browse files**.

```
<div class="screenshot-placeholder">
  📸 Screenshot: File being uploaded with progress indicator.
  TODO: replace with actual screenshot
</div>
```

You can upload multiple files as a batch — FrameAI will process them in sequence.

### Step 3 — Select your country/region

Choose the country for your Eurocode National Annex:

- 🇳🇱 Netherlands — NEN-EN NDPs
- 🇩🇪 Germany — DIN EN NA
- 🇫🇷 France — NF EN NA
- 🇮🇹 Italy — UNI EN NA
- 🇧🇪 Belgium — NBN EN NA

The annex controls safety factors (γM), imperfection factors, and load combination rules. **Wrong annex = wrong results** — double-check this.

```
<div class="screenshot-placeholder">
  📸 Screenshot: Country/region dropdown with National Annex options.
  TODO: replace with actual screenshot
</div>
```

### Step 4 — Run analysis

Click **Run Analysis**. Processing takes 30–90 seconds depending on file size and page count.

```
<div class="screenshot-placeholder">
  📸 Screenshot: Processing spinner with estimated time remaining.
  TODO: replace with actual screenshot
</div>
```

### Step 5 — Download your results

When complete, the report screen shows green checkmarks for passed checks and red warnings for failures.

```
<div class="screenshot-placeholder">
  📸 Screenshot: Final report screen with checkmarks and download buttons.
  TODO: replace with actual screenshot
</div>
```

Click **Download PDF** to get the full Eurocode calculation report, or **Download IFC** to get the enriched BIM model.

---

## What you should see

A final report screen with:
- Member count and profile list
- Green ✅ for passed checks, red ❌ for failures
- Download buttons for PDF report and IFC model

---

## Common problems

**File too large**
> If your file is over 50MB, split the model by floor. FrameAI can handle up to 50MB per upload — larger files may time out or get truncated.

**Unsupported format**
> We support IFC2x3, IFC4, and PDF. If your file uses an older IFC schema or a different format (DWG, DXF directly), re-export from your BIM tool first.

**No results**
> Make sure your IFC has structural elements (beams, columns, slabs). Architectural-only IFC exports won't have members to extract — go back to your BIM tool and export the structural model.

**Wrong country annex**
> Check the region dropdown. The wrong annex means wrong safety factors, wrong imperfection curves, and wrong load combinations. If you're working on a project in Germany but selected Netherlands, the results are incorrect.

---

## What's next?

- [Run Eurocode Calculations](/docs/tutorials/run-eurocode-calculations) — understand what the numbers mean
- [Export to Fabrication](/docs/tutorials/export-to-fabrication) — download DSTV NC1 for your workshop
- [Run a Free Audit](/docs/tutorials/run-free-audit) — check any IFC file without an account

Prefer to watch? [Watch the video walkthrough](/videos/upload-first-pdf)