Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@solidworks-mcp Open bracket.step, analyze thickness, holes, bends, and export flat pattern as DXF."
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
MCP server that connects Claude Desktop to SolidWorks via COM API, enabling automated analysis of sheet metal parts for the tooling and stamping industry.
A tooling engineer can open Claude Desktop and say:
"Open
bracket.step, tell me the thickness, all hole diameters, number of bends, and export the flat pattern as a DXF."
Claude calls the MCP tools to:
Open the STEP in SolidWorks
Detect sheet metal, read thickness + K-factor
Enumerate and group all holes by diameter
Count and characterise each bend (angle, radius, length)
Flatten the part and export the flat pattern as DXF
Return a structured analysis report
Time saved: 60–90 minutes of manual inspection → ~60 seconds.
Related MCP server: Civil3D MCP Server
Most of this project needs a licensed SolidWorks install, but
analyze_step_standalone runs anywhere CadQuery does. Against the test
fixture in this repo:
pip install -e .
conda install -c cadquery cadquery # see docs/INSTALL.md for the pip route
python -c "
from mcp.server.fastmcp import FastMCP
from solidworks_mcp.solidworks_bridge import SolidWorksBridge
from solidworks_mcp.tools.analysis import register
import json
mcp = FastMCP('demo'); register(mcp, SolidWorksBridge())
fn = mcp._tool_manager._tools['analyze_step_standalone'].fn
print(json.dumps(fn(file_path='tests/fixtures/sample_part.step'), indent=2))
"Actual output for sample_part.step — a 100 x 60 x 2 mm plate with four
Ø6 mm through holes (abridged; the full result also carries file_path,
the individual bounding-box bounds, and a units note):
{
"file_size_kb": 33.48,
"volume_mm3": 11773.81,
"surface_area_mm2": 12564.6,
"bounding_box": {
"dimensions_mm": [100.0, 60.0, 2.0]
},
"center_of_mass_mm": { "x": 0.0, "y": 0.0, "z": 1.0 },
"face_count": 10,
"face_types": { "PLANE": 6, "CYLINDER": 4 },
"estimated_thickness_mm": 2.0,
"is_likely_sheet_metal": true
}The four holes show up as the four cylindrical faces, and thickness is inferred from the smallest bounding-box dimension.
Requirement | Version |
Windows | 10 or 11 (64-bit) |
Python | 3.10, 3.11 or 3.12 |
SolidWorks | Standard 2022 or newer (must be installed and licensed) |
Claude Desktop | latest |
SolidWorks must be installed and activated on the same machine as this server. The COM API requires the full application — SolidWorks PDM or Viewer are not sufficient.
REM 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tmkaio/solidworks-mcp.git
cd solidworks-mcp
REM 2. Create a virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
REM 3. Install the package
pip install -e .
REM 4. (Optional) Install CadQuery for standalone STEP analysis
conda install -c cadquery cadqueryCopy claude_desktop_config.example.json and merge into your Claude config:
Location: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"solidworks": {
"command": "C:\\path\\to\\solidworks-mcp\\.venv\\Scripts\\python.exe",
"args": ["-m", "solidworks_mcp.server"],
"env": {
"PYTHONPATH": "C:\\path\\to\\solidworks-mcp\\src",
"LOG_LEVEL": "INFO"
}
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop. A hammer icon (🔨) should appear in the chat toolbar.
See docs/INSTALL.md for a step-by-step guide.
You: Open C:\parts\door_hinge.step and give me a full analysis.
Claude: [calls open_file, get_part_info, analyze_holes, analyze_bends]
The door hinge is a sheet metal part:
- Thickness: 2.00 mm (K-factor: 0.44)
- Bounding box: 120 x 80 x 45 mm
- Mass: 312 g
- 12 holes: Ø6mm x 4, Ø8mm x 4, Ø12mm x 4
- 3 bends: 90° x R2mm (two) and 45° x R3mm (one)
- Complexity: medium
You: Export the flat pattern as DXF to C:\output\hinge_flat.dxf
Claude: [calls flatten_part, export_dxf, unflatten_part]
Flat pattern exported: C:\output\hinge_flat.dxf (18.4 KB)
Flat dimensions: 310 x 80 mmTool | Description |
| Connect to SolidWorks (start if not running) |
| Check connection state and active document |
| Release COM references |
Tool | Description |
| Open STEP, SLDPRT, IGES, etc. |
| Close active document |
| Save / Save As |
| List all open files |
Tool | Description |
| Mass, volume, material, sheet metal flag |
| L x W x H + diagonal |
| Feature histogram |
| All holes grouped by diameter |
| All bends with angle/radius/length |
| Executive summary + complexity rating |
| Full JSON + Markdown report |
| No SolidWorks needed — uses CadQuery |
| Ixx/Iyy/Izz + products of inertia |
| Face type breakdown (planar/cylindrical/etc.) |
Tool | Description |
| True/False check |
| Thickness, K-factor, bend radius |
| Convert imported solid to sheet metal |
| Activate flat pattern |
| Return to folded state |
Tool | Description |
| Flat pattern -> DXF (for laser / NC) |
| Part -> STEP AP214 |
| Part -> STL |
| Document -> PDF |
| Viewport -> PNG |
Tool | Description |
| Read all custom properties from active document |
| Read a single named property |
| Create or update a custom property |
| Remove a custom property |
| Assign a material from the SolidWorks library |
| List available .sldmat material databases |
Tool | Description |
| List all configurations with active flag |
| Details of the current active configuration |
| Activate a different configuration |
| Create a new configuration (copy of existing) |
| Remove a configuration |
| Config-specific custom properties |
Tool | Description |
| Distance between two named entities |
| Length/area/coordinates of a single entity |
| Area, normal, centroid of a face by index |
| Minimum clearance between two entities |
| Cross-section Ixx/Iyy/area/centroid |
Tool | Description |
| List FeatureManager tree (with type filter) |
| Type, suppression state, error for a feature |
| Suppress a feature in a configuration |
| Restore a suppressed feature |
| Parametric dimensions on a feature |
| Force rebuild (standard or full) |
| Describe a feature rebuild error |
Tool | Description |
| Create new drawing from active part/assembly |
| Add standard/isometric view to drawing |
| List all views on the drawing |
| Sheet count, scale, paper size |
| Change drawing sheet scale |
Tool | Description |
| List all components (top-level or recursive) |
| Quick component count |
| Bill of Materials with quantities |
| List all mate constraints |
| Mass, path, bbox for a named component |
| Total assembly mass and centre of mass |
Assembly support is read-only. Components, BOM, mates and mass can be read; creating mates or inserting components is not supported.
No parametric editing. Features can be listed, suppressed and unsuppressed, but dimensions cannot be driven.
STEP files import as "dumb" solids. convert_to_sheet_metal must run
before bend analysis will return anything.
No strip layout / progressive die design.
Windows only, and requires a licensed local SolidWorks install — the
COM API needs the full application. The one exception is
analyze_step_standalone, which runs anywhere via CadQuery.
Version | Feature |
v0.2 | Strip layout tools — station configuration |
v0.3 | Force calculations (cut, bend, draw) |
Beyond that: formability and undercut detection, GD&T annotation on generated drawings, and nesting integration are all plausible directions, but nothing is committed.
The test suite mocks the COM layer, so no SolidWorks licence is required to run it:
pip install -e ".[dev]"
ruff check src tests
pytest -vOn Windows that is the whole story: all 54 tests run. CI runs the same two
commands on Linux, installing the pure-Python dependencies directly rather
than via pip install -e ., because pywin32 has no Linux wheel.
Two groups skip themselves rather than fail when a dependency is absent:
the connect() / disconnect() tests patch pythoncom and
win32com.client by name, so they need pywin32 and run on Windows only;
analyze_step_standalone needs CadQuery.
Everything else — the COM call contract, hole and bend extraction, unit conversion, feature traversal — runs everywhere.
Server logs: %USERPROFILE%\.solidworks-mcp\logs\server.log
Claude Desktop logs: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\
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