cad3d-ir

cad3d-ir is a typed, kernel-neutral intermediate representation for 3D CAD product data.

The core package represents source documents, reusable product definitions, configurations, component occurrences, bodies, geometry-resource references, materials, appearances, provenance, and namespaced source extensions. Exact B-Rep and mesh bytes remain external resources rather than Python or JSON objects embedded in the manifest.

The core intentionally does not depend on Open CASCADE, CadQuery, a vendor SDK, or a viewer. Format parsers and geometry backends integrate through separate adapter packages.

Status

The 0.2.1 core provides:

• typed Pydantic models and a generated JSON Schema (IR 0.2.0);
• graph validation for IDs and cross-object references;
• deterministic manifest JSON serialization;
• atomic, content-addressed directory resource writing;
• optional resource size and SHA-256 validation;
• structured importer diagnostics and a format-adapter protocol;
• package-level visualizations: derived, display-only glTF binary assets that pack every placed body so a viewer needs no product-graph logic;
• cad3d_ir.mesh: a dependency-free glTF binary (GLB) writer, validator and triangle helpers shared by adapters. The writer takes flat sequences or packed little-endian buffers and can share one vertex set between primitives;
• a built-in MeshImporter for STL (ASCII/binary) and Wavefront OBJ;
• cad3d-ir validate, cad3d-ir schema and cad3d-ir import CLIs.

Kernel-backed and native-format importers stay separate. This repository's cad3d-ir-step workspace member reads STEP (AP203/AP214/AP242) and IGES through Open CASCADE XDE and can emit the same visualization meshes. The cad3d-ir-sldprt member reads SOLIDWORKS parts through sldkit: it packs the display meshes SOLIDWORKS saved into the same GLB layout, without reading the B-Rep, and carries the document metadata and preview image. It is licensed separately (PolyForm Noncommercial, see its README).

Visualization meshes

Adapters write display geometry on request:

from pathlib import Path

from cad3d_ir import DirectoryResourceWriter
from cad3d_ir.importers import ImportOptions, MeshImporter

result = MeshImporter().import_file(
    Path("part.stl"),
    options=ImportOptions(),
    resources=DirectoryResourceWriter("converted"),
)
preview = result.package.visualizations[0]  # kind="glb", scope="package"
print(preview.statistics["triangles"], preview.resource_id)

The GLB is self-contained: positions, optional normals and uint32 indices in one buffer. Node 0 carries the single conversion from package units and Z-up to glTF metres and Y-up (extras.cad3d_ir.length_unit_to_m), so every other node and mesh stays in package coordinates. Each node's extras.id is the IR occurrence (or root product) id, each mesh's extras.id the body id, and face/edge primitives list [pick_id, first_index, index_count] ranges in extras.ranges, so viewers can map a picked triangle back to a face.

Development

uv sync --dev
uv run pytest
uv run ruff check .
uv run python scripts/sync_schema.py --check

# STEP adapter
uv run --package cad3d-ir-step pytest packages/cad3d-ir-step/tests
uv run --package cad3d-ir-step cad3d-ir-step model.step output/

# SOLIDWORKS part adapter
uv run --package cad3d-ir-sldprt pytest packages/cad3d-ir-sldprt/tests
uv run --package cad3d-ir-sldprt cad3d-ir-sldprt part.SLDPRT output/

Minimal use

from cad3d_ir import (
    CadPackage,
    CoordinateSystem,
    UnitSystem,
    dump_manifest,
    load_manifest,
)

package = CadPackage(
    format="cad3d-ir",
    version="0.1.0",
    id="package-example",
    units=UnitSystem(length_unit="mm"),
    coordinate_system=CoordinateSystem(),
)

dump_manifest(package, "manifest.json", pretty=True)
loaded = load_manifest("manifest.json")
assert loaded == package

See the design document for the package boundary, model invariants, geometry-resource strategy, and staged scope. The reference adapter and abstraction gate are described in the adapter design note.

License

cad3d-ir and cad3d-ir-step are MIT licensed. packages/cad3d-ir-sldprt is licensed separately under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 by UnRobotics Inc., following sldkit; see its LICENSE for the notice and commercial contact.