Building CAD Copilot - Part 1 - From Idea to First Working Prototype

Introduction

Over the past few years, Artificial Intelligence has changed the way we interact with software.

Instead of learning commands, menus, and workflows, users can simply describe what they want in natural language and allow AI to translate those requests into actions.

While experimenting with AI tools, I started wondering:

This question eventually became the starting point for a small project called CAD Copilot.

The Question

Traditionally, users interact with SolidWorks through menus, toolbars, command managers, keyboard shortcuts, and property managers.

While these interfaces are powerful, they also require users to learn where commands are located and how they should be used.

What if a user could simply type:

Create a new part document

or

Create a new assembly document

and have SolidWorks perform the action automatically?

This was the question I wanted to explore.

What is CAD Copilot?

CAD Copilot is an experimental SolidWorks add-in that combines Artificial Intelligence with the SolidWorks API.

The idea is simple:

Natural Language
        ↓
       AI
        ↓
SolidWorks Command
        ↓
SolidWorks Action

The add-in accepts natural language input, sends it to an AI model for interpretation, and then executes the corresponding SolidWorks command.

At the time of writing, the prototype can create:

• Part documents
• Assembly documents
• Drawing documents

using natural language commands.

CAD Copilot Task Pane

Why Build It?

There were several reasons behind this experiment.

First, I wanted to learn more about integrating AI into desktop applications.

Second, I was curious whether natural language could become another way of interacting with CAD software.

Finally, I enjoy building small prototypes that explore new ideas and technologies.

CAD Copilot provided an opportunity to combine:

• SolidWorks API
• C#
• WPF
• Artificial Intelligence

into a single project.

Initial Goals

For the first prototype, I intentionally kept the scope small.

The add-in only supports three commands:

• Create Part Document
• Create Assembly Document
• Create Drawing Document

The objective was not to build a complete AI assistant.

Instead, the objective was to validate the core workflow.

Success Criteria

I considered the experiment successful if the following workflow worked reliably:

User Request
      ↓
AI Interpretation
      ↓
Internal Command
      ↓
SolidWorks Action

For example:

Please create a new part document

would eventually become:

CreatePart

which would then create a new Part document inside SolidWorks.

Conclusion

CAD Copilot started as a simple question:

The first prototype demonstrates that the idea is technically feasible and provides a foundation for future experiments.

In future articles, I’ll explore the individual building blocks used to create the prototype and share the lessons learned along the way.

That is all for now.

I hope this guide is helpful to you.

If you find anything to add or update, please let me know by email.

If you found this post useful, please share it with others.

Happy coding!

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