Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly every day, creating a need for its use in every aspect of our lives. It has entered every field, from coding to image and video generation, and even voice generation. But what about the design (CAD) field?

There are many AI-powered tools for 3D design, but they are still far from producing models that are as original as a designer’s work and as reliable as an engineer’s. While the text-to-CAD concept is functional for simple designs, industrial product design still requires human expertise. Instead of relying on Text-to-CAD, Onshape introduced a Text-to-Code-to-CAD workflow through the Onshape Labs FeatureScript MCP Server, allowing designers and engineers to customize their CAD environment to address unique workflow needs and simplify repetitive tasks.

What Is Text → Code → CAD?

Instead of creating a 3D model directly from text, Onshape takes the problems designers encounter in their repetitive tasks as text input and uses an LLM to make sense of them. Then, using the Onshape Labs FeatureScript MCP Server, the LLM researches and understands how the required structure should be created, generates the Onshape FeatureScript, and turns it into a Feature that the designer can use whenever needed.

This allows designers to speed up their work by using their own custom commands, just like they use the Hole command.

How to Connect the FeatureScript MCP Server to an LLM

Before moving on to what you can do with the FeatureScript MCP Server, it is useful to learn how to connect the LLM you use to it. Before getting into the details, it is worth remembering that you need an Onshape account and an LLM of your choice. We used the DeepSeek V4 Pro model through the Claude Code interface on a Windows PC.

Pro Tip: Find the Onshape Labs FeatureScript MCP in the Onshape App Store and subscribe to it. The subscription is completely free. The Getting set up section specifies the parameters you can use to connect to the MCP server.

Pro Tip: Open a new terminal, select the Workspace where the terminal will run, and paste the following code:

claude mcp add –transport http Onshape-Labs https://fs-mcp.labs.onshape.app/mcp

The text I highlighted in green is the name you will give to your MCP server. You can customize it however you like.

After seeing the notification that it has been added, it is a good idea to check your MCP list. You can use the following code to do so.

claude mcp list

As a result of this check, you will see a warning like:

Onshape-Labs https://fs-mcp.labs.onshape.app/mcp – I Needs authentication

This indicates that authentication is required. At this point, restart VS Code, open a terminal in the relevant Workspace again, and connect to Claude. Claude will show you a prompt to authenticate the MCP server.

By typing /mcp in the chat area, we select and authorize the MCP we just added under the name Onshape-Labs. After making your selections, you will be redirected to your browser and see an Onshape page where you need to grant permission. Once you have authorized it, you can return to VS Code.

Congratulations! You are now connected to the FeatureScript MCP Server. Now you can dive into the text-to-code-to-CAD world.

What Can You Do with the FeatureScript MCP Server?

Now let’s answer that question: What can you actually do with the FeatureScript MCP Server? You can understand this better with some examples in the table below.

For more details on the examples, you can click this link.

I have been testing the FeatureScript MCP Server since the day it was released and have created many examples. I have explained some of these examples below, including why and at which steps they were created.

Advanced Shell

Unlike the standard Onshape Shell command, this LLM-powered custom feature allows you to apply different shell thicknesses to different faces. Behind the scenes, it combines Shell + Move Face operations to achieve this.

You can access the entire workflow, from the first prompt I gave to create this command to all the steps that were carried out, in the PDF below.

Pro Tip (Page 1): Simply stating your needs directly and jumping into coding will not always produce good results. Therefore, after explaining your needs in detail in Plan mode, having the LLM research whether this is possible in Onshape allows the process to move forward on a more solid foundation, while also saving tokens in your LLM. You can also add the link to the Onshape document where you want the new Feature to be created to the chat.

Pro Tip (Pages 2–4): As a result of the research, the LLM will present you with some options. You can choose the ones that suit your needs, or, if none of the options are suitable, you can specify exactly what you want through the chat.

Pro Tip (Pages 5–9): After your answers, the LLM will provide you with a summary of what will be done and ask for your approval. Once you approve, it starts coding step by step according to the roadmap, completing each section along the way.

Pro Tip (Page 10): Once the necessary coding is completed, the code is deployed to the document you selected through the FeatureScript MCP Server, and the operations performed are summarized. At this point, you should go to the document and test it in the Part Studio environment.

Pro Tip (Page 11): In some cases, the created Feature may not appear, or different errors may occur, and Onshape will give you a warning. When you click on the warning, you can see the errors in the code. Copying these errors and adding them to the LLM chat is enough to resolve the issues.

Pro Tip (Pages 12–13): The Advanced Shell command is now working, but it is not actually working exactly as we want. If the Feature you created is not working as expected or you want to improve it, you can return to the LLM chat and request changes.

Pro Tip (Page 14): However, before doing this, it is a good idea to create a Version of its current state. This way, you can see the development of the Feature and use the desired version if needed.

Pro Tip (Pages 15–16): The changes made according to your revision request are summarized. At this point, you should return to Onshape and test it again.

Pro Tip (Pages 17–18): When examining the tests, you can see that Advanced Shell is working exactly as requested.

Pro Tip (Page 19): The current Advanced Shell is running in the Main workspace. This means that tests performed in this document will use the most up-to-date state. However, when you use the Feature in another document, that document may still be referencing the V1 version. To make the latest version available there, you need to create a new Version and update the linked custom Feature to that Version.

Improving the Feature

After using the Advanced Shell command for a while, I added another feature. I made it possible to optionally assign colors to the faces with different thicknesses. This way, each different thickness is represented by a different color, providing a much better visualization.

Weld Bead

I needed a command that would allow me to perform welding operations in Onshape.

However, rather than simply showing a weld bead, I wanted the command to include details related to its real-world application as well. The Weld Bead command includes the following features:

• Fillet weld and Butt weld types,
• Convex, Concave, and Flux weld profiles,
• Creating weld beads based on a specific distance or selected edges,
• Optionally detecting tangent edges from the edge selection,
• Showing the mass of the weld bead based on the selected material,
• Joining the parts that the weld bead comes into contact with,
• Automatically naming welded parts in the Parts area.

Cabinet Creator

I worked in the field of design automation for many years. Using the knowledge and experience I gained in this field, I wanted to create a furniture-focused Feature.

However, I included so many details in this Feature that I still find it hard to believe that all of this can be done within a single command. Knowing that there are separate software solutions that perform similar tasks continues to amaze me. So, what can Cabinet Creator do?

• It can create cabinets such as kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, nightstands, bookcases, and more,
• Configurable Width, Height, Length, Depth, Panel Thickness and Material, Back Panel Thickness and Material, and Back Panel Position options,
• Adding Shelves and Dividers, with the ability to skip Shelves,
• Adding doors, adding a Door Handle using a Part from any document, automatically creating and configuring door hinge mounting holes, automatically creating and configuring mounting holes based on the information from the door handle, single/double door options, and the ability to select the open and closed positions of the door,
• Edge banding options for Panels/Shelves,
• Automatically creating and configuring Minifix holes,
• Adding Legs and customizing the Leg just like the Door Handle,
• A trimming option based on the selected face for using Shelves and Dividers as separate commands,
• A custom Cut List, with edge banding specified in meters in the cut list,
• Automatically changing the name of the Feature in the Feature List so that the command can be used in different steps instead of as a single step.

How to Add a Custom Feature

The Features you create only appear in the Part Studio environments of the document where they are created. When you create a new document or open a previously created one, you won’t see the Feature in the toolbar. This is because Custom Features from other documents must be linked to a Version of the document containing the FeatureScript.

After creating a Version of the document containing your FeatureScript code, you can follow the steps shown in the video to add it to your Custom Features and use it in other documents.

Things to Keep in Mind When Using the FeatureScript MCP Server

Each request sent from the LLM to the FeatureScript MCP Server is subject to a quota for security and resource management purposes. You can use the link to access detailed information about quotas.

To help you use your quota as efficiently as possible, we have prepared an .md file that provides the LLM with guidance on how to interact with the FeatureScript MCP Server and helps it use the available tools more efficiently. After downloading the CLAUDE.md file below, you can add it to the workspace you use for your Onshape projects.

Download File

Conclusion

I can say that I find the FeatureScript MCP server introduced with Onshape Labs to be a more realistic solution compared to Text-to-CAD, as it allows designers and engineers to create their own custom Features tailored to their unique workflow needs and speed up their repetitive tasks.

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Rıdvan Polat

Co-Founder at ChampionXperience

Ridvan Polat is a SOLIDWORKS Elite Application Engineer, Founder of ChampionXperience, and a recognized SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, and 3DEXPERIENCE Champion. He specializes in CATIA & ENOVIA technical support and 3DEXPERIENCE early engagement adaptation, helping organizations optimize PLM workflows.

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