Hexagon, a measurement technology company, has released Geomagic Freeform 2026.1 with a new subscription pricing model that lowers the software’s starting cost by 66%, alongside added support for Haply Robotics haptic devices and new workflow tools for complex, organic 3D design. Announced on March 11 in Cobham, UK, the update adds tools for users working in healthcare, toy design, and industrial product and mould-making.
Geomagic Freeform is used to create complex, handcrafted-style sculptural and organic forms that are often too intricate for traditional CAD systems. Key applications include personalised surgical medical devices, orthotics and prosthetics, toy and packaging design, and mould and die development. Subscription pricing now sits alongside the perpetual license option, which the company said makes the software more accessible to independent designers, smaller orthotic and prosthetic businesses, and toy designers.
New tools in the release focus on reducing manual design work. A Deform Selection feature allows users to move, rotate, or scale one part of a model while adjacent geometry deforms smoothly. Hexagon said this can save 10 to 20 minutes on tasks such as changing the pose of a toy dinosaur’s head or adjusting the orientation of a patient’s scanned wrist. Python scripting has also been added, extending the software’s Dynabot automation capabilities through the Geomagic API library. According to the company, it allows users to automate custom workflows without being programming experts. One example involves generating a mould for acrylic manufacturing after designing a cranial implant plate, cutting mould design time from about one hour to minutes.
“This marks our first Geomagic Freeform release as part of Hexagon, and we’re thrilled to continue delivering impactful releases for users worldwide,” said Kevin Atkins, Product Manager, Hexagon’s Portable Metrology Division. “With Haply Robotics integration and innovations like Python scripting, we’re making advanced 3D tools for organic and manufacturable design more powerful, intuitive, and accessible than ever.” Alongside those software changes, the industrial technology firm has added support for Haply Robotics’ Inverse3 and MinVerse devices. Freeform is typically used with a 3D haptic device that simulates a clay-like modelling process, and the company said the ultra-portable MinVerse is intended for users travelling or visiting a customer or patient.
Existing users also receive updates to measuring, sculpting, and deformation workflows. In healthcare, the release expands DICOM support to include RTSTRUCT, a format used in radiation oncology treatment planning. Hexagon said this improves workflows for designing bolus devices and preparing them for 3D printing. Geomagic Freeform 2026.1 is now available through Hexagon sales teams and authorised resellers. Hexagon, listed in Stockholm as HEXA B, employs about 24,800 people across 50 countries and reports net sales of approximately €5.4 billion.
Hexagon ties Freeform to a broader software and workflow push
Hexagon’s latest Freeform release follows last year’s $123 million acquisition of the Geomagic software business from 3D Systems, a deal that brought reverse engineering, inspection, scan-to-CAD, and organic design tools into the company’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. That move mattered because it placed Freeform inside a broader software portfolio used to move 3D data from capture through design and verification, while preserving interoperability with major CAD platforms such as CATIA, Creo, Inventor, NX, and SOLIDWORKS. Seen in that context, the new Freeform release is less a standalone product update than a continuation of Hexagon’s effort to connect specialised design workflows more closely to established engineering and manufacturing environments.
Recent product launches also show the company focusing on workflow bottlenecks beyond modelling itself. Hexagon’s marker-free HYPERSCAN 3D scanner was introduced to reduce setup time for production inspection, particularly for large parts measured outside fixed metrology rooms. Certified to VDI/VDE 2634-3 and validated by an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory, the portable system replaces reference targets with optical tracking, removing a step that can add 15 to 30 minutes to measurement setup. Support for portable Haply haptic devices in Freeform points in a similar direction: reducing friction in how users capture, shape, and work with 3D data across industrial and healthcare settings.
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Featured photo shows Personalised foot orthotic design courtesy of Advanced 3D, created using Geomagic Freeform. Photo via Hexagon.
