EN V2B34 — Parametric CAD/CAM Furniture Engine — open to custom AutoLISP work

# ZEN PRACA V2B34 — Parametric CAD/CAM Engine for Furniture Built-Ins

### BricsCAD / AutoLISP today, with AutoCAD compatibility planned

We are developing a central parametric engine for wardrobes, walk-in closets, shelving systems and furniture built-ins.

Its purpose is not to replace the designer. It is intended to reduce the time required after changes requested by an architect or client, and to prevent situations where the 3D model, plans, sections and dimensions no longer match each other.

Instead of redrawing an entire built-in from scratch, the user changes parameters, the system validates construction rules, and then rebuilds the appropriate scope of the model.

## What the engine is intended to control

The system is designed to allow changes to:

* overall wardrobe dimensions: width, height and depth;
* the dimensions of an individual cabinet as well as an entire furniture run;
* layouts with an internal M1/M2 partition or a full wardrobe without a partition;
* corner wardrobes and corner walk-in-closet layouts;
* activation or deactivation of fronts, allowing the same carcass to function as a closed wardrobe, an open wardrobe or a shelving unit;
* the thickness of specific elements: sides, top and bottom panels, partitions, backs, shelves, fronts, fillers and other boards;
* recessed positions of elements inside the wardrobe where required by construction details, fronts, drawers or technical clearances;
* single and double shelves;
* shelf quantity, shelf layout and manual or automatic shelf positions;
* drawer packages: number of drawers, front heights, box depths and runner selection;
* hanging rails positioned below a shelf or set manually;
* fillers, plinths, support elements and side construction packages.

The model is intended to include construction rules, rather than merely draw solids. For example, the shelf directly above a drawer package is linked to the highest drawer front and maintains a defined construction gap. When the number of drawers or their front heights change, the layout should be recalculated rather than manually repaired.

## Local and global changes

An important part of the project is separating local changes from global changes.

One cabinet or one individual element can be modified, but the system is also intended to support changes affecting the **entire project**, for example:

* a shared change of material or board thickness;
* a change of runner standard and the resulting recalculation of drawer-box depth;
* activation or deactivation of fronts, fillers or plinths across multiple cabinets;
* changing shelf types throughout an entire furniture run;
* changing the arrangement of several cabinets standing next to each other;
* updating plans, sections and dimensions after the model has been rebuilt.

The objective is consistency across the complete project, not merely correct redrawing of one wardrobe.

## Why this type of engine

Changes are normal in furniture projects: an architect changes the recess, a client changes the layout, or the height, depth, internal division or number of drawers changes.

In a conventional workflow, each change may require manual correction of many elements. In this approach, the intended process is:

**parameters → rule validation → 3D geometry rebuild → documentation update**

The main value is not simply generating 3D solids. It is the ability to repeatedly and safely modify a project without losing construction dependencies.

## BricsCAD and AutoCAD

The project is currently being developed in BricsCAD using AutoLISP. However, we also want the solution to work in AutoCAD.

The intention is to keep the core parametric logic, construction rules and data structure as compatible as possible in both environments, while handling platform-specific differences through a compatibility layer.

We are particularly interested in feedback from AutoCAD users working with furniture and interior built-ins:

* Which project changes take the most time?
* What most often needs manual correction after dimensions change?
* Is 3D geometry, plans, sections, dimensions or variant control the highest priority in your workflow?
* Which types of furniture built-ins should such an engine support first?

## Further development direction

After stabilising the current variants, future development may include:

* additional corner wardrobe variants;
* open wardrobes and frontless shelving systems;
* kitchen furniture;
* framed, glass and mirror fronts;
* wall and decorative panels;
* internal doors;
* automatic plans, sections and dimensions for the complete project.

The objective is not to create a separate script for every furniture type. We want to build one central parametric engine that can safely manage changes across multiple furniture built-ins within one project.

## Individual applications

We are also open to discussions with individuals and companies that have a specific design workflow or recurring project problem to organise. This may involve frequently changing built-ins, the need to keep the 3D model and documentation consistent, or the parametric development of a specific furniture type.

We would be interested in learning about the workflow, the typical scope of changes and the expectations for such a solution. This helps assess whether the existing engine architecture could be extended for a particular furniture variant or design process.

For anyone interested, please send a private message with a short description of the type of furniture built-ins, the CAD environment used, and the most common issues encountered when project changes are made.

Technical feedback is also welcome, especially from AutoCAD users working with wardrobes, kitchens, furniture projects and interior built-ins.