Dear Shapr3D users!
We’ve been getting a lot of request for dimensioned drawings, where you could export blueprint-like 2D drawings of your 3D models with selectively added dimensions.
We want to make such feature best suit your needs, so please…
Thanks,
Peter at Shapr3D
http://www.cityofcamarillo.org/Building%20Safety%20Handouts/b250%20res%20plan%20req.pdf
Link above gives samples of typical and basic dimensioning. As you can see there is a lot of text. I will be taking my Shapr design to this format over the next few weeks. May have to purchase ArcSite or Graphics (Indeeo). Will advise…
Best,
Tommy
Hi Peter,
For now I use Shapr mainly for constructing ‘one time’ models for 3D printing (prototyping) and for designing objects that have to build in the real world in a workshop. That’s where dimensions come into play.
When constructing an object, I use many small draft sketches to get the final result. I don’t need every dimension to show uo when the end version of the object is finished. So it would be nice to have dimensioning layers, just like the object layers or sketch layers, that you can turn on or off. That way it would be easy to control what you can ‘print’ in dimensions. It would be nice to be able to show the object from every 3D angle with the chosen dimension layers, not only in a ‘plain 2D’ view. May be it’s possible to add a switch to every ‘normal’ and construction plane to show or hide dimensions.
Hope this will help, I don’t have any examples for you, we have to keep our designs ‘non published’.
Hope this gives you an idea of what would be nice, if you have any questions, please let me know!
Hans
I produce a lot of multi-angled, highly detailed 3D drawings. Ideally, a way to export to a dimensioned diagram showing all angles and dimensions maybe based on the view (angle) of the current screenshot. Maybe a feature that would allow you to select the view in S3D, then select from the menu to “export current view to a dimensioned drawing” where that angle would be exported to PDF, etc. including dimensions of all sides of the item in the current view.
I want to do something like this.
Choose the dimension I want.
I guess another person ask for this.
Samberino
I tried this and it’s ok for me. But I only get one measure at a time.
Nice to get the three dimensions on one screenshot.
The best one is CATIA dimensioning. I just suggest to follow that
For me it would be nice to have the dimensions on the sketch planes, you can switch them on and off according to your needs. Maybe an extra tick box in the groups window to show or hide dimensions of a sketch group would make it even more comfortable.
Which brings me to another question: how about a ‘note’ option, to add specific notes to an object or a group of objects? Could use it for instructions for the maker, reminders for the developer or extra ‘roughness’ notes to dimensions.
I love your app specifically because it bridges the gap for what I used to like SketchUp for and is as intuitive or more on the iPad. SketchUp went web-based making the free plugins useless. Fusion360 is a nightmare for me to do simple things for my 3D printer and…woodworking. The latter is where being able to make myself:
Keep up the good work!
I’m a magician. From time to time I design props, and then send the drawings to local businesses to fabricate them, such as tapplastics.com. They cannot read 3d files, and just work from drawings, which if course need to be annotated. I’m a new user, so I cannot upload the pictures I annotated by hand. 
I generate profile drawings for woodworking tools. Has been in 2D CAD till now. Trying to use S3D now.
Most drawings are for customer approval of the profile dimensions, and also for the factory to use for the tooling drawings.
So for the customer approval basic linear, radius dimensions on a sketch plane would suffice as a .pdf or screenshot. I could export the full file in any of the available formats for the factory to use.
Future .dxf or .dwg import/export would be very useful as many of my clients are supplying .dxf/.dwg prints for door and window parts.
I just need the dimensions I can see during the sketching on the printed out paper or on the screenshot I am not able to make a screenshot with them on it
Hi, I am doing 3D designs for 3D printing. So for not I need X,Y &Z dimensions that I can edit easily. Just look a UMake IOS app for what I am looking for. Currently I have a design done except for changing the dimensions to fit my project. I know that I probably should have dimensioned the 2D drawings first but that’s not how I work. I tried using the black dimension number at the bottom but I can’t figure out how to use them. I don’t see any way to change the dimensions using these numbers. It seems that some parts of my design I can change and other parts I can’t change. I think I have to select a plan in order to adjust the dimensions, I Think. In UMake you can change the dimensions in 3D space, pretty darn easy to perform.
John
For woodworking applications, the best implementation would be something that mimics the CutList plugin for Sketchup.
Basically take each body and output it’s dimensions in an ordinal sort of list that describes its LxWxH dimension.
It would also be nice to be able to output not rectangle geometric shapes as their 2d sketch profile to be used as a pattern for cutting complex edges ie on the bandsaw or scroll saw.
Thanks. When/if some feature like this is implemented, I will subscribe. Insufficient use case for me until then.
It is a fact that Shapr3D produces superb 3D Designs in a manner that the great majority of users find to be intuitive and absolutely delightful to use.
Any User not falling into the above category possibly needs to review appropriate educational features that are abundantly available via the App or Shapr3D.com.
After a Design is created it is often taken to a stage that will turn it into a Physical Product.
Seldom is the latter going to come to fruition without a means to communicate specific detail regarding Fabrication.
A picture [read:- a very nice S3D presentation] may be worth the touted ‘thousand words’ but it will be very difficult to put into words the detailed Dimensions involved.
Users of S3D have wide ranging needs and the software accommodates a very wide spectrum.
So the Dimensioning System needs to be flexible enough to provide satisfactory output for a vast range of uses.
I am a newbie to S3D so it is likely that some things have been overlooked or not fully understood.
My goal is to produce 3D images, and that is an absolute joy with S3D, that can be dimensioned sufficiently for fabrication in the workshop. A Design that can include Dimensions and Annotations would be a full bells, whistles and cloud 7 production.
The existing Dimension Indicators are absolutely excellent for the purpose of producing Sketches of accurate Bodies, however the image below is the result of a macOS ScreenShot Exported to PDF:
Dimensions 6.pdf (394.4 KB)
It is possible, with caveats, to produce detailed fully dimensioned Sketches on one or more Planes within the Apps. However it seems that these Dimensions remain in the App and only available within those particular Sketches? Capture with the Shapr3D ‘Take Screenshot’ removes the Dimensions before capturing the image, as does any attempt to create a Body or similar actions. It does not seem possible to display the Dimensions of two Sketches [on different Planes] at the same time. The Objective in attempting to do this was to effectively show a Plan and Elevation at the same time.
It is possible to produce a full set of elevations to convey the full details but of this should not the objective when such accurate information already exists within Shapr3D. Hopefully possibilities exist to use the presently available Dimension Information?
There is a need for Dimensions to be printable enabling essential communications, both examples below were created in SU:
Dimension 1.pdf (153.1 KB)
Note that the above, and that below, have been deliberately modified to show the Dimensioning possibilities available in some Apps. The ability to alter the Text within any specific Dimension, e.g., Placing Dimensions ‘outside ✿’ the Dimension Line when space is too tight, Omitting Units, Decimal places where values permit, Enlarging and Emboldening if deemed necessary or useful, etc.
IMO the above is easier to read because it is far less ‘busy’ compared with the first Sketch.
✿ Some Apps utilise a Callout where the Dimension Line has a connected Line that in turn points to the Dimension Detail usually in the closest available space.
When a Design contains only whole units dispensing with the Decimal Places and Units makes the job of Dimensioning easier, the ‘lack of Units’ can be covered by an on drawing note to the effect that ‘All Dimensions are Millimetres’ or appropriate units of course.
The key factor for consideration should be User Flexibility to enable clear dimensioning in limited space. Many individuals, even companies, do not have the luxury of late format printers or with the produce PDFs that require endless scrolling to view all of the essential information.
My aim is to work from a detailed Design direct from a Tablet.
Users working with larger projects also need to be considered:
Dimensions 2.pdf (212.0 KB)
It is appreciated that the constraints of Development time will dictate what can be done within a reasonable time frame. Ideally Dimensions should graduate toward featuring:
Visible or Invisible by a software Switch
Be capable of being applied to 2D Sketches and to 3D Designs
Positioning Dimensions relative to the Dimension Line need to be User selectable
Font Size/Styles and Indicator Styles [Arrow Heads and Line Ends] need to be User selectable
If possible Actual Dimensions should reflect changes in the Scale of the Drawing and adjust when the Drawing size is changed
Colour can be useful in some Dimensioning situations
To meet my needs investigations into Overlay Apps is underway. The object being to add Dimensions over an existing Design by drawing on a Transparent Layer provided by an Overlay App.
If a Dimensioning App, that will expedite the inserting of automatically inserting Dimension Lines between chosen points, exists I would be happy typing in the measurements. Affinity have made this easier with the advent of Arrow Heads and a good range of other Line Endings but it is still a lot of work.
IMHO some form of printable Dimensions should be high priority, unless iPadOS has some, at present, hidden features waiting to surprise us.
I held off posting the following hoping I would discover solutions for myself, no such luck.
This is the result of my attempts to Dimension this Design example being used only to investigate Dimensioning possibilities.
The Top Plane has Dimensions but unlike the Front Plane they are difficult to select.
I believe similar MO are being used in each selection but all that is on offer on the Top Plane is the Icon for creating Fillets and Chamfers.
In an earlier iteration of this Design the ‘building’ outline was dimensioned similar to that shown in my Post above. These Dimensions popped up regularly and so I deleted the Floor Plane and attempted to improve their visibility by moving to the Top Plane.
Unsure of whether it is acceptable to Upload the Shapr3D File here I am sending it direct to Support.
Hopefully Support will be able to inform how to resolve this problem?
My message to Support being - Feel free to add the Shapr3d File here if it will help other Users.
This is the macOS ScreenShot:
Dimensioning Test 2.pdf (415.0 KB)
Thanks for all your ideas and input. Dimensions in the ways you described are not supported yet, but we will make our best to support it in some ways as soon as possible. 
However with the coming dxf/dwg export the coming weeks, all the locked Shapr3D annotations will be included in the file and can be viewed/printed with any dwg/dxf reader on the iPad.
You can subscribe for a beta here: Upcoming DXF import / export feature - looking for use cases
Would need to be similar to other desktop style exports with ability for notes.
A hole wizard (Machined threads) and dimension drawings would capture about 50% of the general machinist to leave their common desktop software!!! you guys are so close!
We are on it 
