Overview
Sentinel AI is an intelligent 2D drawing data extraction tool that allows you to upload PDF drawings alongside your 3D models to streamline the quoting process. By automatically retrieving key technical information directly from the title block and annotations of a PDF, Sentinel AI reduces manual data entry and ensures high precision in your manufacturing estimates.
Key Benefits
Faster Quoting: Eliminates manual typing for material specifications, surface roughness specs, thread callouts, and tolerances.
Increased Accuracy: Directly pulls data from engineering drawings, reducing human transcription errors.
Unified Workspace: View 3D models and 2D drawings side-by-side or overlaid within a single interface.
Automated Service Routing: Automatically detects required secondary processes (e.g., anodizing, chemfilm) from drawing callouts and matches them to your active service catalog.
🔍 Interactive PDF Viewer & Workspace Access
You can access all relevant PDF drawing information directly within your active workspace, allowing you to compare drawing specs against 3D geometries seamlessly.
Overlay Workspace: The PDF viewer opens automatically beneath or directly on top of your active 3D model during CAD/2D drawing analysis.
Multi-Page Support: Sentinel AI analyzes multi-page PDF drawings simultaneously, aggregating drawing data into a single inspection view.
Tabbed Navigation: Open multiple tabs within the PDF viewer window to compare different drawing pages or revisions.
Usability Controls: Includes built-in PDF rotation, hand panning, and text selection tools.
How to Use Sentinel AI Extraction
1. Uploading the Drawing
To trigger automated extraction, upload your 2D PDF drawing in the 2D Drawing field alongside your 3D model file.
Supported Formats: Standard 2D engineering drawings in PDF format (including multi-page drawings).
Automatic Analysis: Once uploaded, Sentinel AI scans the title block, notes, and callouts to identify manufacturing parameters.
2. Extracted Information & Tolerance Snap
Sentinel AI automatically identifies and populates key production parameters:
Material Name: Matches materials listed on the drawing to your existing database, providing pre-selected suggestions highlighted in green for easy verification.
Dimensional & General Tolerances: Extracts precision callouts (e.g., ISO 2768 or custom values).
Surface Roughness: Identifies required surface finish values (e.g., Ra values).
Thread Specifications: Detects thread parameters (e.g., 6x M14, UNF, UNC, BSP, NPT) and links them to hole geometries.
Tolerance Snap: Extracted tolerances, surface roughness values, and thread callouts are cataloged in the inspection list. Clicking any extracted item automatically snaps to and highlights that exact callout on the 2D PDF drawing.
Direct 3D Property Application: Right-clicking or selecting a snapped callout allows you to set tolerances, surface finishes, or assigned services directly across selected 3D model features.
3. Automated Secondary Service Detection
Sentinel AI eliminates manual quoting steps by scanning 2D drawings for post-processing callouts.
Automated Service Matching: When a drawing specifies secondary finishes (such as Anodizing, Chemfilm, Passivation, or Polishing), Sentinel AI matches the requirement to your active AMFG service catalog.
Auto-Populated Routing: Detected secondary services are automatically inserted into the part's service sequence alongside primary machining or additive services.
Auto-Secondary Pricing: Matching services trigger configured pricing worker scripts to compute estimated lead times and secondary process costs automatically.
Thread Assignment & Feature Detection
Sentinel AI works alongside our CNC Feature Detection engine to link extracted thread callouts to recognized hole geometries on your 3D model.
Supported Thread Standards:
Metric (e.g., M-series fine/coarse)
UNF & UNC (Unified National Fine / Coarse)
BSP (British Standard Pipe)
NPT (National Pipe Taper)
Assigning Threads:
Open the part in the 3D Viewer and navigate to the Feature Detection panel.
Select target hole geometries from the Holes / Drilled Holes list or directly on the 3D model.
Select Assign Thread to search and link the matching thread callout.
Linked parameters automatically feed into the CNC pricing script to adjust tool path selection, hole prep diameter checks, and threading cycle time calculations.
Best Practices for Optimal Extraction
Clear Title Blocks & Vector PDFs: Ensure PDF drawings are high-resolution with legible text and standard vector formatting.
Standard Industry Notation: Use standard industry notations for materials, thread callouts, and ISO tolerance classes.
Compare Drawings in Tabs: Keep multiple PDF tabs open within the viewer to compare related drawing revisions or sub-assemblies for the same part.
Pro Tip: By combining data from both the 3D geometry (volume/features) and the 2D PDF (tolerances/materials), you can achieve the most accurate instant quotes possible in AMFG.