earthtojake/text-to-cad

A library of agent skills for CAD, CAE and CAM

Summary

text-to-cad is a plugin that gives AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, Grok) local workflows for generating 3D models as STEP, GLB, STL, or 3MF files, plus design-for-manufacturing checks and engineering drawings. It exposes a set of "skills" covering CAD, 2D drafting, robot description files, and 3D printing output, and runs through a PyPI package called cadgen built on build123d and OpenCASCADE.

What it is useful for

This project fits engineers who want their AI agent to handle mechanical CAD tasks in the same conversation as their code, rather than switching to a separate desktop tool. Documented use cases include:

• Creating and editing CAD parts from a plain-language or image request, with STEP as the primary output
• Sourcing off-the-shelf STEP parts like screws, bearings, motors, and connectors through the step.parts skill
• Generating dimensioned PDF engineering drawings with views, hidden lines, hole callouts, and a title block
• Producing 2D DXF profiles, templates, gaskets, and cut layouts
• Writing URDF and SRDF robot files with links, joints, limits, and inertials, and SDF simulator models with frames, physics, sensors, and lights
• Running DfM checks for sheet metal, CNC, or injection molding, and DfAM checks for wall thickness, overhangs, support volume, and build orientation
• Validating DXF/STEP before uploading to SendCutSend, slicing G-code with OrcaSlicer, and sending jobs to Bambu Lab printers through Bambu Connect, the official app, or Bambu Studio

How engineers can use it

The README's recommended path is to send the agent a one-line install message: Install text-to-cad from https://github.com/earthtojake/text-to-cad. For manual setup, uv must be installed (uv --version).

For Claude Code:

claude plugin marketplace add earthtojake/text-to-cad#latest
claude plugin install text-to-cad@earthtojake

For Codex:

codex plugin marketplace add earthtojake/text-to-cad --ref latest
codex plugin add text-to-cad@earthtojake

For Gemini:

gemini extensions install https://github.com/earthtojake/text-to-cad --ref latest --consent --auto-update

For agents without plugin support, install the skills alone with the Skills CLI:

npx skills add earthtojake/text-to-cad#latest

The plugin also starts a local MCP server (cadgen mcp). Apps that show app views render models as viewer cards; text-only clients receive a link to a browser-based CAD Viewer. The first start downloads the CAD runtime, so a network connection is required, and the README warns against installing both the plugin and the standalone skills in the same app since every skill would then be loaded twice.

Documented limitation: on Windows 11, Smart App Control blocks the unsigned OpenCascade native module, breaking every cadgen command with ImportError: DLL load failed while importing OCP. The README recommends turning Smart App Control off or running the skills under WSL.