Web Dashboard¶

Overview¶

The multiCAD-mcp server includes an integrated web dashboard for real-time monitoring and control of CAD applications. The dashboard provides a user-friendly interface for viewing CAD status, managing layers and blocks, and monitoring entities.

Access¶

When the server is running, the dashboard is available at (default: 8888):

http://localhost:8888

The dashboard provides a real-time monitor of the CAD state. You can manually refresh the data using the "Refresh Now" button.

Features¶

1. Status Cards¶

CAD Connection Status - Shows current CAD application type (AutoCAD, ZWCAD, GstarCAD, BricsCAD) - Displays connection status (Connected/Disconnected) - Indicates active drawing name

Statistics - Total entity count in active drawing - Active layer information - Block library size

2. Layers Section¶

Layer Management - View all layers in the active drawing - Toggle layer visibility directly from dashboard - Color-coded layer information - See locked/unlocked status

Real-time Updates - Automatically syncs with CAD application - Reflects changes made via API or CAD UI

3. Blocks Section¶

Block Library - Browse all blocks in active drawing - View block properties - See block references count - Copy block information

4. Entities Section¶

Entity Browser - List all entities in active drawing - Filter by entity type (line, circle, arc, text, etc.) - View entity properties - Entity count statistics

API Endpoints¶

The dashboard uses these backend API endpoints:

GET `/api/cad/status`¶

Get current CAD connection status.

{
  "success": true,
  "status": {
    "connected": true,
    "cad_type": "autocad",
    "drawings": ["Drawing1.dwg"],
    "current_drawing": "Drawing1.dwg",
    "supported": ["autocad", "zwcad", "gcad", "bricscad"]
  }
}

GET `/api/cad/layers`¶

Get layers from active drawing.

{
  "success": true,
  "layers": [
    {
      "name": "0",
      "color": 7,
      "frozen": false,
      "locked": false
    }
  ]
}

GET `/api/cad/blocks`¶

Get blocks from active drawing.

{
  "success": true,
  "blocks": [
    {
      "name": "Block1",
      "count": 5
    }
  ]
}

GET `/api/cad/entities`¶

Get entities from active drawing.

{
  "success": true,
  "entities": [
    {
      "handle": "ABC",
      "type": "LINE",
      "layer": "0",
      "color": 256
    }
  ]
}

POST `/api/cad/refresh`¶

Manually trigger a dashboard cache refresh.

{
  "success": true,
  "detail": "Refresh completed"
}

GET `/api/health`¶

Health check endpoint.

{
  "status": "ok",
  "version": "0.2.0"
}

Architecture¶

Thread Safety¶

The dashboard runs in a separate thread from the MCP server to avoid blocking CAD operations. Communication between threads is handled through a thread-safe cache:

MCP Thread: Owns COM objects, updates cache after operations
Dashboard Thread: Reads from cache, provides UI

This design ensures CAD operations remain responsive even during heavy UI activity.

Cache System¶

The DashboardCache class provides thread-safe read/write operations:

cache = DashboardCache()
cache.update(connected=True, cad_type="autocad")  # From MCP thread
layers = cache.get("layers")  # From dashboard thread

Cache is automatically populated when: - Server connects to CAD application - Manual refresh is triggered - MCP tools modify CAD data

Configuration¶

The dashboard provides a real-time view of the CAD state. This is configurable in src/config.json:

Dashboard Port: Change dashboard.port to your preferred port.
Manual Refresh: Click the "Refresh Now" button to sync with current CAD state.

Static Files¶

Dashboard static files are located in src/web/static/. The server automatically mounts these at /static/.

Performance Considerations¶

Large Drawings¶

For drawings with 10,000+ entities:

Initial load may take 1-2 seconds
Entity filtering is recommended
Use manual refresh instead of auto-refresh for better responsiveness

Network Optimization¶

All data is served locally (no external requests)
WebSocket support not implemented (uses polling via HTTP)
Cache is regenerated on manual refresh

Troubleshooting¶

Dashboard Shows "No Connection"¶

Verify CAD application is running
Check server logs for connection errors
Try manual refresh

Stale Data¶

Click "Refresh Now" button to force update
Verify CAD window is not minimized
Check for operation locks in CAD application

Performance Issues¶

Click the "Refresh Now" button
Filter entity list by type
Verify CAD application performance

Future Enhancements¶

Planned improvements for v0.3.0+:

WebSocket support for real-time updates
Entity property editor
Layer/block creation from dashboard
Drawing comparison tools
Export drawing metadata
Multi-drawing support