Why Teams Switch to CRAFT
Every AEC team has the same problem: repetitive CAD work that should be automated, but isn't — or is automated badly. Scattered scripts, undocumented macros, tools that only one person understands. CRAFT replaces that chaos with governed, trustworthy automation that runs inside your existing CAD host.
The Problem CRAFT Solves
Automation Sprawl
50 overlapping Dynamo scripts, a dozen AutoLISP routines, a shared drive full of "use this one, not that one" — and nobody trusts any of them. There's no way to know which version is current, who made it, or whether it's safe to run on your project.
No Governance
Anyone can create and share scripts with no review process. There's no approval gate, no duplicate detection, no deprecation process. The shared drive grows but never gets cleaned up.
Black-Box Execution
Most automation tools don't show you what they'll do before they do it. You run a script, hope it works, and deal with the consequences. There's no preview, no safety check, no declared data handling.
Knowledge Loss
When the person who wrote the script leaves, the automation leaves with them. There's no documentation, no versioning, no way to understand what the tool actually does without reading the code.
How CRAFT Is Different
Draft-First, Not Autonomous
Everything you create starts as a reviewable draft. CRAFT never takes autonomous action — you review every automation before it runs. No surprises, no side effects you didn't authorize.
Mandatory Safety Gate
Every operation passes through the Preview/Validate Gate. It shows you exactly what will happen, what data is involved, and what would leave your machine. If safety can't be proven, it blocks. No override.
Governed Promotion
Personal drafts don't automatically become shared tools. Promotion to the team library requires review and approval. Near-duplicate detection prevents automation sprawl before it starts.
Multiple Authoring Paths
Describe a task in plain language or use the Quick Builder's guided form. Every path produces the same reviewable draft. Learn how it works.
Signed & Immutable
Every published automation is content-addressed (SHA-256) and cryptographically signed (ES256). Versions can't be overwritten. You always know exactly what you're running.
Reuse-First
Before creating new automation, CRAFT checks for existing automations that already do what you need. If a published automation matches your intent, CRAFT suggests reusing or adapting it instead of generating a duplicate.
100% Local Execution
All automations run on your machine inside your CAD host. Cloud services are passive — artifact registry, licensing, and trust anchors only. No cloud execution path exists.
CRAFT vs. the Status Quo
| Scattered Scripts | CRAFT | |
|---|---|---|
| Authoring | Write code from scratch | Describe, show, or use a guided form |
| Review | None — run and hope | Mandatory draft review + Gate validation |
| Safety | Trust the author | Fail-closed Gate with egress disclosure |
| Sharing | Copy to shared drive | Governed promotion with duplicate detection |
| Versioning | Filename suffixes | SemVer with immutable, signed versions |
| Deprecation | Email: "don't use that one" | Formal deprecation with migration paths |
| Data handling | Unknown | Declared egress, reviewed before execution |
For Every Role on Your Team
Engineers & Designers
Stop doing repetitive tasks by hand. Describe what you need or show CRAFT an example — it creates a reusable automation that runs the same way every time. No coding required for common tasks.
CAD Managers
Control what automations your team can access. Approve promotions, deprecate outdated tools, and prevent duplicate scripts from proliferating. Learn more about governance tools.
IT & Security
Local execution only. No cloud data processing. All artifacts signed and immutable. Egress disclosed before execution. Telemetry off by default. Read the full security report.
VDC Directors
CRAFT prevents the automation sprawl that creates tech debt. Governed promotion, audit trails, and library health monitoring mean you can scale automation without losing control.
See How It Works
Walk through the full automation lifecycle — from describing a task to running it in your CAD host.