Cadnat: natural language into plans

how it works

Tell it the job. Get the plans.

Type or dictate the request on your phone or at the desk. Your own PC drafts the set, and the PDF, the DXF and the 3D model come back to you. Files, not links.

The whole process in 30 seconds · demo project

On your Linux PC: model, generate, draft

Ask

Type or dictate the job. Fill in your title block once and add your logo; Cadnat remembers it.

Send privately

The request goes to your own PC over a private, encrypted link. No Cadnat server sits in the middle.

Draft on your PC

Cadnat picks the generator, fills in the parameters and drafts the set, with checks on every sheet.

Files back

A vector PDF set, a DXF you can keep working on, and a 3D model you can section, measure and walk.

generators

Whole sets from a sentence. Generated, not drawn.

Each generator turns a request into parameters, then drafts the full set: plans, sections, details, schedules and a textured 3D model, on real layers. Defaults are typical values; every parameter is editable.

Decks: joists, beams, posts, footings, stairs, guards
generate a deck as deck

Kitchens: cabinets, BOM, cut list
build a kitchen as kitchen

Roof trusses and heel details
GENERATE truss as truss

Section the graded deck
SECTIONBOX

Every cabinet, every layer
SECTIONBOX

Masonry: brick veneer and CMU
SECTIONBOX

Baths: tub-shower, vanity, tile, electricalsheet A-201

Wall envelope details: energy heel, double studsheet A-501

Foundations, floor framing by level, bedrooms by square footage, windows, doors, stairs, garages: one regenerable house set.

Cadnat drafts; it does not stamp. Plans need review by a licensed professional where your jurisdiction requires one. Check defaults against your local code.

the app

CAD that drafts the way a good drafter would.

A native Linux CAD and BIM app with the conventions you already know, plus generators and natural language on top. Real files on your own drive that load instantly.

A live section box

Drag a face and the cut follows. Caps are hatched by material, in any visual style.

SECTIONBOX

Cut it in 3D, draft it to a sheet

Place a section plane, cap it, and turn the cut into a 2D section drawing on a paper-space layout.

SECTIONPLANE · SECTION2D

Say what you want drawn

Classic commands and aliases (L, PL, C, TR, EX, F), snaps and tracking, and plain English on the same command line. Every step is listed; undo a whole turn in one click.

draw a circle at 60,72 with radius 18

Paper space done properly

Layouts and viewports at standard scales, per-viewport layer freeze, annotative text, your title block, vector PDF plots.

G-001 · A-101 · A-201 · A-301 → PDF

The Reticle

Your cursor, your way: aperture, crosshair, colours and size, saved as a share code you can send to anyone.

RETICLE

Bring your own model

Use the built-in Assistant on a local model, or let the assistant you already use drive Cadnat through cadnat-cli on the same PC. The status bar shows who is driving; one click disconnects.

cadnat-cli check --json

$ export CADNAT_CLIENT=my-assistant
$ cadnat-cli status
connected · drawing: deck.dxf · driver: my-assistant
$ cadnat-cli json '{"cmd":"tabs","op":"gen_panel","name":"deck",
    "set":{"deck.width":192,"deck.depth":144},"generate":true}'
generated deck.dxf · 6 sheets · 0 check hits
$ cadnat-cli plot S-101.pdf --layout S-101
S-101.pdf

themes

Beautiful in every theme. Live.

On Omarchy, Cadnat follows your desktop theme the moment you switch: menus, panels, snaps, the Reticle, the view cube, the status bar and the command line. Elsewhere it follows the system theme.

hackerman tokyo-night retro-82 catppuccin-latte lumon osaka-jade gruvbox kanagawa nord rose-pine everforest matte-black

real plans, your machine

Real plans. Not pretty pictures of them.

Cadnat drafts the drawings themselves, as a plan set that a builder, an inspector or another drafter can open in their CAD program and keep working on.

What Cadnat hands you

Sheets on paper-space layouts, viewports at standard scales
Layers, linetypes and lineweights that plot correctly
Associative dimensions in feet-inches with fractions, or metric
Your title block: firm, project, client, drawn by, date
DXF R2010 (R2000 option) and a vector PDF set; DWG via an optional converter
A 3D model page with section, measure, select and walk

What it is not

A rendering service
A cloud app that keeps your drawings on its servers
A viewer
A lock-in where your work only opens in Cadnat

Your drawings stay on your machine.

Prompt sharing is one checkbox: on by default for Community, off by default for Pro and Builder, and you can turn it off anytime.

When it is on, Cadnat sends the prompt text and what it produced (the result and its parameters), with addresses, coordinates and personal details scrubbed on your machine first. Drawings and plan files are never included. You can preview exactly what would be sent, and delete what you shared.

If you bring a hosted third-party AI model, your request text goes to that provider under its terms, together with a summary of the drawing (layer names, object counts, extents) and any geometry the Assistant looks up to answer. Free Parameter LLC is not responsible for third-party services. Exclusions apply; see Privacy. The desktop Assistant can run entirely on a local model.

Most contractor work runs completely offline: drafting, generators, plan sets and DXF/DWG export. AI requests to a hosted model, map and terrain lookups and the phone link need a connection.

who it's for

Built for the people who draw the work.

Small-firm architects and engineers

Full sets in hours, consistent sheets, no seat tax. Your standards, your title block.

Pro · Builder

Small mechanical studios

Clean parts and dimensioned drawings on your own machine, with STEP, IGES, DXF and PDF out.

Pro

Independent draftsmen

Let the generators do the repetitive part. You finish the drawing, and keep your files.

Pro

Homeowners

Plan your project in plain words, spin the 3D model, then take it to a pro for review.

Community · personal, non-commercial

pricing

Free to learn on. Pro when it pays the bills.

Community is $0 for learning and personal, non-commercial projects. Paid work runs on Pro or Builder, which also fund the phone app, the plan server, new generators and real support.

Community

$0 personal use

Non-commercial use only. Free Parameter LLC may deactivate accounts that use Community for paid or client work. See the Terms.

The Cadnat desktop app
2D drafting, paper-space layouts, dimensions, hatches, blocks, xrefs
3D solids, section planes, BIM-lite schedules
Natural-language command line and Assistant (works with a local model)
Generators: deck, bath, kitchen, tile
DXF, STEP, IGES, PDF, SVG; DWG via an optional converter
Community support

Linux download: coming soon

Apple app coming soon.

No card. Paid work needs Pro or Builder.

Pro most popular

$29 / month$290 / year

Everything in Community, for commercial work
Cadnat Plans Android app, built and paired for your PC
Plan server installer, setup guide and updates
3D model page with section, measure, select and walk
Section sheets from the phone (PDF + DXF)
House generator packs as they ship
1 plan server, up to 2 paired phones
Email support, 2 business-day response target

Get on the list

Checkout opens soon. Cancel any time.

Builder

$89 / month$890 / year

Everything in Pro
Up to 5 paired phones, each with its own revocable key
Your firm's title block, logo and layer standards set up
Sheet-check rules tuned to your office
One 60-minute onboarding call
Priority email support, 1 business-day response target
Early access to new generators

Get on the list

Checkout opens soon. Cancel any time.

download

Native Linux. Any distro.

The Linux build is coming soon. Sign up and we'll tell you the day it's out. Apple app coming soon.

AppImage

One file, runs on most distributions. Download, make it executable, open.

Coming soon

Flatpak

Sandboxed install with updates through your software center.

Coming soon

faq

Questions builders ask

Will the files open in my CAD program?

Cadnat writes standard DXF (R2010 by default, R2000 if you need it) with layers, blocks, dimensions, multileaders and paper-space layouts, and checks its output with an independent DXF reader. DWG is available through an optional converter. Everyone can open the vector PDF set.

Is it really free?

For learning and personal projects, yes. Community costs $0 and needs no card. It is licensed for non-commercial use only: if you're drawing for a client or getting paid for the work, that needs Pro ($29/mo) or Builder ($89/mo), and Free Parameter LLC may deactivate Community accounts used commercially (see the Terms). Cadnat is proprietary software from Free Parameter LLC; the generators are being released as open source.

Do my drawings go to the cloud?

No. Your drawings stay on your machine. Your PC drafts the set and sends it straight to your paired phone. The one thing that can come to us is prompt sharing: a checkbox that sends your prompt text and what Cadnat produced, with addresses, coordinates and personal details scrubbed on your machine first. It's on by default for Community, off by default for Pro and Builder, and you can turn it off anytime.

Does Cadnat work offline?

For most of the work, yes. Drafting, generators, plan sets and DXF/DWG export run on your own machine with no internet. AI requests to a hosted model, map and terrain lookups and the link to your phone need a connection.

Does an AI see my drawings?

The AI step runs on your PC, in a sandbox limited to the job folder. If you point it at a hosted model, your request text, the generated parameters, a summary of the drawing (layer names, object counts, extents) and any geometry the Assistant looks up go to that provider under its terms; the plan files are produced and delivered on your own machines. The desktop Assistant can run fully on a local model.

Are the plans code-approved or stamped?

No. Cadnat is drafting software. You, or the licensed professional you work with, stay responsible for structural design, code compliance and permits. Generator defaults are typical US residential values, IRC-based where a code limit applies; check them against your local code.

Which phones work?

Android 14 or newer. The app is built by your own PC and installed from that file. Apple app coming soon.

Mac or Windows?

Cadnat is Linux-first: a native app for Arch, Debian/Ubuntu and Fedora. There are no Mac or Windows builds today.

Draw up your next job on your own computer.

Learn it free on your own projects. Move to Pro when you take on paid work.

Get started See plans

Cadnat: natural language into plans.