Watch the video above to see AI document generation in action.
The guide below covers the key methods so you can start using AI to speed up your own document creation.
Using AI to Create BIM Documents, Outlines, and Section Content
Starting a document from a blank page is one of the most time-consuming parts of project work. You know what needs to be covered, but finding the right words, getting the structure right, and making it all sound professional takes far longer than it should. Whether it’s a design proposal, a BIM execution plan (BEP), or a set of exchange information requirements (EIR), the blank page stares back at you.
Plannerly uses AI trained on data from across the AEC industry to help you get past that starting point. You can generate a complete document outline, a full document with content, or just the content for a single section – all in seconds. The AI gives you a structured, well-written starting point that you then refine and make your own, rather than spending hours trying to write everything from scratch.
There are three ways to use AI for document creation. The first is generating an outline – the AI creates the category and section structure for your document, giving you a framework to fill in. The second is generating a complete document as a starting point, where the AI populates every section with relevant content. In the video, this is demonstrated with a design proposal for architectural services including BIM – and the result includes sections covering project overview, client requirements, objectives, services, construction documentation, costs, and value engineering. The third approach is adding a new section and using AI to generate content for just that section – useful when you’re expanding an existing document and need a quick draft.
The AI doesn’t replace your expertise – it accelerates the parts that slow you down. The generated content may need formatting tweaks and your professional judgement applied to the specifics, but it gives you something solid to work with instead of a blank section. It’s particularly helpful for overcoming writer’s block when you know what a section should cover but can’t find the right words to start.
For teams working on ISO 19650 documentation, AI generation means you can get properly structured documents in front of your team faster. A BEP that would take a morning to draft can have its first version generated in seconds, giving you more time to focus on the project-specific details that actually matter. Combined with Plannerly’s template library, you can generate once, refine, and then reuse that structure across every future project.
How to use AI for document creation in Plannerly
- Start a new document – create a new document tab in your project. If you don’t have any existing content or templates to start from, AI is your third option alongside the library and building from scratch.
- Describe what you need – enter a description of the document you want to create. Be specific – for example, “a design proposal for architectural services including BIM” gives the AI clear direction.
- Choose outline or complete document – select whether you want just the structural outline (categories and sections) or a complete document with content already populated in every section.
- Review the generated content – the AI creates a structured document based on your description. Review the sections, headings, and content to make sure the structure matches what you need.
- Refine and edit – adjust the wording, update formatting where needed, and add your project-specific details. The AI gives you the starting point – your expertise shapes it into the final document.
- Generate content for individual sections – to add more to an existing document, create a new section, give it a title (like “Risks”), and use the AI button to generate content for that section automatically.
- Save as a template – once you’ve refined the document, it becomes part of your template library and can be reused across future projects without starting from AI again.
What you’ll learn
- AI document outline generation – how to create a structured document framework in seconds using a simple description
- Complete document generation – how to produce a full document with content across all sections as a starting point for refinement
- Section-level AI content – how to add a new section and use AI to draft its content instantly, even in an existing document
- AEC industry training data – how the AI draws on a billion data points from across the architecture, engineering, and construction industry
- From AI to template – how generated documents can be refined once and saved as reusable templates for future projects
Common questions
Does the AI replace the need to write documents manually?
No – it gives you a strong starting point. The AI generates structured, well-written content based on your description, but you’ll always want to review and refine it with your own project-specific knowledge. Think of it as a very capable first draft that saves you the hardest part: starting from nothing.
What kind of documents can I generate with AI?
Any structured project document. Teams commonly use it for design proposals, BIM execution plans, exchange information requirements, scopes of service, project standards, and other deliverables that need a professional structure and clear content.
How does the AI know about AEC and BIM terminology?
Plannerly’s AI is trained on data from across the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. This means it understands the language, document structures, and content patterns that are standard in BIM and information management workflows – so the output is relevant and usable, not generic.
Can I use AI to correct or improve existing content?
Yes. Beyond generating new documents, Plannerly also includes AI tools for correcting your writing – fixing spelling, grammar, and clarity. There are also more AI features for professional outputs covered in the basic training course.
Is AI-generated content suitable for ISO 19650 documents?
As a starting point, absolutely. The generated structure and content follow industry conventions, which means you’re not building from scratch. You still need to tailor the content to your specific project requirements and contractual obligations, but the AI gets you to that stage much faster than a blank page would.
Explore further
- AI features for AEC documents and contracts – a detailed look at how AI supports document creation across the platform
- How to create professional project documents like EIR, PIR, BEP – build key ISO 19650 documents step by step
- Importing example information requirements from the library – an alternative to AI when you want to start from existing templates
- BIM Boot Camp – the intensive programme covering end-to-end BIM and ISO 19650 workflows