Shapr3D

Last updated
Shapr3D
Developer(s) Shapr3D Zrt
Operating system iPadOS, Windows, macOS, visionOS
Type CAD
Website shapr3d.com
Shapr3D for MacOS Shapr3D for MacOS.jpg
Shapr3D for MacOS

Shapr3D is 3D modeling software initially released for iPadOS to work with the Apple Pencil and multi-touch gesturing as a workflow. It has been ported to run on macOS and Windows. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History

Founding and Early Development (2014-2016)

Shapr3D was founded by István Csanády in Budapest, Hungary.

In 2014, Csanády made a bet on Apple's (at the time rumored) iPad Pro, believing that Apple would reposition the iPad from a content consumption device to a content creation tool. This vision drove the founding of Shapr3D, combining his background in CAD with the emerging potential of professional tablet computing. [4]

Shapr3D has adopted the approach of creating accessible tools that enable anyone in a design organization to contribute to 3D modeling workflows. [4]

Product Launch (2016-2020)

2016: Shapr3D 1.0 launched exclusively on the iPad Pro in March, designed specifically for the Apple Pencil and featured in Apple advertisements. The initial product took three years to establish solid foundations, as building an industrial-grade CAD system proved extremely challenging.

2017: Shapr3D 3.0 marked a significant technical transition in December from the open-source Open Cascade Technology geometric modeling kernel to the industry-leading Parasolid geometry kernel, enhancing modeling precision and compatibility.

2020: Shapr3D won the Apple Design Awards, recognizing the software for innovation, ingenuity, and outstanding design in mobile application development.

2021: The company had reached approximately 100 employees. [4]

Platform Expansion and Brand Evolution (2021-2024)

2021: Shapr3D expanded to macOS in April, bringing more flexibility and processing power to users.

2022: Introduction of cross-device synchronization in September, enabling seamless work continuation across different machines.

2023: Launch of History-Based Parametric Modeling in September, moving from beta to full release. The year also marked significant brand and user interface refreshes, developed in collaboration with Berlin-based design studio Koto, reflecting the company's evolution and introducing the "Harness Complexity" philosophy.

2024: Release on Apple Vision Pro in March, becoming the only full-featured CAD tool available on the platform. Introduction of Teamspace in June for collaborative design sharing.

Technical Specifications

Geometric Modeling Kernel [5]

Shapr3D utilizes the Parasolid geometric modeling kernel, transitioning from Open Cascade in 2017. This provides high-precision geometric calculations, boolean operations, and compatibility dicated by industry (ISO) standards.

Platform Support [5]

Release History [6]

VersionRelease DateMajor Features
5.890June 25, 2025Dashboard shows team member count and last editor info; Browser project links; Direct project sharing from dashboard; Enhanced measurement with max distance and type icons
5.880June 10, 2025"Reveal in Items" command; Show/hide items commands; Camera rotation with fixed increments; Pattern tool variable support; Items Manager highlighting
5.870May 28, 2025Fixed increment camera rotation; Tessellation quality options; Dashboard renamed "Private" to "Drafts"; Review links management; AR performance improvements
5.860May 13, 2025Screenshot to clipboard; Mirror tool symmetry constraints; Dynamic Section View cut plane adjustment
5.850April 29, 2025Solar Panel material; Screenshot tool (Windows); Mirror tool symmetry constraints
5.840April 14, 2025Enhanced Section View colors; Improved tool previews; Expression functions (abs, min)
5.830April 1, 2025Customizable refractive materials (Transmission/IOR); Overlap selection popup; Select Through mode
5.820March 18, 2025Selected items visibility through overlapping bodies
5.810March 5, 2025Fully/under-defined sketches with constraints; Color-coded sketch states; Email-based Webviewer sharing
5.800February 18, 2025Variables with expressions for parametric modeling
5.790February 4, 2025Expressions for parametric relationships
5.770December 11, 2024Frosted glass and brass materials; Items Manager visibility control
5.760November 19, 2024Disable Visualization materials in web exports; iPad Items Manager tree view; Windows assembly import improvements
5.750November 4, 2024Faster project reloading; Camera/view reset on project re-entry
5.740October 24, 2024Construction Sketching toggle in sketch mode
5.730October 8, 2024Project Versions tracking; New Visualization environments; Camera animation toggle; Custom keyboard shortcuts
5.720September 23, 2024Save 8 orientation views; Extrude start/end offsets; Sketch constraint control
5.710September 10, 2024History step preservation; Import file names in History
5.700August 27, 2024Chordal fillets; World axes sketch constraints; USDZ material export fix
5.690August 13, 2024Roughness property in Visualization; Export format favorites; Batch export from Dashboard; Symmetric extrude
5.681August 1, 2024Batch export; Angle constraints between body edge and sketch
5.660July 15, 2024Teamspace collaboration; History error alerts; GLB export compression options
5.650July 1, 2024GLB and USDZ export; History reference management; Export UI improvements
5.640June 17, 2024Move/Rotate tool for mixed selections
5.630June 4, 2024Unlinked body copies; Improved Extrude sketch handling; Project tool fixes
5.620May 21, 2024Merge history steps; Project tool enhancements; Pattern tool improvements; Visualization material filters
5.600April 22, 2024Automotive materials (car paint, leather, textile, plastic)
5.590April 15, 2024History-Based Parametric Modeling out of beta; Advanced fillet controls; Projection parameters
5.580March 25, 2024Emissive materials; Construction geometry history steps; Loft editing
5.570March 11, 2024"Unrelated" label for history steps
5.560February 27, 2024.shapr format export from Dashboard
5.550February 12, 2024Custom-angled base views for 2D drawings; Bodies option for base views
5.540January 29, 2024Stability improvements and bug fixes
5.530January 15, 2024Stability improvements and bug fixes
5.520December 6, 2023Show/hide constraints and dimensions; Project sorting; Keyboard shortcuts (iPad/macOS)
5.510November 20, 2023Improved point selection workflow
5.500November 6, 2023Project renaming from modeling space (iPad/macOS); Memory consumption fixes
5.492October 30, 2023Folders for project organization; Sidebar navigation
5.490October 17, 2023Bug fixes
5.480October 9, 2023Drag views in 2D Drawings; Enhanced Section View visibility
5.470September 25, 2023Project renaming (Windows); Adjustable Items Manager; Menu layout consistency; Undo/Redo placement options
5.460September 11, 2023Menu bar (Windows); 2D Drawings base/projection views; Automatic view alignment; Isometric view selection
5.450August 28, 2023Wood materials and visual improvements; 2D Drawings dimension snapping; Grid size display
5.440August 14, 2023Project Sidebar; Refreshed UI with new icons and design; Modes section in main menu
5.430July 31, 2023History-Based Parametric Modeling beta signup; Bug fixes
5.420July 24, 20232D Drawings dimension snapping; Drawing duplication; SLDASM file linking (iPad/macOS)
5.410July 3, 2023Easier XY-YZ-ZX base plane selection
5.400June 19, 2023Manual material orientation; Detail views from section views
5.390June 5, 2023Detail views in 2D Drawings; Line width settings; Fractional inch/feet input
5.380May 22, 20232D Drawings property controls; Visualization performance improvements
5.370May 8, 2023Title block layout selection; 2D Drawings preferences in sidebar; Material orientation; SpaceMouse fixes
5.360April 24, 2023Material Orientation in Visualization
5.350April 11, 202310 additional languages (Windows); Title block text editing
5.340March 27, 2023Images in 2D Drawings; New menu controls for mode switching
5.330March 13, 2023Faster editing for large models; Measurement highlighting
5.320February 27, 2023Point-to-point measurements; Pin all measurement types; Items Manager improvements (Windows)
5.310February 14, 2023Measurement Mode visual updates; Sketching enhancements; Context menu (Mac/Windows)
5.300January 30, 2023Context menu (Mac/Windows); Depth of field in Camera tab; Pinned measurement annotations
5.290January 16, 20232D drawings sharing via Webviewer; Measurement pinning; Various fixes
5.280December 12, 2022Webviewer HTML embedding; Textile finish improvements; Color accuracy fixes
5.270November 28, 2022Solidworks assembly import (Windows); PDF import (Windows); Webviewer password protection
5.260November 14, 2022Size tolerances in 2D drawings; Dark Salon environment; Spline improvements; Calculator in dimensions
5.250November 2, 202220+ new fabric/metal materials; Measure mode; Keyboard shortcuts display; Enhanced lighting
5.240October 17, 2022Hotkeys for tools; Dark mode adaptation (Windows); SpaceMouse button assignment (Windows)
5.230October 7, 2022Webviewer with AR support; Sketch geometry tap/drag; Annotation optimization; Quick dimension editing
5.220September 26, 2022Depth of field effect in Visualization
5.210September 7, 2022Shapr3D Sync full release; SpaceMouse support (Windows); .shapr file association (Windows)
5.200August 22, 2022Adaptive menu optimization; Sketch visibility improvements; USDZ with materials; Visualization on Windows
5.190August 9, 2022Construction sketch marking; Circular pattern layout; Calculation in dimensions; Export customization (Windows)
5.180July 25, 2022Non-uniform scaling options
5.170July 12, 2022Linear patterns for sketches; Ground plane options (iPad/macOS)
5.160June 29, 2022Pattern tool (linear for 3D bodies); Multi-body alignment; Text tool preview; Enhanced constraints
5.150June 13, 2022Multi-selectable constraints; Constraint highlighting; Visibility options
5.140May 31, 2022New materials (Silver, Titanium, etc.); Faster sketch snapping; Stability improvements (Windows)
5.130May 17, 20225 new environments (iPad/macOS); Ground plane shadows (iPad/macOS); Enhanced lighting
5.120May 3, 2022Coincident constraints; SLDPRT import (Windows); Customizable lights (iPad/macOS)
5.110April 20, 2022CAD key bindings (Windows); Bug fixes
5.100April 4, 2022Isolate mode; Improved sketch performance; Responsive layout (Windows)
5.90March 22, 2022Bug fixes for sketching; Smoother 3D/2D transitions
5.80March 7, 2022Section view for construction planes/faces; Sketching bug fixes; Major visual addition (iOS/macOS)
5.70February 23, 2022Diameter annotations toggle; Toolbar improvements (Windows); 2D rotation for mouse/trackpad (Windows)
5.60February 8, 20224-decimal precision for dimensions; Text tool custom font fixes; Clean 2D drawings view option
5.50January 26, 2022Sketching bug fixes; Improved dimension selection
5.40January 12, 2022Mirror tool fixes for connected arcs; G2 fillet improvements; Discover tab (Windows only)
5.30December 15, 2021Advanced circular fillet options; Surface continuity settings; Zebra stripes curvature analysis; Text tool; SVG export improvements; Learn tab (Windows only)
5.20November 22, 2021UX improvements; SpaceMouse fixes (Mac); Sweep tool fixes; Items manager performance
5.10November 10, 2021Onboarding tutorial improvements; Faster project loading; 2D Drawings fixes; Touchpad support (Windows only)
5.0October 28, 2021Unified release across all platforms; Dark mode; Single-click design opening (Windows); Sketch constraints fixes; Various crash fixes
0.32October 21, 2021 (Windows)Standalone installer availability
0.30October 13, 2021 (Windows)2D drawings centermarks and centerlines; Dark mode; Persistent sketch tools; Input visualization
4.12October 13, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Section views improvements; Tool dropping fixes; Keyboard shortcut fixes; Tutorial improvements
0.27September 28, 2021 (Windows)Haptic feedback; Split Body tool; 2D drawings geometries; Dimension hover editing; Area Selection improvements
4.11September 28, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Account linking; Split Body tool; Advanced Chamfer/Fillet; Persistent sketch tools; SpaceMouse camera views (Mac)
0.25September 9, 2021 (Windows)Section views for 2D drawings; SVG export; Guide points improvements; Various tool fixes
4.10September 8, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Section views for 2D drawings; Loft guided curves; Guide points improvements; Help menu revamp
0.24August 23, 2021 (Windows)Pen compatibility checkpoint; Tool instructions toggle; 2D drawings hotkeys; Various fixes
4.9August 19, 2021 (iOS/macOS)SVG and 3MF export; Simplified sketch item repositioning; Fit-point spline improvements; SpaceMouse navigation modes (Mac)
0.23July 30, 2021 (Windows)Early Access release; Core modeling functionality; 2D drawings; Pen support; Browser login
4.8July 19, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Centerline geometries for 2D drawings; Area Selection fixes; Construction axes highlighting; STL export formats (Mac)
4.7July 5, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Shapr3D Forums integration; Shell and Project tool fixes; SpaceMouse support (Mac); Menu bar tools (Mac)
4.6June 17, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Area Selection with Apple Pencil; Live chat removal; Body name/measurement display; Various tool improvements
4.5June 1, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Command search bar; Tool menu reorganization; 2D drawings sync improvements; Area Selection fixes
4.10March 20, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Tutorial videos for mouse/trackpad users; Cursor icons for sketching tools; Bottom view projection fix; IGES model selection fix
4.40April 29, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Drag selection/cross-selection; Redesigned Color tool; Custom precision for 2D drawings dimensions; DWG/DXF layer organization
4.1.4April 17, 2021 (iOS/macOS)STEP and IGES export fixes
4.1.3April 6, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Improved imported model processing
4.1.2March 29, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Standard subscription plan; Cursor icons for sketching tools; Bottom view projection fix; IGES model selection fix
4.10March 20, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Tutorial videos for mouse/trackpad users; Cursor icons for sketching tools; Bottom view projection fix; IGES model selection fix
4.00March 8, 2021 (iOS/macOS)macOS officially out of beta; 2D Drawings introduction;  Technical drawings with base views; Dimensioning and annotation; DWG/DXF/PDF export; New subscription plans
3.60February 24, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Hover effects for images and mesh bodies; Various crash fixes
3.59February 15, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Enhanced hover effects with guide points; Optimized tutorial videos for mouse/trackpad users
3.58February 1, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Sketching improvements; Hover effects for hidden edges; Tutorial improvements; Canvas controls fixes
3.57January 21, 2021 (iOS/macOS)Hover highlighting for all geometry; 2D mode rotation arrows for mouse/trackpad; Bug fixes
3.56December 7, 2020 (iOS/macOS)First public beta for Shapr3D for macOS; Enhanced Align tool; Spline tool shortcut fix; Learn page updates
3.54November 17, 2020 (iOS)Keyboard and mouse/trackpad support; New tutorials and onboarding; Projection bug fixes
3.53October 29, 2020 (iOS)Augmented Reality (AR) support; USDZ export; Extrude tool crash fixes
3.52October 15, 2020 (iOS)Align tool; SLDASM import improvements; Sketch dimension cleanup; Extrude tool improvements
3.51October 8, 2020 (iOS)Chamfer/Fillet and Offset Face tool shortcuts; Various tool fixes; Color preservation in Subtract
3.50September 29, 2020 (iOS)STEP/X_T export hierarchy preservation; Construction geometry tutorial updates; Import bug fixes
3.49September 4, 2020 (iOS)SOLIDWORKS SLDPRT and SLDASM import; Replace Face tool badges; Adaptive UI improvements; Subtract tool options
3.48August 24, 2020 (iOS)SLDPRT import; Adaptive UI for sketching; Project tool badges; Boolean tools improvements; Items manager naming
3.47August 11, 2020 (iOS)Mirror tool badges; Adaptive UI improvements; Backend bug fixes
3.46July 23, 2020 (iOS)3D import progress display; Failed import details; Items manager naming improvements
3.45July 13, 2020 (iOS)Intersect and Subtract tool badges; Clearer tooltips; Updated Union tool workflow
3.44June 26, 2020 (iOS)Tool tips and tricks; Offset Edge tool improvements for multiple edges
3.43June 15, 2020 (iOS)STEP import structure preservation; Bug fixes; Compressed tutorial content
3.42June 9, 2020 (iOS)Adaptive modeling menu (20% speed increase); Redesigned Items manager; Simplified export; Third-angle projection
3.41June 2, 2020 (iOS)Improved Guides feature; Sketch/edge projection on construction planes; Enhanced Line/Arc tool; Axes availability
3.40May 14, 2020 (iOS)Error-free Parasolid imports; Items manager improvements; Modeling tool refinements; 13 bug fixes
3.39May 3, 2020 (iOS)Color preservation in imports; Clear sketch labels; Performance improvements for large designs; 25 bug fixes
3.38April 20, 2020 (iOS)Image import fixes; Items improvements; Modeling tool fixes; Updated video tooltips; 35 bug fixes
3.37April 7, 2020 (iOS)Ground preparation for major release; Bug fixes; Updated video tooltips
3.36March 5, 2020 (iOS)Line/Arc drawing settings; Delete folder improvements; Section view fixes
3.35February 25, 2020 (iOS)Reconfigured Revolve tool; Menu freeze fixes; Arc-related fixes
3.34February 18, 2020 (iOS)Group items with folders; Revamped Shell tool; Revamped Rotate around axis tool
3.33February 7, 2020 (iOS)Revamped Extrude tool with arrows; Projection fixes for non-planar surfaces
3.32February 5, 2020 (iOS)Select hidden edges; Drag and drop multiple items; Items usability improvements
3.31January 22, 2020 (iOS)Orientation cube shortcut; Dedicated Spline tool; Items usability improvements
3.30December 13, 2019 (iOS)Interactive Orientation Cube; Units and Appearances menu; Disconnect button improvements
3.29December 6, 2019 (iOS)Intuitive sketch guides; Spline task removal from onboarding
3.28November 28, 2019 (iOS)Polygons as unified geometry; Apple Pencil pressure sensitivity; Interface configuration
3.27November 21, 2019 (iOS)
3.26November 8, 2019 (iOS)
3.25October 31, 2019 (iOS)
3.24October 17, 2019 (iOS)
3.23September 27, 2019 (iOS)
3.22September 15, 2019 (iOS)
3.21September 8, 2019 (iOS)
3.20August 21, 2019 (iOS)
3.19July 30, 2019 (iOS)
3.18July 16, 2019 (iOS)Brand new export/import menu; Format annotations; Sketching and constraints improvements; Export annotation fixes
3.17July 8, 2019 (iOS)DWG/DXF import/export; Auto-constraints option; Post-onboarding tutorial improvements
3.16June 17, 2019 (iOS)Sketching improvements and bug fixes
3.15June 6, 2019 (iOS)Boolean operations with solid MESH; Subtract, intersection, and union with mesh geometry
3.14May 30, 2019 (iOS)STL import (PRO feature); Folders system; Multi-layer file structure; Smarter export/import
3.13May 16, 2019 (iOS)Free version limited to 2 designs; Import becomes PRO feature; Coordinate axes for Revolve; Educational license flow
3.12May 10, 2019 (iOS)Items in Screenshot tool; Move multiple bodies to folder; Dubbed extended tutorials; New video player
3.11April 11, 2019 (iOS)Help Menu; Gestures guide; Post-onboarding videos; Items improvements; Updated tool videos
3.9March 20, 2019 (iOS)Arrow interactions; Items (Folders) system; Body renaming; Orthographic 3D view; Tool help videos
3.8.2February 26, 2019 (iOS)Polygon 2D shapes; Spline point editing; Transform tool improvements
3.8.1February 14, 2019 (iOS)Improved 2-finger/3-finger tap undo/redo
3.8February 11, 2019 (iOS)3-point rectangles; Reimagined sketching; 2D primitives; Interpolated splines; Smarter arc with angles
3.7February 1, 2019 (iOS)Reimagined sketching; 2D primitives; Interpolated splines; Smarter arc with angles; Section view improvements
3.6.3January 11, 2019 (iOS)Loft, Construction Geometry, and Translate control point fixes
3.6December 17, 2018 (iOS)7 new languages; Segmented onboarding; Performance improvements; Various bug fixes
3.5.6December 6, 2018 (iOS)Delete spline points; Image alignment; Translate and Offset bug fixes
3.5.4November 19, 2018 (iOS)Project tool; Grid lock; Language selector; Hide edges in screenshots; Sketching improvements
3.5.3October 31, 2018 (iOS)Reimagined Loft tool; Subtract improvements; Reduced app size; OBJ export (PRO); Last update for iOS 10
3.5September 26, 2018 (iOS)
3.4August 23, 2018 (iOS)
3.3July 3, 2018 (iOS)
3.2May 19, 2018 (iOS)
3.0December 8, 2017 (iOS)Introduction of the Parasolid Kernel
2.2March 21, 2017 (iOS)
2.1March 1, 2017 (iOS)
2.0December 9, 2016 (iOS)
1.2June 13, 2016 (iOS)
1.0March 22, 2016 (iOS)Shapr3D initial release

See also

References

  1. Tara, Roopinder (September 14, 2022). "Shapr3D Is Released with Cloud-based Multiple Platform Support". Engineering.com.
  2. AP, Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, NCARB, LEED (July 23, 2021). "INSIDER: Shapr3D is Bold on Apple and CAD Dominance". Architosh.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "Shapr3D for CNC". www.grzsoftware.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "Brief History of Shapr3D". www.shapr3d.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  5. 1 2 "https://www.shapr3d.com/blog/brief-technical-specifications". www.shapr3d.com. Retrieved 2025-08-06.{{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  6. "Brief Version History". www.shapr3d.com. Retrieved 2025-08-04.