This page is also available in Dutch: Welk CAD-programma?
Parametric 3D design is my trade, and AI is the tool that keeps edging in between. Below are the tools I work in daily, with an honest account of what they are and are not good at.
What I am asked for most
- Setting up a design process in which AI genuinely takes work off your hands
- Making CAD software steerable through MCP, so agents can sketch, set constraints and build features
- Migrating existing models and libraries without redrawing everything
- Honest advice on which model suits which task
Open-source tools I work with
SolidCraft
- What it is: a modern, fully parametric 3D CAD application written in pure Rust. Parametric sketches, constraint solver, feature timeline, assembly support, STEP/STL/3MF import and export.
- What I do with it: thanks to the built-in MCP server, AI agents can steer the software directly: make sketches, apply constraints, build features, change parameters. This is exactly where vibecadding starts.
- Platform: desktop (Windows/Linux/macOS), browser (WASM) and a headless CLI.
- Licence: MIT OR Apache-2.0
FreeCAD
- What it is: the most extensive open-source parametric 3D CAD package. PartDesign, Sketcher, Arch, Ship, FEM, Path (CAM), TechDraw and more.
- What I do with it: fully scriptable through the Python API: every GUI action is a Python command. So AI can generate complete models, assemblies and technical drawings. Community MCP servers make this directly steerable.
- Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux. A large community, many macros and workbenches.
OpenSCAD
- What it is: script-based 3D CAD: you describe models in code, with no direct manipulation. Ideal for parametric designs and generative design.
- What I do with it: native code-first. AI writes code by nature, so OpenSCAD is its natural habitat. No GUI automation required, the output is a
.scadfile that renders to STL/STEP. - Ecosystem: extensive libraries (BOSL2, NopSCADlib, dotSCAD).
- Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, WebAssembly.
CADRS
- What it is: a parametric, feature-based CAD application in Rust with a Bevy UI and the OpenCASCADE kernel. The workflow heads towards Onshape: sketches, constraints, features (extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, chamfer, shell, draft, hole, patterns, booleans), assemblies with mates, technical drawings and STEP/IGES/STL.
- What I do with it: the built-in MCP server lets AI agents create documents, generate sketches, add features and build assemblies. A headless mode for automated pipelines.
- Status: early stage, in active development.
- Licence: MIT OR Apache-2.0
OpenCADStudio
- What it is: fast open-source 2D/3D CAD in Rust with native DWG/DXF support (R14-2018), a GPU viewport (wgpu) and STEP/STL export.
- What I do with it: an automation API, headless conversion and an MCP endpoint: AI steers the live editor or runs batch jobs.
- Platform: desktop (Windows/Linux/macOS ARM64), browser (WASM).
- Licence: GPL-3.0
Commercial packages
Where needed I work alongside the commercial packages (Onshape, Fusion 360, SolidWorks, NX, Creo, Rhino). My advice is independent: if an expensive package is the better choice for your situation, I say so. What I do see: open tools are often more flexible for vibecadding, because API and MCP access carries no licence restrictions there.
Under the surface
Which AI model you use for what, and where the limits sit, is set out separately on AI models.
Get in touch?
Do you want to explore what AI-driven design could mean for your products? Book a no-obligation introduction.