TechDrawAI
Workflow · 2026
Pairs withShapr3D logoShapr3D

TechDraw AI
+ Shapr3D

They aren't competitors. They're two ends of one pipeline. TechDraw AI turns a photo or a sketch into a dimensioned DXF. Shapr3D turns that DXF into a direct 3D model on iPad or Mac, Push/Pulled into shape with the Apple Pencil and no feature tree. This is the exact handoff, tap by tap.

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 Shapr3D
Step in the jobTechDraw AIShapr3D
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
Dimensioned 2D drawing✓~
DXF / DWG / SVG import✓✓
Direct 3D modeling (push/pull)✗✓
Apple Pencil on iPad & Mac✗✓
Model offline in the field✗✓

Why pair TechDraw AI with Shapr3D?

Shapr3D is a brilliant direct modeler 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; Shapr3D does everything that comes after, with the Pencil in your hand.

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 tablet clamp mount part on a workbench
DrawingDimensioned technical drawing generated by TechDraw AI
Step two

Then Push/Pull or revolve in Shapr3D

Import the DXF, drop the curves on a sketch plane, then Push/Pull the prismatic parts and revolve the round ones. You have a 3D solid without redrawing a single line — and no history to manage.

A machined aluminium tablet clamp mount modelled in Shapr3D
Shapr3DShapr3D
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 on import Shapr3D reads real-size geometry. No guessing, no rescaling. If your part is flat, the DXF is already the production file.

Dimensioned knurled-knob drawing exported as DXF
Exports Shapr3D reads
DXF, the curves you Push/Pull or revolve
DWG, the same geometry, AutoCAD-native
SVG, a clean vector Shapr3D imports directly
PDF, the spec to keep open beside Shapr3D
Opens inShapr3DShapr3DFusion 360SolidWorksOnshapeAutoCADFreeCAD
An undocumented machined knob with no drawing
The part in your hand
A caliper measuring a machined knob
One real measurement
A dimensioned technical drawing of a knurled knob
Dimensioned drawing
A turned knurled knob modelled in Shapr3D
3D model in Shapr3D
Runs on iPad & Mac
model with the Pencil
Photo → 3D
skip the manual tracing
DXF · DWG · SVG
Shapr3D imports all three
Import → Push/Pull
no feature tree to learn
What are you trying to do?
Reverse engineer a part

Photograph a discontinued part, get the DXF, import it into Shapr3D, then Push/Pull or revolve and redesign. No original model and no feature tree to wrestle with.

Capture on site, model on the tablet

Snap a part in the field, generate the DXF, and open Shapr3D on your iPad. It models offline with the Apple Pencil, so the work happens where the part is, not back at a workstation.

Sketch the idea by hand, build it solid

Direct modeling means no sketch relations or history to manage. Bring the DXF in, Push/Pull the shape you want, and shove faces around until it's right — fast, tactile, forgiving.

Fast 2D straight to the cutter

For laser, waterjet or router work the DXF often goes straight to the machine; Shapr3D 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 AIShapr3D
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
Dimensioned 2D drawing✓~
DXF / DWG / SVG import✓✓
Direct 3D modeling (push/pull)✗✓
Apple Pencil on iPad & Mac✗✓
Model offline in the field✗✓
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
Shapr3D
Direct 3D model — no feature tree
Push/Pull & move-face editing
Apple Pencil precision on iPad
Offline, syncs to Mac & cloud

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 Shapr3D on your iPad or Mac. 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 Shapr3D 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
Import the DXFTools › Import, or drag it in from Files
→
2
Pick unitsShapr3D asks mm vs inch on import
→
3
Drops on a sketch planeCurves arrive as editable sketch geometry
→
4
Closed region fills inShapr3D shades any closed loop on its own
→
5
Push/Pull or revolveDrag the face into a solid with the Pencil
A clamp arm bracket built from an imported profile in Shapr3D
The imported profile, Push/Pulled into a bracket in Shapr3D.
A tablet-clamp-and-rail assembly in Shapr3D
From there: combine bodies, fillet and export STEP.
Verdict

The seam is a DXF. Mind your units, the sketch plane and closed loopsand it's a seam you barely notice. Geometry in, direct 3D model out.

Section 02

Push/Pull vs. revolve

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

A prismatic plate, pushed up from a flat profile
Prismatic parts → Push/Pull
  • Brackets, plates, housings, constant cross-section
  • Tap the closed region and drag it into a solid
  • Push a face inward to cut pockets and holes
  • Keep Push/Pulling new faces — no sketch to re-open
A round part being turned on a lathe, revolved from a half-section
Turned parts → Revolve
  • Shafts, bushings, collars, knobs, anything round
  • Keep just the half-section profile
  • Add an axis line and revolve it 360°
  • Revolve a cut profile for grooves and reliefs
Section 03

Three gotchas that break the import

Almost every “my DXF won't Push/Pull in Shapr3D” thread comes down to one of these. Knowing them up front saves the ten minutes.

1. The sketch has to be on a plane. Push/Pull needs a face to grab. An imported DXF drops onto a sketch plane by default, but if you pasted loose curves into empty space, drop them onto a plane first. Once the region shades, you can drag it into a solid.
2. Wrong units scale the part.A DXF carries no guaranteed unit, so Shapr3D asks on import. If a 50 mm part arrives 25.4× too big, the dialog read it as inches. Set the units in the import dialog to match the drawing.
3. Open profiles won't fill.Push/Pull needs a closed contour. If a region won't shade, two endpoints that look joined aren't. Close the gap with a line or drag one endpoint onto the other. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this mostly bites hand-traced DXFs.

Cleanest habit: from TechDraw AI, export one DXF of just the profile geometry to import and Push/Pull, and keep the full dimensioned drawing (or a PDF) open beside Shapr3D 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 AIShapr3D
Capture an undocumented part
Dimension it to real size
Build the 3D model
Model on the go (iPad)
Redesign / modify
Who leads where
Capture & dimensioningTechDraw AI
2D drawing & DXF exportTechDraw AI
Direct 3D modelingShapr3D
Modeling on iPad & PencilShapr3D
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 + 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.

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 Shapr3D. No tracing, no blank canvas, no feature tree to learn. Free to start, no account needed.

DWG vs. DXF: which to send

Frequently asked questions

Does TechDraw AI replace Shapr3D?

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. Shapr3D is the direct modeler — on iPad or Mac, with the Apple Pencil — where that DXF becomes a 3D solid you can Push/Pull, revolve and refine without a feature tree.

How do I import a TechDraw AI drawing into Shapr3D?

Export the drawing as DXF (or SVG) from TechDraw AI. In Shapr3D, use Tools › Import, or drag the file straight in from the Files app. Pick the units when prompted. The geometry lands as editable sketch curves on a plane — no 'convert entities' step — and Shapr3D shades any closed region so you can Push/Pull it into a solid right away.

Why won't my imported DXF Push/Pull in Shapr3D?

Push/Pull only works on a closed region. If a loop won't shade after import, two endpoints that look joined aren't, so close the gap with a line or by dragging an endpoint onto its neighbour. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this mostly bites hand-traced DXFs. Make sure the imported sketch is sitting on a plane, too — Push/Pull needs a face to grab.

Does the part come in at the wrong size?

A DXF carries no guaranteed unit, so Shapr3D asks on import. If a 50 mm part arrives 25.4x too big, the dialog read it as inches. Set the 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.

Does this work for turned (round) parts too?

Yes. For a shaft, bushing, collar or knob, import the DXF, keep the half-section profile, add an axis line, and use Revolve instead of Push/Pull to spin it into a solid.