GenGrades
EN中文

CADCraft: free download and install guide

Published Updated

Replaces Autodesk AutoCADCADLicense: Apache-2.0
Source code on GitHub

Download

Latest version 0.14.0, released 2026-10-28

Other downloads (22)Other processors, portable versions, Linux packages and the command-line tool.

Windows

macOS

Linux

FreeBSD

Web

  • Web version (.zip)10.3 MB

    cadcraft-web-0.14.0.zip

    SHA-256 f2fbfb80388dc0315a469d65cf7c966b742f86b6b4d3d405752bdee7428d94e8

Every button downloads the official file from the project's GitHub release. GenGrades does not host or change it.

How to installAll versions and release notes on GitHubAll checksums (SHA256SUMS.txt)

What CADCraft is

In one or two sentences, before anything else.

CADCraft is a free, open-source 2D drafting app from the ArtCraft team (storytold on GitHub) that rebuilds the Autodesk AutoCAD workflow in pure Rust: the command line, object snaps, layers, dimensions, hatches, blocks and DXF and DWG drawings. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser, and is in early development.

Main features

What it can do, one sentence each, and whether we actually tested it.

  • AutoCAD-style command line

    Type L, click two points, type @5<45 and press Enter: prompts with clickable keywords, AutoComplete, aliases, direct distance entry, transparent commands, right-click to repeat and .scr-style scripts.

  • Draw and modify commands

    LINE, PLINE, CIRCLE, ARC, RECTANG, POLYGON, ELLIPSE, SPLINE, TEXT and MTEXT, plus ERASE, MOVE, COPY, ROTATE, SCALE, MIRROR, OFFSET, TRIM, EXTEND, FILLET, CHAMFER, ARRAY and more.

    The project's gap list says some prompt options in draw and modify commands still answer "not available yet".

  • Precision drafting

    Object snaps (endpoint, midpoint, center, intersection, perpendicular, tangent, nearest and more), polar tracking, ortho, grid snap, and hot grips that cycle Stretch, Move, Rotate, Scale and Mirror with Space.

  • Layers and annotation

    Layer Properties Manager (on/off, freeze, lock, plot, colour, linetype), a Properties palette, every DIM* command with DIMSTYLE, associative dimensions, MLEADER, TABLE, TrueType text, hatches with islands and gradient fills, and blocks with attributes.

  • Parametric constraints

    Geometric and dimensional constraints, AUTOCONSTRAIN and PARAMETERS with expressions, with conflict detection; constraints re-solve after every edit.

  • Layouts and PDF plotting

    Paper-space layouts with viewports (scale, lock, per-viewport layer freeze), page setups, PLOT and EXPORTPDF, plus SVG and PNG export.

    Per the project's gap list, there are no system printers yet and binary .ctb, .stb and .pc3 files can't be read.

  • DXF and DWG files

    Reads DXF natively (R12 to 2018, ASCII and binary) and writes it; opens and saves DWG through the open-source acadrust library.

    The README says entities CADCraft doesn't model yet are not kept on save.

  • MCP server and CLI for agents

    Every menu item, tool and prompt is a command. Agents can type at the command line, call any command with JSON, inspect the drawing and render it over MCP, a JSON control channel or cadcraft-cli (info, convert, run, commands, mcp).

Who it is for

The people it helps and the problems it solves, and where it ranks.

Built for

  • Mac, Linux and FreeBSD users who want a native 2D drafting app with an AutoCAD-style command line
  • Students and hobbyists who want to practise AutoCAD-style commands in a free app
  • People who receive DXF or DWG drawings and need to view, measure or plot them to PDF
  • Developers building AI agents or scripts that draw, inspect or convert drawings

Problems it solves

  • Knows AutoCAD's commands and habits and wants them in a free, open-source tool
  • Needs to open a DXF or DWG someone sent, look at it, measure it or plot it to PDF
  • Wants to convert drawings to SVG, PNG or PDF from the command line
  • Wants an AI agent to draft in a real CAD program and check its own work

What it is good at

What the project's documentation says you can do with it.

  1. Case 1

    Per the README: draft with the command line the way AutoCAD users do.

    Input

    line 0,0 @10,0 @0,5 c
circle 5,2 1
offset 0.25
zoom e

    What the docs say

    The README says these lines draw a closed triangle and a circle, offset the circle (you then pick it and a side) and zoom to the drawing's extents. This is the README's own walkthrough.

  2. Case 2

    Per the README: convert or render drawings without opening the app.

    Input

    cadcraft-cli convert drawing.dxf drawing.svg
cadcraft-cli convert drawing.dwg detail.png --window 0,0,20000,15000

    What the docs say

    The README says convert fits the model-space extents and --window shows exactly the given rectangle; PNG exports are 2400×1600. DWG goes through the acadrust library and, per the project's file-format notes, has not been tested on real third-party files.

  3. Case 3

    Per the README: let an AI agent draw and check a drawing over MCP.

    Input

    cadcraft-cli mcp
(or start the app with --control 7979 and run: cadcraft-cli mcp --connect 127.0.0.1:7979)

    What the docs say

    The README lists MCP tools to type at the prompt (command_line), run any command with JSON (execute), inspect the drawing, query entities and render a PNG, plus screenshot and ui_click when connected to the app. Nobody has measured how reliably agents draft with them.

  4. Case 4

    Per the README: plot a paper-space layout to PDF.

    Input

    A layout with a viewport set to a scale, sent to PDF with PLOT or EXPORTPDF.

    What the docs say

    The README lists paper-space layouts, viewports with scale and lock, page setups, PLOT and EXPORTPDF. The project's gap list says there are no system printers yet and binary .ctb, .stb and .pc3 files can't be read.

Where it falls short

What it does badly, with the evidence, and what we could not settle.

Weak

Weak

  • Early development: not ready to replace AutoCAD for production drawings

    Evidence: The README marks CADCraft as early development, and the roadmap calls it pre-alpha because four of AutoCAD's five core workflows fail the project's own alpha gate.

  • Saving can drop content

    Evidence: README: entities CADCraft doesn't model yet are not kept on save. The roadmap adds that a DWG saved by CADCraft has never been checked in AutoCAD.

  • No 3D

    Evidence: The gap list says there is no 3D yet: no UCS, 3D views, orbit, solids, surfaces, meshes, materials or rendering. The roadmap does 2D drafting first.

  • No printing to a system printer

    Evidence: The gap list says there are no system printers yet; plots go to PDF (PLOT, EXPORTPDF) or PNG.

  • SHX fonts are not read

    Evidence: README: SHX fonts, including big fonts such as chineset.shx, aren't read yet. Text in an SHX style is drawn with CADCraft's own stroke font, and characters it lacks, such as Chinese, come from an installed font.

  • Ellipse and spline geometry is approximated

    Evidence: The gap list says ellipse and spline geometry is tessellated for intersections, offsets and closest points, so coordinates can be subtly wrong, and polyline offsets ignore bulges.

  • No dynamic blocks; xrefs can't be clipped

    Evidence: The gap list names dynamic blocks and xref clipping (XCLIP) as missing, and editing an xref in place as unfinished.

  • The web build can't open DWG and has no autosave

    Evidence: The gap list says the web build has no DWG and no autosave, so browser users can lose unsaved work.

  • Opening a .dxf from the macOS Finder fails

    Evidence: Listed as a known platform gap (#158) in the project's gap list.

  • Not for drafters who must exchange DWG files with AutoCAD users or deliver production drawings today

    Evidence: Saving DWG still drops content CADCraft doesn't model, and the gap list says nobody has verified that a CADCraft DWG or DXF opens cleanly in AutoCAD.

Uncertain

Uncertain

  • How well real DWG files from AutoCAD open

    Why unsure: Nobody has measured it: the gap list says all of the project's file tests are synthetic, and we have not opened any files ourselves.

  • Speed with large drawings

    Why unsure: The file-format notes record a user report of a 10 MB DWG failing after about two minutes; limits now stop runaway conversions, but the project says the throughput problem remains, and we have timed nothing.

  • Stability on Windows and Linux

    Why unsure: The gap list says Windows and Linux get little runtime testing; we have no crash data for any platform.

License, formats and platforms

The facts, each with its source and the date we checked it.

SpecValueNote and source
Price0 USD

Free and open source

Source: github.comchecked

LicenseMIT or Apache-2.0

Dual-licensed, at your option

Source: github.comchecked

Written inRust

egui interface; no Electron and no web view

Source: github.comchecked

PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, web

Windows x64, arm64 and x86; macOS universal; Linux x86_64, aarch64 and riscv64; FreeBSD x86_64; a static web build

Source: github.comchecked

Drawing filesDXF, DWG

DXF R12 to 2018 (ASCII and binary); DWG R13 to 2018 through the acadrust library; content CADCraft doesn't model is dropped on save

Source: github.comchecked

ExportPDF, SVG, PNG

Source: github.comchecked

3D modellingNo

2D drafting only for now

Source: github.comchecked

Code signingWindows code-signed; macOS signed and notarized

Source: github.comchecked

Script and agent accessMCP server, JSON control channel, cadcraft-cli

Source: github.comchecked

Interface languagesEnglish and 12 others

Including Simplified Chinese (needs an installed CJK font), Korean and Arabic

Source: github.comchecked

Common questions

Answer first, then why, an example, the limits and what to do next.

Is CADCraft really free?

Yes, CADCraft is free and open source under the MIT or Apache-2.0 license, with no account and no subscription, according to the README.

Why

The ArtCraft team publishes the full source code on GitHub, so anyone may use, change and share it under either license.

Can CADCraft open and save DWG files?

Yes, CADCraft opens and saves DWG files through the open-source acadrust library, but saving is lossy for now.

Limits

The README says entities CADCraft doesn't model yet are not kept on save, and the roadmap says a DWG saved by CADCraft has never been checked in AutoCAD. The web build can't open DWG at all.

Next step

Keep the original DWG and save your edited copy under a new name, or work in DXF, which CADCraft reads and writes natively.

Can CADCraft do 3D modelling?

No, CADCraft is a 2D drafting app for now.

Why

The project's gap list says 3D (UCS, 3D views, orbit, solids, surfaces, meshes, materials and rendering) is not there yet, and the roadmap puts 2D drafting first and 3D later.

Is CADCraft safe to download?

The official CADCraft downloads are the files on the project's GitHub releases page, and the buttons on this page link straight to them. The README says the Windows installers and executables are code-signed and the macOS app and command-line tool are signed and notarized.

Why

Each release also lists a SHA256 checksum for every file in SHA256SUMS.txt, so you can check that a download is complete and unchanged.

Limits

Signing shows who built a file, not that the app is finished; CADCraft is early-development software, so keep backups of your drawings.

Does CADCraft run on Mac and Linux?

Yes, CADCraft runs natively on macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Linux and FreeBSD as well as Windows, and also in the browser.

Why

Linux builds come as AppImage, Flatpak, .deb, .rpm and tarball files for x86_64 and ARM64, and there are riscv64 builds too.

Limits

The gap list says Windows and Linux get little runtime testing, and that opening a .dxf from the macOS Finder fails.

How does CADCraft compare with AutoCAD?

CADCraft follows AutoCAD's 2D drafting workflow but is not a full replacement yet: the project's own roadmap calls it pre-alpha.

Why

The command line, object snaps, layers, dimensions, hatches, blocks, layouts and DXF and DWG files are there, per the README. Missing or partial, per the gap list: 3D, dynamic blocks, xref clipping, SHX fonts, system printers and lossless DWG saving.

Next step

Try it on copies of your drawings before you rely on it.

How to install CADCraft

Step by step for each system, plus the fixes the project documents for common problems.

Windows

  1. Click Download for Windows at the top of this page. You get the x64 installer, cadcraft-<version>-windows-x64.msi.
  2. Double-click the file and follow the installer. It adds CADCraft to the Start menu and asks whether to add a desktop shortcut too (unticked by default). The README says the installers and executables are code-signed.
  3. On an ARM PC (Snapdragon and other ARM chips) use cadcraft-<version>-windows-arm64.msi, and on 32-bit Windows use cadcraft-<version>-windows-x86.msi, both under Other downloads.
  4. To run CADCraft without installing it, download the portable zip (cadcraft-<version>-windows-x64-portable.zip), unzip it and start cadcraft.exe from that folder.
  5. For a silent install with the desktop shortcut, run msiexec /i cadcraft-<version>-windows-x64.msi /qn DESKTOPSHORTCUT=1.
  6. To update, download the new installer from this page and run it; the upgrade keeps your earlier desktop shortcut choice.
  7. To install several Craft apps at once, use ArtCraft Launcher.

If something goes wrong

The app flashes in Task Manager and quits before its window appears
The README explains that the app starts only DirectX 12 by default, because letting wgpu also create an OpenGL instance can crash some graphics drivers (AMD's atio6axx.dll). To try another backend, open PowerShell in the folder that holds the program and run $env:WGPU_BACKEND = "vulkan", then & .\cadcraft.exe. Run Remove-Item Env:WGPU_BACKEND afterwards to restore the default. Don't set it to gl: that can bring the driver crash back.
Windows Magnifier or a screen recorder loses the mouse pointer over the drawing
CADCraft hides the system cursor over the drawing and draws its own crosshair. Turn on View ▸ Accessibility ▸ Show System Cursor, or run setx CADCRAFT_SYSTEM_CURSOR 1 once and start CADCraft again.
You need a log file for a bug report
The app writes its log to %APPDATA%\CADCraft\logs\cadcraft.log. Each launch moves the previous log to cadcraft.1.log (and that one to cadcraft.2.log), so the log of a run that crashed survives the next start.

macOS

  1. Click Download for macOS at the top of this page. You get cadcraft-<version>-macos-universal.dmg, one app for both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
  2. Open the .dmg and drag CADCraft into the Applications folder.
  3. Start CADCraft from Applications. The README says the app is signed and notarized.
  4. For the command-line tool, download cadcraft-cli-<version>-macos-universal.zip under Other downloads; it is signed and notarized too.
  5. To install several Craft apps at once, use ArtCraft Launcher.

If something goes wrong

You need a log file for a bug report
The app writes its log to ~/Library/Application Support/CADCraft/logs/cadcraft.log. A start from the Dock has no terminal, so attach this file to the report; the previous two runs are kept as cadcraft.1.log and cadcraft.2.log.

Linux

  1. Click Download for Linux at the top of this page, or pick a format under Other downloads. Each comes for x86_64 (most PCs) and aarch64 (ARM64).
  2. AppImage (runs on any distribution, per the README): make it executable with chmod +x cadcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage, then run ./cadcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
  3. Debian or Ubuntu: sudo apt install ./cadcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.deb
  4. Fedora or RHEL: sudo dnf install ./cadcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.rpm (the README lists the .rpm for openSUSE too).
  5. Flatpak (sandboxed): flatpak install --user cadcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.flatpak
  6. Tarball: unpack cadcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.tar.gz anywhere and run CADCraft from there. RISC-V (riscv64) builds are cross-compiled and need glibc 2.39 or newer (Ubuntu 24.04+, Debian 13+).
  7. To update the AppImage, use AppImageUpdate; each release includes the .zsync files it reads.
  8. To install several Craft apps at once, use ArtCraft Launcher.

If something goes wrong

Chinese, Japanese or Korean text in a drawing is missing
Per the README, CADCraft doesn't read SHX fonts yet and draws characters a text's font lacks from an installed wide-coverage font such as Noto Sans CJK, Source Han Sans or WenQuanYi. Install one into /usr/share/fonts or ~/.local/share/fonts and restart CADCraft (font folders are scanned once). To choose the fonts, set FONTFALLBACK with SETVAR, or the CADCRAFT_FONTFALLBACK environment variable for every run.
You need a log file for a bug report
The app writes its log to ~/.config/cadcraft/logs/cadcraft.log (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cadcraft/logs/). A start from a desktop menu has no terminal, so attach this file; the previous two runs are kept as cadcraft.1.log and cadcraft.2.log.

FreeBSD

  1. Under Other downloads, get cadcraft-<version>-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz (x86_64 only).
  2. Unpack it with tar -xzf cadcraft-<version>-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz and start CADCraft from the unpacked files. The README gives no other FreeBSD install steps.
  3. To install several Craft apps at once, use ArtCraft Launcher.

Web

  1. Under Other downloads, get cadcraft-web-<version>.zip, a static site that runs in a modern browser.
  2. Unzip it and put the files on any static web server, then open its address in your browser.
  3. The web version can't open DWG files and has no autosave, so save your work often as DXF.

More about CADCraft

What works today

CADCraft follows the AutoCAD way of drafting: you type a command such as L for LINE, click or type points such as @5<45, and press Enter. The README lists the draw commands (LINE, PLINE, CIRCLE, ARC, RECTANG, POLYGON, ELLIPSE, SPLINE, TEXT, MTEXT), the modify commands (MOVE, COPY, ROTATE, OFFSET, TRIM, EXTEND, FILLET, ARRAY and more), object snaps, polar tracking, ortho, grips, layers, a Properties palette, every DIM* command, multileaders, tables, hatches, blocks with attributes, parametric constraints, paper-space layouts and PLOT to PDF. DXF is read and written natively, and DWG opens and saves through the open-source acadrust library. SVG and PNG export work too.

How it compares with AutoCAD

The project is open about how far it has to go. The README marks CADCraft as early development, and the roadmap calls it pre-alpha: four of AutoCAD's five core workflows fail the project's own alpha gate. The gap list names what is missing or partial, including 3D modelling, dynamic blocks, xref clipping, SHX fonts, system printers and lossless DWG saving. Anything CADCraft doesn't model is dropped when you save, and nobody has yet checked a CADCraft DWG in AutoCAD.

The roadmap also lists what CADCraft offers that AutoCAD doesn't: agent control over MCP, a scriptable CLI, a web build, Linux and FreeBSD builds, and a free licence.

Chinese text in drawings

CADCraft uses the TrueType and OpenType fonts installed on your computer and doesn't read SHX fonts yet, including big fonts such as chineset.shx. Text in an SHX style is drawn with CADCraft's own stroke font, and characters that font lacks, such as Chinese, come from an installed wide-coverage font such as Noto Sans CJK, Source Han Sans, WenQuanYi or PingFang. The FONTALT and FONTFALLBACK settings, or the CADCRAFT_FONTALT and CADCRAFT_FONTFALLBACK environment variables, choose which fonts it uses. The Simplified Chinese interface also needs an installed CJK font.

About the Craft Apps

CADCraft is one of the Crafting Apps from the ArtCraft team: free, open-source creative tools, each written from scratch in Rust and each able to stand on its own. The others include PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, FilmCraft, LightCraft, PdfCraft, EffectCraft and DesignCraft. The README describes CADCraft as a clean-room reimplementation; its icons, single-stroke drafting font, hatch patterns and linetypes are original work. Autodesk, AutoCAD and DWG are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and CADCraft is not affiliated with Autodesk.

Sources

Sources

  1. CADCraft README (github.com), accessed
  2. CADCraft releases on GitHub (github.com), accessed
  3. CADCraft license (Apache-2.0 file) (github.com), accessed
  4. CADCraft roadmap (github.com), accessed
  5. Where CADCraft falls short of AutoCAD (gap list) (github.com), accessed
  6. CADCraft file-format parity (github.com), accessed
  7. Releasing CADCraft (build and installer notes) (github.com), accessed

Changelog

Changelog

  1. Page created from the project's README and GitHub releases.

More open-source software

  • Word processor

    WordCraft

    Replaces Microsoft Word

    WordCraft is a free, open-source word processor from the ArtCraft team that rebuilds the Microsoft Word workflow from scratch in pure Rust. It opens and saves .docx files and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser.

    Latest version 0.12.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0

  • Vector graphics

    VectorCraft

    Replaces Adobe Illustrator

    VectorCraft is a free, open-source vector illustration app from the ArtCraft team that reimplements the Adobe Illustrator workflow from scratch in pure Rust. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD and in a web browser, and its README describes it as alpha software under active development.

    Latest version 0.18.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0

  • Audio editor

    SoundCraft

    Replaces Avid Pro Tools

    SoundCraft is a free, open-source digital audio workstation (DAW) from the ArtCraft team: a clean-room rewrite of Avid Pro Tools in pure Rust for recording, editing and mixing audio. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD, and in a web browser.

    Latest version 0.14.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0

  • Photo editor

    PhotoCraft

    Replaces Adobe Photoshop

    PhotoCraft is a free, open-source Photoshop clone from the ArtCraft team (storytold): a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop, written from scratch in pure Rust with help from Anthropic's AI model Claude Opus 5.5. It opens and saves layered PSD files and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser, but the project calls it early alpha.

    Latest version 0.17.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0

  • PDF reader and editor

    PdfCraft

    Replaces Adobe Acrobat

    PdfCraft is a free, open-source PDF app from the ArtCraft team (GitHub: storytold), a clean-room rebuild of Adobe Acrobat in Rust. It reads, searches, organizes, combines, splits and password-protects PDFs and handles comments and forms, with no account or telemetry, on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and the web. The project calls it alpha.

    Latest version 0.15.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0

  • Photo editing and organizing

    LightCraft

    Replaces Adobe Lightroom

    LightCraft is a free, open-source photo library and raw developer from the ArtCraft team (storytold), written in pure Rust as a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Lightroom. It organizes and edits photos non-destructively on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser; the project says it is still in alpha.

    Latest version 0.15.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0