ClawSCAD

AI-powered 3D CAD environment
OpenSCAD + Claude Code with checkpoint branching, auto-iteration, and live PBR viewport

Project page →

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ClawSCAD wraps OpenSCAD and Claude Code into a single Electron desktop app. Describe what you want to build, Claude writes the OpenSCAD code, the app renders it in a live 3D viewport, and every iteration is saved as an immutable checkpoint you can branch from at any time.

Features

3D Viewport

• PBR rendering with environment-mapped reflections (Three.js)
• Orbit, pan, zoom — mouse, touch, and keyboard
• Wireframe, edge overlay, orthographic/perspective toggle
• 7 camera presets (Front/Back/Left/Right/Top/Bottom/Iso)
• Click any part to inspect dimensions, volume, weight, and estimated print cost
• 6 colour swatches for instant model recolouring
• Split viewport — open a second independent 3D view
• Screenshot export

Checkpoint History

• Every .scad file Claude writes is a permanent, numbered checkpoint
• Claude never overwrites — it always creates a new file
• Click any checkpoint to load it instantly (cached in memory)
• Branch from any point and explore design alternatives without losing previous work
• Right-click context menu: rename, delete, view source, resume session

Monaco Editor

• Full OpenSCAD syntax highlighting (custom Monarch grammar)
• Read-only by default, toggle to edit mode
• Error markers (red squiggles) on OpenSCAD error lines
• Find / Replace (Ctrl+F / Ctrl+H)

Claude Code Integration

• Embedded xterm.js terminal running Claude Code
• OpenSCAD MCP server auto-configured — Claude can render, validate, and inspect models programmatically
• CLAUDE.md injects mandatory rules: never overwrite files, use colours, validate with MCP tools
• Auto-iteration: on render failure, ClawSCAD writes errors to RENDER_ERRORS.md and prompts Claude to fix them
• Dual terminal support (up to 2 Claude instances simultaneously)
• Multi-window support (up to 4 projects)

Export

• STL, 3MF, and PNG export
• 3MF preserves per-part colours
• Print cost estimation (configurable infill, material, cost/kg)

Install

git clone https://github.com/toyuvalo/ClawSCAD.git
cd ClawSCAD
npm install
npm start

Prerequisites:

• Node.js 18+
• OpenSCAD installed and in PATH (or set OPENSCAD_BINARY env var)
• Claude Code installed globally: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Usage

1. Launch ClawSCAD — workspace created at ~/clawscad-workspace/
2. Claude Code starts in the terminal panel
3. Describe what you want: "Make a gear with 20 teeth and a 5mm shaft hole"
4. Claude writes a .scad file — ClawSCAD auto-renders it in the viewport
5. If the render fails, ClawSCAD tells Claude to fix it automatically
6. Click any checkpoint in the History panel to go back and branch
7. Export to STL/3MF when done

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New viewport (split view)
F5	Force re-render
1–7	Camera presets
R	Reset view
F	Zoom to fit
W	Toggle wireframe
E	Toggle edges
O	Toggle ortho/perspective

Architecture

ClawSCAD/
├── main.js       Electron main — multi-window, project state, render queue, MCP client
├── renderer.js   Three.js viewport, xterm.js terminal, Monaco editor, checkpoint tree
├── preload.js    IPC bridge
├── index.html    Layout
└── style.css     Dark theme

• Rendering: OpenSCAD CLI (openscad -o output.3mf input.scad), 3MF first, falls back to STL
• MCP: openscad-mcp-server subprocess, JSON-RPC, exposes render/validate/analyze tools to Claude

Related

• SmartSCAD — fork with multi-provider CLI support (Claude, Codex, Gemini)
• webdev.dvlce.ca/openscad — project page

License

MIT with Commons Clause — free to use, modify, and share. Commercial resale not permitted.