Hi everyone,
I would like to share GameEngineExportWB, an open-source Workbench I have been developing for FreeCAD.
The project started from a very practical need: I wanted to walk through the models I create in FreeCAD in first person and see them in a more interactive environment. While looking for a solution, ChatGPT suggested Castle Model Viewer. I tried it, liked the results, and gradually started building a workflow around it.
The basic idea is simple:
FreeCAD → GameEngineExportWB → X3D → Castle Model Viewer
The Workbench exports FreeCAD CAD/BIM scenes to X3D and provides tools for launching and testing them in Castle Model Viewer. At the moment it includes X3D export, first-person starting positions, lighting, materials and textures, visual profiles, quick example scenes, X3D analysis and some Castle diagnostics.
I am a maintenance engineer, not a professional software developer. I can read and write code and have created small tools for my work for many years, but these projects are developed mainly in my spare time and usually grow from real engineering needs.
AI, especially ChatGPT, has helped me turn many ideas that previously stayed in Excel or were never developed into working FreeCAD tools. I am also trying to follow an important recommendation Michalis gave me: to make sure that using AI does not mean losing understanding of the code and of the X3D that the Workbench generates.
The current public version is 0.2.1, developed and tested with FreeCAD 1.1.3.
GitHub:
https://github.com/MVM444/GameEngineExportWB
The repository includes installation instructions. It can be installed as a custom FreeCAD Addon.
I think this connection between FreeCAD, X3D and Castle could also be useful to other people in either community. Feedback, testing, ideas and contributions are very welcome.
Here is one example of a FreeCAD model exported and viewed in Castle Model Viewer::
[Screenshot 1]
Thanks to Michalis for Castle Game Engine, Castle Model Viewer, and for encouraging me to share the project here.
Best regards,
Marco