Latest AI-Powered Scientific Illustration Tools

Overview

Launched on August 5, 2025, by Oxford University alumni, FigureLabs is a fully AI-driven scientific illustration tool. Leveraging machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, it streamlines the creation of journal-quality figures from sketches, text, or literature, catering to disciplines like biology and engineering.

Core Features

• Sketch-to-Figure: Transforms hand-drawn sketches into professional illustrations.
• Text-to-Figure: Generates figures from text descriptions or extracted PDF/literature data.
• Figure Refiner: Enhances image resolution, color, and noise reduction for publication standards.
• Image Vectorization: Converts raster images to scalable vector graphics (SVG)

Advantages

• Fully AI-driven, enabling rapid figure generation without design skills.
• Broad applicability across disciplines like biology and engineering.
• Produces journal-ready outputs, streamlining workflows.

Overview

BioRender is an online tool tailored for life sciences, offering over 40,000 biology-specific icons. Widely used for mechanism diagrams, signaling pathways, and experimental workflows, it is trusted by high-impact journals like Nature and Cell.

Core Features

• Drag-and-drop interface with extensive templates and icons.
• Covers 30+ life science fields, including immunology and neuroscience.
• High-resolution exports with clear copyright for publication.

Advantages

• Highly specialized with a vast, professional icon library.
• User-friendly, even for non-designers; widely recognized by journals.
• Rich template library for quick, standardized figure creation.

Overview

Adobe Illustrator is a professional-grade vector graphics software used for scientific illustrations, data visualizations, and schematic diagrams, offering unparalleled flexibility across disciplines.

Core Features

• - Robust vector editing tools for intricate designs.
• - High-resolution vector exports, compatible with Adobe ecosystem.
• - Ideal for data visualizations, flowcharts, and schematics.

Advantages

• - Highly flexible, suitable for any scientific discipline.
• - Produces publication-quality vector graphics.
• - Extensive community support with tutorials and plugins.

Overview

Figdraw is a Chinese-developed online tool similar to BioRender, designed for biomedical illustrations like mechanism diagrams and experimental workflows, with a Chinese-language interface tailored for local users.

Core Features

• - Drag-and-drop design for quick creation of flowcharts and pathways.
• - Offers biomedical templates and icons.
• - Supports multiple export formats.

Advantages

• - Chinese interface, intuitive for local users; stable domestic access.
• - Cost-effective compared to BioRender.
• - User-friendly, ideal for beginners.

Overview

MedPeer is another Chinese online tool focused on biomedical illustrations, offering a simple interface for rapid academic figure creation, designed for domestic users.

Core Features

• - Chinese-language interface with drag-and-drop functionality.
• - Biomedical templates and icons.
• - Supports various export formats.

Advantages

• - Fully Chinese interface, lowering language barriers.
• - Fast access via domestic servers.
• - Affordable for students and small labs.

Overview

ScienceSlides is a Microsoft PowerPoint plugin that enhances scientific illustration capabilities, supporting biology, chemistry, and physics for presentations and simple figures.

Core Features

• - Integrates with PowerPoint, offering scientific templates and icons.
• - Supports vector editing and diverse export formats.
• - Ideal for presentations and basic figures.

Advantages

• - Seamless PowerPoint integration, familiar to users.
• - Supports multiple disciplines; some free templates available.
• - Quick setup for presentation-focused figures.