I tried automating patent figure creation — here's what actually worked

If you've ever had to prepare a patent application, you know the figures are a pain. Not intellectually hard, just tedious and surprisingly expensive if you're outsourcing them.

I spent some time testing AI tools in this space and want to share what I found for anyone else going through the same process.

The problem with most "AI drawing" tools for patents

Most general image generators produce things that look cool but are useless for patent filing:

• They use shading and color (not allowed)
• No reference numerals
• Non-standard line weights
• No export at required DPI
• Can't generate consistent multi-view sets

So I was looking specifically for tools that understand patent drawing requirements, not just "technical illustration."

What I tested

After trying a few options, the one that actually addressed the workflow properly was PatentFig.

The flow is:

1. Upload a reference image (product photo, sketch, CAD screenshot) or just describe the invention in text
2. Choose which views you need (front, side, top, perspective, cross-section, flowchart...)
3. Generate — it produces line art with reference numerals and leader lines
4. Modify via chat ("move numeral 3 to the left", "add a detail view of this section")
5. Export as PDF/PNG/SVG/TIFF at filing specs

What worked well

• Flowcharts and block diagrams: excellent. Software patent figures came out clean and filing-ready
• Simple product line art from photos: surprisingly good for consumer goods
• Chat-to-modify: this is the feature that makes iterating actually practical
• Multi-jurisdiction export: switching between USPTO and CNIPA formatting is a dropdown

What was harder

• Complex mechanical assemblies with many moving parts: needed more iteration rounds
• Reference numeral placement on crowded figures: sometimes needed manual adjustment

Pricing context

Free tier gives 20 credits/month (enough to test the workflow). Paid starts at $40/month billed annually. For a patent agent filing regularly, the time savings vs. outsourcing figures probably pays for itself within the first application.

Bottom line

If you're a solo inventor, startup founder, or patent agent handling your own figures, this is worth a test on your next application. The free tier is genuinely usable for evaluation.

Drop a comment if you've tried other approaches — curious what workflows others have landed on.