GenCAD - Turning Images into Editable 3D Designs
Creating CAD models is still slow, manual, and often frustrating - especially when dealing with complex geometries.
That’s why a team at MIT developed GenCAD, a new AI-powered system that generates parametric, editable CAD models directly from images.
👉 Instead of working with meshes or point clouds (which are hard to edit), GenCAD focuses on real-world engineering needs:
- Modifiability
- Manufacturability
- Cross-modal generation (image → CAD)
🔍 How it works:
GenCAD combines:
- Autoregressive transformers (to model CAD command sequences)
- Contrastive learning (to align images with CAD representations)
- Latent diffusion (for high-quality generation)
📄 Paper: https://lnkd.in/eahBwEfC
🔗 Website: https://gencad.github.io/
💻 Code: https://lnkd.in/eJgrNBqs
The most important part about any ECAD software for me is the constraint manager.
I just reviewed Siemens EDA (Siemens Digital Industries Software) new software, Xpedition Standard and its constraint manager was amazing!
Xpedition Standard is a new professional ECAD tool designed for serious hardware design engineers.
What really got me when I tested it out:
1. The Constraint Manager - extremely flexible, easy to understand and easy to implement constraints. It ports them easily into a signal integrity software...HyperLynx!
2. They put HyperLynx as an add-on that easily integrates into Xpedition Standard. Now you use tokens to access to one of the most powerful tools for easy SI, PI and EMC simulation!
3. MCAD Co-Design - it has real-time collaboration for mechanical + electronics changes in any printed circuit board or computer hardware design
4. It even has flex PCB design!
5. New User Interface - I like how the UI feels both modern, yet corporate without making me feel like a soulless engineer. I don't like when software feels a little bit too...mechanical.
It simultaneously feels relatable and useable, but reads 'professional' or 'serious' engineer.
📺 Watch the full review in the comments below 👇 .
I'm Kirsch Mackey. I show businesses and professionals which SaaS and AI tools are worth using in their industry.
I've been covering ECAD software tools for a while for engineers and in this video, I'm covering Siemens' Xpedition Standard software for hardware design and high-speed PCB work.
So, hardware & PCB design engineers, what’s your go-to ECAD tool right now?
What features actually matter most to you on a day-to-day design project?
Let’s talk tools, design, and building things that work beautifully.
#HardwareEngineering#PCBDesign#SiemensEDA#SignalIntegrity#ConstraintDrivenDesign#EngineerTools#SoftwareDesign#ECAD#TechReview
🚀 In this tutorial, I demonstrate a powerful new feature in NX CAD that significantly improves surface creation and quality. The "Split Output Along Boundary Curves" toggle, introduced in updates 2412 and expanded in 2506, addresses long-standing issues with surface continuity across boundaries.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
How to use the new Split Output Along Boundary Curves feature
Why this toggle should be your default setting for most surface operations
How it eliminates tangent breaks and discontinuities automatically ✨
When to use Parameter vs Arc Length alignment options
Applications across multiple surfacing tools (Through Curves, Through Curve Mesh, Studio Surface, Ruled, and Swept features)
🏆 Key Benefits Covered:
Eliminates the need for manual surface rebuilding and patching
Automatically maintains proper continuity across surface boundaries
Reduces extra work traditionally required for smooth surface transitions
Creates cleaner, simpler surfaces with better mathematical properties
🔧 This feature is available in Through Curves, Through Curve Mesh, Studio Surface, Ruled, and Swept operations, making it a comprehensive improvement to NX's surfacing capabilities.
🎯 Perfect for intermediate to advanced NX users looking to improve their surfacing workflow and create higher-quality surfaces with less manual intervention.
📌 Timestamps and detailed breakdown available in comments below.
🔔 Don't forget to subscribe for more NX CAD tips and advanced surfacing techniques!
https://lnkd.in/gjtDqemx
🏷️ HASHTAGS:
#NXcad#CAD#CADTutorial#3DDesign#SurfaceModeling#NXTutorial#CADTips#Engineering#Design#Tutorial#SurfaceContinuity#ParametricDesign#CADTraining#NXDesign#3DModeling#CADSoftware#ProductDesign#TechnicalDesign#CADTricks#ContinuousImprovement#SurfaceDesign#CADDesign#3DModelingTips#NXCADTutorial#SurfaceQuality#CADInnovation
Today, Backflip AI is unveiling a new Foundation model that can build precise, engineering parts in existing 3D design packages. This breakthrough will dramatically accelerate the pace of hardware development and drive down the cost of manufacturing.
Our new AI model solves the long-standing pain of converting a 3D scan into a parametric CAD model. In one click.
We finally did it.
3D scanners map the surface of an object with incredible precision, quickly generating millions of data points, but they produce micro surface textures that can’t be manufactured with traditional tools. Our technology automatically converts these intricate surfaces into clean geometries designed for existing 3D CAD and manufacturing software.
The first model will be available to early users in a month. You can access it online, or through a SOLIDWORKS plugin. After the AI generates a 3D model, it will drive Solidworks to create a native file with a full feature tree you can edit. Here's a cool article from Michael Alba at engineering.com (link in the comments).
There are two target users for this new AI model. The obvious one is existing CAD designers who want to save hours of their life by automatically converting a scan to CAD. We're so excited to be done doing that by hand.
The second set of users is much bigger. For a given automotive factory, there may be 1-2 CAD engineers, and 2,000-5,000 brilliant, mechanically savvy technicians assembling the cars / keeping the lines running. But many don't know CAD. Our new AI model will flatten the learning curve and help them get all the parts around them into parametric CAD.
In the near future, everyone will be able to create the world around them.
I’ve created a step-by-step video course on how to model a Formula 1 car in SOLIDWORKS 🏎️👉 https://lnkd.in/eZbDrbEn
This steering wheel is just one piece of the much bigger project.
Inside the full course, I guide you through:
✅ Building a complete Formula 1 car from scratch in SOLIDWORKS
✅ Running CFD simulations to analyze aerodynamics
✅ Identifying drag problems and design flaws
✅ Making smart design changes that reduce drag and boost downforce by +236% (!)
One comment I often hear is: “In real life you don’t have perfect blueprints available.”
I actually think differently. In fact, as a Lead Product Designer myself, I always use underlayers when creating new designs.
An underlayer doesn’t have to be a perfect technical line drawing — it can also be a picture of a similar product or even a simple hand sketch. The point is: you don’t have to start from a completely blank sheet in SOLIDWORKS. Having a visual reference accelerates creativity and keeps your design process structured.
The course isn’t just about modeling a car — it’s about learning how to think and work like a SOLIDWORKS pro. By the end, you’ll have the skills to design, analyze, and optimize complex products that impress clients, employers, and even yourself.
Curious to get started? In the free preview, I’ll kick things off by modeling an F1 driver helmet step by step 🏎️👉 https://lnkd.in/eZbDrbEn#SOLIDWORKS#SolidWorksTutorial#SolidWorksDesign#SurfaceModeling#CAD#3DModeling#3DDesign#EngineeringDesign#MechanicalEngineering#ProductDesign#EngineeringEducation#Innovation#CFD#AutomotiveDesign#Formula1#CADDesigner#DassaultSystems
KiCad 10 is almost here (probably in about 3 to 4 weeks).
But some of the most important and exciting features have already been published.
• Windows dark mode
• Customizable toolbars
• Jumper symbol support
• Hop over wire crossing in schematics - OMG this is a life changer!
• Variant support for schematic and PCB
• Time domain and propagation delay tuning in picoseconds
• True 1 to 1 screen to reality zoom so you can measure your footprint with a real ruler
• Footprints can now define objects on specific inner layers
• Lasso and freeform selection in both editors
• Live junction updates when dragging wires
• The selection filter now tells you why you cannot click something the filter actually flashes
• Drag and drop images directly into schematics
• Groups in the schematic editor with automatic transfer to PCB
• Measurement tool in the Footprint Chooser - oh yeah it is finally back!
• Custom rules for solder mask expansion and paste margins
• IPC 4761 via protection features filling capping tenting
[they literally read my post request :) ]
• Local power symbols with sheet level scope
• Altium project import that actually links everything together- this is a new world ohhhh!
In Mechanical design and drafting, orthographic projections are essential for accurately representing 3D objects in 2D drawings.
The two main methods used worldwide are:
First Angle Projection – Used in Europe and Asia, where the top view is placed below the front view, and the right view is on the left. It follows ISO 5456-2 standards and is common in automotive and aerospace industries.
Third Angle Projection – Preferred in the USA and Canada, where the top view is above the front view, and the right view is on the right. It follows ANSI Y14.3 standards and is widely used in product design and manufacturing.
Both methods convey the same information but are arranged differently. Knowing which one to use is crucial for global collaboration and CAD drafting.
#EngineeringDesign#MechanicalEngineering#Manufacturing#gaugehow
I recently received a question about the tools used for the attached simulation. I previously highlighted that I´m using a full open-source workflow, but I didn't actually list the tools.
Some time ago, I regularly posted about open-source simulation tools, but I missed writing a summary for this CFD simulation. Here is the full list of tools used:
Salome Platform – Salome is a toolbox that includes geometry and mesh modules and can act as a GUI for some solvers. I have used Salome to generate a mesh from the input geometry and export a .MED file that can be read by code_saturne
Code Saturne – is a CFD FVM solver that can handle several flow types and includes a variety of turbulence modules. Large simulations can be parallelized.
BVTKNodes and Blender – Blender is a 3D modelling, animation and rendering tool. With the BVTKNodes plugin, it can also be used to visualize VTK solver outputs for stylized renderings. Paraview can be used for this purpose too, providing a more intuitive way to navigate the visual toolkit's filters and manipulators.
#simulation#visualization#engineering
🚀 I just finished creating a comprehensive and practical guide on engineering drawings—the universal language of engineers, designers, and manufacturers.
Whether you're a student, technician, or industry professional, understanding how to interpret technical drawings is essential for accurate design, manufacturing, and quality control.
📘 The guide includes:
- Drawing layouts and title blocks
- Projection methods (1st and 3rd angle)
- Orthographic, isometric, section, and detail views
- GD&T basics
- Dimensioning rules and standards
- Assembly and exploded views
🔧 Based on ISO and ASME standards, this document is designed to be a practical reference for both learning and real-world application.
📘 Download the full guide here:
https://lnkd.in/eKzdSNzt#engineering#technicaldrawing#mechanicalengineering#cad#manufacturing#designengineering#gdandt#productdesign#engineeringeducation#drafting#autocad#solidworks#engineeringskills#linkedinlearning