TechDrawAI
Workflow · 2026
Pairs withAutodesk Inventor logoAutodesk Inventor

TechDraw AI
+ Inventor

They aren't competitors. They're two ends of one pipeline. TechDraw AI turns a photo or a sketch into a dimensioned DXF. Inventor turns that DXF into a manufacturing model — extruded and revolved into a solid, then a production drawing, a BOM and sheet-metal data for the shop floor. This is the exact handoff, click by click.

maria, TechDraw AI usermustafa, TechDraw AI usersarah, TechDraw AI userdavid, TechDraw AI user
Trusted by 213,000+ usersEngineers, makers and machine shops.
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Updated June 2026·Works with Inventor 2024
Step in the jobTechDraw AIInventor
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
DXF / DWG import✓✓
Parametric 3D (Extrude / Revolve)✗✓
Production drawings (IDW views)~✓
BOM & parts lists✗✓
Sheet metal & frame generator✗✓

Why pair TechDraw AI with Inventor?

Inventor is a manufacturing powerhouse 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; Inventor does everything that comes after — model, drawing, BOM and all.

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 machined hydraulic manifold block on a workbench
DrawingDimensioned technical drawing generated by TechDraw AI
Step two

Then Extrude or Revolve in Inventor

Import the DXF into a sketch, then Extrude the prismatic parts and Revolve the round ones. You have a parametric solid without redrawing a single line — and a model ready to drive a drawing and a BOM.

A machined aluminium hydraulic manifold block modelled in Inventor
Autodesk InventorAutodesk Inventor
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 once you set the units in the import wizard Inventor reads real-size geometry. No guessing, no rescaling. If your part is flat, the DXF is already the production file.

Dimensioned threaded-spindle drawing exported as DXF
Exports Inventor reads
DXF, the curves you Extrude or revolve
DWG, the same geometry, AutoCAD-native
SVG, a clean vector for other tools
PDF, the spec to keep open beside Inventor
Opens inAutodesk InventorInventorFusion 360SolidWorksOnshapeShapr3DFreeCAD
An undocumented machined threaded spindle with no drawing
The part in your hand
A caliper measuring a threaded adjustment spindle
One real measurement
A dimensioned technical drawing of a threaded adjustment spindle
Dimensioned drawing
A threaded adjustment spindle modelled in Inventor
3D model in Inventor
Both Autodesk
the same DXF, native
Photo → 3D
skip the manual tracing
DXF · DWG
Inventor reads both
Drawings + BOM
built for the shop floor
What are you trying to do?
Reverse engineer for production

Photograph a legacy part, get the DXF, build the Inventor model, then generate a fully dimensioned IDW drawing and a BOM the shop can actually run from.

Feed an existing Autodesk pipeline

Already on Inventor or AutoCAD? The DXF is native. Bring it straight into a sketch and keep your templates, title blocks and Vault workflow exactly as they are.

Document a part for the floor

Inventor's drawing environment turns the model into a manufacturing drawing — views, GD&T and a title block driven by iProperties — not just a 3D picture.

Fast 2D straight to the cutter

For laser, waterjet or router work the DXF often goes straight to the machine; Inventor just confirms and details the geometry before it ships.

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 AIInventor
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
DXF / DWG import✓✓
Parametric 3D (Extrude / Revolve)✗✓
Production drawings (IDW views)~✓
BOM & parts lists✗✓
Sheet metal & frame generator✗✓
Best atPhoto → drawingDrawing → production
What each tool hands you
TechDraw AI
Dimensioned 2D drawing
One measured reference dimension
Closed vector profile
DXF, DWG, SVG, PDF export
Inventor
Parametric solid — Extrude & Revolve
Production drawings (IDW) & views
BOM and parts lists
Sheet metal, frame generator, weldments

See it for yourself

Drop in a photo of a part. You'll get a dimensioned drawing and a clean DXF, ready to import into a sketch in Inventor. 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 Inventor 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 the import.

From DXF to a 3D body
1
Start a part sketchnew part, then a 2D sketch
→
2
Insert › Importdrop the DXF onto the sketch
→
3
Pick units & layersthe import wizard asks
→
4
Extrude or Revolvegive the closed profile depth
→
5
Drawing + BOMIDW views, iProperties, parts list
A valve manifold built from an imported profile in Inventor
The imported profile, Extruded into a manifold in Inventor.
A manifold-and-spindle assembly in Inventor
From there: assemble, then drive a drawing and BOM.
Verdict

The seam is a DXF. Mind your import units, the layers you bring in and closed profilesand it's a seam you barely notice. Geometry in, a manufacturing model out.

Section 02

Extrude vs. Revolve

The DXF is always a flat 2D profile. Once the curves are in a sketch, how you give them depth depends on the part.

A prismatic plate, extruded up from a flat profile
Prismatic parts → Extrude
  • Brackets, plates, manifolds, constant cross-section
  • Extrude the closed profile to a set distance
  • Extrude-cut a second sketch for ports and pockets
  • Drive the length with a parameter for variants
A round part being turned on a lathe, revolved from a half-section
Turned parts → Revolve
  • Shafts, spindles, bushings, anything round
  • Keep just the half-section profile
  • Add an axis and Revolve it 360°
  • Revolve-cut a groove profile for reliefs and threads
Section 03

Three gotchas that break the import

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

1. The profile has to be closed.Extrude needs a closed loop in the active sketch. If the preview won't appear, two endpoints that look joined aren't — close the gap or add a Coincident constraint. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this mostly bites hand-traced DXFs.
2. Set units and layers in the import wizard.A DXF carries no guaranteed unit, so Inventor's wizard asks. If a 50 mm part lands 25.4× too big, it read inches — set the units. While you're there, deselect any dimension or text layers so only the geometry comes in.
3. Constrain before you build.An imported sketch arrives unconstrained. Ground it or add a few constraints so an edit later doesn't let the profile drift, then Extrude or Revolve.

Cleanest habit: from TechDraw AI, export one DXF of just the profile geometry to import and extrude, and keep the full dimensioned drawing (or a PDF) open beside Inventor 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 AIInventor
Capture an undocumented part
Dimension it to real size
Build the 3D model
Drawings, BOM & GD&T
Series manufacturing docs
Who leads where
Capture & dimensioningTechDraw AI
2D drawing from a photoTechDraw AI
Parametric 3D modelingInventor
Production drawings & BOMInventor
The full pipelineBoth, together
More

Other CAD workflows

TechDraw AI hands a clean, dimensioned DXF to whatever you model in. Here's the same photo-to-3D handoff written up for other CAD tools.

All CAD workflows →

The full hub: every TechDraw AI photo-to-DXF pairing in one place.

TechDraw AI + Fusion 360

Insert the DXF into a Fusion sketch, then extrude or revolve it into a parametric model.

TechDraw AI + SolidWorks

Open the DXF with the DXF/DWG Import Wizard, then build a parametric SolidWorks model.

TechDraw AI + Onshape

Import the DXF, Use the curves in a Part Studio and model it in the browser.

TechDraw AI + Shapr3D

Import the DXF onto a sketch plane, then Push/Pull or revolve it on iPad or Mac.

TechDraw AI + FreeCAD

Import the DXF in the Draft workbench, convert it to a sketch, then Pad or Revolve it — free.

TechDraw AI + SketchUp

Import the DXF in SketchUp Pro, explode it to edges, then Push/Pull or Follow Me into a model.

TechDraw AI + Tinkercad

Export as SVG, import it into Tinkercad in the browser, and extrude it into a printable solid.

TechDraw AI + Blender

Import the DXF or SVG as a curve, convert to mesh, then Solidify or Screw it — free.

TechDraw AI + Rhino

Import the DXF as exact curves, Join them, then ExtrudeCrv or Revolve into NURBS surfaces.

Start at the part, end at the 3D model

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

DWG vs. DXF: which to send

Frequently asked questions

Does TechDraw AI replace Inventor?

No. 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. Inventor is the manufacturing-grade parametric modeller where that DXF becomes a 3D solid, a production drawing (IDW), a BOM and sheet-metal or weldment data for the shop.

How do I import a TechDraw AI drawing into Inventor?

Export the drawing as DXF (or DWG) from TechDraw AI. In Inventor, start a new part and a 2D sketch, then Insert › Import (Insert AutoCAD/DXF), pick the file, and the import wizard lets you choose units and which layers to bring in. The geometry lands as sketch curves; finish the profile and Extrude or Revolve it.

Why won't my imported DXF extrude in Inventor?

Extrude needs a closed profile in the active sketch. If the preview won't appear, a loop isn't closed — zoom in and close the gap, or add a Coincident constraint to join the two endpoints. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this mostly bites hand-traced DXFs.

Does the part come in at the wrong size?

A DXF carries no guaranteed unit, so Inventor's import wizard asks. If a 50 mm part lands 25.4× too big, the wizard read it as inches. Set the import units to match the drawing. A clean export from TechDraw AI is scaled to your measured reference, so once the units are right it lands real-size.

Can I keep my title block and BOM templates?

Yes. The DXF only carries geometry, so it drops into your existing Inventor part and drawing templates. Your IDW title block, iProperties and BOM styles stay exactly as you have them configured.