CAD Drawing Operations · Entry Guide
When a task involves CAD drawing operations, first determine which side (frontend or backend) it belongs to, then read and follow the corresponding guide.
Routing Rules
| User Intent | Side | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Preview, browse, edit, draw, annotate, measure, manage layers, or export drawings in a web page | Frontend (mxcad) | Frontend mxcad Guide |
| Server-side drawing file processing: format conversion, data extraction, parametric drawing generation, splitting/merging, batch export | Backend (MxServiceCode) | Backend MxServiceCode Guide |
| Both sides involved (e.g. generate a DWG on the backend then preview it in a web page) | Backend generation first, then frontend preview | Read both guides in order |
When the user has not made it clear whether this is a frontend or a backend task, you MUST ask first and only proceed after getting an answer:
Is this task about previewing/editing drawings in a web page (frontend mxcad), or about processing drawing files via the backend service (e.g. conversion, generation, data extraction)?
Clues can help you guess but cannot replace asking: "web page / browser / embedded website / mxcad / mxweb" → frontend; "server-side / Node / batch / generate drawing files / data extraction / API" → backend.
Doc Links & Program Download URLs
Doc links
| Doc | Link |
|---|---|
| Entry Guide (this file) | link |
| Frontend mxcad Guide | link |
| Backend MxServiceCode Guide | link |
| MxServiceCode Command Reference | link |
| Mx2DNode Secondary Development API Reference | link |
| Deployment and Startup Notes | link |
Program download URLs
Two kinds of packages: standalone conversion program (MxConvert, mxcadassembly only) and backend service (MxServiceCode, contains BOTH the backend service and the conversion program — the complete superset). Both are trial versions (6 months), hosted on an external site (demo.mxdraw3d.com) — download directly by the absolute URLs below. The Linux packages are built for Ubuntu 20.04 (Ubuntu20), x86_64, and work on compatible newer environments (e.g. Ubuntu 22.04); on ARM machines (uname -m = aarch64) or older systems, stop and confirm with the user first.
| Program | Platform | Download URL |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone conversion program MxConvert (trial version) | Windows | MxConvert_TryVersion.zip |
| Standalone conversion program MxConvert (trial version) | Linux (Ubuntu 20.04 x86_64) | MxConvert_Ubuntu20_TryVersion.zip |
| Backend service MxServiceCode (includes conversion program mxcadassembly, trial version) | Windows | MxServiceCode_TryVersion.zip |
| Backend service MxServiceCode (includes conversion program mxcadassembly, trial version) | Linux (Ubuntu 20.04 x86_64) | MxServiceCode_Ubuntu20_TryVersion.zip |
Fixed temp path (download once, reuse across sessions):
- Windows:
%TEMP%\MxCAD\(%TEMP%is the user's Temp directory environment variable; use it as-is in commands, no manual expansion needed) - Linux:
/tmp/MxCAD/
Program check & acquisition steps (run after receiving a task):
Step 1 — Determine what the task needs: only the conversion program (format conversion / PDF / image, i.e. mxcadassembly calls), or the backend service (command calls / secondary development).
Step 2 — Inspect what is already in the fixed temp path and handle per the table below:
| Current state of temp dir | Task needs only the conversion program | Task needs the backend service |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing there | Download the standalone conversion program (MxConvert) zip for the platform and extract it to the temp path | Download the backend service (MxServiceCode) zip for the platform (contains the conversion program) and extract it to the temp path |
Only the conversion program (extracted from the standalone package, may not be under MxCAD\Release\) | Run the trial-expiry verification directly; if it passes, use it | Clear the temp path, then download and extract the backend service zip |
Backend service present (extracted; conversion program in MxCAD\Release\ / Linux\MxCAD\) | Run trial-expiry verification + package integrity check; use if both pass; if incomplete, clear and re-download the standalone conversion program zip | Verify the project dir MxServiceCode\MxServiceCode is complete; use if complete; if incomplete, clear and re-download the backend service zip |
Note: each package has a FIXED directory structure: both zips extract to a single top-level directory named after the zip (
MxConvert_TryVersion\/MxServiceCode_TryVersion\). In the standalone conversion program package the program files (mxcadassembly.exe, fonts, etc.) sit directly in that top-level dir; the backend service package contains two subdirectories inside it —MxServiceCode\+MxCAD\Release\(Windows) /MxServiceCode\+Linux\MxCAD\(Linux). Therefore the temp path MUST be cleared before any re-download (the backend package is a complete superset containing both the backend and the conversion program, so clearing and re-extracting loses nothing). After the system cleans the temp dir, just re-download. Do NOT scan other directories on the user's machine.