Claude Code is now WAY better at the freecad python api. My product (related to ceramics) does a whole bunch of custom 3d modeling and the new generation of LLMs can go in and make significant changes and basically get it right. They can also deal with a lot of annoying corner cases when you run into them.

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asteroidburger 33 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I'm now printing my 3rd or 4th totally Claude-generated 3d printed custom project enclosure. Opus 5.5 is quite good - it's been generating CadQuery scripts and exporting them as STL for me, along with image previews and so on.

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TrueDuality 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I've also had really good success with FreeCAD, and the FreeCAD MCP server. So far I've had it design and build a custom workbench (woodworking project w/ cut list, assembly and hardware instructions, tool and part check lists) as well as a omni-directional differential style robot wheel module for a 3D printing.

I will say the differential wheel module was on the edge of what it was able to do. I had to bump it up to Fable and if I didn't already have a clear model in my head of what I wanted I don't think it could have pulled it off.

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2muchcoffeeman 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Which freecad MCP are you using?

	▲	TrueDuality 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		This is the one I've been using: https://github.com/neka-nat/freecad-mcp

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tonyarkles 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

OpenSCAD as well. I bounce back and forth between the two of them a fair bit depending on what I'm doing and which one's going to be more ergonomic for the problem at hand. The Fusion 360 built-in chat thing... not so good in my very limited experience.

	▲	artyom 5 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Second this. Since Opus 4.6 there's been a very noticeable bump in accuracy at just doing FreeCAD+Python or OpenSCAD code, usually one-shots things with basically described geometry. Recently, Sonnet 5.5 got quite good, too, but not at the level of Opus/Fable for complex geometry Disclaimer: I use it for very precise 3D printing, not woodwork.
	▲	kentlyons 6 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		I can imagine. I did a bit of poking with blender and the api use got better there as well. For my use case I needed BREPs so stuck with freecad. I'm tempted one of these days where I have a pile of extra tokens to see about converting it to directly use the Open Cascade library since I just need to model and not the UI.
	▲	dghlsakjg 6 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Seconding openscad (havent tried freecad to be fair) with opus 5.5 I had it design a model sailboat hull, and it fucking nailed it. It even designed it for printability. I’m genuinely really impressed.