Scan to CAD online, with layers that make sense

To turn a scan into CAD, drop the scanned plan, a photo of the sheet or a scanned PDF below: the code traces real lines, arcs, circles and texts, then Max AI names the layers by what they hold (walls, doors, dimensions…), reads the title block and finds the scale written on the sheet. You see everything first, watermarked; running it is free, the export costs $10 per drawing.

What do you have?Try an example: a scanned plan already converted, no upload →

PDF, PNG, JPG or TIFF · up to 50 MB · Every mode free, 3 downloads a day · No 3D, no BIM. Unreadable texts stay drawn as lines.

What you get

  1. Traced by codeOne centre line per stroke, real arcs and circles, a crooked page put straight, texts in English, French and Spanish read. The free conversion, unchanged.
  2. Layers by meaningColour layers like ROUGE_LIGNES become WALLS, DOORS, DIMENSIONS… Each proposal is ticked; untick it or Undo, your names stay.
  3. Title block readProject, sheet number, title, scale, date, revision and author, in a sheet you check and correct, exported as CSV and JSON.
  4. Scale foundThe scale written on the plan (1:50, 1:100…) is proposed: you confirm it, or set the scale yourself.

How it goes

  1. Drop your fileA scan, a photo of a sheet, a PDF or a CAD drawing, up to 50 MB, no account. Max AI is ticked: untick it for the free conversion only.
  2. The code draws, Max AI readsReal lines, arcs and texts traced first; then Max AI names the layers, reads the title block and looks for the scale. Usually under a minute.
  3. Check, then exportEvery proposal is on the page, the picture watermarked: tick, untick, correct the title block. The export is $10 per drawing.

Free conversion, or Max AI on top

Conversion

Free

  • Every mode, 5 files and 3 downloads a day
  • Real lines, arcs, circles and texts, traced by code
  • Layers by colour and type, the scale you set

✦ Max AI

Free to try · $10 to export

  • Layers named by meaning: walls, doors, dimensions…
  • The title block read into a sheet you check
  • The scale written on the plan, proposed

Started by you, never on its own. It reads; the code draws. Scan to CAD with Max AI · AI blueprint reader

About the formats

PDF
A PDF exported from CAD software keeps the drawing as vector paths: Vector plan reads them as they are, nothing is traced. A scanned PDF is only a picture of the sheet, so it goes to Scanned plan. We tell you which one you have before you download.
PNG
A lossless image: scans and screenshots keep sharp edges, which gives the cleanest tracing. 200 dpi is enough for most plans; images over 60 megapixels are refused.
JPG
The usual format of a phone photo. Compression blurs thin lines a little, so take the photo close, in even light, with the whole sheet and its 4 corners in the frame.
TIFF
The common output of large-format scanners and plan archives. Read like a PNG, first page only.
DWG
AutoCAD's own format, written as DWG R2000 so that any AutoCAD since 2000 opens it. Drawings over 50,000 objects come as the DXF only, with a note: open it and save it as DWG in your software.
DXF
Autodesk's open exchange format. We write DXF R2000, which AutoCAD, BricsCAD, DraftSight, LibreCAD, QCAD, FreeCAD and QGIS open. Each colour and type of object gets its own layer.

Prices — free conversion, no account, no subscription

PreviewFreeEvery mode: the drawing next to your file, 5 files a day.
Vector planFreeLines and texts taken exactly, the PDF's layers kept. Texts turned into outlines in the PDF stay lines.
Scanned planFreeOne centre line per stroke, real lines, arcs and circles, a crooked page put straight, texts read (English, French, Spanish). Unreadable texts stay drawn as lines.
Photo of a planFreeThe sheet put flat from its 4 corners, shadows removed, then traced like a scanned plan. The whole sheet must be in the photo.
Detail / sketchFreeStrokes straightened to 0 / 45 / 90°, perfect circles, closed outlines. Texts stay drawn as lines.
DWG / DXF to PDFFreeA vector PDF, colours and line weights kept: one page per layout, or the model space fitted to an A3 sheet.
DownloadsFree3 zips a day (DXF + DWG), files up to 50 MB.
Max AIFree to runLayers named by meaning, the title block read, the scale found: results on the page, the picture watermarked. Once per file, 3 drawings a day.
Max AI export$10Per drawing: the drawing with the layers you kept renamed and the title block as CSV and JSON, no watermark. Once Max AI has run on a file, this is its download.
ExamplesFreeThe DXF of each mode's example, to open in your own software first.

FAQ

How do I convert a scanned drawing to CAD?

Drop the scan below: the code traces it into real lines, arcs, circles and texts, and you compare the drawing with your scan. Leave Max AI ticked to also get layers named by meaning and the title block read.

Does the AI draw the lines?

No. The lines, arcs and texts are traced by code, the same way as the free conversion. Max AI only reads: it names layers and reads the title block, it never moves, adds or deletes a line.

Can I still get the free conversion?

Yes: untick Max AI before you drop the file, and the DXF and DWG are free, 3 a day. Once Max AI has run on a file, that file's download is the Max AI export.

What does the Max AI export cost?

$10 per drawing. Running Max AI and seeing its results is free, once per file and 3 drawings a day; you pay only to download the export.

What happens to my files?

Your files are deleted after 24 hours and never used for AI training. They are only used to make your conversion.

Who owns the converted drawing?

You do. You keep the ownership of your file and of the DXF and DWG made from it, commercial use included.

Do I need an account?

No. Drop a file, check the preview, download. The job page keeps your result for 24 hours.

What is in the download?

A zip with a DXF and a DWG (both R2000); a vector PDF from the DWG and DXF to PDF pages. Drawings over 50,000 objects come as the DXF only, with a note: save it as DWG in your software.

Is the drawing to scale?

Without a scale, a PDF comes in millimetres of paper and an image in pixels. On the preview, type the scale (1:100) or click two points and give the real distance between them.

Does it make 3D or BIM models?

No: you get a 2D drawing, lines, arcs, circles, fills and texts on layers. No 3D, no walls or rooms as BIM objects.

Are there limits on free conversions?

Free in every mode: 5 files and 3 downloads a day per visitor, files up to 50 MB, one PDF page per file. The counters reset at midnight UTC. Every example's DXF is free too.

What if the file doesn't open?

Write to us with the job page's address: we fix the conversion.