CAD/BIM Tips & Tricks
Will AI Kill Your CAD Career or Are Things About To
Get Much Better?
28 August 2023
Updated 27 February 2024
Note: In the interests of expediency, when we refer to “CAD” in this article, we’re including BIM users too. We’re all in this together.
Adapt or die? That may sound overly dramatic or Darwinian, but the artificial intelligence (AI) boom has triggered this question for many industries. With the rapid development of AI and the potential applications of AI to the CAD and BIM industry, the question of whether or not AI will ultimately kill design careers is on the minds of many CAD users, whether they be engineers, architects, drafters, hybrid technical cyborgs or any similar professionals. However, while it’s natural to be cautious of the unknown, AI doesn’t necessarily mean that the Smiths from The Matrix are breathing down your neck like the hounds of hell, intent on ending your career.
Will AI ultimately prove to
be beneficial?
In this article, we’ll explore the implications of AI for CAD industries and professionals and discuss whether or not AI could, in fact, kill CAD careers or whether it will ultimately prove to be the equivalent of a Neo-like hero for CAD users.
What is the Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on
CAD Careers?
While the doomsdayers will bang on about how AI will ultimately destroy us all, the more optimistic among us recognize that AI could also conceivably create new opportunities — such as helping to improve the quality of CAD work. If your first thought was, “How?” then read on.
AI Benefits: Better, Faster, Cheaper?
AI can help CAD professionals to be more efficient and productive, increasing the speed of design. AI can also help CAD professionals optimize designs, leading to cost savings and increased customer satisfaction. In short, AI allows CAD professionals to do more with less, and to produce higher-quality designs faster.
personal assistant?
Anticipated Improvements:
- AI can help CAD professionals automate routine and mundane tasks, freeing them up for more important and creative ones.
- AI can also provide accurate and up-to-date data for CAD designs, increasing the speed and accuracy of designs.
- AI can reduce errors and omissions in designs, helping to improve the quality of CAD work.
- AI can provide insights into design problems, allowing CAD professionals to develop better solutions.
- AI can also help CAD professionals identify trends and make better decisions, improving the accuracy of the design.
Several existing CAD companies have invested in AI, so keeping an eye on developments in their products may be wise. Autodesk’s® Generative Design tool in Revit®, for example, already utilizes AI. The tool produces multiple design options based on your goals, constraints, and inputs.
It then allows you to evaluate each design against the project objectives. If you don’t get it right on the first try, Revit’s Generative Design feature allows you to tweak various aspects of the inputs and goals to generate additional design options. This way, the software enables you to find the best
solution possible.
Notable companies to watch are Dassault Systèmes, Siemens®, PTC®, and Ansys® — all of whom have similarly integrated AI elements into their software — and obviously, Autodesk.
Additionally, there are also numerous startups and smaller companies focusing solely on AI-driven CAD solutions. These companies utilize AI technologies like deep learning, neural networks and natural language processing to develop innovative CAD tools. Look out for products from nTopology™, Onshape®, and CogniCAD™ by ParaMatters.
The integration of AI into CAD will undoubtedly bring with it several challenges, such as the need for CAD professionals to become familiar with new systems and technologies.
However, the potential benefits of AI in the field of CAD are too great to ignore.
The fact remains that AI can help CAD professionals become more efficient and productive, which results in cost savings and increased customer satisfaction. So, for now, it seems unlikely that AI will replace CAD professionals, and it may very well open up new opportunities and improve the quality of CAD deliverables.
Adapt or die? That may sound overly dramatic or Darwinian, but the artificial intelligence (AI) boom has triggered this question for
many industries.
How Can CAD Professionals Prepare for the Exponential Growth of AI?
The convergence of AI and CAD is changing the landscape of the industry, and it’s important to understand the implications for your career. As AI technology advances, it can be used to automate certain tasks in the design process, and this can potentially disrupt the role of CAD professionals. It’s important to stay up to date on the latest trends in both AI and CAD to understand how these two areas are merging.
welcome relief.
Embrace Available Resources
Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available online to help you hone your skills and knowledge of both AI and its role in CAD, so you can stay ahead of the curve. Continual learning about AI and how to use its various incarnations with CAD can help you stay marketable and competitive in your field. It’s also important to get involved in conversations, workshops and projects that relate to AI and CAD. Networking with other CAD professionals who are embracing the potential of AI can be very useful in staying up to date on the latest developments in the field.
By staying informed and involved in the field of AI-driven CAD, you can ensure that your CAD career remains secure and successful in the face of changing technology. With the right resources and skills, you can be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that AI and CAD bring to the industry.
What Skills Will CAD Professionals Need to Stay Competitive In the Future?
In the face of advancing technology, it is clear that the need for CAD professionals is not going away anytime soon. But are there additional skills that will benefit CAD and BIM users in an increasingly AI-driven future?
From Building Code to Computer Code?
A big ask is often hard, and people react in one of two ways. You either get a flat-out “no,” or you get the individual who is willing to accept the challenge in the hope of a future pay-off. In the context of the CAD and BIM industry, the latter may well be the most pro-survival choice.
One of the challenges that CAD and BIM users may want to consider is acquiring some basic computer programming and coding skills as these will become increasingly important for CAD and BIM professionals.
Yes, it’s a big ask, we know, and kind of out of left field, but an understanding of how to code in languages such as Python (which is helpful in MicroStation® and AutoCAD®) and C++ (which is helpful in Revit and AutoCAD) may be essential for CAD professionals looking not only to maintain a competitive edge but also to stay abreast of technological advancements. In addition, a basic understanding of AI and machine learning may also be necessary to understand how these technologies can be leveraged in the design process.
As humans train and educate AI, we can help it to perform better for us, which means you have a hand in training Neo. (Did you ever
imagine that?)
The Human Touch
While AI can help streamline processes, reduce errors and increase efficiency, it’s important to remember that the human touch is still an essential part of the design process. And as much as AI can help humans, it’s important to remember that humans help AI too. As humans train and educate AI, we can help it to perform better for us, which means you have a hand in training Neo. (Did you ever imagine that?)
High-quality data “is crucial to supporting successful AI, as models are only as good as the data put into them,” says Moses Guttmann, CEO and co-founder of ClearML.
“This idea of data quality is an important part of having a solution that delivers consistent results, and this also needs to be understood ahead of adoption. Not enough decision-makers understand that AI is a never-ending process and also that as the data changes, the AI needs to adopt those changes ...”
In the interests of longevity, CAD and BIM professionals should continue to develop their skills in order to stay competitive, while also leveraging AI to its fullest potential. Let’s face it, when it comes to AI, you may never be able to put that sucker in a chokehold and wrestle it to the ground, so you may as well figure out how to make it work to your advantage, right?
How to Gain an Advantage
One way to stay ahead of the pack is through the clever use of productivity-boosting tools. Being able to eliminate repetitive tasks and save a ton of time gives you a clear advantage in a competitive field. Axiom produces time-saving tools for MicroStation, frustration-busting tools for Revit, and tools to make AutoCAD easier. Alternatively, if you have questions about problems with your specific CAD platform, call a Service Consultant at 727-442-7774. They can also help you access free trial versions of selected tools.
While AI can help streamline processes, reduce errors, and increase efficiency, it’s important to remember that the human touch is still an essential part of the design process.
Overall, CAD professionals will need to become proficient in coding and computer programming, understand the basics of AI and ML, and adapt quickly to new technology in order to stay competitive in their field.
The answer to the question posed in the title of this article is, therefore, both yes and no. No, AI won't kill your CAD career if you’re willing to evolve and grow along with it. And yes, with your help, AI might, in fact, help makes things much better. With the right skill set, CAD professionals can expect to be building brighter futures for many years
to come.
