Most AI 3D generators hand back a mesh. OwlCAD’s parametric mode returns a real node tree — a 30 mm plate with two M4 holes 20 mm apart, where 30 and 20 are still numbers you can change. Sculpted-mesh and text-to-CAD models are there too. Export print-ready STL, 3MF, or STEP. AI is part of OwlCAD Pro.
Most text-to-3D tools return a surface: a mesh you can admire and barely change. OwlCAD’s parametric mode returns the recipe — a 30 mm plate with two M4 holes 20 mm apart, where 30 and 20 are still live numbers. Change one and the part rebuilds. Sculpted-mesh and precise text-to-CAD models are a click away when the shape calls for them.
AI generation is part of OwlCAD Pro · The editor itself is free
Text-to-3D is good at a starting point and bad at parts that have to fit, because a mesh has no dimensions left in it. Parametric generation returns primitives, booleans, and transforms as ordinary OwlCAD nodes — the same ones you would have built by hand, with every number still editable.
Type a prompt — “a 30 mm bracket with two M4 holes 20 mm apart” — or start from an image. Parametric is the mode for parts that have to fit; sculpted mesh is there for shapes that only have to look right.
The result lands as ordinary parametric nodes. Click one and the property panel shows real numbers — change 20 mm to 26 mm and the part rebuilds around it. Nothing is baked.
Fillet edges, hollow it, combine it with other shapes, and undo any of it: generation is a step in your parametric history, not a file you received. Or describe the change and let AI apply it as ordinary, undoable edits.
Run the print check, then export print-ready STL or 3MF for any slicer. A parametric result is made of real solids, so it exports as solid STEP for other CAD tools too.
Open the editor free, then add Pro when you want AI generation.
A model with live dimensions, not a finished surface. Describe a part in plain text and OwlCAD’s parametric mode returns a real node tree — primitives, booleans, and transforms you can re-dimension, exactly like the ones you would have built by hand. Sculpted-mesh and precise text-to-CAD models are there too for organic or exacting shapes, and all of them open directly in the editor.
A mesh is a fixed surface — thousands of triangles with no dimensions left in them, so “make that hole 6 mm” means sculpting it back by hand. A parametric result keeps the recipe: a 30 mm plate with two M4 holes 20 mm apart stays a 30 and a 20 you can type over, and the part rebuilds around the new value. Parametric is the mode for parts that have to fit; mesh generation is what you reach for when the shape only has to look right.
Several, matched to the job: fast parametric models that return an editable node tree for mechanical parts, detailed mesh models for organic and decorative shapes, and a precise text-to-CAD model for exact geometry. You pick the model per generation, and the credit cost scales with it — the parametric runs that give you the most editable result are also the cheapest ones.
Yes — and not just by pushing vertices around. A parametric result arrives as ordinary editor nodes: select one and the property panel shows its real dimensions, so changing 20 mm to 26 mm rebuilds the part. The generation lands in your parametric history like any other step, so it undoes, redoes, and re-edits the same way. A sculpted mesh opens in the same full editor, where you can cut, combine, measure, and repair it.
Yes. Beyond generating from scratch, OwlCAD’s Modify with AI lets you select part of an existing model and describe a change — “make the walls 3 mm and add a lid” — and it applies as ordinary, fully undoable edits, not a regenerated blob.
The editor, import, and export are free. AI generation is part of OwlCAD Pro, which includes a monthly allotment of AI credits; free accounts can still model and export by hand, and credit top-up packs are available when you need more. Pro also lets you bring your own provider API key — generation then runs on your own account with that provider and costs no OwlCAD credits at all.
Yes. Run the print check to confirm the model is watertight and fits your printer, then export print-ready STL or 3MF for any slicer. A parametric result is built from real solids, so it also exports as solid STEP for other CAD tools.