E3D OpenSCAD Studio

An AI-powered OpenSCAD editor with live 3D preview. Choose a canonical design (or begin blank), then describe what you want in an independent derivative workspace. An AI agent writes the OpenSCAD code and renders the model in real time.

Features

• AI-first workflow — the main way you interact is the chat. A typed agent tool (writeOpenscad) replaces the project source with a complete program every turn, so the model is always renderable.
• Live 3D preview — OpenSCAD compiles to an STL in a Web Worker (real OpenSCAD compiled to WebAssembly, Manifold backend), rendered with three.js. Renders update as you type.
• Colors & export — color() renders in the live preview (per-face colors via OpenSCAD's colored OFF export). Download models as binary STL or as 3MF with per-face colors preserved as a 3MF color group (written client-side), which Bambu Studio, Orca, and PrusaSlicer map to filaments for multi-material printing.
• Editable code — a CodeMirror editor with OpenSCAD syntax highlighting. Edit the code by hand and the preview re-renders automatically.
• Canonical design library — reusable, versioned canonical designs hold code, files, descriptions, previews, and design-specific instructions for the agent. They do not contain chat history.
• Independent derivative workspaces — creating a derivative copies the canonical's current code and files into an independent workspace with an empty chat. Blank designs remain available too.
• Save as canonical — distill a derivative workspace into reviewed reusable metadata, then create a shared canonical or publish a new immutable version without copying the conversation. Only the creating account can maintain that canonical.
• Workspace fork — clone an in-progress workspace (code + history + files) when you intentionally want to branch the same conversation.
• Share — create a revocable link to a frozen project snapshot. Another signed-in user can open the link as a private, independently editable copy with the full conversation, source, and workspace files.

Licensing of generated designs

Designs, OpenSCAD code and exported STL/3MF files that users create in the studio are theirs, free for personal and commercial use (selling prints, selling files, client work), with no attribution required. Everything 3D waives any rights it might hold in them under CC0 1.0, and the built-in starter designs in src/lib/builtin-scad/ are released under CC0 1.0 as well. The public /license page states this in plain language; the landing page FAQ, the studio sidebar, the download menu and the agent's instructions all point there. The studio software itself and the Everything 3D branding are not covered by this grant.

Architecture

Browser                              Server (Next.js App Router)
───────                              ───────────────────────────
Chat (useChat + AI Elements)  ──▶    POST /api/chat
                                       └─ ToolLoopAgent (AI SDK)
                                          ├─ model: claude-opus-5-5 (Claude API)
                                          ├─ tool: writeOpenscad (zod-typed)
                                          └─ onFinish → persist chat + code (Drizzle/Postgres)
writeOpenscad tool part  ──▶  editor + preview
CodeMirror editor        ──▶  PATCH /api/projects/[id]
openscad-wasm worker     ──▶  binary STL  ──▶  three.js preview

• AI: AI SDK ToolLoopAgent behind an API route, calling the Claude API directly (claude-opus-5-5 for the agent, claude-haiku-5-5 for project names and starter metadata). The agent's instructions, tools and conversation history are prompt-cached. Model ids are configured in one place, src/lib/ai/models.ts, and overridable per environment via STUDIO_MODEL / NAMING_MODEL / STARTER_DRAFT_MODEL with any current Claude model id. STUDIO_EFFORT sets how much the agent thinks (low to max, default medium). All calls are server-side; no API keys reach the browser.
• Chat UI: AI Elements (shadcn/ui-based components) with useChat streaming.
• Persistence: Postgres via Drizzle ORM (canonical_designs, immutable canonical_versions, mutable projects, AI SDK messages, and workspace_files).
• Rendering: OpenSCAD wasm (vendored snapshot with the Manifold geometry backend) in a Web Worker; wasm + font bundle served from public/openscad/.

Getting started

Requirements: Node 20+, Postgres running locally.

npm install
createdb e3d_openscad_studio

cp .env.example .env.local
# Set POSTGRES_URL (e.g. postgres://<you>@localhost:5432/e3d_openscad_studio)
# Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY (create one at https://platform.claude.com/settings/keys)

npm run db:migrate   # apply schema
npm run dev          # http://localhost:3000

Describe a model in the chat ("a hexagonal phone stand", "a 20 mm gear with 12 teeth") and watch it render.

Scripts

npm run dev          # dev server (Turbopack)
npm run build        # type-check + production build
npm run start        # serve production build
npm test             # focused domain regression tests
npm run typecheck    # tsc --noEmit
npm run db:generate  # generate migration from schema changes
npm run db:migrate   # apply migrations

Deploying to Vercel

1. Add a Postgres database (e.g. Neon) from the Vercel Marketplace — it provisions POSTGRES_URL automatically.
2. Add ANTHROPIC_API_KEY under Project → Settings → Environment Variables (Production, Preview, and Development), then redeploy so it takes effect.
3. Run migrations against the production database: POSTGRES_URL=... npm run db:migrate.
4. Canonical designs form a shared library for every signed-in user. Their owner remains the only account that can edit, version, or archive them.

Canonical and derivative workflow

Opening /studio shows the canonical design library rather than automatically reopening the latest derivative. Choose Blank design or inspect a canonical and select Create derivative. A derivative records the exact canonical version it came from; new canonical versions appear as a non-destructive update hint while existing work continues unchanged.

Use Save as canonical in a workspace to draft a title, description, reusable-change summary, and agent guidance. Review any derivative-specific warnings before saving. Publishing snapshots only the current code and workspace files — messages never become part of a canonical design.

Tech stack

• Next.js 16 (App Router) + React 19 + TypeScript
• AI SDK v7 (ToolLoopAgent, useChat) + AI Elements + shadcn/ui + Tailwind v4
• Drizzle ORM + Postgres
• openscad-wasm — OpenSCAD compiled to WebAssembly (Manifold backend)
• three.js — STL rendering (STLLoader + OrbitControls)
• CodeMirror 6 — editor with a custom OpenSCAD language mode