Get Involved
Saikei Civil is developed openly and welcomes contributions from civil engineers, software developers, and anyone passionate about open infrastructure tools.
Ways to Contribute
Civil Engineers
Domain expertise is essential for building tools that address real-world project requirements.
How you can help:
- Validate workflows against industry standards
- Suggest features based on project experience
- Test designs against actual project requirements
- Review AASHTO/ASCE compliance
- Provide feedback on UI/UX from a practitioner’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
- Contribute to CI/CD and build systems
Tech stack:
- Python 3.13+
- Blender 4.5+ extension
- IfcOpenShell for IFC operations
- PyProj for coordinate systems
- NumPy for calculations
Get started: View open issues
Community Channels
| Platform | Link | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub | saikeicivil/SaikeiCivil | Code, issues, discussions |
| /company/saikeicivil | Updates and announcements | |
| OSArch | community.osarch.org | OpenBIM community discussions |
Code of Conduct
All contributors are expected to:
- Be respectful and considerate
- Welcome newcomers and assist with onboarding
- Accept constructive criticism professionally
- Focus on what benefits the project
- Communicate clearly and directly
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
Project Documentation:
External References:
- IFC 4.3 Specification (buildingSMART)
- IfcOpenShell Documentation
- Blender Extension API