Engineering drawing inspection software
Turn engineering drawings into reviewed, ballooned inspection packages.
BalloonForge finds inspection characteristics in engineering PDFs, keeps every result tied to its source location,
gives the reviewer control over corrections and placement, then exports an editable ballooned PDF with a matching Excel report.
Local drawing processing
Free to start
A verification-first workflow
From drawing to inspection package without losing the review step.
BalloonForge automates the repetitive parts of drawing ballooning while keeping the engineer, inspector or quality reviewer responsible for the final result.
Open the drawing
Load an engineering PDF and select the sheets you need to review.
Detect candidates
BalloonForge combines PDF text extraction, OCR and drawing-aware detection to find candidate characteristics.
Review and correct
Check uncertain results against the drawing. Correct, merge, split, reject, manually add or rescan where needed.
Place balloons
Adjust balloon locations, leader targets and routing so the annotated drawing remains readable.
Validate and export
Run final checks, then create an editable ballooned PDF and matching Excel inspection report.
Review with drawing context
See the characteristic where it actually lives on the drawing.
A candidate list alone is not enough. BalloonForge keeps the selected result synchronized with its drawing region so you can judge the source, not just the OCR text.
Automation that still expects a reviewer.
Detection is treated as evidence to review, not an unquestionable answer. That makes BalloonForge useful on real drawings where dense notes, tiny tolerances and OCR ambiguity still need human judgment.
Review source location, normalized text, confidence components and reasons a candidate needs attention.
Accept or reject quickly, or open correction when the detected value needs work.
Use focused rescanning or manual add tools when a difficult drawing region needs another pass.
Correct what needs attention
Fix difficult characteristics without starting the drawing over.
Engineering drawings are messy. Decimal points, diameter symbols, small fit classes, dense GD&T and multi-line callouts can all need a second look. BalloonForge provides a focused correction workflow instead of hiding those cases.
- Correct raw or normalized characteristic text.
- Merge fragmented detections and split combined ones.
- Reject false positives or manually add missed characteristics.
- Run a focused high-resolution rescan on only the selected region.
- Keep an audit trail of review, correction, merge, split and rescan actions.
Editable balloon placement
Keep the drawing readable after detection is finished.
Automatic placement gives you a starting point. You can then move balloons and leader targets, add or clear elbow routing, align selected balloons and clean crowded regions before export.
- Drag selected balloons to a better location.
- Move leader targets back to the intended characteristic.
- Add or remove a one-elbow leader route.
- Align or distribute groups of selected balloons.
- Manual placement stays locked during later export.
Final verification and reporting
Check the project before it becomes a deliverable.
BalloonForge validates the review state, numbering and annotation structure, then gives you configurable Excel output for the inspection data that accompanies the drawing.
Validate before export
Check pending candidates, missing or duplicate numbers, empty values, placement problems, collisions, leader crossings and exported annotation structure. Errors block export; warnings require reviewer confirmation.
Build the inspection report you need
Choose fields, order columns, use custom headings or map BalloonForge data into an existing workbook template. Balloon numbers remain tied to the reviewed drawing.
Local-first engineering workflow
Your drawing work stays centered on your Windows workstation.
BalloonForge processes drawing and project content locally. It is designed for engineering teams that want a desktop review workflow rather than a cloud-first drawing pipeline.
Local drawing processing
PDF analysis, OCR, review projects and normal exports are handled on the Windows device.
Autosave and history
Projects autosave during review, and normal saves keep timestamped prior project versions.
Reusable review work
Project data preserves decisions, notes, numbering and manual placement information.
Revision reuse
Carry high-confidence review decisions and locked placement forward when a revised drawing still matches.
Free and Pro
Start with the full review workflow. Upgrade when export volume grows.
BalloonForge Free is intended to let you use the real workflow, not a stripped-down demo. The daily export limit is what separates Free from Pro.
BalloonForge Free
Use the detection, review, correction, ballooning and reporting workflow with a daily export allowance.
- Full drawing review workflow
- Correction, merge, split, manual add and focused rescan tools
- Editable balloon and leader placement
- PDF and Excel export
- Up to 3 drawing-sheet exports per local calendar day
BalloonForge Pro
Remove the daily sheet-export limit while the BalloonForge Pro Microsoft Store subscription is active.
- Everything in BalloonForge Free
- Unlimited drawing-sheet exports while Pro is active
- Microsoft Store subscription management
- Current subscription and trial terms shown in Microsoft Store
Built for review-heavy drawing work
Useful when the bottleneck is between the drawing and the inspection report.
Quality and inspection teams
Reduce the repetitive work of locating, numbering and transferring drawing characteristics while keeping a reviewer in control of what gets released.
Mechanical and manufacturing engineers
Prepare reviewed ballooned drawings and inspection data without rebuilding the process manually for every drawing revision.
Questions
BalloonForge FAQ
Does BalloonForge automatically decide what should be inspected?
No. BalloonForge detects candidate characteristics and provides tools to review and correct them. Human completeness review remains mandatory before a drawing or report is released.
Can BalloonForge work with scanned or difficult PDFs?
Yes. The workflow combines native PDF text when available with raster OCR, rotated-text handling and focused high-resolution rescanning. Difficult callouts can still require manual review or correction.
Can I move balloons after detection?
Yes. You can move balloons and leader targets, add or clear one-elbow routing, align or distribute selected balloons and reset placements when needed.
Can BalloonForge export to an existing Excel template?
Yes. The report configurator can map selected fields to columns in an existing workbook template, preserve unrelated cells and formulas, and preserve macros when using supported macro-enabled workbooks.
Does BalloonForge upload engineering drawings to a cloud service?
Normal drawing, OCR, project and export processing is local to the Windows device. BalloonForge also supports privacy-filtered application exception reporting; review the published privacy policy for the exact diagnostic data and opt-out information.
Is BalloonForge a complete AS9102, FAI or PPAP system?
No. BalloonForge supports drawing characteristic review, ballooning and inspection-report preparation, but it is not a complete AS9102, FAI or PPAP workflow system.
BalloonForge for Windows
Turn the next engineering drawing into a reviewed inspection package.
Detect the candidates. Review what matters. Position the balloons. Validate the project. Export the drawing and report.