SDF Modeler
A downloadable tool for Windows and Linux
SDF Modeler is an experimental 3D modeling tool that will allow you to create 3D models with a non-destructive workflow. The created 3D models can be exported to Stanford .ply files. The application comes with multiple sample files.
The software is in active development and currently only tested on different Nvidia and Intel GPUs, so there might be some problems you will run into when working with AMD hardware.
System Requirements:
Win10 / Linux, GPU 2GB VRAM, OpenGL 4.5
Download
Install instructions
Unzip the archive and run the SDFModeler executable. You can find common shortcuts in the readme.txt file.
Development log
Comments
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Version 0.4 is back! Please note that using old 0.4 files is not recommended, as they might not work. Have fun!
Sorry, I had to revert to v0.3.3 for now. I’ll re-upload v0.4 once a few issues are resolved.
Hi Sacha again. Well, I downloaded 0.4 last sunday, before you retired from your site. And I must admit I couldnt find major issues testing it, at my own risk of course...😉 And.. the only issue I found was only the position of new strokes after moving a layer was not zeroed. And thats it !
Otherwise all seems rock-solid. At this point, everything is WOW promising, indeed !!
A great LIKE !
Hi Dan, there were some issues with group transformations. I’ll be re-uploading a new version tomorrow, but my changes are partially incompatible with the earlier version. That’s mainly why I took it down—children of grouped strokes will likely end up misplaced. Cheers, Sascha
Totally agree. Cant wait to test it. At least I could explore the new features around before someone else ! 🤣
If you solved this I can only imagine the complexity to tackle this in such a short time.
Bravo ! Have a nice weekend.
Yours sincerely.
For sure i must admit this looks simple to a noob like me, but surely a challenge to code this type of thing, but could this be implemented, in the future ?
Thanks a lot, as I said earlier, i can not put my hands out of it.
Have a good day. Dan
Hi Dan,
Thanks for reaching out and sharing your thoughts. It’s great to hear that SDF Modeler reminded you of Organica.
The extrapolate feature you described sounds like it could be a really nice addition for creating more complex shapes. Right now, I’m focused on finalizing version 0.4, which will include a good set of new features and improvements, but I’ve also been considering adding something in the future that could create shapes along a curve, which sounds similar to what you’re describing.
Thanks again for the suggestion and for your interest in the tool.
Best regards
Sascha
Wow, first im glad to know you heard about Organica, which was a very in advance tool over its time, because it had animation features, and triangulations with decimations, faces colors even ! And all this in 1997 ! But sadly disapeared not long after this. I can now discover a PC version, downloaded and used it recently to test these and... it works !
Second, im so happy you are thinking of making those features or abilities inside SDF modeler future !
Third, i couldnt think anyone appreciate it as a suggestion, and YOU did !
So, man, greatly appreciate all of this !! good continuation ....
hi Sascha!
a great new tool!the simple streightforward UI is very elegant! will there be a feature like nested object boolean operation(its like layer boolean with other layer in your software context,also they can have instance copy of the layer) like blender plugin ConjureSDF?It will be great in practical usage,especially in hard surface design.also some basic like array ,symmetry will be really helpful.
as I know every sdf tool cant dill with smooth surface like cars nowadays,the curve stroke is a really intersting and potencial one,if the curve can be extrude into a surface and have thickness option it will be a game changer(like zbrush curve cut tool,curve will cut off object parts aside the curve)or maybe curve can do loft surface and surface can extrude,curve can add points will be also very sweet feature.
SDF tool like conjureSDF different objs the faces are at the same position but bevel effect are not.So does your tool,is there a solution?
more brush strokes will be great like elongated cone,capsule ,curve closed polygon to extrude and so on.when number of strokes is too big ,its hard to select specific stroke
anyway impressive software! Very fun to use! even a raytrace render？？cant believe its 34mb software..what a talent developer！
Hi, thanks for the kind words and for your feedback!
For version 0.4, I’m planning to add Boolean subgroups as the main new feature, which will allow for more flexible object operations.
In the next smaller update, I’ll be introducing smooth blending for mirrored strokes. I’m also working on making the current Bézier curve more robust and giving users more control over the curve’s points.
Arrays are definitely on the way as well, as I’ve received a lot of requests for them.
A more powerful curve tool is something I plan to tackle in the future, once the core feature set is more developed.
Best regards!
that is great!really looking forward to it,also hotkey workflow and right click menu will be more profesional
Hi, Sacha..
I tried 0.3.2 version. This time transparent and refractive surfaces, ply export with colors, toggle perspective/ortho view... SDF Modeler gets better and better everyday ! Thanks again for your hard work. 👍
(Perhaps linear or circular arrays, next ? Are they difficult to implement ? )
Good job man.
Hi, glad you like it! I plan to focus on adding more basic features first. Next, I’ll be reworking the object structure, adding boolean subgroups, and enabling group and layer transformations. This will open up a lot more possibilities. Best regards.
Ok, for now I personaly found very few limitations in the features themselves. But if you say that some new reorganizations of the 3d scene must be done first, I trust you...perhaps on intersection of sketches or groups among sketches or layers, why not ? If the interface does not get too crazy as I saw elsewhere. I wont tell where😏.
In an artist point of view the story is not how the tool is complex Imo, but how efficient you get. And SDF modeler is relatively complete already for most of my workflow, I think...
But why not more? Ok👍
Have a good day.
When working with the software, there are two things I really miss right now. First, I’d like to be able to rearrange the mirroring plane to move subparts away from the origin—this is something layer/subgroup transformations would allow. Second, especially with the newly added intersection operation, I really miss being able to do a cutout of the intersected shape with another additive shape underneath. Hope that makes sense. Cheers!
PS: My primary design goal for this software is to make it easy to use and fun, so no worries!
Yes, totally agree. I've tested the latest 0.33 and I completely understand why now. The new bevel/ rounded is again a very welcome feature ! I saw in the comments you were working on it, and you made that so fast. A great thanks !
I tried the Linux version, but I run a Gnome Wayland desktop with 200% scaling, and I get a window largely black with the app contents in the bottom left corner (cursor input still seems to be relative to the actual window size, though).
Hi, thanks for your feedback. I'll look into the issue.
Hi again, you might want to check out the 0.3 release. The issue "should" be fixed. Best regards!
Thank you, I had a chance to test it again and it works! If you'd like, some quick feedback:
Hi, thanks for the feedback! I plan to add more blending modes, including a chamfer blend, in the future. I’ll also add tool-tips to make the parameters easier to understand. The higher the bevel percentage, the more the shape transforms into a cylinder; the higher the round percentage, the more it becomes a sphere or capsule. Hopefully, that helps clarify things. Best regards!
Nice project!
I added your SDF Modeler to my SDF thread over at Blender Artists, and posted about it on Mastodon.
Would a macOS and/or iOS version be an option? I'd gladly donate for that.
Thanks in advance for considering it.
Thank you for the boost in visibility! I really appreciate your support. I'd love to work on macOS/iOS versions in the future, but unfortunately, I currently don't have the necessary hardware to work on those ports :)
Thanks for your reply! Too bad a macOS or iOS version isn't possible at the moment. I'd love to see a solid SDF 3D editor for one or both operating systems.
Keep up the good work!
Im glad you heard about SDF modeler, because I posted a comment on your channel as I heard you were searching for something like this. Hope this helps.
👍 SDF Modeler is definitely a promising tool, but I will probably return to macOS in the near future, so until a macOS or iOS version is announced I'm afraid I'll personally have to look for an other SDF editor. But I will surely keep an eye on SDF Modeler. 👍
Hello, thanks for your software. I have a question why SDFModeler does not use all the RAM?
Thank you for reaching out and for your interest in the software! I designed SDFModeler with a minimum spec target of 2GB of VRAM to ensure it can run on a wide range of machines. Currently, there's no way to scale the internal resources significantly for higher-end systems.
If your question is about the memory usage statistic displayed at the bottom left of the screen, this number shows how much memory the SDF data uses within the 3D texture atlas. The purpose of this feature is to help users understand how much memory their creations are consuming. Additionally, the application dynamically adjusts the resolution of layers if the texture atlas nears full capacity. If you create many layers at maximum resolution, they may be down-scaled, and the memory usage statistic will explain when and why this happens.
I hope this clarifies things! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.
Thank you, you helped me.
Hi. I'm interested in this amazing piece of software. I'm asking you if a 3d navigation like trackball could be implemented in the future versions. Cause im in a trouble with WASD. Wich for me is not intuitive at all. So please please...
Thanks a lot for your interest.
Hi, thanks for your feedback. My plan is to add different navigation modes (e.g. orbit, first-person, etc) and in addition there will be a UI element to change between different camera directions. I also want to add the option to assign custom key bindings. Hopefully that will answer your question :)
Wow nice ! Can't wait for it ! Glad to see it s in your plans. 👍 this is just what I needed . Thanks a lot. Good continuation man.
Wow, how fast you answered! I just came back from holidays and you done it !
Ill probably make a video on my youtube channel if you allow me to do so, because i put my hands on it and i cant give up 😍! Gooood work !!!
Hi, sure go ahead. Glad you like it :)
Done, guy !
You ll find there
Hope this help people to find some free alternatives to paid software (sometimes very expensive ones) or speed their workflows creating fun shapes quickly without having to struggle with " hard surface modeling " as they call it.Ah cool. Thanks for your little introduction video. I really appreciate it :)