Legacy P&ID Digitisation & Intelligent Conversion
Transform legacy raster drawings into connected plant models, DEXPI XML, and intelligent CAD formats.
Situation
Owner-operators and EPCs manage thousands of legacy P&IDs trapped in scanned PDFs and raster CAD that cannot be queried, updated, or ingested by modern plant software.
Deliverable
DEXPI XML (ISO 15926), SmartPlant P&ID imports, verified tabular line lists, master tag registers, and AI context graphs.
Why this work is technically hard
Manual re-drafting into intelligent CAD takes months of engineering hours per unit and introduces manual drafting errors. Basic OCR misses connectivity, directionality, and instrument loops entirely.
What Novek produces
Novek builds a full topological model of the plant directly from drawing packages, complete with symbol classification, nozzle connectivity, and line specification attributes.
Why teams use Novek for this
Owner-operators and EPCs migrate legacy plant data into intelligent digital twins 10x faster, with 100% source-pixel verification and zero proprietary format lock-in.
What the workflow includes
Common questions
What is legacy P&ID digitisation and intelligent conversion?
Legacy P&ID digitisation converts static drawings (scanned PDFs, TIFFs, dumb CAD) into a connected, queryable engineering model. Rather than just extracting text, Novek reconstructs the complete piping topology, equipment hierarchies, inline valve positions, and instrument control loops.
Can Novek export to SmartPlant P&ID (SPPID) and DEXPI XML?
Yes. Novek converts flat drawings into ISO 15926 / DEXPI-compliant XML and schema-compatible imports for Hexagon SmartPlant P&ID, AVEVA, and AutoCAD Plant 3D.
How does Novek resolve cross-sheet continuity?
Novek parses off-page connectors (OPCs), drawing references, and continuation flags to trace process lines across multiple sheets in a unit package.
How does human verification work?
Every component and topological connection is overlaid onto the original drawing with bounding boxes and confidence scores. Engineers review and approve changes in the audit interface before export.
See it on a real package
Bring a real project package or client workflow and we will show how quickly Novek can produce the outputs your team normally builds manually.
Related engineering outputs
DEXPI & CAD Integrations
Learn how Novek exports to SmartPlant P&ID, AVEVA, and ISO 15926 DEXPI XML.
Piping Line List Extraction
Extract line numbers, pipe classes, design conditions, and insulation from drawings.
Master Tag Registers
Build auditable tag registers and asset indices directly from the connected model.