Question: Can you recommend an app that generates CAD templates from photos, eliminating the need for expensive hardware?

If you're looking for an app that creates CAD templates from photos without any expensive equipment, Flatify is one of the best options. It lets you measure 2D objects and turn them into CAD files by taking photos. With its top-down view generator, Flatify offers accurate measurements, which is great for industries that need precision. It's a matter of taking a photo of the object next to a reference object, picking the dimensions, then tracing the edges. The app can export distorted images and CAD files, so it'll save you a lot of time drawing and digitizing.

Another tool worth a look is Gencraft, an AI-powered service that generates 3D models and textures from a single 2D image. It doesn't generate CAD templates directly, but it can help you generate detailed 3D models rapidly, which can be useful for related design work. It's geared for industries like architecture and product design where 3D modeling speed is important.

If you want something more flexible, Polycam offers a lot of options, including photogrammetry, LiDAR scanning and 360-degree panorama capture. It's available on iOS, Android and as a web app, and it can be used to create 3D models and share them in augmented reality. It's got a broader range of abilities than just generating CAD templates, but its powerful abilities make it a good option for those who need more advanced 3D capture and creation tools.