Image to CAD Converter

What "image to CAD" really means

CAD programs work with lines, arcs and polylines. A PNG or JPG is a grid of pixels, so there is no button inside AutoCAD or Fusion 360 that turns a picture into editable geometry. You need a tracing step first. VectorMaker finds the edges of the shapes in your image, smooths them, and writes each outline as a closed polyline in a DXF file. DXF is the exchange format that every CAD program on this page can import.

Good candidates are logos, part outlines on a plain background, scanned paper templates, gasket and bracket sketches, signs and silhouettes. Photos of objects on a busy table are hard for any tracer. Put the part on a sheet of white paper and shoot straight down.

How to convert an image to CAD

1. Drop the PNG or JPG above. The Line art preset is selected. It gives one solid layer, which suits outlines and templates.
2. Tune Threshold until the shape is solid and thin parts stay connected. For a scan with a gray background, raise it slowly.
3. Lower Detail if you see loose dots or dust. Every dot becomes a tiny closed polyline in CAD.
4. Set Output width in millimeters. If you know the real width of the part, type it here so the DXF imports close to true size.
5. Click Download DXF (Pro). On the free plan, download the SVG and use the free route below.

Importing the DXF into your CAD program

• AutoCAD, DraftSight, LibreCAD, BricsCAD: open the DXF directly. The file has no unit setting, so set the drawing units to millimeters if the size looks wrong. To get a DWG, use Save As in AutoCAD.
• Fusion 360: choose Insert, Insert DXF, pick a sketch plane and set the units to millimeters. Closed outlines become profiles you can extrude or cut.
• SolidWorks: open the DXF and pick Import to a new part as a 2D sketch, with millimeters as the units. You can then extrude the sketch.
• Onshape: start a sketch, use Insert DXF or DWG, and choose millimeters.
• FreeCAD: use File, Import and pick the DXF. The outlines arrive as wires you can turn into faces and pad.

Scale it to a real dimension

A picture has no true size. Even with the output width set, a phone photo taken at a slight angle will be a little off. After import, measure one feature you know, such as a hole spacing or the overall length, and scale the whole drawing by reference. In AutoCAD this is the SCALE command with the Reference option. In Fusion 360 and Onshape, scale the sketch and check the dimension again. Do this before you add any new geometry.

The free route: SVG first, DXF in Inkscape

Direct DXF export is a Pro feature. For a single file, download the free SVG, open it in Inkscape (free), choose Save As and pick Desktop Cutting Plotter (AutoCAD DXF R14) or AutoCAD DXF R12. Then import that DXF as above. Fusion 360 can also insert an SVG straight into a sketch, so you may not need a DXF at all. Pro saves the Inkscape step, exports DXF in one click and converts whole folders at once.

Honest limits

The result is a 2D outline that follows the edges of your image. It does not know about tolerances, hole sizes or straight lines, so slightly wavy edges and rounded corners are normal. A drawn line becomes a thin closed shape with two edges, not a single centerline. For precise mechanical parts, keep the trace on its own layer as a reference and redraw the critical features with real CAD tools. There is no DWG export and no 3D output. If your goal is a laser or CNC cut rather than a CAD model, see image to DXF for laser cutting.

Frequently asked questions