How to use the 3D Designer: every tool explained
Build a name keychain, a lamp, a nameplate or a full custom gift in your browser, then download a file that is ready for your 3D printer. This guide walks through each panel and button in the order you will use them.
The screen layout
The Designer has three areas. Knowing what lives where saves a lot of hunting.
- Left panel: the toolbox
- Everything you use to build: import tools, objects, layers, transforms, sizes, bending and the project buttons.
- Centre: the 3D viewer
- Your model. Drag to look around, scroll to zoom. The gear icon opens Settings, where you can switch the viewer theme between light and dark.
- Right panel: Custom Parameters
- Simple controls for the parts of a design that are meant to be changed, such as the name text, the font or a size slider. Also holds Final Actions, where you download your file.
Log in first. Saving projects, AI models, templates you post and cloud storage all need an account.
Your first design in five steps
- Start from something. Open See Full Templates and pick one, or add a shape or text from Objects.
- Change the words. Select the text and edit it, or use the text box in the right panel.
- Set the size. Use Shape Size and Transforms until the model is the real size you want to print.
- Add a base or hole. Use Generate Base for a backing plate, or a cutter shape for a keyring hole.
- Download. Press Refresh Boolean, choose STL and press Download.
1. Import tools
- Import Object
- Bring in your own 3D file. Supported: STL, OBJ, FBX and GLB/GLTF.
- Load from GitHub
- Loads a ready-made template saved in the template library.
- See Full Templates
- Opens a searchable list of every free and premium template, plus templates shared by other users. Click one to load it into your workspace.
- Import Link
- Loads a model from a web link instead of a file on your computer.
- Import SVG
- Turns a flat vector drawing, such as a logo, into a 3D shape. See the SVG section below for thickness and bases.
2. Objects and text
Click a shape to add it: Box, Sphere, Cylinder, Ring and Heart. The More menu holds extra shapes and the Cutter Shape, a shape made to be subtracted from another (for holes and slots).
- Add to More
- Saves your current object so you can reuse it. It appears under My Custom Objects.
- + Add Text
- Adds editable 3D text. Choose a font under Shape Size (see Fonts below).
- Eye icon
- Shows or hides an object without deleting it.
3. Layers and booleans
Every object is a layer. Layers let you build a design out of simple parts and then merge or cut them.
- Select layers in the list to move, hide or delete them together.
- Boolean Group Selected combines the selected layers into one boolean group, so shapes can join or cut into each other.
- Refresh Boolean (in Final Actions) recalculates the result. Press it after you change any shape in a group and before you export.
4. Moving and resizing
Pick Move, Rotate or Scale, then drag the coloured handles on the model or type exact numbers.
- Local and World
- Local follows the object’s own direction. World uses the fixed grid directions. Use World when a tilted object should still slide straight.
- Uniform Scale
- Keeps all three axes in step so the shape does not stretch.
- Pivot Edit
- Switch on to move the point the object rotates and scales around. Center Pivot to Model puts it back in the middle.
- Reset Mode
- Returns the transform settings to their defaults.
5. Fonts and bent text
Choosing a font
Under Shape Size, use Extra: Font Selection and type in the search box to find a font. Tamil and cursive fonts are listed under Cursive / Tamil. A diamond mark means a premium font that needs a premium plan.
High Quality Bend (Text)
Curves text along an arc, for rings, badges and round nameplates.
- Degree: how much the text curves.
- Bend Axis: the direction it curves.
- Pivot Center Offset (X, Y, Z): shifts the centre of the curve to fine-tune the arc.
6. Extrude, array and shell
- Multi-Axis Extrude
- Pushes a flat shape into depth along several axes. Add Extrude Axis adds another direction and Extrude Rule switches the behaviour on or off.
- Multi-Array Tool
- Repeats an object in a pattern. Choose Single Layer for one layer, set the axis (for example World Axis) and use Add Array Axis to build rows, grids or stacks.
- Offset Extrude (Shell)
- Grows an outline around a shape. Set Expansion (how far out) and Thickness (how deep), then press Generate Offset Layer. Good for borders around names and cookie-cutter style walls.
7. SVG thickness and bases
- Thickness
- How tall the imported SVG shape is.
- Base Thickness and Base Margin
- How tall the backing plate is, and how far it extends past your shape.
- Base Type
- Outline Base (Ignore Holes) follows the outer shape. Rectangle Base and Circle Base size themselves automatically.
- Generate Base (New Layer)
- Creates the base as its own layer, so you can recolour, move or delete it separately.
8. Effects and Object Tracker
- Add Plugin / Add Effect
- Applies a temporary effect to the selected layer. Effects are controlled from the right panel.
- Copy Effect and Paste Effect
- Copies an object’s transform and properties so you can paste the same look onto another object.
- Object Tracker
- Switch it on, then tick objects to add them to the right panel’s selector for quick preview and focus. Useful in projects with many layers.
9. Custom Parameters
This is the right-hand panel that makes a design easy to change. A template creator decides what appears here, and anyone using the template only touches these controls.
- Plugin Effect Controls hold the sliders and boxes created by effects.
- Ticked Object Selector lets you pick a tracked object to preview. It shows temporarily and goes back to normal when you deselect it.
- Send this object to Custom Parameters adds a button for the selected object. Clicking it later selects that object, even when it is buried in many layers. With nothing selected, you can create a link button instead.
- Invert flips the panel’s order or state where it is offered.
10. Saving, history and sharing
- Undo and Redo
- Step back and forward through your changes.
- Save Project and My Projects
- Saves your work to your account. Open, import layers from, share or delete saved projects from the same list. When you return, the Design Hub offers Restore to continue where you stopped.
- Import Layers
- Copies layers from one saved project into the one you have open.
- Share Link
- Creates a link so someone else can open your design.
- Export XML and Load XML
- Saves the full project as a file on your computer and loads it again later. It is also a good backup.
- Project Lock Password
- Sets a password so others cannot open the locked project settings.
- Design Hub and New Project
- Start a fresh project or jump to your cloud projects.
11. AI models (Tripo AI)
Create a 3D model from words or a picture. Each generation uses coins, shown at the top of the panel. Use Purchase Points to add more.
- Text → 3D: describe the object and generate it.
- Image → 3D: upload a JPG, PNG or WEBP up to 20 MB. A clear photo of one object on a plain background works best.
- Target size (mm): the longest side of the finished model is scaled to this size on import.
- Press Generate 3D Model. The result is added to your workspace like any imported object.
Developers and power users can also use Paste XML & Run to load a project from pasted XML code.
12. Exporting for print
Use Final Actions. Press Refresh Boolean first, choose a format, then Download.
| Format | Use it for |
|---|---|
| STL | Standard single-colour printing. The safe default. |
| 3MF (Multicolor) | Multicolour printers and slicers that read colours from the file. |
| OBJ, FBX, GLB | Other 3D software, rendering or web display. |
- Separate exports every layer as its own STL file, handy when each part prints in a different colour.
- Selection Only exports just the objects you selected.
13. Templates and Post & Earn
Open See Full Templates to browse free and premium templates. A section called Community Templates lists designs shared by other users, and you can search by name.
Share your own design
- Finish your design and press Post & Earn, beside the Save button.
- Enter a name and a short description and press Post.
- An admin reviews new templates. Once you have enough approved templates, later ones go live automatically.
Posted templates appear on the Earn Money page and in your Dashboard, where you can see how often each one is used. Popular templates are featured as trending on the home page. When paid templates are switched on, you can set a price and earn a share of every sale, sent to your own account after you set up payout in your Dashboard.
Common questions
My export looks different from the screen.
Press Refresh Boolean before exporting. Booleans are recalculated only on request.
The model is too big or too small in my slicer.
Set the real size in Shape Size or Transforms before downloading. STL files carry no units, so use millimetres.
An object I hid is still in the download.
Hidden objects may still be part of a full export. Delete it, or use Selection Only to export what you picked.
I cannot select a font.
Fonts with a diamond mark are premium. Pick a free font or upgrade your plan.
I closed the tab by mistake.
Reopen the Designer and choose Restore in the Design Hub, or open your project from My Projects.