cad-agent.Agent toolkits for mechanical CAD, DFM/DFA and FEA: refresh since 2026-10-24 (checked 2026-10-31)
For Valpatel/cad-agent #96 (landscape refresh) and #94 (compliant-mechanism engineer). Extends research/landscape.md
(2026-10-24); it does not repeat the KiCad or benchmark sections.
Method. Licence, stars, created and pushed dates and commit counts come from gh api repos/OWNER/REPO on
2026-10-31. Capabilities come from each README, manifest or source file as read on that day. Candidates came from gh search repos … --created >=2026-10-15, gh search code "snap-fit filename:SKILL.md" and web search. (s) means a
search snippet only. (u) means unverified. Nothing was installed or run. Stars below 20 mean "new, unproven",
not "bad".
1. Changes to projects already in landscape.md
| Project | Change since 2026-10-24 | Effect on our recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| earthtojake/text-to-cad | v0.8.0 (2026-10-27) → v0.8.4 (2026-10-30). PR #568: the "xbf engine" replaces the 0.7 file pipeline with warm workers and a Document API. The migration guide says "no authoring compatibility layer… no shims, no aliases… no codemod" (migrating-0.7-to-0.8.md). The plugin now pins cadgen==0.8.4 (claude.mcp.json). Telemetry is still on by default once cadgen has shown its notice; DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or CADGEN_TELEMETRY=0 turn it off (cli/telemetry.py). The PCB PR #518 was closed unmerged on 10-28. Issue #626 (large-STEP viewer memory) was closed as completed on 10-28. The sheet-metal unfold proposal #614 is still open |
Still adopt, but pin 0.7.26 or 0.8.4 deliberately. 0.7 scripts break on 0.8. Re-test the viewer with the J501 STEP. The PCB-to-enclosure path via text-to-cad is gone for now |
| gumyr/build123d | BuildSheet sheet metal is on the dev branch: flange, bend, corner_relief, bend_relief, hem, jog, miter, thicken, and unfold to a flat pattern from thickness, K-factor and bend radius (docs/sheet_metal). First commit 2026-07-21, latest 2026-10-21. It is not in v0.13.0 (2026-09-21): the file 404s at that tag |
Watch; plan to adopt when released. It covers text-to-cad #614 and our sheet-metal checks |
| jdilla1277/agentcad | v0.7.1 (2026-10-30), comments in the live viewer; 191★ | No change |
| KittyCAD/mcp | v0.33.0 (2026-10-30) | No change (closed cloud engine) |
| pzfreo/build123d-mcp | No release since v0.3.91 (2026-10-15) | No change |
2. New, or missing from landscape.md
2a. Slicers (process-aware loop)
| Project | Licence | Activity | What it does | Security | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OrcaSlicer 2.5.0 built-in MCP server + Design tab (v2.5.0-beta, 2026-10-27; McpControl.cpp) |
AGPL-3.0 | Official project; OCCT 8.0.1; kernel tests in CI (scripts/CAD/README.md) | Turned on under Preferences › General › AI features › MCP server. Loads, arranges and slices models, sets presets, supports and modifiers, runs calibration, and models parts in a parametric Design (CAD) tab | Server "accepts connections from that computer only" (PRIVACY.md). Needs a running GUI; the GUI checks need OpenGL. Beta | Watch until 2.5.0 is stable, then adopt as an external process (AGPL: never link). It could replace our flattened-profile Bambu CLI for slice evidence |
| OrcaSlicer/orcaslicer-mcp-skills | AGPL-3.0 | Created 2026-10-29, 5 commits, official org | CC and Codex plugin: one SKILL.md and references (actions, settings, supports, calibration, cad, output) | No code, no network; plugin only (PRIVACY.md) | Adopt as a plugin with Orca 2.5. Do not copy its text into our MIT repo (AGPL) |
| MaxEllis/orcaslicer-mcp | AGPL-3.0 | 86★, v0.1.17 (10-12) | Third-party Orca MCP | — | Skip; the built-in server supersedes it |
2b. build123d / CadQuery agent toolkits (nearest to cad-agent)
| Project | Licence | Activity | What it does on our tasks | Security | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KD5RYN/b123d-print | MIT | Created 2026-10-17; at least 100 commits; PyPI; docs site; CI; 2★; one maintainer | MCP + CLI + CC plugin. check runs: valid, overlap, overhang (bridge vs cantilever), bridge length, wall/thin (knife edges), holes (round-top horizontal holes sag), bed-edge fillet, tip-over (Orca auto-brim formula), gap/pip_clearance for print-in-place, fit, probe, mate/align (checks.md). suggest_orientation (orient.py). Examples: flip hinge, detent, overhang/bridge coupon |
.mcp.json pins b123d-print==0.3.2 via uvx; SECURITY.md (it runs AI-written code and can serve several users over HTTP/SSH); no telemetry hits in code search |
Vendor ideas / borrow checks (MIT): tip-over, round-top hole, bed-edge fillet, pip-gap. Watch for maturity |
| ballerabdude/agent-cad-works | Apache-2.0 | Created 2026-10-26, 4 commits, 1★ | build123d motion sweep for collisions, single watertight solid, nothing printing in mid-air, OrcaSlicer times, fit against vendor STEP, BOM, FreeCAD exploded views, Blender renders; CC plugin; 16 tests | uv sync pinned environment |
Watch; it overlaps cad-agent almost one for one. Compare its gates with ours |
| gjaloyan/print3d-designer | MIT | Created 2026-10-28, 13 commits | Skill: measures a reference picture, builds from tested shapes, silhouette IoU ≥ 0.92 per view, slices with the user's presets, reads the G-code back layer by layer | — | Watch; G-code readback is a good evidence idea |
| SiddhuYen/eitri | NOASSERTION (no standard LICENSE found) | 72 commits since 10-18 | Local agent: build123d, geometry report (holes, thinnest wall, knife edges, clearances), browser editor | — | Skip code (licence unclear); ideas only |
| pzfreo/step-diff-demo + pzfreo/specify-core | Apache-2.0 | 16★; specify-core-rust 0.1.5 (2026-10-31) | A STEP diff comment on every PR: named feature changes ("depth 11 → 13"), before/after picture, volume/area/bbox, and manufacturing answers carried to the new revision | GitHub Action | Adopt candidate for the review packet (#97 coverage, PR reviews). Trial on one product repo |
| naman113/Designstudio ("Buildcore") | MIT | 8★, 3 commits | STEP → auto-dimensioned PDF drawings, grouped BOM, GLB viewer, parts catalogue (Docker) | Docker compose, local port 8800 | Watch |
| heartland-eng/bd_hardware | none | 1 commit, README only | "Function-first hardware feature library for build123d … snap fits" | — | Skip (no code, no licence) |
2c. Vendor MCP servers missing from landscape.md (closed CAD)
| Server | Status | Rec. |
|---|---|---|
| Autodesk Fusion MCP (local; Fusion must be running) and Fusion Data MCP (cloud) | Announced around 2026-04 (engineering.com; Autodesk help) | Skip (closed; no Linux Fusion) |
| Autodesk Fusion Compute MCP | Public beta, cloud-hosted, no local Fusion needed (s) (blog; the page returned 403 to fetch) | Watch |
| PTC Onshape FeatureScript MCP | Launched 2026-08-13 via Onshape Labs / App Store (press release) (s) | Skip (SaaS) |
| SolidWorks community MCPs, e.g. soheil-mp/solidworks-mcp (MIT, 10★, created 10-23) | Windows-only | Skip |
2d. FEA / simulation agents
| Project | Licence | Activity | What it does | Security | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| novasolver/novasolver-studio | GPL-3.0 | Created 2026-10-25, at least 100 commits | Local CAE with an MCP server: CalculiX structural/thermal, OpenFOAM, and a built-in quadratic-tet solver. Every result passes ran → converged → verified gates (Roache GCI mesh convergence; closed-form templates). The README lists nonlinear (plasticity, large deformation), and contact (mortar, tied) plus fatigue "0.7" with a Hertz check (README) | "No account, no upload, no telemetry"; Windows download; browser demo | Watch; run only as an external process (GPL). Borrow the 3-gate idea for cadagent.fea |
| WifiLast/freecad-mcp | none | 2 commits (10-17) | FreeCAD FEM + gmsh + CalculiX statics; SIMP topology optimisation keeping mounting faces exact; dimension optimisation | Binds 0.0.0.0:2022 by default (streamable HTTP) |
Skip |
| V0v1kkk/freecad-engineering | MIT | 3★, 2026-08 | Skills: fdm-structural-review (cites ASTM F3489/F3529, ISO; a material-profile validator script), mechanical-strength-review, freecad-fem-check, mechanical-constraint-analysis |
— | Vendor ideas for the compliant-mechanism agent's evidence checklist |
n3r/AgentCAD fem-workflow skill |
Apache-2.0 | 7★, 100 commits, macOS-first | gmsh + FEM workflow; says contact and nonlinearity are out of scope | — | Watch |
| google/feabench (arXiv 2504.06260) | Apache-2.0 | — | LLM agents on FEA problems; needs a COMSOL licence; no agent fully solved a problem (s) | — | Skip (COMSOL); cite as prior art |
2e. DFM / DFA
| Project | Licence | What it does | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vivek-Boora/dfm-agent | none | STEP → optimal pull direction, faces classed core/cavity/undercut, draft against pull, parting-line loop, Three.js view | Ideas only, for the moulding checks (no licence) |
| shayya/dfm-agent | none | Claude Agent SDK + pythonOCC; "day 4", topology counts only | Skip |
| Boothroyd Dewhurst DFM Design Review Checklist | vendor PDF | Process prompts (§3 of fea-and-process-tools.md) | Cite; seed #97 |
2f. Published skills for compliant mechanisms and snap fits
Yes, several exist, all created in 2026, all prompt-only, and none with tested calculators:
| Skill | Licence | Activity | Content | Quality notes | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| static74/3dp-compliant-mechanisms | MIT | Created 2026-10-26, 0★ | FDM-only skill: selection table (grip-fin lids, snap-in tabs, S-bracket clips, forked detent, flexible T-slot, fluted pins, printed vs metal springs with capture rules, glue features); fundamentals.md with an orientation rule, a tagged allowable-strain table ([derived] from Bayer rules × Prusament/Polymaker yield), perimeter quantisation and a clearance table; 3 evals with graders; sources in docs/research (largely Slant 3D videos) |
Every number is tagged with its provenance. Its allowables are about 2× our TDS-derived values for PETG (compliant-mechanisms.md §6). No code, no FEA | Vendor selectively: the selection table, eval cases and provenance-tag scheme, with attribution. Recompute the strain table |
n3r/AgentCAD skills/snap-fits |
Apache-2.0 | 2026-08 | Cantilever and annular sizing, L ≥ 5t, taper rule, material_strain.json (per-material %, FDM derate 50–70 % in-plane), cantilever_lid.py |
Some rows attributed to "Bayer 1998" (ABS 4–6 %) are not in the Bayer copy we read | Borrow the JSON-schema idea; check every value |
MP-AI-20/mechanical-engineering-skills snap-fits, design-for-assembly |
MIT | 10★, one push (2026-06-09), "647 skills" | Generic textbook prompts (y = εL²/1.5h, strain tables with ranges) | Looks bulk-generated; few primary citations | Skip |
| dwragon/Fusion360SnapFitGenerator | MPL-2.0 | Created 2026-10-24, v1.1.0 | Fusion add-in (not an agent skill): 5 snap types with strain and force calculation | — | Reference for parameters |
Kayforkind/skill-slice 3d-articulated-print-in-place · laurigates/mcu-tinkering-lab printed-mechanism · ghbalf/freecad-ai enclosure (LGPL-2.1, 601★) |
MIT / MIT / LGPL | — | Print-in-place articulation; servo mechanism clash sweep; snap-fit lid option (fixed 1 mm gap, 0.5 mm tab) | Shallow on snaps | Skip |
No published skill or agent:
- reproduces design-guide worked examples in tests;
- carries process- and orientation-specific allowables from TDS (beyond static74's derived table);
- covers flexure pivots (notch, CAFP, LET) or bistable beams; or
- links a snap design to large-deflection FEA or to a printed coupon result.
That is the gap cad-agent #94/#95 fills.
3. Security notes for anything we might run
- Network binding. WifiLast/freecad-mcp listens on all interfaces. b123d-print can serve over HTTP/SSH (stdio by default per its plugin config). Orca's server is local-only. text-to-cad's viewer has no auth on 127.0.0.1 (landscape.md).
- Arbitrary code. Every code-CAD MCP (b123d-print, text-to-cad, agentcad, eitri) runs model scripts written by the agent. Run them in the project venv or a container, never with fleet credentials in the environment.
- Supply chain. Pin plugin versions. Both text-to-cad and b123d-print use
uvxwith an exact version but unhashed dependency ranges (landscape.md §2 for text-to-cad). - Telemetry. text-to-cad is on by default (off with the env vars above). NovaSolver and Orca state none. The others were not audited.
- Licences. AGPL/GPL tools (Orca, NovaSolver, MaxEllis) run only as separate processes. The Orca skills plugin is AGPL text: install it, do not copy it. Repos without a licence (WifiLast, Vivek-Boora, bd_hardware, eitri) are ideas only.
4. Recommendations
| # | Item | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OrcaSlicer 2.5 MCP + official skills | Adopt when 2.5.0 is stable (external process). Pilot now on a non-fleet workstation for slice evidence and supports |
| 2 | text-to-cad 0.8 | Keep pinned; decide 0.7.26 vs 0.8.4 explicitly and record it in docs/toolkit.md. Keep telemetry env vars |
| 3 | step-diff (specify-core) | Trial in one product repo's PRs (Apache-2.0) |
| 4 | b123d-print checks | Borrow tip-over, round-top hole, bed-edge fillet, print-in-place gap as cad-agent checks with seeded-defect fixtures (#97) |
| 5 | static74 skill | Vendor selectively (MIT, attribution) into skills/compliant-mechanisms/references/ after recomputing allowables from TDS |
| 6 | NovaSolver Studio | Watch; copy the ran/converged/verified gate idea, not the code |
| 7 | build123d sheet metal | Watch, adopt on release |
| 8 | Fusion / Onshape / SolidWorks MCPs, FEABench | Skip (closed, non-Linux, or COMSOL) |