Did You Miss the neXt 2025 Event? See the Newest CAD Innovations Now!

In April, CAD software developer Graebert held its annual neXt event, welcoming users of its ARES products and of other CAD software applications, such as AutoCAD. Graebert neXt is an exploration of how the latest technology trends for CAD in DWG — including AI, cloud-based collaboration, online CAD, and Drawings Automation — are transforming workflows across AEC and manufacturing. 

This free, online event is also designed for CAD managers, engineers, developers, and IT executives. All attendees, whether they are CAD fanatics or just CAD-curious, share an interest in the same question: “What’s neXt for 2D/3D CAD in DWG?” 

This year, neXt attendees learned the answer to that question during demonstrations of new product features and workflows; presentations by the founders of aec+tech and Architosh; roundtable discussions among experts in architecture, design, and technology; and analyses by top Graebert executives of new developments in CAD technology. 

If you missed your chance to see neXt 2025 live, don’t worry — you can still take advantage of the replay option to watch the entire three-hour event. 

 

Short on time? You can make your own selections from our extensive video gallery of individual feature demonstrations, keynote sessions, and more. You can check out videos from last year’s event, too! 

 

Access Graebert neXt 2025 content in the way that suits you best:

• Graebert neXt 2025: Watch the replay of the complete 3-hour webinar
• Video Gallery: Watch individual sessions from Graebert neXt 2025 on your schedule  

Use the links above to start watching now, or read on for an overview of what you can expect to see.

The neXt 2025 General Session

The neXt 2025 event kicked off with a welcome from CTO Robert Graebert, PhD, and Wilfried Graebert, the CEO and founder of Graebert. They explained that Graebert CAD software supports digital transformation with its cutting-edge technologies, including cloud-based CAD, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation. 

CTO Robert Graebert, PhD (left), and CEO Wilfried Graebert (right) welcomed attendees to the neXt 2025 event.

Top New Features in ARES 2026

The neXt 2025 general session included many demonstrations of new features in Graebert’s ecosystem of CAD products. The ARES Trinity of CAD software includes:

• ARES Commander, Graebert’s DWG-based CAD application for Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop computers. ARES Commander is the No.1 alternative to AutoCAD.
• ARES Kudo, the cloud version, which runs in an Internet browser — no software installation or updating necessary. 
• ARES Touch, the mobile version, which is specifically designed for the smaller screens of Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. 

Cédric Desbordes, Business Development and Marketing Director for Graebert, explained that customers can get up to 9 years of the ARES Trinity of CAD software for the price of just one year of AutoCAD. The company’s real focus, however, is on innovation — in collaboration, online DWG-based CAD, artificial intelligence, BIM drawings automation, and more advancements that improve efficiency and ease of use.

A look inside the day-to-day operations of DPR Revestimentos, a supplier of custom marble and stone surfaces, illustrated some of Graebert’s innovative CAD features, and showed how they can streamline workflows in busy manufacturing environments.

With ARES Commander, DPR Revestimentos employees can insert QR codes directly into DWG drawings. These connect a printed version to its online counterpart, making it easy for clients to see the most up-to-date version of their project.

But before they can realize greater efficiency and improved workflows, users must first become comfortable working with the software. ARES Commander’s many new features include UI updates that help users transitioning from AutoCAD to feel at home quickly.

The new Start Page, organized into Home, My Setup, and Learn tabs, greets users transitioning from AutoCAD with a familiar look and feel.

Both new and experienced users benefit from ARES AI Assist (A3) in ARES Commander, which can locate and explain features, perform translations and calculations, provide industry-specific advice, and more. Core Development Supervisor Andre Neumann introduced the powerful new capabilities in A3, which can now select entities and even perform certain modifications according to the user’s requests.

ARES AI Assist (A3) in ARES Commander now has the ability to respond to user requests by selecting entities and carrying out certain CAD functions. Conversations between the user and A3 are conducted in natural language, like speaking with a coworker.

Attendees also learned about recent updates in ARES Kudo, the leading online CAD solution for DWG. Niknaz Aftahi, who is an architect and the CEO and founder of aec+tech, discussed how online CAD and its convergence with automation features are changing the ways AEC professionals work. She noted that the AEC world lags behind manufacturing in adopting cloud-based CAD — and explained why it needs to take advantage of the potential benefits it offers. (For more insights from Aftahi, see the AEC Magazine article “ARES Kudo: DWG Drawings Automation for Developers.”) 

For example, Graebert’s BIM Drawings Automation technology, first introduced in ARES Commander, is now available in ARES Kudo as well, via the new ARES Online Drawings Automation service. This service, connected to ARES Kudo, can run a variety of CAD-related jobs on a remote server, handling tedious or time-consuming tasks automatically. With ARES Online Drawings Automation, users can batch-process files, schedule jobs in advance, set them to run repeatedly, and even generate 2D drawings in DWG — such as floor plans, sections, and elevations — from Revit and IFC BIM projects automatically, saving significant time and effort. 

Now users can offload many types of CAD-related tasks to the new ARES Online Drawings Automation service, which executes these routine jobs for them.

Guest speaker Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, the founder and Editor in Chief of Architosh.com, 

addressed the addition of new automation technologies to ARES Kudo, with a focus on how they can reshape AEC workflows. (For more on this subject from Frausto-Robledo, see his Architosh article, “ARES Kudo adds BIM Drawings Automation and AI — Challenges AutoCAD.”)

Workshop for Developers: How Cloud and Drawings Automation Are Transforming the CAD Industry

The neXt 2025 event also featured a Developer Workshop, cohosted by Robert Graebert and Martyn Day, longtime tech and CAD journalist and the cofounder of AEC Magazine. This section of the event kicked off with an exploration the ARES development framework, including case studies from BIM developer Snaptrude and CAFM developer Arlanis Reply. 

Robert Graebert explained that beyond its full complement of standard CAD capabilities, cloud-based, DWG-native ARES Kudo also offers developers advanced features such as Drawing Compare.

The presentation addressed the Trinity C++ application programming interface (API), which enables developers to use the same API across ARES Commander, ARES Touch, and ARES Kudo; documentation for developers; and business models. Robert Graebert also explained how developers can take advantage of the new ARES Online Drawings Automation service to unlock the next generation of BIM / CAD solutions.

After that, Day hosted a panel discussion with industry experts Altaf Ganihar, CEO and Founder of Snaptrude; Greg Schleusner, AIA, Principal and Director of Design Technology at HOK; and Hartmut Friedemann, Manager of Business Development and Facility Cloud at Arlanis Reply.

Try the New Features in ARES 2026

Visit the New Features page on the Graebert website to learn more about these features, plus many more. To try the new features showcased in neXt 2025 for yourself, simply create your free Graebert account and start your free 30-day trial today.