TechDrawAI
Workflow · 2026

TechDraw AI
+ Fusion 360

They aren't competitors. They're two ends of one pipeline. TechDraw AI turns a photo or a sketch into a dimensioned DXF. Fusion 360 turns that DXF into an editable 3D model and the toolpaths that cut it. This is the exact handoff, click by click.

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Updated June 2026·Works with Fusion 360
Step in the jobTechDraw AIFusion 360
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
Dimensioned 2D drawing✓~
DXF / DWG export✓✓
Parametric 3D body✗✓
Assemblies & motion✗✓
CAM toolpaths & simulation✗✓

Why pair TechDraw AI with Fusion 360?

Fusion 360 is a brilliant modeller and a useless scanner. It has no idea what the part in your spares drawer actually measures. TechDraw AI does the measuring and the drawing; Fusion does everything that comes after.

Step one

From a photo to a dimensioned drawing

Upload a photo of the part, anchor one real measurement, and get back a clean, dimensioned drawing you can export as DXF.

PhotoPhoto of a part uploaded to TechDraw AI
DrawingDimensioned technical drawing generated by TechDraw AI
Step two

Then extrude or revolve in Fusion

The DXF lands on a plane as an editable sketch. Extrude the prismatic parts, revolve the round ones, and you have a parametric 3D body without redrawing a single line.

A gearbox assembly modelled in Autodesk Fusion 360
Autodesk Fusion 360Autodesk Fusion 360
Insert DXFPick a planeExtrude / revolve
The bridge

One clean DXF connects the two

The DXF is the seam between the tools. TechDraw AI exports it scaled to your measured reference, so Fusion reads real-size geometry. No guessing, no rescaling. If your part is flat, the DXF is already the production file.

Dimensioned shaft drawing exported as DXF
Exports Fusion reads
DXF, the sketch you extrude or revolve
DWG, the same geometry, AutoCAD-native
SVG for a clean vector handoff
PDF, the spec to keep open beside Fusion
Opens inAutodesk Fusion 360Fusion 360AutoCADInventorSolidWorksLibreCADFreeCAD
An undocumented machined part with no drawing
The part in your hand
A caliper measuring a machined part
One real measurement
A dimensioned technical drawing of a shaft
Dimensioned drawing
A suspension rocker assembly modelled in Autodesk Fusion 360
3D model in Fusion
5 clicks
DXF to a Fusion sketch
Photo → 3D
skip the manual tracing
DXF · DWG
Fusion reads it natively
2 ops
extrude or revolve
What are you trying to do?
Reverse engineer a part

Photograph a discontinued part, get the DXF, revolve or extrude it in Fusion, then redesign or run CAM. No original drawing needed.

Field photo to design change

A part fails on site, someone snaps a photo, and an engineer has a 3D model to modify the same afternoon.

Fast 2D to CAM

For laser, waterjet or router work the DXF often goes straight to CAM; Fusion just nests and toolpaths it.

Concept from a prompt

Generate a first 2D concept from a text description, import it, and pressure-test the geometry in Fusion before committing.

Who does what

Division of labour, not redundancy. Each tool owns the half of the job it's actually good at.

Step in the jobTechDraw AIFusion 360
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
Dimensioned 2D drawing✓~
DXF / DWG export✓✓
Parametric 3D body✗✓
Assemblies & motion✗✓
CAM toolpaths & simulation✗✓
Best atPhoto → drawingDrawing → 3D
What each tool hands you
TechDraw AI
Dimensioned 2D drawing
One measured reference dimension
Closed vector profile
DXF, DWG, SVG, PDF export
Fusion 360
Parametric 3D body
Editable sketch constraints
Assemblies, joints, motion
CAM toolpaths & simulation

See it for yourself

Drop in a photo of a part. You'll get a dimensioned drawing and a clean DXF, ready for Fusion. No account needed to start.

Convert an image to DXF
Section 01

The five-step handoff

Once you've exported the drawing from TechDraw AI as a DXF, the import into Fusion is short. If your part is flat, like a gasket, bracket or laser plate, the DXF is the production file and you can stop after step 2.

From DXF to a 3D body
1
Insert the DXFInsert › Insert DXF, pick the file from TechDraw AI
→
2
Pick a planeChoose the plane; it arrives as an editable sketch
→
3
Confirm unitsMatch mm vs inch so it isn't rescaled
→
4
Handle layersCombine to one sketch, or keep dims separate
→
5
Extrude / revolveBlue profile → solid body
A swept form being modelled from a profile in Autodesk Fusion 360
The imported profile, swept into a form in Fusion.
A full mechanical assembly with linkages in Autodesk Fusion 360
From there: assemblies, joints and CAM.
Verdict

The seam is a DXF. Mind your units, layers and closed loopsand it's a seam you barely notice. Geometry in, parametric body out.

Section 02

Extrude vs. revolve

The DXF is always a flat 2D profile. How you give it depth depends on the part.

A prismatic bracket, extruded from a flat profile
Prismatic parts → Extrude
  • Brackets, plates, housings, constant cross-section
  • Select the closed profile, extrude to thickness
  • Closed cut-outs become pockets in the same op
  • Import settings can even auto-extrude to a thickness
A round part being turned on a lathe, revolved from a half-section
Turned parts → Revolve
  • Shafts, bushings, pulleys, anything round
  • Export the half-section profile
  • Add a centerline as the axis, revolve 360°
  • Fusion has a dedicated DXF-for-turning workflow
Section 03

Three gotchas that break the import

Almost every “my DXF won't extrude” thread comes down to one of these. Knowing them up front saves the ten minutes.

1. Open profiles won't extrude.Extrude needs a closed loop. If the region won't shade blue, two endpoints that look joined aren't. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this mostly bites hand-traced DXFs.
2. Wrong units scale the part.A DXF carries no guaranteed unit. If a 50 mm part arrives 25.4× too big, Fusion read it as inches. Set units on import to match the drawing.
3. Dimension layers get in the way. Leader lines, arrows and dimension text are geometry too. Export a geometry-only DXF for the modelling sketch and keep the dimensioned one open as your spec.

Cleanest habit: from TechDraw AI, export one DXF of just the profile geometry for modelling, and keep the full dimensioned drawing (or a PDF) open beside Fusion as your spec. The model gets clean lines; you keep the numbers in view.

Section 04

Where this combo earns its keep

Best tool for each step of these jobs
JobTechDraw AIFusion 360
Capture an undocumented part
Dimension it to real size
Build the 3D body
Redesign / modify
Run CAM / cut it
Who leads where
Capture & dimensioningTechDraw AI
2D drawing & DXF exportTechDraw AI
3D modellingFusion 360
Assemblies & CAMFusion 360
The full pipelineBoth, together

Start at the part, end at the 3D model

Generate the dimensioned DXF in minutes, then take it into Fusion. No tracing, no blank canvas. Free to start, no account needed.

DWG vs. DXF: which to send

Frequently asked questions

Does TechDraw AI replace Fusion 360?

Not at all. They solve different halves of the job. TechDraw AI gets you from a physical part or an idea to a dimensioned 2D drawing and a clean DXF in minutes. Fusion 360 is where that DXF becomes a parametric 3D model, an assembly, a CAM toolpath or a simulation.

How do I get a TechDraw AI drawing into Fusion 360?

Export the drawing as DXF from TechDraw AI, then in Fusion choose Insert › Insert DXF, pick the file, and select the plane to place it on. Fusion brings the geometry in as a sketch you can extrude, revolve or use as a CAM profile.

Why won't my imported DXF extrude in Fusion?

Extrude needs a closed profile. If the region doesn't shade blue when you hover it, there's a gap somewhere. Zoom in, find the open vertices, and close them with a coincident constraint or a trim. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed.

Do I lose the dimensions when I import the DXF?

The dimension text comes in on its own DXF layer as annotation, not as live constraints, and that holds for any DXF in any CAD package. Keep that layer for reference and re-apply the dimensions you care about as Fusion sketch constraints.

Does this work for turned (round) parts too?

Yes. For a shaft, bushing or any part with an axis of revolution, import the DXF profile, keep just the half-section, add a centerline, and use Revolve instead of Extrude.