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Choose SolidCraft in the browser when you need to start immediately on a managed, shared, or temporary computer. Choose the desktop app when your design is a long-lived project that needs local .solidcraft files, FreeCAD or Rhino imports, built-in agent chat, or a dependable local archive. Both versions share SolidCraft’s core parametric modeling workflow, but the software is still early and does not yet replace a drawing-, CAM-, or simulation-focused professional CAD system.
The short answer
SolidCraft gives you the same basic parametric modeling idea in several forms: sketch a profile, constrain and dimension it, turn it into a solid with timeline features, then change parameters and rebuild the model. The desktop and browser applications expose that core workflow, but they differ substantially in how you install them, where files live, which integrations are available, and how confidently you can preserve a project for years.
The browser edition is the low-friction option. It starts without an installer or an account, which makes it practical on a classroom computer, a managed work laptop, or a machine on which you cannot install software. Its trade-off is ownership: designs remain in private storage belonging to that browser profile. You must deliberately download an editable copy before clearing browser data or moving to another computer.
The desktop edition is the safer default for continuing work. It writes .solidcraft files to your local filesystem, can import FreeCAD .FCStd and Rhino .3dm files, and is the route identified for built-in agent chat. Desktop builds are documented for Windows, Linux, and macOS. If you expect to automate modeling, preserve an archive, or move data between established CAD tools, use desktop unless the browser’s convenience is your overriding requirement.
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What SolidCraft is
SolidCraft is an open-source, parametric 3D CAD application written in pure Rust. “Parametric” means the model is driven by editable dimensions, constraints, and feature history rather than being only a static mesh. A useful change to a sketch dimension can therefore rebuild later features instead of forcing you to remodel the part manually.
The project exposes the same modeling engine through a desktop application, a browser application, a headless command-line mode, and an MCP-connected mode. The toolbar and dialog operations are backed by engine commands, which is important for repeatable scripts and agent-assisted modeling. The browser is not a separate simplified modeling language; it shares the core command surface used for ordinary modeling.
SolidCraft’s introduction describes the project plainly: “SolidCraft is early.” The documented working areas include sketching, solid modeling, parameters, components with joints, sheet metal, and a subset for plastic enclosures. Surfaces, drawings, CAM, and simulation are deferred. That boundary should shape your choice more than the installation method does.
Desktop and browser compared
| Decision point | Desktop app | Browser app |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Requires an installer or a desktop build. | Starts without an installation. |
| Account | Not stated as a requirement in the download guidance. | No account is required to start. |
| File ownership | Projects are saved as local .solidcraft files in the filesystem. |
Projects are kept in private browser storage. |
| Moving a project | Copy the local file using your normal filesystem or backup process. | Download an editable copy before clearing browser data or changing machines. |
| FreeCAD import | Supported for .FCStd files according to the download guidance. |
Not stated as supported; the guidance identifies these imports as desktop-only. |
| Rhino import | Supported for .3dm files according to the download guidance. |
Not stated as supported; the guidance identifies these imports as desktop-only. |
| Built-in agent chat | Identified as desktop-only in the download guidance. | Not stated as available. |
| Offline use | Runs locally as a desktop application. | Can work from its cached copy after the first visit. |
| Core parametric tools | Sketching, constraints, dimensions, solids, timeline features, parameters, components with joints, sheet metal, and the documented enclosure subset. | Uses the same core modeling command surface; the project-wide feature limits still apply. |
| Supported desktop operating systems | Windows, Linux, and macOS are documented. | Depends on a compatible browser runtime. |
| Graphics runtime | Not stated as a single required API in the cited guidance. | WebGPU or WebGL2 is required by the browser runtime. |
| Automation | Desktop MCP is the reference implementation today; headless CLI and local bridges are available as part of the project’s modes. | Shares the core command surface, but the reference MCP implementation is desktop. |
| 3D navigation devices | Desktop-specific support details are not stated in the cited browser guide. | The guide documents 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse and SpaceNavigator input through the Gamepad API. |
When the browser version is the better fit
You are on a managed or shared computer
Many work, school, and library computers restrict installers or erase local applications between sessions. The browser edition avoids that barrier. Open the app, work in the existing browser profile, and you can begin without an account setup. This is also useful for a short evaluation when you do not yet know whether SolidCraft fits your modeling needs.
You need a quick model, not a permanent workspace
A bracket concept, enclosure layout, jig idea, or printable mechanical part can be started immediately in a browser. The lack of installation is especially valuable when the task is occasional or when you are comparing workflows on several machines. The important condition is that you treat browser storage as a workspace, not as your only backup.
You can use a compatible graphics runtime
The web application runs through WebGPU or WebGL2. If the app does not render, orbit, or create a usable viewport, check whether the browser and graphics configuration provide one of those APIs before diagnosing the model itself. The documentation does not establish a universal browser, driver, or hardware list, so compatibility must be checked on the specific machine.
You want browser-based offline access after setup
SolidCraft’s guide says the web app can work offline from its cached copy after the first visit. That does not mean the first visit can happen without a connection. Load the application successfully while online, then test the same browser profile before relying on it for travel or a disconnected classroom. Keep an exported project as a separate safeguard.
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When the desktop app is the better fit
You need durable local files
Desktop projects are ordinary local .solidcraft files. You can place them in an existing backup system, copy them to project storage, and retain named versions with your normal filesystem tools. This is a materially different risk profile from private browser storage, especially for a design that will be edited over weeks or handed to another person.
You are bringing work from another CAD system
The download guidance documents desktop imports for FreeCAD .FCStd and Rhino .3dm. If importing an existing model is part of the job, start with the desktop build rather than assuming the browser can open the same files. The browser-versus-desktop documentation does not establish those importers as web features.
You want built-in agent chat
Built-in agent chat is identified as desktop-only. That makes desktop the practical choice when you want assistance inside the application rather than a separate conversation that you translate into modeling actions yourself. Availability can change as the project develops, so check the current desktop download guidance for the build you install.
You are building a local automation workflow
SolidCraft exposes its engine through MCP. The MCP guide explains that an agent models with the same engine commands used by the toolbar and dialogs. Desktop MCP is the reference implementation today, which makes the desktop route the least ambiguous starting point for a local CLI, an agent bridge, or repeatable scripted parts. The browser still shares the core command surface for ordinary modeling, but the documentation does not position it as the reference MCP host.
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The browser edition keeps designs in browser-private storage. That means the files are associated with the browser profile and its stored application data rather than appearing automatically in your operating system’s Documents folder. A design can therefore seem to “disappear” when you switch browsers, use a different profile, run a privacy cleanup, or move to another computer.
Use this sequence for any browser project that matters:
- Open SolidCraft in the browser while online. Confirm that the viewport works with WebGPU or WebGL2 and create or open the design.
- Model and save during the session. Keep the work in the same browser profile; private storage is not a shared team folder.
- Download an editable copy before changing machines. Do this before clearing site data, resetting the browser, switching profiles, or handing the computer back to an administrator.
- Verify the downloaded copy. Store it where your normal backup process can protect it. A download that was never checked is not a reliable archive.
- For offline work, test the cached app first. After the initial online visit, disconnect briefly and confirm that the app opens and the project remains available in that browser profile.
The documentation establishes the storage behavior and the offline cache, but it does not promise synchronization between browsers or machines. Do not infer cloud backup, automatic version history, or team sharing from the fact that the app runs on the web.
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How to set up the desktop workflow
- Select the build for your operating system. Desktop documentation covers Windows, Linux, and macOS. Use the project’s current installer or build instructions for the machine you actually administer.
- Open or create a project and save a
.solidcraftfile. Put the file in a location included in your normal backup routine rather than leaving it in a temporary downloads folder. - Import only through the documented desktop route. When starting from FreeCAD, use an
.FCStdfile; when starting from Rhino, use a.3dmfile. The cited guidance does not establish equivalent browser import support. - Enable the desktop-only features you need. If built-in agent chat or desktop MCP is part of the workflow, confirm that the installed build includes the relevant component and follow the current desktop guide.
- Keep source files and converted projects together. An imported model may need its original file for future edits or verification. SolidCraft’s documentation identifies the supported formats, not a guarantee that every feature from another CAD system will transfer identically.
Feature limits that affect professional use
Both editions inherit the same project maturity. SolidCraft can be a sensible tool for mechanical concepts and relatively contained parts: brackets, jigs, printable components, simple assemblies with joints, sheet-metal work covered by the current implementation, and some plastic-enclosure designs.
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- Surfaces: the introduction lists surface modeling as deferred, so surface-led industrial design is outside the documented scope.
- Drawings: production drawing creation is deferred. A solid model alone does not provide the released drawing package many manufacturing processes require.
- CAM: computer-aided manufacturing is deferred, so the documentation does not support treating SolidCraft as a machining-programming system.
- Simulation: simulation is deferred, which rules out using the current project as the documented analysis environment for structural or physical validation.
“Open source” and “written in Rust” describe how the project is built and distributed; they do not remove these capability boundaries. Select the application according to the deliverables you must produce, not according to its installation convenience.
Automation and MCP: what changes between editions
MCP gives an external agent a structured way to operate SolidCraft’s modeling engine. According to the MCP guide, the agent uses the same engine commands exposed by the normal toolbar and dialogs. That shared command model is valuable because a scripted operation and a manual operation are addressing the same underlying modeling system rather than two unrelated APIs.
The desktop MCP implementation is the reference implementation today. For a team that needs repeatable generated parts, a local command-line process, or an AI-assisted modeling bridge, desktop provides the documented path. It also keeps the resulting files on the local filesystem, where a script or build process can manage them.
The browser and desktop applications share the core command surface, so browser modeling is not blocked by a different conceptual API. However, the materials do not establish the browser as an equivalent MCP host, nor do they promise that a browser-private project can be consumed by a local automation pipeline without first exporting it. Treat browser automation as a capability to verify in the current release, not as an assumption based solely on feature parity in the viewport.
Navigation hardware: SpaceMouse and SpaceNavigator
If orbiting and panning with a standard mouse slows you down, an optional 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse or SpaceNavigator 3D mouse may help. SolidCraft’s hardware guide documents browser support through the Gamepad API. That is useful for a browser-first workflow, but compatibility depends on the reader’s specific browser, operating system, device, and permissions. Check that combination before buying or deploying hardware; the documentation does not promise that every model or browser exposes identical controls.
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This is an input choice, not a feature expansion. A 3D mouse does not add deferred drawing, CAM, simulation, or surface tools, and it does not change where browser projects are stored.
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“I cannot find my browser project in my files.”
That is expected for browser-private storage. Reopen the same browser profile and application, then download an editable copy. If the browser data was cleared or the profile was replaced, the documentation does not promise recovery through another machine or browser.
“The browser app is blank or the viewport does not work.”
Check WebGPU or WebGL2 support on that browser and machine. A graphics API problem is separate from SolidCraft’s parametric model. If the environment cannot provide either documented runtime, use a supported configuration or the desktop build.
“I need to import an FCStd or 3dm file in the browser.”
The download guidance identifies FreeCAD and Rhino import as desktop support. Move that part of the workflow to desktop, then save the resulting SolidCraft project as a local .solidcraft file.
“Offline mode does not start.”
The web app’s offline behavior depends on its cached copy after the first visit. Reconnect, load the app successfully once, and test the same browser profile before disconnecting again. Do not clear the browser’s stored application data between setup and offline use.
“The model needs drawings, CAM, or simulation.”
Those areas are documented as deferred. Switching from browser to desktop will not unlock them; choose an additional or different CAD system that supplies the required deliverables.
A practical decision framework
Answer these questions in order:
- Will the project outlive this computer session? If yes, favor desktop local files or download browser copies at every meaningful milestone.
- Do you need FreeCAD or Rhino import, built-in agent chat, or desktop MCP? If yes, choose desktop because those are the documented desktop paths.
- Are you blocked from installing software? If yes, use the browser, provided the machine supplies WebGPU or WebGL2 and you protect the project with downloads.
- Must the final deliverable include surfaces, drawings, CAM, or simulation? If yes, SolidCraft alone is not the documented fit in either edition.
- Do you need a local archive and automation? If yes, desktop is the clearer foundation because it combines local
.solidcraftfiles with the reference MCP implementation.
This framework deliberately separates access from capability. The browser solves installation and short-term access; it does not change SolidCraft’s project-wide feature limits. Desktop solves local ownership and integrations; it does not make deferred professional modules available.
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Bottom line for different readers
Student or occasional maker
Start in the browser if installation is inconvenient. Download the editable project before leaving the computer, and keep the downloaded copy with your other coursework or build files.
Independent designer with ongoing projects
Use desktop for the primary archive. Browser access remains useful for a quick concept or a machine where installation is unavailable, but local .solidcraft files reduce the chance that a browser-profile change becomes a data-loss event.
Team using FreeCAD or Rhino data
Use desktop as the intake point because the documented importers are desktop-only. Establish a file-naming and backup routine before converting a large library.
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Use desktop first because desktop MCP is the reference implementation and built-in agent chat is identified there. Validate the exact current build before standardizing a production pipeline.
Manufacturing or engineering organization
Treat SolidCraft as an early parametric solid-modeling component, not as a complete professional CAD replacement. If your release process depends on drawings, CAM, or simulation, plan for tools that provide those deferred functions.
SolidCraft’s capabilities can change quickly. The distinctions above reflect the project documentation available on October 18, 2026; recheck the current download, introduction, and MCP guidance before committing a team workflow.
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