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Extract Construction Blueprint Data with VLM Run and Microsoft Office Suite

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Created by: Shahrear || shahrear

Shahrear

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Last update a month ago

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Automatically process Construction Blueprints into structured Excel entries with VLM extraction

Disclaimer: This template uses community nodes, including the VLM Run node. It requires a self-hosted n8n instance and will not run on n8n Cloud.

What this workflow does

  1. Monitors OneDrive for new blueprints in a target folder
  2. Downloads the file inside n8n for processing
  3. Sends the file to VLM Run for VLM analysis
  4. Fetches details from the construction.blueprint domain as JSON
  5. Appends normalized fields to an Excel sheet as a new row

Setup

Prerequisites: Microsoft account, VLM Run API credentials, OneDrive access, Excel Online, n8n. Install the verified VLM Run node by searching for VLM Run in the node list, then click Install. Once installed, you can start using it in your workflows.

Quick Setup:

  1. Create the OneDrive folder you want to watch and copy its Folder ID

    • OneDrive web: open the folder in your browser, then copy the value of the id= URL parameter. It is URL-encoded.
    • Alternative in n8n: use a OneDrive node with the operation set to List to browse folders and copy the id field from the response.

  2. Create an Excel sheet with headers like: timestamp, file_name, file_id, mime_type, size_bytes, uploader_email, document_type, document_number, issue_date, author_name, drawing_title_numbers, revision_history, job_name, address, drawing_number, revision, drawn_by, checked_by, scale_information, agency_name, document_title, blueprint_id, blueprint_status, blueprint_owner, blueprint_url

  3. Configure OneDrive OAuth2 for the trigger and download nodes

    • Use Microsoft OAuth2 in n8n. Approve requested scopes for file access and offline access when prompted.
    • Test the connection by listing a known folder.

  4. Add VLM Run API credentials from https://app.vlm.run/dashboard to the VLM Run node

  5. Configure Excel Online OAuth2 and set Spreadsheet ID and target sheet tab

  6. Test by uploading a sample file to the watched OneDrive folder and activate

Perfect for

  • Converting uploaded construction blueprint documents into clean text
  • Organizing extracted blueprint details into structured sheets
  • Quickly accessing key attributes from technical files
  • Centralized archive of blueprint-to-text conversions

Key Benefits

  • End to end automation from OneDrive upload to structured Excel entry
  • Accurate text extraction of construction blueprint documents
  • Organized attribute mapping for consistent records
  • Searchable archives directly in Excel
  • Hands-free processing after setup

How to customize

Extend by adding:

  • Version control that links revisions of the same drawing and highlights superseded rows
  • Confidence scores per extracted field with threshold-based routing to manual or AI review
  • Auto-generate a human-readable summary column for quick scanning of blueprint details
  • Split large multi-sheet PDFs into per-drawing rows with individual attributes
  • Cross-system sync to Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, or BIM 360 for project-wide visibility