Main screen
Building in the Workspace
Learn how to place shapes, adjust dimensions, cut holes, and export your 3D models for printing.
On this page
1. Workspace Layout
- Shapelist (Left): Drag shapes from here into your scene.
- Workspace (Center): Your 3D view. Right-click + drag to rotate camera; scroll to zoom.
- Actionlist (Right): Combine tools, file imports, export, and settings.
- Editbar (Bottom): Appears when an object is selected to set precise sizes and values.
2. Adding & Moving Shapes
Drag any shape card onto the grid, or click it to place it at the center of the scene.
- Moving: Click and drag any object across the floor grid.
- Raising / Lowering: Drag the white ball on top of a selected shape, or press Page Up / Page Down.
- Dropping to Floor: Press D to snap the object back down to the floor.
- Aligning with Pins: Shift-click a handle to drop an Alignment Pin, then Shift-click another object's handle to snap them together.
Special Parametric Shapes (Screws, Gears & Text)
Screws and Gears use real engineering parameters (pitch, tooth count) instead of standard scaling. Selecting them replaces standard width/height controls with dedicated technical fields.
Right-click a Gear in the shape library to access the Gear Wizard, which calculates tooth specs from caliper measurements.
3. Resizing & Rotating
Select an object to reveal its handles and the bottom Editbar.
Resizing:
- Drag the teal handles in the 3D view to stretch an object.
- Type exact millimeter values into the W (width), H (height), or D (depth) fields in the Editbar.
- Use Corner Radius (R) to round off sharp edges on supported shapes (boxes, cylinders, prisms).
Rotating:
- Click Rotate (⟳) in the Editbar to open the angle controls. Pick an axis, drag the dial, or use quick presets (90°, 180°).
- Click Lay Flat to automatically rest an angled shape flat on the floor bed.
4. Combining & Cutting Holes
Create complex parts by grouping solid shapes or using transparent shapes as cutters.
- Turn a shape into a hole: Select an object and click ◐ Make hole in the Editbar (or right-click the shape card when adding it). The object becomes translucent.
- Cut or Join: Select two or more shapes (Shift-click or drag a selection box) and click Combine selected in the right sidebar.
Tip: Made a mistake? Click Split apart on any combined object to restore its original pieces.
5. Saving & Exporting
- Importing: Click Import to add STL/OBJ 3D models, SVG vectors, or PNG images (extruded as heightmaps/stencils).
- Save Project: Exports a
.jsonfile preserving your full edit history so you can make changes later. - Export STL: Generates a 3D printable mesh. The export window includes options to auto-orient parts flat on the bed, reduce overhangs, and separate non-touching parts into individual files.