Figma on Wednesday unveiled a major update that introduces a new code layer system, native support for motion and shaders, and the ability to create custom AI-powered plugins for a variety of tasks. The announcement marks a significant step in the design platform's ongoing effort to bridge the gap between design and engineering workflows.
Code Layers Bring Engineering Into the Design Canvas
Figma has been gradually integrating code capabilities into its platform. Last year, it launched Figma Make, an AI prompt-based prototyping tool, and has since partnered with Claude Code and Codex to streamline transitions between coding and design. Now, Figma is embedding code layers directly into its collaborative canvas, allowing teams to clone repositories and extract flows from code into design layers for testing.
Yuhki Yamashita, Figma's chief product officer, explained that code layers are designed to help designers, product managers, and engineers iterate on ideas more freely, without the pressure of producing production-ready code. “We think the multiplayer canvas is really powerful because this is an environment where you don’t really care about the quality of the code. If you’re rapidly exploring or need to explore a bunch of new directions, you can do that in this spatial way. We hope that this feature produces different behavior not just with designers, but also with engineers and PMs,” he said during a call.
Native Animation, Transitions, and 3D Support
Figma now includes built-in support for animations, transitions, and 3D transforms. Previously, designers had to create animations in separate tools and then convert them into code that Figma could interpret. With this update, animations and transitions can be integrated directly into the design canvas, streamlining what was once a cumbersome multi-step workflow.
AI-Driven Custom Plugins and Future Capabilities
Rounding out the update, Figma is expanding its AI capabilities with support for custom plugin creation. Users can now leverage AI to build plugins tailored to specific design tasks, further automating repetitive processes and adapting the platform to unique workflows. This aligns with the broader industry trend in 2026 of integrating generative AI into design tools, with Figma positioning itself to compete with tools like Adobe Firefly and Canva's AI-powered suite.
These updates reinforce Figma's strategy to become a more unified platform where design, prototyping, and coding converge, making it easier for cross-functional teams to collaborate in real-time.
via TechCrunch