Guide · SolidWorks
How to connect Claude to SolidWorks
Prompt4CAD connects Claude's AI to your SolidWorks: you describe the part in natural language and it is built in your own CAD, with your license, through the SolidWorks COM API. No copy-pasting macros by hand. SolidWorks is Prompt4CAD's most mature mode: both the command engine and the AI engine are verified against SolidWorks 2025.
Connect Claude to SolidWorks in 3 steps
- Open prompt4cad.com and pick SolidWorks in the CAD selector. The site shows your pairing code.
- Paste one command into PowerShell (the site gives it to you with your code included):
irm https://prompt4cad.com/install/YOURCODE | iex. It installs the connector, detects SolidWorks and keeps it running in the background. - Type your prompt. The indicator turns green, the part is built in your SolidWorks and the STL shows up in the site's 3D viewer, ready to export.
How to use SolidWorks with AI
With the connector active you get two engines on top of SolidWorks:
- Command engine (no AI) — instant and deterministic: cubes, boxes, cylinders, cones, tubes, tori, polygonal prisms and pyramids, stars, ellipses and DIN/ISO standard hardware (nuts, bolts, washers, metric clearance holes). See the command manual.
- AI engine — free-form geometry: the AI writes a native macro for the SolidWorks COM API and the connector runs it on your machine. If the macro fails, the error goes back to the AI and it fixes itself (up to 3 attempts). You can refine the result by describing what is wrong, with a snapshot of the viewer as context.
You review the result in a 3D viewer with drawing views (front, top, side) and export to STL, STEP, OBJ, PLY or 3MF.
FAQ
Do I need an API key or to pay anything?
The command engine is free and uses no AI. The AI engine runs on Prompt4CAD's server infrastructure; you only need your SolidWorks license.
Is it safe? What does the connector install?
A lightweight Python script that polls prompt4cad.com and only picks up jobs created with your pairing code. The code is open — inspect it before installing.
Does it work with my SolidWorks version?
Tested with SolidWorks 2025 on Windows; any recent version with the COM API should work, including localized installs.
What if I don't have SolidWorks?
Use the AI-only mode: the part is generated on the server with FreeCAD and you download the STL with nothing installed. Or pick another CAD: How to connect Claude to Inventor — use Inventor with AI · How to connect Claude to AutoCAD — use AutoCAD with AI · How to connect Claude to Fusion 360 — use Fusion 360 with AI