MecAgent user guide

MecAgent is an AI CAD agent for mechanical engineers. You describe what you need in natural language (a part, a change to an assembly, a drawing or a repetitive task) and MecAgent plans the work, acts directly inside your CAD software and reports back.

Version 2.0 brings everything into one agent that understands your open document, searches for the right methods, builds features with an editable feature tree, and turns repetitive work into reusable automations.

Two ways to work

• CAD Agent

  Live

  Chat with the agent while it works in your open CAD session: model parts, edit assemblies, apply materials, drive equations, rename, export, create drawings and macros.

• Background Tasks

  Async

  Hand off long jobs (Drawing-to-CAD, CAD-to-Drawing, Text-to-CAD, STEP-to-CAD) and get files back while your CAD software stays free for you.

MecAgent does not replace the designer. It speeds up modeling, documentation and repetitive work, but you stay in charge of design intent, validation and release.

Results depend on how precisely you describe the request: always review geometry, drawings and tolerances before releasing them.

General AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot…) are not built to operate CAD software. They guess API calls, skip steps and produce code that fails in the CAD software.

MecAgent was trained on real CAD workflows and hundreds of thousands of CAD automations, and it acts through dedicated CAD tools: it reads the model, runs features, checks the result and corrects itself.

When it writes an automation, the thinking happens at creation time. The automation then runs as a standard script: fast, predictable, and with no AI involved at run time.

V2.0 replaces the separate modes of V1.2 (Automation, CAD Copilot, MechE Expert, Text to STL/STEP, Online Part Finder) with one CAD Agent, and adds Background Tasks, General Knowledges and a model selector.

What you can do with MecAgent V2.0 today:

• Model parts from text or a spec sheet, with an editable feature tree

• Rebuild a supplier STEP file as a native, editable part

• Design a new part in the context of an assembly, then mate it

• Create exploded views and set up motion studies

• Apply materials and appearances to all parts in one request and update the mass

• Drive dimensions with global variables, equations and configurations

• Rename and translate parts, features and files while keeping references

• Bulk export STEP, PDF and DXF files for suppliers

• Generate dimensioned drawings from parts (CAD-to-Drawing)

• Turn a PDF or image drawing into an editable part (Drawing-to-CAD)

• Create, save, share, remix and merge reusable macros

• Use your own documents (standards, materials, suppliers) as context

Current limits to keep in mind:

• Releasing drawings or parts without engineering review

• Guaranteeing the certification or regulatory compliance of a drawing

• Complex freeform or class-A surfacing from a vague description

• Human-level reasoning on ambiguous instructions without dimensions or references

• Applying company-specific rules that were never provided (add them as General Knowledges or templates)

• Native support for CAD software other than SolidWorks: Inventor comes next, then Siemens NX and CATIA before the end of 2026

• Guaranteed support for SolidWorks versions older than 2024

• CAD software

  SolidWorks

  Tested on SolidWorks 2024, 2025 and 2026.

• Operating system

  Windows

  Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.

• Account

  Free

  A MecAgent account, free to start.

• Network

  HTTPS

  An internet connection, HTTPS on port 443.

Supported SolidWorks versions

Our technical team tests MecAgent on SolidWorks 2024, 2025 and 2026. MecAgent should also work on earlier versions, but we cannot guarantee it: some features are not available from one SolidWorks version to another, and the creation of certain macros in particular may cause problems on older versions.

Company networks

MecAgent needs outbound access to its servers. If your company uses a firewall or a proxy, ask your IT department to allow proxy.mecagent.com on port 443 (TCP), and to allow the MecAgent installer and application.

Native support for other CAD software is coming in this order: Inventor first, then Siemens NX and CATIA before the end of 2026, then PTC Creo, Solid Edge, Fusion 360 and Onshape.

1. 01SolidWorksAvailable now
2. 02InventorNext
3. 03Siemens NXBefore the end of 2026
4. 04CATIABefore the end of 2026
5. 05PTC CreoThen
6. 06Solid EdgeThen
7. 07Fusion 360Then
8. 08OnshapeThen

Until then

Use the web app at download.mecagent.com/login. Background Tasks deliver STEP parts and PDF drawings that open in any CAD software: when you start a task, choose Other CAD Software (Output: STEP.) in Deliver for.

1. 1

   Go to the download page of our website.

2. 2

   Log in, or create a free account at download.mecagent.com/register. The same account works in the app and on the website.

3. 3

   In your account, open Download (top bar, just left of Dashboard) and click Download for Windows on the MecAgent Copilot for SolidWorks card.

4. 4

   Wait for the download to finish (about 333 MB).

5. 5

   Run mecagent-copilot-setup.exe and let the installer finish. There is no ZIP file to extract anymore.

6. 6

   If Windows SmartScreen blocks the installer, click More info, then Run anyway. The warning appears because Windows does not recognize the new installer yet.

7. 7

   Launch MecAgent and sign in with your MecAgent account.

8. 8

   Start your CAD software: MecAgent connects automatically, and you can type your first request.

1. 1

   Launch MecAgent. After the loading screen, the Log in window opens.

2. 2

   Sign in with your email and password, or with Google, Microsoft or Apple.

3. 3

   If two-factor authentication is enabled, enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app.

4. 4

   Forgot your password? Click Forgot password?.

5. 5

   No account yet? Click Sign up.

1. 1

   Start your CAD software (today SolidWorks, tested on 2024, 2025 and 2026). MecAgent detects it automatically.

2. 2

   A green dot in the header means the connection is active. Click it to see the status of SolidWorks and of the Agent.

3. 3

   If one of them is Disconnected, click the refresh icon to reconnect.

MecAgent runs as a standalone window next to your CAD software. Place it beside your CAD software: the agent works on the active document and shows its progress in the MecAgent window.

• CAD Agent mode

  Default

  Chat with the agent; it acts live in your CAD software. Use it for modeling, assemblies, materials, renaming, exports and macros.

• Background Tasks mode

  Mode switch

  Switch with the mode switch in the header. Start long jobs (drawings, Drawing-to-CAD, Text-to-CAD) and collect the files when they are ready.

While it works, the agent shows what it is searching and a live Task Progress list, so you always know where it stands.

Search step

What the agent is looking up. Click to expand.

Task Progress

The plan of the request, e.g. 1 of 7 steps done.

Done

A completed step, struck through.

In progress

The step the agent is working on.

To do

The next steps of the plan.

Click + in the chat bar to add context to your request, or to change how the agent answers.

Files and knowledges

The knowledges and files you select appear above the chat bar. Scroll the file strip to review them; the counter shows the total.

Context chips

Once the request is sent, the chips above the conversation (e.g. 14 Docs) reopen the attached files and knowledges.

Click your profile picture (top right) to open the settings. The app version and its commit hash are shown at the bottom of every tab.

Tabs

General, Account and Sound.

Theme

Dark or Light.

Language

The interface language.

CAD Software

The CAD software MecAgent connects to.

Getting Started video

A tutorial video.

Open User Guide

Opens this guide.

Auto-accept Tool Executions

Approves every tool execution without asking for confirmation.

Version

The version and commit hash, useful for support.

MecAgent's goal is to bring the latest AI to every CAD software. In V2.0, the CAD Agent works live in your CAD session.

• Text-to-CAD

  Model a part from a written description or a spec sheet, feature by feature.

• STEP-to-CAD

  Convert a supplier STEP file into an editable part with a feature tree.

• Parts in assemblies

  Design a part in the context of an open assembly, then mate it.

• Exploded view

  Build an exploded view of an assembly, step by step.

• Materials & design

  Apply materials and appearances to all parts, and update the mass.

• Equations & configurations

  Drive dimensions with global variables, and generate configurations.

• Motion

  Set up a motion study (mates, motors, animation) from one sentence.

• Renaming

  Rename or translate files, parts and features, with references intact.

• Export

  Export STEP, PDF and DXF files together for a supplier.

• CAD-to-Drawing

  Generate a dimensioned drawing of the open part or assembly.

• Macros

  Turn a task into a macro you run again in one click.

• Sketch & files

  Explain with a sketch, photos, PDFs or STEP files.

Each of these use cases is filmed in the demo library.

Background Tasks: keep working while they run

• CAD-to-Drawing

  Send parts, receive dimensioned drawings.

• Drawing-to-CAD

  Send a PDF or image drawing, receive an editable part.

• Text-to-CAD

  Send a written brief, receive a modeled part.

• STEP-to-CAD

  Send a STEP file, receive a native part with a feature tree.

• Macro Generation

  Generate a macro in the background.

Context & reuse

• General Knowledges

  Your own document folders, used as context.

• My automations

  Save, run, remix and merge macros.

• Public automations

  Automations shared by the community.

Choose the model that fits the job with the model selector next to the send button. Higher models handle harder parts and longer plans, and use more of your plan; lighter models answer faster.

1. 1

   Check that you are connected to your CAD software (green dot). If not, see Connection issues.

2. 2

   Check that you are in CAD Agent mode and that the active document is the one you want to work on.

3. 3

   Describe what you want in the request bar: the part, its dimensions and the details that matter. Use + to add files, knowledges or a sketch.

4. 4

   Choose the model (High by default) and press Enter, or click the arrow.

5. 5

   The agent searches for the right methods and builds a plan: follow the Task Progress.

6. 6

   The agent acts in your CAD software. Approve the tool executions when asked, or turn on Auto-accept.

7. 7

   Read the answer. If a macro was created, click Run Automation to run it again and Add to favorites to keep it.

8. 8

   Refine: continue the conversation ("make the wall 3 mm", "add a fillet on the selected edges"), or use Edit or Retry on your request.

Ask the way you would brief a colleague: what to build or change, with numbers and references. A few requests that work well:

• "Create a car.": a vague, high-level intent with no dimensions

• "Rename everything.": no selection and no naming rule

• "Make it better.": no criterion to optimize

• Actions on geometry without saying which face, edge or component (select it, or describe it precisely)

• Company-specific rules that MecAgent cannot know: add them as General Knowledges first

• Certification-ready output without review

The same request, two ways

Give the agent the same context you would give a colleague: spec sheets, PDFs, drawings, photos or STEP files.

1. 1

   Click + > Add photos & files in the chat bar.

2. 2

   Choose your files. They appear in a strip above the chat bar.

3. 3

   Write your request and refer to the files.

Use your company documents (standards, materials, suppliers) as context for a request.

1. 1

   Click + > General Knowledges.

2. 2

   Pick a folder, or All general knowledges.

3. 3

   The knowledge chip appears above the chat bar: send your request.

Draw directly on a capture of your CAD view to show what you want.

Pen

Draw the shape or path you want.

Highlighter

Mark an area of the model.

Eraser

Remove strokes.

Shapes

Add lines, circles and rectangles.

Crop

Keep only the useful area.

Capture

Take a new capture of the CAD view.

Undo, Redo

Cancel or restore the last stroke.

Validate

Attach the sketch to your request.

Go step by step on complex parts

Build the base first, check it, then add the details. It is easier to control and greatly increases the success rate.

1. Create a 500 × 200 × 2 mm plate.

   Copy
2. then

   Add Ø5 mm holes 10 mm from the edges at each corner.

   Copy
3. then

   Add a Ø50 mm hole at the center.

   Copy

Be quantitative

Give dimensions, distances, axes, angles, tolerances and quantities. Refer to existing elements of the model ("the top face", "the Ø20 bore", "Plane1").

Use your selection

Select faces, edges or components in your CAD software, then write "on the selected face" or "for the selected components". The agent knows what is selected.

Give naming rules

For renaming and exports, give the exact pattern: PRJ-042_<part name>_REV-A, "one folder per sub-assembly", "go through each part one by one".

Describe materials by need

Name the material, or describe the need: "a material that resists moisture over time and is suitable for plastic injection molding".

Put company rules in General Knowledges

Tolerancing rules, preferred materials, suppliers and drawing standards are better stored once in a knowledge folder than repeated in every prompt.

Pick the model for the job

Use High by default, Max for long multi-step jobs or complex assemblies, and lighter models for quick edits. See Models.

MecAgent creates CAD macros to automate anything in your CAD software: bulk exports, drawings, appearances, sketching, saving, constraints, standards checks… The thinking happens at creation time; the macro then runs as a standard script, fast and predictable.

1. 1

   Ask for the automation in the chat, or click + > Macro mode to make sure the agent produces a reusable macro.

2. 2

   The agent plans and writes the macro (Task Progress). This can take from 30 seconds to a few minutes; a sound plays when it is ready.

3. 3

   The SolidWorks Automation card appears with the run status (e.g. Automation executed successfully).

4. 4

   Click Run Automation to run it again, on another document for example. While it runs, the button becomes Stop Automation.

5. 5

   Satisfied? Click Add to favorites to save it in My automations and reuse it anytime.

6. 6

   Use the card icons to view the code, copy it or regenerate the macro.

Click + > Macro mode before sending your request to get a reusable macro instead of a one-time action.

Live action or macro?

Details

Click the (i) icon next to an automation's name to see what it does, step by step, before running or merging it.

Remix

Click Remix in My automations, or + > Remix Macros in the chat bar, to start a new chat from a saved automation and adapt it to your workflow. Use it to restart from the last working version when an improvement goes wrong.

Import

Click Import in My automations to add an automation a coworker shared with you.

Organize

• Filter by category and sort the list (custom order, newest…).

• Each automation shows its category tag: Export, Part, Assembly, Function…

• Add automations from Public automations to your own list.

1. 1

   In My automations, click Merge (top right).

2. 2

   Click the circles to select two or more automations. The bar at the bottom shows the merge capacity used; it must stay under 100%.

3. 3

   Describe what they should do together, e.g. "If the bounding box of my part is less than 25 m³, don't create the sheet metal drawing."

4. 4

   Click Merge. The agent builds the combined automation.

Automations that ask for input

Ask MecAgent to generate a dialog with the fields you need: numeric inputs (a fillet radius in mm), drop-down lists (units, formats), text fields, folder paths, Windows file choosers or multi-field forms. The macro collects everything before it runs.

Break complex automations into smaller parts

Build the first step, validate it, then ask to add the next one. For independent tasks, build each one in its own chat, save them, then combine them with Merge. Example: chat A increments the REVISION_NUMBER property, chat B unfolds and exports the DXF, then you merge them.

Combine CAD and Windows operations

Macros can rename files, create folders per part or configuration, move and archive files, process every file in a folder, and write Excel or text reports with the CAD data they extract.

Rewrite an existing macro

Paste a VBA macro and ask: "Rebuild this exact same script." MecAgent converts it to its C#-based runtime: faster, more stable, and easy to extend with dialogs and file operations.

Background listeners

Ask the macro to wait for an action before continuing: a selection (face, edge, component, dimension), two Ctrl+clicks, or a specific selection type.

Exporting or displaying results

Ask for the results in a message box, a dialog, an Excel or CSV file, a text report, or as custom properties written into the parts.

Send a PDF or image drawing and receive an editable native part, a STEP file and a preview image.

1. 1

   Switch to Background Tasks and click Drawing-to-CAD.

2. 2

   Click Choose a drawing, or drop it in the area: PNG, JPEG or PDF, up to 20 MB and 40 MP. One part per drawing; for a PDF, only the first page is used.

3. 3

   Check the Original drawing Preview (zoom with + and -).

4. 4

   In Deliver for, choose the target: SolidWorks 2026, 2025, 2024 and before, or Other CAD Software (Output: STEP.).

5. 5

   Click Generate Part. The task appears in Your tasks with the status Pending.

6. 6

   Follow the Activity log, or click Cancel Task to stop it.

7. 7

   When the status is Completed, open the task to preview and download the result.

1. 
   

   1 · Upload

2. 
   

   2 · Preview & deliver

3. 
   

   3 · Pending

Send a part and receive a dimensioned drawing. MecAgent uses the part details and the drawing information to choose the views, dimensions and sheet.

1. 1

   In Background Tasks, click CAD-to-Drawing.

2. 2

   Choose the part. Its preview appears with its details.

3. 3

   Check the Part details (material, processes, finish) and the Drawing information (standard, units, sheet sizes).

4. 4

   Choose the version in Deliver for and click Generate Drawing.

5. 5

   Follow the task in Your tasks and download the drawing when it is Completed.

• Standard views (front, top, side, isometric), section and detail views

• Linear, diameter and radius dimensions; a fully dimensioned drawing on request

• Datums and critical surfaces you define

• Scale, layout and sheet chosen automatically among the allowed sizes

• Title block and common annotations

Technical recommendations

• Fully define and dimension your part features in the 3D model; define tolerances on the model when possible.

• Use your own empty drawing templates to get your company title block.

• Add the assembly STEP so that fits and mating faces are taken into account.

• Review every drawing before release, especially tolerances and GD&T.

For several parts, the CAD-to-Drawings wizard creates a drawing project in four steps.

1. 1

   Add parts. Drop the SolidWorks parts (.SLDPRT, required) you need drawings for. Add one assembly STEP (.STEP or .STP, optional but recommended) so the AI sees how the parts mate, which datums they share, and where fits and tolerances matter.

2. 2

   Setup. The project name, drafting standard, units and sheet sizes (see Project setup).

3. 3

   Configure parts. For each part: material, function, processes, finish, notes, datums and critical surfaces (see Configure parts).

4. 4

   Submit. Review and submit. The drawings are generated in the background; use Back and Next to move between the steps.

You can also start a drawing project from the web app, at download.mecagent.com.

These defaults drive every drawing of the project.

Step 3 gives MecAgent what a draftsman would ask you: what the part does, how it is made and which surfaces matter.

• Text-to-CAD

  Send a written brief or a spec sheet and receive a modeled part. Describe the part step by step, with all dimensions, as you would in the CAD Agent.

• STEP-to-CAD

  Send a STEP file and receive a native part with a feature tree, ready to modify. Ideal for supplier parts you need to adapt.

• Macro Generation

  Generate a macro in the background while you keep modeling. You will find it in your tasks, then run it and add it to My automations.

Create a folder

1. 1

   Open General Knowledges in the side panel.

2. 2

   Click Add new knowledge folder and name it.

3. 3

   Open the folder, choose or drop your files, and click Import. Add an assembly STEP to give the interaction context.

Use it in a request

• One folder for one request: + > General Knowledges, then pick it.

• All folders, on every request: turn on Activate the background knowledge for each request.

Every plan uses one token allowance shared by all actions: CAD Agent runs, macros, Drawing-to-CAD and CAD-to-Drawing. Yearly billing saves about 17%.

Follow your usage

• In the header, the plan usage indicator shows how much of your allowance is used.

• In Settings > Account: the tokens used and the remaining runs per feature.

• More tokens or Dashboard: upgrade or manage your plan.

1. 1

   Click the connection status (green or red dot) in the header, then click the refresh icon.

2. 2

   Still disconnected? Save your work, open the Windows Task Manager, filter on solidworks and end every SolidWorks process. Restart SolidWorks, let it fully initialize, then click refresh again in MecAgent.

3. 3

   Still disconnected? Run MecAgent as an administrator, and ask your IT department to allow the app through the firewall: domain proxy.mecagent.com, port 443, protocol TCP.

4. 4

   Still blocked? Write to [email protected] with your app version (shown at the bottom of the settings).

• Your CAD session

  The CAD Agent works in your local CAD session. Requests, the context needed to answer them and the actions to run are exchanged with MecAgent's servers.

• Files you send

  Files you attach to a request, add to General Knowledges or send to a Background Task are uploaded so they can be processed. Task outputs stay available until the date shown in the task, then expire.

• Privacy mode

  Available on the Starter and Advanced+ plans.

• Enterprise

  SOC 2 examination completed, optional fine-tuning on your data or data kept private and never stored, company workspace and admin controls. For large companies, an on-premise deployment can be discussed with our team.

Read more on the Enterprise page and in our Privacy Policy.

• Use privacy mode or an Enterprise agreement for sensitive or confidential projects.

• Only add to General Knowledges the documents the agent really needs; delete the files you no longer use (trash icon in the folder).

• Remove confidential title-block information from drawings you send to Drawing-to-CAD when it is not needed.

• Download Background Task outputs before their availability date.

• Keep Auto-accept Tool Executions off if you want to approve every change to your model.

• Check with your IT department before using MecAgent on export-controlled data.

Questions about security, data or an on-premise deployment? Write to [email protected].