MCP server: Project PLATEAU 3D city data as scene-editing and glTF export tools for creative LLM agents.
@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp
An MCP server that turns Project PLATEAU's 3D city data into scene-editing and glTF export tools for creative LLM agents.
English · 日本語
This server exposes tools. Orchestration is your LLM's job — point Claude / Cursor / any MCP client at this server alongside Blender MCP / Unity MCP / Unreal MCP and let it compose the workflow.
PLATEAU has an official MCP server for data access (catalog, specs, CityGML, attributes). This one fills the missing creation, scene-editing, and DCC export layer: load a Tokyo neighbourhood, delete every skyscraper, scale a block to 3× height, and emit a .glb ready for Blender / Unity / Unreal — all driven by tool calls.
flowchart LR
CLIENT["Claude / Cursor<br/>(any MCP client)"] -->|tool calls| MCP["plateau-creative-mcp"]
MCP -->|download_area| DATA["plateau-bridge<br/>artifact index + bundles"]
MCP -->|"load → filter → edit"| SCENE["scene_id<br/>(in-memory)"]
MCP -->|export_glb| OUT[".glb + LICENSE.txt"]
OUT --> DCC["Blender / Unity / Unreal"]
Status
v0.1.0 — first public release. 10 MCP tools (incl. on-demand artifact download — no data clone needed), polygon footprint extrusion with mesh merging, single-GLB export ≤ 1 km² (≈40% gltf-transform compression) with a scene_manifest 3D Tiles fallback for larger areas, three data-access modes (TS+duckdb artifact / Python subprocess / upstream MCP via JSON-RPC), Overpass POI linking, and an optional cross-MCP bridge to BlenderMCP. Vendor-neutral over MCP — Claude, Cursor, any client works.
Tools
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| download_area | Fetch + cache a prebuilt city bundle from the plateau-bridge artifact index (resolves the slug, downloads the .tar.zst, verifies sha256, extracts buildings.parquet + manifest.json), so load_area works without cloning the data pipeline. |
| load_area | Load a city + bbox + LOD into a new scene_id. |
| filter_buildings | Query building_uid[] inside a scene by height / year / use / zoning / flood depth. |
| delete_buildings | Counterfactual edits — mark buildings as removed. |
| extrude_buildings | Scale heights by a factor. |
| compose_scene | Set render hints (time of day, weather, camera). |
| export_glb | Emit a .glb (single_glb, real geometry from the parquet) or a scene_manifest referencing 3D Tiles. scene_manifest tile enrichment needs locally-built 3D Tiles; downloaded cities get a tile-less manifest (edits + bbox + attribution) plus a tileset_note. |
| link_buildings_to_pois | Associate buildings with nearby OSM POIs (Overpass). |
| get_attribution | Full dataset / license / URL metadata for a scene. |
| render_via_blender | Export the scene as GLB and (optionally) bridge to a BlenderMCP-compatible HTTP MCP server via JSON-RPC. Dry-run returns the suggested cross-MCP call sequence instead. |
When PLATEAU_UPSTREAM_ENABLED=true, the server also exposes 13 tools proxied from the official Project PLATEAU MCP server: plateau_spec_outline, plateau_spec_read, plateau_get_metadata, plateau_search_areas, plateau_get_area, plateau_search_datasets, plateau_get_dataset, plateau_list_dataset_types, plateau_citygml_get_attributes, plateau_citygml_get_features, plateau_citygml_get_geoid_height, plateau_get_citygml_files, plateau_explain_spatial_id. The LLM client sees 23 tools in a single catalog, with no need to wire two separate MCP servers.
Every tool returns { result, attribution_metadata }. export_glb writes asset.extras.attribution into the GLB and a LICENSE.txt next to it. You must keep that attribution in any derived video, image, or asset.
Quickstart
npm install
npm run build
There are two ways to get city data in place.
Option A — zero setup (recommended)
Don't clone the data pipeline at all. Out of the box the server reads the public plateau-bridge artifact index, so download_area works with no configuration — it fetches the prebuilt bundle for a city, verifies its sha256, and caches it locally:
export PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD=true # load_area auto-fetches a missing city (optional)
export PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR=./out
npx @yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp # stdio MCP server
Call download_area(city="shibuya") once (or set PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD=true and just call load_area, which fetches a missing city first). Only buildings.parquet + manifest.json are extracted; bundles cache under PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR (default ~/.cache/plateau-creative-mcp/artifacts), so each city downloads only once. Point PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_INDEX_URL at a different index to use your own mirror.
Downloaded bundles do not include 3D Tiles (they are gigabytes per city). Everything works from the parquet — load_area, all edits, and export_glb single_glb (real geometry, ≤ 1 km² / ≤ 5000 buildings). Only scene_manifest export loses its tile references for downloaded cities (it still emits the edit list, bbox, and attribution, with a tileset_note telling you to narrow to single_glb or run a local build). For full-geometry exports of larger areas, use Option B with a local build.
For Claude Desktop, add to claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"plateau-creative": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp"],
"env": {
"PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD": "true",
"PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR": "/Users/you/plateau-out"
}
}
}
}
Option B — bring your own artifacts
If you already have plateau-bridge's out_<city>/ outputs, point straight at them:
export PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR=/path/to/plateau-bridge
export PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR=./out
npx @yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp # stdio MCP server
{
"mcpServers": {
"plateau-creative": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp"],
"env": {
"PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR": "/path/to/plateau-bridge",
"PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR": "/Users/you/plateau-out"
}
}
}
}
Smoke run without an MCP client:
npx tsx scripts/smoke-load-area.ts
Example workflows
1. Cyberpunk Shibuya flythrough (cross-MCP)
load_area(city="shibuya", bbox=[139.6975,35.6555,139.7045,35.6605], lod=2)
-> compose_scene(time="19:30", weather="rain")
-> export_glb() # to ./out/<scene>_v3.glb
=> BlenderMCP: import_glb + cyberpunk shader + render
flowchart LR
LLM(("LLM")) --> A["plateau-creative-mcp<br/>load · edit · export_glb"]
LLM --> B["Blender MCP<br/>import · shade · render"]
A -->|".glb + sidecar"| B
2. Tokyo without skyscrapers
load_area(...)
-> filter_buildings({height_min: 100})
-> delete_buildings(filter={height_min: 100})
-> export_glb()
3. Office-tower draft (requires zoning fields in the artifact)
load_area(...)
-> filter_buildings({zoning_use: ["commercial"], far_max_min: 400})
=> SketchUp MCP: design a new building inside those parcels
Demo video: a 60-second walkthrough will be linked here at launch.
Architecture
src/
server/ MCP protocol entry, tool registry, unified envelope
tools/ 10 MCP tool handlers
schemas/ Zod schemas + JSON Schema export
scene/ scene_id LRU + lock + optional disk persistence
data/ Artifact (duckdb) access layer + on-demand bundle downloader
export/ three.js scene builder + GLTFExporter + manifest fallback
attribution/ Envelope wrapping, attribution merge
rateLimit/ Token bucket per (client, tool)
errors/ Stable error codes + AppError
config/ Env-driven config
utils/ ids, bbox, paths, logger
scene_idis the only shared state. All mutate / export tools must reference it. IDs are server-generated ULIDs.building_uidis the single canonical reference. Nogml_idor batch index alternates.export_glbhard limits: ≤ 1 km² bbox and ≤ 5000 buildings forsingle_glb. Larger scenes returnEXPORT_LIMIT_EXCEEDEDwith a suggestion to switch toscene_manifest.- Attribution is wrapped at the executor level — no handler can return a result without it.
Configuration
| Env | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR | ~/.cache/plateau-creative-mcp/artifacts | Directory containing out_<city>/buildings.parquet. Defaults to a cache dir (where download_area writes); set it to point at an existing plateau-bridge checkout. |
| PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_INDEX_URL | plateau-bridge distribution/index.json | Cache index (JSON) listing each city's bundle URL + sha256. Defaults to the public mirror; override to use your own. |
| PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT_MS | 300000 | Per-download timeout in milliseconds (5s–30min). |
| PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD | false | true makes load_area auto-fetch a missing city from the index before loading. |
| PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR | ./out | Where .glb / LICENSE.txt / manifests are written. |
| PLATEAU_DATA_MODE | artifact | artifact (TS + duckdb) or subprocess (Python helper). |
| PLATEAU_PYTHON_BIN | python3 | Python interpreter for subprocess mode (must have duckdb installed). |
| PLATEAU_SUBPROCESS_SCRIPT | bundled python/plateau_query.py | Override path to the JSON-stdio helper. |
| PLATEAU_SCENE_DIR | ./.scene-store | Disk dir when scene persistence is enabled. |
| PLATEAU_PERSIST_SCENES | false | true to serialize scenes to disk between calls. |
| PLATEAU_MAX_SCENES | 64 | LRU cap on in-memory scenes. |
| PLATEAU_SCENE_TTL_MS | 3600000 | Scene TTL in milliseconds. |
| OSM_OVERPASS_URL | unset | Set to enable link_buildings_to_pois (e.g. https://overpass-api.de/api/interpreter). |
| OSM_OVERPASS_TIMEOUT_MS | 25000 | Overpass request timeout. |
| PLATEAU_UPSTREAM_ENABLED | false | true registers 13 official plateau_* tools proxied to the hosted PLATEAU MCP. |
| OFFICIAL_PLATEAU_MCP_URL | hosted default | Override the official PLATEAU MCP endpoint (rare). |
See .env.example for a copy-paste template.
Footprint geometry vs box fallback
Polygon extrusion via the DuckDB spatial extension is on by default; on first run the extension is auto-installed. If install/load fails (offline CI, restricted environment), the exporter cleanly falls back to centroid-anchored 12 m × 12 m boxes per building. available_attributes in load_area's response includes footprint_polygon when the high-fidelity path is active.
Mesh merging + sidecar index
single_glb exports merge every building into one BufferGeometry — one draw call, dramatically smaller GLB JSON overhead. To preserve per-building identity for downstream editing tools, each export writes a sidecar <basename>.buildings.json next to the GLB:
{
"scene_id": "scene_01...",
"version": 4,
"merged": true,
"total_triangles": 73482,
"ranges": {
"<building_uid>": [{"triangle_start": 0, "triangle_count": 18}]
}
}
scene_manifest mode
When the export exceeds the single-GLB limits (1 km² / 5000 buildings) you can request mode: "scene_manifest". The manifest links the corresponding 3D Tiles tileset.json and enumerates the leaf tile content URIs whose bounding regions intersect the scene bbox — downstream consumers can lazy-load just the tiles they need:
{
"scene_id": "scene_01...",
"mode": "scene_manifest",
"bbox": [139.69, 35.65, 139.72, 35.67],
"tileset": "/abs/path/out_shibuya/3dtiles/tileset.json",
"tileset_available": true,
"tiles": [
{
"url": "/abs/path/out_shibuya/3dtiles/15/29096/4943_bldg_Building.glb",
"relative_uri": "15/29096/4943_bldg_Building.glb",
"bbox": [139.6984, 35.6577, 139.7060, 35.6644],
"min_height_m": 39.3,
"max_height_m": 332.3
}
],
"edits": { "deleted_building_uids": [], "extrusions": [] },
"attribution": { "license": "CC BY 4.0" }
}
3D Tiles are produced by a local build and are not part of the on-demand download bundles. For downloaded cities, scene_manifest returns a tile-less manifest (edits + bbox + attribution) with a tileset_note.
POI linking
link_buildings_to_pois requires OSM_OVERPASS_URL. With it set, the tool POSTs an Overpass QL query for amenity / shop / office / tourism / leisure nodes inside the scene bbox, then matches each named POI to the nearest building centroid within max_distance_m. ODbL attribution is automatically merged into the returned envelope.
Out of scope (intentionally)
export_3dgs— Gaussian-splat round-trip is future work.export_usd— a separate Isaac Sim project.simulate_earthquake/simulate_flood— a separate risk-analysis effort.- Generic OSM querying — OSM-MCP territory.
- Cross-MCP auto-orchestration — your LLM does that.
Attribution & license
- Software: MIT (this repo).
- Data: PLATEAU is CC BY 4.0 (© Project PLATEAU / MLIT). OSM POIs are ODbL 1.0.
- Every tool response carries
attribution_metadata.export_glbinjects it intoasset.extras.attributionand writes aLICENSE.txtnext to the GLB. Keep that file alongside the GLB and credit PLATEAU in any derived video / screenshot.
GLB compression
Set options.compress: true on export_glb to apply the gltf-transform pipeline (dedup → weld → prune → quantize). Real-world numbers from a 0.4 km² Shibuya patch (507 buildings, 138k triangles): 9.94 MB → 6.05 MB (~40% reduction), no perceptible loss. Output uses the standard KHR_mesh_quantization extension — Blender, Unity, Unreal, and three.js all decode it natively.
Talking to upstream MCP servers
JsonRpcMcpClient is a minimal MCP-over-HTTP client (tools/list + tools/call) exposed as a building block for upstream integrations.
OfficialPlateauMcpClient is a typed wrapper around the official PLATEAU MCP server (hosted at https://api.plateauview.mlit.go.jp/mcp). It covers all 13 upstream tools:
- Spec:
specOutline,specRead - Catalog:
getMetadata,searchAreas,getArea,searchDatasets,getDataset,listDatasetTypes - CityGML:
citygmlGetAttributes,citygmlGetFeatures,citygmlGetGeoidHeight,getCityGmlFiles - Helper:
explainSpatialId
import { OfficialPlateauMcpClient } from "@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp";
const upstream = new OfficialPlateauMcpClient();
const meta = await upstream.getMetadata();
const datasets = await upstream.searchDatasets({ area_codes: ["13113"], year: 2023 });
Response shapes use [k: string]: unknown index signatures because the upstream spec is still evolving — validate at the call site if you need strict types.
Examples
Reproducible workflow recipes live in examples/ — Claude Desktop prompts (examples/claude-prompts.md), Cursor .cursorrules (examples/cursor-rules.md), a Blender Python snippet showing the merged-GLB + sidecar handoff (examples/blender-mcp-handoff.py), and the full cyberpunk-Shibuya walkthrough (examples/cyberpunk-shibuya.md).
Contributing
Issues and PRs are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md. Run npm run lint && npm run typecheck && npm test before opening a PR.
Roadmap
Shipped in v0.1.0: 10 own MCP tools + 13 proxied tools from the official PLATEAU MCP (combined 23-tool catalog when PLATEAU_UPSTREAM_ENABLED=true), on-demand artifact download (download_area + optional load_area auto-fetch) so no data clone is needed, polygon footprint extrusion (DuckDB spatial) with box fallback, mesh merging + sidecar identity index, GLB compression (~40% shrink), scene_manifest mode with 3D Tiles tile enrichment, Overpass POI linking, three data-access modes (TS+duckdb artifact / Python subprocess / upstream MCP-over-HTTP), and an allowlist-gated cross-MCP bridge to BlenderMCP-compatible servers.
Planned for v0.2: recorded cross-MCP demos with BlenderMCP / Unity MCP / Unreal MCP.
Built by Yodo Labs — PixelX Inc. / ピクセルエックス株式会社
Built on top of plateau-bridge · Data © Project PLATEAU / MLIT (CC BY 4.0)
Questions: pan@yodolabs.jp