Backflip AI launches CAD copilot that turns 3D scans into editable models
The tool cuts the cost of digitizing a physical part from about $1,500 to $10 and is already deployed at a major automotive manufacturer
Backflip AI launched a CAD copilot built on a new foundation model that converts 3D scans, STL files, and other mesh data into fully editable, parametric CAD models complete with feature trees. The tool became generally available this week as an add-in for Autodesk Fusion and as a standalone web application. The San Francisco company said it cuts the cost of digitizing a physical part from roughly $1,500 to about $10.
The company said many factories lack CAD models for their parts. Production lines are often built by third-party integrators who do not hand over the underlying files; some components go out of production, and older machinery predates digital design altogether. Recreating those parts has typically meant putting a scan in front of one of the few engineers able to model in CAD, a process closer to reconstruction than new design work.
Backflip’s second-generation foundation model was trained to build geometry the way an engineer would, chaining CAD operations such as extrude, revolve, and pattern into a full feature tree rather than producing a static mesh or surface. Founding engineer Kairo Morton said the aim was a model whose “output you can open in your CAD package and just keep working on.” Two reconstruction modes are available: a fast mode that handles typical geometries in a couple of minutes and a thinking mode that gives the model more time on complex parts to improve dimensional accuracy. The copilot also includes a multimodal search feature that lets users query a CAD library by text or by photo.
The Fusion add-in embeds the copilot inside an existing CAD workflow, including photo search across a user’s library, while the web app requires no installation and exports STEP files for use in other CAD software. Backflip said the technology is already deployed at a large automotive manufacturer, where an automated scanning system digitizes roughly half of the parts it processes today, a share the company expects to approach full coverage by the end of the year. Plugins for additional CAD packages are planned later in 2026.
New accounts get a small number of free reconstructions, three according to the press release (two in fast mode, one in thinking mode) or four according to a separate post from CEO Greg Mark. Paid plans start at $20 a month across Builder, Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers.
