Industries › Warehouses
Portal frames, purlins, base plates, and DSTV NC1 export — all from a PDF drawing upload. EN 1993-1-1 + EN 1993-1-8. Typical project: 4 minutes, not 11 hours.
Benchmark result — real project
FrameAI ran the complete pipeline — EN 1993-1-1 member checks, EN 1993-1-8 connection design, DSTV NC1 export — on a real 24m × 60m warehouse project. Here's the exact comparison.
| Span | 24 000 mm — single-span symmetric |
| Total steel | 18.5 te, S355 J2 (EN 10025-2) |
| Primary sections | IPE 500 columns / IPE 450 rafters |
| Connections | Endplate eaves (M20 10.9, 4-row), stiffened apex |
| Max utilisation | 0.85 on rafter R2 — EN 1993-1-1 §6.3.1 |
| Shop drawings | 12-sheet set, DSTV NC1 for all members |
"The 4-minute run time sounds like a benchmark claim until you look at the actual output — the EN 1993 utilisation ratios are exactly what I'd check by hand, the endplate connection detail has the right bolt rows and plate thickness, and the DSTV NC1 file loaded into the fab shop's software without errors."
— A senior detailer at a mid-size European structural consultancy, asked to review FrameAI output against their own manual workflow
See full output screenshots →What gets automated
| Stage | Standard | Automation |
|---|---|---|
| PDF geometry extraction — span, height, section sizes, pitch | GPT-4o vision | ■ Full |
| 3D BIM model — member tags, fixed-base supports, EN 1991 loading | Internal | ■ Full |
| Cross-section checks — bending, shear, axial | EN 1993-1-1 §6.2 | ■ Full |
| Buckling verification — flexural, LTB, interaction | EN 1993-1-1 §6.3 | ■ Full |
| SLS deflection — L/200 for rafters, L/300 for columns | EN 1993-1-1 §7 | ■ Full |
| Eaves moment connections — endplate, bolt group, welds | EN 1993-1-8 §6.2 | ■ Full |
| Apex connections — stiffened, full-depth haunch | EN 1993-1-8 §6.2.7 | ■ Full |
| Base plate design — M24 anchors, plate thickness, grouting | EN 1993-1-8 §6.2.5 | ■ Full |
| DSTV NC1 — 7th edition, hole blocks, correct BO coordinates | STEUERFILE NC1 | ■ Full |
| Shop drawing set — plan, elevations, connection details, BOM | PDF output | ■ Full |
| Snow, wind, seismic auto-load from location | EN 1991-1-3/4, EN 1998-1 | ■ Full |
Fabrication exports
Every part gets a machine-readable DSTV NC1 file for CNC beam lines. IFC 4 export carries member geometry, section class, and connection data ready for Tekla, Revit, or any ISO 16739 host.
3 PDFs per month free · No credit card · EN/NL/DE supported