Visio, Excel or AutoCAD vs Structio for BAS submittals
By Bassirou Thiam, building automation engineer · Updated
Visio, Excel and AutoCAD are general tools most controls contractors already own, and they can produce any drawing or table. The cost is time: the riser and the points list are separate files, typed and updated by hand. Structio builds both from one project description, so they stay consistent when the job changes.
What these tools do well
- Visio: fast to learn, stencil libraries for controllers and devices, and many contractors already have years of templates.
- Excel: the natural format for a points list, easy to filter, sort and share with the engineer.
- AutoCAD: the format many engineers and owners expect for record drawings, with full control over every line.
Where they fall short for a BAS submittal
- The same controller is typed in the riser, the points list, the device schedule and the BOM. Every change is made four times.
- Nothing checks that a point name in the points list matches the one in the sequence or that a device instance is not used twice.
- Each new job starts from a copy of the last one, with its leftovers.
Side by side
| Visio + Excel | AutoCAD + Excel | Structio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draws the riser | By hand, with stencils | By hand, with blocks | From the project description |
| Builds the points list | Typed separately | Typed separately | From the same project |
| A change on the job | Updated in each file | Updated in each file | Shows in every document |
| Free-form drawing | Yes | Yes | Limited to BAS documents |
| DWG for record drawings | Export only | Native | Not the main format |
When to choose the other option
Stay with AutoCAD if the owner requires native DWG record drawings with custom details, or with Visio if your jobs are one-off drawings that will never change. For a points list on a very small job, a spreadsheet is enough.
When to choose Structio
Structio is built for one job: you describe the building once (floors, rooms, equipment, controllers) and it draws the network diagram and builds the points list from that same project, kept in sync when the job changes. Any controller brand, unlimited users, a 7-day free trial.