Summary ForgeCAD is a code-first parametric CAD system for JavaScript/TypeScript, targeting developers and power users. It provides live parameters, constraints, assemblies, and exact STEP/BREP export, enabling rapid iteration and seamless integration with AI coding agents.

How It Works This multi-backend CAD system uses a unified JavaScript/TypeScript modeling API. Interactive browser modeling employs Manifold for speed, while exact export relies on CadQuery/OpenCascade. The public modeling layer remains backend-agnostic. TypeScript serves as the file format, with the browser functioning as the CAD environment.

Quick Start & Requirements Install globally via npm: npm install -g forgecad. Launch the interactive studio with forgecad studio /path/to/your/project or forgecad studio --blank. The system supports both browser and CLI execution using the same engine. Official documentation is available at forgecad.io/docs. No specific hardware or OS prerequisites beyond Node.js/npm are detailed for the core functionality.

Highlighted Details

• Browser-based IDE with Monaco editor and real-time 3D viewport.
• 2D sketch API: primitives, path builder, booleans, transforms, constraints.
• 3D API: booleans, transforms, hull, SDF workflows, cut planes, named shapes, face/edge references.
• Assembly graph API: revolute/prismatic/fixed joints, joint couplings.
• Drawing/report pipeline: dimensions, BOM, multi-view PDF generation.
• CLI tools: validation, rendering (PNG, GIF), export (STEP, SVG, PDF), parameter scanning.
• AI integration: full API docs, context file generation for LLMs.

Maintenance & Community Active development occurs in a private repository; components are progressively open-sourced based on community input via issues and discussions. The public repo hosts issues, benchmarks, examples, and documentation.

Licensing & Compatibility Business Source License 1.1: free for non-production use, converts to MIT on a specified change date. Potential restrictions for commercial use prior to conversion.

Limitations & Caveats Core development is private, with only select components open-sourced. The roadmap for open-sourcing is community-influenced.