The Knowledge-Based Engine
Genworks GDL is a declarative language that captures engineering knowledge as executable code: parametric geometry, NURBS solids, and web-delivered applications — from the open-source Gendl kernel to the commercial Enterprise stack. And the deployment it runs in comes from here too: Basalt, the Genworks-maintained container stack, brings the engine, an Emacs console, and MCP endpoints up with one command.
(define-object robot (base-object)
:computed-slots
((head-radius 1.0)
(body-length 3.0))
:objects
((head :type 'sphere
:radius (the head-radius))
(body :type 'box
:length (the body-length))))What the engine does
Engineering knowledge as executable code: write the rules once, and geometry, analysis, and documentation stay consistent as requirements change.
- Declarative by design
Define objects, not procedures. GDL captures rules and relationships; dependency tracking recomputes exactly what changed, and nothing else. The knowledge stays readable decades later.
- Web-delivered applications
Every model can be a web application: parametric UIs, live 3D in the browser, and MCP endpoints for AI agents — served straight from the running engine, no separate app stack.
- Wireframe to NURBS solids
From open-source parametric wireframe in Gendl to SMLib-backed surfaces, solids, and STEP/IGES exchange in GDL Enterprise. One language across the whole range — commercial capability is an upgrade, not a rewrite.
The whole stack, deployable as code
The engine is half the offering. The other half is the deployment it runs in: a container stack declared in one file, brought up with one command, with an Emacs console and MCP endpoints so both people and AI agents work in the live system.
Basalt
Free · AGPLThe deployment itself: an Emacs console, Gendl engines on CCL and SBCL, and a monitor, declared in one configuration file. Every service reachable over HTTP, SLIME/Swank, and MCP from the moment it starts.
About Basalt →Readymacs
Free · AGPLThe console: a batteries-included Emacs distribution for AI-assisted Lisp development — in a Basalt deployment, standalone in a container, or directly on your machine. Its MCP endpoint lets any agent work beside you in the running editor.
About Readymacs →Lisply-MCP
Free · AGPLThe connective layer: Model Context Protocol middleware that turns any Lisply-compliant backend's REPL into a general-purpose API for AI agents — Claude, Cursor, Gemini, Codex, or anything else that speaks MCP.
About Lisply-MCP →A deployment's ingress and dashboard roles are filled by commercial binaries, licensed separately.
How the engine thinks
Four ideas do most of the work in a knowledge-based engineering system. They are what separate GDL from a conventional program, a CAD model, or a database.
Caching
Once the engine computes something, it does not compute it again to answer the same question.
Dependency tracking
Change an input and everything downstream is invalidated automatically. There is no rebuild step to remember.
Demand-driven
Only the branches needed to answer the question asked are evaluated — out of a tree that may hold thousands of attributes.
Declarative form
You state relationships, not call order. The engine works out the sequence at the moment of demand.
FAQ
Short answers for engineers and buyers.
How is Genworks GDL different from traditional CAD?
In Genworks GDL, your design intent lives in executable code, not frozen geometry. This means your engineering knowledge is captured as declarative definitions that update automatically when inputs change—enabling automation, optimization, and long-term flexibility that traditional CAD-only models cannot match.
Why Common Lisp?
Common Lisp combines symbolic AI heritage with industrial-strength performance. Its ANSI standard (stable since 1994) ensures your code will run for decades, while its powerful macro system and runtime flexibility make it ideal for building knowledge-based engineering systems. Franz Inc has continuously supported Allegro CL since 1984.
What is the difference between Gendl and Genworks GDL?
Gendl is the AGPL-licensed open-source kernel—perfect for research, education, and hobbyists. Genworks GDL builds on Gendl with commercial licensing, the SMLib NURBS kernel, HarmonyWare CAD I/O integration, Franz Inc partnership, and enterprise support. Both share the same core architecture refined since 1997.
How long has Genworks been in business?
Genworks International (founded as Knowledge Based Solutions in 1997) has been operating continuously ever since. We've powered mission-critical applications at Fortune 500 companies since 2002 and maintain support continuity agreements with Franz Inc to ensure long-term stability.
Is this for humans or AI agents?
Both—by design, not by retrofit. Because GDL is homoiconic (code is data) and declarative (you state intent, the engine computes the result), the same define-object source a Lisp developer writes is exactly what an LLM agent emits and rewrites. The runtime is introspectable through the REPL, and the engine is exposed over MCP by Lisply-MCP, part of our free, open-source deployment stack. A human drives it through the editor; an agent drives it through the same tools. The symbolic foundation is what makes that confluence natural rather than forced.
Try it now
Experience Genworks GDL in Your Browser
No installation required — the fastest way to feel the engine. This terminal is also growing into the hosted professional experience: browser entry, MCP access, hosted examples, and a clean upgrade into commercial capability when you need it.