TechDrawAI
Workflow · 2026
Pairs withRhino (Rhinoceros 3D) logoRhino

TechDraw AI
+ Rhino

They aren't competitors. They're two ends of one pipeline. TechDraw AI turns a photo or a sketch into a dimensioned DXF. Rhino turns that DXF into exact NURBS geometry — ExtrudeCrv'd and Revolved into precise surfaces for product and jewellery design. 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.
★★★★★
4.8 out of 5
Updated June 2026·Works with Rhino 8
Step in the jobTechDraw AIRhino
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
DXF / DWG / IGES import✓✓
NURBS ExtrudeCrv & Revolve✗✓
Smooth surfacing (Loft, Sweep)✗✓
Product & jewellery precision~✓
Export STEP / IGES for CAM✗✓

Why pair TechDraw AI with Rhino?

Rhino is a NURBS surfacing master and a useless scanner. It has no idea what the part on your bench actually measures. TechDraw AI does the measuring and the drawing; Rhino does everything that comes after, to exact tolerance.

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 sculpted cabinet pull handle on a studio bench
DrawingDimensioned technical drawing generated by TechDraw AI
Step two

Then ExtrudeCrv or Revolve in Rhino

Import the DXF, Join the curves, then ExtrudeCrv the prismatic parts and Revolve the round ones. You have exact NURBS geometry without redrawing a single line — ready to surface and send to CAM.

A sculpted satin-metal cabinet pull handle modelled in Rhino
RhinoRhino
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 the model units match Rhino reads real-size, exact curves. No guessing, no rescaling. If your part is flat, the DXF is already the cut file.

Dimensioned perfume-bottle drawing exported as DXF
Exports Rhino reads
DXF, the curves you ExtrudeCrv or Revolve
DWG, the same geometry, AutoCAD-native
SVG, a clean vector for other tools
PDF, the spec to keep open beside Rhino
Opens inRhinoRhinoFusion 360SolidWorksFreeCADBlenderShapr3D
An undocumented polished perfume bottle with no drawing
The part in your hand
A caliper measuring a polished perfume bottle
One real measurement
A dimensioned technical drawing of a perfume bottle
Dimensioned drawing
A perfume bottle modelled in Rhino
3D model in Rhino
Exact NURBS
curves, not a rough trace
Photo → 3D
skip the manual tracing
DXF · DWG · IGES
Rhino reads them all
STEP / STL out
to CAM or the printer
What are you trying to do?
Reverse engineer a product part

Photograph the part, get the DXF, bring it into Rhino as exact NURBS curves, then ExtrudeCrv or Revolve into a clean surface model ready for tooling.

Jewellery and small-product design

Bring a measured profile in, Revolve a ring or a bottle, and refine it with control-point precision — the kind of accuracy mesh tools can't give you.

Class-A surfaces from a real profile

Start surfacing from accurate curves, not a rough trace, so Loft and Sweep stay clean and the reflections read the way a product render should.

Fast 2D straight to the cutter

For laser or waterjet work the DXF often goes straight to the machine; Rhino 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 AIRhino
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
DXF / DWG / IGES import✓✓
NURBS ExtrudeCrv & Revolve✗✓
Smooth surfacing (Loft, Sweep)✗✓
Product & jewellery precision~✓
Export STEP / IGES for CAM✗✓
Best atPhoto → drawingDrawing → NURBS
What each tool hands you
TechDraw AI
Dimensioned 2D drawing
One measured reference dimension
Closed vector profile
DXF, DWG, SVG, PDF export
Rhino
ExtrudeCrv & Revolve to solids
Loft, Sweep & Network surfaces
Exact NURBS for product & jewellery
Exports STEP, IGES, STL for CAM

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 Rhino as exact curves. 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 Rhino is short. If your part is flat, like a gasket, bracket or laser plate, the DXF is the cut file and you can stop after the import.

From DXF to NURBS geometry
1
Import the DXFFile › Import, or just open it
→
2
Check the model unitsmatch mm to the drawing
→
3
Join the curvesmake one closed planar curve
→
4
ExtrudeCrv or Revolvegive the curve depth
→
5
Surface & exportLoft/Sweep, then STEP or STL
A door handle built from an imported profile in Rhino
The imported profile, ExtrudeCrv'd into a handle in Rhino.
A handle-and-bottle product set in Rhino
From there: surface it, render it, export STEP.
Verdict

The seam is a DXF. Mind your model units, joining the curves and closed planar profilesand it's a seam you barely notice. Geometry in, exact NURBS out.

Section 02

ExtrudeCrv vs. Revolve

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

A prismatic profile, extruded into a solid handle
Prismatic parts → ExtrudeCrv
  • Handles, plates, housings, constant cross-section
  • ExtrudeCrv with Solid=Yes to cap a closed curve
  • Extrude a cutting curve and Boolean for openings
  • Set the distance exactly — it's true NURBS
A bottle form being turned on a lathe, revolved from a profile
Turned parts → Revolve
  • Bottles, rings, knobs, anything round
  • Keep just the half-section profile
  • Revolve it 360° about an axis
  • RevSrf for a surface, Revolve for a solid
Section 03

Three gotchas that break the import

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

1. Close and flatten the curve first. ExtrudeCrv only caps a solid from a closed, planar curve. Run Jointo close any gaps and confirm it's planar, then ExtrudeCrv with Solid=Yes. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed.
2. Match the model units.Rhino works in the file's units. If a 50 mm part lands 25.4× too big, the import read it as inches. Set the model or import units to match the drawing.
3. Watch for faceted arcs. DXF can store arcs as short polyline segments. Join the curves, and if you need one smooth NURBS curve, Rebuild or refit it. A clean TechDraw AI export keeps arcs as true arcs.

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

Section 04

Where this combo earns its keep

Best tool for each step of these jobs
JobTechDraw AIRhino
Capture an undocumented part
Dimension it to real size
Build NURBS surfaces & solids
Class-A product & jewellery
Export STEP / IGES for CAM
Who leads where
Capture & dimensioningTechDraw AI
2D drawing from a photoTechDraw AI
NURBS surfacingRhino
Product & jewellery precisionRhino
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 + Inventor

Import the DXF into a sketch, extrude or revolve it, then drive a production drawing and BOM.

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.

Start at the part, end at the 3D model

Generate the dimensioned DXF in minutes, then import it into Rhino as exact curves. 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 Rhino?

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. Rhino is the NURBS modeller where that DXF becomes exact curves you ExtrudeCrv, Revolve and surface for product and jewellery work, then export to CAM.

How do I import a TechDraw AI drawing into Rhino?

Export the drawing as DXF (or DWG) from TechDraw AI. In Rhino, use File › Import or just drag the file into the viewport. Check the model units match the drawing, run Join to make the curves into one closed planar curve, then ExtrudeCrv or Revolve.

Why won't my curve extrude into a solid in Rhino?

ExtrudeCrv only caps into a closed solid when the curve is closed and planar. Run Join to close any gaps and confirm the curve is planar, then ExtrudeCrv with Solid=Yes. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this is usually one Join.

Does the part come in at the wrong size?

Rhino works in the file's model units. If a 50 mm part lands 25.4× too big, the import read it as inches. Set the model units (or 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.

My imported DXF curves look faceted or segmented — why?

DXF often stores arcs as short polyline segments, and Rhino imports them faithfully. Run Join, and if you need a single smooth curve use Rebuild or refit it so the NURBS stays clean. A clean export from TechDraw AI keeps arcs as true arcs, so there's usually little to fix.