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Workflow / Drawing to model

Turn the drawing into a model you can keep editing.

Give Adam a dimensioned drawing and a target CAD system. Build from the known dimensions, resolve the missing information, and inspect the resulting sketches and features in SOLIDWORKS, Onshape, or Fusion.

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How to get started
  • PDF or reference image
  • Explicit units and dimensions
  • Reviewable construction steps

01 / Start here

Set up a useful first task.

  1. 01

    Supply a legible drawing

    Attach the PDF or image with all relevant views, dimensions, units, and revision notes. Include section views if internal features matter.

  2. 02

    Resolve design intent

    Name the destination CAD system. Ask Adam to list known dimensions, missing information, and a proposed feature sequence before creating geometry.

  3. 03

    Check against the source

    Compare the finished model's envelope, thicknesses, hole positions, and internal features with the drawing. Test an intended parameter change in the native file.

02 / In practice

A drawing is a specification with gaps to resolve.

Dimensions and annotations carry information that a picture alone cannot. A low-resolution scan may hide a decimal point, omit a section, or leave a hole depth unspecified. Ask Adam to identify those uncertainties before it chooses geometry.

Use the written dimensions as the reference. Scaling pixels is not a substitute for a dimension when the image has been resized or the projection is unclear. For missing information, provide another view or agree on an explicit assumption.

  • Check units, projection, and revision before modeling.
  • Distinguish through holes from blind holes and counterbores.
  • Resolve asymmetric features and hidden internal geometry.
  • Keep assumptions visible in the task record.

03 / In practice

Plan features around how the part will change.

Ask for a construction sequence that reflects the part: a revolved profile for a turned body, an extruded base for a plate, or a shell and mounting features for an enclosure. Give important parameters meaningful names.

The target is a model you can maintain. After reconstruction, change a driving dimension and inspect dependent features. A plausible silhouette is not sufficient evidence that the design intent survived.

Understand parametric CAD editing

04 / In practice

Reconstruction and file conversion are different jobs.

Importing a drawing does not automatically create its missing third dimension or recover the original modeling history. Reconstructing a part means making those construction choices and checking them against the source.

If you already have a 3D model and want to change CAD systems, begin with a migration assessment instead. The original file may contain feature history and metadata that a drawing cannot capture.

Explore parametric CAD migrations

Questions, answered

Before you start.

Can I use a scanned engineering drawing?

You can provide a scan or image as reference. Results depend on legibility and completeness. Check the dimensions Adam reads and supply missing views or values before accepting a reconstruction.

Will the 3D model have an editable feature tree?

Request native sketches and features in your connected CAD system, then inspect the result. Editability depends on the construction used; a STEP export by itself does not preserve an original feature tree.

Can AI infer dimensions that are not shown?

It may propose assumptions, but those assumptions are not source dimensions. Ask Adam to identify missing values and confirm them with you rather than treating guesses as engineering requirements.

Which CAD system should I use?

Use the system where you plan to continue engineering the part. Adam connects to SOLIDWORKS, Onshape, and Autodesk Fusion through their respective setup paths.

Keep exploring

AI for SOLIDWORKSAI for OnshapeAI for Fusion

Start with a real part

Put Adam to work in your CAD.

Connect your tools, bring a specific task, and inspect the result.

Try Adam Book a demo