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The client loves the scheme, then asks what the facade looks like in brick instead of stone, and the meeting stalls because the only honest answer is "let me render that and get back to you." Every architect knows that stall.&nbsp;
At AEC+Tech, we've watched the AEC tools we cover get very good at making the picture look real. What's changing now is where that picture sits in the process, moving from documentation into the decision itself.&nbsp;
For most of the last decade, progress in architectural visualization has been measured in image quality. Physically accurate lighting, richer material systems, and real-time ray tracing have closed much of the gap between a render and a photograph. What used to count as exceptional is now the baseline clients expect.
Rendering has improved fast. One part of the workflow has barely moved.
Design reviews still lean on static images, pre-rendered animations, and fixed camera paths. Those outputs record decisions well enough, but they sit outside the conversation. The moment a meeting turns toward a different material, a new lighting condition, or an alternate scheme, the presentation stalls while someone prepares fresh visuals elsewhere.
That gap matters more as practice becomes more collaborative. Clients, consultants, engineers, and developers now weigh in across the whole design process, not only at the end. Meetings have turned into working sessions where decisions take shape in the room. The way architecture gets presented has to keep up with that.
So visualization is starting to play a different part. Beyond the final picture, it is becoming a medium for discussion, comparison, and decisions made on the spot. The next step forward may be interaction as much as realism.
Every architect knows the moment a client asks to see it another way and the room goes quiet waiting on new visuals. D5 says 3.1 closes that gap, and will <a href="https://www.d5render.com/webinars/whats-new-in-d5-3-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prove it live on July 21</a>
<h2 dir="ltr">Answer "Can We See It Another Way?" On the Spot&nbsp;</h2>
This is the thinking behind <a href="https://bit.ly/d5-3-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D5 3.1.</a>
Plenty of tools compete on how convincing the picture looks. Fewer ask what happens to it once a room full of stakeholders starts pushing back.&nbsp;
The release starts from a practical question: how does visualization stay useful once the meeting starts?
D5's answer is Interactive Presentation, a workflow that lets architects organize a review like a slide deck while keeping the live project open behind it.
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/764404fa-3db9-4d3c-b9ec-9e36afea816e.png" alt="Interactive Presentation enables real-time scene switching with slides and 3D triggers." width="1080">
<figcaption>Interactive Presentation enables real-time scene switching with slides and 3D triggers.</figcaption>
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Instead of preparing several image sets or separate animations ahead of time, teams can move between design schemes, materials, lighting, weather, viewpoints, and object visibility inside a single presentation. A question that used to interrupt the review can be explored right away. Real-time scene switching runs through slides and 3D triggers, so the flow of the meeting holds together.
The presentation becomes a working space for the design, one the team can steer as the discussion moves.
<h2 dir="ltr">Let Clients Walk the Space Before It Exists&nbsp;</h2>
Interactive Presentation sits inside a wider set of tools aimed at making review more interactive and easier to adapt to the room.
Stereoscopic Panorama brings depth-aware panoramic views to VR, which helps clients and project teams read scale, materials, and how spaces relate to one another. Better VR navigation and controller handling make VR walkthroughs steady enough for everyday reviews rather than occasional demos.
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Spatial Tour has moved along too, with faster scene generation, smoother transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces, and dollhouse views that make it simpler to move through a complicated project.
These tools sit alongside still renders and animations and widen the options, so a team can pick the right way to explore a design based on the audience, the project stage, and what the review needs to settle.
<h2 dir="ltr">Start Seeing the Design the Moment You Model It&nbsp;</h2>
The quality of any review depends on everything that happens before it.
As visualization gets pulled deeper into design work, architects increasingly want to test ideas while those ideas are still moving, instead of waiting for documentation to finish. In that sense, presentation begins earlier than the slide deck. It begins when a team first tries out form, light, material, atmosphere, and how a space feels to move through.
In practice, the visual thinking usually happens long before anyone opens presentation software, and tools have been slow to meet designers there.&nbsp;
That continuity reaches past D5 Render itself. After its earlier <a href="https://www.aecplustech.com/tools/sketchup">SketchUp</a> release, D5 Lite now works inside Rhino and <a href="https://www.aecplustech.com/tools/revit">Revit</a>, bringing real-time visualization into more of the tools architects already use. Designers can preview materials, lighting, and visual direction without leaving the modeling environment, which supports quicker exploration during concept work, massing studies, facade development, and iterative testing.
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/faae324a-8c58-4578-aac2-06f9faac39b1.png" alt="D5 Lite: Visualize projects directly inside Rhino, Revit and Sketchup" width="1080">
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Start in D5 Lite, finish in D5 Render, without switching tools
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D5 Lite is built for that early work, making design decisions more visual from the start. When a project needs higher-end imagery, animation, or an interactive presentation, the work carries on into D5 Render. Paired with Cloud Collaboration, distributed teams can review and share work with less reliance on manual file swaps or local hardware, which keeps things continuous from concept through client review.
<h2 dir="ltr">Photoreal That Holds Up When Clients Look Closely&nbsp;</h2>
As presentations get more interactive, the visuals behind them matter even more. A live scene only works if it holds up when someone leans in.
D5 Render 3.1 adds a set of production-focused improvements that strengthen realism while keeping real-time response.&nbsp;
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/84679fde-46df-4239-985d-65e93278fb1f.png" alt="ACEScg Color Space preserves richer HDR color detail and supports professional ACES workflows" width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-926652" data-gramm="false">ACEScg Color Space preserves richer HDR color detail and supports professional ACES workflows</figcaption>
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The move to an ACEScg working color space brings in a production-grade color pipeline, the kind used in film and visual effects, which improves color consistency across visualization and post-production. HeightField Tracing gives displacement materials richer surface relief without adding geometric weight, so brick, stone, and timber keep convincing physical depth even in large scenes.
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/196052f2-45b2-4577-a1c1-32e97aa7bc83.png" alt="Seasonal Vegetation lets foliage and branch structure change by date, previewing all seasons in one scene" width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-626429" data-gramm="false">Seasonal Vegetation lets foliage and branch structure change by date, previewing all seasons in one scene</figcaption>
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Landscape work gains more nuance through Seasonal Vegetation, which lets foliage and branch structure change by date and previews a full year of a planting scheme in one scene. A run of smaller refinements rounds it out, including Custom Pivot, MeasureLine, improved City Generator controls, smarter Auto Exposure, and wider Gaussian Splatting support. Each one trims repetitive adjustments and keeps production moving.
It adds up to one point. An interactive presentation is only as good as the rendering underneath it, and that rendering has to hold both fidelity and speed at once.
<h2 dir="ltr">From Better Images to Better Decisions&nbsp;</h2>
Architectural visualization has spent years chasing realism. That work continues, though realism on its own no longer defines the field.
As projects get more collaborative, the ability to move between options, respond to feedback, and explain a design in context is becoming just as important. Presentations are becoming part of the design process itself.
<blockquote>
"The tools we end up writing about at AEC+Tech are rarely the ones with the longest feature list. They're the ones that change how a decision gets made."&nbsp; &mdash; Niknaz Aftahi&nbsp;
</blockquote>
D5 3.1 reflects that direction. It builds presentation into the design work, making visualization a place where ideas can be explored, compared, and refined with the people in the room.
Whether this turns out to be the next phase of the discipline is still an open question. The goal is clearly shifting, from producing better images toward better conversations about the work.
The biggest change in D5 3.1 sits outside the render itself. Visualization now stays in play through the whole conversation, long after the image is done.
<h2 dir="ltr">See it live&nbsp;</h2>
D5 will demonstrate the 3.1 workflow in a live webinar on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC, hosted by Jeff Espinoza, D5's Director of Customer Success and Services. The session covers D5 Lite for Rhino and Revit, Interactive Presentation, VR review, Stereoscopic Panorama, ACEScg, HeightField Tracing, and Seasonal Vegetation.
You can register using&nbsp;<a href="https://www.d5render.com/webinars/whats-new-in-d5-3-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this webinar page</a>, and anyone who registers but cannot attend will receive access to the recording.
To learn more about D5 Render, visit their <a href="../../../tools/d5-render" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page on aec+tech&nbsp;</a>or explore the latest features on the official <a class="_ymio1r31 _ypr0glyw _zcxs1o36 _mizu194a _1ah3dkaa _ra3xnqa1 _128mdkaa _1cvmnqa1 _4davt94y _4bfu18uv _1hms8stv _ajmmnqa1 _vchhusvi _kqswh2mm _ect4ttxp _syaz13af _1a3b18uv _4fpr8stv _5goinqa1 _f8pj13af _9oik18uv _1bnxglyw _jf4cnqa1 _30l313af _1nrm18uv _c2waglyw _1iohnqa1 _9h8h12zz _10531ra0 _1ien1ra0 _n0fx1ra0 _1vhv17z1" title="https://www.d5render.com/" href="https://www.d5render.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-renderer-mark="true" data-is-router-link="false" data-testid="link-with-safety">D5 Render website</a>.
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Niknaz Aftahi is the founder of AEC+Tech. This article was produced with materials from D5 as part of a partnership, and independently edited for the AEC+Tech community.
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D5 Render 3.1 turns design reviews into live sessions. Interactive Presentation switches schemes, materials, and lighting on the spot; D5 Lite reaches Rhino and Revit. 

D5 3.1 Wants to End the "We'll Render It Tomorrow" Moment

<div><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/5741b41d-2b98-40f9-9a96-00550e6d0a57.png" alt="InspectMind AI" width="1080"></div>
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<div>Most conversations about AI in construction start with speed.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;How many hours did we save?&rdquo;</div>
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<div>&ldquo;How many pages could we review in minutes?"&nbsp;</div>
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<div>But a recent aec+tech conversation on AI-driven plan review made a more useful point: the tools save time, but the real reason to adopt them is risk.</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0nEGFxC7as">This conversation</a> brought together Colton Johnson, Principal Engineer at Flint Engineering Company; Aakash Prasad, Co-founder and CEO of InspectMind AI; and Simon G. Solorio, President of Solorio Inc. Much of the discussion centered on InspectMind AI's plan-checking tool, though the takeaways apply to any firm weighing this kind of software.&nbsp;
In this article you&rsquo;ll see where AI plan review helps, where it falls short, and why a firm with weak internal processes will not get much out of it no matter how good the software gets.
<h2 dir="ltr">Reading a Pictorial Language</h2>
Plan review is not just about reading text. Construction documents carry meaning through symbols, callouts, line weights, and schedules that change from one project type to the next. An industrial set does not look like a large residential set. Every new hire has to learn how to read that visual system before they can review anything in it.
<blockquote>
"Construction documents are a language, and on top of that they're a pictorial language. You're relying on graphic and visual cues to display the information, translating heavy analysis and code requirements into those pictures."
&mdash; Colton Johnson, Principal Engineer, Flint Engineering Company
</blockquote>
Solorio described the second half of the problem: volume.&nbsp;
Even with tools like <a href="https://www.aecplustech.com/tools/revit">Revit</a> and virtual walk-throughs on Meta Quest headsets, engineers still check ever-changing building codes by hand and coordinate across disciplines. Holding hundreds of pages of drawings against dense architectural, structural, mechanical, and civil specifications is a cognitive load that does not scale. There is only so much one person can keep straight at once, and plan sets keep getting bigger.
That is the gap AI steps into. Not the design work or the engineering judgment, but the slow, repetitive cross-checking that wears people down and still lets errors slip through.
A Third-Party Reviewer That Works Through Lunch
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/bb52d8a0-3272-45e5-b6a9-e96e1717194f.png" alt="Errors missed in review surface on site, where fixes cost most." width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-8150" data-gramm="false">Fig 2) Errors missed in review surface on site, where fixes cost most.&nbsp;</figcaption>
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AI is a third-party reviewer. It&rsquo;s not a replacement for the engineer or the plan checker, but an extra set of eyes that never gets tired and never skips a page.
Prasad said InspectMind AI can typically review a 100- to 200-page project in one to two hours. In that window it catches discrepancies between drawings and specs, flags cross-discipline coordination issues, and checks against selected/applicable codes and references. It surfaces a prioritized set of findings while the team continues other work.&nbsp;
InspectMind AI has flagged a water main running straight into a 12-inch concrete pipe. It has caught a storm sewer drawn with no slope, which means it would never drain. These are the errors that hide on page 140 of a set and get expensive once they reach the field.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
"This isn't replacing your own diligence or your own quality of work. It's a useful automated review tool that helps you reduce risk and liability and improve quality overall."
&mdash; Aakash Prasad, Co-founder and CEO, InspectMind AI&nbsp;
</blockquote>
The discussion was honest about the limits, too. AI still struggles to read the purely graphical parts of a drawing when there are no words or numbers to anchor it. That should improve over the next few years, but for now InspectMind AI is strongest where drawings, specs, and code references can be grounded and cited. Purely graphical meaning, where the intent lives only in the picture, is still an area where human review matters.
<h2 dir="ltr">From Months of Back-and-Forth to Days&nbsp;</h2>
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<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/c6175af5-f771-4066-a384-2d4991e7ce06.png" alt="InspectMind AI tags each finding by severity, discipline, and code." width="1080">
<figcaption>Fig 3) InspectMind AI tags each finding by severity, discipline, and code.&nbsp;</figcaption>
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A minor discrepancy on a drawing is not just a quality problem. It is a liability problem. Prasad pointed to ADA compliance as an example. A ramp drawn with a 2.2 percent slope instead of the required 2 percent maximum is a small number on a sheet and a frequent target for litigation. Catching it before construction starts is worth far more than the hour it saved.
The same logic runs downstream. Errors that survive review become Requests for Information (RFIs) and change orders once contractors are on site. Each one costs time and money and strains the client relationship. The financial case lives in catching those errors early.&nbsp;
A church project in California shows how that plays out. The design firm ran its full drawing set (architecture, civil, structural, and specs) through InspectMind AI before submitting to the city. The AI flagged around 300 issues. The team fixed them first. When the city's review came back, the comments were mostly minor, and the firm closed them out in days rather than the weeks or months a project like this can take.
That is the payoff that matters. Not the hours saved running the review, but the weeks of back-and-forth with the jurisdiction that never happened, and the rework that never reached the field.
Garbage In, Garbage Out Still Applies
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/88271371-af97-4945-8f3f-0a5ee2295ce9.png" alt="AI only reflects the inputs it gets." width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-415377" data-gramm="false">Fig 4) AI only reflects the inputs it gets.</figcaption>
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The strongest warning has always been against leaning on the tools too hard. The old 'garbage in, garbage out' rule still stands.
The software is powerful, but it sits on top of a firm's inputs, its standards, and the judgment of the people running it.
Solorio made the case for foundational knowledge. Junior engineers still need to learn the basics through hand calculations and free-body diagrams so they understand how loads travel and what a structural member is actually doing. Without that, an engineer cannot tell when the AI is wrong.
<blockquote>
"If you put in garbage, you're going to get out garbage, and that's still true with these new programs. If you put in something wrong, it gives you something wrong. You have to know the basics to know when it's giving you wrong information."
&mdash; Simon G. Solorio, President, Solorio Inc.
</blockquote>
Johnson framed the same idea as a sequence. He sees a working AI workflow as a three-tier system.&nbsp;
A firm establishes good internal processes first. Then it introduces standard automations. Only then does it put AI at what he called the tip of the spear. Skip the first two steps and there is nothing solid for the AI to stand on. When a firm's drawing standards and inputs are inconsistent, there is no realistic way to scale an AI workflow on top of them.
<h2 dir="ltr">Own the Output</h2>
Accountability is the other side of this. When an engineer signs off on a design, they own it, whatever tools helped produce it.
<blockquote>
"The motto we live by with AI is own the output. Just because you have a cool tool doesn't mean you get to say that the tool is the reason something was wrong. You own the output."
&mdash; Colton Johnson, Principal Engineer, Flint Engineering Company
</blockquote>
That has a practical edge. Johnson raised data security, pointing out that client information needs to stay protected under NDAs when a firm runs it through a third-party AI platform. Owning the output means owning the data path, too. Before uploading project documents, firms should evaluate the data path and the platform's NDA and security requirements. That is a question to settle before the first project goes up, not after.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Built by the People Who Use It</h2>
The panel closed on what actually makes these tools better, and the answer was feedback from the field rather than anything happening in a lab. Solorio and Johnson both pointed to the value of a simple thumbs up or thumbs down on each flagged issue. That input teaches the model the difference between a real problem and an irrelevant false positive, which is the difference between a tool engineers trust and one they learn to ignore.
Because AEC technology moves quickly, the tools that respond to this feedback can change almost daily. Johnson offered an example from a job site. He floated the idea of having the plan checker automatically generate a targeted field observation checklist based on the specific materials and structural elements it found in the drawings. Within hours, the development team had piloted a connection between the plan checker and a site inspection app.
That speed of iteration is the point underneath the whole conversation.
The AI plan review tools that earn a place in AEC workflows will be the ones built and shaped by the people doing the work, not the ones that promise to do the thinking for them. The engineers on this panel were not looking for software to replace their judgment. They were looking for a reviewer that helps them protect it. That is a smaller promise than replacing an engineer, and a far more useful one.
&nbsp;
To learn more about InspectMind AI, visit InspectMind AI's <a href="../../../tools/inspectmind-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page on aec+tech </a>or explore the latest features and request access on the InspectMind AI's <a class="_ymio1r31 _ypr0glyw _zcxs1o36 _mizu194a _1ah3dkaa _ra3xnqa1 _128mdkaa _1cvmnqa1 _4davt94y _4bfu18uv _1hms8stv _ajmmnqa1 _vchhusvi _kqswh2mm _ect4ttxp _syaz13af _1a3b18uv _4fpr8stv _5goinqa1 _f8pj13af _9oik18uv _1bnxglyw _jf4cnqa1 _30l313af _1nrm18uv _c2waglyw _1iohnqa1 _9h8h12zz _10531ra0 _1ien1ra0 _n0fx1ra0 _1vhv17z1" title="https://www.inspectmind.ai/" href="https://www.inspectmind.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-renderer-mark="true" data-is-router-link="false" data-testid="link-with-safety">website</a>.
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Editor's Note
<img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/c3806924-0521-483d-b74d-a01f09ed330e.png" alt="Niknaz Aftahi" width="160" height="160">
This article was independently reviewed and edited by Niknaz Aftahi, Founder of AEC+Tech, drawing on InspectMind AI's product documentation, direct conversation with the panel participants, and hands-on knowledge of plan review and QA/QC workflows. Figures drawn from the panel rather than published material were checked before publishing.
&mdash; Niknaz Aftahi, Founder, AEC+Tech
&nbsp;
</div>

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AI Plan Review Isn't About Speed. It's About Staying Out of Court.

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Learn how Ideate StyleManager, Explorer, and BIMLink reduce Revit inefficiencies with automated QA/QC workflows, cleanup tools, and bulk parameter editing.

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Kestrel Labs embeds AI code compliance in the BIM model, using computable codes and Revit workflows for traceable results, less rework, and faster permitting.

How Kestrel Labs Is Bringing Code Compliance Inside the BIM Model

<h2>About CREE Buildings</h2>
CREE Buildings, formally CREE GmbH, is an Austrian construction technology company that describes itself as an international construction collective for regenerative building solutions. It is headquartered in Dornbirn in the Vorarlberg region, at Rhomberg's Fabrik on F&auml;rbergasse.
The company does not build in the conventional sense. It has developed the CREE System, a proven and reproducible structural system for multi-storey timber-hybrid buildings, and licenses that system to a global network of developers and construction companies who deliver the projects themselves. CREE provides the system, the methodology and the network; local partners provide the supply chain and the labour.
<h2>History</h2>
The origins lie in 2009, when Rhomberg Bau, working with Wiehag, Architekten Hermann Kaufmann and Arup, began the LifeCycle Tower project to develop a flexible, modular, ready-to-build timber-hybrid system for prefabricated energy-efficient buildings of up to twenty floors and one hundred metres in height.
CREE itself was founded in 2010 as the brainchild of Hubert Rhomberg, who remains founder and chief executive, and began operating in 2011. In 2012 LCT ONE opened in Dornbirn as the world's first LifeCycle Tower and remains an international reference building. The Illwerke Zentrum Montafon followed in 2013, the Wagner Central Offices in N&uuml;ziders in 2014, and the BTV office building in Memmingen in 2015, the first CREE building in Germany.
From 2016 the company shifted from being a construction firm to a technology and network provider, establishing global distribution points and partnering with construction companies market by market: Singapore in 2016, Denmark in 2017, Luxembourg in 2018, and Belgium, Portugal and Japan in 2019. Eunoia Junior College in Singapore, completed in 2019, was the first CREE building in Asia and houses the country's first high-rise junior college. By 2022 the network spanned 27 countries on three continents and had completed around 200,000 square metres of building space.
<h2>The CREE System</h2>
The system combines timber, concrete and steel rather than building entirely in wood. CREE argues that this smart material mix delivers better performance in vibration, sound insulation, fire resistance and weather protection than all-timber construction, while retaining the carbon benefits of timber. The system carries a 120-minute fire rating with standardised connection detailing.
A second principle is local supply chains. Rather than shipping components from a central factory, CREE enables partners to manufacture regionally, which cuts embodied carbon and transport cost, keeps value in local markets and removes dependence on centralised logistics.
<h2>Ownership and Network</h2>
CREE has three shareholders, each an established construction group: Rhomberg Bau, the Austrian parent with more than 130 years in construction; the Zech Group of Germany, which joined in 2018 and drove projects including EDGE Suedkreuz in Berlin and the Siemens Campus in Erlangen; and Grupo Casais of Portugal, a licence partner since 2020 that became the third shareholder in 2023.
Beyond the shareholders, the network includes engineering and construction partners such as Buro Happold, ASPECT Structural Engineers, Br&uuml;ninghoff, CDCL, EFFEKT, Peikko, Wood Shapers, Xylotek and Syner. Knowledge is shared through the CREE Platform, a digital environment launched in the 2020 to 2022 period for partners to exchange technical resources and lessons learned.
<h2>Projects and Certifications</h2>
Completed buildings span offices, education, hospitality and residential use, including LCT ONE and the Illwerke Zentrum Montafon in Austria, EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin and the Siemens Campus Erlangen in Germany, Eunoia Junior College in Singapore, the B&amp;B Hotel in Guimar&atilde;es and Resid&ecirc;ncia Universit&aacute;ria Norte in Portugal, WoodHub, Handwerkerhaus, ORF Funkhaus BT-E, All&eacute;gra and 1925 Victoria Park in Toronto.
CREE projects have achieved DGNB Platinum and DGNB Diamond, LEED Gold, WELL Platinum and Certified Passive House status, alongside recognition from the Austrian Sustainable Building Council, the SOLID Bautechpreis 2021 and the Austrian Export Prize in 2022.
<h2>Why CREE Matters to the AEC Industry</h2>
CREE is one of the clearest working models for industrialised timber construction. It demonstrates that a structural system can be developed once and deployed internationally through licensing rather than expansion, that hybridising timber with concrete and steel resolves the acoustic, vibration and fire objections that limit pure mass timber at height, and that regional manufacturing can make prefabrication viable without long supply chains. For developers and design teams weighing mass timber against conventional structure, CREE's fifteen-year project record offers unusually well-documented precedent.

CREE Buildings develops the CREE System, a prefabricated timber-hybrid structure for multi-storey buildings, licensed through a global partner network.

CREE Buildings | Timber-Hybrid Prefabricated Building System

CREE Buildings

CREE Buildings is an Austrian construction technology company behind the CREE System, a prefabricated timber-hybrid structural system for multi-storey buildings. Founded in 2010 in Dornbirn by Hubert Rhomberg, it now licenses its system through a global partner network spanning Europe, Asia and North America.

Reer is&nbsp;an Intelligent Design Environment that brings AI directly into&nbsp;Rhino (&amp;Grasshopper), Revit, and more.
While most AI tools in AEC work on downstream point solutions like documentation, compliance, and visualization, Reer works upstream, directly at the source, the CAD and BIM model files where every project decision originates.
For decades, CAD and BIM platforms have been the backbone of AEC projects worldwide. They are powerful, deeply embedded, and not going anywhere. But the way professionals interact with them has barely changed. Most tasks remain manual, repetitive, and error-prone, requiring users to translate their intent into commands, scripts, and step-by-step operations rather than focusing on the work that actually requires their expertise.
Reer brings a true CAD-native AI collaborator directly into the tools we all rely on, fundamentally changing that interaction. The agent understands the context of your model, acts on your behalf, and handles the full range of workflows professionals deal with every day:
<ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3">
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Batch edits and parametric modeling</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Data extraction and analysis</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Object, layer, and file organization</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Cross-platform coordination</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Visualization and rendering</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Construction documentation</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2" style="font-style: italic;">And more for you to explore...</li>
</ul>
Beyond individual productivity, teams can build custom skills and modules on top of Reer, turning everyday interactions into reusable design intelligence that compounds over time.
The long-term vision is one intelligent environment across the entire AEC project lifecycle, from schematic design in Rhino through coordination in Revit and beyond.
Reer is currently in Free Beta in Rhino - <a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://www.food4rhino.com/en/app/reer-ai">Try it now</a>
Revit coming in June!

Reer

The Context
Despite decades of investment in BIM, architectural documentation remains heavily manual. Teams continue to spend significant time on repetitive production tasks, manual QA/QC, and enforcing standards across drawings, views, and schedules.
At scale, this creates inefficiency, late-stage rework, and coordination risk, while contributing to burnout across documentation teams. Existing automation is often fragmented or difficult to apply consistently within live project models, limiting its effectiveness in everyday production work.
SketchPro is being actively deployed at top architecture firms to address this gap by embedding AI directly into architectural documentation workflows.
The Question
How can AI support architectural documentation&ndash; QA/QC, standards alignment, and repetitive production work&ndash; while keeping architects in control, preserving authorship, and respecting firm-specific standards and workflows?
The Approach
SketchPro is an AI documentation copilot embedded directly within Revit, designed to operate on live project models, views, schedules, and sheets. The system is developed around three core principles:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
No workflow disruption Al actions occur inside the same Revit environment already used by project teams for documentation. No exporting, syncing, or parallel tools required.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Architect-in-the-loop control All actions are previewed, reviewable, and reversible, ensuring professional judgment remains central to decision-making.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Firm-specific intelligence Rather than applying generic rules, the system adapts to project standards, naming conventions, and documentation logic defined by each practice with an &ldquo;AI Knowledge Base&rdquo; set up by admins from each firm.
</li>
</ul>
The Collaboration Model
SketchPro is being deployed in collaboration with architecture firms working across a range of scales, typologies, and geographic locations, including educational, multifamily, and commercial projects. Ongoing collaboration ensures the platform addresses real documentation pain points such as QA/QC consistency, annotation cleanup, and standards alignment within live projects.
The Results
Across partner firms, teams report:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Standardized preferences across projects with AI
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
30% reduction in documentation time across major tasks like sheet creation, dimensioning, schedules, and QA/QC
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
20% more capacity to do more projects with their current team
</li>
</ul>
AI is experienced as a support system rather than a replacement. Junior staff report increased confidence and productivity, while senior staff retain full control over technical decisions.
Key Takeaways
Successful AI adoption in architecture depends less on automation alone and more on customization, transparency, and trust in the technology.
By embedding AI directly into documentation workflows and aligning it with the realities of architectural practice, SketchPro illustrates how AI can strengthen existing processes rather than disrupt them, supporting efficiency, quality, and professional judgment.

SketchPro allows you to go from a hand-drawn sketch to a fully rendered design

Firm-specific intelligence based on a custom, internal knowledge base

Mentor mode provides model-specific guidance

QAQC Audit using your firm's standards and checklists

SketchPro.ai

InspectMind AI helps engineers review hundreds of pages of drawings in minutes instead of hours.
InspectMind AI is an AI-powered plan review and code compliance platform built for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. The platform automatically analyzes construction drawings, engineering plans, and technical documents to identify code violations, design inconsistencies, and constructability issues before projects move into permitting or construction.
Traditional plan review and QA processes require engineers, architects, and reviewers to manually analyze hundreds or thousands of pages of drawings. This process is time-consuming, expensive, and prone to human error. InspectMind AI accelerates this process by using advanced artificial intelligence models trained on construction drawings, building codes, and engineering standards.
Users upload their project plans directly to InspectMind, and the AI system analyzes the drawings sheet-by-sheet. The platform detects issues such as missing details, dimension conflicts, structural inconsistencies, accessibility violations, and code compliance risks. InspectMind then generates a structured report highlighting the detected issues along with visual references to the affected drawings.
The platform is designed for engineers, architects, developers, contractors, plan reviewers, and government agencies who want to reduce risk and improve design quality. By catching issues early in the design process, InspectMind helps teams avoid expensive rework, delays during permitting, and construction change orders.
InspectMind AI supports a wide range of building codes and standards including IBC, ADA, NFPA, and local jurisdictional codes. The system can analyze architectural drawings, structural plans, engineering reports, and construction documentation.
Typical workflow:
<ol data-start="2968" data-end="3342">
<li data-section-id="qsu294" data-start="2968" data-end="3069">
Upload drawings Users upload their architectural or engineering plans directly into InspectMind.
</li>
<li data-section-id="15wns3j" data-start="3071" data-end="3213">
AI plan analysis The AI analyzes the full drawing set, identifies potential issues, and compares plans against applicable building codes.
</li>
<li data-section-id="tm56oz" data-start="3215" data-end="3342">
Review results Users receive a detailed issue report showing potential risks, code conflicts, and recommended corrections.
</li>
</ol>
InspectMind AI dramatically reduces manual review time, improves plan quality, and helps project teams move faster from design to construction.

InspectMind AI

Catch construction mistakes before they get built

AI-Powered Site Documentation: An InspectMIND Case Study

Featuring InspectMind AI at the AEC Innovate Conference

Featuring InspectMIND at the AEC Innovate Conference

Tools Leading the Way in the AEC+Tech Community

Using AI to Automate Building Inspections

MeltPlan is the AI-native planning engine for the built environment, built to help architects, engineers, and contractors plan projects better &mdash; earlier, faster, and with far more confidence. Construction planning today is still fragmented across disconnected tools, spreadsheets, PDFs, and tribal knowledge. Teams are forced to manually connect decisions across code compliance, estimating, scheduling, and value engineering, which leads to slow iterations, missed scope, costly rework, and avoidable project risk.
MeltPlan solves this by creating a unified planning platform that connects the four planning pillars that shape every project: code compliance, cost, schedule, and value engineering. Instead of operating like a black-box AI assistant, MeltPlan is built for accuracy and transparency. It understands real AEC context &mdash; including codes and standards, building assemblies and elements, quantities and scopes, and project-specific conditions. Every output is designed to be defensible, with clear assumptions, step-by-step reasoning, and verifiable sources.
At the core of MeltPlan is the belief that planning isn&rsquo;t just producing a schedule or an estimate &mdash; it&rsquo;s making the right decisions early, before mistakes become expensive field problems. MeltPlan helps teams move from &ldquo;searching and guessing&rdquo; to &ldquo;knowing and deciding.&rdquo;
Today, MeltPlan offers two core products:
<h3 data-start="1400" data-end="1417">Melt Code</h3>
Melt Code is the first building code research AI built to make compliance transparent and decision-ready. Instead of giving a generic answer, Melt Code provides project-specific compliance requirements along with a step-by-step reasoning trail and direct citations to every relevant code section. It also maps out Compliance Paths, guiding architects and engineers through multiple valid routes to compliance based on project variables like occupancy, construction type, sprinkler conditions, height/area thresholds, and fire ratings. Melt Code understands exceptions, cross-references, tables, diagrams, and code math &mdash; and can generate project-specific compliance illustrations to make requirements easier to interpret and communicate. It also includes workflow tools like Projects and Checklists, helping firms capture institutional knowledge and standardize compliance across teams.
<h3 data-start="2326" data-end="2346">Melt Takeoff</h3>
Melt Takeoff is an AI-assisted takeoff service designed for contractors and estimators who need speed without sacrificing trust. It combines AI vision for fast quantity extraction with onshore, field-experienced senior estimators who verify outputs and add detailed allowances for scope not shown on drawings. Melt Takeoff detects hundreds of building elements, flags drawing/spec conflicts, structures takeoffs in MasterFormat&reg;, UniFormat&reg;, or custom standards, and delivers interactive outputs with sheet-linked traceability and clean Excel exports. It enables faster bids, fewer missed scope items, and more confident pricing.
Together, Melt Code and Melt Takeoff form the foundation of the MeltPlan platform &mdash; a connected planning engine that brings clarity, speed, and trust to preconstruction decision-making.

MeltPlan

With ARES Commander, users can work both locally and with files stored in the cloud to improve collaboration. Sync files across users and devices. Create and modify DWG drawings in 2D and 3D, leveraging the drafting and design features that you&rsquo;ve come to expect &mdash; all at a significant cost savings. ARES Commander can stand alone or coordinate with ARES Touch and ARES Kudo to form the Trinity of CAD, unlocking productivity-boosting collaboration features. ARES Commander by Graebert is a powerful and flexible CAD solution designed for professionals who require full-featured 2D and 3D drafting capabilities in native DWG format&mdash;without the high costs or limitations of traditional CAD software. Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, ARES Commander is part of the ARES Trinity suite, which includes access to cloud-based editing through ARES Kudo and mobile capabilities via ARES Touch, all under a single license. One of the key strengths of ARES Commander is its seamless DWG compatibility, allowing users to create, edit, and share files without worrying about format issues. The software includes robust 2D drafting tools, 3D modeling functions such as push/pull editing, and support for dynamic blocks, splines, and parametric features. Beyond the desktop, the ARES Trinity ecosystem enables real-time collaboration through cloud integration, supporting services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. Users can work from anywhere, review drawings on-site, share view-only links with stakeholders, and keep track of revisions with built-in version control and commenting tools. ARES Commander also bridges the gap between CAD and BIM. It allows the import of Revit and IFC files, from which users can extract 2D drawings, automatically generate annotations, and streamline documentation workflows. This functionality makes it easier to work alongside BIM teams while staying within familiar CAD environments. The user interface has been continually refined to support productivity and ease of use, with the latest versions offering customizable workspaces, AI-assisted tools, and a simplified transition path for users coming from other platforms like AutoCAD. ARES Commander is widely adopted across industries, from architecture and engineering to construction and manufacturing. It's known for its solid performance, affordability, and flexibility, offering a complete CAD solution that meets the demands of modern workflows. Whether working independently or as part of a larger team, users appreciate its robust toolset, intuitive design, and commitment to innovation.

Files created in ARES Commander can also be accessed in ARES Kudo or ARES Touch.

ARES Commander includes BIM drawings automation features.

The ARES Trinity of CAD Software: Create and Modify DWG Files with Modern Collaboration Tools

ARES CAD Software: Top 10 Trinity Features Outperforming AutoCAD | Expert Review by Architosh

DWG Drawings Automation for BIM - ARES Commander Product Review | Niknaz Aftahi of aec+tech

BIM Drawings Automation: From Revit & IFC to DWG in ARES Commander

450+ Dynamic Blocks in Tool Palettes and Trinity Block Library in ARES Commander

AI for CAD in DWG: ARES AI Assist (aka A3) 

Switch from AutoCAD or other AutoCAD Alternatives to ARES effortlessly

ARES Commander | N°1 AutoCAD Alternative for DWG CAD Software on Windows, Mac and Linux

ARES Commander

ARES Commander Standalone [Perpetual License]

ARES Commander [Perpetual License] with Trinity

ARES Commander Flex / Network Seat [Perpetual License]

ARES Commander runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux platforms.

Featuring Graebert at the AEC Innovate Conference

Solibri CheckPoint is a browser-based BIM model checking platform that helps architecture, engineering, and construction teams improve model quality, coordination, and compliance&mdash;without heavy installs or steep training. Open a browser, review Revit and IFC models side by side, run standardized QA/QC checks (clash detection, data/property rules, clearances), and manage issues in one collaborative workspace that fits your existing CDE and project tools.
<h2 data-start="758" data-end="783">Why Solibri CheckPoint</h2>
<ul data-start="784" data-end="1370">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="784" data-end="888">Zero install, fast adoption: Web-based model checking reduces IT overhead and speeds onboarding.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="889" data-end="985">Native Revit &amp; IFC support: Review the same source data&mdash;no exports or lossy conversions.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="986" data-end="1090">Standardized QA/QC: Enforce modeling standards with reusable rule sets, filters, and data views.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1091" data-end="1208">Collaborative issue management: Assign, track, and resolve clashes/data issues with transparent audit trails.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1209" data-end="1370">CDE-friendly: Practical integrations with Autodesk Construction Cloud and Procore keep models and issues in sync via direct connections or BCF.</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="1372" data-end="1391">Key Capabilities</h2>
<ul data-start="1392" data-end="1804">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1392" data-end="1460">Clash detection &amp; constructability checks across disciplines</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1461" data-end="1541">Property/data validation to enforce BIM standards and naming conventions</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1542" data-end="1611">Clearance/free-space rules for safety, access, and operations</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1612" data-end="1702">Data Viewer to inspect quantities, attributes, and patterns alongside the 3D model</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1703" data-end="1804">Project Library to publish shared, repeatable templates (rules, filters, views) across projects</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="1806" data-end="1832">Integrations &amp; Workflow</h2>
<ul data-start="1833" data-end="2138">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1833" data-end="1939">Sync models and issues with Autodesk Construction Cloud and Procore (reduce duplicate uploads)</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1940" data-end="2021">Export/import issues via BCF to keep coordination moving across platforms</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2022" data-end="2138">Fit lightweight checks into more milestones&mdash;from schematic coordination to preconstruction and punch-list closeout</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="2140" data-end="2155">Who It&rsquo;s For</h2>
<ul data-start="2156" data-end="2394">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2156" data-end="2237">Architects &amp; BIM Managers standardizing QA/QC and modeling best practices</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2238" data-end="2319">General Contractors &amp; VDC Teams driving constructability and coordination</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2320" data-end="2394">Owners/Consultants requiring transparent, auditable BIM deliverables</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="2396" data-end="2407">Benefits</h2>
<ul data-start="2408" data-end="2682">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2408" data-end="2474">Higher BIM quality with consistent templates and rule sets</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2475" data-end="2544">Fewer rework loops thanks to faster clash and data validation</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2545" data-end="2608">Lower overhead via web-based access and simpler rollout</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2609" data-end="2682">Better traceability with centralized issue records and auditability</li>
</ul>
Learn more: <a href="https://www.solibri.com/checkpoint?utm_campaign=3706145-Solibri%20CheckPoint&amp;utm_source=AEC%20Tech">www.solibri.com</a>

Model view IFC and Revit - Solibri CheckPoint

Solibri CheckPoint

Checking Revit models in the cloud with Solibri

Featuring Solibri at the AEC Innovate Conference

Solibri CheckPoint & the Future of AEC Model-Checking (2)

Acquisition of Xinaps and the rebranding of Verifi3D as Solibri Checkpoint

Solibri CheckPoint & the Future of AEC Model-Checking 

ARES Touch is a full-featured mobile CAD app that provides a complete set of 2D drafting and annotation commands. It's the perfect companion to quickly review a drawing shared in the cloud or received by email while on the go.

Team members at the jobsite can collaborate efficiently with colleagues back at the office

ARES Touch helps users work more effectively while on the jobsite or  in the field

ARES Touch works on Android and iOS tablets and smartphones

DWG Editing on Mobile: ARES Touch Makes it Quick & Easy!

ARES Touch: Mobile CAD for Android and iOS to View, Create and Annotate DWG

ARES Touch

Work productively on mobile devices with tools tailored to smaller screens

EGNYTE CONTENT CLOUD Unlock the full potential of your mission-critical content by simplifying collaboration, improving productivity with AI, and addressing information governance. PLATFORM The Egnyte Platform provides robust, secure, and compliant infrastructure that can be customized and scaled to match your business needs. Faster Time to Value Egnyte delivers immediate value with little or no customization but can tailor its offering to meet your business needs and integrate with your environment. Trusted by IT Leaders Thousand of IT leaders appreciate Egnyte&rsquo;s ease of deployment combined with a secure and compliant architecture. Loved by End-users End-users love working with Egnyte because of its accessibility from wherever they work, without forcing them to alter established processes and behavior. COLLABORATION Collaborate on mission-critical content with distributed teams working from an office, from home, or on the go. Collaborate Efficiently Empower teams to work efficiently and confidently, accelerating project timelines while protecting valuable content. Manage Complex Files Efficiently collaborate on mission-critical content and empower teams that work with large, complex files (up to 250 GB) in the cloud. Streamline Workflows Enhance workflows, improve productivity, drive project momentum, and ensure secure interactions across teams and partners. INTELLIGENCE Drive productivity and innovation with private and secure AI grounded in your company's data. Get fast answers, surface insights, create summaries, and perform actions via a simple, intuitive interface built into users&rsquo; workflows. Private Egnyte&rsquo;s AI respects your governance model and adheres to user-specific permissions, protecting your data with stringent privacy, compliance, and security standards. Purposeful Get accurate, relevant, and traceable answers from your data, with complete control over data sources and AI prompts. Practical Integrate AI seamlessly into existing workflows without moving data out of Egnyte, eliminating the need for new tools or special skills. GOVERNANCE Proactively Address Rapidly Evolving Cyberthreats and Manage Compliance Requirements Defend Against Ransomware Proactively manage the threat of ransomware; detect known ransomware artifacts; keep pace with rapidly-evolving ransomware variants; take immediate action when users experience attacks; and recover quickly from successful attacks using Snapshot Recovery. Protect Sensitive Content Identify and review sensitive content including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) data, and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI); take immediate corrective action to protect exposed data; strengthen your compliance with global data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CPRA; and continuously improve sensitive data protection. Manage Regulatory Compliance Comply with cybersecurity and data privacy standards, such as CMMC, ISO 27001, and the CPRA; detect data that&rsquo;s subject to compliance and data privacy standards; keep pace with rapidly-evolving international privacy and cybersecurity standards; and benefit from Egnyte&rsquo;s deep compliance experience. Remediate Security Issues Mitigate risk associated with common security vulnerabilities like publicly exposed document links and potential ransomware; automatically respond to suspicious Egnyte login attempts; and enable your team to focus on threats most likely to significantly impact your company. Keep Data Confidential Create virtual data rooms (VDRs) for secure collaboration with external entities; generate Document Rooms in support of M&amp;A, asset sales, and investment fundraising initiatives; watermark previewed files to limit the risk of data breaches; gain real-time insights into users&rsquo; document access activity; and terminate external entities&rsquo; access when projects are completed, for peace of mind.

Egnyte Architecture Engineering and Construction Video

GBBN makes end users happier and more productive with Egnyte rollout

Egnyte

3 Ways Egnyte Helps AEC Firms Tap Into the Public Cloud 

Unlocking the Power of Cloud Data in Architectural Practice

Featuring Egnyte's aec+tech Talk: Unlocking the Power of Cloud Data in Architectural Practice

Featuring Egnyte’s article, case study, aec+tech event, and 2025 Egnyte’s Global Summit

Featuring Egnyte's Webinar: How to Find a Trusted AI Vendor

Featuring Egnyte at the AEC Innovate Conference

Egnyte's Article: A Practical, Purposeful, and Private Approach to AI Adoption in AEC; Article with Aaron Vorwerk

Speaking about Egnyte at the conference presentation

Zweig Group Article by aec+tech: Tools Leading the Way in the AEC+Tech Community

Featuring AIA Presentation: AI & AEC with Aaron Vorwerk

Featuring Egnyte: AI-powered Content Cloud Platform for AEC

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