Cadpole: open-source parametric CAD where your coding agent builds, measures and self-checks models
MikeLewis · x · 2026-11-12
Frustrated with CAD while making 3D prints for his kid, Mike Lewis built Cadpole, an Apache-2.0 open-source parametric CAD tool designed for coding agents.
- "Bring your own coding agent": ships an MCP server that plugs into your existing Claude Code install; no bundled agent
- Every dimension is a parameter; the agent writes and edits the script one exact edit at a time while you drag values
- Self-checking loop: the agent measures clearances and volumes, renders pictures, and runs the model's own tests; errors name the exact line and feature
- Click a face in the 3D viewer and refer to it in chat; the agent sees your selection
- Demo builds a full turbojet—138 bodies—with blade counts, radii and clearances as parameters; cutaway and explode are parameters too
- Exports STEP, STL, 3MF
The "agent builds + measures via tests + shared 3D context" pattern is reusable beyond CAD.
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