3D & CAD Matrix (S3 — v2 capability-based)

Scenario S3. Strongest technical scenario in the matrix by depth — Blender + FreeCAD + CloudCompare + RenderDoc is rare coverage. Structural gaps: texturing and fabrication slicing.

Schema: docs/cli-matrix/matrix_registry.schema.md. Matrix plan: docs/cli-matrix/cli-matrix-plan.md.

Install

cli-hub matrix install 3d-cad
cli-hub matrix info    3d-cad
cli-hub matrix preflight 3d-cad --json

Provider selection constraints

1. Use preflight as an availability report, not as a provider selector.
2. Treat provider order as documentation order only.
3. Choose from user requirements, output quality bar, offline needs, credential state, install cost, and provider notes.
4. Escalate to paid or metered APIs only when credentials are already present or the user explicitly consents.

Offline context? Most of this matrix is offline-first; rendering and photogrammetry are the exceptions.

Preflight

Run cli-hub matrix preflight 3d-cad --json first. Use the manual block below for extra probes or older cli-hub versions.

cli-hub list --json
python - <<'PY'
import importlib.util
for m in ("trimesh","pymeshlab","open3d","cadquery","build123d","solid",
          "pygltflib","laspy","pyvista","bpy","rawpy","pycam"):
    print(m, importlib.util.find_spec(m) is not None)
PY
for b in blender freecad meshroom colmap openmvg openmvs prusaslicer slic3r \
         cura CuraEngine apitrace vulkaninfo renderdoc OpenSCAD; do
  command -v "$b" >/dev/null && echo "$b: yes" || echo "$b: no"
done
for e in POLYCAM_API_KEY LUMA_API_KEY ONSHAPE_ACCESS_KEY FUSION360_TOKEN \
         OCTANE_TOKEN; do
  [ -n "${!e}" ] && echo "$e: set" || echo "$e: unset"
done

Suggest-to-user template

To enable <capability> via <provider>, please set <ENV_VAR>.
  Cost: <cost notes>
  Quality: <quality tier>
Reply 'skip' to fall back to <next provider>.

Example: To enable cloud photogrammetry via Luma AI, please set LUMA_API_KEY. Cost: metered per-scan. Quality: sota. Reply 'skip' to fall back to local Meshroom (slower, free).

Capabilities

model.mesh — mesh modeling / editing

model.parametric — parametric CAD

model.sculpt — digital sculpting

Known gap — agent-driven sculpting is impractical beyond Blender scripts.

pointcloud.process — point cloud ingest / clean / register

photogrammetry.reconstruct — images → 3D mesh

material.texture — PBR texturing

Known gap — no agent-native path approaches Substance quality.

render.preview — fast viewport renders

render.offline — path-traced / final renders

gpu.debug — capture / inspect GPU frames

fabricate.slice — 3D print slicer (mesh → gcode)

Known gap — no agent-native harness, though the natives are scriptable.

fabricate.cam — CAM / CNC toolpaths

export.engine — handoff to game / viz engine

Recipes

• printable-part — parametric CAD → mesh → slice → gcode. Uses: model.parametric, model.mesh, fabricate.slice.

• game-asset — model → texture → export to engine. Uses: model.mesh, material.texture, export.engine, (optional render.preview).

• reality-scan — photos → photogrammetry → clean mesh → export. Uses: photogrammetry.reconstruct, pointcloud.process, model.mesh, export.engine.

• cnc-part — parametric part → CAM toolpath → gcode. Uses: model.parametric, fabricate.cam.

• product-viz-still — CAD → import → scene → offline render. Uses: model.parametric, model.mesh, material.texture, render.offline.

• gpu-bug-repro — capture frame → analyze → patch shader. Uses: gpu.debug, render.preview.

Known gaps

• material.texture — no open equivalent to Substance; Blender shader nodes are the current ceiling.
• fabricate.slice — PrusaSlicer/Cura natives work but want a harness-level wrapper.
• model.sculpt — impractical for agents today.
• Unity / Unreal export — only Godot covered on the harness side.

Agent guidance

• Parametric first, mesh later. Start in model.parametric when the object has dimensions; model.mesh when it's organic.
• Always bake before export. When handing off to export.engine, apply modifiers and bake materials — runtime engines don't read Blender shader graphs.
• Check manifold before slicing. fabricate.slice fails silently on non-manifold meshes; use trimesh.Trimesh.is_volume or pymeshlab's manifold check first.
• Offline-capable baseline. This matrix is highly offline-capable — API escalation is rarely needed except for photogrammetry-at-scale.
• Workspace discipline. Keep .FCStd / .blend / .ply / .stl / .gcode in one project folder so the chain of transformations is reproducible.