Background / Workflow
I use Shapr3D predominantly on iPad to design architectural installations, furniture and small-to-medium-scale fabricated products. Most of my work is in metal, and I use Shapr3D to design components for laser cutting and fabrication as well as producing 2D Drawings for use in the workshop.
I use a keyboard extensively for shortcuts. I came to Shapr3D from Blender, so fast keyboard-driven interaction alongside the Apple Pencil is an important part of my workflow.
My modelling process is predominantly direct and iterative. I often begin with relatively simple forms, develop them with clients, and progressively modify them until I reach the final design. Because I don’t necessarily know at the beginning where every feature will end up, I tend to work with solid bodies and make extensive use of Boolean operations rather than building everything around a predefined parametric structure.
I occasionally use other software, particularly Fusion for sheet-metal functionality, but wherever possible I prefer to design in Shapr3D and export only when necessary.
I appreciate that some of these requests already have their own threads. I wanted to describe them together because they relate to the same real-world workflow.
GENERAL
1. Copy and paste bodies between projects
The problem that this feature will solve
I often develop several elements or alternative designs within one Shapr3D project so that I can see how they interact. I also frequently bring existing components into another project temporarily to check proportions, clearances or relationships.
If I subsequently modify one of those components and want to transfer the updated version to another project, I currently have to export it and then import it into the destination project.
For something that conceptually feels like a simple copy-and-paste operation, this adds unnecessary file management and creates opportunities for mistakes, particularly when deciding which bodies, folders or associated sketches need to be exported.
Expected outcome
I would like to be able to select one or more bodies, folders or other items, copy them, open another Shapr3D project and paste them directly into it.
Ideally there could be an option to include associated sketches where relevant.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
The workflow is possible at present, but only through export/import. It isn’t a blocker, but it adds significant friction to an operation I perform regularly and makes managing related designs more error-prone.
2. Design versions / snapshots / iterations
The problem that this feature will solve
My design process is highly iterative. During development I frequently reach a point where I want to preserve the current design and then explore a different direction without losing that state.
At present I generally duplicate the entire project and continue working from the copy. Over time this creates numerous separate projects and makes it difficult to understand which version is current and which drawings belong to which version.
Simply duplicating bodies or folders within the Items Manager doesn’t completely solve this because 2D Drawings remain another layer of information to manage. If I produce manufacturing drawings for one iteration and then continue modifying the model, I need a clear way of preserving the relationship between a particular design state and its drawings.
Expected outcome
I would like to be able to create named design states such as:
Iteration 01
Iteration 02
Client Revision A
Manufacturing Issue 01
Each iteration should preserve that state of the model independently. I could then return to a previous iteration or create a new iteration from it without subsequently changing the preserved version.
Ideally, drawings created from a particular design state would remain associated with that state, making it obvious which drawings correspond to which iteration.
I’m less concerned about the exact implementation - snapshots, branches, versions, etc. than being able to preserve and clearly navigate distinct design states within one project.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
I can achieve the same result by duplicating entire projects, but larger projects quickly become difficult to manage. It also increases the chance of manufacturing from the wrong model or exporting drawings from the wrong iteration.
3. Project notes and item-specific notes
The problem that this feature will solve
There is often information associated with a design that doesn’t belong in the geometry itself: manufacturing sequence, fabrication constraints, things that need checking, reasons behind a design decision, client comments, or reminders for later.
At present I have to keep this information in a separate notes application or add it later to individual drawings. That separates important information from the design it relates to and means switching between applications.
There is a second, related problem: sometimes I make a seemingly unusual modelling decision for a very specific fabrication reason. If I return to the project weeks or months later, it isn’t always obvious why I made that decision.
I have previously changed something back because it appeared unnecessary, only to discover later that the original feature existed because of a manufacturing or assembly constraint.
Expected outcome
I would like two levels of notes:
Project notes: a simple project-level notes area for general design, manufacturing and fabrication information.
Item/geometry notes: the ability to attach a note or callout to a body, folder, face or other relevant item so that information stays associated with the thing it relates to.
It would also be useful if both sets of notes could later be inserted or referenced within a 2D Drawing rather than having to retype them.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
I can maintain external notes, but this separates design intent from the model and introduces opportunities for information to be forgotten or transferred incorrectly.
For fabrication work, preserving the reason behind a modelling decision can be just as important as preserving the geometry itself.
4. 3D markup / sketch-over mode
The problem that this feature will solve
When reviewing a design with a client, I frequently want to draw over the model rather than immediately change the geometry. A client may want to indicate a proportion change or position, or I may simply want to test an idea visually before modifying the model.
Currently I have to take a screenshot, leave Shapr3D, open the image and use iPadOS Markup.
That works, but the markup then becomes disconnected from the project.
Expected outcome
I would like a temporary markup mode that allows Apple Pencil drawing over the current 3D view without affecting the model.
The resulting markup could be saved as a view/snapshot or as a markup item within the project. It doesn’t necessarily need to create 3D geometry.
This would be particularly useful during client design reviews and for recording ideas during development.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
The same thing can be achieved with screenshots and another application, but it interrupts the workflow and means the resulting markup is no longer naturally associated with the Shapr3D project.
5. Improved visibility when positioning imported images
The problem that this feature will solve
I regularly import reference images and use sketch geometry to position, scale or set them out accurately.
When the imported image is selected, the blue selection overlay can make blue sketch geometry difficult to distinguish. This makes accurate positioning unnecessarily difficult.
Expected outcome
I would like selected images and visible sketch geometry to remain clearly distinguishable.
This could be achieved through a different selection colour, greater contrast, reduced selection opacity, or another visual treatment.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
It is still possible to position images, but visibility becomes poor precisely when the image is selected and being adjusted.
MODELLING
1. Faster whole-body selection with Apple Pencil
The problem that this feature will solve
Selecting complete bodies repeatedly with the Apple Pencil can become surprisingly time-consuming. Double-tapping each body is particularly cumbersome when selecting many individual components.
Expected outcome
I would like a modifier gesture that temporarily changes a Pencil tap from selecting a face or edge to selecting the entire body.
For example, holding one finger on the screen while tapping a body with the Apple Pencil could select the whole body with a single tap.
The exact gesture isn’t important; the outcome is a quick way to explicitly tell Shapr3D, “select the whole body rather than this face or edge.”
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
Nothing is technically impossible without it, but repetitive selection is one of the areas where small interaction delays accumulate significantly during a full day’s modelling.
2. Move/Rotate gizmo accessible within the current viewport
The problem that this feature will solve
When working closely on a small area of a large body, selecting that body can place the Move/Rotate gizmo at the body’s centre, outside the current viewport.
I then have to zoom out, locate the gizmo, reposition its centre to the area I’m working on, and zoom back in.
In most situations where I’m working at this level of zoom, I specifically want to make a small movement relative to the area currently visible.
Expected outcome
I would like a quick way of bringing the Move/Rotate gizmo into the current viewport without first zooming out.
One possibility would be for the gizmo to appear within the visible area when its normal centre lies outside the viewport, with an option to return it to the body’s centre. Another could simply be a command such as “Move gizmo to view.”
The exact implementation isn’t important; I primarily want to eliminate the repeated zoom-out → reposition gizmo → zoom-in sequence.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
The operation is already possible, but the repeated navigation adds a surprising amount of time and physical interaction when doing detailed modelling on iPad.
3. Lock bodies/items against selection
The problem that this feature will solve
When working on closely packed assemblies or overlapping geometry, I often need some bodies to remain visible for context while preventing them from being accidentally selected.
At present I can hide or isolate items, but those aren’t quite the same thing. Hiding removes the visual reference, while isolation can become cumbersome when I subsequently need to bring another object into the working context.
For example, I may isolate several components to work on them and then need to access a feature that was previously hidden. De-isolating brings the entire model back rather than simply allowing me to control which visible components can be interacted with.
Expected outcome
I would like to be able to select one or more bodies, items or folders and set them to Locked or Locked Reference
Locked items would remain visible but could not be accidentally selected or modified in the modelling workspace until unlocked. Locked Reference would be locked but can still be used to Align or Translate to.
A subtle visual indication of their locked state would be useful.
Ideally this command would be available both from the modelling workspace and the Items Manager.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
I currently work around it with combinations of Hide, Isolate and the Items Manager. It works, but becomes cumbersome on projects containing many overlapping fabricated components.
4. Exploded views for modelling and 2D Drawings
The problem that this feature will solve
I would like exploded views to serve two related purposes: making complex models easier to work with in the modelling workspace, and creating clearer assembly/fabrication documentation in 2D Drawings.
In the modelling workspace, assemblies containing overlapping, enclosed or closely positioned components can make individual bodies difficult to see and select. I can use the Items Manager, Hide or Isolate, but these interrupt the direct modelling workflow.
In 2D Drawings, I would like to be able to show how an assembly is constructed rather than only showing components in their assembled positions. This is particularly useful for fabrication and assembly drawings where the relationship, order and orientation of components needs to be immediately understandable.
Expected outcome
I would like to be able to create an exploded state from a selection of bodies or an assembly and control the position of the individual components.
In the modelling workspace, this could be used temporarily as a navigation and selection tool. I could explode a group of bodies, identify and select the component I need, then return everything to its assembled position. Ideally, the selected component would remain selected when returning to the assembled state so that I could immediately manipulate, hide, isolate or edit it.
I would also like to be able to save an exploded state and use it within a 2D Drawing. This would allow me to create exploded assembly and fabrication drawings without physically moving or duplicating the bodies in the original model.
For documentation, the ability to add exploded-view lines / assembly guide lines between components would also be useful so that the relationship and assembly sequence of parts can be communicated clearly.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
For modelling, I can currently work around the problem using the Items Manager, Hide and Isolate, but this becomes slow with complex assemblies.
For documentation, creating an exploded drawing currently requires manually repositioning or duplicating bodies specifically for the drawing. This creates additional geometry to manage and risks the documentation becoming disconnected from the actual assembled model.
A proper exploded-view system would therefore be useful both as a modelling/navigation tool and as a way of producing clearer manufacturing and assembly documentation.
5. Rename bodies/items directly from the modelling workspace
The problem that this feature will solve
While modelling, I often create a sequence of bodies and only afterwards go through the Items Manager to identify and rename them individually.
This separates naming from the moment when I actually know what the component is.
Expected outcome
I would like to select a body or item in the modelling workspace and invoke Rename directly — ideally through the context menu and/or a keyboard shortcut.
For example:
Select body → keyboard shortcut → type name → Enter.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
Renaming is already possible through the Items Manager, but direct renaming would make organising larger models much faster and encourage better naming during modelling rather than retrospectively.
6. Orient multiple bodies flat to a common plane
The problem that this feature will solve
My designs frequently contain tens or hundreds of fabricated components that eventually need to be represented flat for laser cutting or fabrication.
These bodies may have been designed in many different orientations within the assembly. Preparing them for a flat layout currently means manually rotating each component or exporting the model to other software.
Expected outcome
I would like to select multiple bodies, identify the face of each body that should lie flat, select a target plane, and have Shapr3D automatically orient the bodies so those faces are coplanar.
The bodies don’t necessarily need to be nested at this stage - simply automatically orienting them correctly would remove a large amount of repetitive work.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
This is one of the more significant workflow limitations for my fabrication work.
On a model containing hundreds of laser-cut parts, manually orienting every component is impractical, so I often have to move the model into another application purely to perform this operation.
7. Arrange and space flattened bodies
The problem that this feature will solve
Once components have been oriented onto a common plane, I often need to arrange them neatly before producing drawings or preparing geometry for export.
I don’t necessarily need Shapr3D to become CAM/nesting software. My main requirement is simply a quick way of creating an organised flat layout.
Expected outcome
I would like basic arrangement tools for selected bodies, such as:
- Align
- Distribute/space evenly
- Arrange in rows or columns
- Automatically separate overlapping bodies
More advanced 2D nesting would certainly be useful, but even simple automatic arrangement would substantially improve the fabrication workflow.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
I currently arrange components manually or move the work into CAM software. For drawings in particular, manual positioning becomes unnecessarily time-consuming.
2D DRAWINGS
1. Custom drawing templates / presets
The problem that this feature will solve
I use a consistent drawing style for workshop and fabrication drawings, but I currently have to recreate the same setup for new projects.
This takes time and also makes it harder to maintain consistency between projects and between people producing drawings.
Expected outcome
I would like to create and save my own drawing templates or presets, including sheet format, borders, title-block configuration and other drawing settings I regularly use.
I could then select something like “Workshop Drawing” when creating a new drawing and start from that configuration.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
I can manually configure each drawing, but it creates repetitive setup work and makes drawing standards harder to maintain consistently.
2. Simple border and customisable title block / Import drawing template
The problem that this feature will solve
The existing drawing border/title-block system contains more information and indexing than I need for workshop drawings.
In particular, I don’t need the alphanumeric zone references around the sheet. They take up useful drawing space and don’t suit the way my drawings are used.
As a result, I often remove the existing border and manually add the information I actually need as notes. This produces a cleaner drawing but has to be recreated repeatedly.
Expected outcome
I would like the option of a simple rectangular sheet border without drawing-zone references, together with a minimal/customisable title block or the ability to import a custom pdf template that can then be edited by adding text boxes
Ideally this would work alongside custom drawing templates so that it only needs configuring once.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
I can produce the appearance I want manually, but every drawing requires unnecessary setup and repeated entry of the same information.
3. Drawing sets, folders and multi-sheet drawings
The problem that this feature will solve
Larger projects can generate many individual drawings, often across several design iterations.
Currently these accumulate as separate entries. Because only part of the drawing name is visible in the interface, similarly named drawings can become difficult to distinguish and there is an increased risk of opening or exporting the wrong one.
The problem becomes greater when several drawings belong to the same manufacturing issue or design iteration.
Expected outcome
I would like drawings to be organised into drawing sets.
A drawing set could contain multiple numbered sheets, for example:
Project 33GG - Manufacturing Issue 02
Sheet 01 - General Assembly
Sheet 02 - Frame
Sheet 03 - Brackets
Sheet 04 - Laser-cut Components
Within the drawing workspace I would ideally be able to navigate between the sheets of the set rather than creating each one as an unrelated drawing.
It would also be useful to have folders or grouping within the Drawings area so that drawings associated with a particular design iteration can be kept together.
If design versions/iterations were introduced, the ideal workflow would be for a drawing set to be associated with a particular model state.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
I can create all of these drawings individually, but managing larger projects becomes unnecessarily complex.
Naming conventions have to compensate for the lack of hierarchy, and there is a greater chance of exporting or manufacturing from the wrong drawing.
4. Export complete drawing sets
The problem that this feature will solve
When a project contains many manufacturing drawings, exporting them individually adds another repetitive administrative step.
It also introduces the possibility of accidentally omitting a drawing or including a drawing from the wrong design iteration.
Expected outcome
I would like to select a drawing set or group of drawings and export the entire set in one operation.
For multi-sheet drawings, exporting to PDF should ideally produce a single correctly ordered multi-page PDF.
For formats where separate files are more appropriate, the sheets could be exported as automatically numbered and appropriately named individual files.
Ideally the naming convention could use the project name, drawing set/revision and sheet number so that exported files remain organised without having to rename them manually.
What can’t I achieve without this feature?
The drawings can already be exported individually, but assembling and checking a large drawing issue manually takes additional time and creates another opportunity for sheets to be missed, duplicated or issued in the wrong order.