Building automation / Open source canvas
basdraw
An open-ended experiment that combines a whiteboard I enjoy using with live building data.
- Status
- Early development
- Year
- 2026
- Role
- Product design + development
- Built with
- React · TypeScript · tldraw · BASidekick Stream
Why I made it
I wanted to find out what changes when a loose drawing can react to an actual building. basdraw connects tldraw to Niagara through BASidekick Stream, then leaves the canvas open enough to keep sketching and exploring.
This is a side project driven by curiosity, not an alternative to established BAS software. There may be useful ideas hiding in a live canvas, but I am more interested in discovering them than forcing the project toward a predetermined use.
What works now
Sketch freely
Shapes, text, arrows, groups, and pages work as expected, so the canvas still feels loose and easy to change.
Connect live points
Browses a Niagara station through BASidekick Stream and lets me drag a point onto a shape or choose it while setting up a behavior.
Make shapes react
Turns live values into movement, rotation, fill, status, and labels. A shape can have more than one behavior when the effects do not conflict.
Leave room to explore
Live equipment tables and history charts are already possible. PDF imports can become part of the canvas too, with live values and animation layered onto an existing controls drawing.
Keep it editable
The drawing stays a drawing. Point bindings and behavior settings are saved with it, while passwords and changing live values stay out of the canvas record.
Potential use cases
Troubleshooting scratchpads
An operator can sketch the path from air handler to zone, place the relevant live points beside it, and keep the temporary view with the issue notes.
Temporary commissioning views
A canvas can gather the small set of values needed for a TAB or commissioning task, then be archived or discarded when the work is complete.
Sequence checks
Expected steps and current states can sit beside one another, making it easier to compare a written sequence with what the equipment is doing.
Control-loop review
Setpoints, process variables, outputs, enables, and interlocks can be arranged around one compact diagram while a loop is being reviewed.
Living handover notes
A training or handover drawing could pair its explanations with current temperatures and statuses instead of becoming static as soon as it is exported.
Ad hoc operator boards
Operators could assemble a personal page around the equipment and points that matter for a shift, a site visit, or a particular investigation.
Drawing overlays
A mechanical drawing, PDF, or screenshot could serve as a background for live points during a short design or controls review.
Remote troubleshooting
A shared canvas could hold annotations and conversation while the connected station values continue to update for everyone looking at it.
Alarm investigation boards
An alarm, its related points, nearby equipment, and working notes could be gathered into one spatial view instead of spread across several station pages.
BAS interface experiments
New visual ideas could be tested against live station data before becoming a formal graphic, widget, or application.