Draftr — AI-First Parametric CAD for macOS. Describe It. Model It. Export It.

Draftr is a native macOS CAD application built around AI. Instead of learning a menu-driven modeling workflow, you describe what you want — a bracket, an enclosure, a fastener pattern — and Draftr's AI generates a real parametric solid powered by CadQuery. Every step is non-destructive and stackable. Refine with follow-up prompts, switch to direct tools when you need precision, and export to STL when it's ready.

AI CAD from Natural Language

Type a description of the part you need and Draftr generates parametric geometry from scratch — no sketching, no feature trees, no CAD experience required. The AI pipeline runs on Anthropic models and produces deterministic CadQuery Python code behind the scenes, so every operation is reproducible and editable. Use Quick Edit for fast single-pass changes ("add a 3mm fillet to the top edge"), or Full Generate for multi-pass iterative refinement that watches the model take shape in real time across four AI passes.

A Full Direct Modeling Toolkit

Draftr isn't AI-only. A complete set of direct modeling operations runs entirely on the client without an AI call: Pad, Pocket, Revolve, Groove, Loft, Emboss, Fillet, Chamfer, Shell, Scale, Move, Rotate, Split, and Mirror. Select a face or sketch in the 3D viewport, right-click, and the operation executes deterministically — fast and offline. Combine direct operations and AI commands freely in the same draft stack.

Smart AI Operations

The Smart menu adds AI-driven operations on top of the direct toolkit: Draft angle, Repeat (copy a feature to multiple targets), Align, Transfer, Delete, Make Planar, Smart Scale, Linear Pattern, and Polar Pattern. Print-Prep applies FDM-specific edits automatically — elephant-foot relief chamfer on build-plate edges and stress-riser fillets on internal concave corners. Add Fasteners punches standards-correct clearance, tapped, counterbore, or countersink holes from a natural-language placement description. Fit Pocket cuts a recessed cavity sized to seat a named real-world component — Arduino Uno, Raspberry Pi, servo motor, and more.

Sketching, Datum Planes, and Point References

Draftr includes a full 2D sketch editor. Use Create Sketch for bounded face-based sketching with lines, rectangles, circles, arcs, slots, and polylines, plus coincident, horizontal, vertical, parallel, perpendicular, and equal constraints. Use Free Sketch to draw directly in the 3D viewport on any face or datum plane — with live dimension readouts, snap-to-grid, and external geometry references. Create Datum Plane adds named reference planes offset from any face or world axis, visible in the viewport and selectable as faces for subsequent operations. Create Point Reference places precise named anchor points on faces for hole patterns, Repeat targets, and placement tools.

Assembly Workspace

Build multi-part assemblies in Draftr's dedicated Assembly workspace. Add any part to an assembly, position instances with axis-locked gizmos or free drag, and lock parts together with grouping. Placement tools let you mate faces, align normals, flush surfaces, or center features across different parts with a two-pick workflow. Measure distances across instances. Export the entire assembly as a single merged STL at the saved layout.

STL Import and Export

Export any part to STL at Draft, Standard, Fine, or custom tessellation tolerances. The STL Import feature converts an existing STL mesh file into parametric CadQuery geometry using AI — so you can import a model you found online and turn it into an editable Draftr part. Assembly export tessellates and merges every instance at its saved layout into a single multi-shell STL file.

Non-Destructive Draft Stack

Every operation — AI or direct — appends a step to the draft stack. Steps are non-destructive: click any step in the navigator to inspect the geometry at that point in history, rename or delete steps, and pick up editing from any point. Per-part undo and redo (up to five steps deep) let you reverse recent changes. The project file format is .draftr — a single JSON document that stores every part, step, sketch, datum plane, point reference, and assembly layout.

Who Draftr Is For

Engineers and makers who want to generate mechanical parts from natural language
FDM 3D printing enthusiasts who need print-ready parametric geometry without a CAD learning curve
Developers and hardware builders who want fast, AI-assisted enclosure and bracket design
Anyone who has an idea for a part but doesn't want to spend an hour in a traditional CAD tool
Teams who need consistent, repeatable geometry they can revisit and edit without starting over

Documentation

Describe the part. Edit the stack. Export the STL. Draftr is CAD built for how engineers and makers actually think — in intent, not in menus.