Features
Explore a new dimension of 3D modeling!
Features
Explore a new dimension of 3D modeling with the latest features of Shapelab 2025.
Dual Engine Modeling
Combine the power of polygon sculpting with the speed of voxel-based sketching. Shapelab’s hybrid engine lets you block out ideas in voxels, then refine them with production-ready polygon tools—all in one workflow.
VR and Desktop
Dual Mode
Run Shapelab on your PC in desktop mode or use a VR headset tethered to your PC for an immersive VR experience. Switch seamlessly between modes while working on your projects.
Industry-grade Sculpting Tools
Access industry-standard sculpting tools with extensive configuration options. Brushes include Clay, Standard, Mask, Crease, Smooth, Pinch, Inflate, Snakehook, Flatten, Trim, Regularize, and 3D Stamp.
Multiresolution and Subdivision Levels
Subdivide your mesh to create multiple levels of detail. Easily switch between them to optimize your workflow.
Dynamic Topology Sculpting (optional)
Enable real-time tessellation to dynamically adjust mesh detail based on your needs. Alternatively, lock your brush resolution to a specific value by sampling directly from your model for precise sculpting control.
Remeshing Tools
Use remeshing tools such as voxel remesh, subdivide, decimate, and regularize meshes.
Perform operations like mirroring, welding, flipping, and filling holes. Merge vertices and quad remesh for cleaner topology. Transfer intricate details from high-resolution, unorganized meshes to cleaner, quad-based models.
Customizable Work Environments
Personalize your workspace by importing custom HDRI skyboxes or use solid colors and gradients. Configure ambient lighting, reflections, and directional light settings. Toggle the workspace floor on or off as needed.
Kitbashing with Custom Shapes and Primitives
Build efficiently using a built-in library of fixed shapes and parametric primitives, or use your custom models added to your shape library for quick scene population.
Other Features
Digital Pen & Tablet Support
● Compatible with both Wintab and Windows Ink for precision sculpting.
PBR Vertex Paint & Texture Export
● Export texture maps, including normals, PBR properties, and vertex colors.
Materials & Shading
● Import custom MatCaps or utilize built-in ones.
● Supports flat shading for easier topology checks.
Import/Export FBX, OBJ, GLB, STL
Scene Management
● Multiselect and group objects for efficient batch operations, and perform precise adjustments using gizmo or freehand transformations on objects and entire scenes.
Precision tools: Snapping & Constraints
● You can quickly align and reset the scene to cycle through perspectives.
“Sculpting in VR feels like a game changer because I’m sculpting 3D in a 3D environment. I’m already convinced that Shapelab has a place in my workflow at this point.”
DannyMac 3D
3D artist, content creator
FAQ
Shapelab is a VR-only 3D design application primarily for organic modeling. The robust polygon-based engine and feature set allows for creating high-quality props, characters, and concepts for applications, games, and virtual worlds, as well as digital concept art and storyboards, and for 3D printing.
- For beginner 3D artists and aspiring creatives, VR has the potential to shorten the learning curve and open doors to solve complex design problems needed to digitize and improve their traditional workflows and processes.
- For 3D designers, VR can be a helpful addition to the workflow – for quickly creating concepts or blocking out characters that can then be imported to other programs for additional work. Moreover, VR can be extremely helpful when inspecting and cleaning up large 3D scan data.
We want to provide the subscription option for those who don’t want to buy the software upfront for the full price. If you don’t want a subscription you can get Shapelab for a one-time purchase on our website, Steam, or Meta store.
No matter which option you choose, you will get the same version of Shapelab.
We recently launched a global education program with the aim of making Shapelab more accessible to educational institutions. If you’re interested in getting Shapelab for an educational institution, please visit: shapelabvr.com/education
The minimum requirements for Shapelab are:
- OS: Windows™ 10 or later
- Processor: Intel™ Core™ i5-4590 or AMD FX™ 8350, equivalent or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon™ RX 480, equivalent or better
- Storage: approximately 800 MB available space
Shapelab supports HTC Vive, Valve index, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest/Quest 2/Quest Pro (with link cable) and Windows Mixed Reality devices.
Although all the officially supported headsets are listed above, any headset should be compatible with Shapelab that can run SteamVR.
For the best performance, make sure to tether your headset to your PC via cable. Air Link connection can sometimes result in performance issues.
You can find our user manual here.
You can import and export in FBX, OBJ, GLB and STL. You can also save your projects as SL3D (Shapelab project file) to keep the settings of your scene.
Yes, you can export your designs in STL, OBJ and GLB formats, which are supported by almost every slicer software.
Tip: Take care of your creations’ topology in order to get a printable result. Use the smooth tool often, consider voxel remeshing and you can also automatically close holes on the objects.
Yes, you can export your work in FBX, OBJ, GLB and STL and use them in other programs, such as Blender, Substance Painter, Unity, etc.
Many VR design applications such as Adobe Medium have a voxel based engine, which is absolutely suitable for 3D modelling. However, for characters, mobs and digital props, mesh based sculpting is usually more optimal than voxel sculpting if you would like to avoid blocky, rasterized designs. Realistic voxel models require a higher number of voxels than a polygonal model would need in vertexes.
Using voxel technology also means that you are dealing with not only the surface, but every internal “3D pixels/blocks” as well. This takes a lot of RAM and forces designers to treat the design as a solid object, which means a higher possibility of human errors. Such unwanted errors can be small inner holes or stray material blocks hovering in the holes, which can cause difficulties when you are trying to 3D print the object or use it in 3rd party game engines. Since mesh modeling just deals with the surface, it takes less RAM and there are no “inner space” pixels you have to worry about.
Our technology also makes it possible to vary the polygon density and detail in the same mesh. For example, you can design a character with a very detailed face and a less detailed body. This kind of polygon control is crucial when it comes to 3D asset creation for animations, games and other apps.
The primary function of Shapelab is organic modelling, and some features that would help cleaning up 3D scans are still missing, however it is possible to delete parts of the geometry with Boolean operations and fix surface errors with the sculpting tools.
While Shapelab may not be suitable for accurate retopology in its current form, it does offer several tools to modify the topology of your mesh. These include the Decimate tool, Voxel Remesh, Subdivide, and Regularize. Additionally, you can eliminate duplicate vertices using the Merge Vertices by Distance command, or alternatively, delete polygons altogether.