These aren't a roadmap — every workflow below runs on a tool that's shipped today, on SolidWorks, Inventor, or GD&T Compute, in Early Access final beta. See parametric CAD automation for how the read/write side of these actually works, and GD&T computation for the math behind the tolerance examples.
1. Check a drawing's GD&T before it ships
Pull the views and feature control frames off an open Inventor drawing, then hand them straight to GD&T Compute to parse and check against ASME Y14.5-2018 — in the same session, without exporting anything or switching tools. This is the exact use case already stated on the Inventor page: extract the callouts, run the compliance check, get a rule-by-rule answer instead of a manual re-read.
2. Run a tolerance stack-up without leaving the chat
Read the named dimensions along an assembly-critical chain, then feed them into GD&T Compute's stack-up tool for both a worst-case and an RSS answer with a full contributor breakdown — the same review a separate spreadsheet or standalone tolerance tool would otherwise do, run from the same session that has the model open.
3. Cut a sheet-metal part today
"Export the flat pattern of this sheet-metal part to DXF and give me the file size." The flat pattern is written ready for laser or waterjet cutting, and the path and byte size come back to confirm it — or, if the part has no flat pattern to export, the answer says so instead of guessing. This is a real, already-documented example on the Inventor page, not a hypothetical.
4. Answer a mass-properties question in seconds
Mass, volume, surface area, or center of gravity of an open part or assembly — a read that both SolidWorks and Inventor support directly, returned instantly rather than requiring a manual trip through the application's own properties dialog.
5. Make a parametric change and confirm it held
Drive a named dimension, trigger a rebuild, then confirm the change actually propagated — either by reading the dimension back or by capturing a screenshot of the rebuilt part from the current or a standard view. See the recorded builds for exactly this pattern end to end, on a parametric flange, from two different AI assistants.
6. Export a neutral file for a vendor or a print
STEP or IGES for a vendor or supplier handoff, STL for a 3D print — exported directly from the open document, with the written path and byte size confirmed rather than assumed. Inventor additionally supports SAT, 3MF, and PDF for the same kind of handoff.
| Example | Primary tool(s) | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| GD&T drawing check | extract_gdt_callouts → gdt_parse_fcf, gdt_asme_check | Inventor + GD&T Compute |
| Tolerance stack-up | dimension read → gdt_stack_up | SolidWorks or Inventor + GD&T Compute |
| Sheet-metal export | export_flat_pattern | Inventor |
| Mass properties | mass-properties read | SolidWorks, Inventor |
| Parametric edit + confirm | set dimension → rebuild → read or screenshot | SolidWorks, Inventor |
| Neutral-file export | export_cad, export_stl | SolidWorks, Inventor |