At Autodesk University in Las Vegas, one question came up in conversation after conversation with architects, engineers, and BIM managers:
"How is Arkyv different from Autodesk Assistant?"
It's a fair question. Autodesk Assistant and Arkyv both put an AI assistant inside Revit, and both take requests in plain language. On the surface they look like the same idea.
So when we got home, we gave Autodesk Assistant a real modeling task in Revit and looked closely at what it could and couldn't do.
The short answer
Autodesk Assistant is a helpful built-in assistant for questions, views, sheets, schedules, and edits to elements that already exist. It can't create new model geometry: no walls, floors, or massing. It also requires Revit 2027.
Arkyv is built to work on the model itself, including creating that geometry, and it runs in Revit 2024, 2025, and 2026, the versions most live projects are on today.
| Autodesk Assistant | Arkyv | |
|---|---|---|
| Revit versions | Revit 2027 and later | Revit 2024, 2025, and 2026 (2027 coming soon) |
| Creates walls | No | Yes |
| Creates floors | No | Yes |
| Creates massing and extrusions | No | Yes |
| Works in Rhino and Grasshopper | No | Yes |
| Answers questions about the model | Yes | Yes |
| Creates views, sheets, and schedules | Yes | Yes |
| Edits parameters on existing elements | Yes | Yes |
| Asks before changing the model | Yes | Yes |
As of October 2026, based on our test in Revit 2027 and Autodesk's documentation. Both products change quickly; the sources are listed at the end of this post.
The test: a simplified Empire State Building
We wanted a task that is quick to describe but needs real geometry, so we asked for a stacked massing model of the Empire State Building. This was the prompt, word for word:
Create a simplified replica of the Empire State Building in this project. Create 102 levels at 3.8 m spacing (roof about 381 m). Model the massing as stacked setbacks: base 130 m x 60 m footprint for levels 1-5, then 80 m x 50 m up to level 20, then 50 m x 35 m up to level 72, then 35 m x 25 m up to level 85, then a 20 m x 20 m crown up to level 102, topped by a 60 m tall spire/antenna mast. Use generic exterior walls and floors on each level, centered on the site.
Nothing exotic: levels, generic walls, generic floors, and a simple mast. It's the kind of setup a team does at the start of a feasibility or massing study, just taller than usual.
What Autodesk Assistant did
Autodesk Assistant worked on the request for 25 seconds and then explained what it could and couldn't do. It could create the 102 levels and a floor plan view for each one. It couldn't create the walls, the floors, the massing, or the spire, because, in its own words, there was no wall-placement, floor-placement, massing, or geometry creation tool available.
Autodesk Assistant's reply to the Empire State Building prompt in Revit 2027, October 2026.
Its own summary was clear: its tools support "reading model data, creating levels/views/schedules, overriding graphics, and modifying existing element parameters — but not placing new geometry (walls, floors, masses, families)."
That matches how Autodesk describes it. Autodesk Assistant works through a defined set of supported workflows, and Autodesk notes that it doesn't support every Revit action yet. It was transparent about its limits, and it's useful within them. For this task, though, it stopped at the levels.
Why the results differ
An AI assistant can only do what its tools allow. Autodesk Assistant acts through a fixed set of tools for queries, views, sheets, rooms, schedules, exports, and edits to existing elements. If no tool places walls or floors, no prompt can make it place them.
Arkyv's agent works on the model through the Revit API. That means it can create and change model elements, not just read them or adjust their parameters: levels, walls, floors, and the rest of what a modeling task like this one needs.
What Arkyv does differently
Arkyv isn't just a chat window inside Revit. It's built to carry out real BIM work on the model you already have:
- It creates geometry. Ask for walls, floors, or a massing study, and Arkyv builds them in the model.
- It works across the whole model. The same agent queries elements, bulk-edits parameters, swaps families, sets up worksets, creates views, sheets, and schedules, and runs model checks.
- You stay in control. Like Autodesk Assistant, Arkyv asks before it changes the model. You see the affected elements and the proposed values before anything runs, and every edit can be undone like any other change in Revit.
- It turns repeated tasks into workflows. A task that worked once can be saved, tested, and shared with your whole team, so the next person runs it with one request.
You can watch Arkyv do this on real models in our Revit demonstrations: a model health check, swapping families and updating project parameters, setting up worksets, and checking building code requirements. For geometry, see Arkyv building 3D massing from polylines in Rhino.
Revit versions: a practical difference
There is also a difference that matters before you write a single prompt.
Autodesk Assistant is available in Revit 2027 and later. Most real projects don't move to a new Revit release the day it ships. Teams usually stay on the version a project started in, often for the life of the project, because upgrading a live model across a team, its consultants, and its families is a project in itself.
Arkyv supports Revit 2024, 2025, and 2026, with 2027 coming soon. You can use it on the projects you're delivering today, not just the ones you start next year.
Where Autodesk Assistant fits
To be fair to Autodesk Assistant: it's built into Revit, needs no separate install, and is a good way to get answers about Revit and your model, generate views and schedules, and make bulk edits to existing elements. Autodesk is investing in it, and its capabilities will grow.
If your work is mostly documentation tasks and your projects are on Revit 2027, it may cover a lot of what you need. If you want an agent that builds and changes the model itself, on the Revit versions your projects actually run, that's where Arkyv is different.
Beyond Revit
Many teams don't work in Revit alone. Arkyv uses the same agent in Rhino and Grasshopper, so design and computational teams can work on their models with it too. It also answers questions from building codes and project documents, with citations you can follow back to the source, and turns tasks you repeat into workflows your whole team can run.
Same idea, different capabilities
On the surface, both are an AI assistant inside Revit. Hand them a real modeling task, and the difference shows: Autodesk Assistant explains which tools it doesn't have, and Arkyv is built to model.
Frequently asked questions
Can Autodesk Assistant create walls in Revit?
No. Asked to model a building, Autodesk Assistant created the levels and floor plan views, then reported that it had no tools to place walls, floors, massing, or other new geometry. It can modify parameters on elements that already exist.
Does Autodesk Assistant work in Revit 2026?
No. Autodesk Assistant is available in Revit 2027 and later. It isn't available in Revit 2026 or earlier versions.
Which Revit versions does Arkyv support?
Arkyv supports Revit 2024, 2025, and 2026, with support for Revit 2027 coming soon.
Can Arkyv create geometry in Revit?
Yes. Arkyv's agent works through the Revit API and can create and change model elements such as levels, walls, and floors, as well as views, sheets, and schedules. It shows the proposed changes for your approval before they run.
Does Autodesk Assistant ask before changing the model?
Yes. Autodesk Assistant asks you to confirm before it changes your work. Arkyv does the same: it shows the affected elements and proposed values, and nothing changes until you approve.
Can I use Arkyv and Autodesk Assistant together?
They're independent products. Arkyv runs as a plugin alongside Revit's built-in tools, so once Arkyv's Revit 2027 support is out, teams on Revit 2027 can use both.