Design a 3D print with ChatGPT or Claude

AI chat assistants are good at turning "a wall hook for a 20 mm broom handle" into numbers, but they can't hand you a 3D file. FlatCad 3D closes the gap: it gives the AI a short description of its recipe format, the AI writes the part as a list of features, and you paste that back and get a real, editable 3D model you can print.

How it works

1. Open the AI dialog. In FlatCad 3D, click ✦ AI / Code at the top.

2. Describe the part. Sizes in millimetres help: "a 60 × 40 mm plate, 4 mm thick, rounded corners, four M3 countersunk holes 4 mm from the edges".

3. Copy the prompt. Copy prompt puts your request plus the recipe format on the clipboard. Tick include my current part to ask for a change to what you already have.

4. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. The reply is a JSON recipe: a name and a list of features.

5. Paste the reply back and press Build it. Code fences and chatter around the JSON are ignored. Any feature with a problem is marked with a ! in the list.

6. Adjust and export. Every feature is editable in the Properties tab, then Export → STL or 3MF.

Why a recipe and not a mesh

When an AI writes a mesh or OpenSCAD code, a small mistake means asking again and hoping. A FlatCad recipe is a short list of named features, a box, a hole, a pattern, so you can see exactly what the AI meant and fix one number yourself. The Recipe code tab shows the whole part as JSON, for anyone who'd rather edit it by hand.

Prompts that work

• "A cable clip for a 6 mm cable that screws to a desk with one M4 screw, 3 mm walls."
• "A 90 × 60 × 30 mm parts tray with four equal compartments and 2 mm walls."
• "A knob for a 6 mm D-shaft, 30 mm across, with a fluted edge."
• "Make the holes in my part 4.5 mm and add the text 'GARAGE' on top." (with include my current part ticked)

The recipe format is also published at flatcad.com/3d/llms.txt, so an assistant can read it directly and give you a link that opens the part.

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