Minor fixes for:
- Occasionally, the app did not register a grab input.
- Very slow controller rotations were smoothed too much, causing the object to occasionally drift.
- The invert button and other buttons were disabled while grabbing.
- The screenshot camera did not capture 3D environments.
- Non-functional developer tool could be accessed through the quick access radial menu.

Dearest Shapelab community,

The day has come, Shapelab 2024 is finally here!

We are very excited and proud to present you with the biggest update we ever released! Here are the main changes:

• VR and Desktop mode: Introducing an experimental feature for switching between desktop and VR modes to enhance efficiency for tasks that are faster with a classic mouse and keyboard setup.
  
• Multiresolution, subdivision levels: Shapelab is praised for its smooth dynamic topology mode, but those who are not a fan of this method can rejoice, as now you can also subdivide your mesh to create multiple "resolution levels"
  
• Quad remeshing (AutoRetopologize): use the Quad Remesh feature to achieve a lower-resolution, cleaner quad-based mesh and to enhance compatibility with further design steps such as animation and manual retopology.
  
• Detail Transfer (Projection): Transfer detailed features from a high-resolution model with a less organized topology, including triangles, to another, potentially quad-based object
  
• Multiselect, parenting: you can now select and apply modifications to multiple objects at once, as well as organize them hierarchically
  
• New matcaps, custom matcaps: we added many new options for matcaps, but if you don’t want to choose from the available options, you can now import your own!
  
• Flat-shading: for examining topology and geometry during sculpting
  
• UX improvements: introducing a quick access radial menu, the ability to completely hide the brush palette, and more!
  
• …and more! Check out the full update note with more information: update note[leopoly.atlassian.net]

We hope you will enjoy Shapelab 2024 as much as we do, and we are looking forward to read your feedback about the new features! Feel free to reach out to us on our usual communication channels, and join our Discord server to meet fellow Shapelab users.

Please note, that all of you who previously purchased Shapelab have access to the Shapelab 2024 update automatically, and this version of Shapelab will get more updates until the end of the year. Users who previously purchased Shapelab will get a discount on future versions of the application. You can read more about this decision in our previous post here on Steam.

Happy sculpting!

Best,
Shapelab team

Dear Shapelab community,

In the past few months we have been working on something exciting behind the scenes, and today we are here to share an important announcement with you!

First of all, the biggest ever update is coming at the end of May!

Just to highlight a few features:

• Multiresolution, subdivision levels
  
• Desktop and VR mode
  
• Scene hierarchy

This year Shapelab evolved from a side project to a main focus area in our company, Leopoly. We are going full steam ahead with implementing new features and intensely improving UX/UI, ultimately working towards Shapelab becoming the best VR modeling software.

However, we previously mentioned that we also need to develop our business model in order to grow and for you to receive a better tool, useful in more and more areas of digital asset creation.

Let us preface this by saying that Shapelab will remain available as a perpetual license. We previously added a subscription option, as we felt it would benefit some users who don’t want to purchase the software at its’ full price upfront. At the same time, it also could give the company the most stable foundation from a business point of view. However, we know that many of our users are against this payment method. So we examined the market and asked you, our community, about your preferences to work out a model that would align with these preferences, while also helping sustain the development of Shapelab.

After considering all the factors, we found the best option would be to transition to releasing annual versions of Shapelab in the future.

With the next huge update coming in May, we will rename Shapelab to Shapelab 2024, as this version will receive updates until the end of 2024. This means that all of you who already purchased a Shapelab perpetual license via Steam will get all the updates until the end of 2024. We have a lot of new features in store for this year, so we hope you’ll be delighted with Shapelab 2024!

Next year, we will publish a new version, Shapelab 2025, which will also get updates for a whole year. To thank you, our amazing community, we will offer Shapelab 2025 for a 50% discount to everyone who purchased Shapelab up to today. You will receive more information about this in time. If you decide not to upgrade to Shapelab 2025 when it is released, you will, of course, still have Shapelab 2024 available to you.

For those who prefer the subscription, this method will also remain, and you will also continue to receive the same updates if you buy a monthly or annual subscription. However, we want to highlight once again, that in the future, Shapelab will continue to be available for a one-time payment, in the form of the yearly versions mentioned earlier.

We deliberated a lot to make this hard decision, but we believe this transition will be the best way forward. We are very grateful for your support and feedback over the years. Without you, Shapelab wouldn’t be where it is today—a top-rated VR modeling software. We really hope the next update will bring you joy and an even smoother VR sculpting experience. We can’t wait to reveal more information and teasers about this in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Feel free to reach out to us in case of any questions!

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Best,
Shapelab team

Dear Shapelab community,

Awesome news! Shapelab is a nominee at the Auggie Awards🏆 , the most recognized AR&VR industry event!

We believe we have a real chance of winning this year, but we need our lovely community’s help! Please cast your vote so Shapelab can win in the Best Creator and Authoring tool category! It only takes a few minutes, but it’s a huge help for us:

• Register an account here: https://auggies.awexr.com/
  
• Go to ’Judge’ in the menu at the top left corner, select the „Best creator and authoring tool’ category, and vote for Shapelab!

You can vote until May 22nd, so please spread the word around. Let’s put Shapelab on the map together!

Dear Shapelab community,

We are looking for our new colleague in UX/UI design for XR, and we are turning to you - our community - first, hoping to find someone with some experience with Shapelab!

Are you a UX/UI designer with a background in 3D modeling? Would you like to contribute to reshaping the future of Shapelab and Leopoly’s XR training apps? Then check out our open UX/UI designer position at the following link: Go to job description[leopoly.com]

If the description fits you, please send us your CV and motivation letter to job@leopoly.com !

We are looking forward to getting to know you!

Best,
Leopoly team

Dear Shapelab community,

We hope a Shapelab update was on your wishlist for Santa, because we just released one! Check out the list below:

New features

• Change the origin and geometry transforms separately
  
• Manipulate Origin and Geometry with Gizmos
  
• Manipulate Origin and Geometry with numeric inputs
  
• Align Origin with Geometry
  
• Apply transforms
  
• Visualize symmetry planes in Scene mode too
  
• Sort files
  
• Mask brush - Quick inversion
  
• Visual indication for the screenshot event
  
• Desktop HD image field of view
  
• Reference image visibility
  
• Hand tremor stabilization for UI panels
  
• Change pressure sensitivity's max value

Fixes and modifications

• Object auto alignment feature for import could cause the object to “jump” upon first grab.
  
• The Transform tab in the Context Menu caused issues with loading project files.
  
• The toggle button for the dynamic topology mode, located on the brush modifier panel, now globally affects all brushes that support this feature.

As usual, we have a release note[leopoly.atlassian.net] with more details on the new features.

We hope you will enjoy the newest version of Shapelab! Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback, and contact us via this form[leopoly.atlassian.net] if you find a bug:

Ps: join our awesome user community on Discord[discord.gg] if you want to chat with fellow users as well as the Shapelab team! …And you can also submit your entry for our Holiday sculpting challenge there, until december 20th!

Happy sculpting & happy holidays!

The Shapelab team

Dear Shapelab community,

If you are using Shapelab and Blender in your workflow, here are some useful tips on combining these two powerful software 💡:

• use reference images in Shapelab to have more fluid feedback on the general shapes of the model
  
• iterate by going back and forth between the two software
  
• export from Shapelab to automatically decimate and generate maps and check how your work will look under Blender's render settings

Read our blog and learn more tips&tricks: go to blog [shapelabvr.com]

Dear Shapelab community,

As we are approaching the spooky season we have concocted a nice mix of features and fixes for you!

After updating here is what you will find in Shapelab:

• New Transform gizmo: Added a 4th Gizmo that combines movement, rotation, and scaling.
  
• Improved visibility of topology transform operations:
  - The "Flip," "Clone & Mirror," and "Mirror & Weld" operations are now indicated more clearly by highlighting the XYZ planes before applying the operation.
  - An arrow indicator has also been included to show the direction of the "Clone & Mirror" and "Mirror & Weld" operations.
  - “Mirror & Weld” direction can be swapped whenever the geometry makes it possible.
  
• Fixes

Check out the full update note here[leopoly.atlassian.net].

What better way to try the new release, than by sculpting your monsters for the Shapelab Halloween Challenge! Join us on Discord and submit your work until October 31th, end of the day (AoE)! The best ones will be featured on our social media. Go to Shapelab's Discord server to learn more: Join us on Discord[discord.gg]

Best,
Leopoly team

New features

Thumbnail view in the file browser for SL3D project files

• Option to switch between "List View" and "Thumbnail View" to showcase automatically generated screenshots of your creations, simplifying the process of identifying and loading the desired project.
  
• The toggle button is at the top right corner of the file browser.

Thumbnail view in the file browser for reference images (PNG, JPG)

• Option to display a preview of the importable images when browsing for reference images or alphas.
  
• The toggle button is at the top right corner of the file browser.

Fixes

• The Trim and Flatten brushes in raycast mode were not functioning correctly with certain strength slider values.
  
• In specific scenarios, the use of Transformation gizmos may lead to malfunctions in the Selection Tool.
  
• Rarely, the raycast could collide with an invisible UI entity.
  
• Occasionally, the raycast of the Color Pipette is oriented in the opposite direction.
  
• Enhance file browsing and access management by addressing issues related to invalid characters, inaccessible folders, and insufficient user permissions that can disrupt the file path.