2D Drawings

The 2D Drawings is where you create detailed technical drawings from your 3D models. These drawings provide precise dimensions, annotations, and views to communicate design intent for manufacturing, engineering, or documentation purposes. All drawings are saved in the Project Sidebar, where you can access, organize, and manage them efficiently.

Create a new 2D drawing

To add a new 2D drawing:

1. From the Project Sidebar, select Create Drawing   under Drawings.
   For other methods of accessing this tool, visit Accessing tools.
2. Select the 3D body for which you want to create a 2D drawing.
3. Select Next.
4. In the Drawing Preferences dialog, specify the following settings:
   
   • Drawing Title – Enter a name for your 2D drawing.
   • Sheet Size – Choose between portrait and landscape.
   • Orientation – Choose from ISO or ANSI standards.
   • View-to-Sheet Scale – Choose your preferred scale.
   • Include 4 Views – Enable to automatically add the front, left, top, and isometric views of your model in the drawing sheet.
     Note: The front view is the base view by default, while the other views are the projection views.
5. Select Continue to generate the drawing sheet.
6. Optional: Adjust the following details according to your preference:
   • Scale of a drawing – Double-click/tap on a drawing and select the scale dimension label to choose a different scale.
   • Show hidden lines – Double-click/tap on a drawing and select .
   • Title block information – Double-click any text in the title block to change it to your preferred text. 
   • Drawing Properties – Select or to update your sheet settings.
     • Sheet
       • Orientation – Choose between portrait and landscape.
       • Sheet Size – Choose from ISO or ANSI standards.
       • View Scale – Choose for preferred view-to-sheet scale.
       • Projection – Choose your preferred projection angle.
       • Title Block – Choose your preferred layout. To learn more, see the Title block layouts section below.
     • Dimensions
       • Units – Choose your preferred unit.
       • Angle Format – Choose your preferred angle format.
       • Length Precision – Choose your length precision format.
       • Angle Precision – Choose an angle precision format.
       • Decimal Separator – Choose between a comma and a period for your preferred decimal separator.
     • Line Widths – Choose your preferred line width for any of the following:
       
       • Visible Outlines
       • Hidden Lines
       • Dimension Lines
       • Center Lines
       • Section Lines
       • Detail Marks

Learn more by watching the video below:

Open or manage existing 2D Drawings

All 2D Drawings are saved in the Project Sidebar, where you can access and manage them at any time.

To open or manage an existing 2D drawing:

1. Open the Project Sidebar.
2. Under Drawings, find the 2D drawing to open.
3. Select the 2D drawing to automatically open it, or right-click on the drawing to rename, duplicate, or delete it.

Title block layouts

A title block is a table that you can usually find at the bottom-right corner of 2D drawing sheets. The main purpose of a title block is to provide important information that can help readers understand your 2D drawing better.

In Shapr3D, you can choose from a variety of predefined title block layouts to personalize your drawing sheet. You can also update the fields in your title block with any information you need.

By default, title block layouts contain the following information:

Title Units Scale Projection Angle Size Last Updated Date Sheet Size

These are automatically updated based on your Drawing properties until the fields are manually changed.

To choose a layout, go to Properties > Title Block, then choose any of the following:

• Simple – This is the default layout when creating a 2D drawing. The general information are displayed in the bottom-right of the sheet.
• Empty Sheet – This layout completely removes the title block and border.
• Border Only – This layout removes the title block and only displays the default border.
• Horizontal – The general information is displayed horizontally at the bottom of your sheet.
• Vertical – Displays your title block vertically on the right side of your sheet. This layout provides an additional table where you can record Revision, Name, and Date information.
• Block – Displays your title block in the bottom-right of your sheet. Similar to the vertical layout, this layout provides an additional table where you can record Revision, Name, and Date information.
• Block with Table – Displays the block layout with an additional table to the left that you can customize with information you want such as details about model parts or important features that you want to highlight.

Below are two examples of how you can customize your title block layouts:

In the first example below, we used the vertical title block layout to have an additional space to add a company logo, a 2D drawing description, and a revision table ideal for information sharing during collaboration.

Vertical title block layout

In the second example, we used a horizontal title block layout which is great for providing a quick summary of the most important aspects of a 2D drawing.

Horizontal title block layout

Learn more by watching the video below:

Views

You can add multiple projections in 2D Drawings to highlight every detail of your model. These projections are created from any of the following view types:

• Base View
• Projection View
• Section View
• Detail View

Base View

The base view is the main building block of your 2D drawing. Additional views you create always reference back to your base view.
In Shapr3D, projected 2D views align automatically with their base view. When you move a 2D base view, all its 2D projected views also move in alignment. The same applies to 2D projected views: when you move a 2D projected view, its 2D base view also move in alignment.
You can add a new base view with any of the following orientation: front, top, right, back, left, bottom, isometric.

2D base views

To add a 2D base view of your model:

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Views > Front.
2. Optional: From the Base View popup, select Custom base view… to change the projection angle from which your drawing is created
3. Choose a 2D orientation for your base view.
4. Optional: To update your reference bodies, select Bodies… > Select your new reference bodies > Done.
5. Select + to add your base view.
6. From the projection previews that pop up, select + on a projection view you want to add.
7. To finish, select Done.
8. To move your base views and projections, double-click/tap on any of them, then use the arrows to drag them to your desired position.

Isometric views

To add an isometric view of your model:

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Views > Front.
2. Optional: From the Base View popup, select Custom base view… to change the projection angle from which your drawing is created
3. Choose a 2D orientation for your base view.
4. Optional: To update your reference bodies, select Bodies > Select your new reference bodies > Done.
5. Select + to add your isometric view.
6. Use the arrows to drag your isometric view to your desired position.
7. To finish, select an empty space, or select Deselect All from the menu.

Add a new projection

To add more projections to your drawings:

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Views > Projection.
2. Select a view from which you want to create a projection.
   Note: If you only have one view, the projection previews automatically pop up.
3. From the projection previews that pop up, select + on a projection view you want to add.
4. To finish, select Done.

Section View

You can create section views from base or projection views to visualize the interior of the model. 

To create section views of your model:

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Views.
2. Select Section View. 
3. Use the reference points as guides to precisely place your section line. This section line defines the plane that cuts through the object.
   Note: If you'd like to replace the section line with a different one, simply draw a new line. The previous section line will be removed automatically. 
4. Drag one of the arrows next to the section line to where you want to place your section view.
5. Select an empty space to finish, or select Close from the menu.

Detail View

You can add detail views to your 2D Drawings to highlight and annotate your dimensions in a magnified view.

To create detail views of your 2D Drawings:

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Views.
2. Select Detail View. 
3. Draw a circle around the area you want to magnify.
   • Keyboard and mouse/trackpad: Click on a guide point, then move or drag your pointer to form the circle.
   • Touch and pen: Tap on a guide point then drag your pointer to form the circle.
4. Click or lift your pen to finalize the circle.
   Note: Make sure to include the full geometry of the drawings you want to highlight with dimensions.
5. Select Next to automatically generate the detail view.
6. Click or tap to place your detail view anywhere in the drawing sheet.
7. Use the arrows or center point to adjust the placement of your detail view.
8. Optional: Select or  to choose a different scale or show/hide hidden lines for your detail view.
9. Dimension or annotate your detail view as how you would in a regular 2D drawing. Refer to Dimensions or Geometries sections below for more information.

Learn more by watching the video below:

Dimensions

You can select from different dimension types to add to your 2D drawings such as line length, point-to-point distance, and arc angle.

To add dimensions to your 2D drawing:

1. Select Dimensions in the drawings menu.
   You can directly select an item in your drawing and the adaptive menu automatically dimensions the item. Select the check mark to confirm the dimension. If there is more than one available dimension, select the dimension before selecting the check mark.
2. Select a dimensioning tool:
   • Line Length  – Measures the length of a straight line. 
   • Point-to-Point Distance – Measures the distance between two selected points. These points can be endpoints, intersections, quadrant points, and center marks. 
   • Point-to-Line Distance – Measures the distance between any point and a line. These points can be endpoints, intersections, quadrant points, and center marks. 
   • Line-to-Line Distance – Measures the distance between two parallel lines.
   • Arc Angle – Measures the included angle of an arc.
   • 3-Point Angle – Measures the inner or outer angle between two virtual lines defined by one joint vertex and two other points on the legs. These points can be endpoints, intersections, quadrant points, or center marks.
   • Line-to-Line Angle – Measures the angle between two non-parallel lines.  
   • Radius – Measures the distance between an arc or circle’s circumference and center.
   • Diameter – Measures the length of a line that would cross a circle or arc’s center and two points on the shape’s circumference.
   • Min-Max Distance – Measures the minimum or maximum distance between a circle or arc and another circle, arc, or line. Curves that are not part of a section of a virtual circle or arc are not included. 
3. Select the items that need to be dimensioned.
4. Drag the dimension on the sheet to reposition it anywhere you want.
   Note: Dimensions you create snap at equal increments, allowing you to easily match your new dimensions to existing ones, or place them symmetrically at a new location.
5. After you finish adding dimensions, select Done.
6. Tap the dimension editor badge that appears beside the dimension to edit any of the following:
   • Prefix Text - Enable to enter a prefix text for your dimension. For easy access, you can select any of the commonly used symbols available in the Prefix text field below.
   • Tolerances - Enable to enter a size tolerance applicable to your dimension. To choose a tolerance type, select the drop-down menu and choose between Symmetrical, Deviation, Limits, and Basic.
   • Suffix Text - Enable to enter a suffix text for your dimension. For easy access, you can select any of the available commonly used symbols below the Suffix text field.
7. Optional: To remove a dimension, select it > Delete Selection.

Note: To specify the precise decimal measurement of linear and angular dimensions, select or  to open Properties > Dimensions and then choose Length Precision or Angle Precision.

Learn more by watching the video below:

Geometries

You can annotate the non-isometric views in 2D drawings with geometries using the following geometry types:

• Centerline
• Center mark
• Intersection mark

Centerline

Centerlines are dashed lines that run between two reference points or lines. You can use them in 2D Drawings to: 

• Show the axes of circular or cylindrical features such as holes and discs
• Dimension circular features
• Point out features that share the same central axis

Note: Centerlines can’t be dimensioned with the Line length tool.

To add a centerline, follow these steps: 

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Geometries.
2. Select one of the centerline geometry tools: 
   • 2-Point Centerline – Select two points as your reference in the drawing.
   • 2-Line Centerline –  Select two linear lines as your reference in the drawing.
   • 3-Point Circular Centerline – Select two points as your reference in the drawing.
   • 3-Point Centerline – Select three points on a circumference.
3. Drag the arrows to extend the centerlines created between the reference points or lines.
4. To finish, select Done.

Center mark

Center marks are cross-shaped annotations that indicate the centers of circles, arcs, and circular edges. You can also mark these centers as reference points for dimensioning. 

To add a center mark: 

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Geometries > Center Mark. 
2. Select the center of circular edges.
3. To finish, select Done

Intersection mark

Intersection marks are cross-shaped annotations that indicate where two non-parallel, linear lines intersect. You can also mark these points as references for dimensioning. 

To add an intersection mark: 

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Geometries > Intersection Mark. 
2. Select two linear lines that are not parallel. 
3. To finish, select Done.

Learn more by watching the video below:

Note

You can annotate parts of your drawing with the Note option.

To add an annotation:

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Note.
2. Select an item to add an annotation, or select an empty space to add a note.
3. Enter your annotation in the textbox that appears.
   Note: The character limit is 1200.
4. Drag and drop the notes anywhere you want.
5. To finish, select Done.

To edit an annotation:

1. Double-tap or double-click on the text. 
2. Enter your new annotation.
3. To finish, select an empty area.

To delete an annotation, select it and press the Backspace or Delete key, or select Delete Selection.

Learn more by watching the video below:

Image

You can add images to your 2D Drawings such as screenshots of your visualized model, logos, or any kind of image that helps communicate your project.

To add an image, follow these steps:

1. From the 2D Drawings menu, select Add Image.
2. Select the image you want to import > Open.
3. Use the guide points to adjust the size of your image.
4. Drag and drop your image anywhere you want.
5. To finish, select an empty area in the sheet.

To delete an annotation, select it and press the Backspace or Delete key, or select Delete Selection.

Learn more by watching the video below: