Touch-Generate 3D Models with the Shapr3D App for the iPad

It is not available yet (it has entered a closed Beta phase) but Shapr3D is “shapring” up to be one of the most interesting new 3D modeling apps that leverages touch screen controls. What the makers of Shapr3D basically want to accomplish is to integrate many of the functionalities of the popular 3D modeling tool Sketch Up and literally put them at your fingertips.

I recently met Istvan Csanady, one of the four founding members of the Hungarian start-up that is working on the App’s development.  Istvan showed me how it works: all you have to do is draw a line with your finger. The software will let you select whether you want it to be a curved line, a straight line, or a 2D surface (like a circle). Then, all you have to do is double-tap it and “extrude it”. Once you have the solid parts, you can set exact measurements or drag them around and shape them with your fingers.

In other words, you can pull the solid 3D shape outwards or push the empty 3D shape inwards, just like you can in Sketch Up, only, with Shapr3D, you just use your finger and the controls are very accurate. Istvan showed me a number of mechanical parts that they produced, explaining that every model you can create using Shapr 3D is already optimized as an STL that is guaranteed to be 3D printable.

Although, from what I could see, the App is already functional and smooth-running, Istvan said there is still a ways to go. “We still need to do a lot of development and we are actually looking for someone to join our team,” he said (if interested, you can apply here). “We still have a lot of work to do on making the interface more intuitive and responsive, so we are looking for investors to help us complete the development process.”

I think that one possible approach would be to integrate Shapr3D capabilities in other customization software; however, even a stand-alone App could be successful. Even in a 3D modeling app scene that is getting more crowded, there is still tons of room for growth.