If you’ve ever taken a single-family project from architectural drawings to a permit-ready structural drawing set, you know exactly where the time goes.
It’s not the interesting parts. It’s the load takeoffs. The parameter inputs. The layout iterations. The manually drafted connection details. The calculation sheets that nobody outside your firm will ever actually read — but that need to be 212 pages long and code-compliant regardless.
We built Genia to handle that part of the job. And today, I wanted to show you exactly what that looks like in practice.
What’s in the video
This is a real project walkthrough — not a polished demo with a cleaned-up model. I’m uploading an actual Revit file and walking through every step the way you would on a live job.
Here’s the sequence:
Step 1 — Upload & Project Setup Uploading a 7.6MB Revit .rvt file directly into Genia. The platform accepts both CAD (DWG) and BIM (Revit) formats. From there, project name, address, and a quick file validation check.
Step 2 — Building Code & Site Parameters This is where Genia pulls its weight early. Selecting IBC 2024, site class, exposure category, risk category — then the platform automatically fetches seismic parameters (S1, Ss, Sds) and base wind speed for the project address via ASCE API integration. Gravity loads, soil parameters, deflection limits, and approved materials are all configurable here.
One choice I want to highlight: Optimized vs. Conservative shear wall design. Option 1 minimizes hold-down hardware using advanced analysis. Option 2 takes a conservative/robust approach with simpler installation. This is the kind of design decision engineers used to make after hours of iterating layouts. You’re making it at the start, before any drawing is produced.
Step 3 — Architectural Modeling The AI parses the Revit model and produces an editable floor plan and roof plan. Walls, doors, windows, openings, columns — all recognized and rendered as a structural model. You can review and correct any parsing before moving forward.
Step 4 — Roof Framing Layout Regular truss framing layout, generated and displayed on the floor plan canvas. Editable. You can flip direction, switch between truss types, or add beams manually.
Step 5 — AI Generates Structural Design Options This is the part that used to take days. Genia explores hundreds of layout options, runs physics-validated structural calculations on each, filters out anything non-compliant with the building code, and presents you with the top options to review.
In the video, I show Option 2 — a 3D structural model with every layer visible: walls, shear walls, beams, joists, regular trusses, girder trusses, and the foundation system. You can toggle each layer, switch between 2D and 3D, and review load analysis before exporting.
Step 6 — Export One click. The platform packages the full structural drawing set as a CAD file and a calculation report as a PDF.
The outputs from this project:
Permit-ready structural drawings, opened in AutoCAD 2026
A 212-page structural calculation report — covering design basis, vertical load design, lateral load design, critical member design examples, and appendices — all powered by Genia, ready for engineer review and stamping
Why Revit support matters
Most of our users have been uploading DWG files. Revit support opens the door for firms and developers whose architects are delivering BIM models — which is increasingly the standard on new residential projects, especially in California.
If your upstream workflow is already in Revit, you no longer need to export to DWG first. Upload the .rvt directly and start your structural design from there.
Try it yourself
The full workflow in this video — from file upload to exported drawings — takes under 20 minutes of active time (the AI generation step runs in the background, so you can step away).
Start a free project → https://genia.design
New accounts include 100 free credits, enough to run a complete single-family project. No credit card required.
If you’re working at scale — multiple projects per month, team review workflows, custom material libraries — our Team and Enterprise plans are built for that.
Questions?
Drop them in the comments. I read every one.
If you have a specific project type you’d like to see walked through — multi-family, ADU, retrofit, wood vs. steel — let me know. We’ll make it.
— Zhihao CEO & Co-founder, Genia
Genia is a Structural AI Agent used by 200+ structural engineering firms. We generate physics-validated structural designs from architectural drawings, with permit-ready CAD outputs and full calculation sheets. Learn more → genia.design
