And that’s not the only AI chatbot news on this week’s Engineering Paper.
This is Engineering Paper, and here’s the latest design software news.
Bentley’s annual Year in Infrastructure (YII) event is taking place this week in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I’ll be there for Engineering.com to learn more about the future of infrastructure, or at the very least eat some herring.
If you’re at the show and want to say hi, drop me a line at [email protected].
I’ll bring you more on Bentley YII 2025 next week. In the meantime, here’s a rundown of the latest software news.
Onshape’s AI Advisor, now in Onshape
PTC announced that Onshape AI Advisor, the support chatbot for its cloud CAD platform, is now integrated directly in Onshape. When AI Advisor launched in beta earlier this year, users could only find it in the Onshape learning center (where it remains available.)
Besides its location, not much else has changed for Onshape AI Advisor. It’s still marked with a beta tag. It’s still available to all Onshape users, including free users. Users with Professional or Enterprise plans will have a new option to disable it (it’s disabled by default for Enterprise users).
An Onshape blog post about the change emphasizes that the integrated AI Advisor does not have access to any user data.
“Embedding AI Advisor directly into Onshape marks a new era of design intelligence,” David Katzman, executive vice president and general manager of Onshape and Arena at PTC, said in the press release. “We’re not just shipping AI features. We’re shaping an engineering culture where AI is a trusted partner in the design process. As the industry’s only cloud-native CAD and PDM platform, Onshape is positioned to lead the industry with integrating AI into product development.”
Graphisoft launches Archicad 29 with AI assistant
In similar news, BIM developer Graphisoft has announced Archicad 29, the latest version of its architectural design software. The update includes, among other new features, a beta of a built-in AI assistant that Graphisoft calls “a smart design partner” that “guides users through Archicad’s features and helps keep projects on track.”
Nemetschek Group, Graphisoft’s parent company, announced plans for this AI assistant back in January. In the Archicad 29 announcement, Graphisoft says it expects a full commercial release of the AI assistant in 2026 across its entire software portfolio.
“Archicad 29 is the centerpiece in our Design Intelligence Strategy, and the backbone of the next generation of AI-enabled workflows and a superior user experience,” said Graphisoft chief product officer Márton Kiss in the company’s announcement.
One last link
Is Autodesk due for yet another licensing shakeup? Monica Schnitger reports on Autodesk’s recent investor event and the potential changes in Autodesk wants you to pay for outcomes, not just access.
Got news, tips, comments, or complaints? Send them my way: [email protected].
