Get Involved
Saikei Civil is built by the community, for the community. Whether you’re a civil engineer, developer, designer, or just passionate about open source — there’s a place for you here.
Ways to Contribute
🛤️ Civil Engineers
Your domain expertise is invaluable! Help us build tools that actually work for real-world projects.
How you can help:
- Validate that workflows match industry standards
- Suggest features based on your daily work
- Test designs against real project requirements
- Review AASHTO/ASCE compliance
- Provide feedback on UI/UX from an engineer’s perspective
Get started: Open a feature request
💻 Developers
The codebase is Python-based, built on Blender and IfcOpenShell.
How you can help:
- Fix bugs and implement features
- Improve test coverage
- Optimize performance
- Review pull requests
- Help with CI/CD and build systems
Tech stack:
- Python 3.11+
- Blender 4.5+ extension API
- IfcOpenShell for IFC operations
- PyProj for coordinate systems
- NumPy for calculations
Get started: View open issues
🎨 Designers
Help make Saikei Civil beautiful and intuitive.
How you can help:
- Design UI/UX improvements
- Create icons and graphics
- Improve documentation visuals
- Design marketing materials
- Help with the website
Get started: Email us with your portfolio
📝 Technical Writers
Good documentation makes or breaks a project.
How you can help:
- Write tutorials and how-to guides
- Improve inline documentation
- Create video tutorials
- Translate documentation
- Proofread and edit existing docs
Get started: View the docs repo
🧪 Testers
Find bugs before users do!
How you can help:
- Test new releases before they go live
- Report bugs with detailed reproduction steps
- Test on different operating systems
- Validate IFC output in other software
- Stress test with large datasets
Get started: Download the latest release and try it out
📣 Advocates
Spread the word!
How you can help:
- Share on social media
- Write blog posts about your experience
- Present at conferences or meetups
- Mention Saikei in relevant forums
- Star the repo on GitHub ⭐
Community Channels
| Platform | Link | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub | saikeicivil/SaikeiCivil | Code, issues, discussions |
| /company/saikeicivil | Updates and announcements | |
| OSArch | community.osarch.org | OpenBIM community discussions |
Financial Support
Saikei Civil is free and always will be. But development takes time and resources.
Ways to support financially:
- ⭐ GitHub Sponsors — Coming soon
- 💼 Corporate sponsorship — Contact us for details
- 🎓 Grant funding — Help us apply for research grants
Your support helps fund:
- Full-time development
- Infrastructure costs
- Documentation and tutorials
- Community events
Code of Conduct
We’re committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment. All contributors are expected to:
- Be respectful and considerate
- Welcome newcomers and help them get started
- Accept constructive criticism gracefully
- Focus on what’s best for the community
- Show empathy towards others
Getting Started with Development
Quick Setup
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/saikeicivil/SaikeiCivil.git
# Navigate to the extension folder
cd SaikeiCivil/saikei_civil
# Create a symlink in Blender's extensions folder
# (See docs for OS-specific instructions)
# Run tests
python -m pytest tests/
Development Resources
Ready to jump in?