More accurate AI detection. New schedule support. Less manual cleanup. Here’s what’s changed inside SketchDeck (formerly LIFT), and what it means for your next bid.
If you’re already using SketchDeck to power your steel takeoffs, you’ve probably noticed things getting a little smoother lately. That’s not by accident.
Over the past year, the SketchDeck.ai team has been focused on a single goal: helping structural steel teams work faster, with more confidence, and with less time spent on manual data cleanup. The latest round of improvements to SketchDeck delivers on that promise across the board, from smarter AI detection to brand-new schedule support features.
Here’s a look at what’s changed and why it matters for your estimating workflow.
Better AI Detection Across Beams, Columns, and Joists
At the heart of every takeoff is detection accuracy. If the AI doesn’t get it right upfront, your team spends valuable time fixing data instead of focusing on the estimate. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in improving SketchDeck’s detection models across three key areas.
Beams: SketchDeck now does a better job identifying main members versus supporting elements. It also captures critical details like camber, total weight, member lengths, and related attributes more reliably. The result is cleaner beam data from the start, which means less manual validation downstream.
Columns: Detection improvements extend to columns as well, with new ways to capture column lengths. You can now use bottom-of-steel and top-of-steel references to quickly and consistently determine column heights. We’ve also enhanced grid analysis so that layouts are interpreted more accurately across your drawings.
Joists: SketchDeck now includes a dedicated joist model. This ensures joist counts align with supplier information, particularly useful when joists are installed on site, where discrepancies are common.
Together, these improvements increase overall detection accuracy, giving you more confidence in the information SketchDeck extracts from your drawings before you ever touch the data.
New Support for Graphical and Tabular Schedules
One of the most requested features from our users has been better schedule support, and we’ve delivered.
SketchDeck now supports graphical column schedules. Simply upload your drawings and SketchDeck can automatically detect and extract column information directly from the schedule, saving you the manual effort of cross-referencing.
We’ve also expanded this with support for tabular beam and column schedules. Once uploaded, schedule data can be entered and mapped so that SketchDeck automatically labels members throughout the project. This streamlines the entire workflow, connecting schedule data directly to your takeoff without extra steps.
Less Friction. More Estimating.
Every one of these enhancements is designed to remove friction from the takeoff process. The less time your team spends on data cleanup and manual validation, the more time they have to focus on what actually wins jobs: accurate estimates delivered fast.
As one of our customers, Justin Airhart at SSE, put it: “[SketchDeck] has cut my estimating time by 50 to 80 percent.” With these latest updates, that kind of time savings becomes even more achievable across a wider range of project types and drawing formats.
See It in Action
These features are available today inside the projects you’re already working on. If you’re a current SketchDeck user, you’ll see the improvements automatically as you work through your next takeoff.
If you’re not yet using SketchDeck, there’s never been a better time to see what AI-powered steel takeoffs can do for your team.
Book a Demo and test SketchDeck on your latest bid, risk-free.
