Post by : Shakul

Guangdong: Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has partnered with researchers from Tencent Holdings and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to develop a new AI-powered tool aimed at improving the accuracy and efficiency of three-dimensional (3D) design. The technology, called Pointer-CAD, is designed to assist engineers and designers working with computer-aided design (CAD) systems widely used in manufacturing, engineering and architecture.

The new framework is built on Alibaba Group’s Qwen 2.5 large language model and enables designers to precisely select edges or surfaces of 3D objects. By combining pointer-based representation with geometric information, the system reduces spatial errors and improves the generation of complex geometric structures. Researchers said the method significantly improves editing accuracy in CAD workflows.

According to a research paper published on the open-access platform arXiv, Pointer-CAD showed major improvements in testing. In trials involving fillet and chamfer operations used to modify object edges, the system achieved an average segmentation error of 0.16, which is at least 69% lower than existing AI methods used for similar tasks.

The project involved researchers including DeepSeek scientist Liu Wen, Tencent researcher Zhao Zibo, HKU professor Ma Yi, and Beihang University student Qi Dacheng. The team has released the framework as open-source software on GitHub, allowing developers and designers worldwide to experiment with the technology.

Pointer-CAD currently focuses on improving the design of individual objects and does not yet handle complex assembly-level relationships between multiple components. However, researchers say the tool could play an important role in future AI-assisted design systems.

The research marks DeepSeek’s third AI study of 2026, following earlier work on improved optical character recognition technology and the DualPath inference system, which aims to reduce storage bandwidth pressure in advanced AI models.

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