Claude CAD

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) plugin for creating 3D models with Claude AI using CadQuery.

Overview

Claude CAD is an MCP plugin that allows Claude AI to create 3D models based on text prompts. It leverages the powerful parametric modeling capabilities of CadQuery, a Python-based CAD scripting library, to generate complex 3D models that can be exported in various formats (STEP, STL, etc.).

Features

• Generate 3D models from natural language descriptions
• Parametric modeling using CadQuery's Python API
• Support for primitives, boolean operations, extrusions, and more
• Export models in various formats (STEP, STL, etc.)
• Full integration with Claude AI via MCP

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• CadQuery
• Model Context Protocol SDK
• uv (Modern Python package installer)

Install using uv

# Install uv if not already installed
pip install uv

# Create a virtual environment
uv venv

# Activate the virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# Install from PyPI
uv pip install claude-cad

# Or install from source
git clone https://github.com/bronson/claude_cad.git
cd claude_cad
uv pip install -e .

For detailed installation instructions, see INSTALL.md.

Configuration

To use Claude CAD with Claude Desktop, you need to update your Claude configuration file:

Option 1: Using Python directly

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude_cad": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "claude_cad.server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using uvx (Recommended)

For improved dependency management, you can use uvx (part of the uv toolkit):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude_cad": {
      "command": "uvx", 
      "args": ["-m", "claude_cad.server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file at:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

After updating the configuration, restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Usage

Once installed and configured, you can ask Claude to create 3D models using natural language:

Please create a 3D model of a small gear with 10 teeth and a 20mm diameter.

Claude will use the Claude CAD MCP plugin to generate the model and provide a download link or preview.

Examples

See the examples directory for sample models and prompts:

• simple_box.py: Creates a basic box primitive
• lego_brick.py: Creates a LEGO-compatible brick
• text_to_model.py: Demonstrates text-to-3D-model generation

Development

To set up a development environment:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bronson/claude_cad.git
cd claude_cad

# Create a virtual environment
uv venv

# Install dependencies
uv pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install in development mode
uv pip install -e .

# Run tests
python -m unittest discover tests

License

Apache 2.0

Credits

• CadQuery: https://github.com/CadQuery/cadquery
• Model Context Protocol: Anthropic's Claude integration API
• uv: https://github.com/astral-sh/uv