Hestus AI: Autocomplete for CAD — Faster, Smarter, Seamless.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redefining how engineers design, simulate, and manufacture products. Yet, for many, AI in CAD (Computer-Aided Design) remains an unfamiliar frontier—raising questions about its true impact.
To understand how AI is transforming design workflows, DailyCADCAM spoke with Sohrab Haghighat, Co-founder and CEO of Hestus AI—a startup building intelligent assistants for CAD that automate repetitive tasks and help engineers focus on creativity.
Sohrab shares his journey from aerospace engineering and self-driving cars to founding Hestus AI, and how his company is making the design process more intuitive and efficient for engineers worldwide.
Q: Many engineers feel uncertain about AI—some fear it might replace them, while others see it as a passing trend, similar to the shift from 2D to 3D or synchronous modeling. How did Hestus AI come about, and what inspired you to start the company?
Sohrab Haghighat:
I’m an aerospace engineer by training, with a career focused on design optimization and automation. In design optimization, I worked on challenges like reducing fuel consumption and improving aircraft endurance by integrating structures, aerodynamics, and controls. On the automation side, I specialized in manufacturing processes such as laser cutting and drilling, optimizing tool paths for greater efficiency. This path eventually took me to Cruise Automation, a self-driving car startup in San Francisco, where I was among the first ten employees. There, I met my co-founder Kevin Chu, and together we developed core autonomous vehicle technologies—before Cruise was acquired by General Motors for over $1 billion.
After that, I founded SpaceRyde, a rocket logistics company, which I ran for six years. We developed technologies for rocket structures, propulsion, and mission planning before selling the company’s IP.
The idea for Hestus originally came from my co-founder, Kevin, who wanted to automate the repetitive, manual work engineers often deal with. Having experienced this firsthand at SpaceRyde, the concept immediately resonated with me. Running a hardware-intensive business made it clear how frustrating and time-consuming product development can be—engineers constantly shift between creative problem-solving and tedious tasks like dimensioning, applying constraints, or managing manufacturability and cost. These repetitive steps not only slow progress but also increase the risk of costly errors.
That frustration led me and Kevin to ask: What if AI could automate these repetitive, low-level CAD tasks so engineers could focus purely on the creative side of design? That’s how Hestus AI was born.
Q: How is Hestus AI different from traditional CAD software?
Sohrab:
We are not a new CAD platform. Instead, Hestus AI is a layer that sits on top of existing CAD tools.
We know that CAD software is sticky—users are loyal to tools like Autodesk Fusion, SOLIDWORKS, or Onshape. Forcing engineers to learn a new system isn’t productive. So instead, we integrate into their existing workflow.
Think of Hestus AI as a coding co-pilot for designers. When programmers code, they receive real-time recommendations— syntax corrections, or variable name suggestions, etc. We bring that same idea to CAD.
As you design, Hestus observes your work to understand the design intent, based on that it predicts your next move, and offers context-aware suggestions—for example, applying constraints, defining dimensions, or aligning geometry. If you agree, you simply hit enter and it’s done.
The user remains in full control. By proposing their next action, we reduce their cognitive load, help them avoid costly mistakes, and reduce the number of clicks it takes to finish the work. On average we make designers 2.5X faster and reduce clicks by 4X (in sketching).
Q: So these AI recommendations work only in 2D sketching right now, or do they extend to 3D modeling as well?
Sohrab:
Currently, we’ve started with 2D sketching, because that’s the foundation of all CAD design. Every 3D model begins as a 2D sketch.
By deeply understanding user intent and actions at the sketch level, we can better assist in 3D assemblies, as well as manufacturing considerations later.
Our roadmap includes moving —from Sketch Helper —into Mate Helper and then manufacturing-aware design suggestions as well as helping with GD&T and even automated tooling design. But we chose to start where every idea begins—on the sketch.
Q: Besides Autodesk Fusion, which other CAD platforms will Hestus AI support?
Sohrab:
We began with Autodesk Fusion due to its wide and diverse user base—ranging from hobbyists to professionals and large companies.
However, we’re already planning support for SOLIDWORKS and Onshape in the near future.
Our goal isn’t just to serve large enterprises but also to empower individual designers, startups, and small businesses—anyone who wants to design a mechanical product more efficiently.
Q: Will Hestus AI eventually support AutoCAD, BricsCAD or DWG-based tools?
Sohrab:
Not immediately. Our current focus is on Fusion, Onshape, and SOLIDWORKS. Once we’ve perfected integration with these, we’ll evaluate where it makes the most sense to expand next.
Q: How is Hestus AI different from Text2CAD platforms that generate models from text prompts?
Sohrab:
That’s an important distinction. Text2CAD tools might work for creating simple, single-part objects—like an Arduino or Raspberry Pi enclosure. But real-world mechanical design doesn’t work that way.
large language models (LLMs) are not trained for spatial reasoning. They struggle to understand and accurately modify complex geometries. Even if Text2CAD gives you a design, editing it can be painful—it’s often easier to start over.
Engineering design is a process of discovery, not a one-shot prompt. You start sketching to better understand each component’s form, function, and constraints—it’s iterative and creative.
Hestus AI, in contrast to text2cad, observes your design process inside CAD. It predicts, proposes, and assists step by step, much like a human co-designer. You never need to “chat” your design into existence—you just design as usual, and Hestus helps you move faster and avoid mistakes.
Q: Can Hestus AI consider manufacturability during design?
Sohrab:
Yes, even in our current stage, we include basic recommendations.
For example, we automatically detect sharp corners that shouldn’t exist in the design and propose tangent constraints to have smooth transitions along edges of the design.
As we move into 3D, we’ll expand this to include process-aware recommendations—for 3D printing, CNC machining, or injection molding—offering practical guidance tailored to each method.
Q: Do engineers need to specify manufacturing processes or material types for Hestus AI to give such suggestions?
Sohrab:
Eventually, yes—but in a very intuitive way.
For example, if an engineer says, “This part needs to be waterproof” or “This will be 3D printed,” our system can translate those statements into CAD-understandable constraints.
As you design, Hestus ensures those requirements stay intact—and if a change violates them, it recommends a fix.
Q: What kind of skills or prerequisites do engineers need to use Hestus AI effectively?
Sohrab:
None at all—and that’s intentional.
We built Hestus AI so that engineers don’t need to learn anything new. It’s integrated natively within the CAD environment. The recommendations are visual, contextual, and easy to understand.
You don’t need to learn how to provide a prompt to an AI to do what you want. Just design as usual. If you like a suggestion, accept it. If not, continue as before.
It’s designed to reduce workload, not add to it. And right now, it’s completely free to use, because we want engineers to experience its value and share feedback to make it even better.
Q: Does Hestus AI support only mechanical design, or also electrical/electronic domains?
Sohrab:
Currently, it’s focused entirely on mechanical design. However, we do have some architecture and construction users who benefit from similar sketching and modeling workflows.
We’re not targeting electrical or electronic design at this point.
Q: What are your short-term and long-term plans for Hestus AI?
Sohrab:
In the short term, we’re enhancing the Sketch Helper—adding more features based on user feedback.
Next, we’ll move into helping with 3D assemblies and manufacturability guidance.
Our ultimate vision is to make Hestus AI a comprehensive assistant for hardware engineers—covering everything from concept design to manufacturability, supply chain validation, and even test hardware and tooling development.
We want to be the go-to digital partner for mechanical, aerospace, and robotics engineers.
Q: Many engineers fear that AI might replace them someday. What’s your take?
Sohrab:
That’s the opposite of our mission. We didn’t build Hestus to replace engineers — we built it to empower them. Every engineer I know is overworked, juggling multiple tasks. If Hestus can help them finish faster, make fewer mistakes, and reduce stress — that’s success.
AI shouldn’t take jobs away; it should give engineers back their time so they can focus on creativity, innovation, and solving complex problems.
My advice to your readers is simple: try Hestus. Let it assist you, and see how it changes your workflow. I’m confident you’ll find it makes your life easier, not harder.
Closing Remarks
As our discussion concluded, one thing was clear — Hestus AI is not about replacing engineers, but about redefining how they work. Automating tedious tasks and learning from design intent helps engineers focus on creativity, precision, and performance — the true essence of engineering.
Hestus AI’s journey from sketch automation to full-scale design intelligence marks a pivotal step in the future of CAD.
Try Hestus AI for FREE now- Link – www.hestus.co/download/dailycadcam
DailyCADCAM extends its sincere gratitude to Sohrab Haghighat, Co-founder and CEO of Hestus AI, for sharing his valuable insights during an engaging conversation with Sachin Nalawade, Editor and Founder of DailyCADCAM
