Local models with the Assistant
You can use a model running on your computer to work on the open design in SolidCraft’s desktop Assistant. See Agent chat for the panel’s controls.
What you need
- Ollama, LM Studio, or another OpenAI-compatible server running on your computer.
- A model that supports tool calling: this lets it ask SolidCraft to read or
change the design. On Ollama’s model page, look for the tools tag, or run
ollama show <model>and look fortoolsunder capabilities. Tool support alone does not guarantee good results; see the table below. - Enough graphics memory (VRAM) for the model and its context (the conversation and tool instructions). See the table below for sizes.
Set it up
- Start your server and load or download the model you want to use.
- In SolidCraft, open Preferences > AI > Add agent… and choose the OpenAI-compatible API. Choose Ollama, LM Studio, or a custom URL.
- Enter the server’s base URL, such as
http://localhost:11434/v1for Ollama, and the model name. Use Test, then add the endpoint. - Open the Assistant and select your endpoint. Choose the model in the model list if the server provides one.
- Choose permissions in Preferences or the chat’s permission menu: Ask asks before changes and file actions; Edits allows model edits but still asks before file actions and replacing the design; All allows actions without approval, including saving, overwriting, and replacing the design.
Which models work?
These results were measured with the standard test (v1) in #4851. The table in that issue is the up-to-date one.
| Model | Size / quant | Passed (v1) |
|---|---|---|
| Muse Glimmer 30B | Unsloth UD-Q3_K_XL, 12.4 GB | 11/11 |
| Qwen3.8 27B | Unsloth UD-Q4_K_XL | 11/11 |
| gemma4 (latest, 7.5B) | Q4_K_M, 6.1 GB | 11/11 |
| gemma4:12b | Q4_K_M | 10/11 |
| gpt-oss:20b | MXFP4, 12.8 GB | 10/11 |
| qwen3:14b | Q4_K_M, 8.6 GB | 8/11 |
| qwen3:8b | Q4_K_M | 7/11 |
| qwen2.5:7b | Q4_K_M, 4.4 GB | 4/11 |
| qwen2.5-coder:7b | Q4_K_M, 4.4 GB | 0/11 (writes every call as text) |
| gemma3:4b | Q4_K_M | 0/11 (no tool support: HTTP 400) |
| deepseek-r1:14b | Q4_K_M | 0/11 (never calls a tool) |
For about 8 GB of graphics memory, start with gemma4 (the default tag, 6.1 GB). With
16 GB, Muse Glimmer 30B or gpt-oss:20b also work well.
Troubleshooting
- The model replies with JSON or code, but nothing happens. It is not calling tools well. Try another model from the results above.
- “HTTP 400 … does not support tools.” The model lacks tool support. Choose one with the tools capability.
- Empty replies. The context may be too small for the tool instructions.
Increase the server’s context size (
num_ctxin Ollama), then try a new chat. - Slow answers. The model may be too big for your VRAM and spilling work to the CPU. Try a smaller model or a smaller quantization.
Measure a model yourself
Follow the standard test in #4851 to compare your model with these results. It gives the exact prompts, starting designs, pass rules, and a template for sharing results.