Comparison · 2026
Steel Genie vs SDS2
How Steel Genie and SDS2 compare on detection breadth, integrations, pricing, and field results for steel estimators in 2026.
01 · In short
Steel Genie
Steel Genie is ALLPLAN's AI takeoff product. It launched in April 2026 after starting life inside Masters Metals, a fabricator near Hilton Head. The software reads framing off a drawing set and calculates connections under AISC LRFD and ASD. It also builds an estimating-level 3D model. The pitch is straightforward: a fabricator already running the Nemetschek stack gets its estimating tool from the same vendor.
SDS2
SDS2 is a steel detailing platform, not a takeoff tool. It anchors a generation of fabricators, and it now sits alongside Steel Genie inside ALLPLAN's portfolio. If you already live inside SDS2, the AI work coming from the same vendor will be on your radar. The comparison with Lift is structural, though, not feature-for-feature.
02 · Head-to-head score
Editorial scoring, 0 to 100, based on public claims, product surface area, field reports, and 2026 positioning. It is not a benchmark.
Steel Genie SDS2
03 · Spec comparison
| Attribute | Steel Genie | SDS2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | ALLPLAN (Nemetschek) | ALLPLAN (Nemetschek) |
| Status | Generally available · Launched April 2026 | Established · Decades-deep install base |
| Pricing | $9,950 per license (perpetual, single seat as marketed) | Perpetual and subscription; commercial pricing on request |
| Detects | Beams, Columns, Joists, Studs, Braces, Brace frames, Seismic brace frames | Full detailing suite: beams, columns, braces, plates, connections |
| Elevations | Not in public scope | Not applicable |
| Integrations | Tekla PowerFab, Excel, Marked-up PDFs, IFC | Internal SDS2 modeling pipeline, Allplan ecosystem |
| Named results | Master Steel · 67% increase in estimating throughput |
Not published |
04 · What each does well
Steel Genie
- Backed by ALLPLAN/Nemetschek distribution and the existing SDS2 channel.
- Connection-aware: applies AISC LRFD and ASD methods during takeoff.
- Estimating-grade 3D model alongside the BOM in under three minutes.
- A strong launch case study at Master Steel (67% throughput, 54% more steel year over year).
SDS2
- Mature, deep detailing capability across the connection design surface.
- An existing user base, with training infrastructure and years of detailing-shop muscle memory.
- Strong brand recognition in the structural steel detailing world.
- Now part of the same family as Steel Genie, which gives ALLPLAN a stacked sales motion.
05 · Limitations
Steel Genie
- Detection is reported as plan-focused. Elevations are a known gap in field tests.
- One launch case study so far. Outside Master Steel, results are not yet third-party verified.
- Vendor gravity: pricing and roadmap follow Nemetschek priorities, not the shop's.
- Newer to market than Lift, with less production telemetry to date.
SDS2
- Built for detailing. It does not natively produce a bid-ready takeoff from a PDF.
- Licensing cost has historically gated estimator-side adoption.
- Adding AI takeoff to the same stack means a Nemetschek-shaped roadmap, not a takeoff-shaped one.
The take
These are siblings inside ALLPLAN, not rivals, and they solve different problems. SDS2 is a mature detailing platform. Steel Genie is the AI takeoff layer that feeds the estimating stage ahead of it. If you already run SDS2 for detailing, Steel Genie is the natural estimating companion from the same vendor. Neither replaces the other. The real question is whether you want takeoff and detailing from one vendor, which is precisely ALLPLAN's pitch.