About four years ago, the idea of adding an animation feature in Shapr3D was already mentioned here. A supporter at the time asked what kind of functionality users would actually want from such a tool. Since then, the platform has evolved quite a lot, so I wanted to ask if there has been any progress or updated plans regarding this.
Over the past years Shapr3D has been adding more and more professional capabilities — especially things like high-quality rendering and the newer technical drawing/blueprint tools. Because of that, a simple animation system would feel like a very natural next step, especially for people who want to present products or mechanisms.
The key point here is simplicity. It doesn’t need to compete with full animation software. What would already be incredibly useful is a straightforward way to animate basic motion directly inside the modeling environment.
Basic Idea
The concept would be very simple:
You select one or more parts and define how they move from one state to another.
For example:
-
Select a component
-
Define a start position and an end position
-
Choose the type of movement
-
Adjust the transition timing
That alone would already make it possible to create clear product demonstrations.
Practical Example
In my case, I mostly design 3D printers. It would be extremely useful to animate things like:
-
a toolhead moving along an axis
-
a gantry moving across the frame
-
rotating components like motors or pulleys
-
assembly steps where parts slide into place
These kinds of animations are incredibly helpful for showing how a product works or how it is assembled.
Core Motion Types
At the beginning it probably only needs a few movement types:
-
Linear motion
-
Rotational motion
Those two alone would cover most mechanical demonstrations. Over time it could expand to additional motion types, but starting simple would already bring a lot of value.
Timeline and Playback
A timeline system would make sense so users can sequence multiple movements.
For example:
-
A sidebar timeline showing all animation steps
-
Each motion appearing as a block in the sequence
-
Adjustable timing and order
Additionally, it would be very useful to have a playback slider at the bottom, allowing users to scrub through the animation manually and preview the movement at any point in time.
Motion Curves (Very Important)
One thing that would make a big difference for realism is the ability to control acceleration and deceleration curves.
Instead of movements starting and stopping instantly, users should be able to control motion curves so that:
-
movement starts slowly
-
accelerates
-
then slows down again
A small graph editor for these curves would already be enough. Even simple ease-in / ease-out presets would help a lot.
Combining Animation and Rendering
Another really powerful aspect would be the ability to combine animation with the existing rendering tools.
This would allow users to create simple product trailers directly inside Shapr3D, without exporting the model to another program. Even basic camera motion combined with part animations would already be extremely useful for presentations.
Where It Could Fit in the Interface
This feature could possibly live:
-
inside the Visualization / Rendering tab,
or -
as a small separate animation workspace
Either approach could work as long as the workflow stays simple and clean.
Possible Future Ideas
If the system evolves later, it could potentially support more advanced behavior such as:
-
linking motions together (for example rotational motion driving linear motion)
-
simple mechanical relationships
-
belt or pulley style motion
But that would already be a more advanced stage. The most important thing right now would be simple linear and rotational animation with a timeline and motion curves.
Final Note
If anyone else would find this useful, please upvote this post (by that I mean visit which you are basically doing right now) so the idea becomes more visible. I think a lightweight animation tool would complement the existing modeling, rendering, and drawing features really well and make Shapr3D even more powerful for product development and presentations.