text-to-cad cover with blue lettering and a planetary gear CAD assembly.
Project screenshotsAbout this Skill
Write SDF XML directly for models or worlds, using an explicit design ledger for poses, axes, resources and units. Validate the saved document, run Gazebo checks when available, and verify target-specific sensors and plugins. SDF here means SDFormat.
Why we picked it
Useful when a robot or world must load in a specific simulator: the workflow separates file validation, viewer review and simulator startup.
What it helps with
- Create or repair a Gazebo model/world with traceable frames and resource references.
How to use this Skill
Choose the target simulator
Record the simulator version, document kind, resource paths and frame conventions.
Author explicit frames
Write XML with deliberate relative_to and expressed_in references, computed inertials and SI units.
Validate and load
Run cadgen sdf validate; run gz sdf --check and simulator startup when available, reporting each skipped check.
Try a first task
Send a concrete brief
Provide the real input files and replace example dimensions or machine details with your own.
Review this SDF model for Gazebo. Check explicit pose frames, mesh paths, inertials and sensor configuration, validate it, and report which simulator checks actually ran.
Install the shared library
Use the official text-to-cad plugin for your agent, or install the complete Skill folders with the Skills CLI below. Choose one route in each app, then restart it. The plugin includes a CAD server; Skills-only installations use a browser viewer. Keep the bundled references and scripts with each entrypoint.
| Command | What it helps with |
|---|---|
npx skills add earthtojake/text-to-cad#latest | Install the released Skill library; the CLI asks which agents and installation scope to use. |
Scope and limits
A viewer renders geometry without executing simulator plugins or proving dynamics; validate those in the target simulator.
Before you use it
- Needs uv and the pinned cadgen runtime. Target Gazebo/libsdformat, simulator plugins and mesh resources are needed for their respective runtime checks.
Supported agents
Frequently asked questions
Do I install this as a separate product?
This is one task in the shared text-to-cad library. Use the official plugin or the complete Skill installation, then select this workflow for the task.
Is the Skill free?
The upstream code is MIT-licensed. Your agent provider, hardware, materials and any fabrication service can have separate costs.
Sources & references
Original sources are linked below. Practical starting points are editorial suggestions from SkillHey.
