Owein Dourneau, CEO of MecAgent, Converts Natural Language to SolidWorks

We dive into why CAD feels hard and how natural-language automation can remove friction without forcing a platform switch. Co-founder and CEO Owen Dourneau explains MecAgent’s approach to compiling plain English into SolidWorks actions, the limits of file translation, and where AI can truly help engineers. • Pain points with feature trees and steep learning curves • Why building on top of SolidWorks beats starting from scratch • LLMs as a CAD compiler for dependable automation • Examples like DXF export and sheet metal unfolding • Simplicity over code editors to reach non‑programmers • Risks from incumbents and startup speed advantage • Drawings automation tradeoffs and scope • Library, remixing, and sharing of automations • Roadmap toward more autonomous CAD agents • Auxiliary tools for engineering Q&A and part finding • Partner discussions and realistic adoption paths