Hello! We’re Kevin and Sohrab from Hestus (https://www.hestus.co). We're working on an AI copilot for CAD. Today we're releasing a simple sketch helper for Fusion 360 and would love your feedback. Here’s a quick demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9n_eY-fM_E.

Why we’re doing this: Mechanical engineers excel at generating initial design concepts but get bogged down translating ideas into final designs due to tedious, repetitive tasks. Our goal is to automate these mundane processes, allowing engineers to focus on the creative aspects of design.

Having worked at multiple hardware companies—from medical devices to space launch vehicles—we know how often “trivial” components such as manufacturing rigging, get brushed under the table in scheduling conversations. These tasks aren’t necessarily complex, but they take time and still require the rigor of production components. From finding the perfect fastener to making sure mounting holes align, we aim to simplify and accelerate the design process from the complex to the mundane.

We're tackling this problem similarly to how coding copilots help programmers work faster. Initially, rudimentary coding assistants offered simple suggestions like auto-completing variables. Now, they understand complex tasks, write entire code blocks, and help fix bugs. We're taking this step-by-step approach, starting with a beta that focuses on sketching.

Our sketch helper offers design suggestions, such as applying equality constraints to similarly sized circles or adding tangent constraints between lines and curves. While designers can do these tasks manually, they often require dozens of precise mouse clicks. Our software makes suggestions that you can preview and accept to streamline your workflow. Over time we aim to improve at anticipating your needs and expand beyond sketching to other design aspects like resolving interference issues, auto-generating bills of materials with purchase links, and offering manufacturability suggestions.

How this is different from other solutions: we've heard of complete generative part design solutions, but we don't believe this top down approach is the best way to assist mechanical engineers. Engineers excel at and enjoy designing new concepts—we want to focus on streamlining the most tedious aspects. Crucially, we find that generative solutions often overlook manufacturability, a key aspect of design.

We invite you to try our sketch helper and share your thoughts! If you can think of any additional features that would make it more useful to you, we’d love to hear what they are. Any and all feedback is welcome!