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Autodesk Assistant vs Trunk Tools

Two AI assistants that answer questions from project documents and both go after RFIs, so this is partly like-for-like. Autodesk Assistant is built into Autodesk Forma (which now includes Autodesk Construction Cloud) and works on project data there; Trunk Tools is a separate platform whose Cortex knowledge graph reads documents from Procore, Autodesk and file shares and runs a set of task tools. Desk research from vendor sites read Nov 2, 2026; no winner.

DESK RESEARCH FROM VENDOR SITES. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Nov 2, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Autodesk Assistant (Autodesk Forma) (Construction management AI; no public prices (quote / sales)) vs Trunk Tools (Document intelligence; no public prices (quote / sales)). Facts last checked Nov 2, 2026. No winner declared; desk research from vendor sites.

Side by side

Autodesk Assistant vs Trunk Tools: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowAutodesk Assistant (Autodesk Forma)Trunk Tools
CategoryConstruction management AIDocument intelligence
AI role (our label)AI features added to established productAI-first
What it doesAI assistant built into Autodesk Forma; Autodesk says Autodesk Construction Cloud is now part of Forma. Autodesk describes it as a project-level agent that searches specifications, RFIs, issues, submittals, meetings, change orders and schedules in natural language, pulls from other agents, drafts emails, summaries, reports and dashboards, and keeps a reusable prompt library. Its blog (updated June 3, 2026) says the Assistant for construction workflows in Forma is out of beta, with access based on license type and user permissions, and says photo-to-issue generation (capture a photo, add a short prompt, get a detailed issue for review) is coming soon. In the Build RFIs tool, an RFI AI Agent (enabled per project) searches the project's specifications and closed RFIs as a question is typed and returns a verdict (No RFI needed, RFI recommended, or Couldn't determine), and AI can pre-fill RFI fields (title, question, category, discipline, cost and schedule impact, priority, location details) from a prompt for the user to review. Autodesk's help page says the Assistant uses pretrained third-party models and does not share customer data with those providers, sets query limits of 100 per project member per 24 hours (and 10 per minute) and 500 per project per 24 hours, and says responses may not be complete or accurate. Autodesk says Forma has more than 15 AI-powered capabilities (vendor claim). Customer quotes are not used.AI platform ("Cortex") that plugs into a project's tech stack, reads documents and drawings into a living knowledge graph, and runs tools on top: TrunkBid (maps subcontractor bids against scope and highlights gaps), TrunkRFI (watches Procore and Autodesk for draft RFIs, catches ones the documents already answer and drafts the rest; you approve before anything is submitted), TrunkRegister (reads a spec book and builds the submittal register, pushed to Autodesk via API or exported as a Procore-ready CSV), TrunkSubmittal (reviews submittals against the specs, drafts responses and publishes a PDF summary to the submittal record in Procore or Autodesk; supports SharePoint, Egnyte, Box or Dropbox), TrunkReview (highlights clouded and unclouded changes from new bulletins), TrunkText (Q&A with source checks by text, web or Teams), TrunkBrowse (identifies and classifies objects on each sheet and links each to its schedule row, spec section, RFIs, submittals and other sheets; in beta with general availability planned for Q4 2026) and TrunkChange (detects a change event when a bulletin or RFI response lands, traces affected trades and drafts the change event and potential change order with a rough-order-of-magnitude estimate by discipline; planned to launch in Q4 2026). The menu also lists AI Enablement. Vendor says custom AI models are trained on years of jobsite data and that teams get in-person jobsite training plus head-office change management. Project-count, construction-volume and data-history figures, the TrunkBrowse comparison against a generic AI model and customer quotes are vendor material not used here.
Who it's forAutodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) project teams; Autodesk says access depends on license type and user permissions.Superintendents, project managers, project engineers, project executives, subcontractors, and owners.
Pricing (as publicly stated)Not publicly listed. There is no separate price for the Assistant. The Autodesk Forma pricing page (rendered in a headless browser) shows no figures: it offers Bundle Offers (Model Management, Preconstruction and Construction Operations bundles, each Get a quote) and Pricing by Product across Forma Build, Forma Data Management, AutoSpecs, Pype, Forma Construction Connect, Forma Takeoff and Forma Estimate, describes flexible user, project and account-based pricing, and mentions a 30-day money-back guarantee (vendor statement).Not publicly listed. The pricing page lists Core and Enterprise, each "one clear price based off your construction volume" and each Request a quote; no dollar amounts are shown. Both list unlimited seats (every user included), no token limits (the vendor absorbs model cost), site team training and dedicated customer success; Enterprise adds change management training, a custom LMS with AI Foundations and role and product certifications, forward-deployed experts for custom skills and tools, and early access to new products. The page says Trunk Tools avoids consumption pricing and does not train on your project data, and invites starting on live projects; SOC 2 Type II is listed in the footer.
User reviewsNo reviews yet. Read or writeNo reviews yet. Read or write
Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Nov 2, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Partly like-for-like: both answer plain-language questions over project records. Autodesk Assistant searches specifications, RFIs, issues, submittals, meetings, change orders and schedules inside Forma and drafts emails, summaries, reports and dashboards. TrunkText answers project questions with source checks over text message, the web or Microsoft Teams.
  • RFIs: Autodesk's RFI AI Agent is enabled per project in the Build RFIs tool; as a question is typed it searches specs and closed RFIs and returns No RFI needed, RFI recommended or Couldn't determine, and AI can pre-fill RFI fields for review. TrunkRFI watches Procore and Autodesk for draft RFIs, flags ones the documents already answer and drafts the rest, with approval before anything is submitted.
  • Wider scope: Trunk Tools also lists TrunkBid, TrunkRegister, TrunkSubmittal, TrunkReview, TrunkBrowse (beta, general availability planned Q4 2026) and TrunkChange (planned Q4 2026). Autodesk says photo-to-issue generation is coming soon and that Forma has more than 15 AI-powered capabilities (vendor claim).
  • Where each runs: Autodesk Assistant sits inside Forma, with access depending on license type and user permissions. Trunk Tools connects to the existing stack: it pushes results to Autodesk by API or to Procore by CSV, publishes to submittal records in Procore or Autodesk, and lists SharePoint, Egnyte, Box and Dropbox as document sources.
  • Data and limits: Autodesk's help page says the assistant uses pretrained third-party models, does not share customer data with those providers, caps queries at 100 per project member per 24 hours (10 per minute) and 500 per project per 24 hours, and warns that responses may not be complete or accurate. Trunk Tools lists no token limits, says it does not train on your project data and shows SOC 2 Type II in its footer (vendor claims).
  • Pricing (vendor pages read Nov 2, 2026): Autodesk lists no separate price for the assistant; the Forma pricing page offers bundles and products with Get a quote and flexible user-, project- or account-based pricing, with no figures. Trunk Tools lists Core and Enterprise plans at one price based on construction volume (Request a quote), both with unlimited seats; Enterprise adds change-management training, a custom LMS, forward-deployed engineer support and early access.
  • Not used here: project counts, construction-volume figures, precision comparisons and customer quotes (vendor material). Facts for both come from vendor websites (desk research).

Paraphrased from the sources listed above. Vendor claims are reported as claims.

What users say

The facts above come from vendor websites. Whether either tool is any good for your work is something only people who use them can say. These are member reviews, all ratings shown, never edited or removed for being negative.

Used either of these? Share your take

Good or bad, an honest review from an estimator, PM or super helps the next team more than another vendor demo. You post under a handle; your email is never shown.

Questions to ask in your review

  • Whether your documents live mostly in Forma/Autodesk Construction Cloud or are spread across Procore, Autodesk and file shares
  • How often each tool's 'already answered' RFI call matches what your project engineer would find in the specs and closed RFIs
  • What did you use it for, on what kind of work and project size?
  • How long did setup and training take, and who on your team did it?
  • What does it cost you in practice, compared with what the sales call said?
  • Where does it fall short, and what would make you switch?

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