AI System for Animating Installation Manuals

The problem

Long installation PDFs with dense text and few illustrations make the right step difficult to find. Zooming in and out on a phone makes it harder to follow the text and drawing together.

When parts, tools and dimensions are spread across different pages, installers, dealers, field teams and customers assembling a product struggle to follow the installation sequence.

A step performed in the wrong order or a dimension used incorrectly can lead to installation errors, complaints and follow-up work. When the product changes, the steps requiring updates must also be checked again.

What we set out to improve

• Steps, parts, tools, dimensions and safety warnings match their source pages and receive approval from the technical reviewer
• Users can find the relevant step, drawing and dimension together on a phone and distinguish sourced dimensions from example quantities
• Changes to the product or source document identify the affected steps, which appear in the updated guide after renewed approval

How the system works

1. 01The manufacturer's installation PDF or technical data sheet is converted to text. Page and table information is preserved so that each extracted item can be traced to its location in the document.
2. 02AI extracts the installation steps, parts, tools, dimensions and safety warnings. Each item is kept with its source page.
3. 03Values not provided by the source, such as quantities calculated for a particular example, are clearly labelled as examples. They are kept distinct from dimensions specified by the manufacturer.
4. 04Code generates isometric vector drawings using the part sequence and dimensions from the data. The animation highlights newly installed parts in yellow and shows removed parts with dashed lines. Cross-sections comparing correct and incorrect installation are added.
5. 05The manufacturer's technical reviewer or an installation specialist checks and approves the steps, dimensions and safety warnings. Publication follows this technical approval.
6. 06The approved guide is published as a single-file web page that requires no additional software libraries. It opens on phones, supports keyboard and swipe navigation, and allows links to individual steps to be shared.
7. 07When the product or source manual changes, only the affected steps are regenerated. The guide is updated after the technical reviewer approves those steps again.

Methods we used

• Information extracted from the document retains its source page and table context. Steps, parts, tools and dimensions are linked to the same installation sequence.
• Sourced dimensions and quantities calculated for an example are labelled separately. Unclear dimensions are referred to the technical reviewer.
• Drawings are not generated by an image model. Code-generated isometric vectors use the part sequence and dimensions in the data; highlights and cross-sections illustrate the relevant action.
• Technical approval is part of the publishing process. Source changes send the affected steps back for regeneration and approval.
• The live example on this page is a 15-step corrugated metal roof replacement guide prepared using this method. Its dimensions come from the Lysaght installation manual. The opening screen is followed by lists covering parts, screws, tools, cutting and consumables. The installation steps include animations and correct/incorrect cross-sections, while the sources section identifies the references for dimensions.

Where people stay involved

Data and security

This guide does not replace the manufacturer's official installation instructions. Work at height must be carried out by an authorised team. Quantities and assumptions for the example roof must not be used as specifications for another installation. If source documentation is missing or dimensions are unclear, a guide for installation is not published until the technical information is complete.

Who this suits