Design mode

Getting started

System Requirements

Importing

Design process

Materials and Textures

Lighting and Environment

3D Configurator

Scene and project settings

Version History

Augmented Reality (WebAR)

Sharing, exporting, embedding

Performance analyzer

Optimizing a shared project

Project cloning

Embedding to other software

Export options

Other

Figma Plugin - Vectary 3D Studio Lite

Model API

Floating UI Configurators

Ecommerce

Design mode

The Design mode provides all the settings to build, edit and control objects, lights, cameras and UI

This is the primary mode of Studio, enabling work with both 3D objects and the project UI. Rendering occurs in real-time, allowing constant visibility of the final result (for more details on rendering, refer here).

Design mode tools

Selections tools

Selecting objects is one of the main and most frequent actions. It is possible to select objects both on the scene and on the left bar. We recommend using hotkeys to speed up the workflow.

💡

If the object is inside a group or a modifier, when you try to select the object, the group or the modifier will be selected instead of the object. To select only the object, you have to double-click, and then you will drop to the level below. Sometimes the object is in several folders, and every time you double-click, you will go down a level until you reach the object. We would recommend a shortcut: hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key, and then select the object right away.

💡

Locked objects in the scene cannot be selected. But if the locked object is in a group with an unlocked object, the group will be selected as well. The locked object can also be selected on the left bar.

Select

Esc

This is the tool that is used in Studio by default, when no other tool is selected. In this mode, you select objects one by one.

To select several objects with it, hold down Shift (if you select on the scene) or Ctrl/Cmd if you select from the left bar. On the left bar, you can select objects in from and to mode by holding down the Shift key.

Marquee

M

Selection with a rectangular area.

Lasso

L

Selection with Lasso.

👉 You don't have to finish the selection, it connects to the starting point automatically when you finish the selection.

Paint Select

P

Selects all objects that the line touches.

Select All

Ctrl+A

Selection of all objects except for the locked ones.

Invert Selection

Selects everything except what is currently selected. This is useful when you want to select most of the objects in the scene, in which case it is easier to select a smaller part first and then apply the invert selection.

Primitives

Primitives are basic parametric objects.

Utilize the purple control points to adjust the shape of the primitive.

Each primitive has adjustable segment settings. Increasing the number of segments enhances the object's flexibility in altering its shape.

3D Text

The 3D text feature includes all the standard settings typically found in text editors.

Hundreds of fonts are available, and it is also possible to upload a custom font in .otf format.

Quality — increasing this value will result in a higher number of polygons, enhancing the detail and smoothness of the text. The value can be set manually to exceed 100%.

Depth — allows for the adjustment of the text's depth

Contour offset — this setting widens the outline of the letters

Convert 3D text to geometry to separate the text into individual letters:

Light sources

💡

1. Note that by default all light sources do not create shadows. This will have to be enabled in the right panel for each light source. 2. You can set an intensity value greater than 100 by entering the desired value.

Point Light — light spreads equally in all directions, as from a normal incandescent lamp.

Spot light — light is emitted in the form of a cone from a single point. You can adjust the size of the spot and its softness.

Directional Light — light is emitted from a source that is infinitely far away. It is not possible to bring the source of the light closer or farther away, but you can control the direction of the light. All the shadows cast by this light source will be parallel, ideal for simulating sunlight.

Rectangle Light — light is emitted from a rectangular plane on one side. Change the width and the height of the rectangle, ideal for creating a very long and thin light source.

Read more: Lighting and Environment

Modifiers

Modifiers are applied to objects to facilitate various operations without altering the original object.

Each modifier comes with unique settings accessible on the right panel when the modifier is selected.

Modifiers can be used for the following:

Replicating objects in various ways (Array modifiers)
Smoothing geometry (Subdivide)
Creating bevels on objects
Arranging objects randomly
Performing boolean operations
And more

Multiple modifiers can be applied to a single object simultaneously. Each newly added modifier is applied to the results of all previously applied modifiers.

A modifier operates as a group, meaning it can be applied to multiple objects or a group of objects.

4 modifiers are applied to the Box object

A modifier can be temporarily disabled at any time:

To completely remove a modifier without deleting the object to which it is applied, right-click and select Ungroup (Ctrl+Shift+G):

Array Linear — to multiply the object along a line.

Array Radial — to multiply the object along a circle.

Array Grid — to multiply the object along to the shape of the grid.

Array Object — Multiply the object along the surface of another object.

Subdivide — Smooth out the geometry of the object. The higher the level, the more smooth it appears, but the number of polygons increases exponentially.

Bevel — Create bevels. Specify which edges will be involved.

Randomize — Distributes objects randomly throughout the scene, changing not only the position, but also the scale and rotation.

Symmetry — Mirror an object. Change the symmetry plane or manually set where exactly the mirrored object will be located.

Boolean: Union, Subtract, Intersect

👉

A modifier can be used with multiple objects. The bottom object in the list is the main object. All other objects above participate in the operation with the main object. Drag the object to the very bottom and it becomes the main object.

👉

Next to each object there is the button used for selecting the type of operation for that object: Union, Subtract or Intersect.

Enable the Separate by material option so that each of the objects involved in the operation retains its material. This is especially impressive when combined with the Subtract operation:

Union — combine several objects into a single one. This union differs from the merge, as the intersecting geometry will be removed creating a complete mesh.

Subtract — Subtract the geometry of one object from another. Several objects can be subtracted from one object. The object from which the subtraction is performed should be at the bottom of the list.

Intersect — to obtain a geometry that is the intersection of two or more objects.

The video below shows the result of converting Boolean to geometry. Each part of the object will remain a separate object after conversion:

Deformers

Deformers work on exactly the same principle as modifiers. The difference is that they actually change the shape of the object.

When applied to an object, put the object in a group first, to create its own deformer effect. Apply them in any number or order. Apply them to a single object, or apply them to several objects at once.

Their function can be turned off at any time (check mark icon appears when hovering). The deformer can be removed at any level. Right-click and select Ungroup. It is easier to use Ctrl+Shift+G, as it is a fairly common operation.

The beauty of using a deformers is that the object itself remains unchanged as long as you don't convert the modifier to geometry.

👉

The more segments (faces/polygons) an object has, the more it will be deformed. A simple analogy: the spine — the more vertebrae in the spine, the more flexible it is.

👉

Edit the deformer's area of action, and change its position and size. Use several identical deformers that will be applied to different parts of the object or to the same part, but in different directions. It is also possible to change the type of application of the deformer. e.g. to apply the deformation only within the box.

Bend — for bending.

Twist — For shape twisting.

Taper — Create a tapered shape.

Skew — Skew the object, preserving the axes of the upper and lower planes.

Stretch — Stretching the shape.

Spherify — Give the object a spherical form, as if to inflate it.

Noise — Used for disorderly curvature.

Simplify — This deformer is different from the others. It is used to reduce the number of polygons. If the object has a large number of polygons, use it to reduce the number of polygons without destroying the geometry. Try to find the intensity value at which Simplify does not destroy the geometry. If the object has a complex mesh and a lot of polygons, the browser can't handle the miscalculation and generates an error.

Setup

Here you can find all other tools outside of the categories mentioned above:

Group and Empty Ctrl + G

Use groups to organize a clear and convenient structure. Place all the objects, regardless of the amount into a group.

Group and Empty are the same entity. Group can be changed to Empty at any time in the settings on the right panel, and vice versa Empty can be changed to Group.

The main difference between Empty and Group is that Empty has a visual representation on the canvas (as Axes or Box).

Ungroup

Ctrl+Shift+G

This operation allows you to dissolve a Group or Empty at any level without removing its children.

Deleting and Ungrouping are different actions. Deleting a Group or Empty deletes the Group along with the child objects, while Ungrouping only deletes the Group and Empty.

💡

This action can also be used to dissolve Modifiers and Deformers

Camera — read about it here: Camera

Backdrop — adds an object to the scene that replaces both the floor and the background at the same time. It has several settings: Angle, Offset, and number of Segments, which determine the smoothing of the angle.

Smooth normals — to make objects look more natural, by default the normals look smooth. This anti-aliasing has no effect on the geometry of the object. It only creates an impression of smoothing by changing the information about how the light is reflected. If you need to see every edge clearly (for example, if you want to create a crystal) set it to 0. If, on the contrary, you don't want to see facets, increase the value until you like the result. However, setting it too high will look unnatural.

Clipping Plane — is a tool that allows for cutting through 3D objects, revealing their internal structures. This feature behaves similarly to the Boolean operation but offers flexibility and control. Using clipping planes enables the generation of cross-sectional views of complex models, greatly enhancing visual and analytical comprehension.

the effect of the clipping plane can be restricted to specific objects, groups, or selections
the position and orientation of the clipping plane can be animated either in Animate mode or through interactions
since a clipping plane is an object, it can be adjusted through interactions just like any other object
it's possible to use multiple clipping planes simultaneously
the material on the cut surface can be customized independently of the original object’s material
If the clipping plane uses a texture, the texture can be scaled by scaling the clipping plane or through gizmo or texture tiling.

⚠️

The Clipping plane requires watertight geometry to function correctly. It does not work properly on planes or geometries with open edges.

Target — specify the object that the clipping plane will affect (note that it can be a group or selection).

Use material from target — when disabled, the clipping plane uses its own material. When enabled, it uses the material of the object it affects.

Interactive elements

Read about it here:

Variants

Floating UI

Hotspots

Switching to Edit mode

To start working with object mesh geometry, switch to Edit mode. You can only work with one object at a time. How to enter Edit mode:

double-click on the object
select the object and press Enter
select the object and right-click → Convert to geometry
select the object and Shift + 2

If you press Shift + 2 without selecting an object, it will take you directly to Edit mode and a new object will automatically be created. Nothing will be visible on the canvas, but in the left bar, a new object named Buffer Object will appear. Start creating object geometry from scratch with the Edit mode tools.

Convert to geometry (Baking)

When the system asks you, "Convert object to geometry?" This means you are trying to open a parametric object in edit mode.

Before converting the object is in the so-called parametric state, meaning that it can be modified using parameters. If the object is already geometric, the system will automatically open the Edit mode.

By adding a primitive to the scene, its shape can be changed using the purple dots or various parameters on the right bar - these changes are parametric. Changing the shape of an object with a deformer is also an example of parametric modeling.

The convenience of parametric modeling is that you can easily change the shape of an object at any stage of the design process. But, to change the object geometry, you must convert the object into a geometric mesh first. This operation is called geometry baking.

💡

If a deformer or several deformers are applied to the object, you can bake the object either at the level of the object itself or at the level of any of the deformers.

⚠️

After baking, it is no longer possible to change the object parametrically.

Baking can literally be thought of as baking dough in the oven. The object is the dough. The deformer/modifier is the baking mold.

As long as you haven't put the dough in the oven, you can do whatever you want, transfer from one mold to another and so on. Once you decide to bake it, there is no going back. 🙂 Thankfully, in Vectary, unlike in real life, you can always press Ctrl + Z, and that will cancel the baking.

👉

Note that baked objects can be distinguished from all other objects by the unique icon in the panel on the left, next to the object name:

On this page

Design mode
Design mode tools
Selections tools
Primitives
3D Text
Light sources
Modifiers
Deformers
Setup
Interactive elements
Switching to Edit mode
Convert to geometry (Baking)