AI in the practice and the 3D studio: your design software, assisted by agents.
Since 2026, Blender, SketchUp, Rhino, Revit and Archicad have opened up to AI agents. Colombani.ai trains your teams and builds the tools that save them time on written specifications, render preparation and repetitive work, while design stays with the architect.
Colombani.ai supports architecture practices, interior architects and design and 3D studios: team training by a Qualiopi-certified provider, assisted drafting of written specifications, render preparation, and agents that drive Blender, SketchUp or Rhino through the MCP protocol. The approach follows the July 2026 report of the French National Council of the Order of Architects: design stays human, prompts are archived and sensitive projects can be handled without leaving your machines.
Use cases
Written documents: specifications, notices and technical bids
A first draft written from the practice's standard specifications and the project documents, every standards reference checked before use, then reviewed by the architect. The time saved is in drafting; responsibility does not change.
Blender driven by an agent
Blender's official MCP server, released by Blender Lab in April 2026, lets an agent such as Claude or Codex analyse a scene, fix a file and apply batch changes; the community tool MCP for Blender adds asset import and export. The whole set-up can run entirely locally, in an isolated environment.
Renders, moods and variants
Material, time-of-day or seasonal variants prepared from a view of your model, with D5 Render, Veras or a ComfyUI pipeline, then gathered into a choice board for the client. Prompts are archived, as the Order recommends.
Massing sketches in SketchUp and Rhino
Trimble's SketchUp connector and McNeel's MCP server for Rhino can produce massing studies from a brief, dimensions and site photos. These tools, released between April and summer 2026, help with exploration; design decisions stay with the architect.
BIM model checks
Revit 2027 and Archicad 29 offer an MCP server in preview: an agent can spot missing parameters, produce schedules and prepare bulk changes, always reviewed before approval.
3D objects and furniture for scenes
Generating furniture and scene props from an image, with Meshy or TRELLIS.2, then checking scale, topology and licences before import. A generated building has neither reliable dimensions nor BIM data: 3D generation serves scenes, not the project.
Ethics and regulatory framework
Professional ethics: the Order's July 2026 report
In July 2026 the French National Council of the Order of Architects published ten recommendations on AI: design within the meaning of Article 37 cannot be delegated, prompts behind images and plans are archived, tenders are also analysed the conventional way, and the whole practice is trained. Colombani.ai engagements follow this framework.
Professional secrecy and sensitive projects
The architects' code of ethics, in force since 1 July 2026, requires secrecy on projects. Sensitive documents are handled with tools that run without the cloud, such as Blender's official MCP server paired with a model installed on your machines.
Intellectual property and tool licences
A creation generated entirely by AI is not protected by French copyright. Tool terms matter just as much: public outputs on free plans, possible reuse for training, an open-weights licence for Hunyuan3D that excludes the European Union. Every tool is checked before it enters the practice.
AI Act: transparency and training
Article 50 of the AI Act has applied since 2 August 2026: a generated image shown to the public that could pass as real must be disclosed. Article 4 asks organisations to support AI literacy among their staff, which practice-wide training addresses.
What we don't do
- Architectural design within the meaning of Article 37: structuring decisions stay with the architect.
- Structural calculation or regulatory checks (accessibility, fire safety) without review by a qualified professional.
- Legal advice on copyright or AI Act labelling: these questions are referred to your lawyer.
How do we work with you?
Training the practice
Training by a Qualiopi-certified provider, on the practice's own tools and projects.
Development: agents and plugins
Agents connected to Blender, SketchUp, Rhino or your standard specifications, delivered with their code.
Consulting: AI audit
Identify the practice's tasks that AI can lighten, and set the usage policy.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI agent really drive Blender? +
Yes, within limits. The official MCP server released by Blender Lab in April 2026 (Blender 5.1 or later) lets an agent analyse a scene, diagnose a file and write scripts that apply batch changes. Blender states that agent-generated code runs without safeguards and recommends an isolated environment. Full modelling from scratch remains experimental.
What does the Order of Architects say about AI? +
In its July 2026 report, the French National Council of the Order of Architects accepts the use of AI but sets limits: design cannot be delegated, architects check what they pass on, keep projects confidential, archive their prompts and train their whole practice. Using AI does not transfer any responsibility.
Can AI training for an architecture practice be funded? +
Often, in part. Practices with employees usually fall under OPCO EP, whose architecture branch criteria list actions on AI. Self-employed architects can apply to FIF-PL, which includes artificial intelligence in its 2026 criteria. In both cases, funding depends on the funder's decision and rarely covers the full cost.
Can AI-generated images and models be used freely? +
Not without checking. A creation generated entirely by AI is not protected by copyright, and tool terms vary: on some free plans, models are public or under a Creative Commons licence requiring attribution; the open-weights licence for Hunyuan3D excludes the European Union. Colombani.ai checks the terms of each chosen tool; legal advice is a matter for your lawyer.
Got a project in mind?
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