AI for Engineering Knowledge Management
Best AI for engineering, compared by job: what each of 5 tools reads, where it runs and what limits apply, so your team can pilot the right one.
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5 min read
Dr. Maor Farid
Maor Farid is the Co-Founder and CEO of Leo AI, the first AI platform purpose-built for mechanical engineers. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and completed postdoctoral research at MIT as a Fulbright fellow. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former AI researcher and Mechanical Engineer in an elite military intelligence, Maor leads Leo AI's mission to transform how engineering teams design better products faster.
BOTTOM LINE
Pick the tool by job. Fusion's extension lightens parts, Ansys Discovery checks concepts live, the NX X assistant helps teams already on NX, and a chat assistant handles text. None of those four reads a whole PLM by description. Leo does, so test it on 10 search tasks.
The best AI for engineering depends on the job. Fusion's Generative Design Extension makes lightweight geometry, Ansys Discovery simulates live as geometry changes, the NX X assistant answers questions inside NX, a general chat assistant handles text, and Leo searches your own CAD and PLM data.
If your team keeps its designs in a PDM or PLM and has to pick one tool per job, this guide compares the five on what each reads and what a team can control.
Four criteria separate these five tools for a team
Check these four things before any pilot, because each decides who can use the tool and who must approve it:
The job. Lightweight geometry, a stress check, a search of old designs and a written report are four different jobs with four different tools.
The data it reads. The open model only, uploaded documents, or every file in your PDM and PLM. OpenAI's upload FAQ, for example, sets a hard limit of 512 MB per file and lets free users upload 3 files per day.
Where it runs. Inside a CAD session, as a cloud service, or as a separate layer next to your vault. It determines who pays for seats and which IT team signs off.
Team controls. Access scoping, whether the vendor trains on your files, and the written certification. Ask for all three in writing before the pilot.
IN PRACTICE
The geometry search has been invaluable, helping me find standard parts instead of designing new ones, saving a huge amount of time and effort. The search system is smart and CAD-aware.
- eytan s., R&D Engineer
Compare the five on job, data reach and limits
The table uses vendor documentation only; the Sources list links every page it draws on.
Option | What it does | Where it runs | Data it can reach | Team features | Best for |
Leo | Finds parts by description or geometry, runs calculations, checks models | Separate service connected to CAD and PLM | CAD files plus Windchill, Teamcenter, SolidWorks PDM and Vault; only the folders you choose | SOC 2 Type II, isolated instance per customer, no training on your data | Finding existing parts and past decisions |
Fusion Generative Design Extension | Explores design outcomes that reduce weight | Inside Fusion; requires a Fusion 360 subscription | The model with preserved areas, hold-out areas, loads and constraints | Annual or monthly subscription | Lightening one part |
NX X AI assistant | Natural-language help, solution recommendations, code to automate design tasks | NX X, offered through the Azure marketplace | The NX session | Announced 2024-11-13; the announcement lists no price | Teams already on NX |
Ansys Discovery | Real-time physics simulation and topology optimization | GPU-native solver | Geometry loaded into Discovery | Not listed on the capabilities page | Early concept checks |
General chat assistant (ChatGPT) | Drafts, summarizes and explains text | Browser or app | Uploaded text, spreadsheets, presentations and documents; no CAD formats listed | 3 files per day on the free plan, 512 MB per file | Reports, specs and emails |
Only one row reads a whole PLM or PDM by description. The other four act on the file you have open or the text you upload.
Fusion, NX X, Ansys and chat assistants each cover one job
Fusion Generative Design Extension. Autodesk says a study begins with hold out areas, preserved areas, loads, and design constraints. The extension requires a Fusion 360 subscription, and the page lists no price. Use it when one bracket has to lose weight. It does not search designs you already own.
NX X AI assistant. Siemens announced natural-language assistance for NX X on 2024-11-13, recommending solutions based on best practices and generating code to automate design tasks. The announcement gives no price. Confirm availability with Siemens before you plan a pilot, and read the NX built-in AI breakdown for what ships inside NX today.
Ansys Discovery. Ansys describes real-time physics simulation that updates instantly as geometry changes, running on a GPU-native solver for structural, thermal and fluid analyses. Treat it as a concept check. Send final designs to a full solver, and a licensed engineer must still review anything safety-critical before sign-off. The Ansys tool comparison covers the simulation side.
General chat assistant. OpenAI's FAQ lists all common file extensions for text files, spreadsheets, presentations, and documents and does not mention CAD or 3D formats. It cannot read an assembly. Use it for specs, summaries and email drafts, and export drawings to PDF or text first.
Run a 2-week pilot on 30 of your own tasks
Run these steps on your own files:
Collect 30 tasks your team actually did last quarter, split into 10 searches for existing parts or past decisions, 10 early design or simulation checks, and 10 writing or summary jobs.
Before any tool runs, record the right answer for each task plus the drawing, file or standard that backs it.
In week 1, run each task through each tool that says it covers that job. Log how long each correct answer took and whether the tool cited its source.
In week 2, have 3 engineers who did not write the set repeat the 10 search tasks. Count a wrong answer and a missing answer as different failures.
At the end of week 2, score every tool with the metrics in the next table.
Metric | Pass criterion | How to measure |
Correct answer in the top 5 (search tasks) | 8 of 10 | Compare with the answer key from step 2 |
Answers that name a source file or document | 100% of accepted answers | Count answers accepted without a reference |
Median time to a correct answer | Below your current baseline | Time 5 of the 30 tasks by hand first |
Wrong answers a reviewer accepted | 0 | Second-week reviewers log them |
Leo on the same 10 search tasks: request, data, answer, limit
Give Leo the 10 search tasks from the pilot. You describe a part in words, such as "anodized aluminum bracket, 4 mounting holes, 60 mm span", or upload a part, and Leo looks through your own parts library and PLM before it checks vendor catalogs. The geometric search guide shows how matching by shape works.
Leo connects to the PDM and PLM systems your team already runs and reads the latest version of each file without checking it in or out. Access is limited to the folders, projects or teams you name. For the calculation tasks, Leo applies the formulas with cited sources and returns a document you can keep, as in the engineering calculations guide.
One limit: Leo does not run FEA or CFD itself. It reads simulation results and flags when a simulation is needed, so keep Ansys or another solver for that job. Data handling is on the security page.
FAQ
Generative Design Extension for Fusion, Autodesk, accessed 2026-11-02
Ansys Discovery capabilities, Ansys, accessed 2026-11-02
Siemens and Microsoft expand collaboration on NX X, Azure and generative AI, Siemens Digital Industries Software, accessed 2026-11-02
File uploads FAQ, OpenAI Help Center, accessed 2026-11-02
Leo AI frequently asked questions, Leo AI, accessed 2026-11-02
See Leo on your team's own data
Book a 30-minute walkthrough on your files and ask how deployment works.
In 30 minutes we run Leo on a sample of your own CAD and PLM data, then walk through deployment, access control and the security review for your team.
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