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Tuesday, September 01, 2026
Turn 3D Scans Into Editable CAD Models in Autodesk Fusion with the New Backflip AI Add-In
Fusion Blog: Physical parts often contain valuable design information, but that information can be hard to reuse when the original CAD file is missing, a replacement part is no longer available, a production fixture needs to be modified, or a prototype has evolved through hands-on iteration.
This is super cool to see as a lighting programmer who's worked in Fusion and AutoCAD. I've done way too much for in augment3d as well, and to be able to accuratley create models off of basic floor plans would be awesome for SketchUp and visualizers. Id also be curious to see what kind of hardware would be needed to run such a program with the current costs of computers and their components, if its offloaded it'd also be important, in my opninon, to consider the enviornmental consequences of the nessecary remote procesing power and the integration into older shops and the limitations of of places like large older scenery and lighting shops that could utilize this most. I would also love to see how this could allow designers to design more complex shapes in 2D and if it would have an impact on the limtation they face when exporting to shops and collaborating with other designers.
Since my background is in tech, I have worked with 3D scans before, and they are not pretty. They might be the messiest things I have ever seen, and the amount of cleanup you have to do in 3D software afterward is crazy. I think the examples they are using are mostly parts that will be used in Autodesk Fusion, so it is easier for people to scan things and easier for AI to identify what they are. I also know that for AutoCAD it is possible to use an MCP connector so an AI assistant can control the program. I would love to try that someday, not to do my homework, to be clear, but just to see where AI development is right now. However, after looking into it, this is probably an AI-trained add-on script, trained on a lot of Fusion parts. After another five minutes of googling, apparently it is described as an AI tool that reads the scan, thinks the way an engineer using the program would, and models the part itself. I have no idea how that is supposed to work, but it sure sounds fun and futuristic. Well, I guess the future is now.
3 comments:
This is super cool to see as a lighting programmer who's worked in Fusion and AutoCAD. I've done way too much for in augment3d as well, and to be able to accuratley create models off of basic floor plans would be awesome for SketchUp and visualizers. Id also be curious to see what kind of hardware would be needed to run such a program with the current costs of computers and their components, if its offloaded it'd also be important, in my opninon, to consider the enviornmental consequences of the nessecary remote procesing power and the integration into older shops and the limitations of of places like large older scenery and lighting shops that could utilize this most. I would also love to see how this could allow designers to design more complex shapes in 2D and if it would have an impact on the limtation they face when exporting to shops and collaborating with other designers.
Since my background is in tech, I have worked with 3D scans before, and they are not pretty. They might be the messiest things I have ever seen, and the amount of cleanup you have to do in 3D software afterward is crazy. I think the examples they are using are mostly parts that will be used in Autodesk Fusion, so it is easier for people to scan things and easier for AI to identify what they are.
I also know that for AutoCAD it is possible to use an MCP connector so an AI assistant can control the program. I would love to try that someday, not to do my homework, to be clear, but just to see where AI development is right now. However, after looking into it, this is probably an AI-trained add-on script, trained on a lot of Fusion parts. After another five minutes of googling, apparently it is described as an AI tool that reads the scan, thinks the way an engineer using the program would, and models the part itself. I have no idea how that is supposed to work, but it sure sounds fun and futuristic. Well, I guess the future is now.
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