Auto-Drawings — The End of Manual Dimensioning? AI Generates Complete 2D Documentation from BIM
You have a BIM model in Revit. 200 rooms, 15 storeys, 4 disciplines. Now you need to generate complete documentation: floor plans, sections, elevations. With dimensions. With tags. With annotations. To your office standard. That will take weeks. What if it took one night?
Graebert just released ARES 2027 (6 May 2026) with technology that makes this possible. And they are not alone — Qonic, Snaptrude and DraftSight already license the same technology. Welcome to the era of auto-drawings.
The problem you know too well
Documentation consumes 30–40% of project time in large AEC firms. That is not an estimate — it is data from an AEC+Tech review published this week.
Think about what that means. If an architectural project runs 12 months, then 4–5 months are spent on generating drawings, dimensioning, tagging, checking consistency and updating after model changes. And every time someone moves a wall in Revit — the cycle repeats.
BIM was supposed to solve this. The 3D model was meant to be the "single source of truth" from which documentation generates itself automatically. But in practice? Anyone who works in Revit knows that generating views is just the beginning. Dimensioning, tagging, legends, graphic styles, legibility checks — that is still manual work.
Until now.
What are auto-drawings
Auto-drawings (autonomous drawings, automated drawings) are a technology for automatically generating complete 2D drawing sets from a BIM model — not raw views, but finished sheets with dimensions, room tags, annotations and graphic styling.
The key word is complete. This is not about exporting a view from Revit that you then manually dimension for 3 days. It is about documentation that is ready to issue — or requires only verification and minor adjustments.
How it works — ARES 2027 in practice
Graebert (Berlin) has spent a decade building an alternative to AutoCAD. Their ARES platform (Commander + Kudo + Touch) runs natively in DWG format across desktop, browser and mobile.
But the real breakthrough is BIM-to-DWG Drawings Automation. Here is the workflow:
Step 1 — Select the model. Point to a Revit file (.rvt, versions 2011–2026) or IFC in cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, Autodesk Forma). New in ARES 2027: you can select disciplines — e.g. Architectural + Structural only, or Architectural + MEP. This reflects real-world federated model coordination workflows.
Step 2 — Define parameters. Sheet sizes, graphic styles, automatic dimensions, tag types. Set once — works for every project.
Step 3 — Schedule the automation. Set as a one-time job or a recurring job — e.g. every Friday evening. Upload the model on Friday, Monday morning you have an updated drawing set in the cloud.
Step 4 — Verify and issue. Drawings are ready. Your role is verification: are dimensions legible, do tags overlap, does the graphic style match your office standard. Not creation from scratch — curation and communication.
Robert Graebert (CTO) summarises it clearly: the old model of "BIM → drawing → send and forget" is broken, because the BIM model keeps changing. Drawings must be linked to the model and automatically updated. Auto-drawings make this possible.
Who else has this
Graebert licenses its auto-drawings technology to other firms. In 2026, it is used by:
Qonic — the Belgian BIM 2.0 platform (covered in our agentic BIM article). Auto-generated drawings from Qonic models with automatic dimensioning, styling and tagging.
Snaptrude — Indian BIM collaboration platform. Integrates auto-drawings into Revit-centric workflows.
DraftSight Premium — Dassault Systèmes' AutoCAD alternative. Built-in auto-drawings from BIM files.
Plus the forthcoming ARES Neo — a brand-new Graebert product announced in 2026. A Revit plugin that validates and fixes drawings directly inside Revit at scale. It closes the loop: BIM model → auto-generated DWG → validation and correction → back to Revit.
What this changes in practice
For design offices
Documentation time drops by 50–70%. Not because documentation disappears — but because manual drawing production becomes verification of automatically generated output. Your team focuses on design, not dimensioning.
Overnight updates. Model changed on Thursday? Scheduled job Friday evening. Monday morning the entire drawing set is updated. No overtime.
Graphic consistency. Auto-drawings apply uniform settings to all drawings — material styles, dimensions, tags. No more situations where every designer dimensions differently.
For cross-discipline coordination
ARES 2027 generates drawings from selected disciplines of a federated model. Architecture + Structure on one sheet. Architecture + MEP on another. This reflects real BIM coordination workflows — and eliminates manual discipline overlays.
For document delivery
Integration with Autodesk Forma Data Management (formerly ACC) means the entire cycle happens in the cloud: Revit model in Forma → auto-drawings → updated DWG in Forma → available to all project participants. No emailing files.
The human role changes — it doesn't disappear
Niknaz Aftahi (CEO of AEC+Tech) put it precisely in her ARES 2027 review: automation doesn't create designs on its own. It gives you your time back.
The architect's and BIM Manager's role shifts from drawing producer to documentation curator:
Instead of creating — you verify. Are dimensions legible? Do tags overlap? Is the scale correct?
Instead of dimensioning — you communicate. Is the drawing understandable to the contractor? Is the contractual information complete?
Instead of updating after changes — you supervise scheduled jobs. The system updates; you review.
This is the same transformation visible in agentic BIM: AI takes the repetitive work, humans remain where judgement and decisions are needed.
Does this work with your workflow?
Auto-drawings work best when the BIM model is clean and structured. Dirty data = dirty drawings. Garbage in, garbage out — even with the best automation.
That is why the foundation is:
- Naming and classification standards (IFC, ISO 19650)
- Revit templates with predefined graphic styles
- CDE with version control and file status management
- A clean model with correct element classification
If you don't have this — auto-drawings won't help. But if you do — you save hundreds of hours per year.
We'll assess your model quality, templates and processes. We'll show where auto-drawings can save time — and what needs fixing first. 60 minutes, PDF report, action plan.
FAQ {#faq}
What are auto-drawings in BIM?
Automatic generation of complete 2D drawing sets (DWG) from BIM models — with dimensions, tags and annotations. No manual work.
What tools offer this?
ARES 2027 (Graebert), plus technology licensed by Qonic, Snaptrude, DraftSight. New ARES Neo — validation plugin for Revit.
How much time do they save?
50–70% of documentation time. Documentation is 30–40% of project time — the saving is substantial.
Will they replace Revit documentation?
They complement it. The BIM model in Revit stays the source. Auto-drawings generate DWG deliverables.
What is ARES Neo?
A new Graebert plugin for Revit — validates and fixes drawings directly inside Revit.
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