Visual, node-based modelling for SolidCraft — wire sliders, curves and solids together like in Grasshopper, see the result live, and drop it into your open SolidCraft design with one click.
- Node editor with live preview. Drag a slider, the geometry updates in ~0.1–0.3 s. Only the nodes downstream of a change are recomputed.
- Sends to SolidCraft. Results go into the open SolidCraft design as a component: solids as STEP, meshes as STL, flat curves as a sketch. Live mode replaces the preview a second after each change; Bake keeps a copy.
- Picks from SolidCraft. Select bodies, faces, edges or sketch curves in SolidCraft and pull them into the graph — optionally linked, so editing the part in SolidCraft re-runs your graph.
- Data trees like Grasshopper: graft, flatten, simplify, flip, branch-wise matching.
- 87 nodes, including
- laser cutting: finger-jointed box, living hinge, kerf compensation, nesting, slotted/waffle structures, mm-exact SVG (red = cut, blue = engrave),
- 3D printing: print check (overhangs shown red), place on bed, clearance pairs, lattice infill, gyroid, threads, embossed text, multi-colour split,
- all Platonic and Archimedean solids, pyramids, antiprisms,
- curves, solids, booleans, transforms, Voronoi, expressions.
- Exact NURBS geometry (OpenCASCADE), not meshes.
Left: the vase example in SolidNode. Right: the same vase after An SolidCraft senden — a regular solid body in SolidCraft.
| Laser box: flat, kerf-compensated, nested on two sheets | 3D print part: honeycomb infill, embossed text, overhangs in red |
|---|---|
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| Sent into SolidCraft | All 22 polyhedra | Pick geometry from SolidCraft |
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Status: early (0.1). Developed and tested on macOS (Apple Silicon) with SolidCraft 0.29. Linux and Windows should work but are untested — reports welcome. The app's labels are currently German; the glossary below and the node reference give the English names.
You need Python 3.10+ and about 1 GB of disk for the dependencies (Qt, OpenCASCADE). The easiest way is uv, which handles Python for you.
1. Install uv (once):
# macOS / Linux
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh# Windows (PowerShell)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"2. Install SolidNode:
uv tool install --python 3.12 git+https://github.com/malandereideen/solidnode3. Check everything:
solidnode doctor4. Start:
solidnodeUpdates: at start SolidNode checks GitHub. If there is a newer version, an orange Update auf x.y.z button appears in the toolbar — one click installs it and offers to restart (your open graph comes along). From the terminal: solidnode update. Set SOLIDNODE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 to switch the check off. (Versions before 0.1.2 have no button yet: run the install command from step 2 again with --force.)
Remove with uv tool uninstall solidnode.
Without uv (pip / pipx)
pipx install git+https://github.com/malandereideen/solidnode
# or, in a virtual environment:
python -m pip install git+https://github.com/malandereideen/solidnodeSolidNode talks to the running SolidCraft app through solidcraft-cli, which ships with SolidCraft. SolidCraft has to be started with its control port open:
- In SolidNode, click SolidCraft starten (shown while SolidCraft isn't reachable), or
- macOS:
open -n -a SolidCraft --args --control 7878 - Windows / Linux: start the SolidCraft executable with
--control 7878
The dot next to SolidCraft in the toolbar turns green when it's reachable. solidnode doctor tells you what is missing.
If solidcraft-cli isn't found automatically, point to it:
export SOLIDNODE_SOLIDCRAFT_CLI=/path/to/solidcraft-cli
export SOLIDNODE_SOLIDCRAFT_PORT=7878 # if you use another portMore detail: docs/solidcraft.md.
- Beispiele (Examples) → laser box. The preview shows the flat parts.
- Drag the Breite (width) or Zinke (finger width) slider.
- Set Ziel (target) to SolidCraft (or leave Automatisch).
- An SolidCraft senden — the parts appear in your design as component Nodes Vorschau. Tick live in SolidCraft to keep it updated.
- Bake puts a permanent copy into the design.
Build your own: hover a tile in the palette on the left to see what the node makes, click it (or drag it into the canvas), connect outputs to inputs, type values into the small fields next to inputs. Tab in the canvas searches nodes. Red node = error, yellow = missing input — hover for the message.
Add Geometrie holen (Parameter group), select something in SolidCraft, click Auswahl übernehmen. Bodies, faces, edges and sketch lines/arcs/circles are supported. A copy is saved in the graph; tick verknüpft (linked) to re-read it whenever the SolidCraft design changes.
Each wire carries a tree: branches like {0;3}, each holding a list. A node runs branch by branch (the longest list of branches wins) and item by item; list inputs (e.g. Loft profiles) get the whole branch. A node that returns a list per item creates sub-branches {path;i}. Use Aufpfropfen (graft), Glätten (flatten), Vereinfachen (simplify) and Matrix tauschen (flip) to reshape. The vase_baum example builds a vase from seven grafted rings.
| German (in the app) | English |
|---|---|
| Ziel: Automatisch / Nur Vorschau | Target: auto / preview only |
| An SolidCraft senden | Send to SolidCraft |
| live in SolidCraft | Live sync |
| Vorschau dort entfernen | Remove preview from SolidCraft |
| SolidCraft starten | Start SolidCraft (with control port) |
| Neu / Öffnen… / Speichern… | New / Open / Save |
| Bake | Bake (permanent copy into the CAD) |
| Alles zeigen | Zoom to all |
| Beispiele | Examples |
| Vorschau | Toggle preview |
| Suchen … | Search nodes |
| Auswahl übernehmen / verknüpft | Take selection / linked |
| Eingang fehlt | Input missing |
All node names in English: docs/nodes.md.
SolidNode can also drive Serpentine3D, an open-source NURBS modeller (it also provides SolidNode's geometry kernel). With the plugin installed, the preview appears live in Serpentine3D's viewport, Bake adds objects there, and Geometrie holen picks Serpentine3D objects. The plugin has to be installed with Serpentine3D's Python:
/path/to/Serpentine3D/.venv/bin/pip install git+https://github.com/malandereideen/solidnode
/path/to/Serpentine3D/.venv/bin/solidnode install-serpentine-pluginRestart Serpentine3D → menu Plugins ▸ SolidNode gives you the editor inside Serpentine3D as well.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| SolidCraft dot stays grey | SolidCraft wasn't started with --control 7878. Quit it and use SolidCraft starten. |
solidcraft-cli not found |
Set SOLIDNODE_SOLIDCRAFT_CLI (see above); solidnode doctor shows the path it tries. |
| Sending is slow | Large STEP files (e.g. gyroids, many holes) take a second or two; the window waits meanwhile. Use live only for light graphs. |
| Print check says DÜNN (thin) on text | Its wall measurement reads ~0 at sharp corners such as letter tips — check the part, not the number. |
| A node is red | Hover it: the tooltip has the error. |
Short version: the graph is computed in Python with OpenCASCADE (through Serpentine3D's geometry module); SolidCraft is driven over its MCP interface (solidcraft-cli mcp --connect), exchanging STEP/STL/SVG files through ~/.solidnode/transfer. Details: docs/architecture.md.
Run the tests:
git clone https://github.com/malandereideen/solidnode && cd solidnode
uv venv && uv pip install -e ".[test]"
QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen .venv/bin/pytestSolidNode is MIT-licensed (see LICENSE). It builds on
- Serpentine3D (MIT) — geometry helpers, file export, viewport,
- NodeGraphQt (MIT) — node canvas,
- OpenCASCADE via cadquery-ocp (LGPL-2.1) and PySide6 / Qt (LGPL-3.0).
Not affiliated with SolidCraft or Serpentine3D. Grasshopper is a trademark of Robert McNeel & Associates; SolidNode is an independent project inspired by it.