Learn how Ideate StyleManager, Ideate Explorer, and Ideate BIMLink help construction teams eliminate Revit inefficiencies — from unmanaged styles and hidden elements to manual data errors — with automated QA/QC workflows and bulk parameter editing that saves hours on every project.

How Ideate Software Is Helping Teams Improve Revit Data Management, QA/QC and Automation

In this article, Kestrel Labs explains how AI powered building code compliance can help architects check code directly inside the BIM model, reducing manual review, rework, and permitting delays. The conversation explores how computable building codes, Revit based workflows, and traceable compliance results can support faster design decisions, stronger code confidence, and a more efficient future for AEC permitting.

How Kestrel Labs Is Bringing Code Compliance Inside the BIM Model

<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/9198a462-3995-42b2-ad2b-bddb08f3649e.png" alt="Ichi helps architecture teams bring code research earlier into the design process, turning complex compliance questions into faster, cited answers." width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-987372" data-gramm="false">Fig. 1) Ichi helps architecture teams bring code research earlier into the design process, turning complex compliance questions into faster, cited answers.</figcaption>
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We sat down with Chinmayi Suri, Architectural Designer at DGA, and Brandon Levey, Founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.ichiplan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ichi</a>, to learn how the two are working at the intersection of architecture and AI to tackle some of the profession's most time-consuming pain points: building code compliance, QA/QC, and the institutional knowledge that disappears when senior staff retire.&nbsp;
On a recent corporate laboratory project, the team at DGA, a Bay Area architecture firm specializing in life sciences and advanced manufacturing facilities, hit a familiar wall. Their mechanical scope carried a $250,000 line item for fire dampers, and the client wanted that cost justified before signing off. The architects suspected the dampers were not actually required by code for this specific occupancy and assembly configuration, but confirming it the usual way meant setting up a meeting, a senior architect pulling code books, cross-referencing amendments, and chasing answers across the firm. On a project already under deadline pressure, the budget question was at risk of being closed out without ever being properly answered.
Instead, they ran the question through Ichi, an AI platform built specifically for navigating building code complexity. Within seconds they had a cited answer from the code confirming the dampers were not required. The line item came out. The client saved $250,000.
While this is a relatively small sum for highly complex projects, this is just a single example and without that quick verification, the money would not have stayed in the project. It would have come out of finishes, or contingency, or somewhere else the team would rather not have touched. That is the part worth paying attention to. Code research used to be a slow, senior-architect-only task that often gets skipped or rushed under deadline pressure. When it stops being slow, it starts shaping budgets in real time.
<h3 dir="ltr">How Manual Code Work Is Costing You</h3>
Code compliance is one of those parts of architectural practice that almost no one celebrates. It is also one of the most expensive parts of the job, in hours if not always in dollars.
Chinmayi Suri, an architectural designer at DGA, works on cGMP pharmaceutical, life science, and manufacturing facilities that often run past 100,000 square feet and carry layered regulatory requirements. She describes the existing process bluntly. Navigating ADA, fire codes, and industry-specific regulations falls on the most senior architects, the ones who have memorized chunks of code over years of repetition. It is institutional knowledge stored in human heads, queried one Slack message or in-person conversation at a time.
That creates two problems. The first is throughput. Senior staff become the bottleneck on every code question, which pulls them away from the design work they were hired to do. The second is timing. Code checking traditionally happens after the design is mostly finished, so compliance issues surface late, when changes are expensive and the schedule is already tight.
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"This stemmed from frustration really. I was sitting on my computer saying this should not take so long, and that's kind of actually where this all started."&nbsp;&mdash; Chinmayi Suri, DGA
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Her original interest in AI tools came out of that frustration, not out of any particular enthusiasm for AI as a concept.
<h3 dir="ltr">Why Generic AI Tools Fall Short</h3>
The obvious question for any architect frustrated with code research is: Can&rsquo;t ChatGPT do the job? The answer, so far, has been no, and the reasons are useful to understand.
Brandon Levey, founder and CEO of Ichi, comes from a 20-year tech background that includes work at a Department of Energy national lab and running R&amp;D teams at Square. He grew up in his father's HVAC and sheet metal business, which is partly why he ended up building software for AEC. He breaks the gap down into three things.
Accuracy on compliance codes has to be very high. Architects stamp their drawings, and a model that produces plausible-sounding language without citing the exact code section is worse than no answer at all. The documents themselves are also unusually large. A spec package can run 6,000 pages. A jurisdiction comment letter can run 60 pages with 300 individual items. General-purpose tools are not built to parse and cross-reference at that scale with any reliability. And, the answers always depend on the context that lives inside the firm: what counts as a standard detail, which assemblies the client has used before, what the senior architect on this project type would flag.
Chinmayi put it more directly. Generic AI tools require the user to already have deep domain knowledge to know what to ask and to verify what comes back. That defeats the purpose. The point of an AI assistant for code work is to lower the barrier, not require an expert to operate it.
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/d43e9371-5c56-45b3-b46b-0264708472ca.png" alt="Ichi&rsquo;s agent based workflow helps teams organize code review, QA/QC, and consultant coordination tasks in a structured review board." width="1080"><canvas class="qb-highlighter__canvas" style="display: none; top: 1px !important; left: 200px !important;" width="47" height="22"></canvas>
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-193248" data-gramm="false">Fig. 2) Ichi&rsquo;s agent based workflow helps teams organize code review, QA/QC, and consultant coordination tasks in a structured review board.</figcaption>
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<h3 dir="ltr">What Agentic Actually Means Here</h3>
Ichi's product is built around what Brandon calls an agentic approach. The term gets used loosely, so it is worth being specific.
In Ichi's case it means that when users ask Ichi a question they aren&rsquo;t interacting with a single LLM, but rather many different agents that are specialized in specific tasks. This approach helps the platform guide users when they do not know exactly what to ask,check its own work, and complete longer, more complex tasks.
A simple example. An architect asks a question about an auditorium in California. A generic chatbot returns a generic answer. Ichi instead asks clarifying questions about occupancy load and square footage, because those variables fundamentally change which code sections apply. That guided flow matters in code work, where a wrong assumption upstream invalidates everything downstream.
The error-checking piece is more technical but arguably more important.
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"Any type of long-running or long horizon task in AI is going to have errors in it. The way that we evolve through that, a lot of the agentic approaches are by using multiple AI agents to check its work."&nbsp;&mdash; Brandon Levey, founder and CEO, Ichi
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In practice that means when Ichi pulls code references from a 60-page comment letter or runs a feasibility study, separate agents are reviewing the output for inconsistencies and gaps before the architect sees it. That internal cross-check is what makes the difference between a curiosity and something architects will actually put their name on.
Want to hear the full discussion?<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsm_sSv2urI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Watch the complete panel conversation with Chinmayi Suri and Brandon Levey on YouTube.&nbsp;</a>
<h3 dir="ltr">Reducing the Work Architects Enjoy Least&nbsp;</h3>
The most concrete value Ichi delivers shows up in the workflows least enjoyed by architects.
Comment letters are the clearest case. When a jurisdiction returns a plan check, the architect's first job is translation: turning a long PDF into a structured spreadsheet that maps each comment to the relevant code reference, assigns it to the right consultant, and drafts an initial response. Brandon described one user who spent five to eight hours turning a 60-page letter with 300 comments into a workable spreadsheet. With Ichi, that drops to around 20 minutes.
Feasibility and zoning studies follow a similar pattern. A study that previously took two to four hours of senior staff time becomes a 20-minute guided workflow, producing an exportable document with code references already in place.
On the documentation side, the savings come less from automation than from triage. Chinmayi pointed to 700-page document sets where the real value is having AI do the first pass, locating where specific notes or drawing discrepancies live. The architect still verifies and decides. They just no longer have to read every line to find the three that matter.
The work that consumes the most time in an architecture firm is rarely the work that draws people into the profession. Cutting hours out of that work is where most firms will see the first real return.
<div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSKu4e2Qg3s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch Ichi in action: See how the platform supports zoning, design, permitting, and inspections across the full project lifecycle.</a></div>
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<h3 dir="ltr"><iframe style="display: table; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 709px; height: 400px;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gSKu4e2Qg3s" width="709" height="400" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></h3>
<h3 dir="ltr">Capturing the Knowledge Before It Walks Out the Door</h3>
One of the more interesting features in Ichi is what the platform calls Memory. It captures the institutional knowledge of senior staff, the kind of judgment and pattern recognition that takes decades to build and tends to leave the firm when those people retire.
Chinmayi described how the idea took shape at DGA.
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"I wish we could put Mark Davis into a notebook LLM."&nbsp;&mdash; Chinmayi Suri, on DGA principal Mark Davis
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The line is partly a joke about a specific colleague, but it captures something the AEC industry has struggled with for a long time. Knowledge transfer from senior to junior staff is mostly accidental, dependent on proximity, mentorship, and time.
Memory works by ingesting organizational standards, past project notes, and client specifications so the AI's answers reflect the firm's actual way of working, not a generic best practice. DGA has started using it as a training tool, exposing younger architects not just to answers but to the prompts and reasoning senior staff use to get there. The platform already syncs directly with OneDrive and soon will with Google Drive, removing another friction point for firms with messy document storage.
This is also where the security question gets practical. Ichi does not train its models on customer data. For firms handling sensitive client information, particularly in life sciences or government work, that distinction is the difference between adoption and a hard no from legal.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Barriers Are Real, but Shrinking</h3>
Adoption is rarely about whether a tool works. It is about whether a firm can afford the time to find out.
Chinmayi named three barriers: time, trust, and security. Time, because evaluating new software is itself a senior-staff task that competes with billable work. Trust, because architects are personally liable for what they sign. Security, because client data cannot be pasted into a public chatbot.
The trust question tends to dissolve through small wins. Firms that successfully adopt AI usually start with a single project, often a smaller one, and prove the tool against a known answer. Once the output matches what a senior architect would have produced, the conversation shifts from whether the tool is reliable to which workflow it should touch next.
The fear of replacement also fades quickly once people actually use the tools. The intelligent part of the work, as Chinmayi pointed out, still comes from the humans using it. AI takes the repetitive parts. It does not make decisions, and it does not stamp drawings.
<h3 dir="ltr">The New Baseline</h3>
The shift Brandon describes has happened fast. In 2024, the conversation in architecture was still about whether AI was real. By late 2025 it had moved to how to implement it. Firms are now being asked in client interviews and RFP responses what their AI strategy is. Within the next year, not having a clear answer will start to count against firms competing for work.
Chinmayi frames it in the only terms that really matter to working architects.
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"You have to start using it. We have to start thinking about using it in our workflow. It is going to become as prevalent to us at some point as Revit is."&nbsp;&mdash; Chinmayi Suri, DGA
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The shift from hand drafting to CAD took roughly a decade. CAD to BIM took another. Each one looked optional at the start and obvious by the end. The shift now underway, from manual code research to agentic compliance tools, is following the same curve. 
Firms picking up the tools now are buying themselves time to figure out how to use them well before that becomes a job requirement rather than a competitive edge.
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Editor's Note
This article is based on an aec+tech Expert Talk, Navigating Code Complexity with AI, featuring Chinmayi Suri of DGA Architects and Brandon Levey of Ichi. The conversation explored why building code review remains one of the most manual and time consuming parts of architectural practice, and how AI can help project teams navigate code requirements, reduce repetitive review work, and make more informed design decisions.
Learn more on Ichi&rsquo;s product page: <a href="../../tools/ichi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.aecplustech.com/tools/ichi</a>
Watch the full conversation here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsm_sSv2urI&amp;t=168s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsm_sSv2urI&amp;t=168s</a>
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In this article, we explore how DGA Architects is using Ichi’s agentic AI platform to rethink building code compliance, QA/QC, and time consuming review workflows. Through a recent project example, the article shows how faster, cited code research helped the team remove a $250K fire damper line item and make better decisions earlier. The piece also looks at how AI can capture institutional knowledge, support junior teams, and become a new baseline for architecture firms as client expectations evolve.

How DGA Used Ichi’s Agentic AI to Rethink Code Compliance

<img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/57eee85d-cd2f-4ffd-842d-2e8a109ebfa4.jpg" alt="" width="1080">The difference between a concept and a market leader lies in the ecosystem in which they operate. If your startup is building the next generation of automation, artificial intelligence, or spatial intelligence for the built environment, this is your final opportunity to apply for the 2026 Trimble 0&ndash;60 Challenge. Applications officially close on May 22, 2026.
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Tech startups in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Owner-Operator (AECO) sector often struggle to gain traction, not because they lack innovative ideas, but because they lack real-world domain context and access to established workflows. The Trimble 0&ndash;60 Challenge is a rigorous, equity-free 12-week sprint designed to help early-stage founders bridge the gap between digital concepts and physical workflows, moving solutions from prototype to real-world deployment.
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Why This Accelerator Is Different
General-purpose accelerators can give you cloud infrastructure, but the Trimble 0&ndash;60 Challenge gives you the industry. Recently named the 2025 Accelerator Program of the Year by BuiltWorlds, this program provides what standard accelerators cannot: direct integration with the world's most widely deployed AECO platforms.
Startups selected for the 2026 cohort will receive:
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Deep Platform Integration: Build directly on Trimble Connect, SketchUp, Tekla, and ProjectSight, or integrate your computer vision and autonomy solutions with Trimble's GNSS receivers, total stations, and laser scanners.
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Expert Mentorship: Get weekly guidance from Trimble platform engineers, product teams, and Trimble Ventures advisors who have spent their careers inside construction workflows.
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Prizes and Market Distribution: Compete for non-dilutive cash prizes and gain a direct path to verified customers via a listing on the Trimble Marketplace.
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Demo Day at Dimensions: Pitch your fully functioning minimum viable product (MVP) to 5,000 construction professionals, buyers, and investors live at Trimble Dimensions in Las Vegas from November 9&ndash;11, 2026.
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Proven Commercial Outcomes
The 12-week roadmap focuses entirely on rapid development and commercial validation. As Simon Boyles, founder of ScaffPlan, noted after his cohort experience, "We finished the program with a brand new, fully functioning application ready to be commercialized". Similarly, the 2025 winner, Datagrid, successfully built an agentic AI tool that integrates directly with Trimble solutions and over 100 enterprise systems, which is now live on the Trimble Marketplace.
Who Should Apply
The program is actively seeking early-stage startups and developers building solutions in three core categories:
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Connected Data: Solutions that facilitate the seamless flow, management, and interoperability of data across the project lifecycle.
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Connected Design: Tools that enhance modeling, simulation, and design workflows to improve accuracy and efficiency.
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Connected Field or Jobsite: Technologies that optimize real-world execution through hardware-to-software synergy and precision technology.
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Key Dates for 2026:
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Applications Close: May 22, 2026
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Finalists Selected: June 12, 2026
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2-Day Kick-Off Event: June 16&ndash;17, 2026 (Westminster, CO)
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Dimensions Demo Day: November 9&ndash;11, 2026 (Las Vegas, NV)
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Do not watch the future of construction technology from the sidelines. If you are ready to scale your technology within the Trimble ecosystem, you must submit your application before the portal closes.
 Apply before midnight on May 22, 2026. <a href="https://www.trimble.com/en/our-company/events/dimensions/experiences/0-60-challenge?utm_source=influencer&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=TRB-26Q1-GLOB-LE-Nov-09-Trimble-0-60&amp;utm_term=Aec+tech-campaign%20https://www.trimble.com/en/our-company/events/dimensions/experiences/0-60-challenge?utm_source=linkedin&amp;utm_medium=paid-ad&amp;utm_campaign=TRB-26Q1-GLOB-LE-Nov-09-Trimble-0-60&amp;utm_content=startups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more.</a></div>
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The 2026 Trimble 0–60 Challenge, an equity-free 12-week accelerator for early-stage AEC startups in automation, AI, and spatial intelligence, closes applications on May 22, 2026. Selected founders gain direct integration with Trimble platforms, expert mentorship, non-dilutive cash prizes, and a Demo Day slot at Trimble Dimensions in Las Vegas.

Last Call: Accelerate Your AEC Startup with the 2026 Trimble 0–60 Challenge

Graebert’s ARES Trinity 2027 helps AEC teams automate BIM-to-DWG documentation from Revit, IFC, and Autodesk Forma workflows. It reduces manual drawing updates, supports cloud automation, preserves CAD details, improves feedback loops, and introduces ARES Neo for Revit-based drawing validation.

BIM Has the Intelligence. Why Is Revit Documentation Still Manual?

Luminocity AG is a Swiss software-development agency headquartered in Schaffhausen with deep specialty in real-time 3D, AR/VR/XR, AI integration in 3D pipelines, and AEC plugin engineering. The agency operates as a hybrid services-plus-products company: alongside selective paid engagements with external customers, Luminocity ships several internal product lines that demonstrate the team's range across browser-native 3D, cloud BIM, and Gaussian-Splatting digital twins.

Product portfolio:

GeoVision is a cloud BIM visualization platform built on top of the Speckle data layer. Custom Revit and Archicad plugins (Rhino coming soon) move BIM models into a shareable web viewer where AEC teams collaborate, comment, and version on a single link without anyone needing Revit or Archicad installed. The plugin family captures PBR materials, lighting, and exposed metadata - notably above what stock Speckle connectors provide. A companion Unity 6 HDRP desktop application extends the workflow with immersive walkthrough and AI photorealistic image generation via the Grok (xAI) API. Live at geovision.cloud and app.geovision.cloud.

Lemonate is a complete open-source 3D game engine and editor that runs entirely in the browser - built ground-up by the Luminocity team. Lemonate features a LUA scripting layer for game logic; a full engine API across rendering, physics (rigid bodies, vehicle, NavMesh), positional audio, particle systems, materials and shaders; and a broad scene-object library including Gaussian Splats. Source code is public on Codeberg. A public games gallery, community asset library, and beginner / advanced tutorial series support the developer community. Lemonate has a public roadmap committed through 2027.

3D Replicas is a productized 3D Gaussian-Splatting digital-twin pipeline for cultural heritage, museums, and architectural sites. The three-stage workflow (on-site or studio capture, 3DGS reconstruction, cloud-delivered web / VR / archive output) has produced active client work in 2026 across multiple Italian heritage sites and Swiss commercial and civic spaces. Three productized offerings are available: Interactive Web Viewer, Virtual Museum Experience (VR/AR), and Digital Archive & Collection Management Platform.

Unity 3D consulting is the agency's bench-rental side: bespoke Unity3D engagements covering 3D content design, immersive experiences, custom rendering pipelines, and cross-platform deployment - on the same engineering bench that ships GeoVision's Unity 6 HDRP desktop application.

Our team's senior engineers carry more than 20 years of cumulative deep experience shipping advanced 3D systems with a cross-platform C++ core, integrated through Unity3D and browser-native runtimes. Past work includes industry-standard media servers used in some of the world's most demanding multimedia setups since 2007 (e.g. Eurovision Song Contests, large-scale 3D projection mappings, major touring productions), the MVX 2D / 3D / 4D file format and processing framework presented at Siggraph 2016, hardware-emulation work for leading VR device manufacturers, and a native Meta Quest VR application released in January 2026.

Engagement model:

Luminocity engages with external customers through a delivery-pod model. The customer describes what they need built and to what quality bar; the team handles execution internally (engineering, project management, QA all on the team's side); the customer receives working deliverables on the agreed cadence and integrates into their core stack. Engagements can be project-based or month-based, whichever fits the customer's pattern. Areas where the team is strongest: connector engineering for AEC plugins, custom AEC pipeline work on top of Speckle, front-end and viewer work in Three.js / WebGL / GLSL, AI integration in 3D pipelines, and Unity / AR/VR / XR engineering.

Headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland; engineering team operates remotely across the EMEA region. English- and German-speaking. Tech stack includes C++, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, Unity, Three.js, WebGL, OpenGL, OpenCV, AWS, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Vue.js, React, Quasar, Node.js, and .NET.


Luminocity AG

Luminocity AG is a Swiss software-development agency in Schaffhausen specializing in real-time 3D, AR/VR/XR, AI integration, and AEC plugin engineering. Products include GeoVision (cloud BIM viewer), Lemonate (open-source browser-native 3D game engine), and 3D Replicas (productized 3D Gaussian-Splatting digital twins). 

Melt Takeoff is built for estimators who need takeoffs that are not just fast, but truly bid-ready and reliable. Unlike fully automated takeoff software that only measures what&rsquo;s drawn, Melt Takeoff is designed around a simple truth: winning bids requires accounting for what&rsquo;s missing from plans &mdash; the scope gaps, incomplete details, coordination conflicts, and implied work that experienced estimators catch through judgment.
Melt Takeoff combines AI vision with expert estimator validation to deliver takeoffs with both speed and accuracy. The workflow is simple: upload plans, the AI measures and identifies scope, flags drawing/spec conflicts, adds allowances, and then senior estimators validate everything before delivery. This hybrid model is what makes Melt Takeoff dependable &mdash; AI accelerates measurement, but real estimators ensure completeness and constructability.
Key capabilities include:
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AI Vision measurement detecting 800+ building elements with counts, lengths, perimeters, areas, and volumes
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Automated scope recognition across architectural, structural, and MEP drawings
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Detailed allowances for scope not shown, added as itemized ROMs based on code requirements and real project benchmarks
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Drawing&ndash;spec conflict detection, with estimator-led resolution before it hits your bid
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Estimator-verified outputs, reviewed by onshore senior estimators with 20+ years of field experience, including delivery of multi-million to billion-dollar projects
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Flexible classification standards, supporting MasterFormat&reg;, UniFormat&reg;, or custom structures, so takeoffs drop directly into your estimating workflow
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Interactive takeoff output, with side-by-side plan review, traceable quantities, and clean Excel exports ready for pricing and bidding
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Melt Takeoff is designed for speed without sacrificing trust. Quantities aren&rsquo;t just dumped into a spreadsheet &mdash; they&rsquo;re delivered in a structured, reviewable format so teams can validate quickly, collaborate internally, and confidently move into bid submission. The output stays fully in your control: review, adjust, and export clean files without messy reformatting.
Melt Takeoff delivers a takeoff process that is 40% more accurate, 20% faster, and 10% cheaper, with turnaround times ranging from 2&ndash;3 days for small projects to 7&ndash;8 days for extra-large projects. The result is fewer missed scope items, stronger bid coverage, reduced risk of underbidding, and significantly more confidence in your numbers &mdash; so estimators can bid faster and win more work.

Melt Takeoff

MeltBid by MeltPlan is an AI bid leveling software built for general contractors in preconstruction. The traditional bid leveling process takes estimators hours of manual work &mdash; pulling numbers from PDFs, building spreadsheets by hand, hunting for buried exclusions, and hoping nothing slips through before you award. MeltBid compresses all of that into minutes.
The workflow is straightforward: upload your subcontractor proposals and MeltBid automatically structures them into a leveled comparison inside your own Excel template or a provided one. It works both in the browser and natively inside Excel via MeltPlan's Microsoft marketplace add-in, so estimators don't have to change how they work.
The value, though, goes well beyond speed. MeltBid surfaces five core capabilities:
Bid leveling in minutes. Upload multiple proposals &mdash; PDFs from each sub &mdash; and get a fully populated line-by-line comparison in your template in under 5 minutes. Bring your own format or start from MeltBid's.
Scope gap detection. Automatically identifies line items that one sub priced and others excluded or missed entirely. These gaps are the silent killers in preconstruction &mdash; they show up as change orders in the field, well after you've already awarded the contract.
Exclusions and qualifications flagging. Highlights non-obvious exclusions and qualifications buried deep in bid packages &mdash; things like "fire alarm devices excluded," "roof penetrations not included," or "price valid 30 days only, subject to material escalation." The cheapest number on paper becomes the most expensive one post-award when these get missed.
Full traceability. Every number in the leveled output links directly back to the source line in the original proposal. No black box &mdash; estimators can click any cell and see exactly which clause in which sub's PDF drove that value, with a "Mark as Reviewed" workflow to systematically work through the output.
Natural-language AI Q&amp;A. Ask plain-English questions directly against your leveled bids: "Who is the lowest bidder and by how much?" "What did Summit exclude?" "Where's the biggest spread across bidders on mechanical?" MeltBid answers in context, scoped to the exact run you're reviewing.
It's built for the way estimators actually work &mdash; in the browser or right inside Excel &mdash; and is aimed squarely at GCs who are tired of the bid leveling process eating their preconstruction capacity.

Melt Bid

Revit professionals keep their models clean and accurate with the Ideate Explorer Revit add-on software. When using this model browser, as opposed to a project browser, users decrease the time they spend on model management, increase the accuracy of their models, and reduce file space by: Finding and deleting incorrect, obsolete, and hidden problem items, including DWGs Finding, refining, and revising elements, even those excluded from the project browser Getting a full view of any Revit model and understanding all elements in the model Easily complying with standards Auditing and removing Revit warnings The following components included with the Autodesk Revit add-in, Ideate Explorer, provide additional ways to ensure model accuracy: Warnings Manager - Easily review and manage Revit warnings Navigate - Navigate through view-based elements within Revit&mdash;legends, schedules, sheets, and views&mdash;and quickly customize the browsing experience Query - Search on parameters, such as elements assigned a certain size or modeled as in-place families, sheets based on Issuance numbers, and dimensions that have been overridden Boost the Power of Ideate Explorer with Ideate Automation Ideate AutomationFree your staff to do more meaningful work by adding Ideate Automation to your subscription*. This scripting solution runs time-intensive tasks in the background, so staff can continue using the computers to perform higher value tasks. Not only does task automation free staff for higher level engineering and design work, but automation also has the benefit of ensuring that your task outcomes are highly predictable and standardized. The scripts can be run manually or scheduled to run at specific times, including at night. Example: Exporting Model Health Data With Ideate Automation, staff no longer needs to stop what they are doing so their computer can export critical information about the Revit project. Instead, the script will run in the background and deliver actionable data that can be used to increase project health. *Ideate Automation is included in the cost of an Ideate Software Enterprise subscription. Others can purchase it as a separate subscription. View subscription options or contact your account manager for more information. Attend FREE online training courses on all of our products. Visit our Events Page for details. &ldquo;Switching from an office with [Ideate] Explorer to without is a jarring experience. This app puts the filter tool in Revit to absolute shame - it is simply THE tool for finding elements in Revit models.&rdquo; ~Gavin Crump, BIM Guru

Precisely Manage Revit Models | Introduction to Ideate Explorer 

Ideate Query and its Value to All Revit Users

Ideate Explorer

Ideate Explorer and IdeateApps: Safely Moving Revit Content to Another Level 

BAMROC: Revolutionizing MEP and MEP vs. Structure Clash Resolution in the AEC Industry
BAMROC is the first AI-powered software in the AEC industry purpose-built to automate MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) and MEP vs. Structure clash resolution inside real-world BIM coordination workflows. Instead of spending countless hours manually reviewing clashes, modifying routes, and iterating on design options, BIM teams can now rely on BAMROC to act as an intelligent copilot that does the heavy lifting with remarkable speed and consistency.
At its core, BAMROC combines advanced AI-powered decision-making to understand how MEP services interact with structural and architectural elements. It doesn&rsquo;t just highlight problems, it actively proposes and applies optimized resolutions that respect design intent, space constraints, and constructability. This allows BIM MEP coordinators, designers, and engineers to move from reactive firefighting to proactive, high-value decision-making.
By streamlining a traditionally time-consuming and repetitive coordination stage, BAMROC helps projects meet the highest standards of accuracy, safety, and efficiency. It reduces the back-and-forth between disciplines, minimizes rework, and cuts down coordination cycles, ultimately supporting faster project delivery and more predictable outcomes. BIM professionals can focus on design quality, system performance, and client requirements instead of being stuck in manual clash-by-clash troubleshooting.
As an advanced BIM clash resolver, BAMROC analyzes design conflicts, explores multiple routing scenarios, and intelligently adjusts MEP systems to create a clash-free environment. The resolutions are generated with precision, preserving clearances, avoiding critical zones, and maintaining the logic of each system. This level of automation and reliability redefines what &ldquo;productive&rdquo; means in BIM MEP design and coordination.
Whether your team is handling dense plant rooms, complex high-rise cores, hospitals with strict service zoning, or large infrastructure projects under aggressive timelines, BAMROC ensures that BIM professionals can achieve lightning-fast coordination with uncompromising quality. Adopting BAMROC is not just a software upgrade, it is a shift toward smarter, AI-assisted project delivery and a more efficient, future-ready AEC workflow.

BAMROC

ARES Kudo: The Cloud-Based CAD Solution Empowered by AI In the rapidly evolving world of computer-aided design (CAD), ARES Kudo has emerged as a game-changing cloud-based solution. Developed by Berlin-based software company Graebert, ARES Kudo is the first online CAD software to reach feature parity with AutoCAD LT, making it a strong alternative for professionals looking for flexible and collaborative drafting tools. With its modern ribbon user interface and more than 300 CAD features, ARES Kudo enables seamless transitions from traditional CAD environments while introducing innovative cloud collaboration capabilities. One of the most significant recent advancements in ARES Kudo is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). Graebert has introduced A3, an AI-powered assistant designed to enhance user experience, optimize workflows, and provide real-time guidance. Unlike generic AI chatbots, A3 is specifically trained in CAD applications, offering expert support tailored to users&rsquo; needs. A3: The AI-Powered CAD Assistant Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of daily life, from navigation apps to automated customer support. In the CAD industry, AI's potential is now being realized through tools like A3. Initially launched within ARES Commander, A3 is now fully integrated into ARES Kudo, bringing AI-driven assistance directly to users working in the cloud. A3&rsquo;s capabilities go beyond simple query responses. The AI assistant helps users locate commands within ARES Kudo&rsquo;s interface, provides step-by-step guidance on using features, and offers best practices for CAD design. For professionals transitioning from other platforms like AutoCAD, A3 simplifies the learning curve by instantly pointing out feature locations. For example, users can type &ldquo;Where is the PDF Import?&rdquo; and A3 will highlight the relevant tool within the interface. A3 also functions as an advanced knowledge source for CAD professionals, offering technical advice, design recommendations, and even industry-specific best practices. Whether users are looking for ways to streamline workflows or need assistance with a particular command, A3 serves as an on-demand expert. Beyond guidance, A3 can perform time-saving tasks such as unit conversions, text translations, and quick calculations. Its multilingual capabilities make it even more accessible, allowing users to communicate with the AI assistant in languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. Unlike traditional customer support, which may take hours or days to provide answers, A3 delivers instant responses, significantly improving productivity. A Cloud-Based Alternative to AutoCAD LT ARES Kudo&rsquo;s introduction of A3 is part of a broader effort to position itself as a leading online CAD platform. With a feature-rich environment and a familiar ribbon UI, ARES Kudo now matches AutoCAD LT&rsquo;s functionality while offering additional benefits unique to cloud-based solutions. One notable enhancement is its support for dynamic blocks, which ensures compatibility with AutoCAD files and facilitates seamless collaboration between different software environments. Additionally, the integration of the Trinity Block Library provides access to over 450 pre-built dynamic blocks, further boosting efficiency. By combining cloud accessibility with AI-driven support, ARES Kudo is redefining the CAD experience. Users can now enjoy a powerful, intelligent, and collaborative design environment, making ARES Kudo a compelling choice for professionals seeking innovation and efficiency in their CAD workflows. Learn more about the powerful solution here: https://graebert.pxf.io/JKJgyv

ARES Kudo now features an AI assistant with extensive CAD knowledge.

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

 Online CAD with Dynamic Blocks in ARES Kudo 

ARES Kudo: Full-featured 2D Online CAD for your DWG Drawings

ARES Kudo Online CAD for DWG Viewing, Creation and Modification in your Internet Browser

ARES Kudo

Cloud-Only Plan (includes ARES Kudo only)

Mobility Pack (includes ARES Kudo and ARES Touch)

ARES Trinity Plan (includes ARES Kudo, ARES Touch, and ARES Commander)

Because ARES Kudo runs in a browser, it can be accessed on any computer.

8600 AutoCAD users migrated to ARES CAD Software at Takenaka in Japan

Featuring Graebert at the AEC Innovate Conference

Featuring ArkDesign.AI at the AEC Innovate Conference

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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

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Egnyte

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Speaking about Egnyte at the conference presentation

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Featuring AIA Presentation: AI & AEC with Aaron Vorwerk

Featuring Egnyte: AI-powered Content Cloud Platform for AEC

Automate Engineering Workflows with Custom Web Apps
VIKTOR.AI is a low-code platform that helps engineers streamline workflows by creating, integrating, and sharing powerful web applications using Python.
By automating repetitive tasks and improving collaboration, VIKTOR enables teams to focus on solving complex engineering challenges while boosting efficiency and accuracy.
<hr data-start="533" data-end="536">
<h3 data-start="538" data-end="560">Key Features</h3>
App Creation Transform Python scripts, Excel files, Grasshopper models, and Dynamo scripts into fully interactive web applications with intuitive user interfaces. This centralizes tools, enhances usability, and makes domain-specific knowledge accessible to a wider team.
Software Integration Seamlessly connect with industry-standard software such as CAD, simulation tools, and data analysis platforms&mdash;eliminating manual data transfers, reducing human error, and optimizing engineering workflows.
App Distribution Deploy applications securely within an enterprise cloud environment, ensuring easy access across teams while maintaining centralized control over updates and permissions.
Collaboration Store and manage project data with built-in version control. Track changes, manage documentation, and reduce miscommunication across teams.
Security &amp; Compliance Enterprise-grade security features&mdash;such as single sign-on (SSO), user access management, and regional hosting&mdash;give organizations the control they need to protect sensitive data.
<hr data-start="1646" data-end="1649">
<h3 data-start="1651" data-end="1678">Development Tools</h3>
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<li data-start="1680" data-end="1821">
Command-Line Interface (CLI) &ndash; Streamline app development, install dependencies, and run tests across Windows and Linux environments.
</li>
<li data-start="1822" data-end="1995">
API &amp; SDK &ndash; Automate workflows, extract data, and integrate custom applications using the REST API and SDK, allowing engineers to tailor solutions to specific needs.
</li>
</ul>
<hr data-start="1997" data-end="2000">
<h3 data-start="2002" data-end="2031">Community &amp; Support</h3>
VIKTOR offers comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and an active developer community to support users in building and scaling automation solutions. Dedicated technical support ensures a smooth development experience and maximizes productivity.
By automating the tedious, VIKTOR empowers engineers to focus on innovation, creativity, and solving real engineering challenges.

Explore VIKTOR.AI for engineering automation, custom web apps, and low-code workflow development. Review pricing, free trial details, login access, integrations, and how VIKTOR helps teams build and s

VIKTOR.AI Pricing, Free Trial & Engineering App Builder

VIKTOR.AI

VIKTOR Launches App Builder, Automation in Every Engineer’s Hands

The VIKTOR App Builder: Putting Automation into Every Engineer's Hands

The VIKTOR App Builder: Putting Automation into Every Engineer's Hands (Niknaz's LI Post)

Pro & Pro+ Announcement (Niknaz's LI Post)

Viktor.AI welcomed as a pro member of aec+tech

Kestrel is the first structured compliance data layer for the built environment.
Building code has historically existed as static documents that architects read, interpret, and apply manually. In a world where design has moved into BIM, compliance has remained outside the model&mdash;fragmented across PDFs, markups, and late-stage plan review.
Kestrel changes that.
Kestrel is building code compliance software that runs inside Revit, evaluating BIM models against jurisdiction-specific requirements during design. Instead of checking compliance after drawings are complete, teams run checks continuously while designing, surfacing issues when they are still easy to fix.
At the core of the platform is a fundamental shift: building code becomes computable.
Kestrel translates licensed building code data, including International Code Council (ICC) sources, into structured, machine-executable logic that runs directly against the BIM model. Every issue is tied to a specific element in the design and linked to a cited code section, so teams can see what is wrong, why it matters, and how to resolve it.
This approach turns compliance from a manual, interpretive process into a system that can be evaluated in real time throughout design.
Kestrel&rsquo;s rule library includes millions of checks across key regulatory categories such as egress, accessibility (ADA), fire and life safety, occupancy classifications, height and area limits, and jurisdiction-specific requirements. The platform applies these rules in context to each project&rsquo;s location, building type, and conditions.
The result is a shift in how compliance happens:
<ul data-start="2268" data-end="2467">
<li data-section-id="1912hsz" data-start="2268" data-end="2340">From checking PDFs at the end &rarr; to evaluating the model continuously</li>
<li data-section-id="ab3kd5" data-start="2341" data-end="2405">From manual interpretation &rarr; to structured, verifiable logic</li>
<li data-section-id="2zqfm2" data-start="2406" data-end="2467">From late-stage surprises &rarr; to early, actionable feedback</li>
</ul>
Kestrel is designed for the entire design team. Architects and designers work directly inside the Revit model, resolving issues in context. Project managers and principals track compliance status through a shared dashboard without opening BIM files, giving the entire team a clear view of where the project stands.
Kestrel does not replace architect judgment. It surfaces what is checkable and grounds every result in real code. Final interpretation and design decisions remain with the architect.
As BIM became the system of record for design, there has been no equivalent system for compliance. Kestrel fills that gap.
It is not a plugin or a point solution. It is the compliance layer that sits alongside the model, enabling teams to move faster, reduce rework, and reach permit with greater confidence.

Result for “Swaziland”

Companies "1 result"

Luminocity AG