CAD API comparison: what you can automate in Solid Edge, SolidWorks, Inventor, CATIA and Siemens NX
Which interface each CAD system offers, which languages it supports and where the differences matter for automation and AI projects.
Articles, case studies, whitepapers and demos.
Our own publications on CAD, PLM and AI, and screen recordings of real AI steps in CAD.
iLogic vs Inventor API in 2026: when rules are enough and when you need an add-in
When iLogic rules are enough to automate variants, drawings, BOMs, iProperties and Vault tasks in Inventor, and when an add-in on the Inventor API pays off.
Inventor design rule check in 2026: how to check company rules and standards automatically
How to check company design rules and standards in Autodesk Inventor automatically: iLogic, the Inventor API, a release gate in Vault, a check report and the role of AI.
Inventor variant management in 2026: iParts, model states, iLogic and Vault compared
How iParts, iAssemblies, model states, iLogic and Vault handle the variants of a standard product platform in Autodesk Inventor, and when a configurator is worth building.
The requirements list in mechanical design: structure, template and AI support in 2026
What belongs in a requirements list, how demands and wishes differ, how to keep the list current and where AI helps without taking the decision.
Solid Edge API 2026 in practice: type libraries, add-ins and what to automate first
How the type libraries, add-ins and external programs of the Solid Edge API work in Solid Edge 2026, which tasks to automate first and where projects stumble.
Solid Edge vs SolidWorks API: a neutral comparison for automation and AI in 2026
Where the Solid Edge and SolidWorks APIs differ in object model, macros, add-ins, variants and PDM, and what that means for an automation or AI project.
Finding the similar part before modelling a new one
How a shape search across the existing part library avoids duplicate parts and needless modelling work.
PLM readiness checklist: connecting CAD, PDM and ERP before adding AI
What has to be in place in master data, release states and interfaces before an AI assistant can answer reliably.
PDF to 3D model in Siemens NX: AI rebuilds a part from a 2D drawing
Siemens NX drafting with AI: a 2D drawing from one prompt
STEP to feature model in Siemens NX: AI rebuilds a connecting rod
Image to CAD in Siemens NX: AI models a part from a photo, with PMI
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