Independent guide. Practical beginnings.
SolidCraft: Open-source parametric
3D CAD in Rust
Parametric by design.
Built in Rust.
SolidCraft is an open-source parametric 3D CAD app built in Rust. Find official downloads, take your first steps from sketch to solid, and prepare an MCP configuration for your AI client. This independent guide helps you get oriented; the modeling happens in SolidCraft.
From curiosity to creation
Get Started with SolidCraft
No complicated setup journey.
Just the next useful step.
OFFICIAL DOWNLOADS
Download SolidCraft
Windows, macOS, Linux, or your browser. Get the right version from the official source.
BEGINNER FRIENDLY
SolidCraft Beginner Tutorial
Start with a sketch. Give it dimensions. Turn a simple shape into a part you can keep.
BROWSER-ONLY TOOL
Configure SolidCraft MCP
Prepare a local MCP configuration for Claude Code or Claude Desktop. Keep control of your tools.
A closer look
What is SolidCraft?
A sketch becomes a solid.
A dimension becomes a decision.
SolidCraft is a parametric CAD application: a design records the sketches, dimensions, and features that make a part. Instead of treating the result as a fixed shape, you can change a dimension and rebuild the features that depend on it. That makes the construction history part of the design, not just a record of what happened.
The basic workflow starts with a sketch on a plane. Constraints describe relationships such as parallel edges or equal lengths; dimensions set sizes. Features such as extrude, revolve, and fillet then build or modify the solid. SolidCraft keeps these features on an editable timeline, so later changes can refer back to the earlier steps.
Official features & timeline guideA practical example
Parametric Modeling: Edit a Dimension
For a first exercise, sketch a 40 × 30 mm rectangle and extrude it by 10 mm. Then change the rectangle’s 40 mm dimension to 60 mm. The intent is to rebuild a longer block from the same sketch and extrusion, rather than draw the part again.
These are suggested practice values. After a change, inspect the result and any timeline errors: a dependent feature still needs valid geometry to rebuild.
Follow the first-part walkthroughThe dimension to change
40 mm60 mm
- Sketch width
- 30 mm
- Extrusion
- 10 mm
- Design intent
- Same features, new length
Choose your starting point
SolidCraft for Desktop, Web & CLI
Pick the way you want to work before choosing an installation. You can model in the app without setting up an AI client; MCP is an optional automation path.
| Way to use it | Best fit & practical considerations |
|---|---|
| DesktopDownloads | Use the desktop app for interactive sketching and feature editing on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Choose a release for your operating system and processor. Desktop bridge mode also needs the CLI if you want an agent to work in that window. |
| BrowserOpen web app | Try a sketch-to-solid workflow in the official web app before choosing a desktop installation. Designs use browser-private storage. Download an editable native design backup before clearing site data; a mesh or STEP export does not preserve the original feature history. This environment does not create a local desktop MCP bridge. |
| CLI & MCPMCP setup | Use command scripts to run a modeling recipe, measure a design, or export a file. Add an MCP-compatible client when you want an agent to use the tools. Install the CLI locally. Headless mode has its own design session; bridged mode uses a running desktop app. |
Save for the next step
File Formats: .solidcraft, STEP & STL
Start with what you need to do next: edit the design again, exchange solid geometry, or send a mesh into another workflow. Keep your native design alongside any export.
| Format | When to choose it |
|---|---|
.solidcraftEditable original | Use the native design for returning to your sketches, parameters, and feature history. Save this version before making an exchange or mesh export. Check compatibility when moving between installations: older builds refuse designs saved in a newer format. Use compatible versions when sharing the editable original. |
STEPSolid geometry exchange | Choose STEP when your next CAD tool needs solid geometry. SolidCraft documents STEP import and export; reopening a STEP file creates an imported base feature. That is different from reopening your original feature timeline, so retain the native design for history-based edits. |
STLMesh workflow | Choose STL when the receiving tool expects a mesh, such as a slicer for 3D printing. Open the exported file there and check its size and geometry. An imported mesh is not automatically an editable CAD solid: the official guide distinguishes mesh bodies from the B-rep bodies that solid features require. |
This is a starting selection, not the complete format list.Official import & export reference
Your tools, working together
SolidCraft MCP Setup for Claude Code & Desktop
SolidCraft’s local MCP server gives compatible agents access to modeling tools. Choose headless mode for a separate session, or a desktop bridge to see the agent’s work in the app. Our generator prepares the JSON for Claude Code or Claude Desktop; your client starts the server on your machine.
- Claude Code & Claude Desktop
- Headless & desktop-bridged modes
- Generated in your browser, with no account
{
"mcpServers": {
"solidcraft": {
"command": "solidcraft-cli",
"args": ["mcp"]
}
}
}Make a considered choice
SolidCraft Use Cases & Limitations
The maintainers describe SolidCraft as early and usable for simple parts. Use a small, representative design to decide whether the current build fits your workflow.
Beginner CAD & 3D Printing Exercises
Try a block, spacer, or basic bracket as a learning exercise. Choose one dimension to change and one export to inspect, so you have a clear way to judge the result.
- Learn how sketch constraints and feature history describe a part.
- Explore a simple print-oriented part, then check it in your slicer.
- Try a command script or a local agent workflow with a design you can inspect.
What to Check Before a Larger Project
Build one representative part, change a key dimension, save and reopen the native design, then check an exported copy in the receiving tool. Look for the operations and file behavior your project actually needs.
A listed feature alone does not establish compatibility with another CAD tool. Read the current limitations and keep a backup before committing an existing project to a new workflow.
Official status & known limitationsComing from Autodesk Fusion? Compare SolidCraft vs Fusion 360
Good questions
SolidCraft FAQ
Is SolidCraft free and open source?
Which operating systems are supported?
Can I use SolidCraft in my browser?
What does MCP add to a CAD workflow?
Do I need the CLI to start modeling?
Is this the official SolidCraft website?
Follow the source
Official SolidCraft Documentation & Sources
Last reviewed . Software evolves. Check the official documentation for changes before following these steps.