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AI drafting for parking garages

AI Drafting for Parking Garage Projects

A parking structure is one level drawn six times with a ramp in the middle, and the hard parts hide in the differences: the enclosed level below grade, the van stall under a low beam, the EV chargers the city now requires. Nomic drafts the garage lighting, EV charging, standpipes, ventilation, and striping in CAD across every level, then checks each level against the code before your engineers review and stamp.

Start for freeAll drafting work
Last reviewed: November 2026

You send

  • Architectural level plans and ramp layout as DWG
  • Structural grid, beam depths, and post-tensioned tendon layout
  • Photometric criteria and EV charging requirements from the ordinance
  • Fire protection system types and design criteria
  • Your CAD standards file and title block

Nomic hands back

  • Garage lighting and power plans for every level as DWG files
  • EV charging layouts with circuits and panel schedules
  • Standpipe, sprinkler, and ventilation plans for open and enclosed levels
  • Striping and accessible stall plans, plus a list of open questions
1234567ABCW24x55W24x55W24x55W12x1918K5 @ 5'-0" O.C.TOP OF STEEL EL. 128'-6" | 3" COMPOSITE DECK + 3-1/4" LW CONC.27'-3"27'-0"27'-3"27'-3"27'-0"27'-3"94'-8"1AFRAMING PLANSCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"N1234CONSULTING ENGINEERSREVISIONS1ISSUED FOR REVIEWPROJECTWESTFIELD LABSSCALE1/8" = 1'-0"DATE01/17/2026KEY PLANSHEET TITLEFRAMING PLANSHEET NUMBERS-201

On the sheet

Framing Plan, annotated

A structural framing plan with columns on the grid, girders, infill beams, and the lateral system.

  1. 1Steel column at each grid intersection
  2. 2Girder on the grid line, sized on plan
  3. 3Joists with spacing and span arrow
  4. 4Moment connection in the lateral frame

The problem

Every level is typical until it is not

On a six level precast or post-tensioned garage, the typical level carries most of the drafting: fixtures on the drive aisles, stall striping on a 9 foot module, floor drains at the low points of each sloped bay. Then the bottom level is below grade and enclosed, so it needs mechanical exhaust and CO detection, the roof level is open to weather and needs pole lights, and the open levels exposed to freezing push the sprinkler and standpipe systems to dry pipe.

EV charging adds a second layer. The ordinance sets a count of EV-capable, EV-ready, and installed chargers, each charger needs its own branch circuit sized for continuous load, and the accessible EV spaces have to work with the accessible stall layout. On a post-tensioned deck, every new conduit penetration also needs the tendon layout from the structural engineer before anyone drills.

01 / Typical levels

One typical level, carried up the structure

Attach the architectural level plans, the structural grid, and the photometric criteria. Nomic draws the typical level once, places it on each floor with the ramp and slope offsets, and then drafts the levels that differ: the enclosed level, the roof, and the levels with EV charging.

  • Drive aisle fixtures and stall striping on the typical level
  • Daylight zones at perimeter openings on lighting controls
  • EV chargers, circuits, and conduit routes kept off post-tensioned tendons
02 / Fire protection

Standpipes and sprinklers by level

Open and enclosed levels in the same structure often get different fire protection. Nomic drafts the standpipe risers and hose valves at the stairs, then lays out wet sprinklers on the enclosed level and dry pipe on the open levels exposed to freezing, following the system types your fire protection engineer selected.

  • Hose valves at each stair landing and riser locations on every level
  • Wet and dry system zones drawn per the engineer criteria
  • Drain points and auxiliary drains noted at the low points of dry piping
03 / Check

Checked for the stall, the beam, and the breaker

Garage plan review comments tend to cluster around accessible parking, vertical clearance on van routes, EV circuits, and ventilation of the enclosed level. Nomic checks its own drawings against the code editions you name and the structural sections, then clouds what it drew and lists the items your engineers need to decide.

  • Accessible and van stall counts, widths, and access aisles
  • Vertical clearance along van routes checked against beam depths
  • EV branch circuits, panel capacity, and enclosed level exhaust rates

Checked against

The code and documents behind every sheet

Name the editions the project is designed to and Nomic checks its own drawing against them before handing it back. Your engineer or architect of record makes the final call and stamps the set.

  • NEC Article 625 and NEC Article 220
  • International Building Code Section 406 and Chapter 9
  • NFPA 13 and NFPA 14
  • International Mechanical Code for enclosed parking garages
  • ADA 2010 Standards and ICC A117.1
  • ASHRAE 90.1 or the IECC, including parking garage lighting controls

How it works

From a sentence to a stamped set

  1. Step 1

    Ask for the drawing

    Say what the sheet needs to show and attach the backgrounds, markups, cutsheets, or photos. A sentence is enough to start.

  2. Step 2

    Nomic drafts it in CAD

    Nomic works in CAD on its own computer, on your layers and blocks, following how your firm drew the same thing before. It saves real DWG files to the project.

  3. Step 3

    Nomic checks its own work

    The drawing is checked against the code editions you name and the source documents. Everything Nomic drew is clouded, and open questions are listed.

  4. Step 4

    Your team reviews and stamps

    Your engineers and architects review the clouded changes, make the final call, and issue the set under their own stamp.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Nomic draws garage fixtures, lighting controls, and circuits on the typical level in CAD, places that level up the structure, and then drafts the levels that differ. It saves DWG files in your standards and checks the lighting controls against the energy code you name.

Yes. Nomic places chargers from the ordinance counts your team gives it, puts each charger on its own branch circuit sized for continuous load, and checks the result against NEC Article 625 and the panel capacity. Whether to use load management and how to size the service stay with your electrical engineer.

A garage that meets the IBC definition of an open parking garage relies on its wall openings for natural ventilation. Levels that do not meet the opening requirements, such as a below grade level, are enclosed and need mechanical exhaust under the mechanical code. Your architect and mechanical engineer confirm which levels qualify, and Nomic drafts and checks to that determination.

Your engineers and architect of record. Nomic is a new source of drafting capacity, and your team reviews each level, makes the final call on the questions Nomic lists, and stamps the set.

No. Nomic works in CAD on its own computer and saves DWG files you open in AutoCAD or any DWG editor. For garages modeled in Revit, your modeler links the DWGs and change list into the model.

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