MagicalSketch 3D Help

The MagicalSketch 3D Interface

• Buttons for Working with Files
  You can save your file, open a different file, import a file, export to a special file format, save an image of your scene, and share to Creatubbles.
• Undo/Redo
  Click the left arrow to undo the last thing you did. If you click Undo but change your mind, you can redo that step by clicking the right arrow.
• Object Display Buttons
  The buttons here let you change how objects in the work area are displayed.
• Camera Buttons
  You can move, rotate, and zoom the camera, or reset it to the normal view.
• Miscellaneous Buttons
  You can open the settings dialog, read the help document, or quit MagicalSketch 3D.
• Work Area
  This is where you use pens and brushes to create 3D objects.
  Below the work area, details on how to use the selected tool or button are displayed.
• Modeling Tools
  Use these tools to create, edit, delete, move, rotate, magnify, or shrink 3D objects in the work area.
• Painting Tools
  Use these tools to add color to objects in the work area.
• Display Settings
  Here you can add a background image to the scene, select any of the 3D objects in the work area, and switch between different kinds of lights.

Using MagicalSketch 3D

• How to Create 3D Objects
• Creating Objects Freehand
• Extruding
• Revolving

• Editing Objects
• Adding Parts that Stick Out
• Adding Depressions
• Cutting Away Part of an Object
• Deleting an Object

• Moving and Resizing Objects
• Moving Shapes
• Rotating Shapes
• Scale

• Adding Color to Objects
• Painting with Brushes
• Erasing Color
• Getting a Color from the Screen
• Painting Whole Objects One Color
• Painting on Both Front and Back Sides

• Selecting a Brush
• Selecting the Thickness and Type
• Selecting the Opacity
• Brush Settings
• Selecting a Color
• From the Full Range of Colors
• From the Swatches

• Changing the Lighting
• Adding a Background Image
• Turning the Background On or Off
• Loading a Background Image
• Removing the Background Image
• Showing and Hiding Objects

• Working with Files
• Starting a New File
• Opening a File
• Saving a File
• Loading an STL or OBJ File
• Exporting as an STL or OBJ File
• Saving an Image of the Scene
• Sharing to Creatubbles

• Undo/Redo
• Undo
• Redo

• Object Display Settings
• Wireframe Display
• Dim Non-Active Objects

• Using the Camera
• Moving the Camera
• Rotating the Camera
• Zooming In and Out
• Resetting the Camera

• Other Settings
• Main
• Import/Export
• Opening the Help Document

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• Closing MagicalSketch 3D

3D Printing

• Full Color 3D Printing
• Monochrome 3D Printing

Shortcut Keys

• List of Shortcut Keys

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How to Create 3D Objects

Creating Objects Freehand

1. Select the Draw Solid tool.
2. Draw an outline of the 3D shape you want to create.
   
3. The 2D outline you draw is automatically transformed into a 3D object.
   

Spirals and shapes that cross like an "x" cannot be drawn with the Draw Solid tool.

Extruding

1. Select the Draw Extruded Solid tool.
2. Draw an outline of the 3D shape you want to create.
   
3. Click on one of the arrow icons that appear to rotate the outline 90 degrees in that direction.
   
   
4. Draw a line in the direction you want to extrude the shape.
   
5. The 2D outline is transformed into a 3D object, extruded in the direction you drew.
   
   

Rather than using the arrow icons to rotate the object 90 degrees, you can also rotate the camera and then drag to extrude the outline in any direction.

You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard to rotate the view.

Revolving

1. Select the Draw Revolved Solid tool.
2. Draw an outline of the 3D shape you want to create. This outline should be only half of the desired final outline, because it will be revolved. (In 2D, it will look mirrored.)
   
3. The resulting revolved solid is shown below:
   
   

The axis of the revolved solid will be the dotted gray line connecting the start and end points of the outline.

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Editing Objects

Adding Parts that Stick Out

1. Select the Add Extrusion tool.
2. On an existing object, draw an outline of the extrusion to add.
   
3. Click on one of the arrow icons that appear to rotate the object 90 degrees in that direction.
   
   
4. Draw an outline of the part that will stick out from the original object. Try drawing this outline a little bit apart from the object for best results.
   
5. The resulting object is shown below:
   
   

Adding Depressions

1. Select the Add Extrusion tool.
2. On an existing object, draw an outline of the extrusion to add.
   
3. Click on one of the arrow icons that appear to rotate the object 90 degrees in that direction.
   
   
4. Draw an outline of the depression or hollow that will be added to the object. Try drawing this outline a little bit apart from the object for best results.
   
5. The resulting object is shown below:
   
   

The depression cannot go all the way through the object. (It cannot become a hole.)

Cutting Away Part of an Object

1. Select the Scissors tool.
2. Draw a line that crosses the object completely (starting and ending where there is empty space).
   
3. The left side of the line you drew (based on the drag direction) is cut away from the object.
   

Deleting an Object

1. Select the Delete tool.
2. Click on the object you want to delete.
   
3. The object is removed from the work area.
   

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Moving and Resizing Objects

Moving Shapes

1. Select the Move tool.
2. Drag in the direction you want to move the object.
   

Rotating an Object

1. Select the Rotate tool.
2. Drag in the direction you want to rotate the object.
   

Scaling an Object

1. Select the Scale tool.
2. Click and drag in the work area.
   
3. Depending on the direction you drag, the object is scaled either larger or smaller.
   
   

Dragging up will scale the object larger, and dragging down will scale the object smaller.

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Adding Color to Objects

Painting Freehand

1. Select the Paintbrush tool.
2. Click and drag to paint on an object.
   

Erasing Color

1. Select the Eraser tool.
2. Click and drag on the color you want to erase.
   

Getting a Color from the Screen

1. Select the Eyedropper tool.
2. Click on the color you want to use.
   
3. Now that color is set as the color for painting.
   

Painting Whole Objects One Color

1. Select the Fill tool.
2. Click on an object to fill it with the selected color.
   

Painting on Both Front and Back Sides

1. Select the Mirror Paint tool.
2. Paint a line on an object.
   
3. The painted line is also painted on the back side of the object, mirrored along the screen axis.
   

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Selecting a Brush

Selecting the Thickness and Type

• Choose the brush you want to use from the list.
• The selected brush thickness and type is shown in the preview.
  

Selecting the Opacity

• Use the slider to set the opacity of the color.
  
• Slide it left for a more transparent color, or to the right for a more opaque color.

Brush Settings

1. Right-click (Win) or Control-click (Mac) the icon of the brush you want to modify.
2. A pop-up menu appears with the following options:
   

• Brush Settings
  

  Type	Pen	Paints with sharply-defined lines.
  	Airbrush	Paints with soft outlines.
  	Custom Brush	Paints a custom loaded image in a single color.
  	Color Brush	Paints a custom loaded image in full color.
  Size	The size of the brush.
  Opacity	The opacity of the color.
  Stroke Interpolation	Helps you paint lines without any gaps.
  Reset	Resets the Brush Settings.

• Load Image...
  Load an image to use as a custom or color brush.
  (To use a round image like the samples, the image needs to have an alpha channel, which can be set in an image-editing application.)
• Reset All Brushes to Defaults
  Resets all brushes to their default settings.

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Selecting a Color

From the Full Range of Colors

1. Click the Color tab on the Color Palette.
2. Select a hue from the bar on the right, and then select the saturation and shade from the box on the left.
   

From the Swatches

1. Click the Swatches tab on the Color Palette.
2. Select one of the color swatches from the grid.
   

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Changing the Lighting

You can change the type of lighting that illuminates the objects in the scene.

• Default
  
• Modeling
  
• Top Light
  
• Side Light
  
• Room Light
  
• Outdoor - Clear
  
• Outdoor - Cloudy
  
• Underwater
  

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Adding a Background Image

Turning the Background On or Off

The Show Background checkbox toggles the background image on or off.

Loading a Background Image

Click the Load button to open a dialog for choosing an image file to set as the background image. The image file may be in PNG, JPEG, GIF, or TGA formats.
After selecting an image file, if the background does not change, try pressing F5 to refresh the screen.

Removing the Background Image

Click the Delete button to remove the background image from the scene.

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Showing and Hiding Objects

To temporarily hide an object in the work area, deselect the checkbox next to the object's name. Reselect the checkbox to show it again.

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Working with Files

Starting a New File

Click the New button to clear the work area and start from scratch.

Opening a File

Click the Open button to open a previously saved MagicalSketch 3D file.

Saving a File

Click the Save button to save the current work area as a MagicalSketch 3D file.

Loading an STL or OBJ File

Click the Import button to import data in STL or OBJ format.

Exporting as an STL or OBJ File

Click the Export button to export objects in the work area as a file in STL or OBJ format.

Saving an Image of the Scene

Click the Save Image button to save an image of the current view of the work area.

Sharing to Creatubbles

Click the Creatubbles button to post the 3D data and a screenshot of the work area to your Creatubbles account. Be sure to create an account with Creatubbles first.

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Undo/Redo

Undo

Click the Undo button to undo the last action.

Redo

Click the Redo button to redo the last action taken back with Undo.

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Object Display Settings

Wireframe Display

Click the Wireframe Display button to show or hide the polygon mesh wireframe of objects.

Dim Non-Active Objects

Click this button to dim objects other than the currently active (selected) object.

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Using the Camera

Moving the Camera

Click the Move Camera button and then click and drag in the work area to scroll up, down, left, or right.

Rotating the Camera

Click the Rotate Camera button and then click and drag in the work area to rotate the entire scene.

Zooming In and Out

Click the Zoom Camera button and then click and drag up to zoom the camera in, or drag down to zoom the camera out.

Resetting the Camera

Click the Reset Camera button to reset the camera position, with the Y axis pointing up and the X axis pointing to the right.

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Other Settings

Click the Settings button to open a dialog with other MagicalSketch 3D settings.

Main

View Settings To change the color settings, click the color box and select a new color. Stroke Color The color of outlines drawn in the work area. Background Color The color of the work area background. Undo/Redo Undo/Redo Cache Size Sets the number of actions recorded. You can use Undo up to this maximum number. Other Sound Effects Sound effects are played for different actions.

Import/Export

Wavefront OBJ Import These settings are used when importing OBJ files. Scale The scale of objects imported from an OBJ file. Import Materials Material data such as color is imported along with geometry data from the imported OBJ file. Image Folder Specifies the location of image files (such as .mtl files) if they are not in the same folder as the OBJ file. Invert V Value Inverts the direction of the V value for images loaded as materials. Select this checkbox if images are backwards after import. Wavefront OBJ Export These settings are used when exporting OBJ files. Scale The scale used when exporting objects to OBJ files. Export Materials Color data is exported along with geometry data. Image Format Select BMP, JPEG, or PNG for exported images. Invert V Value Inverts the direction of the V value for images exported as materials. Select this checkbox if images are backwards after importing them in another software tool. STL Import These settings are used when importing STL files. Scale The scale of objects imported from an STL file. Invert Y Inverts the Y (vertical) axis of imported objects. Select this checkbox if images are facing the wrong direction after import. STL Export These settings are used when exporting STL files. Scale The scale used when exporting objects to OBJ files. Invert Y Inverts the Y (vertical) axis of imported objects. Select this checkbox if images are facing the wrong direction after importing them in another software tool.

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Opening the Help Document

Click the Help button to open the MagicalSketch 3D help document.

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Closing MagicalSketch 3D

Click the Close button to exit MagicalSketch 3D.

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3D Printing

Full Color 3D Printing

1. Complete modeling and painting the object you wish to 3D print.
   
2. Click the Export button.
   
3. Select an empty folder, or make a new folder.
   
4. Select Wavefront OBJ for the file format.
   
5. The generated files include the full color material data.
   

Monochrome 3D Printing

1. Complete modeling the object you wish to 3D print in a monochrome color.
   
2. Click the Export button.
   
3. Select STL for the file format.
   
4. An STL format file is generated.
   

The generated file(s) can be sent to a 3D printer or to a 3D printing center or website.

Note: MagicalSketch 3D does not support saving multiple objects simultaneously in a format for 3D printing. To combine multiple objects for 3D printing, use an application such as Shade 3D.

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Shortcut Keys

List of Shortcut Keys

	Windows	Mac OS X
Working with Files, Undo/Redo
Starting a New File	Ctrl + N	Command + N
Opening a File	Ctrl + O	Command + O
Saving a File	Ctrl + S	Command + S
Undo	Ctrl + Z	Command + Z
Redo	Ctrl + Y	Command + Shift + Z
Modeling
Creating Objects Freehand	B
Extruding	E
Revolving	R
Add Extrusion	U
Scissors	C
Painting
Paintbrush	P
Eraser	O
Eyedropper	D
Fill	F
Selecting or Deleting Objects
Switch to Trash Tool	Delete
Select the Next Object	Ctrl + →	Command + →
Select the Previous Object	Crrl + ←	Command + ←
Camera Controls
Move Camera	middle-click + drag
Rotate Camera	right-click + drag
Zoom Camera In/Out	mouse wheel
Rotate Camera 90 degrees	keyboard arrow keys
Moving and Resizing Objects
Move	Shift + left-click + drag
Rotate	Shift + right-click + drag
Scale	Shift + mouse wheel

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