describe

name	describe
description	Write a narratable, accessibility-oriented text description of an existing PartCAD part, assembly, or sketch by rendering it and examining the result. Use for /pc:describe or when the user asks to describe, summarize, or caption a PartCAD object. Reproduces the retired built-in AI shape-summary.

pc:describe

Produce a text description of an existing PartCAD shape by rendering it and looking at the result — the replacement for PartCAD's retired built-in AI summary. The text after the command ($ARGUMENTS) names the object to describe (optionally with its kind).

1. Resolve the object

$ARGUMENTS is the object name (a part by default; an assembly or sketch if the user says so). Read its desc:/requirements: from partcad.yaml for context. Make sure PartCAD is available as /pc:init describes.

2. Render it

mkdir -p /tmp/pc-render
pc render -t png -O /tmp/pc-render <name>       # a part (default); add -a for an assembly
pc render -s -t svg -O /tmp/pc-render <name>    # a sketch renders to SVG, not PNG

View the produced file — /tmp/pc-render/<name>.png for a part or assembly, /tmp/pc-render/<name>.svg for a sketch.

3. Write the description

From the image plus the configured desc/requirements, write a description for a reader who has a mechanical-engineering / CAD background but cannot see it:

• Describe both the overall shape and the dimensions; make no assumptions and add as much concrete detail as the render and config support.
• Refer to it as "this design", not "the image".
• Produce prose that is ready to be narrated as-is (no markdown, no lists).

4. Persist it (so pc inspect shows it)

pc inspect reads a shape's summary: from its configuration. Write your description there so the tool and other agents can reuse it:

parts:            # or sketches: / assemblies:
  <name>:
    ...
    summary: >-
      <your description>

Report the description to the user and confirm where you stored it.