2026 Is the Year AI Hit the Steel Conference
NASCC: The Steel Conference runs April 22-24 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, with 7,000+ attendees and 350+ exhibitors. Every year the show floor reflects where the industry is heading. This year, that direction is unmistakable: AI is everywhere.
For the first time, there are at least three AI-powered takeoff tools exhibiting alongside established vendors adding AI features to existing platforms. If you're a steel fabricator, estimator, or detailer attending this week, here's what's worth your time on the AI front.
AI Takeoff and Estimating Vendors
Beam AI — Booth #532
Beam AI is the most established AI takeoff vendor on the floor. Their model: upload drawings, a team of humans plus AI processes them, and you get a finished Excel estimate back in 24-72 hours. They cover 13+ trades — structural steel is one of many.
They're claiming 1,200+ contractor customers and 500K+ completed takeoffs, and they were voted "Most Recommended" by Software Advice in 2026. If you're evaluating AI takeoff services, their booth is worth a conversation.
What to ask them: How their accuracy holds up specifically on structural steel (not general trades), what their turnaround looks like during peak bid season, and whether they have plans for international standard support beyond US/AISC.
SketchDeck.ai (LIFT) — Booth #1127
This is one to watch. SketchDeck.ai's product LIFT automates steel takeoffs from PDFs — detecting, categorizing, and counting structural steel pieces including beams, columns, and braces. They also analyze framing conditions, moments, copes, and holes.
They were featured in The Fabricator at NASCC 2025, and they have a case study with King Steel (AISC member in Lawrenceville, GA) claiming 50% reduction in takeoff time. Of all the exhibitors, LIFT's positioning is closest to what a steel fabricator actually needs — steel-specific AI on PDFs.
What to ask them: How they handle raster/scanned PDFs versus vector, what standards they support beyond AISC, and whether output includes section weights or just counts.
Ferra
Ferra is an AI-native steel takeoff platform currently in private beta. They're positioning as built specifically for structural fabricators, converting construction drawings into auditable beam and column quantities in minutes.
Being in private beta means the product is early. But "auditable quantities" is the right language — traceability from detection to source page is what separates useful AI from a black box.
What to ask them: When they expect general availability, what drawing types they handle, and whether you can see the detection source (bounding boxes on the actual drawing, not just a spreadsheet of numbers).
AI in Modeling, Detailing, and Design
ConnectionAI
ConnectionAI bills itself as "the world's first AI assistant for steel modeling," powered by what they call the "Steel Brain." The product uses First Principles AI to predict fabrication-ready connections — understanding structural intent (physics and geometry) to generate valid bolt and plate configurations instantly.
This isn't takeoff — it's connection design automation. But it's directly relevant to fabricators because connection design is one of the biggest bottlenecks between winning a bid and starting fabrication. If the AI can resolve feasibility issues upfront, the pitch of "same-day steel" starts to make sense.
What to ask them: How the AI handles non-standard connections, what happens when the prediction is wrong (how easy is it to override), and whether it integrates with Tekla or SDS/2.
Trimble / Tekla 2026
Trimble is showcasing Tekla 2026, which shipped in March with two significant AI features:
AI Cloud Fabrication Drawings: Upload your past project drawing libraries to the cloud. The AI classifies drawings into libraries, finds best-matching templates, and suggests up to three top candidates for new fabrication drawings. This is a "human in the loop" approach — the AI suggests, the detailer decides. If your shop has years of drawing history, this could meaningfully speed up detailing.
AI Model and Drawing Assistant (early preview): A natural language interface for Tekla Structures. Describe a task — "create columns at grid points," "modify beam profiles," "export drawings to Trimble Connect" — and the AI reads model context and executes. Think ChatGPT for steel modeling. This is in early preview through Trimble Labs, not production-ready yet.
What to ask them: How much drawing history you need for the AI fabrication drawings to be useful, what the error rate looks like on template suggestions, and when the natural language assistant moves out of preview.
Code&Steel (by Openmind Tech)
Code&Steel brings 50+ specialists focused 100% on the steel industry, building custom AI automation for quoting, scheduling, traceability, and mill test management. This is more of a services and integration play than a product — they bridge existing systems with custom code.
If your shop has specific automation pain points that off-the-shelf products don't address, these are the people to talk to about custom solutions.
Automation and Robotics
AGT Robotics — Booth #2740
Not AI in the software sense, but worth noting: AGT Robotics is showing the BeamMaster Weld autonomous robotic welding line in the Heavy Machinery Area. Their pitch directly addresses the welding labor shortage that every fabricator is feeling.
SigmaNest
SigmaNest is showcasing "intelligent tools" for data-driven fabrication decisions and seamless connectivity across cutting and nesting processes. More automation than AI, but relevant to the broader "technology in steel fab" conversation.
What's Not on the Floor
A few notable absences:
Togal.AI is not exhibiting at NASCC 2026. This makes sense — Togal's AI reads architectural floor plans (rooms, walls, areas), not structural steel drawings. NASCC isn't their market.
Caddie (steel detailing software) has no AI announcements or NASCC 2026 presence that we could find.
Steelflo is not exhibiting at NASCC 2026 either. We're a small team and chose to invest in product development this quarter rather than a booth. But if you want to test AI steel takeoff without waiting for a conference, you can try it free right now.
The Bigger Picture
Two years ago, AI at NASCC was a single session and maybe one exhibitor. This year there are at least three AI takeoff vendors, AI-powered connection design, AI embedded in Tekla, custom AI automation firms, and robotic welding — all targeting structural steel specifically.
The question for fabricators is no longer "is AI coming to steel?" It's "which AI tools solve my actual bottleneck?" The answer depends on where your time goes:
- If your bottleneck is takeoff and estimating: Beam AI, SketchDeck.ai (LIFT), Ferra, and Steelflo are all worth evaluating. Each has a different model — service vs. self-serve, multi-trade vs. steel-specialist.
- If your bottleneck is connection design: ConnectionAI is doing genuinely novel work.
- If your bottleneck is detailing: Tekla 2026's AI fabrication drawings and the natural language assistant are the features to test.
- If your bottleneck is welding labor: AGT Robotics is showing real hardware, not vaporware.
The vendors who will win are the ones who solve real production bottlenecks — not the ones with the best demo. Test everything on your actual drawings, your actual workflows, and your actual timelines before buying.
What AI Tools Are at NASCC 2026?
At least three AI takeoff vendors (Beam AI, SketchDeck.ai, Ferra), plus ConnectionAI for AI connection design, Trimble/Tekla with AI fabrication drawing and modeling features, Code&Steel for custom AI automation, and AGT Robotics for autonomous welding.
Is Beam AI at NASCC 2026?
Yes. Beam AI is exhibiting at Booth #532. They're an AI-assisted takeoff service covering 13+ trades including structural steel.
What Is SketchDeck.ai LIFT?
LIFT is SketchDeck.ai's AI-powered steel takeoff tool that detects, categorizes, and counts structural steel pieces from PDFs. They're at Booth #1127.
Does Tekla 2026 Have AI Features?
Yes. Tekla 2026 includes AI Cloud Fabrication Drawings (auto-generates fabrication drawings from your past project library) and an AI Model and Drawing Assistant in early preview (natural language interface for Tekla Structures).
Is Togal.AI at NASCC 2026?
No. Togal.AI focuses on architectural floor plan takeoffs — rooms, walls, and areas — not structural steel. NASCC isn't their target market.
How Do I Evaluate AI Takeoff Tools at NASCC?
Bring three of your own recent bids on a USB drive. Ask every vendor to run their tool on your actual drawings — not a demo set. Compare the results against your own takeoff. The numbers will tell you more than any sales pitch. For specific questions to ask, read our guide on 5 questions to ask AI vendors.