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Physics figure maker: apparatus diagrams, materials cutaways, and astrophysics schematics

Describe the setup or system you study — a benchtop optics path, a Li-ion cell cross-section, a stellar life cycle, a band diagram — with text to figure and LabFig renders a clean, journal-grade physics figure in seconds. Already sketched the apparatus on paper? Turn it into a clean schematic with sketch to figure, then nudge any beam arrow on the vector canvas. This physics figure maker is built for physicists, materials scientists, astronomers, and earth scientists who need a precise, labeled physics figure without fighting Illustrator or TikZ. Every component label, beam arrow, and axis in the physics figure stays editable afterward.

Make a physics figureSee showcases

†From optical tables to H-R diagrams — describe it, generate it, refine it

An optical-table experimental setup physics figure with a HeNe laser, beam splitter and lock-in amplifier, generated by LabFig
A lithium-ion battery cutaway physics figure with crystal structure and discharge curve, generated by LabFig

Optical Setup · Phys. Rev.

Apparatus & optics setups
Astrophysics diagrams
Materials cutaways
Workbench

Make a physics figure

Describe an apparatus, a materials cutaway, an energy-level diagram, or an astrophysics schematic — or pick an example below — and render a clean, journal-ready physics figure right here.

LabFig · Workbench

AI Scientific Figure Workbench

Pick a mode, describe the figure, get a journal-grade draft in seconds. Export to SVG / PDF.

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Cost 2 credits·Remaining 0 credits

Your figure will appear here

Pick a mode · Describe the figure · Generate

Examples

Start from a physics figure example

Click any physics figure example to load it into the workbench above, then tweak the wording and generate.

How it works

From a setup description to a journal-grade physics figure in three steps

No CAD, no ray-tracing software, no late-night TikZ — describe the apparatus or system and finish the precise edits to your physics figure in one place.

Describe the figure you need in plain language1Step 1

Describe the system

Name the components and how they connect: the beam path through mirrors and a beam splitter, the layers in a battery cutaway, the stages of a star's life, or the levels in an energy diagram. Plain language works.

LabFig generates a publication-quality draft figure2Step 2

Generate the schematic

LabFig reads the physics, places components in a clean optical-table or block layout, draws beam arrows and field lines, and labels everything with consistent sans-serif annotations and reversed axes where conventions call for them.

Refine on the vector canvas and export to SVG, PDF or PNG3Step 3

Refine and export

Adjust any label, arrow, leader line, or color of the physics figure on the vector canvas, then export SVG, PDF, or 300 dpi PNG sized for a single- or double-column figure in PRL, Nature Physics, or ApJ.

Why LabFig for physics

Tuned for the physics figure conventions journals actually publish.

A physics figure is unforgiving — a mislabeled axis or an arrow pointing the wrong way reads as a mistake. LabFig understands apparatus, materials, and astrophysics conventions and outputs an editable physics figure in vectors, not flat AI pictures.

Setups

Apparatus and optics setups that read correctly

Top-down optical tables, vacuum chambers, cryostats, and detector chains come out with proper beam paths, folded geometry, leader-line component labels, and direction arrows — the schematic style reviewers expect in a methods physics figure.

Optical tablesBeam pathsDetector chainsLeader-line labels
Materials

Materials and device cutaways with real structure

Isometric battery and device cutaways, layered thin-film stacks, crystal lattices, and band diagrams render with stacked layers, ion or carrier flow, and quantitative insets like voltage-capacity or DOS curves — ready for an Advanced Materials panel.

CutawaysBand diagramsLatticesInset plots
Astro & Earth

Astrophysics and earth-system diagrams

Stellar life-cycle flows with mass-dependent branches, Hertzsprung-Russell insets, planetary and orbital schematics, and earth-system infographics like the carbon cycle — with labeled fluxes, reservoirs, and timescale captions on a clean layout.

Stellar life cycleH-R diagramCarbon cycleFlux arrows
Physics figure templates

Start from a physics figure template and make it yours

Click any physics figure template to load it into the workbench, then swap in your own apparatus, material, or measurement. Covering experimental setups, materials cutaways, astrophysics, and earth-science diagrams.

Physics figure maker FAQ

Common questions about generating a physics figure and apparatus diagram with LabFig.

Yes. Describe the components and beam path — laser source, mirrors, beam splitter, lens, sample chamber, photodetector, lock-in amplifier — and LabFig lays them out as a clean top-down optical-table schematic with folded beam paths, direction arrows, and leader-line labels. It also handles vacuum chambers, cryostats, and electronics block diagrams. You can adjust spacing, relabel components, and fix any geometry on the vector canvas before export. New to the workflow? Start with our primer on what AI for scientific figures is.

It does. LabFig produces isometric Li-ion and device cutaways showing electrodes, separator, electrolyte, and current collectors with Li+ or carrier flow arrows, plus layered thin-film stacks, crystal lattices, and energy-band or density-of-states diagrams. Quantitative insets like voltage-capacity curves can be included. For exact band gaps or measured values, generate the layout and fine-tune the specific numbers and labels on the canvas — the style suits journals such as Advanced Materials.

Yes. Describe the sequence — nebula, protostar, main sequence, then mass-dependent branches to white dwarf or supernova, neutron star, and black hole — and LabFig draws a branching flow on a starfield with tapered arrows and timescale captions, and can add a Hertzsprung-Russell inset with a temperature axis reversed by convention. Orbital and planetary schematics work the same way, in a style suited to ApJ figures.

Every physics figure follows common publication conventions for resolution, typography, and color, and exports as SVG, PDF, or 300 dpi PNG that you can size to a single- or double-column width. Because the output is editable vector, you can match a specific journal's font, line weight, and axis style. Always check your target journal's figure guidelines before submission.

Yes. LabFig builds earth-system infographics such as the global carbon cycle as an isometric diorama with labeled fluxes in GtC per year, reservoir tags, and a CO2 trend inset, as well as energy-flow and Sankey-style diagrams. You describe the reservoirs, fluxes, and numbers; LabFig arranges a clean, uncluttered layout with a legible legend that you can refine afterward. If your physics work leans into computation, the machine learning diagram maker handles model architectures and pipelines in the same editable, conference-grade style.

Make your next physics figure

Describe an apparatus, a materials cutaway, or an astrophysics diagram in the workbench and get a journal-ready physics figure in minutes — free while you explore.

Prefer to start from a hand drawing? Try Sketch to Figure

Physics Figure Maker: AI physics figure tool for apparatus diagrams | LabFig