Mira by Pirros: Testing Spatial Reasoning in Revit

A quick share about a fun test I did this week with my NDSU graduate architecture students in my AI in Architecture seminar.

I showed three AI chat tools in Revit: Autodesk Assistant, Mira by Pirros, and SWAPP. We talked about basic tasks like dimensioning and room and door numbering.

• Both Mira and Autodesk Assistant are free. Mira also has a paid plan. Autodesk Assistant only works in Revit 2027.

But can AI help us check a design without doing the designing?

One possibility is reviewing drawings and specifications for QA/QC. For this test, I asked a specific sightline question: Can someone standing outside Restroom 107 see the urinal when the door is open?

The screenshot below shows two different approaches. Autodesk Assistant suggested ways I could manually investigate the sightline in Revit. Mira attempted to answer the question by analyzing the model, explaining its assumptions and identifying uncertainties.

• I added the red arrow.

That distinction made for a useful classroom discussion. An answer still needs verification, but getting AI to engage with a specific design condition is an interesting step beyond asking it to number doors.

We’ve talked about “clash avoidance” rather than “clash detection” for years. Perhaps AI can also help with a little “bad design avoidance.” lol

What is the answer to the sightline question... technically, you can see the urinal from outside the room. In this case, the adjacent hallway wall is glass, so from the break room you can see it (and/or someone standing there :)).

But, then again, if the door is open, that means a person is partially obscuring the opening:) In this case, Mira is correct in saying "probably not" but it did not really consider all of these factors (at least not yet).