# Flux vs Zoo Design Studio: AI-native CAD, expanded to the complete device. Compare Flux and Zoo Design Studio. Zoo Design Studio is AI-native CAD software with the Zookeeper CAD agent. Flux is an AI hardware engineer that designs the board, the mechanical parts, and the firmware in one project. Zoo Design Studio and its Zookeeper agent help your engineers model mechanical parts. Flux designs the complete device: the board, the mechanical parts that fit it, and the firmware, in one live project in your browser. [Start Free Trial](https://www.flux.ai/signup) [Book a Demo](https://www.flux.ai/p/demo) ![Flux editor: the AI engineer plans and delegates tasks while the 3D view shows the complete device: enclosure, circuit board, and wiring](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-hero-device.webp) ## What Flux and Zoo Design Studio are ### What Flux is Flux is your team's autonomous hardware engineer. Give it a requirement. It plans the design, picks the parts, draws the schematic, routes the board, designs the mechanical parts, and writes the firmware. It checks its own work in simulation and design rule checks, and hands your engineers files ready to manufacture. ### What Zoo Design Studio is Zoo Design Studio is CAD software from Zoo, built on its own geometry engine. It combines point-and-click CAD, code-based CAD in the KCL language, and Zookeeper, a conversational CAD agent.[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) Zoo Design Studio is a desktop application for Mac, Windows, and Linux, and it also runs in a web browser. A Free plan is available, and paid plans add Zookeeper reasoning time.[\[2\]](#compare-source-2) ## What Zoo Design Studio does ### Three ways to model Engineers switch between point-and-click tools, KCL code, and prompts to Zookeeper in one workspace.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) ### Editable B-rep geometry Zoo creates boundary-representation geometry, not meshes, and Zookeeper generates fully editable CAD models.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) ### Research and manufacturability Zookeeper researches, reasons, and gives manufacturing-aware feedback while it designs.[\[4\]](#compare-source-4) ## How Flux is different Zookeeper designs mechanical parts in Zoo Design Studio. Flux designs the complete device. Describe the product in plain words. The Flux AI engineer writes the requirements, draws the schematic, routes the board, models the enclosure and the mechanical parts around the real board, and writes the firmware. It runs stress, thermal, and airflow simulation, checks the board with design rules, and gets quotes from fabricators. Your engineers review and edit everything in one live project in the browser. ![Close-up of a red guitar pedal board in its enclosure](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/compare-photo-1009080.webp) Real boards and enclosures made with Flux. Flux compared with Zoo Design Studio | Feature | Flux | Zoo Design Studio | | --- | --- | --- | | Requirements and specification | The AI engineer turns your idea into requirements and a product specification, and checks the design against them. | Zookeeper designs around the intent in your prompt.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) | | What it is | AI hardware engineer with its own design tools | AI-native CAD software with a conversational CAD agent[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Where it runs | In your web browser. Nothing to install. Your projects live in the cloud. | Desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux, or a web browser. Modeling needs an internet connection.[\[2\]](#compare-source-2) | | Who does the design work | The Flux agent. Your engineers review and edit. | Your engineers model, with help from Zookeeper.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) | | How a part is made | You describe the part. The AI engineer writes the parametric model. Your engineers review and edit it. | Point-and-click, KCL code, or a prompt to Zookeeper[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) | | Mechanical CAD | Built in, kernel agnostic. From an enclosure to a complete robot arm. | Built in[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | CAD kernel | Kernel agnostic: OpenCascade, NVIDIA SMLib, and Siemens Parasolid on request. The AI engineer picks the kernel for each part. | Zoo's own geometry engine[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Mechanical simulation | Finite-element stress, thermal, and airflow simulation | Zoo lists analysis as a next step for its platform.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) | | Mechanical manufacturing | STEP, STL, and 3MF files, plus quotes for 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal, and laser cutting | Zookeeper evaluates manufacturability as you design.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) | | CNC toolpaths and G-code | The AI engineer writes the toolpaths, the G-code, a toolpath preview, and a setup sheet for the parts that it designed. | Zoo lists toolpaths and production as a next step for its platform.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) | | Quotes and orders | Quotes and orders for boards, 3D printing, CNC machining, and wire harnesses, from the project. | No built-in quoting or ordering workflow.[\[3\]](#compare-source-3) | | Versions, branches, and merges | Full change history. The AI engineer forks a design into a second version, keeps both, and merges the changes that you pick. | Projects in a local folder or in Zoo Personal Cloud, with sync across devices[\[2\]](#compare-source-2) | | Tool licenses | Included in your Flux plan: the editor, mechanical CAD, parts data, simulation, and manufacturing files. Nothing else to buy. | Free plan. Paid plans add Zookeeper reasoning time.[\[5\]](#compare-source-5) | | And electronics as well | | Schematic and parts | Built in. Picks from 734,000+ public parts. | Not in Zoo Design Studio[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Board layout and routing | Built in | Not in Zoo Design Studio[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Parts and sourcing | 734,000+ public parts, with live prices and stock from distributors | No electronics parts library[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Simulation and design rule checks | SPICE, power delivery network, full-wave electromagnetic, signal integrity, thermal, and mechanical simulation, plus design rule checks | No circuit simulation[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Firmware | Writes firmware for the board it designed | Not in Zoo Design Studio[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Wiring harnesses | Built in. Flux designs the wiring harnesses between the boards: connectors, pinouts, and wires, in the same project. | Not in Zoo Design Studio[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | | Manufacturing files | Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, bill of materials, pick-and-place, and more; Flux can check the files before you order, including copper gaps, silkscreen, board outline, BOM, and pick-and-place files. | No board manufacturing files[\[1\]](#compare-source-1) | ## [Mechanical design](https://www.flux.ai/p/mcad), done by the AI engineer. ### Parts and assemblies Flux designs single parts and complete assemblies, from a bracket or an enclosure to a complete robot arm. It brings every part together in one model. ### Fits the real board Flux fits each part to the real board: its mounting holes, connectors, and cutouts. The agent can change the board and the mechanical parts together. ### One parts library Chips and connectors, devices that are not on the board, and mechanical hardware such as screws and standoffs are in one library for the whole product. ### Editable CAD code Flux saves each part as a STEP file and as editable CAD code. Your engineers can review the code and change it. ## Move your Zoo Design Studio work to Flux. Load your mechanical parts as STEP files. Tell Flux in plain words how to change them. Then have the parts made. ![An engineer holds a relay board in a blue 3D-printed enclosure](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/compare-photo-1008346.webp) Real boards and enclosures made with Flux. ### Edits the STEP files your team already has. The request, as typed in Flux “The holder must cover a much taller power supply. Make the bent side flange 40 mm deeper. Keep the 4.4 mm hole in the flange where it is. Then cut five 5 x 30 mm vertical vent slots in the new part of the flange, 15 mm apart and centered on the flange width.” ![Before: the STEP file from Autodesk Inventor. The bent flange is 24.5 mm deep.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-step-edit-psu-before.webp) Before: the STEP file from Autodesk Inventor. The bent flange is 24.5 mm deep. ![After: the flange is 64.5 mm deep, with five 5 × 30 mm vent slots. The 4.4 mm hole did not move. Flux saves a new STEP file and editable CAD code.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-step-edit-psu-after.webp) After: the flange is 64.5 mm deep, with five 5 × 30 mm vent slots. The 4.4 mm hole did not move. Flux saves a new STEP file and editable CAD code. ### Bring your existing work Import complete projects, part libraries, and 3D models. Schematics, parts, and placement come across, and routing from most formats. ### Keep going with your AI engineer Imported designs are ready to edit right away. Ask "move the USB cutout 3 cm left" or "make the enclosure tighter", and Flux does the work. ### Get it manufactured Flux hands you the files that your manufacturer needs: Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, bill of materials, and pick-and-place for the board, and STEP, STL, or 3MF for the mechanical parts. See all file formats Complete projects Flux imports complete projects from Altium, Cadence OrCAD and Allegro, KiCad, Siemens PADS and Xpedition, Zuken CADSTAR, Eagle, Fusion Electronics, EasyEDA, DipTrace (XML export), and SOLIDWORKS PCB. Schematics, parts, connections, board outlines, and placement come across. Flux imports Labcenter Proteus SDF netlists with Specctra board exports. IPC-2581 revision B and C files become board projects with reusable footprint parts. Part libraries Altium, OrCAD, PADS, KiCad, Eagle, Fusion Electronics, EasyEDA, and DipTrace libraries, Allegro footprints, and JEP30 part models become Flux parts. Mechanical files STEP, STL, OBJ, 3MF, and glTF models, plus DXF board outlines. Handoff to manufacturing and electronics tools Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, IPC-D-356 test netlists, bill of materials, pick-and-place, EDIF netlists, GenCAD, and KiCad board files. Handoff to mechanical design The full board and its parts as STEP, compressed STEP, BREP, VRML, glTF, and STL models, plus DXF layer drawings. Enclosures and brackets that Flux designs export as STEP, STL, and 3MF, ready for your mechanical tools or a 3D printer. Kernel-agnostic CAD ## Builds every part on the right CAD kernel. Traditional CAD tools are locked to one geometry kernel, and every part inherits its limits. Flux is kernel agnostic, the same way it is model agnostic. The AI engineer picks the right kernel for each part, switches kernels when one cannot build a feature, and brings every part together in one model. - ![Open Cascade](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/opencascade.svg) ### OpenCascade Exact, standard geometry that CAM and other CAD tools read cleanly. Strong for machined parts and multi-part assemblies. - ![NVIDIA](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/nvidia.svg) ### SMLib Smooth, curvature-continuous surfaces for hand-held and consumer products. - ![Siemens](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/siemens.svg) ### Parasolid On request The kernel inside SolidWorks, NX, Solid Edge, and Onshape, for native-quality exchange with those tools. ![Curvature combs on an enclosure in the Flux 3D view](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/pcb-3d-analysis-curvature-combs.webp) **1\. Shape the enclosure.** NVIDIA SMLib builds the curved edges of the front enclosure. Curvature combs show how each curve bends, so you see where the surface flows and where it breaks. ![Cross section through an enclosure and its board in the Flux 3D view](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/pcb-3d-analysis-cross-section.webp) **2\. Check the board inside.** Flux cuts the same enclosure in half. You see the board, the displays and the knob inside, and you check each clearance before you print. **Surface quality you can see.** Zebra stripes, curvature maps, and curvature combs show that every surface is smooth before the part goes to tooling. Verification lab ## Simulates and checks its own work before you build. Flux doesn't stop at generating designs. The AI engineer simulates and checks its own work with professional-grade solvers, and it shows you the results. ### Mechanical simulation Finite-element stress analysis of brackets, enclosures, and mounts. ### Thermal simulation Flux runs PCB thermal analysis of the routed board at stated operating powers, plus heat and airflow simulation of the enclosure, before you build. ### Fluid simulation Airflow and cooling through the enclosure, so vents, fans, and heat sinks work before the first prototype. ### Circuit simulation SPICE simulation of analog, power, and mixed-signal circuits, with Monte Carlo, temperature sweep, and noise analysis, run and read by the AI engineer. ### Electromagnetic simulation Full-wave simulation of the routed board: signal integrity, power integrity, impedance, S-parameters, crosstalk, and antennas. ### Design rule checks Electrical and manufacturing rule checks on every schematic and board. ### Datasheet checks Reads the datasheet of every part and checks the design against its pinouts, ratings, and limits. ![SPICE load step of a 3.3 V buck converter](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-spice-load-step.webp) SPICE load step of a 3.3 V buck converter ![Thermal map of top and bottom copper](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-copper-thermal.webp) Thermal map of top and bottom copper ![Stress analysis of an aluminum bracket](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-bracket-stress.webp) Stress analysis of an aluminum bracket ![S-parameters of a USB data line, simulated on the routed board](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-usb-line-s-parameters.webp) S-parameters of a USB data line, simulated on the routed board Manufacturing ## Gets quotes from your fabricators as the design changes. Flux gets quotes directly from the fabricators for circuit boards and assembly, 3D printing in plastic and metal, CNC machining, sheet metal, laser cutting, injection molding, casting, and wiring harnesses. The AI engineer compares price and lead time, checks the design against each fabricator's rules, keeps the quote current as the design changes, and places the order when you confirm. ### Mechanical parts - ![Craftcloud](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/craftcloud.svg) Craftcloud - ![JLC 3D printing](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/jlcpcb.webp) JLC 3D printing - ![PCBWay 3D printing](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/pcbway.svg) PCBWay 3D printing - ![Shapeways](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/shapeways.svg) Shapeways - ![OSH Cut](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/oshcut.svg) OSH Cut - ![SendCutSend](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/sendcutsend.svg) SendCutSend ### Circuit boards and assembly - ![JLCPCB](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/jlcpcb.webp) JLCPCB - ![PCBWay](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/pcbway.svg) PCBWay - ![OSH Park](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/oshpark.webp) OSH Park - ![AISLER](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/aisler.webp) AISLER ### Cables and wiring harnesses - ![MiniProto](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/miniproto.webp) MiniProto ## Why teams choose an AI hardware engineer ### The whole device, not one part An AI CAD tool makes mechanical parts. Flux designs the board, the mechanical parts, the firmware, and the wire harnesses in one project. It fits each part to the real board: its mounting holes, connectors, and cutouts. ### Nothing else to buy Flux does not need a desktop CAD license to work. The CAD and EDA editor, the parts data, simulation, and manufacturing files are built in and included in your plan. Flux runs in your browser. ### Checks its own work Flux runs stress, thermal, and airflow simulation on the parts that it designs. It runs circuit and electromagnetic simulation and design rule checks on the board. ### Gets the parts made Flux gets quotes for 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal, and laser cutting, and for boards and wire harnesses, from the project. ### Parts you can buy Chips, connectors, and mechanical hardware such as screws and standoffs are in one library of 734,000+ public parts, with live prices and stock from distributors. ### One live project for the team Electrical, layout, mechanical, and firmware engineers work in the same live project with the AI engineer. Share a project with a link. One platform ## And the electronics and firmware too. Flux is not a collection of disconnected CAD applications. It is one AI-native engineering platform where every discipline shares the same project, the same data, and the same AI engineer. 1. ![USB-C power input schematic in Flux](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-usbc-power-schematic.webp) ### [Electrical engineering](https://www.flux.ai/p/eda) Requirements, part research, schematic capture, and simulation. 2. ![Routed board layout of the ESP32 x86 PC in Flux](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-x86-layout.webp) ### PCB layout Ask Flux to route a complete board or selected nets. Refine differential pairs, trace lengths, widths, and layers through chat. Placement, stackups, design rule checks, and wire harnesses stay in the same project. 3. ![STM32 current-loop firmware that Flux wrote and compiled, in a syntax-highlighted code block](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-stm32-current-loop-firmware.webp) ### Firmware Firmware for the board Flux designed, for example on Arm Cortex-M, RISC-V, AVR, or Pico, then built, analyzed, and unit tested. ![Boards and 3D-printed enclosures made with Flux on a workbench](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/compare-photo-1008550.webp) Real boards and enclosures made with Flux. Model-agnostic AI ## Your favorite AI models. Our engineering superpowers. Flux pairs frontier AI models with a state-of-the-art agent harness built for CAD and EDA. The models bring reasoning. Flux brings the engineering tools, project context, and workflows that turn that reasoning into working hardware. - OpenAI - Anthropic - Google Gemini - More as they ship Adaptive model selection ### Frontier performance at 30% lower cost. Adaptive splits every engineering job into tasks and gives each task to the model that does it best for the price. Hard design decisions go to frontier models. Routine work goes to fast, low-cost models. Independent tasks run in parallel, so complete devices come together faster. Your team works with one AI engineer, and Flux handles the delegation behind the scenes. ### Frontier AI models - Reasoning - Planning - Language ### Flux engineering harness - CAD and EDA tools - Project context - Simulation - Design rules ### Working hardware - Schematics - Boards - Enclosures - Firmware - Fab files - Product videos ### Every frontier model, one platform Work with the frontier models your team already trusts, inside Flux. ### Engineering superpowers built in Every model gets Flux's specialized engineering tools, project context, and workflows. ### Upgrade without migrating When a better model ships, your team gets it without switching engineering platforms. ### No single-vendor lock-in Avoid depending on any one model provider for your engineering capacity. ### The right model for every step Adaptive matches each engineering step to the model that does it best, from deep design decisions to routine checks. ## Your designs stay yours. - SOC 2-aligned cloud infrastructure - Single sign-on (SSO) - Project-level permissions - Inputs and outputs are always your IP - No training on customer data ## Flux pricing - ### Explore See current pricing Trial terms depend on your current offer. - ### Build See current pricing Trial terms depend on your current offer. - ### Pro See current pricing Trial terms depend on your current offer. - ### Teams See current pricing Teams subscriptions start paid. Eligible individual plans include a free trial. Teams subscriptions start paid; trial and pricing terms depend on your current offer. [See all plans](https://www.flux.ai/p/pricing) ## When to use which Use Zoo Design Studio when your engineers want to model mechanical parts themselves, with an AI agent in the CAD tool. Choose Flux when the deliverable is a complete device: a board, the mechanical parts that fit it, and firmware, ready for manufacturing. ## Questions ### Can I bring my Zoo Design Studio parts into Flux? Yes. Export your parts as STEP files and upload them to Flux. Tell Flux in plain words what to change, for example a thicker wall or new vent slots. Flux makes editable CAD code and a new STEP file. ### Can Flux design mechanical parts and assemblies? Yes. Flux designs single parts and complete assemblies, from an enclosure for the board to a complete robot arm. It exports STEP, STL, and 3MF files, and saves each part as editable CAD code. ### Can Flux design the electronics as well? Yes. Flux draws the schematic, picks from 734,000+ public parts, routes the board, and writes the firmware. It designs the mechanical parts around the real board in the same project. ### Which CAD kernel does Flux use? Flux is kernel agnostic. It builds parts with NVIDIA SMLib and OpenCascade, and supports Siemens Parasolid on request. The AI engineer picks the kernel for each part. ### Do I need to install anything? No. Flux runs in your web browser. New features and new AI models arrive in the product, so there is nothing to upgrade. ### Can my team work on the same project? Yes. Share a project with a link. Several people can edit it at the same time. Single sign-on and project-level permissions control who sees what. ### Does Flux train on my designs? No. Flux never trains on customer data. Inputs and outputs remain your IP at all times. ![](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/compare-photo-1008291.webp) ## Give Flux your next requirement. Explore individual plan offers, or book a demo with our team. [Start Free Trial](https://www.flux.ai/signup) [Book a Demo](https://www.flux.ai/p/demo) ## Sources 1. Zoo Design Studio FAQ: [https://zoo.dev/docs/faq](https://zoo.dev/docs/faq) 2. Zoo Design Studio: [https://zoo.dev/design-studio](https://zoo.dev/design-studio) 3. Zoo: [https://zoo.dev/](https://zoo.dev/) 4. Zookeeper: [https://zoo.dev/zookeeper](https://zoo.dev/zookeeper) 5. Zoo pricing: [https://zoo.dev/zoo-pricing](https://zoo.dev/zoo-pricing)