Shapelab News

Update (06/06/23):
Seeing the many negative reactions to the account system, we have decided to make account creation optional from now on! We didn’t intend to disappoint our users and we realise how important of a matter this is now. Please accept our apologies.
We just published a longer message about this on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/571890/view/3714952930108375593?l=english
You can now access the newest version without creating an account, if you click on ‘skip login’ when opening the launcher.


Dear Shapelab community,

In 2023, we want to continue providing the best Shapelab experience to our users. We will continue the development and have many exciting features and improvements planned! We thank you for your support, feedback and recommendations so far!

An update has been published with some requested features, such as autosave, saving brush settings, some cool new brush and stroke modifiers and more! See the update note, and watch our teaser video:

https://youtu.be/b5ZdOEYx7VQ

One of the most apparent changes you will immediately encounter upon running Shapelab is the new launcher, which will prompt you to create an account to log in. This is a mandatory step to run Shapelab.

We know this extra step can seem inconvenient. However, it is a necessary transition for Shapelab to grow and become a professional software. Please note that data collection will remain anonymous (read our privacy policy) here, and you will need to opt-in to receive emails from us about special offers and community news.

We are thankful for your understanding. We will continue to implement new features and listen to your feedback. As always, you can reach out to us directly via email at [email protected]. If you need help getting started, we recommend you visit our new Help Center, where you can find helpful articles and FAQs, as well as forms for bug reporting and submitting feature requests.

Happy sculpting!

Best,
Leopoly team

Dear Shapelab community,

We are pleased to announce that some requested tools, such as Autosave, Brush setting saving, and some new features and fixes are on the way, and an update will be published next week!

This update will also change how you access the application, as a new login system will be implemented. Once the update is released, you will need to register with an email address and password to use Shapelab.

This new system will be an enormous help for us in terms of development. It will be useful for communicating important news and offers directly, should you choose to opt-in (which we strongly recommend). This change is also the basis for offering other great products in the future and creating our own content distribution platform, so Shapelab can continue to grow. Please be aware that we only collect anonymous data. For more information on data collection you can read our privacy policy.

We hope you are excited for the new tools and we are thankful for your support and understanding as we make this transition. As always, we are open to reading your thoughts. You can reach out to us here or via mail at [email protected].


Best,
Leopoly team


Update (06/06/23):
Seeing the many negative reactions to the account system, we have decided to make account creation optional from now on! We didn’t intend to disappoint our users and we realise how important of a matter this is now. Please accept our apologies.
We just published a longer message about this on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/571890/view/3714952930108375593?l=english
You can now access the newest version without creating an account, if you click on ‘skip login’ when opening the launcher.

Dear Shapelab community,

Tune in to our live-streaming event on April 20th from 12 pm (midday) EDT on our Youtube channel!

Join our talented 3D designer Dorottya Kiss on her sculpting session in Shapelab, and discover tips&tricks to better your workflow! Tune in to our live event to ask your questions.

Hit 'notify me' on the Youtube video and make sure not to miss the live event: Go to Youtube video

Best,
Leopoly team

Dear Shapelab community,

Tune in to our live-streaming event on March 26th from 1 pm EDT on our Youtube channel!

If you want to learn how to bring out the best of your models created in Shapelab, this livestream is for you! Join our talented 3D designer Dorottya Kiss on Youtube as she demonstrates a quick sculpt in Shapelab that she exports to Blender for final touches. Learn how to quickly bring out the texture of your model with a basic scene set up for rendering and ask your questions live!

Hit 'notify me' on the Youtube video and make sure you tune in live! Go to livestream link.

Best,
Leopoly Team

Dear Shapelab community,

We have just released an update with many improvements and an easier way to deal with textures! A big thank you to all the users who have reached out to us and offered feedback and suggestions. We will keep on going! See the full update note below:


Update note

Texture export with Auto UV unwrapping and decimation

Textures
You can choose to generate and export textures for your vertex-painted creations during the export process. If you pick “Texture export” instead of “Vertex color export”, the PBR properties will be stored in the textures instead of the vertices. The following options are available:

• OBJ: export the textures separately
  
• GLB and FBX: export the textures separately OR embedded textures in the 3D file OR only export vertex colors
  

Decimation
When you export textures, you have the option to automatically simplify the output of your creation. In this case, the application will duplicate your model, decimate the duplicate, generate the UV map for a decimated duplicate and use this UV map to generate the textures projected from the original model. This means there won't be any vertex color data loss, while having a decimated model with normal maps.

• Texturing requires UV maps, which are generated during the export process. Depending on the complexity of your model, the entire process can take a few seconds up to several minutes. You have the option to cancel the process.
  
• Please note that when you choose to export textures, the vertex colors will not be exported, which means, you won’t be able to use the vertex color data when you import the model back to Shapelab.
  

Merge vertices

• You can merge vertices together based on the distance between them if you go to the Context menu’s “Poly Transform” tab. Choose to apply either globally or only to areas you masked.
  
• This can be useful when the imported model has UVs and cant be sculpted after importing it, due to duplicated or divided vertices (like an UV mapped GLB).
  
• Be careful with this feature though. It is not meant to be used to simplify your object and it can cause broken topology if used incorrectly.
  

Improvements

• An improved dynamic topology sculpting algorithm, which produces more healthy meshes with fewer topology errors even when drastically changing the resolution of the mesh.
  
• File explorer’s file name input field turns into red as a warning when you are about to override an existing file. Also, text selection and deletion is made easier.
  
• Cloning and using numerous objects is handled better at a faster operation
  
• The cursor’s contact area is highlighted on the object surface by default regardless of the brush or tool you are using. The highlight can be turned off or the intensity can be reduced under user preferences.
  

Fixes

• App stuttered upon switching tools and brushes (this has not been completely eliminated yet but improvements have been made)
  
• A trigger pull anywhere was considered as an undo step.
  
• Vertex paint and masks were not visible on many MatCap materials.
  
• Buttons were missing from the Mask brush modifier panel.
  
• Brush Alphas were not mirrored properly.
  
• Occasionally none of the folders were selected in the File explorer.
  
• “Edit front face only” and “Edit connected only” did not always work together.
  
• “Options” button didn’t get the highlight when it was selected
  
• Only “Raycast mode” worked with the Scene tools
  

Here’s a video preview of the most important changes: https://youtu.be/1AIaTNWFFSI

As always, let us now your thoughts on the update via Discord.

If you need support you can also email us at: [email protected].

If you enjoy Shapelab, don’t forget to recommend it on Steam!

Best,
Leopoly Team