# Oscar for FreeCAD is out: free, open-source AI in FreeCAD

Oscar for FreeCAD 0.2.1 is out: an open-source workbench that builds parts in FreeCAD as native, parametric features. Run it free with a local model.

- Published: 2026-11-02
- Author: OriginShape (https://originshape.design/about)
- Section: News
- Topics: Oscar for FreeCAD, FreeCAD, AI in FreeCAD, Open source, Local AI, Reverse engineering
- Web page: https://originshape.design/blog/oscar-for-freecad

![Oscar for FreeCAD: free, open-source AI in FreeCAD, above a screenshot of Oscar building a bearing block as native FreeCAD features.](https://originshape.design/images/blog/oscar-for-freecad.png)

_FIG. 1: Oscar for FreeCAD builds a bearing block as native FreeCAD features, with each parameter in one spreadsheet._

## In short

- Oscar for FreeCAD 0.2.1, the first public release, came out on 28 October 2026. It works in FreeCAD 1.1 or newer.
- It’s open source under the Apache-2.0 licence and free to download. With a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, it’s free to run and nothing leaves your computer.
- Oscar builds parts as native FreeCAD features, with every dimension in one parameter spreadsheet that drives the model.
- For reverse engineering, rebuild a 3D scan in Oscar in your browser and open it in FreeCAD, or build the part in FreeCAD from a drawing, a photo or your measurements.
- Install it from FreeCAD’s Addon Manager as a custom repository, or from the release ZIP.

## What we released

Oscar for FreeCAD is out. Version 0.2.1, the first public release, came out on 28 October 2026. It’s a workbench for [FreeCAD](https://freecad.org) 1.1 or newer that puts Oscar, our AI copilot for reverse engineering, inside FreeCAD. Oscar builds parts as native FreeCAD features while you watch, and you can pause, steer or rewind it at any step.

It’s open source under the Apache-2.0 licence, free to download, and free to run with an AI model on your own computer. [Download it](https://app.originshape.design/download), or read the [source code on GitHub](https://github.com/Originshape/Oscar-Freecad).

_FIG. 1: Oscar for FreeCAD builds a bearing block as native features: FreeCAD’s feature tree on the left, Oscar’s panel on the right with each feature and the parameters that drive it. Screenshot in FreeCAD (freecad.org)._

## Reverse engineering in FreeCAD, with Oscar

FreeCAD can already open a mesh and turn it into a shape. That gives you the scanned surface with a face for every triangle and nothing to edit, the trap we wrote about in [Scan to CAD, explained](https://originshape.design/blog/scan-to-cad-explained). Oscar gets you to a parametric model instead, in three ways:

1. **From a 3D scan.** Upload the scan to [Oscar in your browser](https://originshape.design/products#browser). It finds the datums, rebuilds the part as features with named dimensions, and checks it against the scan. Then send the model to FreeCAD, where Oscar for FreeCAD builds the feature tree natively.
2. **From a drawing, a photo or your measurements.** Attach a photo of the part or an image of its old drawing (read by models that accept images), a DXF or SVG drawing, or a PDF datasheet (read as text). Or type the dimensions you measured with calipers. Oscar plans the part and builds it from sketches, pads, pockets, holes and fillets.
3. **Beside the scanned mesh.** Import the mesh (STL, OBJ, PLY or 3MF) into the same document, and Oscar reads its size and position while it builds the new part next to it. Oscar can also close a small, closed mesh into a solid when you need to cut into it, but that’s a converted shape, not a rebuild.

## What you get in FreeCAD

- **Native features, one spreadsheet.** Every dimension goes into one parameter spreadsheet, and the features are bound to it. Change a cell and the part follows.
- **Checks as it goes.** A health check after every change, and validation and fit checks before Oscar says it’s done. Its summary says what was checked and what wasn’t.
- **You stay in control.** Pause, type to steer while it works, stop, revert a whole turn, or rewind to any earlier step. Draw on the 3D view to show where a change should go.
- **A project folder for each chat:** the FreeCAD file, every step and script, snapshots, notes, exports, and a `rebuild.py` that rebuilds the part from scratch.
- **Exports and analysis.** STEP, STL, 3MF and BREP, and FEM analysis with FreeCAD’s own tools.

## Run it free, with a local model

Oscar needs an AI model to think with. You choose which one, and your choice decides what it costs and where your data goes:

**Three ways to connect Oscar for FreeCAD to an AI model**

| Model | Cost | Where your data goes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A local model, through Ollama or LM Studio | Free. No API key, no credits. | Nowhere: it stays on your computer. |
| Your own provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, Mistral and more | That provider’s prices. No OriginShape credits. | Straight to that provider. |
| Your OriginShape account: Origin1 or Origin1 Super | OriginShape credits. You can start free. | To OriginShape, which forwards it to the model. |

To run Oscar for free, install [Ollama](https://ollama.com), pull a model, and choose it in Oscar. For example:

```
ollama pull qwen2.5:7b
```

Then, in Oscar, click ⚙, open **Advanced: use your own provider**, click **Add**, and choose **Ollama (local)** and your model. [LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai) works the same way once its local server is running.

Be realistic about size. Larger models give better results, and small local models work best on simple parts. For complex parts, use a larger local model if your computer can run it, or a hosted model.

## Install it in four steps

You need FreeCAD 1.1 or newer, the official build from [freecad.org](https://freecad.org). Oscar is pure Python and needs nothing else.

1. In FreeCAD, open **Edit → Preferences → Addon Manager**.
2. Under **Custom repositories**, add `https://github.com/Originshape/Oscar-Freecad` with the branch `main`.
3. Open **Tools → Addon manager**, find **Oscar**, and click **Install**.
4. Restart FreeCAD.

Prefer a ZIP? [Download it](https://app.originshape.design/download), check its SHA-256 against the one on the GitHub release, and move the `Oscar` folder into FreeCAD’s `Mod` folder.

## Before you use it on real work

- **It’s version 0.2.** Save your work and keep backups.
- **Python scripts are off by default.** If you let Oscar run the scripts it writes, it shows you each one and asks first. That’s a safeguard, not a sandbox.
- **What goes to the AI model:** your messages, the results of Oscar’s tools, and small images of the 3D view. With a local model, all of that stays on your computer.
- **Network access**, such as downloading a reference part, is asked for first.

## What’s next

Oscar for SolidCraft is built, and we’ll publish it soon. Plugins for SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, Autodesk Fusion, and Onshape come next; until then, import Oscar’s STEP file into them. See [all our products](https://originshape.design/products).

Found a bug, or want a feature? Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/Originshape/Oscar-Freecad). It’s open source, so pull requests are welcome too.

## Links

- [FreeCAD](https://freecad.org). Download FreeCAD 1.1 or newer, the official build.
- [Oscar for FreeCAD on GitHub](https://github.com/Originshape/Oscar-Freecad). Source code, releases, and the full README.
- [Download Oscar for FreeCAD](https://app.originshape.design/download). The release ZIP, from OriginShape.
- [Ollama](https://ollama.com). Run a model on your own computer.
- [LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai). Another way to run a model on your own computer.
- [How reverse engineering works](https://originshape.design/blog/how-reverse-engineering-works). Our post on the seven steps, from the brief to delivered CAD.

## Questions

### Is Oscar for FreeCAD free?

Yes. The workbench is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. With a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, it costs nothing to run and needs no API key. With your own AI provider you pay that provider, and with an OriginShape account you use credits.

### Can I use AI in FreeCAD without sending my data to the cloud?

Yes. Connect Oscar to a local model through Ollama or LM Studio. Oscar then sends its requests to that model on your computer, with no API key, so your part and your prompts stay on your machine.

### Which FreeCAD version does Oscar for FreeCAD need?

FreeCAD 1.1 or newer, the official build from freecad.org. Oscar is pure Python and needs nothing else installed.

### Can Oscar for FreeCAD turn a 3D scan into a parametric model?

Use Oscar in your browser for the scan: it rebuilds the part as features with named dimensions and checks it against the scan, and the model then opens in FreeCAD with its native feature tree. Inside FreeCAD, Oscar builds parts from a drawing, a photo or your measurements, and can import a mesh and read its size.

### How do I install Oscar for FreeCAD?

In FreeCAD, add https://github.com/Originshape/Oscar-Freecad as a custom repository in the Addon Manager preferences, install Oscar from the Addon Manager, and restart FreeCAD. Or download the ZIP from app.originshape.design/download.

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From the OriginShape blog: https://originshape.design/blog. Try Oscar: https://app.originshape.design. Have a part without usable CAD? https://originshape.design/contact