What AI import can and cannot do
Many electrical projects begin life as a PDF or a photograph: a drawing received from a client, a scan of an old schematic, or a picture taken on site. Rebuilding that by hand in CAD is slow and error-prone. An AI assistant can read the file, recognise the symbols and connections, and produce an editable project as a starting point.
What it cannot do is guarantee a perfect result from a poor source. Recognition depends on the quality of the input, and the output always needs a human to review it. Treat the import as a fast first draft, not as a finished drawing, and the workflow works extremely well.
GorkyCAD Pro includes an AI assistant with 51 functions that runs in the browser; the assistant needs a connection, while offline PWA work keeps design, calculations and saving available. Importing a schematic is one of the things it is built to do, and the resulting project joins the same model as the plans, panels, cable schedules and calculations.
Step 1: prepare the source file
Recognition quality is decided before the import begins. A few minutes spent on the source file saves far more time in review.
| Source type | Suitability | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Vector PDF | Best | Keep the original resolution and avoid re-exporting |
| Scanned PDF | Good if sharp | Scan at high resolution in black and white |
| Photo of a drawing | Acceptable | Shoot square on, with even lighting and no glare |
| Low-quality phone snap | Poor | Retake rather than push a blurred image through |
- Straighten the page so lines are horizontal and vertical, not tilted.
- Crop away background clutter, borders and unrelated pages.
- Make sure text labels are legible, since the assistant reads them too.
- Import one sheet at a time rather than a whole document in a single pass.
Step 2: import the file
With a clean file ready, run the import and let the assistant work through the sheet. There is nothing to configure beyond the file itself; the point of the step is to get an editable draft quickly, then improve it by hand.
- Upload the PDF or image to the project.
- Let the assistant recognise symbols, text and connections across the sheet.
- Review the proposed result before it is committed to the project.
- Confirm the import and open the generated project in the editor.
The result is a native project rather than an image placed on a canvas. That distinction matters: an image stays an image, while a recognised project has editable devices, wires and labels that behave like anything drawn from scratch. You can move a breaker, rename a circuit or re-route a wire exactly as if you had drawn it yourself.
Work on one sheet at a time. A single clear page is recognised far more reliably than a multi-page document pushed through in one pass, and it makes the review that follows much easier to manage.
Step 3: review the recognised drawing
Now the drawing is editable, check it with the same care you would give a colleague's work. The assistant is fast, not infallible, and a few minutes of review is what turns a good draft into a reliable project.
Check the symbols first
Confirm that each device was placed as the right type: breakers, switches, protective devices and loads. A crowded or faint area is where a symbol is most likely to be misread.
Then trace the connections
Follow the wiring from the supply outwards. Look for lines that should cross and do not, and for junctions that were joined when they should have stayed separate.
Then verify the text
Read every label against the original. Device ratings, circuit names and cable references are easy to misread and expensive to get wrong.
What to check after recognition
Work through this list before you rely on the imported project. It covers the faults that a recognition pass is most likely to produce.
- Every device from the original appears exactly once, with no duplicates and none missing.
- Each protective device carries the correct type and rating.
- Connections match the source, including the ones drawn as simple crossings.
- Labels, circuit numbers and cable references are correct and spelled as in the original.
- The supply, earthing and main device are represented as they were drawn.
Anything ambiguous is best checked against the source file rather than assumed. When the original is itself unclear, note the uncertainty on the drawing so the next reader knows to confirm it on site.
Step 4: complete the imported project
Once the drawing is verified, complete it so it can do real work. Fill in the device data the recognition could not know, tidy the layout, and connect the circuits to the calculations the project needs.
This is where importing pays off. GorkyCAD Pro carries 70+ calculations and IEC 60364 checks in the same model, so an imported circuit can be sized, checked for voltage drop and coordinated without being redrawn. The plans, panels and cable schedules that follow all come from that same project, and the finished work can be exported to PDF, DXF, XLSX, IFC, BCF or GLTF.
Because the editor runs in the browser and offline as a PWA, you can keep reviewing the drawing on site; the AI import itself needs a connection, so import the schematic once you are back online.
Common pitfalls during import
Recognition goes wrong in a handful of predictable ways, and knowing them speeds up the review considerably.
- Faint or overlapping lines can read as a single connection, so check junction points closely.
- Crowded clusters of symbols may be merged or split, so zoom in and count the devices.
- Handwritten or low-resolution labels are the most likely to be misread, so compare them against the source.
- Repeated or similar sheets can produce duplicate ways, so confirm each circuit appears only once.
- A tilted scan shifts the geometry, so straighten the file and re-import if the layout looks skewed.
None of these are reasons to avoid importing; they are simply the places to look first. A disciplined check against the original file catches all of them, and the time saved on redrawing what already exists is still substantial.
Get an editable project from the file you already have
A PDF or a photo is no longer a dead end. With a clean source file and a careful review, an AI import turns a static drawing into an editable project that behaves like any other, and it saves the tedious part of redrawing what already exists.
The rule is simple: prepare the source well, review the result closely, and let the model take over once the drawing is right. That is the difference between a quick draft and a project you can build from.
FAQ
Can the AI import read a phone photo of a schematic?
Yes, if the picture is sharp, square on and evenly lit. A blurred or glare-heavy photo is better retaken than pushed through recognition.
Is the imported result a normal editable project?
Yes. Recognition produces native devices, wires and labels you can edit, not a flat image placed on the canvas.
Do I still need to check the result manually?
Always. Review symbols, connections and text against the original. The AI gives a fast first draft; a human confirms it.
What file types work best?
Vector PDFs give the cleanest recognition, followed by high-resolution black-and-white scans. Photos work when they are sharp and evenly lit.