Parameter Cards: why we built them, how we’re rolling them out, and what’s next

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Hi everyone,

You may have already noticed Parameter Cards in Shapr3D, or read about them in our announcement.

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I wanted to share a bit more about why we built them, because this is one of the biggest changes we’ve made to the product (and to our codebase) since we added History-Based Parametric Modeling in 2024.

We had two goals.

  • The first was to make you faster. Over the years, every tool in Shapr3D ended up with its own logic. Some remembered your settings, some didn’t. Some parameters only showed up when you edited a step from the history. Parameter Cards give every tool the same behavior and put all of its parameters in one place, whether you’re modeling directly or going back to edit history. Once you learn how one tool works, you know how they all work.

  • The second was to make us faster. Many of you have asked for more tools, and more parameters. We have a long list of things we want to build. To get through it quickly, we had to rebuild our tool architecture into something that’s much easier to extend and maintain. You won’t see most of that work directly, but you’ll feel it in how often new tools show up.

How we’re releasing it

Because this touches nearly every tool, we’re rolling it out gradually. Each week, more of you get access, and we only widen the rollout once we’re confident it’s working well. If you don’t have it yet, you will soon.

We’d love your feedback

If you’re already using Parameter Cards, please tell us how it’s going. What feels better? What feels off? What slowed you down? Reply here and be as specific as you like. Our team reads every post, and your feedback during the rollout directly shapes what we fix and adjust next.

What’s coming next

The new architecture is already paying off. Here’s what we’re working on:

  • New sketch tools: fillet, slot, extend, 2-point circle, 3-point arc, and point
  • Bridge curve
  • Threads and holes
  • Alignment improvements

One question for you

We’re planning next year right now, and we want your input. If you could add one thing to Shapr3D in 2027, what would it be? A tool, a workflow, a fix for something that’s bugged you forever, anything. Tell us below.

Thanks for designing with us, and for all the feedback you’ve already shared.

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I really think the Parameter Cards are a great Idea it reminds me of other Cad programs like when you want to redefine a feature it shows up (Good Job). Also in 2027 the most important addition I would like to see is a Assembly mode and many improvements to the Drawings tools mainly being able to add new parts to a assembly and then the ability to regenerate the drawing to make it update the views with the new part added to the assembly instead of having to recreate the drawing to make the update to the assembly show up.

Thank you

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I agree completely with the person who spoke before me. These are exactly the two tools—or things—that I miss the most as well.

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For the fillet tool could you make it so that we could make chamfer the default? Since almost all of my design work is for models that will be 3-D printed, I’m almost exclusively using chamfer instead of fillets.

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My “blue sky” wish for a feature is more complex calculation capabilities in variables. For example, it would super helpful to have some trig functions for calculating angles as well as conditional logic, something like…“if x > 0, then y, else z” where x is the value of another variable.

The use in my case is to create a part that fits multiple versions of something and may have elevation or placement changes based on a few length and angle measurements. For example, a bike accessory mount could be fully parameterized for almost any bike frame and could even include the profile of the mount.

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Component has dropped from this list and I’m sad.

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Hope the update pace can be faster, with more new modeling features released. You may draw on the modeling approach of Plasticity.