Agent skills that turn text prompts into CAD models and robot files

What it does

CAD Skills is a collection of agent plugins—primarily for Codex and Claude Code—that handle mechanical design workflows from natural language or image prompts. The library generates and edits CAD models via build123d and OpenCascade, exporting to STEP, STL, 3MF, and GLB. It also writes URDF and SRDF robot descriptions, creates SDF simulation worlds, sources off-the-shelf STEP parts, slices meshes into G-code, and can start local Bambu Lab print jobs. A bundled viewer previews geometry and robot files locally in a browser.

The interesting bit

The library treats the agent as a full-stack mechanical designer rather than a mere model generator, handing off from initial geometry to fabrication checks, slicer profiles, and printer control. It wraps heavyweight Python CAD kernels into agent-installable skills, turning a chat interface into a pipeline that outputs validated G-code and robot simulation files. The included benchmarks—ranging from calibration blocks to radial engine cylinders—suggest the authors care about geometric accuracy, not just rough shapes.

Key highlights

• Generates CAD models from text or image prompts, with STEP as the primary output plus STL, 3MF, and GLB exports.
• Writes full robot descriptions including URDF structures, SRDF MoveIt2 planning groups, and SDF simulation worlds.
• Sources off-the-shelf mechanical parts via step.parts and validates DXF/STEP files for services like SendCutSend.
• Slices meshes into printer-profiled FDM G-code using real slicer CLIs and can dry-run or start local Bambu Lab print jobs.
• Includes a local browser-based viewer for CAD, G-code, and robot file previews.

Caveats

• Plugin support is currently explicit for Codex and Claude Code; other agents are not mentioned.
• The CAD backend requires Python 3.11+ with build123d and OpenCascade, so it is not a lightweight JavaScript-only dependency.
• The README notes you may need to restart your agent after installing skills before they appear.

Verdict

Worth a look if you are already using Codex or Claude Code to write software and want to extend that workflow into mechanical parts, robot kinematics, or 3D printing. If you prefer point-and-click CAD or need a standalone web service, this is not your tool.