AutoFigure: Image to Editable DrawIO

Convert a raster figure (PNG/JPEG) into an editable .drawio file where text, arrows, and shapes are real mxCell elements, and icons are embedded as transparent PNGs using DrawIO's image style.

Available Tools

Tool	Purpose
segment_figure	Detect icons/elements via SAM3 (fal.ai), produce samed.png + boxlib.json
crop_remove_bg	Crop detected regions + RMBG-2.0 background removal → transparent PNGs
generate_drawio_template	Multimodal LLM reconstructs the figure as DrawIO XML with gray placeholder mxCells
replace_icons_drawio	Embed transparent icons into drawio placeholder mxCells → final.drawio

Legacy SVG tools (generate_svg_template, replace_icons_svg) are also available if you need SVG output instead.

Workflow

Follow these steps in order. Each step's output feeds into the next.

Step 1 — Segment Figure

segment_figure(
  image_path="path/to/figure.png",
  output_dir="./output"
)

Detects icons, diagrams, and visual elements using SAM3. Produces:

• samed.png — figure with gray rectangles (#808080) + sequential labels (<AF>01, <AF>02, …)
• boxlib.json — coordinates of each detected region

Optional parameters:

• text_prompts: Comma-separated SAM3 prompts (default: "icon,robot,animal,person")
• min_score: Confidence threshold (default: 0.0)
• merge_threshold: Overlap merge threshold (default: 0.001)

Step 2 — Crop & Remove Background

crop_remove_bg(
  image_path="path/to/figure.png",
  boxlib_path="./output/boxlib.json",
  output_dir="./output"
)

For each detected region:

1. Crops the icon from the original figure
2. Removes the background using RMBG-2.0
3. Saves transparent PNG to icons/icon_AF01_nobg.png

Produces icon_infos.json with paths and coordinates for all icons.

Step 3 — Generate DrawIO Template

generate_drawio_template(
  figure_path="path/to/figure.png",
  samed_path="./output/samed.png",
  boxlib_path="./output/boxlib.json",
  output_dir="./output"
)

Sends the original figure and samed.png to a multimodal LLM, which reconstructs the figure as DrawIO mxGraph XML:

• Text → <mxCell style="text;..."> elements
• Arrows/edges → <mxCell edge="1" ...> with mxGeometry
• Shapes/boxes → <mxCell style="rounded=0;..."> rectangles, ellipses, etc.
• Icon areas → gray placeholder mxCells with id="AF01" and value="<AF>01"

Includes automatic XML validation and LLM-based repair.

Produces:

• template.drawio — raw LLM output
• optimized_template.drawio — validated/fixed drawio file

Optional parameters:

• optimize_iterations: LLM refinement iterations (default: 0)

Step 4 — Replace Icons in DrawIO

replace_icons_drawio(
  template_drawio_path="./output/optimized_template.drawio",
  icon_infos_path="./output/icon_infos.json",
  figure_path="path/to/figure.png",
  output_path="./output/final.drawio"
)

Replaces each gray placeholder mxCell with the corresponding transparent PNG icon embedded using DrawIO image style (image=data:image/png,{base64}). Matching strategy:

1. By cell id (e.g., AF01)
2. By cell value (e.g., <AF>01 or <AF>01)
3. Fallback: coordinate matching against original boxlib positions
4. Last resort: append a new image mxCell at the correct position

Produces final.drawio — the editable DrawIO file with embedded icons, openable in draw.io.

Example Interaction

User: "Convert this figure to an editable DrawIO file: figures/method.png"

Agent steps:
  1. segment_figure(image_path="figures/method.png", output_dir="./output")
     → samed.png, boxlib.json (e.g. 5 boxes detected)
  2. crop_remove_bg(image_path="figures/method.png", boxlib_path="./output/boxlib.json", output_dir="./output")
     → icon_infos.json, 5 transparent PNGs
  3. generate_drawio_template(figure_path="figures/method.png", samed_path="./output/samed.png", boxlib_path="./output/boxlib.json", output_dir="./output")
     → template.drawio, optimized_template.drawio
  4. replace_icons_drawio(template_drawio_path="./output/optimized_template.drawio", icon_infos_path="./output/icon_infos.json", figure_path="figures/method.png", output_path="./output/final.drawio")
     → final.drawio
  5. Reply with the final drawio path

DrawIO Format Notes

• Icon images are embedded as base64 in the mxCell style: image=data:image/png,{base64_data}
• All cells use parent="1" and vertex="1" (edges use edge="1" instead)
• Cell IDs 0 and 1 are reserved; content starts from ID 2
• The file can be opened directly in draw.io or VS Code with the Draw.io Integration extension

Important Notes

• Always run the 4 steps in sequence — each step depends on the previous step's outputs.
• SAM3 requires a FAL API key — set fal_api_key in config.json under tools.autofigure, or set the FAL_KEY environment variable.
• RMBG-2.0 requires PyTorch — torch, torchvision, and transformers must be installed. The model is auto-downloaded from HuggingFace on first use.
• DrawIO generation quality depends on the VLM model — better models (e.g., google/gemini-2.5-pro-preview) produce more accurate reconstructions.
• For complex figures, consider setting optimize_iterations=1 or 2 to refine the drawio layout.