Guides to designing in 3D.

Yes, you can do real CAD on an iPad: precise curves, surfaces and solids in real units, exported as STEP or IGES. What iPad CAD does well, and how to start.

A tablet for CAD can mean a computer you design on or a pen pad for your PC. How they differ, why an iPad with a 3D CAD app works, and what to check first.

Yes, you can do serious 3D modeling on an iPad. How it works in uMake: sketch in 3D, build NURBS surfaces and solids, add AI, and export STEP, OBJ or STL.

You can model in 3D on an iPhone: sketch, build surfaces and solids, use AI and export STEP, OBJ or STL. What works well on a phone, and where iPad helps.

Architecture software for Mac by stage: concept and massing, BIM and drawings, visualization. Where uMake fits on a Mac with Apple silicon, and where it doesn’t.

The kinds of free architecture software, what each is good for, and exactly what is free in uMake: downloading, opening 3D files, two Spaces and an AI trial.

How to model something you can 3D print: design to real size, keep it solid, export STL or OBJ, and slice it. A step-by-step workflow in uMake on iPad, iPhone or Mac.

AI rendering turns a 3D model into a photorealistic image in seconds. How it differs from a classic render, and how to do it beside your model in uMake.

A mood board app should hold photos, notes, sketches and your 3D design together. How to build an interior design mood board in a uMake Space, with AI tools.

Exterior design software lets you model a house’s massing and façade and try materials and light on it. How to do it in uMake, and what it isn’t for.

Turn a floor plan image into an editable 3D model: AI Design Partner reads walls, openings and stairs, then you refine. Plus the manual route, step by step.

Turn a sketch into a 3D model by drawing it in 3D yourself, or by giving it to AI. Both routes in uMake, with what each one is good for.

Edit images with words or a sketch, remove backgrounds, split photos into layers, restyle and compose scenes: AI image editing for designers in a uMake Space.

Design furniture on an iPad: sketch the idea, model it to real dimensions, see it at real size in AR, and export STEP, OBJ or STL for a CNC shop or 3D printer.

An industrial design workflow on iPad: sketch in 3D, refine curves into NURBS surfaces, wrap and cut details, then hand STEP or IGES to your engineering CAD.

Design rings and pendants on iPad in millimeters: revolve a band, wrap a motif onto it, engrave it, and export STL or OBJ for 3D printing or a casting partner.

A 3D design app for architecture and design students: sketch, model in real units, pin work up in a Space for crits, and export images for a portfolio.

New to 3D? Start from a sketch, learn three gestures, and make a first object in an afternoon. What’s free in uMake, what needs a plan, and where to get help.