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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>
</figure>
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>
</figure>
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>.
<hr>
<img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/b02023eb-2713-4ea3-a35f-e0c2bb302c00.png" alt="" width="160" height="160">
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>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<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>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;How many pages could we review in minutes?"&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<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>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>
<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>
</figure>
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<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>
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>
<div>
<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>
</figure>
</div>
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>
</figure>
</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>
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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&nbsp;
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>

AI plan review saves hours, but engineers say the real payoff is fewer lawsuits, cleaner permit reviews, and errors caught before they reach the field.

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

Trimble selected 15 AECO startups for its 2026 0-60 Challenge, supporting AI, robotics, and interoperability integrations across construction workflows.

The Next Generation of AECO Innovation: Meet the 2026 Trimble 0-60 Finalists

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

Melt Code is the first building code research AI built for accuracy, transparency, and real compliance decision-making. Unlike generic AI tools that behave like black boxes, Melt Code doesn&rsquo;t just provide an answer &mdash; it shows the full research process so architects and engineers can verify every step and confidently defend their decisions.
Users can ask code questions in plain English and receive reliable, project-specific requirements with:
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Step-by-step reasoning with clear assumptions
</li>
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Direct citations to exact code sections for full traceability
</li>
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Compliance Paths, mapping multiple valid routes to compliance (based on occupancy, construction type, sprinkler conditions, height/area limits, ratings, etc.) so teams can choose the best design approach
</li>
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Exception and cross-reference handling, including circular references across multiple chapters
</li>
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Table and diagram understanding, ensuring accurate interpretation of code tables and figures
</li>
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Built-in calculations, such as occupant loads, egress sizing, travel distances, and fixture counts
</li>
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Personalized compliance illustrations, automatically generated to visually explain requirements for a specific project scenario
</li>
</ul>
Beyond research, Melt Code includes workflow tools that turn compliance into an organizational asset:
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Projects, where teams store project context (location, occupancy, construction type, sprinkler status, etc.) so every question becomes instantly project-aware
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Checklists, allowing firms to build, store, share, and export reusable compliance checklists across teams and project types
</li>
</ul>
The result is dramatically faster research, fewer senior escalations, reduced consultant dependence &mdash; and most importantly, confidence and peace of mind in every code decision.

Melt Code

ARES is a modern, feature-rich CAD software that serves as a leading AutoCAD alternative for professionals working with 2D drafting and 3D modeling in the industry-standard DWG file format. Developed by Graebert, ARES combines power, flexibility, and affordability&mdash;making it an ideal solution for architects, engineers, designers, and construction professionals seeking a more cost-effective, high-performance CAD platform. With a growing global footprint, ARES is trusted by some of the world&rsquo;s most prominent companies. Among its users are three of Japan&rsquo;s top five construction groups, as well as globally recognized manufacturers such as LG, Hyundai, and Samsung. Its robust feature set supports the complex demands of design, engineering, and construction workflows, offering seamless collaboration and precision. ARES also serves as the underlying technology for other leading CAD solutions. It powers DraftSight by Dassault Syst&egrave;mes, a popular CAD software for 2D design, and Onshape Drawings, the drawing module within the cloud-native Onshape CAD platform. These partnerships highlight ARES&rsquo;s reliability, scalability, and integration capabilities across different design environments. As a truly cross-platform CAD solution, ARES is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with additional cloud and mobile access through ARES Kudo (web-based) and ARES Touch (mobile app). This ensures design professionals can work seamlessly across devices and locations, with real-time syncing and collaboration tools. With its DWG compatibility, modern interface, and flexible subscription-based licensing model, ARES offers a compelling alternative to traditional CAD tools&mdash;without sacrificing performance or productivity. Whether you're migrating from AutoCAD or starting fresh with a new CAD workflow, ARES delivers the tools you need to design faster, collaborate smarter, and lower your total cost of ownership. Discover why ARES is the next-generation DWG CAD software for today&rsquo;s professionals. DWG Compatibility: ARES Commander works directly with DWG files, making it a good option for users familiar with other CAD software that uses this format. Part of the ARES Trinity: ARES Commander is the desktop component of Graebert's Trinity, which also includes cloud-based ARES Kudo and mobile ARES Touch. This allows for seamless workflows across devices. Productivity Features: ARES Commander includes features like Power Trim, Dimension Palette, and Layer Tools, designed to enhance user productivity. Customization: Users can customize their workspaces and user interfaces to suit their preferences. Collaboration: The ARES Trinity enables collaboration features, allowing users to share, view, and edit drawings across different platforms and devices. Cloud Integration: ARES Commander integrates with popular cloud storage services like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud. BIM Features: ARES Commander also includes BIM (Building Information Modeling) features, allowing users to import and view Revit and IFC files, extract 2D drawings, and extract BIM information into tables. Licensing: ARES Commander offers perpetual, annual, or flex licenses, and a single license can be used across multiple computers with different operating systems.

Modern workflows leveraging cloud and mobile to synchronize the work across all your users and devices.

CAD Anywhere: Desktop CAD (Windows, Mac, Linux), Cloud CAD (runs in your Internet browser), and Mobile CAD (Android tablets/smartphones and iOS iPhone/iPad).

With the DWG for BIM features in ARES Commander, users can create smarter CAD drawings whose geometry can be extracted and updated from Revit and IFC BIM projects.

ARES Commander - Desktop CAD: All the 2D and 3D features needed to create and modify DWG drawings on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

ARES Kudo - Online CAD: Create and modify DWG drawings online, and enjoy new collaboration features to comment with voice, photos, text notes, and stamps.

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ARES Trinity by Graebert

The ARES Trinity of CAD software encompasses three integrated software products: ARES Commander, ARES Kudo, and ARES Touch.

Featuring Graebert ARES CAD software at the AEC Innovate Conference

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

Featuring Graebert at the AEC Innovate Conference

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 

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

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 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

One Click LCA is the world&rsquo;s leading end‑to‑end sustainability platform, purpose-built for the construction and manufacturing sectors. Founded in Helsinki in 2001, the company has grown to a team of over 200 professionals across all continents and now serves users in more than 170 countries  At its core, this cloud‑based platform offers streamlined, automated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), enabling users to scientifically measure and reduce environmental impacts of structures, infrastructure, renovations, and manufactured goods. Beyond LCA and EPDs, it also supports assessments of circularity, life‑cycle cost, and biodiversity. A standout feature is its extensive global database with over 250,000&ndash;300,000 datasets&mdash;covering supplier-specific and generic material data&mdash;fully verified and regularly updated. This empowers users to make informed, data‑driven decisions. The platform supports over 80 compliance standards, including LEED, BREEAM, GRESB, CALGreen, and various country‑specific regulations. One Click LCA seamlessly integrates with more than 20 leading BIM and design tools, such as Autodesk Revit, Tekla Structures, Bentley iTwin, Rhino, and Grasshopper. This allows for real‑time feedback and early‑phase embodied carbon optimization&mdash;notably through its Carbon Designer 3D tool, which enables quick, BIM‑integrated carbon hotspot analysis and comparison of design scenarios. In some cases, Carbon Designer 3D helps identify carbon footprint variations up to 50% during conceptual design. Leading global players&mdash;including Skanska, WSP, Foster+Partners, Turner, ArcelorMittal, Arcadis, ARUP, Geberit, and Saint‑Gobain, among others&mdash;rely on One Click LCA to drive their decarbonization efforts. AECOM, for instance, equipped its ScopeX&trade; platform with One Click LCA to target a 50% carbon reduction across its projects. Its visibility among industry analysts reflects its market leadership: One Click LCA was featured in Verdantix&rsquo;s 2025 Buyer&rsquo;s Guide for LCA tools and is the first platform validated by RICS under its Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) programme. One Click LCA also makes parts of its platform freely accessible via its Planetary embodied&ndash;carbon calculator&mdash;a tool for benchmarking cradle‑to‑gate carbon impacts across building designs and supporting EPD usage worldwide. In summary, One Click LCA stands out with its: - Massive, high-quality global dataset (250&ndash;300k records) - Broad compliance across 80+ standards - Deep BIM integrations for early and ongoing carbon management - Recognition by major firms and standards bodies It remains the go-to platform for turning sustainability goals into measurable, actionable outcomes across construction and manufacturing value chains.

One Click LCA

Featuring One Click LCA at the AEC Innovate Conference

Featuring One Click LCA  at the AEC Innovate Conference

AI, Sustainability & Latest Tools for AEC

Sustainability Tools to Watch Out For in 2025!

Ark Design AI is an AI-powered platform that helps architects and developers create architectural designs for multi-family and mixed-use projects. Architects and real estate developers, create automated floor plans and feasibility reports for multi-family and mixed-use projects quickly and efficiently. Our platform is the first AI solution for architectural schematic design. Optimize profitability, density, and living standards while meeting US codes and ordinances instantly, allowing you to make better and faster decisions. How it works Ark Design AI's software analyzes architectural designs and generates optimized building designs that meet project requirements and local regulations. It can create infinite variations to optimize for density, profitability, and living standards. Benefits Ark Design AI can help architects make better and faster decisions, and cut design costs by up to 90%. It can also free up architects' time and energy for more creative endeavors. Features Ark Design AI can create automated floor plans and feasibility reports. It can also generate a unique mix of unit types for a floor layout. Trial Ark Design AI offers a 10-day free trial. Ark Design AI was built by a team of AI scientists, architects, and software developers. Stage 1 Properties Provide several basic details about your project, such as the number of Floors, the number of Dwelling units, building uses and the Zoning district; these details will help ARK suggest better options further in the process. Stage 2 Lot Type &amp; Lot Editor Please select the preferred lot type: Interior Lot (One side street lot), Corner Lot (Two side street lot), or 2 Corner Lot (Three side corner lot). Once selected, kindly click on &ldquo;Next&rdquo; to proceed. Create the property lines of the Lot and provide information on the surroundings (Streets, Adjacent buildings, and yards). Stage 3 Locate Main Floors Locate the schematic floor plate of the ground and Typical floor of the Project, use different Shapes and sizes to explore and select a floor scheme. Stage 4 Core Editor Design the Vertical Shafts focusing on the residential floors; Adjust the circulation and Determine Room size according to the market standards and building type (Rental/ Condo/ Affordable). Stage 5 Schematic Section Receive the schematic side view and 3D massing of your project. From this point forward plan the project according to your personal preferences. Control the number of floors and their types(Cellar, Ground, Mixed-use, Typical and setback), Edit the floor plans, View summarize area calculations and export it to PDF and Revit file for further design. Stage 6 Floor Plan Editor Edit the Floor plate, create recesses, courts and setbacks; plan the units layout based on your choice of units types distribution. Within minutes the Ark algorithm will generate potential floor plans that meets building code. Select and edit the best option for your project. Stage 7 Plan Unit Mix The floor layout design includes various unit types such as studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments, each with customizable settings like price per square foot and minimum area. Room distribution control ensures optimal use of rooms along window walls without exceeding the maximum available area. The process allows for creating a unique mix of unit types for the typical floor layout, balancing efficiency and market demands.

ArkDesign.AI

ArkDesign.AI Demo with Dity Ayalon (Founder & CEO)

Featuring ArkDesign.AI at the AEC Innovate Conference

Featuring ArkDesign.AI  at the AEC Innovate Conference

Tools Leading the Way in the AEC+Tech Community

Generative AI & Real Estate Innovation with ArkDesign.AI

Article post ( Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Design Through AI: Meet ArkDesign)

Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Design Through AI: Meet ArkDesign

Generative AI & Real Estate Innovation (Webinar)

Generative AI & Real Estate Innovation with ArkDesign.AI, Higharc & Laiout - AEC-Tech Talk 20

AI-Powered Generative Design & Feasibility for Multi-Family & Mixed-Use

Transforming EPIC Corporate Center into a Modern Plug & Play Office: 
Contract Workplaces, a leading provider in innovative office solutions, recently faced the
challenge of helping their client quickly convert unused space in EPIC Corporate Center, into
a desirable modern plug & play office. CW turned to qbiq to bring this vision to life.

"The transformation of the EPIC Corporate Center was a remarkable success. qbiq was instrumental in visualizing the potential of the space, allowing us to proceed with confidence. Since the layout was almost resolved, our architecture team was able to focus on developing the materiality and the look & feel of the space."
Caio Ferretti, Marketing Coordinator at CW

Transforming EPIC Corporate Center

Qbiq is reshaping how commercial spaces are planned and visualized by leveraging advanced artificial intelligence. This innovative platform enables landlords, brokers, architects, and developers to generate test fits, floor plans, 3D walkthroughs, and material estimates in just minutes. By automating what typically takes weeks, Qbiq significantly reduces time to lease and design while increasing accuracy and scalability. Designed to work with common file formats like PDFs, CAD, and DWG, Qbiq allows users to upload floor plans, set programming requirements, and instantly receive multiple layout options. Each layout comes with full documentation&mdash;editable CAD files, BIM-ready Revit models, and rendered 3D tours&mdash;making the platform a powerful tool from concept to delivery. One of Qbiq&rsquo;s biggest advantages is its ability to support layout customization based on user-defined rules, including department sizes, adjacency preferences, and branding standards. The AI also provides quantity takeoffs, such as furniture counts and material data, helping teams better understand cost implications from the start. By streamlining both visualization and documentation, Qbiq empowers real estate professionals to move from plan to action faster and with greater confidence. The company has already made a global impact. With over 650 million square feet of AI-generated designs and clients in more than 60 countries, Qbiq has proven its value across markets. Real estate firms using Qbiq report 40% faster leasing cycles and significantly higher efficiency. For example, Colliers Japan reduced its turnaround time for test fits to under 24 hours, dramatically improving client service and deal velocity. Qbiq integrates seamlessly into existing workflows and exports fully editable plans, enabling architects and designers to build on AI-generated layouts rather than start from scratch. It also features enterprise tools like admin dashboards, user management, and custom planning engines tailored to specific corporate or project requirements. Backed by top-tier investors including Insight Partners and JLL Spark, Qbiq recently closed a $16 million Series A funding round, following a $10 million seed round in 2023. The platform is rapidly gaining traction among leading architecture firms, design studios, and property management companies looking to scale operations, improve client engagement, and accelerate space planning. Qbiq&rsquo;s combination of AI automation, customizable design logic, and real-time visualization offers a transformative approach to commercial space planning. Whether used for office fit-outs, coworking layouts, or landlord test fits, the platform delivers fast, data-driven results that align with real-world needs. Its ability to combine speed, accuracy, and design flexibility makes it a standout solution for the modern built environment. As the architecture and real estate industries continue to embrace digital transformation, Qbiq is positioned as a leader in AI-powered design technology. By reducing friction in the planning process and enabling better decision-making, it is helping reshape how commercial spaces are imagined and delivered.

qbiq

Featuring qbiq AI at the AEC Innovate Conference

qbiq’s Custom AI Transforms Design for AEC Professionals

Featuring Qbiq at the AEC Innovate Conference

Congratulatory post for the $16M Series A funding round

Result for “Chile”

Case Studies "1 result"

Transforming EPIC Corporate Center