zCAD.AI: an AI CAD generator that creates editable parametric models and assemblies from text

The downloaded material is the product page for zCAD.AI, a tool that generates CAD geometry from text descriptions, with optional support for reference images. What follows is limited to what the page itself claims, which is the vendor's promotional material; the content received contains no independent tests or quality assessments.

According to the website, zCAD.AI generates B-rep geometry (boundary representation, the type of solid commonly used in CAD) and supports parts, assemblies and assembly relationships (mates). The pitch is to go from an idea or a brief to a model that can be inspected, edited and refined as the design evolves. The page asks users to review the generated features, dimensions and relationships before using the model in a design.

Example prompts shown on the page: an L-bracket with a 60 mm upright, 50 mm base, 5 mm thickness and a 6 mm through-hole in each arm; a rectangular electronics enclosure with a removable flat lid, uniform walls and four screw holes in the corners; a 40 mm diameter belt pulley with two flanges, a 6 mm groove, a raised hub and a 12 mm center bore; an 80 × 50 × 6 mm mounting plate with four 6 mm holes 8 mm from the corners; a 24-tooth external spur gear with a 50 mm tip diameter, 8 mm thickness and a 10 mm center hole; and a two-piece split shaft collar with a 20 mm bore, 50 mm outer diameter, 45 mm length and two M6 screw positions.

More complex examples are also presented: a 5-inch FPV drone frame, a 60% keyboard case with gasket mounting, a rack-and-pinion linear stage, a double-wishbone suspension for an RC car, a Klann linkage mechanism and a Geneva mechanism. For the drone frame, the page describes a model of about 14 parts (top and bottom plates, four arms, standoffs and mounts for the motors, camera and antenna), static and with no moving parts, with a stated processing time of 43 seconds. Users are advised to specify function, dimensions, interfaces and geometry that must be preserved.

The described workflow has four steps: describe the part and its key interfaces; generate editable parts and assemblies, refining the prompt if needed; inspect dimensions, mating faces and clearances to see how the parts fit together; and continue in zCAD.Online, the company's second product, to refine the design, prepare drawings and collaborate.

On export, the page states that all AI plans support all available formats, including STEP. It warns that STEP preserves solid geometry but generally not the feature history or assembly constraints, so keeping the native model requires staying in zCAD.Online. It also clarifies that the output is engineering geometry and not a sign-off for manufacturing: dimensions, fits, tolerances, material, loads and process requirements must be checked, and for complex assemblies the main structure should be built first and details verified in stages.

Pricing (in USD, billed monthly, during the Beta phase): the Free plan costs $0 per month and includes 200 monthly credits plus a one-time gift of 600 Beta credits, with assembly generation and all export formats, but with non-commercial use, a standard queue, public models and generation data used for training. Plus costs $49.99 per month with 1,650 credits, private models, no use for training, commercial use of AI-generated versions and a priority queue. Pro costs $89.99 per month with 3,000 credits, Online Standard permissions, commercial use and full export, and the highest-priority queue. Business is a team plan with pricing on request, private models in both products and no use of data for training. All AI plans use the same generation model during the Beta, and monthly credits reset each month.

Commercial use rights depend on the product where the model version was last saved: Plus and above allow commercial use of AI-generated versions, and Online Standard and above allow it after editing in Online. Any active paid subscription makes models private in both products and excludes them from training.

In short, zCAD.AI positions itself as a fast starting point for parametric modeling and assemblies from natural language, integrated with an online CAD editor. The page provides no data on accuracy, success rate or comparisons with other tools, so it is advisable to try the free version and verify every result before using it in a real design.