Photograph a part, correct and scale the image, and let Smart Trace draw it. Our proprietary AI tracing pipeline turns the photo into measured CAD geometry at real-world scale. Refine with a full CAD toolkit if you want to, add dimensions, and export a 1:1 DXF without ever switching applications.
Upload a photo, correct and scale it, and let Smart Trace draw it. The calibration you set in step two carries all the way through to your DXF export.
Upload a photo of any physical object: a part, a wall opening, an installed fixture, a piece of hardware. LensCAD reads EXIF data and applies lens distortion correction automatically. Then fix perspective with four modes: click four corners, align perpendicular lines, fit a circle/ellipse, or use the printable ArUco reference sheet for one-click correction.
Set scale using a ruler in frame, a known dimension, dual rulers for independent X/Y calibration, or the reference sheet for automatic detection. The scale you calibrate here is locked into every traced line, every dimension, and the final DXF export.
Press Run Smart Trace and the AI draws the part for you: outer profile, holes, and interior features, each snapped to the real edges in the photo and named on its own layer. Most parts come back ready to export. When you want to go further, a full CAD toolkit is right there: refine a corner, trim an edge, hand-trace a detail, add dimensions. Then download a 1:1 scale DXF, ready for Rhino, AutoCAD, Fusion 360, or any CAD software.
LensCAD has two modes. Scan Mode takes a photo through a full correction pipeline. Draw Mode skips the photo entirely. Both export 1:1 DXF files. Each step below is a potential DXF exit point.
Upload a phone photo of any physical object
Barrel & pincushion distortion removed
Keystoning & angle corrected to true orthographic
Set real-world dimensions from a known reference
Draw geometry over the corrected, scaled image
Add ortho, aligned, angle, and radius dimensionsUpload a phone photo of any physical objectBarrel & pincushion distortion removedKeystoning & angle corrected to true orthographicSet real-world dimensions from a known referenceDraw geometry over the corrected, scaled imageAdd ortho, aligned, angle, and radius dimensionsThree exit points. Export after correction to trace in Rhino or AutoCAD, or stay for the full workflow.
Choose canvas: Letter, Tabloid, A3, A4, or custom
Full geometry toolset on a blank canvas
Add dimensions to your drawingChoose canvas: Letter, Tabloid, A3, A4, or customFull geometry toolset on a blank canvasAdd dimensions to your drawingNo photo needed. Set canvas size (Letter, Tabloid, A3, A4, or custom), pick units, draw with the full toolset. Same 1:1 DXF export.
Two workflows, one app. Scan Mode bridges camera and CAD. Draw Mode is pure CAD from scratch. Both export 1:1 DXF files.
Once your photo is corrected and scaled, Smart Trace does the tracing. It is a proprietary tracing pipeline unique to LensCAD, built over months of development and tuned against hand-measured ground truth: a frontier vision model reads the photo and decides what the shapes are, then our own measurement engine decides where every edge actually is, re-measuring each proposed line, arc, and corner against the full-resolution image. The AI never gets the final word on a coordinate; the pixels do.
Every line the AI proposes is snapped to the real edge in your photo by our measurement engine. On our benchmark parts, traces come back with roughly 0.1 mm median error against hand-measured ground truth.
One run returns four interpretations: Smooth, Organic, Auto, and Polygonal. Switch between them instantly, or mix: take the outline from one style and the interior details from another.
The AI names what it traces (body, trigger, nozzle) and each named component lands on its own DXF layer, in its own color, exactly how your CAD software expects it.
Brush over just the part you care about, or type a plain-English prompt like “trace only the circular holes.” Two quality levels: Normal for most parts, High for the stubborn ones.
The manual CAD tools have not gone anywhere. They are how you take a Smart Trace the last mile: nudge a corner, standardize hole sizes, add dimensions. Or skip the AI entirely and hand-trace when you prefer to. But for most parts, the tracing is no longer your job.
LensCAD doesn't stack an image editor on top of a drawing app. The tools cross the boundary: image-aware drawing, geometry-aware correction, and measurement that flows through the entire pipeline.
Photo installed equipment or existing conditions on site. Set scale from a tape measure in frame, trace what matters, export a dimensioned DXF.
Photo a part you can't remove. Correct distortion, calibrate scale, trace the profile, export a manufacturing-ready DXF.
Gaskets, brackets, shims, joint profiles. Photo the original, trace it, export a DXF for CNC, laser, waterjet, or plasma.
Capture vintage hardware or discontinued parts. Trace accurate profiles for faithful reproduction.
Photo a wall, floor plan detail, or equipment footprint. Trace and dimension it on the spot.
Blank canvas mode. Set size and units, draw from scratch, add dimensions, export a scaled DXF. No photo needed.
LensCAD is optimized for both landscape and portrait on mobile screens: full touch interface, custom gestures, and the complete toolset on any phone or tablet. On desktop, it feels like a native CAD application with keyboard shortcuts, precision mouse control, and snap/guide systems that rival professional tools.
Different objects call for different approaches. Each walkthrough shows a complete photo-to-DXF workflow on a real part.
Reference sheet → 3 orthographic views → autotrace + circle detect → straighten, crop, align, trim, mirror, rescale → 3D DXF viewed in Rhino.
4-corner perspective → edge dims for scale → full manual trace with polylines, circles, rectangles, trim, and mirror.
4-corner perspective → edge dims for scale → autotrace does all the work. The fast path for high-contrast flat parts.
2-line perspective → ruler scale from tape measure → autotrace + circle detect + standardize circles → manual perimeter with mirror and trim.
Shot entirely on phone in portrait mode. Guide brush + autotrace pulls the profile off a contour gauge. Start to finish in under a minute.
Shot on phone in portrait mode. Reference sheet for scale → guide brush to mask the part → autotrace pulls the geometry. Clean output in one take.
Everything in LensCAD is free to use: correction, calibration, the editor and every CAD tool. Pro unlocks the DXF export. Smart Trace, the AI tracer, runs on credits because every run costs real compute.
Prices in USD. Taxes may apply. Pro renews yearly and can be cancelled any time from your account page.
Built by PartCraft, an engineer and woodworker who got tired of waiting for someone else to solve his photo-to-CAD workflow problem.