How to Create 3D Models with Claude (2026): Blender, SketchUp, CAD & More

1. Install Blender and uv

Install Blender and uv (curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh on macOS/Linux, powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex" on Windows).

2. Run the setup

uvx mcp-for-blender setup

This detects Claude Desktop, Claude Code and other clients, writes their MCP config, and installs the Blender add-on. To set it up by hand, add this to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "blender": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["mcp-for-blender"] }
  }
}

3. Start the server in Blender

In the 3D viewport press N, open the MCP for Blender tab and click Start MCP Server. Restart Claude Desktop and check for the hammer icon, or run /mcp in Claude Code.

4. Prompts that work

• "Look at the scene, then build a low-poly campfire with logs, stones and a warm point light. Take a screenshot from the camera when done."
• "Import a wooden table and two chairs from Poly Haven and arrange them on a rug."
• "Generate a stylized treasure chest with Hyper3D and place it at the origin."
• "Write a Geometry Nodes setup that scatters rocks on the selected terrain."

Ask Claude to take a screenshot after each step. It fixes far more mistakes when it can see the viewport.

Troubleshooting

• spawn uvx ENOENT: Claude Desktop can't find uvx. Use the full path from which uvx in command.
• Tools missing: only one client can connect at a time. Close other Claude or Cursor windows using it.
• Official vs community: the Blender Lab connector and MCP for Blender both default to port 9876. Run one at a time.

For functional prints (brackets, enclosures, replacement parts), have Claude write code-CAD instead of sculpting a mesh. The dimensions come out exact and you can change any parameter later.

• OpenSCAD: ask "Write a parametric OpenSCAD model for a wall hook, 40 mm wide, 5 mm thick, with two countersunk M4 screw holes." Open it in OpenSCAD, press F6, then export STL. OpenSCAD MCP servers let Claude render previews and fix errors itself.
• CadQuery / build123d: Python CAD libraries that Claude knows well. Claude Code can write the script, run it and export STEP or STL in one go.
• FreeCAD MCP or the Fusion connector: when you want a parametric model you can keep editing in a GUI.
• Meshy MCP: for organic shapes like figurines and miniatures, with printability checks and repair.

Tip: ask for wall thickness of at least 1.2 mm, no unsupported overhangs past 45°, and tolerances (+0.2 mm) on holes that need to fit screws or other parts.

Claude writes interactive 3D for the web with Three.js. Two ways to use it:

• Claude artifacts (claude.ai): ask "Create an interactive Three.js scene of the solar system with orbiting planets and mouse controls" and it runs in the chat. Artifacts have historically loaded an older Three.js build (r128), so newer classes such as CapsuleGeometry and addon imports like OrbitControls may fail. If something breaks, ask Claude to build it as a single HTML file that loads Three.js from a CDN.
• Claude Code: no version limits. Ask for a React Three Fiber + drei project, or plain Three.js with Vite, for product viewers, configurators, portfolio hero scenes or small games.

Build in layers: geometry first, then materials and lighting, then animation and interaction. You'll get better results than with one large prompt. Claude can also export a Blender scene to GLB and load it into a Three.js viewer.