AI Assistant
SiteCAD includes a built-in AI assistant that understands your site, your data, and your tools. It can query your scenario, modify entities, write scripts, design solids, and help you work faster through natural conversation.
Conversation Basics
The AI assistant lives in the Agent panel on the right side of the editor. Open it, type a message, and the assistant responds with text, data, or actions — whatever fits your request.
Context-Aware Conversations
The assistant automatically knows about your current scenario — its entities, terrain, properties, and structure. You don’t need to describe your site from scratch. Ask questions like “How many boundaries do I have?” or “What’s the total area of all parcels?” and it queries your data directly.
Three Contexts
The assistant adapts its tools based on what you’re doing:
- Scene context — The default. Query and modify your entire scenario: entities, terrain, properties, and data.
- Solid context — Active when you’re editing a parametric solid. The assistant can read and write blueprints, parts, and parameters.
- Operation context — Active when you’re editing an operation script. The assistant can update code, parameters, and run the script.
Persistent Conversations
Conversations are saved locally per editor context. Close the panel or navigate away — your conversation history is preserved when you return. Start a new conversation anytime to reset the context.
Interactive Results
When the assistant returns SQL queries or code, the results are interactive. You can copy code blocks, run SQL directly in the console, and expand or collapse tool results to focus on what matters.
Available Tools
The assistant has different tools available depending on your current editing context. It chooses which tools to use based on your request — you just describe what you want.
Scene Tools
Available in the main editor view. These tools work with your entire scenario.
Query
Run read-only SQL SELECT queries against your scenario database. Browse entities, inspect properties, or analyze data without changing anything.
Command
Execute SQL mutations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) to modify your scenario. May require approval depending on your settings.
Run Script
Execute JavaScript with access to geodetic transforms, coordinate conversions, and file operations for complex multi-step tasks.
Get Library
Fetch reference documentation on solids, operations, toolkit APIs, and parameters so the assistant can give accurate answers.
Web Search
Search the web for external information when enabled. Useful for looking up material properties, regulations, or reference data.
Solid Editing Tools
Available when editing a parametric solid. The assistant can see and modify your solid’s scripts and parameters.
Operation Editing Tools
Available when editing an operation script. The assistant can update code, manage parameters, and run your operation to test it.
In every context the assistant can fetch SiteCAD’s built-in reference documentation — covering solids, operations, the toolkit API, and parameter types. This means it can answer “How do I use the terrain brush API?” without you having to find the docs yourself.
Approval Workflow
When the assistant wants to change your scenario, you can choose whether to review those changes before they’re applied.
When Approval Is Required
Approval prompts appear in two situations:
- You enable it — Turn on “Require approval for mutations” in settings and every data-modifying action shows a preview first.
- Actualized scenarios — If a scenario is actualized (locked as historical record), all mutations automatically require approval as a safety net.
How It Works
- The assistant proposes a change (SQL mutation, script update, or parameter change).
- A preview appears showing exactly what will happen — the SQL statement or code diff.
- Click Approve to apply the change, or Reject to discard it.
- The assistant sees your decision and continues accordingly.
Even without the approval setting, all changes are undoable. Press Ctrl+Z (or ⌘+Z) to reverse any action the assistant took.
Settings
Configure how the assistant behaves. These settings are stored locally in your browser.
Web Access
web_access_enabled Allow the assistant to search the web for external information like material properties or regulations.
Auto-Execute Queries
auto_execute_queries Let read-only SQL queries run automatically without showing results inline first.
Require Approval for Mutations
require_approval_for_mutations Show an Approve/Reject prompt before any change is applied. Off by default (changes run immediately, like Operations, and are easy to undo); turn on for extra caution on shared data. Actualized scenarios always require approval regardless of this setting.
Site Prompt
site_prompt Custom instructions that are sent with every message. Use this to set context like "This is a 40-acre homestead in central Texas" so you don’t have to repeat it.
Set a site prompt like “This is a 40-acre homestead in Hill Country, Texas. Elevations are in feet. The north boundary follows a creek.” The assistant will use this context in every response without you repeating it.
Tips & Best Practices
Get more out of the assistant with these approaches.
Be specific about what you want
"Add a 10m × 5m concrete pad at control point CP-3" works better than "add something near that point."
Ask it to explain before changing
"What entities are within 50m of the boundary?" before "Move all entities 50m north."
Use it for data exploration
"How many control points have elevation above 500m?" or "Show me all boundaries with area greater than 1 hectare."
Let it write scripts for you
"Write an operation that calculates cut/fill volumes between the existing and proposed terrain."
Ask for format recommendations
"My surveyor sent a .xml file — what’s the best way to import this?"
Iterate on solids
"Make the walls thicker" or "Add a window opening on the north face" — it sees your solid code and parameters.
Good to Know
- One conversation at a time — The assistant processes one message at a time. Wait for a response before sending the next message.
- Context has limits — Very long conversations are automatically condensed to stay within the context window. If the assistant seems to forget earlier context, start a new conversation.
- It can’t see the 3D view — The assistant works through data, not visuals. Describe what you see if you need help with something visual, or reference entities by name or ID.
- Rate limiting — Requests are limited to 20 per minute by default to prevent accidental runaway loops.