NEWWhat's new in Sep 2026: Presentation mode, studio materials, edit-in-place→

Describe it. Photograph it. Machine it.

HelioCad is AI-powered CAD/CAM in your browser. Describe a part — or snap photos of one — and the AI models it, measures its own work, programs your machine, and simulates the whole job before you ever press cycle start.

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Free plan forever · 14-day Pro trial · no card required

Photo → 3D scan2.5D–5-axis AI CAMRuida + GRBL laser controlStudio-lit PBR materialsEdit any step in placeSpeaks 13 languages

HelioCad^™Untitled ProjectFile Workspace: Model

Design

ModelCreate and edit 3D parts.⌘1

Reverse EngineerTurn scans and meshes into solids.⌘2

AssemblyMate parts and animate joints.⌘3

SimulateStatic, thermal, and modal FEA.⌘4

DrawingDimensioned 2D drawings.⌘5

RenderPath-traced product shots.⌘6

Manufacturing

FixturesDesign workholding, jigs, and tooling.⌘7

Manufacture · BetaCAM toolpaths and G-code.⌘8

Laser · BetaCut, engrave, and run your laser.⌘9

Mold MakingBuild casting molds around your part.

CustomizeParameters, presets, and variants.

Team PlanUnlimited AI

UndoRedoFit modelDisplayMeasure

⏸

▲▼◀▶

25 mm

X: 0.00Y: 0.00Z: 0.00mm

25 mm

X: 160.00Y: 18.00Z: 8.00mm

1.00 GPU: MAX Snap PresentPickFaceEdgeBody

ChatAdjust model

Review AI changes before applying (beta)

Heliocad AI

Describe what you want to make.Or start with one click:

2" cube, rounded edgesM8 washerPhone standFlange with bolt holes

Create a mounting L-bracket, 160 × 180 mm, 8 mm thick, with four Ø13 mm holes spaced evenly.

ReasoningGenerating

Thinking · 1,240 words

Sketching the profile on XY, then extruding…

0:040:11 · Usually about a minute; complex parts take longer.

Built the L-bracket: 160 × 180 mm, 8 mm thick, with 4× Ø13 mm holes on an even pitch and 2 mm fillets on the inside corner. Measured 160.00 · 180.00 · Ø13.00 — all on target.

+Create a mounting L-bracket, 160 × 180 mm…

Agent HelioAIHELIO 1.5↑

⋮⋮0/04/4

Sketch00112s agoExtrude0019s agoHole Pattern5s agoFillet001now

Exit presentation EscP

📷

Phone Scan

Photos → parametric model

⚙

Laser Control

Ruida + GRBL over USB, live playback

▭

Presentation mode

Press P — chrome gone, turntable on

14-day Pro trial, then free forever

Cancel anytime

No install — runs in your browser

Works on your phone — install as an app

No lock-in — export anytime

NEW · Capture

The part in your hand, in CAD in minutes

Open HelioCad on your phone. A guided capture walks you around the part shot by shot, the AI rebuilds it as a clean parametric model — not a mesh — and one caliper measurement locks in true scale. Then check it against reality: view any model in AR, right on your bench.

Guided multi-photo capture
AI rebuild with caliper-seeded dimensions
AR viewing + installable mobile app

See how phone scanning works →

HelioCad·Scan to CAD

Phone Scan

8 photos · auto-aligned

Caliper-seeded · ±0.1 mm

Shot 8 of 8Shot 1 of 8Shot 4 of 8Shot 8 of 8

📏 Seed dimension · 160.0 mm

Rebuilding with AI…

Parametric model · 1 body

160 × 180 × 8 mm ✓

View in AR

Add HelioCad to Home Screen

One platform, end to end

Everything you need to design, analyze, and manufacture

From a text prompt to machine-ready G-code — design, simulate, and manufacture without ever switching tools.

Design

Describe it. Watch it build. Watch it check itself.

Type or speak what you need — or drop in photos, drawings, and caliper measurements. HelioCad's AI writes real parametric CAD, renders it in seconds, then measures its own model and fixes any dimension that's off. It reads spec sheets, pulls dimensions from drawings, and researches real parts on the web when it needs facts.

HelioCad^™L-BracketFile Workspace: Model Team PlanUnlimited AI

UndoRedoFit modelDisplayMeasure

L-Bracket · 1 body

Measured: 160.02 ✓ 180.00 ✓ Ø13.0 ✓

⏸

▲▼◀▶

25 mm

X: 160.00Y: 18.00Z: 8.00mm

GPU: MAXPickFaceEdgeBody

ChatChatAdjust modelAdjust model

Review AI changes before applying (beta)

Heliocad AI

Describe what you want to make.Or start with one click:

2" cube, rounded edgesM8 washerPhone standFlange with bolt holes

Rebuild this bracket from my photos — match my caliper measurements.

bracket_photo.jpg calipers: 160.0 / 180.0 / 8.0 mm

ReasoningGenerating

Thinking · 1,240 words

Sketching the profile on XY, then extruding…

0:060:14 · Usually about a minute; complex parts take longer.

result = (cq.Workplane("XY")
  .rect(160, 180).extrude(8)
  .faces(">Z").workplane()
  .rect(120, 140, forConstruction=True)
  .vertices().hole(13).edges("|Z").fillet(2))

Rebuilt the bracket from your photos: 160 × 180 mm, 8 mm thick, four Ø13 mm holes on an even pitch, 2 mm inside fillets. Review the steps below and apply.

Proposed changes · 3 opsReview

Sketch on XY160 × 180

Extrude8 mm

Holes Ø13 ×4 + Fillet 2 mmeven pitch

ApplyDiscard

Collapse chat

Edit exact values here. Use Chat to add features or change the design.

Selected feature

Extrude001 · 8 mm

Model parameters

panel_length ⓘ 160.00184.00

thickness ⓘ8 mm8.00

hole_dia ⓘ13 mm13.00

Placement

Measured overall size

+Reply…

Agent HelioAIHELIO 1.5↑

⋮⋮0/03/3

Sketch0018s agoExtrude0016s agoExtrude001EditingHole Patternnow

Design

Edit any step where it sits

Hover a timeline step and its faces light up. Double-click to re-arm the gizmo and change it in place, with a preview of the exact rebuild before you apply.

Apply ✓Cancel ✕

⏸

▲▼◀▶

25 mm

X: 160.00Y: 18.00Z: 8.00mm

1.00 GPU: MAX Snap PresentPickFaceEdgeBody

⋮⋮4/4

Sketch00112m agoExtrude0019m agoHole Pattern5m agoFillet001 · 4 mmnowFillet0012m agoFillet001Editing

Present

Studio-lit from the first click

A baked studio rig and scaled ambient occlusion are the default view, and 15 physically based material packs — bead blasted to walnut — drop onto any body.

▲▼◀▶

25 mm

X: 42.50Y: 18.00Z: 8.00mm

Present

Appearance×

Material packs

Brushed steelBrushed steelCast ironCast ironWalnutWalnutCarbon fiberCarbon fiberBead blastedPowder coatMapleGalvanized

Seamless textures

Lighting

Studio rig · default

Simulate

Prove the whole job before you press start

Run your program on a full parametric machine — VMC, 4th-axis, trunnion, gantry, lathe, or mill-turn — with animated kinematics, live DRO, and material removal. Or upload your own machine.

HelioCadAdapter-Plate.heliocad

Simulation

VMC4th-AxisTrunnionGantryLatheMill-TurnUpload your machine

TRUNNION A/C · 5-AXIS SIM

Collision check ✓Travel limits ✓Op 3/3 · Adaptive

Machine DRORUN

X142.31896.450118.204

Y-12.07624.3188.662

Z45.10012.7506.320

A0.000-15.00020.000

C0.000118.500245.000

FEED2400 mm/min

CYCLE TIME

04:1002:37−38%

✓Kinematics valid

0 collisions · 12,408 moves simulatedMM|IN

Manufacture

G-code your machine will love

From 2.5D pockets to 5-axis simultaneous on your own machine's kinematics, with 19 built-in controller posts. Stay-down linking, arc fitting, and chip-thinning-aware feeds cut real cycle time — and AI Orchestrate plans stock, setup, and tooling from one sentence.

HelioCad^™L-BracketFile Workspace: Manufacture Team PlanUnlimited AI

StockWCSFacePocketContourDrillGenerateBeta

▲▼◀▶

25 mm

X: 42.50Y: 18.00Z: 8.00mm

GPU: MAX Present

⋮⋮4/4

Setup112s agoFace0019s agoContour0015s agoDrill001 ×4now

Manufacture

Run your laser straight from the browser

Jog, frame, hold-to-fire, and run over USB — GRBL and Ruida DSP alike — with live playback of the head on the bed, plus an overhead camera or a printable 1:1 placement jig for exact positioning.

HelioCadLaser · Machine Control

● Connected — USB○ Disconnected

CAM · BED PROJECTION

400 × 300 mm

⏱ 04:12⏱ 02:05

Job complete ✓

Ruida 6445G · USBConnect USB

▲◀⌂▶▼

X26.600.0048.20mm

Y38.500.0062.00mm

FrameRunPause

JOB PROGRESSPass 2 of 2Pass 1 of 2

Ruida DSP · direct USB

GRBL & Ruida over Web Serial · Chrome & Edge

Document

Drawings that draft themselves

Ask HelioAI for a drawing and it turns your 3D model into an ISO or ANSI sheet — views, dimensions, GD&T, placed to fit — then revises it in conversation. Export DXF or PDF.

HelioCad^™Bracket-Drawing.heliocadFile Workspace: Drawing Team PlanUnlimited AI

AI DraftBaseSectionDimAuto DimPDFDXF

FRONT

TOP

RIGHT

SECTION A-A

TITLEL-Bracket

DRAWN BYdemo@heliocad.com

DATE2026-04-30

SCALE1:2

SHEETA3 · Rev A

AI drafted

Move section A-A through the bores

✓PDF exportedL-Bracket-Rev-A.pdf

ChatAdjust model

Review AI changes before applying (beta)

Heliocad AI

Draft an ISO A3 drawing of the bracket with a section through the bores.

ReasoningDrafting

Thinking · 1,180 words

Projecting FRONT, TOP, RIGHT, then cutting section A-A…

0:060:41· Drawings usually take under a minute.

Drawing ready: 4 views, section A-A, 12 dimensions, GD&T on the mounting face. Say the word to revise.

+Draft an ISO A3 drawing of the bracket…

Agent HelioAIHELIO 1.5↑

Sheet A3 · 1:2 · ISO4 views · 100% Saved│MMIN

Analyze

Know it holds

Static, thermal, and modal FEA with animated stress overlays and shareable reports.

Explore →

Design

Constraint-solved 2D

Full sketcher — type-to-dimension with an inline calculator, snaps that become real constraints, and a 3D Peek at the solid.

Explore →

Manufacture

Solid → casting mold

A 7-step wizard splits any part into a multi-part mold — parting, draft, sprue, and vents — with an AI gating plan.

Explore →

Inspect

Hover, read, pin

Instant readouts on any face or edge, pinned pairs, and exact B-Rep distances — plus Auto Measure and mass properties.

Explore →

Present

Path-traced, live in the viewport

Live Realism resolves a path-traced preview while you orbit; saved shots and output limits turn it into the final still.

Explore →

Capture

Photos → drawing → solid

Photograph a part, calibrate with one known length, confirm the AI's dimensions — get a drawing and a solid.

Explore →

Everywhere

Speaks 13 languages

Interface, HelioAI replies, and account emails in your language — switch any time.

Explore →

Export

Export anywhere

STEP, IGES, STL, OBJ and more — any CAD or print workflow.

Explore →

Ready to design faster?

Free to start — no credit card required.

Start free

Shipped Sep 2026

What's new in HelioCad

The latest additions to the app — each one already live in every account.

Sep 2026

Studio Look & Materials

Parts look finished the moment they exist

See it →

Sep 2026

Presentation Mode & Display Styles

Press P — chrome gone, turntable on

See it →

Sep 2026

Feature Timeline & Edit-in-Place

Every step of the model, editable where it sits

See it →

Sep 2026

Speaks Your Language

13 languages, one interface

See it →

Full changelog on the roadmap →

And still counting

11 workspaces, one browser tab.

See all features →

AI CAM OrchestrateOne sentence → stock, setups, toolpaths 3D ModelingExtrude, revolve, sweep, fillet, shell AssemblyMates, joints, and exploded views Section Views & NavigationCut planes, view cube, ⌘K palette Laser EngravingLayers, kerf, and material presets Generative FixturesSoft jaws, trays, and jigs from the part Feeds & SpeedsRPM, chip load, and feed for your exact tool Reverse EngineerAny scan or mesh back into real CAD Surfacing & RepairPatch, knit, offset, and ruled surfaces Exploded ViewScrub bodies apart — radial, X, Y, or Z Presentation ModePress P — chrome gone, turntable on

From prompt to part

Describe it. Refine it. Cut it.

One pipeline from a sentence — or a photo — to a finished part: parametric model, real constraints, simulated and machine-ready output. No tool-switching, no file round-trips.

HelioCad·Prompt → Part → G-code

Live pipeline

01 · DESCRIBE

L-bracket, 160×180 mm, 4× Ø13 bolt holes↑

⚡Agent · generating parametric model…

02 · REFINE✓ Fully constrained

03 · MAKE

G21 G90

G0 X0 Y0 Z5

G1 Z-2 F300

G1 X160 F800

M30

G-code · .rd · STEP

01Under a minute

Describe

Type it, speak it, or snap photos of the part in your hand. HelioCad's AI writes real parametric CAD and renders an editable model — features and sketches, not a frozen mesh.

02Minutes, not hours

Refine

Lock it down with dimensions and constraints — the AI measures its own model and fixes deviations — then run FEA to confirm it holds.

03One click

Make

Generate optimized milling, turning, or laser toolpaths — or let AI Orchestrate plan the whole job — prove it in full machine simulation, then export G-code or run the laser job right from the browser.

Start free

Free plan forever · no card required