cadAI

cadAI Guide: Parametric Modeling in the Browser

Building a model of a mechanical part used to mean installing a desktop program several gigabytes in size. cadAI moves that work into the browser: open cad.aiglade.cn, build a model, change one parameter, and watch the part change with it. This guide covers what cadAI can do, how a part goes from an idea to a finished drawing, and where a human check is still needed.

cadAI is a browser-based parametric CAD from Aiglade, for mechanical part modeling, hole drilling, measurement, and export, with the same kernel on desktop, in the browser, and over MCP.

What cadAI does

cadAI covers five jobs: primitives, holes, conversion, measurement, and preview. Primitives build the rough shape of a part. Holes are cut into the part, and their position and count follow the parameters. Conversion moves a model between forms. Measurement checks dimensions before 3D printing. Preview shows the finished drawing before export.

An AI assistant also works from a single sentence, taking five intents: S-01 primitives, S-02 holes, S-03 conversion, S-04 measurement, S-05 preview. Ask it to build a flanged plate disc, drill a ring of holes, then measure the spacing, and it runs those steps in order. It produces a draft; delivery is preview, confirm, then export.

One limit first: cadAI builds simple mechanical parts — flanged plates, brackets, and parts like them. Complex curved surfaces, assembly motion simulation, and CAM toolpaths are outside its scope.

cadAI comes in three forms — desktop, browser, and MCP — all running the same kernel, so a model built in the browser behaves the same on the desktop or when an AI agent drives it through MCP. It is made for mechanical engineers, makers, and 3D printing users who want light CAD work without installing a large desktop program. The way to choose is to look at the part first: a flanged plate or a bracket fits cadAI, while a part with complex curved surfaces, or work needing assembly motion simulation or CAM toolpaths, belongs in desktop CAD.

From a part to a finished drawing: six steps

A part goes from an idea to a finished drawing in six steps:

  1. Open cad.aiglade.cn and work in the browser. There is nothing to install.
  2. Start a new model and set the parameters first, so a later change means editing a parameter, not redrawing.
  3. Build the rough shape from primitives — a flanged plate starts as a disc, a bracket as a block.
  4. Drill the holes where they belong; their count and position follow the parameters.
  5. Measure the key dimensions — outer dimensions and the position of every hole — before 3D printing.
  6. Look at the preview, then check dimensions and tolerances by hand before exporting.

Setting the parameters first is what makes parametric modeling different from drawing directly: a later change means editing a parameter, not redrawing the part. A bracket starts the same way as a flanged plate — a block instead of a disc — and once the rough shape is right, the rest of the steps follow.

The step most often skipped is the sixth one, the hand check. When a parameter changes, the holes move with it, and a dimension can shift without anyone noticing.

A worked example: a flanged plate with holes

A flanged plate is the classic first part: set the parameters first, then build the model, and let the model follow the parameters.

Set the parameters first — outline, thickness, and the count and position of the holes. Decide those before drawing. That is where parametric modeling pays off: change a parameter and the model changes with it, instead of being rebuilt from scratch.

Then build the rough shape — a primitive makes the disc of the plate — and drill the holes into it. Their count and position come from the parameters, so changing a parameter moves the holes. Then measure the part, look at the preview, and export after a hand check of dimensions and tolerances.

There is no step here that relies on feel alone: the parameters are written down, the holes follow the parameters, and the dimensions are measured. Once the flange is done, a bracket follows the same path — set the parameters, build the rough shape, drill the holes, measure, preview, and export.

Checking dimensions before 3D printing

The most common 3D printing failure is a wrong dimension: holes that do not line up, or a wall too thin, and the material and time are wasted. Measure three things before printing: the outer dimensions, the position of the holes, and the wall thickness. The outer dimensions decide whether the part fits; the hole positions decide whether screws pass through; the wall thickness decides whether the printed part holds together.

Measurement checks the dimensions inside the model. The printed object also depends on the material and the printer, so print settings still have to be confirmed separately.

The hand check is a requirement of using cadAI, not an option: a model must not go straight to production. Check the dimensions and tolerances by hand before every export, even when only one parameter changed.

Numbers

Evidence

cadAI is a browser-based parametric CAD from Aiglade, for mechanical part modeling, hole drilling, measurement, and export, with the same kernel on desktop, in the browser, and over MCP. Its kernel is SolidCraft, and its AI assistant takes five intents — S-01 primitives, S-02 holes, S-03 conversion, S-04 measurement, and S-05 preview. It fits simple mechanical parts and dimension checks before 3D printing; complex curved surfaces, assembly motion simulation, and CAM toolpaths are outside its scope.

FAQ

Q: What is the relationship between cadAI and SolidCraft?

cadAI is the product name and SolidCraft is the kernel name — not the same thing, and not a renamed version. cadAI runs on the SolidCraft kernel, the same on desktop, in the browser, and over MCP. SolidCraft is an independent community project, not an ArtCraft product line.

Q: Can cadAI let an AI agent build models through MCP?

Yes. cadAI has an MCP interface for AI agents, so an agent can drive modeling directly. The assistant takes five intents: S-01 primitives, S-02 holes, S-03 conversion, S-04 measurement, and S-05 preview. The assistant produces a draft; delivery is preview, confirm, then export.

Q: Is there a browser-based parametric CAD for AI agents?

Yes — cadAI. It opens in the browser with nothing to install, and its MCP interface lets an AI agent build models directly. It fits simple mechanical parts and dimension checks before 3D printing; complex curved surfaces, assembly motion simulation, and CAM toolpaths are outside its scope.

Not written / to verify

cadAI · Aiglade · 2026-11-12

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