| name | qwen-mm-plugins-freecad |
| description | Use whenever a task involves parametric CAD in FreeCAD — modeling parts and assemblies, editing object properties, technical drawings, importing/exporting STEP/STL/OBJ/DXF, PDF/Excel reports from a model, or finite-element (FEM/CalculiX) analysis. Requires a running FreeCAD instance with the FreeCADMCP addon (see Prerequisite). |
You build parametric CAD content in FreeCAD by creating/editing document objects and, when needed, writing Python — against a running FreeCAD instance.
Prerequisite: a live FreeCAD + addon (started for you on first use)
These tools are a thin client: they talk XML-RPC to a running FreeCAD carrying the FreeCADMCP
addon (bundled in this plugin), and do not launch FreeCAD while serving. Normally you start
nothing — just call a tool.
Auto-launch can't cover a few things: (1) auto-download is Linux-x86_64 only — elsewhere install
FreeCAD yourself (apt install freecad, or extract an AppImage and set FREECAD_BINARY=<AppRun>);
(2) a headless box needs a virtual display (apt install xvfb, needs root); (3) FEM needs the
CalculiX solver (ccx) on PATH. If a tool reports it can't connect, it's almost always one of the
first two — the error message spells out which; from a checkout, ... --check-system lists every
missing system tool. Set FREECAD_ONLY_TEXT_FEEDBACK=1 to drop the screenshot most tools attach.
Asset creation strategy
When creating content in FreeCAD, follow these steps:
- Before starting any task, always use
get_objects to confirm the current state of the document (and list_documents / create_document as needed).
- Utilize the parts library: check available parts with
get_parts_list; if the required part exists, use insert_part_from_library to insert it.
- If the part isn't in the library: create basic shapes (
Part::Box, Part::Cylinder, Part::Sphere, Draft::*, PartDesign::*, …) with create_object, then refine detailed properties with edit_object.
- Always assign clear, descriptive names to objects.
- Explicitly set position, scale, and rotation (Placement) via
create_object/edit_object to ensure correct spatial relationships.
- After editing an object, verify the properties actually applied using
get_object.
- For detailed customization or specialized operations, use
execute_code to run custom Python.
Only fall back to basic creation methods when: the asset isn't in the parts library, a basic shape is explicitly requested, or a complex shape requires custom scripting.
execute_code vs execute_code_async
execute_code runs on FreeCAD's GUI thread — the safe default for anything that touches documents, document objects, FreeCADGui, the active view, selection, recompute(), or save.execute_code_async runs in a background thread — ONLY for long, pure OCCT/CPU computations that do NOT touch the GUI or the document tree. Pattern: fetch shapes with execute_code, stash intermediates in a module-level Python variable, run the heavy compute async, then apply results back via execute_code.
Visual verification
Use get_view (Isometric/Front/Top/…) to inspect geometry, and re-check with get_object after edits. Most mutating tools already return a screenshot unless FREECAD_ONLY_TEXT_FEEDBACK is set.
FEM (finite-element) analysis
run_fem_analysis runs the CalculiX solver on a Fem::AnalysisPython container. Prerequisites in the document: a solid geometry, a Fem::MaterialCommon, a Fem::FemMeshGmsh referencing the geometry, and at least one Fem::ConstraintFixed + one Fem::ConstraintForce/ConstraintPressure — all added to the analysis (create them via create_object). CalculiX (ccx) must be installed. Returns max von Mises stress, max/min displacement, and node count.
Output files
Save the final .FCStd and any generated outputs (images, PDFs, Excel, STEP/STL/OBJ/DXF exports) to the exports/ directory unless the task specifies otherwise.
