A new open-source project published on GitHub on 11 October 2026 offers a computer-aided design and drafting application that aims to reproduce the workflow of AutoCAD, the long-established commercial drafting software from Autodesk. The project, called CADCraft, is written entirely in Rust, released under the permissive MIT or Apache-2.0 licences, and maintained by the ArtCraft team. According to the project's GitHub repository, the application runs natively on macOS, Windows, Linux and FreeBSD, and it can also run in a web browser through WebAssembly.
A familiar workflow built from scratch
CADCraft describes itself as a clean-room reimplementation, meaning its code is written independently rather than derived from Autodesk's software. The goal is to feel familiar to anyone who has spent years at a drafting desk. The repository lists a command line with prompts, AutoComplete, object snaps, polar tracking, ortho mode, direct distance entry, grips and right-click repetition of commands.
Drafting habits carry over directly. A user can type L, click two points, enter a relative polar coordinate such as @5<45 and press Enter to draw a line at a set length and angle. Layers, dimensions, hatches and blocks are also supported, along with window and crossing selection.
Working with existing drawing files
File compatibility is a central part of the pitch. According to the repository, CADCraft reads and writes DXF files natively, in both ASCII and binary form, covering versions from R12 through 2018. DWG files from R13 through 2018 can be opened and saved through the open-source acadrust library. Drawings can also be exported to SVG and PNG.
The repository includes an example apartment plan built entirely from CADCraft commands. It combines walls with pick-point hatching, TrueType MTEXT room labels, a table, a multileader and architectural dimensions, which gives prospective users a concrete sense of what the software can already produce.
Built for automation and AI agents
One of the more unusual features is the emphasis on automation. Every menu item, tool and prompt in CADCraft is a command, and the repository says software agents can type at the command line in the same way a person does. Agents can also call any command using JSON, inspect a drawing to check their work and render it as an image.
These capabilities are available through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a JSON control channel in the desktop app, or the command-line interface. The project's documentation describes MCP tools such as command_line, execute, inspect_drawing, query_entities and render, which returns a PNG. This design could appeal to developers who want to script drawing tasks or connect CAD work to AI systems.
Platform requirements and current limits
The project describes itself as being in early, fast development, and its README is candid about gaps. Desktop and web builds require Rust 1.95 or later, while the core workspace's declared minimum remains Rust 1.90. Users who want to build the web version are told to run a Trunk-based serve command from the web application folder.
Several areas are still incomplete or handled differently from established commercial tools:
- Text in SHX fonts is drawn with CADCraft's own stroke font, because SHX files are not yet read.
- The project has no bundled fonts in its repository and instead uses fonts installed on the user's system.
- Right-to-left scripts such as Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Hebrew are supported through the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm and OpenType shaping, though some formatting changes inside a word can break letter joining.
- On Windows, the desktop app initialises DirectX 12 by default, and the repository notes that forcing an OpenGL instance can crash some graphics drivers.
The repository points readers to ROADMAP.md for measured feature parity and to docs/gaps.md for a list of missing functions, which is a useful signal for anyone deciding whether the tool suits a professional workflow today.
Why an open-source alternative matters
Commercial CAD software is expensive and often tied to subscriptions, which can put it out of reach for students, hobbyists, small studios and independent makers. CADCraft is offered free, with no account and no subscription, according to the project page. That positioning places it in a growing category of open-source creative tools, where communities can inspect the code, report bugs and suggest features.
The project is also explicit about its relationship with Autodesk. The repository states that CADCraft is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Autodesk, Inc. The names AutoCAD and DWG are used only to describe the workflows and file formats the software is designed to work with. The ArtCraft team invites users to share feedback through its Discord community.
For now, CADCraft is best viewed as a promising early-stage project rather than a replacement for mature commercial software. Its progress will be easiest to judge by following its published roadmap and the gaps list over the coming months, and by watching how far its compatibility with existing DXF and DWG files extends in real professional use.
Related: ArtCraft Launcher Aims to Be One Home for the Craft App Suite · GridCraft: Open-Source Excel-Style Spreadsheet Built in Rust
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