IntelliKorea Introduces Commercialization
of AI-Based CAD Specialized in Traditional Wooden Architecture Design
- Equipped with feature for detecting
missing components and converting them into 3D digital files and vectorization.
- High interest from Cultural Heritage
Repair Surveyors, Functional Specialists, and Traditional Hanok Architectural Designers, offering free education.
- Anticipating improvement in the level of
cultural heritage preservation and management technology and development in the cultural heritage industry.

CAD program developer IntelliKorea, led by
CEO Park Seung-hoon, announced on October 4, 2023, that they are commercializing a CAD program based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) for digitizing hand-drawn images of traditional wooden architecture.
This technology is part of the research and development efforts for the development of smart preservation and utilization technology for cultural heritage, which is being pursued to enhance the level of cultural heritage preservation and management technology and promote the cultural heritage industry. IntelliKorea has developed this technology in collaboration with the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Research Laboratory for Architectural Cultural Heritage at Korea University, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, and Korea Platform Service Technology.


[Innovative AI-CAD Revolutionizing the Traditional Wooden Architecture Digitization Process Through AI Absence Recognition]

Many of the excellent cultural heritage assets left by the Joseon Dynasty have been damaged not only by earthquakes, floods, fires, and wars but also over the years and through various storms. In 2009, an elderly man who was dissatisfied with land compensation committed an absurd arson incident, resulting in the destruction of 90% of the upper part of the Sungnyemun, which was built in 1395 (the 5th year of King Taejo).
Even in France, which generates a significant amount of tourism revenue, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture completed in 1345 and spanning from 1163 to 182 years, was tragically lost due to a fire during restoration work in 2019. Since cultural heritage around the world was created using methods different from modern technology, it is crucial to have a deep understanding of the historical artifacts and possess specialized skills for perfect restoration in order to faithfully reproduce and inherit the original form.
If repairs are carried out through personal methods or preferences, it can often lead to further damage or a result that deviates from the original, diminishing the value of the cultural heritage. The preservation of cultural heritage is considered a measure of cultural advancement in nations. Therefore, the South Korean government, in collaboration with academic experts, has established standards and has been maintaining and managing cultural heritage through qualified professionals since 1991, implementing national qualifications such as "Cultural Heritage Repair Specialist" and "Cultural Heritage Repair Technician.

The CADian TWArch CAD (Traditional Wooden Architectural CAD, hereinafter TWArch) recently launched by Intel Korea is the world's first CAD solution developed based on AI technology. It digitizes ancient hand-drawn images of the core aspect of traditional wooden architecture, known as the 'Gongpo-gye (?包, roof load-bearing structure),' into 2D/3D digital files.



[AI-Based TWArch CAD Interface]
IntelliKorea's Director Han Myung-ki stated, "The technology for recognizing traditional architectural components (parts that make up wooden structures) was transferred from ETRI (Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute)." He further mentioned, "TWArch takes input in the form of images of hand-drawn traditional wooden architectural designs and uses AI technology to detect components, infer their positions and relationships, compile a component list, and through the component library and 3D assembly capabilities, easily convert 2D image blueprints into 2D/3D digital files or model them.


[Example of Detailing the Structural Integrity (Detailed View) of Each Component by Column]
Professor Ryu Sung-ryong of the Department of Architecture at Korea University stated, "The application of the TWArch CAD system to traditional wooden architecture CAD courses in the Department of Architecture has demonstrated more than tenfold utility compared to manual work. Even in a one-month educational program, we confirmed through surveys that 76% of students found it significantly helpful in understanding the composition and structure of complex traditional wooden architecture." He further emphasized, "Through this tool, university and graduate-level architecture students can easily comprehend traditional wooden architecture, enabling a step-up in their education.


[Example of CADian TWArch Educational/Practical Interface]
TWArch, which includes the functionality to vectorize (CAD drawing) paper drawings, operates within the domestic CAD platform CADian and is compatible with AutoCAD's DWG file format developed by Autodesk. This means that all existing 2D and 3D files designed in imported CAD formats (such as step, iges, obj, stl, stp, etc.) can be reused.
This CAD program gained significant attention from domestic organizations and associations requiring survey design during the Heritage Korea event held at Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center in September. It also conducted export consultations with several countries, including Malaysia. In the future, Intel Korea plans to initiate full-scale export consultations with countries that have a significant number of wooden architectural structures, such as Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and China.

IntelliKorea is committed to continuously updating TWArch by incorporating input from experts in traditional wooden architecture, digitalizing drawings of Korean traditional wooden structures, and engaging with engineers specializing in survey design. This effort is in collaboration with various organizations, including the Cultural Heritage Comprehensive Information System (chis.or.kr), the Korea Cultural Heritage Repair Technician Association (kcprea.org), and the Cultural Heritage Repair Association (kcpra.or.kr), which work towards improving technical advancements in cultural heritage repair, government regulations related to cultural heritage repair and commissioning, and the operation of cultural heritage industry performance management systems. The goal is to contribute to the restoration and repair of traditional Korean wooden architecture.


[The Process of Digitizing Traditional Architectural Hand-Drawn Sketches into CAD Drawings Using AI]
IntelliKorea plans to offer free TWArch training to technical experts and individuals aspiring to obtain national qualifications in cultural heritage repair survey and cultural heritage repair
survey and technical specialist qualifications. This training aims to assist in the restoration, production, installation, maintenance, and repair of the structural integrity (Gongpo-gye) of traditional wooden architecture designated as national treasures and cultural heritage. Buyers of the commercially available TWArch software will also have the opportunity to purchase a collection of over 100 traditional wooden architectural sample drawing files, including 12 national treasures, 41 treasures, 10 cultural properties, and 35 registered cultural heritage, all designed using TWArch, at an affordable price.