CAD Engineering Skill

Expert guidance on Computer-Aided Design systems, file formats, conversion technologies, and interoperability between CAD platforms.

When to Use

• CAD software selection and guidance
• File format conversions (DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, etc.)
• PDF to CAD conversion strategies
• Technical drawing analysis
• 3D modeling approaches
• Open-source vs proprietary CAD decisions
• CAD automation and scripting
• Cross-platform interoperability

Agent Capabilities

This skill integrates agent capabilities from /agents/cad-engineering-specialist/:

Open-Source CAD Expertise

Proprietary CAD Knowledge

File Format Expertise

Delegation Capability

This specialist agent delegates to software-specific agents:

delegation:
  software_specific_agents:
    freecad:
      path: agents/freecad
      capabilities:
        - parametric_modeling
        - assembly_design
        - technical_drawings
    gmsh:
      path: agents/gmsh
      capabilities:
        - mesh_generation
        - finite_element_preprocessing
        - mesh_optimization

PDF to CAD Conversion

Conversion Strategy Selection

1. Vector PDFs: Direct vector extraction
2. Scanned Drawings: OCR and vectorization
3. Mixed Content: Hybrid approach
4. Complex Cases: Manual reconstruction

Conversion Tools

PDF Analysis Workflow

from digitalmodel.agents.cad import PDFAnalyzer

# Analyze PDF type
analyzer = PDFAnalyzer()
analysis = analyzer.analyze("drawing.pdf")

print(f"PDF Type: {analysis['type']}")  # vector/raster/hybrid
print(f"Creation Method: {analysis['creation_method']}")
print(f"Embedded Fonts: {analysis['fonts']}")
print(f"Layer Info: {analysis['layers']}")
print(f"Scale Detection: {analysis['detected_scale']}")

# Get conversion recommendation
recommendation = analyzer.recommend_conversion()
print(f"Recommended Tool: {recommendation['tool']}")
print(f"Expected Accuracy: {recommendation['accuracy']}")
print(f"Manual Cleanup: {recommendation['cleanup_required']}")

Conversion Quality Optimization

from digitalmodel.agents.cad import CADConverter

converter = CADConverter()

# Pre-processing for scanned PDFs
converter.preprocess(
    input_file="scanned_drawing.pdf",
    operations=[
        "denoise",
        "deskew",
        "contrast_enhance"
    ]
)

# Vectorization with tuned parameters
result = converter.convert(
    input_file="scanned_drawing.pdf",
    output_file="drawing.dxf",
    options={
        "line_tolerance": 0.5,
        "arc_detection": True,
        "text_recognition": True,
        "dimension_extraction": True
    }
)

# Post-processing cleanup
converter.postprocess(
    file="drawing.dxf",
    operations=[
        "remove_duplicates",
        "close_gaps",
        "standardize_layers"
    ]
)

Format Conversion Examples

STEP to DXF

from digitalmodel.agents.cad import FormatConverter

converter = FormatConverter()

# Convert STEP to DXF with projection
result = converter.convert(
    input_file="model.step",
    output_file="drawing.dxf",
    projection="front",  # top, front, right, isometric
    scale=1.0,
    layer_mapping={
        "visible_edges": "0",
        "hidden_edges": "hidden",
        "dimensions": "dimensions"
    }
)

DWG Version Conversion

# Convert between DWG versions
result = converter.convert(
    input_file="drawing_2024.dwg",
    output_file="drawing_2010.dwg",
    target_version="2010"  # For compatibility
)

Batch Format Conversion

from digitalmodel.agents.cad import BatchConverter

batch = BatchConverter()

# Convert all STEP files to IGES
results = batch.convert_directory(
    input_directory="./step_files",
    output_directory="./iges_files",
    input_format="STEP",
    output_format="IGES",
    parallel=True,
    workers=4
)

# Generate conversion report
batch.generate_report(results, "conversion_report.html")

Technical Drawing Analysis

from digitalmodel.agents.cad import DrawingAnalyzer

analyzer = DrawingAnalyzer()

# Analyze technical drawing
analysis = analyzer.analyze("technical_drawing.dxf")

# Extract information
print(f"Drawing Scale: {analysis['scale']}")
print(f"Units: {analysis['units']}")
print(f"Layers: {analysis['layers']}")
print(f"Blocks: {analysis['blocks']}")
print(f"Dimensions: {len(analysis['dimensions'])}")
print(f"Text Annotations: {len(analysis['text'])}")

# Validate against standards
validation = analyzer.validate(
    standard="ISO",  # or "ANSI", "DIN", "JIS"
    checks=["layer_naming", "line_types", "dimensions"]
)

MCP Tool Integration

Swarm Coordination

// Initialize CAD expertise swarm
mcp__claude-flow__swarm_init { topology: "hierarchical", maxAgents: 5 }

// Spawn specialized agents
mcp__claude-flow__agent_spawn { type: "analyst", name: "format-analyzer" }
mcp__claude-flow__agent_spawn { type: "coder", name: "converter" }
mcp__claude-flow__agent_spawn { type: "reviewer", name: "quality-checker" }

Memory Coordination

// Store conversion configuration
mcp__claude-flow__memory_usage {
  action: "store",
  key: "cad/conversion/config",
  namespace: "cad",
  value: JSON.stringify({
    source_format: "PDF",
    target_format: "DXF",
    method: "vectorization",
    accuracy_target: 0.95
  })
}

Best Practices

Format Selection

1. STEP: Best for 3D geometry exchange
2. IGES: Legacy support, use STEP when possible
3. DXF: Best for 2D CAD interoperability
4. STL: 3D printing and visualization only

Conversion Quality

1. Always verify dimensional accuracy after conversion
2. Check for missing entities (arcs, splines, text)
3. Validate layer structure preservation
4. Test with small sample before batch processing

Automation

1. Use Python scripting for repeatable tasks
2. Create conversion templates for standard workflows
3. Implement quality checks in CI/CD pipelines
4. Document conversion parameters for reproducibility

Common Issues

Lossy Conversions

# Check for conversion losses
losses = converter.check_losses(
    original="model.step",
    converted="model.iges"
)

if losses["geometry_count_diff"] > 0:
    print(f"Lost {losses['geometry_count_diff']} entities")
if losses["accuracy_loss"] > 0.01:
    print(f"Accuracy loss: {losses['accuracy_loss']*100:.1f}%")

Version Compatibility

# Check format version before conversion
info = converter.get_format_info("drawing.dwg")
print(f"DWG Version: {info['version']}")
print(f"Created By: {info['application']}")
print(f"Compatible With: {info['compatible_versions']}")

Related Skills

• freecad-automation - FreeCAD operations
• gmsh-meshing - Mesh generation from CAD
• orcaflex-modeling - Marine analysis integration
• structural-analysis - FEM preprocessing

References

• DWG/DXF Specification: Open Design Alliance
• STEP Standard: ISO 10303
• IGES Standard: ASME Y14.26M
• Agent Configuration: agents/cad-engineering-specialist/agent.yaml

Version History

• 1.0.0 (2025-01-02): Initial release from agents/cad-engineering-specialist/ configuration