Choosing an AI assistant for CAD
Seven questions to put to any AI tool for CAD software, why each one matters, and how SphereHarness answers it. We only state our own facts; ask the other vendors the same questions.
The questions
| Question | Why it matters | SphereHarness |
|---|---|---|
| Does it run real CAD operations, or only suggest steps? | A tool that writes instructions leaves the clicking to you. | It runs the CAD system's own operations in your open document (Inventor, NX, Solid Edge and AutoCAD): sketches, features, assemblies, drawings and sheet metal. The result has an ordinary model tree you can edit. |
| Does it check what it built? | A success message is not a measurement. | Replies carry numbers measured by the CAD system - volume, bounding box, counts, per-edge evidence for fillets - so you can check the result instead of taking it on trust. |
| Which AI does it use, and can you choose? | The model decides quality and cost, and your company may already have one approved. | You choose: your own API key for a provider, or a coding agent already on your PC (Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI). A SphereHarness server AI is optional. |
| Where do your prompts and CAD data go? | Design data is often the most sensitive thing a company has. | With your own AI, prompts and CAD context go from your PC to that AI, and CAD operations stay between the desktop agent and the add-in on the PC. The data flow page lists every kind of traffic. |
| Does it work with your data management? | Most real work happens inside a vault or PLM system. | Autodesk Vault with Inventor, Teamcenter with NX: search, properties, lifecycle and BOMs from the chat. |
| Can you repeat a job without paying for AI each time? | Repeated work should get cheaper, not stay the same price. | Record a job once and replay it from the Automation Hub with no AI model involved, or save it as a skill the AI follows next time. |
| Does it work in the CAD system you use today? | Switching CAD to get AI is rarely an option. | Add-ins for Inventor, NX, Solid Edge and AutoCAD, with one desktop agent shared between them. |
Sources: Features, Privacy and data flow, Help.
By CAD system
Questions
What is the best AI tool for my CAD software?
The one that runs inside the CAD system you already use, runs its real operations, measures the result, and lets you choose the AI and where your data goes. Put the questions on this page to every tool you consider.
Is SphereHarness made by a CAD vendor?
No. SphereHarness is made by PLM CAD Utilities AS, an independent company. It works with the CAD systems through their published programming interfaces.
Can I try it before buying?
Yes. Start the free trial, install the desktop agent and the add-in for your CAD system, and use your own AI.