All SolidCraft Guides
18 guides, grouped by what you want to do. Pick a topic to jump to it.
Get started
Download, install and make your first part.
- SolidCraft DownloadEvery SolidCraft installer in one place: Windows MSI and portable zip, the universal Mac DMG, Linux AppImage, deb, rpm, snap and Flatpak, plus how to get past the unsigned-app warning.
- SolidCraft Tutorial for BeginnersModel a simple mounting plate step by step: sketch a rectangle, dimension it, extrude it, round the corners, drill holes and export an STL you can 3D print.
- SolveCraft Is Now SolidCraftIf you installed SolveCraft, it is now SolidCraft. When the rename happened, what it changed, and what to do with old installs, files and MCP configs.
- SolidCraft GitHubWhere the official SolidCraft repository is, what is in it, which release file to grab, how to build it from source with Rust, and how to report a bug or contribute.
- SolidCraft on Android and iPadNo native mobile app yet, but the browser version installs like an app on Android (Chrome) and iPad (Safari) and works offline. What works on touch, and how to ask for a native app.
- SolidCraft ReviewA fair look at SolidCraft, the free open-source parametric CAD app: what the project says works, what it says is still missing, and who should try it today or wait.
- SolidCraft Parametric CADWhat SolidCraft is: open-source parametric CAD from Tangency Labs, what parametric means, which systems it runs on, and how to start.
Modeling how-tos
Step-by-step guides for specific SolidCraft features.
- SolidCraft Sheet MetalSolidCraft has a Sheet Metal tab with flanges, hems, folds, unfold/refold, convert and a flat pattern you can export as DXF and a bend-table CSV. A guide with a bracket walkthrough and the limits.
- How to Import an Image in SolidCraft (Canvas)Bring a PNG or JPEG into a sketch as a Canvas, calibrate it to a known length so it is true to scale, then trace the outline and extrude it into a part.
Files & export
Open, import and export CAD files.
- SolidCraft STEP FilesSolidCraft reads STEP AP203, AP214 and AP242 and writes AP242 with names, colours and the component tree. Here is how to open, insert and export STEP files, and how to fix the two problems people hit most.
- SolidCraft URDF ExportSolidCraft can turn an assembly with joints into a URDF robot description, with one STL mesh, mass and inertia per part. Here is how to export it, how each joint type maps, and what it doesn't cover yet.
- SolidCraft for 3D PrintingSolidCraft is a free parametric CAD app that models in millimetres and exports STL and 3MF, with a Send to slicer option that opens the file in the slicer on your computer. Here is the export dialog, the 3MF extras, what comes back in from a slicer, and what the app does not do.
AI & MCP
Let Claude and other AI agents model for you.
- SolidCraft MCP Server SetupSolidCraft has a built-in MCP server, so an AI agent can model, measure and export parts. Copy-paste setup for Claude Code and Claude Desktop, plus the full tool list.
- FreeCAD MCP: Connect FreeCAD to ClaudeFreeCAD has no official MCP server, but community projects let Claude drive it. How the main ones install and work, and how SolidCraft's built-in MCP server compares.
Compare
How SolidCraft stacks up against other CAD tools.
- SolidCraft vs FreeCADBoth are free and open source, but they are at very different stages. A side-by-side look at kernel, maturity, interface, formats and AI support, and who should pick which.
- SolidCraft vs Fusion 360Fusion 360 is a mature commercial CAD/CAM suite; SolidCraft is a young, free, open-source CAD with a similar layout. Here is how they differ and who should use which.
- SolidCraft vs CraftCADCraft CAD and SolidCraft are different programs. CADCraft is drafting software from the ArtCraft team; SolidCraft is parametric CAD from Tangency Labs.
- SolidCraft vs SolidWorksSOLIDWORKS is paid commercial CAD for Windows. SolidCraft is open-source parametric CAD from Tangency Labs, early but usable for simple parts.