Figma adds code layers, animation support, and more AI features in the new update

Figma on Wednesday showed off an update that adds a new code layer, support for motion and shading, and the ability to create custom plugins for various tasks using artificial intelligence.

The design platform has been integrating code into its tool for a while. Last year, it unveiled its AI-based prototyping tool, Figma Make, and has since launched integrations with Claude Code and Codex to improve the handoff between programming and design.

The company is now adding code layers directly to the collaborative canvas, helping teams clone repositories and extract flows of code into design layers for testing.

Code layers make it easier for designers, product managers and programmers to iterate on ideas rather than focusing on creating original code that goes into production, said Yuhki Yamashita, chief product officer at Figma.

“We think the multiplayer board is really powerful because this is an environment where you don’t really care about the quality of the code. If you’re exploring quickly or need to explore a bunch of new directions, you can do it in this spatial way. We hope this feature produces a different behavior not only with designers, but also with engineers and project leads,” he said over a phone call.

Figma now also supports 3D animation, transitions, and transformations. Previously, designers had to create animations in other programs and convert them into code that the application could understand. Now, designers can integrate animations and transitions directly into Figma.

You can now use AI to create some of these assets, and the update adds support for adding shading and fill effects using AI as well.

Figma acquired the node-based Weavy tool, which helped designers run workflows through different models to compare output, last year, and is now working to better integrate the two applications. In an update coming later in the year, users will be able to create Weavy workflows directly within Figma.

The company is also adding new skills to make its AI assistant more useful through the collaborative panel. Users can now write text prompts to create repeatable skills that AI agents can use. You can also connect tools like Notion, Granola, Excel, and GitHub, or attach files to give the AI ​​bot more context about what you want it to do.

The company is also adding a feature to help users create custom plugins, such as layout generators or vector path tracers, with prompts.