By role
AI for site planning: from a survey to a checked drawing task
Start with the survey, coordinate system and one deliverable. Site-planning assistance becomes useful when its geometry and assumptions can be checked.
Contents · 5
Separate an option study from a production drawing
An early site option and an issued site plan answer different questions. An option study may explore building arrangement, circulation and open space. A production task needs controlled survey data, boundaries, levels, interfaces and an agreed deliverable. AI can assist both, but success in one does not qualify the other.
Choose a specific result: an inventory of drawing objects, a checked area table, a section through named points or a list of missing grading inputs. “Optimize the site” hides the criteria and makes the result difficult to accept. State which constraints are fixed and which decisions remain open.
For an international project, supply the actual planning and engineering requirements. Neither an English prompt nor a familiar drawing convention establishes the relevant authority, boundary status or permitted design criteria.
Inspect the base before measuring it
Keep the original survey unchanged. In a working copy, identify model-space units, coordinate reference, vertical datum, survey date and revision. Establish whether coordinates are local or georeferenced and whether levels refer to the same datum across all files.
A contour is not necessarily a valid terrain model. A polyline labelled with an elevation may have zero geometric height. Spot levels may be text disconnected from point objects. Ask for an inventory and sample checks before accepting a surface calculation.
Distinguish surveyed boundaries, design limits and construction-phase boundaries. A CAD layer name is evidence to investigate, not legal confirmation of ownership. The designer must identify which boundary controls the particular task.
Define how areas are counted
For a paving take-off, provide closed boundaries and state the treatment of planting, building footprints, kerbs and overlapping surface types. Keep horizontal plan area separate from sloping surface area. Establish whether a pavement layer extends beneath an adjacent feature.
An illustrative courtyard has a gross outline of 820 m² and an excluded planted area of 40 m². The net plan area is 780 m² only if those two boundaries are valid, non-overlapping and refer to the same scope. The assistant should return the component areas and selected objects, not only the subtraction.
| Result | Input needed | Acceptance check |
|---|---|---|
| Area schedule | Agreed closed boundaries and exclusions | Inspect object selection and duplicate contours |
| Section | Alignment, surfaces and level datum | Compare independent known levels |
| Grading draft | Tie-ins, constraints and drainage intent | Check gradients and receiving points |
| Earthworks comparison | Existing/proposed surfaces and calculation limit | Check method, voids and material assumptions |
A geometric cut/fill result does not automatically include topsoil stripping, unsuitable material, bulking, compaction or haulage. Keep these commercial and construction assumptions visible instead of burying them in a single volume.
A prompt for one useful site-plan check
Inspect the attached site DWG without changing the original. Confirm units and identify candidate paving boundaries within the marked courtyard. Compare their areas with schedule revision B, retaining object references and exclusions. Report duplicate or open contours and any uncertain boundary interpretation. Do not select planning criteria or infer approval status.
Start by reviewing a small, known region. Check one independent length in each relevant direction and an area you can reproduce. If the result is wrong by a factor of a thousand, resolve the unit problem before reviewing the whole site.
When asking for a new drawing, specify required layers, labels, dimensions, sheet size and file format. A preview that looks convincing does not prove that the saved CAD file has the right coordinates or editable objects. Open the delivered file and verify the actual measurements.
Connect the result to the next designer
A useful handoff names the source revision, assumptions, output filename, checks performed and unresolved decisions. For grading, include tie-in points and drainage destinations. For paving, include the scope boundary and the relationship between the table and the drawn regions.
Begin with one site-plan geometry question in a DWG/DXF. Confirm units, coordinate reference, revision and boundary interpretation, then compare the measured result with separately verified project criteria. Prepare a site drawing task in ARAI. For turning areas into a priced scope, see AI for cost estimating.
Ask ARAI about your project
Prepared by ARAI’s editors with AI assistance. Product information was checked against official sources as of the update date. Report an error at hello@arai.build.