Adam growth playbook

Add a short "Using CAD at work?" section near the top of the CADAM README and on /opensource and /cadam. It needs one GIF of the Copilot editing a real feature tree, the supported tools with their status, and a tracked link to a free account. Inside CADAM, after a user exports a model or adjusts the sliders three times, show a one-line offer to continue the part as editable native features in Onshape, Fusion or SOLIDWORKS. Track CADAM-sourced signups as their own cohort from signup to paid.

These users already trust the team and chose to try AI CAD. Moving from an STL to editable native features is the upgrade they don't yet have, and showing it costs almost nothing. Every new star and fork then feeds the paid funnel, not only the open-source project.

[ ] README section under the project description: what Copilot does, GIF, supported tools
[ ] Tracked link: README
[ ] Tracked link: /opensource and /cadam
[ ] In-app offer after export or three slider edits
[ ] Pinned GitHub Discussion and Discord post
[ ] Cohort report: signup, first accepted edit, paid

• The community reads it as an upsell

  Keep CADAM fully free and open, and keep the section short and factual.

• Many CADAM users have no professional CAD seat

  Point them to Adam's free plan and show the Onshape path first.

• ChannelsCADAM on GitHub: 5.4k stars, 670 forks, GPL-3.0, "the open source text-to-CAD web application" with STL, SCAD and DXF export in the browser; the README links to the live demo and adam.new but does not mention the Copilot, the SOLIDWORKS, Onshape or Fusion connectors, or paid plans.Source
• Your websiteSeed post (October 31, 2025): "$4.1m seed round, led by TQ Ventures"; users have generated "over a million 3D models through our platform"; the goal is a tool that lets mechanical engineers "design an order of magnitude faster in their favorite tools".Source
• ReviewsWevolver test of seven text-to-CAD tools (June 18, 2026, first published on xometry.pro), including Zoo and Leo AI: "AdamCAD" made simple parts accurately with editable parameters, but was described as browser-only with no desktop version and STL and SCAD exports, and "Not a replacement for advanced CAD suites".Source
• Your websiteCopilot page: "AI CAD Copilot for Onshape and Fusion"; "Edit parts with prompts, using selected geometry as context" and "Turns rough CAD into parametric models"; "Works inside Onshape (store extension) and Autodesk Fusion (add-in)"; calls to action to install the Fusion add-in and see pricing; no customer proof and no FAQ.Source
• HiringMTS - Founding Engineer ($200K-$300K): "Sprint for two weeks to build a new product vertical from scratch" and "Develop new interfaces for AI-driven CAD workflows"; the post says the first product "made CAD approachable and fun with AI, bringing tens of thousands of people into 3D printing". The YC profile lists a team of 4 and a paid Residency for summer 2027.Source

Send each reviewer and directory a short, factual update kit: the current product name, what it does (edits native feature trees and drawings), supported tools and their status, plans, screenshots and a free account for retesting. Ask Wevolver and Xometry for an update note, or a retest on the same seven prompts plus one edit of an existing part. Correct the listings on G2, Software Advice and Product Hunt, and publish the kit at /press so the next reviewer starts from it.

Third-party tests rank well for "text to CAD" searches and are quoted by AI assistants, so one corrected article reaches more buyers than a new page on adam.new.

• A retest finds new weaknesses

  Offer the retest on the workflows the product supports today, and fix what it finds.

• ReviewsWevolver test of seven text-to-CAD tools (June 18, 2026, first published on xometry.pro), including Zoo and Leo AI: "AdamCAD" made simple parts accurately with editable parameters, but was described as browser-only with no desktop version and STL and SCAD exports, and "Not a replacement for advanced CAD suites".Source
• ReviewsToolworthy (updated July 2, 2026) lists Adam's plans as Free (300 daily refresh credits), Starter $40/month (4,000 credits), Pro $200/month (20,000 credits) and Max $1,000/month (100,000 credits); it notes the Copilot reached Product Hunt's July 1, 2026 leaderboard as free launch access, and lists unclear Copilot-specific usage limits as a con.Source
• Your websiteDocs: organised by engineering job (create or change a model, make a drawing, review a design, set up a simulation, documentation); the Quickstart walks through a first drawing review; tasks, projects and "repeatable engineering briefs"; Onshape connects by account, Fusion by add-in, other local apps through Adam Desktop for macOS and Windows.Source
• Your websiteSOLIDWORKS page: "AI for SOLIDWORKS, in Adam or your AI client"; reads and edits native parts and drawings in a running SOLIDWORKS session (extrudes, cuts, fillets, holes, patterns, drawing sheets and export); needs a Windows workstation and a licensed SOLIDWORKS install; the FAQ says users can describe a task in plain language instead of writing a macro; no logos, testimonials or case studies.Source

Keep one source table: tool, how it connects (account, add-in, Adam Desktop), status (Available, By evaluation, In development), OS needs, and what it can do. Show it on the homepage, the Copilot page, pricing, each /ai-cad page and llms.txt. Rewrite the homepage description to name the available tools, and add SOLIDWORKS to the Copilot page.

Engineers decide fit on one question, "does it work with my CAD?". One honest answer everywhere lifts signups from users who are supported and saves support time on users who aren't.

• Showing "In development" looks weak

  Pair it with a notify option and an evaluation request.

• Your websiteHomepage: title "Adam | AI CAD for Mechanical Engineers" and description "Create and edit CAD models with Adam, your AI mechanical engineer. Work across all professional CAD software, from part design to engineering drawings."; in the last year the headline changed from "Adam - AI Powered CAD" to "The AI Mechanical Engineer" and the starting price from $9.99/mo to $40/mo; demos book into a 30-minute Cal.com calendar; no testimonials, customer logos or case studies found.Source
• Your websiteCopilot page: "AI CAD Copilot for Onshape and Fusion"; "Edit parts with prompts, using selected geometry as context" and "Turns rough CAD into parametric models"; "Works inside Onshape (store extension) and Autodesk Fusion (add-in)"; calls to action to install the Fusion add-in and see pricing; no customer proof and no FAQ.Source
• Your websiteSOLIDWORKS page: "AI for SOLIDWORKS, in Adam or your AI client"; reads and edits native parts and drawings in a running SOLIDWORKS session (extrudes, cuts, fillets, holes, patterns, drawing sheets and export); needs a Windows workstation and a licensed SOLIDWORKS install; the FAQ says users can describe a task in plain language instead of writing a macro; no logos, testimonials or case studies.Source
• Your websiteEnterprise CAD pages: CATIA V5 "Availability and supported operations need to be confirmed with the team", and the FAQ asks evaluators to bring a release, a representative model and "one task with measurable acceptance criteria"; Creo: "Connector in development" and "not generally available or validated in a live Creo session yet". Both send visitors to the same 30-minute founder calendar.Source
• Your websiteDocs: organised by engineering job (create or change a model, make a drawing, review a design, set up a simulation, documentation); the Quickstart walks through a first drawing review; tasks, projects and "repeatable engineering briefs"; Onshape connects by account, Fusion by add-in, other local apps through Adam Desktop for macOS and Windows.Source

Put a short evaluation form on each enterprise page: CAD system and release, OS, the task and its acceptance criteria, whether a sample file can be shared, number of seats and timeline. Qualified requests book a technical evaluation with the forward-deployed engineer, who already has the file. The rest get the right docs and a notify list for their connector.

Enterprise CAD buyers expect a structured evaluation. Asking for the model and the acceptance test up front qualifies serious teams and makes the first call a working session instead of an introduction.

• A form puts off early buyers

  Keep the calendar link as a small secondary option.

• Files cannot leave the company

  Offer an on-site or screen-share evaluation instead.

• Your websiteEnterprise CAD pages: CATIA V5 "Availability and supported operations need to be confirmed with the team", and the FAQ asks evaluators to bring a release, a representative model and "one task with measurable acceptance criteria"; Creo: "Connector in development" and "not generally available or validated in a live Creo session yet". Both send visitors to the same 30-minute founder calendar.Source
• Your websiteMigrations page: "Parametric CAD Migrations" rebuilds a model's feature history in the destination CAD system and checks each step geometrically against the source; it names no supported system pairs and shows no case studies; the call to action is "Book a demo" on a 30-minute calendar.Source
• HiringMTS - Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer ($200K-$250K, San Francisco): "You install it in their CAD environment, sit with their engineers, take their actual backlog"; "You own the deployment end to end: the IT conversation, the install, the first week of real tasks"; "you work from the customer's office and shop floor more than from ours"; "What blocks you on-site becomes the roadmap."Source
• HiringMTS - Founding Engineer ($200K-$300K): "Sprint for two weeks to build a new product vertical from scratch" and "Develop new interfaces for AI-driven CAD workflows"; the post says the first product "made CAD approachable and fun with AI, bringing tens of thousands of people into 3D printing". The YC profile lists a team of 4 and a paid Residency for summer 2027.Source

Publish a "what each plan gets you" table: the approximate number of typical tasks per month on each plan (cleaning up a 50-feature part, a 2D drawing to a 3D part, a drawing sheet), based on median real usage. Add an in-app meter in tasks left, not tokens, and a warning before an unusually expensive request. Test a policy of not charging for edits the user reverts straight away.

Usage pricing sells when buyers can translate it into their own work. A task count turns a jump from $40 to $200 into a clear choice, and it answers the trust objection raised in public.

• Task counts vary by part

  Show a range and the sample part used.

• Revert refunds get abused

  Cap them per day.

• Your websiteBilling docs: "Max includes more monthly usage than Pro"; add-on funds "are shared across the workspace"; when the allowance and add-on funds run out, models fall back to Lite with a small daily allowance; the tier comparison shows "relative usage per request, not dollar amounts".Source
• CommunityShow HN "AI CAD Harness" (101 points, May 1, 2026): commenters liked feature-tree renaming and merging; one wrote "a non-web version of this would be an insta-buy"; several engineers said text-to-CAD is the wrong target; a critic called token-based usage "neither transparent nor fair"; some hit daily limits while iterating; others asked about FreeCAD.Source
• ReviewsToolworthy (updated July 2, 2026) lists Adam's plans as Free (300 daily refresh credits), Starter $40/month (4,000 credits), Pro $200/month (20,000 credits) and Max $1,000/month (100,000 credits); it notes the Copilot reached Product Hunt's July 1, 2026 leaderboard as free launch access, and lists unclear Copilot-specific usage limits as a con.Source
• Your websitePricing page: "start free, or upgrade to Pro or Max for more usage. Team and Enterprise plans for hardware organizations"; plans Free, Pro, Max, Team (per seat) and Enterprise.Source

Turn each deployment into a one-page story: the part, the task, the time before and after, screenshots of the feature tree before and after, and what still needed engineering review. Anonymise company names where needed. Place the stories on the matching /ai-cad and /workflows pages and on the homepage.

Hardware buyers trust results on parts like theirs more than demos. Even anonymised stories with real numbers beat example tasks.

• Customers won't be named

  Publish anonymised stories with industry and part type.

• Your websiteHomepage: title "Adam | AI CAD for Mechanical Engineers" and description "Create and edit CAD models with Adam, your AI mechanical engineer. Work across all professional CAD software, from part design to engineering drawings."; in the last year the headline changed from "Adam - AI Powered CAD" to "The AI Mechanical Engineer" and the starting price from $9.99/mo to $40/mo; demos book into a 30-minute Cal.com calendar; no testimonials, customer logos or case studies found.Source
• HiringMTS - Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer ($200K-$250K, San Francisco): "You install it in their CAD environment, sit with their engineers, take their actual backlog"; "You own the deployment end to end: the IT conversation, the install, the first week of real tasks"; "you work from the customer's office and shop floor more than from ours"; "What blocks you on-site becomes the roadmap."Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Leo AI ("AI Made for Leading Engineering Teams") lists SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS PDM, Inventor, Fusion, NX, Teamcenter and SAP PLM integrations, six testimonials, a G2 2026 new-AI-software ranking and SOC 2, and sells annual per-user plans after a demo on the buyer's own designs; Zoo ("The AI-native engineering platform") sells its own Design Studio and Zookeeper agent.See the research Source
• Your websiteSOLIDWORKS page: "AI for SOLIDWORKS, in Adam or your AI client"; reads and edits native parts and drawings in a running SOLIDWORKS session (extrudes, cuts, fillets, holes, patterns, drawing sheets and export); needs a Windows workstation and a licensed SOLIDWORKS install; the FAQ says users can describe a task in plain language instead of writing a macro; no logos, testimonials or case studies.Source

Write fair, dated comparison pages: Adam vs Zoo (edit the CAD you already use vs move to a new CAD system), Adam vs Leo AI (self-serve with a free plan vs annual contracts after a demo), and Adam vs text-to-CAD generators (native feature trees vs meshes and scripts). Each page gets a table, sources and a "try it on your own part" call to action.

Comparison searches come from buyers close to a decision, and the pages also shape how AI assistants describe the difference.

• Claims go out of date

  Date each page and link sources.

• Your websiteComparison pages: the only two /vs pages compare Adam with the Autodesk Fusion MCP server and FeatureScript MCP ("a dedicated mechanical-engineering agent with tighter CAD integration"); no page compares Adam with other AI CAD products.Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Leo AI ("AI Made for Leading Engineering Teams") lists SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS PDM, Inventor, Fusion, NX, Teamcenter and SAP PLM integrations, six testimonials, a G2 2026 new-AI-software ranking and SOC 2, and sells annual per-user plans after a demo on the buyer's own designs; Zoo ("The AI-native engineering platform") sells its own Design Studio and Zookeeper agent.See the research Source
• ReviewsWevolver test of seven text-to-CAD tools (June 18, 2026, first published on xometry.pro), including Zoo and Leo AI: "AdamCAD" made simple parts accurately with editable parameters, but was described as browser-only with no desktop version and STL and SCAD exports, and "Not a replacement for advanced CAD suites".Source
• CommunityShow HN "AI CAD Harness" (101 points, May 1, 2026): commenters liked feature-tree renaming and merging; one wrote "a non-web version of this would be an insta-buy"; several engineers said text-to-CAD is the wrong target; a critic called token-based usage "neither transparent nor fair"; some hit daily limits while iterating; others asked about FreeCAD.Source

After a user accepts a cleanup, ask for an App Store review in the app. Update the listing to the current capabilities and plans. When a beta user reaches their limit, show the cost of the next plan in tasks. Ask Onshape's partner team for a follow-up feature built on beta results.

Store reviews and a fresh listing lift installs at the moment of search inside Onshape, and beta users who already rely on the tool convert best.

• Beta users resent paying

  Give beta users a founding discount for a year.

• #5 Show what a typical task costs, in tasks and dollars, next to the plans

• PressOnshape blog (March 4, 2026): Adam AI joined the Onshape App Store as a free open beta that cleans up feature trees (clearer feature names, fixed numbers turned into named variables, redundant extrudes merged, fillet radii changed) and does not create new shapes.Source
• Your websiteCopilot page: "AI CAD Copilot for Onshape and Fusion"; "Edit parts with prompts, using selected geometry as context" and "Turns rough CAD into parametric models"; "Works inside Onshape (store extension) and Autodesk Fusion (add-in)"; calls to action to install the Fusion add-in and see pricing; no customer proof and no FAQ.Source
• Your websitePricing page: "start free, or upgrade to Pro or Max for more usage. Team and Enterprise plans for hardware organizations"; plans Free, Pro, Max, Team (per seat) and Enterprise.Source
• Your websiteBilling docs: "Max includes more monthly usage than Pro"; add-on funds "are shared across the workspace"; when the allowance and add-on funds run out, models fall back to Lite with a small daily allowance; the tier comparison shows "relative usage per request, not dollar amounts".Source

When a user first connects a CAD tool, open the part they have selected and offer "Clean up this part": rename features, turn key dimensions into named variables and merge redundant features. Show the change as a diff they can accept or revert in one click. Measure time to the first accepted edit and make that the activation metric.

Cleanup works on parts engineers already have, is easy to check and saves visible time. That builds the trust they need before asking Adam for bigger edits.

• Cleanup breaks references downstream

  Run on a copy by default and show what references change.

• CommunityShow HN "AI CAD Harness" (101 points, May 1, 2026): commenters liked feature-tree renaming and merging; one wrote "a non-web version of this would be an insta-buy"; several engineers said text-to-CAD is the wrong target; a critic called token-based usage "neither transparent nor fair"; some hit daily limits while iterating; others asked about FreeCAD.Source
• PressOnshape blog (March 4, 2026): Adam AI joined the Onshape App Store as a free open beta that cleans up feature trees (clearer feature names, fixed numbers turned into named variables, redundant extrudes merged, fillet radii changed) and does not create new shapes.Source
• Your websiteDocs: organised by engineering job (create or change a model, make a drawing, review a design, set up a simulation, documentation); the Quickstart walks through a first drawing review; tasks, projects and "repeatable engineering briefs"; Onshape connects by account, Fusion by add-in, other local apps through Adam Desktop for macOS and Windows.Source
• Your websiteCopilot page: "AI CAD Copilot for Onshape and Fusion"; "Edit parts with prompts, using selected geometry as context" and "Turns rough CAD into parametric models"; "Works inside Onshape (store extension) and Autodesk Fusion (add-in)"; calls to action to install the Fusion add-in and see pricing; no customer proof and no FAQ.Source

Ship starter briefs for each workflow page (drawing review, 2D drawing to 3D, parametric cleanup, SOLIDWORKS drawing sheet). Let teams save, share and pin their own briefs, and send the workspace admin a weekly digest of briefs run and time saved.

Shared templates turn one engineer's success into a team routine, which lifts weekly use and makes Team seats easy to justify at renewal.

• Generic briefs don't fit real parts

  Make every brief editable and start from customer examples.

• Your websiteDocs: organised by engineering job (create or change a model, make a drawing, review a design, set up a simulation, documentation); the Quickstart walks through a first drawing review; tasks, projects and "repeatable engineering briefs"; Onshape connects by account, Fusion by add-in, other local apps through Adam Desktop for macOS and Windows.Source
• Your websiteBilling docs: "Max includes more monthly usage than Pro"; add-on funds "are shared across the workspace"; when the allowance and add-on funds run out, models fall back to Lite with a small daily allowance; the tier comparison shows "relative usage per request, not dollar amounts".Source
• Your websiteSitemap (42 URLs, checked November 9, 2026): /ai-cad pages for SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, NX, Creo and Inventor; six /workflows pages; two /vs pages (Fusion MCP, FeatureScript MCP); /migrations, /opensource, /cadam, /learn, /developers, /mcp, /install and /pricing; six blog posts, the latest dated May 24, 2026; no case-study, customer or template pages.Source
• Your websitePricing page: "start free, or upgrade to Pro or Max for more usage. Team and Enterprise plans for hardware organizations"; plans Free, Pro, Max, Team (per seat) and Enterprise.Source

Once the team has validated a system pair, name it on the page. Offer a fixed-price pilot: about 20 parts from one family, a verification report per part (geometry match, a driving-dimension rebuild test, metadata carried over), pass criteria agreed in advance, and the fee credited toward an Enterprise plan.

A fixed scope and price turns a vague service into something an engineering manager can approve, and every pilot produces a verified case study.

• Pilots eat engineering time

  Cap the number of parts and require a shareable part family.

• #4 Replace the 30-minute founder calendar on the CATIA, Creo and migration pages with an evaluation request built from Adam's own checklist

• Your websiteMigrations page: "Parametric CAD Migrations" rebuilds a model's feature history in the destination CAD system and checks each step geometrically against the source; it names no supported system pairs and shows no case studies; the call to action is "Book a demo" on a 30-minute calendar.Source
• HiringMTS - Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer ($200K-$250K, San Francisco): "You install it in their CAD environment, sit with their engineers, take their actual backlog"; "You own the deployment end to end: the IT conversation, the install, the first week of real tasks"; "you work from the customer's office and shop floor more than from ours"; "What blocks you on-site becomes the roadmap."Source
• Your websitePricing page: "start free, or upgrade to Pro or Max for more usage. Team and Enterprise plans for hardware organizations"; plans Free, Pro, Max, Team (per seat) and Enterprise.Source
• Your websiteEnterprise CAD pages: CATIA V5 "Availability and supported operations need to be confirmed with the team", and the FAQ asks evaluators to bring a release, a representative model and "one task with measurable acceptance criteria"; Creo: "Connector in development" and "not generally available or validated in a live Creo session yet". Both send visitors to the same 30-minute founder calendar.Source

Find the LCP element on the homepage (usually the hero video, image or 3D canvas). Serve a lightweight poster image first and load heavy media after it. Preload the hero font and image and defer non-essential scripts. Re-check field data after 28 days.

Engineers arriving from GitHub, Hacker News or a review form a first impression in seconds. A faster hero lifts the share who scroll to the tools table and sign up, and it helps search ranking.

• A static poster looks less impressive

  Swap in the live media as soon as it is ready.

• PageSpeedChrome UX Report for adam.new (real visitors, 75th percentile): LCP 4,884 ms, above Google's 4,000 ms "poor" line and 16% slower than the previous period; INP 183 ms and CLS 0.01 are in the good range.Source
• Your websiteHomepage: title "Adam | AI CAD for Mechanical Engineers" and description "Create and edit CAD models with Adam, your AI mechanical engineer. Work across all professional CAD software, from part design to engineering drawings."; in the last year the headline changed from "Adam - AI Powered CAD" to "The AI Mechanical Engineer" and the starting price from $9.99/mo to $40/mo; demos book into a 30-minute Cal.com calendar; no testimonials, customer logos or case studies found.Source

Record a five-to-eight-minute unedited walkthrough for each workflow page: a real part, the prompt, the feature tree changing and the engineer's check at the end. Embed it at the top of the page, cut a 60-second version for X and Instagram, and link the matching starter brief.

Uncut screen recordings answer the "does it really work" doubt better than copy, and they rank on YouTube for task searches such as "SOLIDWORKS drawing automation".

• A failed run on camera

  Show it and the fix; engineers trust honest footage.

• ChannelsYouTube: 1,120 subscribers, 10 videos, 50,268 total views; Adam also runs X, Instagram and a Discord community; no newsletter signup found on the site.Source
• Your websiteWorkflow page "2D Drawing to 3D CAD with AI": a PDF or image goes in; a native parametric part with named sketches and features comes out, with a check of envelope and hole locations against the drawing, in SOLIDWORKS, Onshape or Fusion; calls to action "Try Adam" and "See plans"; no customer results.Source
• Your websiteSitemap (42 URLs, checked November 9, 2026): /ai-cad pages for SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, NX, Creo and Inventor; six /workflows pages; two /vs pages (Fusion MCP, FeatureScript MCP); /migrations, /opensource, /cadam, /learn, /developers, /mcp, /install and /pricing; six blog posts, the latest dated May 24, 2026; no case-study, customer or template pages.Source

Publish about ten task pages for jobs people usually write macros for and that the connector supports today: exporting drawings to PDF or DXF in bulk, updating drawing annotations, renaming features, changing a dimension and rebuilding. Each page shows the plain-language request, the result in SOLIDWORKS, the checks to do and a short note on when a macro is still the better choice.

Macro searchers have already decided to automate SOLIDWORKS. Showing them a way that needs no VBA meets a live need with a clear before and after.

• A page promises a task the connector can't do

  Publish only tasks that were tested on a real part.

• Your websiteSOLIDWORKS page: "AI for SOLIDWORKS, in Adam or your AI client"; reads and edits native parts and drawings in a running SOLIDWORKS session (extrudes, cuts, fillets, holes, patterns, drawing sheets and export); needs a Windows workstation and a licensed SOLIDWORKS install; the FAQ says users can describe a task in plain language instead of writing a macro; no logos, testimonials or case studies.Source
• Your websiteSitemap (42 URLs, checked November 9, 2026): /ai-cad pages for SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, NX, Creo and Inventor; six /workflows pages; two /vs pages (Fusion MCP, FeatureScript MCP); /migrations, /opensource, /cadam, /learn, /developers, /mcp, /install and /pricing; six blog posts, the latest dated May 24, 2026; no case-study, customer or template pages.Source
• Your websiteWorkflow page "2D Drawing to 3D CAD with AI": a PDF or image goes in; a native parametric part with named sketches and features comes out, with a check of envelope and hole locations against the drawing, in SOLIDWORKS, Onshape or Fusion; calls to action "Try Adam" and "See plans"; no customer results.Source

Recruit two or three resellers for SOLIDWORKS and Onshape. Train their application engineers on the connector, give them a demo project and an evaluation kit, and pay a revenue share on Team and Enterprise seats they bring. Adam's engineer supports the first deployments, then the reseller runs installs.

Resellers bring trust, installation skills and a customer list Adam couldn't reach with four people, and they want new services to sell.

• Partners push their own tools first

  Start with one motivated partner and a clear margin.

• #6 Publish three before-and-after case studies from forward-deployed installs

• HiringMTS - Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer ($200K-$250K, San Francisco): "You install it in their CAD environment, sit with their engineers, take their actual backlog"; "You own the deployment end to end: the IT conversation, the install, the first week of real tasks"; "you work from the customer's office and shop floor more than from ours"; "What blocks you on-site becomes the roadmap."Source
• HiringMTS - Founding Engineer ($200K-$300K): "Sprint for two weeks to build a new product vertical from scratch" and "Develop new interfaces for AI-driven CAD workflows"; the post says the first product "made CAD approachable and fun with AI, bringing tens of thousands of people into 3D printing". The YC profile lists a team of 4 and a paid Residency for summer 2027.Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Leo AI ("AI Made for Leading Engineering Teams") lists SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS PDM, Inventor, Fusion, NX, Teamcenter and SAP PLM integrations, six testimonials, a G2 2026 new-AI-software ranking and SOC 2, and sells annual per-user plans after a demo on the buyer's own designs; Zoo ("The AI-native engineering platform") sells its own Design Studio and Zookeeper agent.See the research Source
• Your websiteSOLIDWORKS page: "AI for SOLIDWORKS, in Adam or your AI client"; reads and edits native parts and drawings in a running SOLIDWORKS session (extrudes, cuts, fillets, holes, patterns, drawing sheets and export); needs a Windows workstation and a licensed SOLIDWORKS install; the FAQ says users can describe a task in plain language instead of writing a macro; no logos, testimonials or case studies.Source

After an accepted edit, offer "Share this with a colleague": the teammate gets a link to the result and joins the workspace with a small starter allowance. When three people are active in one workspace, offer the owner a Team plan with the usage shown.

Invitations sent at a moment of success convert far better than generic referral codes, and each new member makes the workspace harder to leave.

• Sharing CAD outside the company

  Limit invites to the sender's email domain by default.

• Your websiteBilling docs: "Max includes more monthly usage than Pro"; add-on funds "are shared across the workspace"; when the allowance and add-on funds run out, models fall back to Lite with a small daily allowance; the tier comparison shows "relative usage per request, not dollar amounts".Source
• Your websitePricing page: "start free, or upgrade to Pro or Max for more usage. Team and Enterprise plans for hardware organizations"; plans Free, Pro, Max, Team (per seat) and Enterprise.Source
• Your websiteDocs: organised by engineering job (create or change a model, make a drawing, review a design, set up a simulation, documentation); the Quickstart walks through a first drawing review; tasks, projects and "repeatable engineering briefs"; Onshape connects by account, Fusion by add-in, other local apps through Adam Desktop for macOS and Windows.Source

Release an open benchmark of real edit tasks on native parts (change a hole pattern, re-parametrise a sketch, merge features), each with automatic geometric pass/fail checks. Publish the harness under an open licence next to CADAM, report Adam's scores honestly, and invite other AI CAD tools to submit.

The company that defines the benchmark shapes how the category is judged. It turns internal research work into marketing, and Adam's open-source following gives it reach from day one.

• A rival scores higher

  Use it as the roadmap; the leaderboard still credits Adam as the author.

• Tasks leak into training data

  Keep a hidden held-out set.

• HiringMTS - Founding Research Engineer ($200K-$300K): design evals that "measure geometric accuracy in 3D space", make CAD edits faster, and build RL environments for "long-horizon agents to perform design tasks end-to-end".Source
• CommunityShow HN "AI CAD Harness" (101 points, May 1, 2026): commenters liked feature-tree renaming and merging; one wrote "a non-web version of this would be an insta-buy"; several engineers said text-to-CAD is the wrong target; a critic called token-based usage "neither transparent nor fair"; some hit daily limits while iterating; others asked about FreeCAD.Source
• ReviewsWevolver test of seven text-to-CAD tools (June 18, 2026, first published on xometry.pro), including Zoo and Leo AI: "AdamCAD" made simple parts accurately with editable parameters, but was described as browser-only with no desktop version and STL and SCAD exports, and "Not a replacement for advanced CAD suites".Source
• ChannelsCADAM on GitHub: 5.4k stars, 670 forks, GPL-3.0, "the open source text-to-CAD web application" with STL, SCAD and DXF export in the browser; the README links to the live demo and adam.new but does not mention the Copilot, the SOLIDWORKS, Onshape or Fusion connectors, or paid plans.Source

Offer a fixed-fee, two-week pilot: install in the customer's CAD environment, work through ten backlog tasks agreed in advance, and deliver a written report on hours saved, edits accepted and issues found. The fee is credited to the first Enterprise year. List it on /pricing under Enterprise and on every /ai-cad page.

A paid pilot filters out tyre-kickers, funds the engineer's time and produces exactly the evidence an engineering director needs to sign an annual contract.

• Pilots stall on IT approval

  Make the IT answer sheet (idea 21) part of the kickoff.

• #4 Replace the 30-minute founder calendar on the CATIA, Creo and migration pages with an evaluation request built from Adam's own checklist

• HiringMTS - Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer ($200K-$250K, San Francisco): "You install it in their CAD environment, sit with their engineers, take their actual backlog"; "You own the deployment end to end: the IT conversation, the install, the first week of real tasks"; "you work from the customer's office and shop floor more than from ours"; "What blocks you on-site becomes the roadmap."Source
• Your websiteEnterprise CAD pages: CATIA V5 "Availability and supported operations need to be confirmed with the team", and the FAQ asks evaluators to bring a release, a representative model and "one task with measurable acceptance criteria"; Creo: "Connector in development" and "not generally available or validated in a live Creo session yet". Both send visitors to the same 30-minute founder calendar.Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Leo AI ("AI Made for Leading Engineering Teams") lists SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS PDM, Inventor, Fusion, NX, Teamcenter and SAP PLM integrations, six testimonials, a G2 2026 new-AI-software ranking and SOC 2, and sells annual per-user plans after a demo on the buyer's own designs; Zoo ("The AI-native engineering platform") sells its own Design Studio and Zookeeper agent.See the research Source
• Your websitePricing page: "start free, or upgrade to Pro or Max for more usage. Team and Enterprise plans for hardware organizations"; plans Free, Pro, Max, Team (per seat) and Enterprise.Source

Run one two-week sprint to prototype a FreeCAD connector through Adam Desktop: read the model tree, make parametric edits and rename features. Release it as a beta to the CADAM and Discord community on the free plan, with paid plans for heavier use. If adoption is strong, make it the default next step from CADAM.

It gives Adam's most loyal audience a native CAD path with no licence cost, turns open-source goodwill into daily active use and opens a segment the professional-CAD rivals ignore.

• Hobby users don't pay

  Treat it as acquisition; professional seats follow when users change jobs or teams.

• It distracts from enterprise connectors

  Time-box it to one sprint and a kill decision.

• #1 Turn CADAM's 5,400-star repo into the front door for Adam Copilot: one README section and an "open in your CAD" handoff

• CommunityShow HN "AI CAD Harness" (101 points, May 1, 2026): commenters liked feature-tree renaming and merging; one wrote "a non-web version of this would be an insta-buy"; several engineers said text-to-CAD is the wrong target; a critic called token-based usage "neither transparent nor fair"; some hit daily limits while iterating; others asked about FreeCAD.Source
• ChannelsCADAM on GitHub: 5.4k stars, 670 forks, GPL-3.0, "the open source text-to-CAD web application" with STL, SCAD and DXF export in the browser; the README links to the live demo and adam.new but does not mention the Copilot, the SOLIDWORKS, Onshape or Fusion connectors, or paid plans.Source
• HiringMTS - Founding Engineer ($200K-$300K): "Sprint for two weeks to build a new product vertical from scratch" and "Develop new interfaces for AI-driven CAD workflows"; the post says the first product "made CAD approachable and fun with AI, bringing tens of thousands of people into 3D printing". The YC profile lists a team of 4 and a paid Residency for summer 2027.Source

Offer free Pro access to students with a university email, plus a course kit for CAD instructors: assignments where students clean up and parametrise a model with Adam and explain the changes. Run a semester design challenge with university robotics and Formula Student teams. Residents run the programme and the challenge over the summer.

Students who learn with a tool bring it to their first job, and team challenges create public, real-world showcase parts.

• Usage costs climb with free accounts

  Cap student usage and use lighter models.

• Concerns about students skipping fundamentals

  Design assignments where students must explain every change.

• HiringMTS - Founding Engineer ($200K-$300K): "Sprint for two weeks to build a new product vertical from scratch" and "Develop new interfaces for AI-driven CAD workflows"; the post says the first product "made CAD approachable and fun with AI, bringing tens of thousands of people into 3D printing". The YC profile lists a team of 4 and a paid Residency for summer 2027.Source
• Your websiteSeed post (October 31, 2025): "$4.1m seed round, led by TQ Ventures"; users have generated "over a million 3D models through our platform"; the goal is a tool that lets mechanical engineers "design an order of magnitude faster in their favorite tools".Source
• PressOnshape blog (March 4, 2026): Adam AI joined the Onshape App Store as a free open beta that cleans up feature trees (clearer feature names, fixed numbers turned into named variables, redundant extrudes merged, fillet radii changed) and does not create new shapes.Source

Write one downloadable page, linked from /pricing, /security and every /ai-cad page. It should cover what Adam Desktop installs and which network connections it makes, where CAD data is processed and stored, retention, a plain answer on whether customer files are used for training, subprocessors, certifications and how to remove the software. Send it with every evaluation request.

Answering IT before they ask shortens evaluations, and a plain statement on file use and training removes the most common objection in engineering organisations.

• Answers go stale

  Date the page and review it each quarter.

• HiringMTS - Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer ($200K-$250K, San Francisco): "You install it in their CAD environment, sit with their engineers, take their actual backlog"; "You own the deployment end to end: the IT conversation, the install, the first week of real tasks"; "you work from the customer's office and shop floor more than from ours"; "What blocks you on-site becomes the roadmap."Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Leo AI ("AI Made for Leading Engineering Teams") lists SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS PDM, Inventor, Fusion, NX, Teamcenter and SAP PLM integrations, six testimonials, a G2 2026 new-AI-software ranking and SOC 2, and sells annual per-user plans after a demo on the buyer's own designs; Zoo ("The AI-native engineering platform") sells its own Design Studio and Zookeeper agent.See the research Source
• Your websiteSOLIDWORKS page: "AI for SOLIDWORKS, in Adam or your AI client"; reads and edits native parts and drawings in a running SOLIDWORKS session (extrudes, cuts, fillets, holes, patterns, drawing sheets and export); needs a Windows workstation and a licensed SOLIDWORKS install; the FAQ says users can describe a task in plain language instead of writing a macro; no logos, testimonials or case studies.Source
• Your websiteDocs: organised by engineering job (create or change a model, make a drawing, review a design, set up a simulation, documentation); the Quickstart walks through a first drawing review; tasks, projects and "repeatable engineering briefs"; Onshape connects by account, Fusion by add-in, other local apps through Adam Desktop for macOS and Windows.Source

Send a short monthly email to all users and notify-list signups: new capabilities with a GIF each, connector status changes, one customer brief of the month and one task to try. Add a signup on the blog, changelog and in-development tool pages, and post the same update on Discord and X.

Frequent shipping only helps if users notice. A monthly digest brings back lapsed users and converts the waitlist as each connector goes live.

• Too frequent for engineers

  Keep it monthly and short.

• Your websiteChangelog: 7 updates in the last 90 days, the latest on September 10, 2026; the blog's latest post is May 24, 2026.Source
• ChannelsYouTube: 1,120 subscribers, 10 videos, 50,268 total views; Adam also runs X, Instagram and a Discord community; no newsletter signup found on the site.Source
• Your websiteEnterprise CAD pages: CATIA V5 "Availability and supported operations need to be confirmed with the team", and the FAQ asks evaluators to bring a release, a representative model and "one task with measurable acceptance criteria"; Creo: "Connector in development" and "not generally available or validated in a live Creo session yet". Both send visitors to the same 30-minute founder calendar.Source