Solid Shapes

Solid is a CAD term which means a shape that has both an exterior surface and an internal volume. The shape is unambiguous, watertight, and manufacturable. Most Boxshot shapes are designed to look like something real, while solid shapes are designed to represent the real structure of the object.

At first sight, the Solid shapes look pretty similar to the shapes from the Simple Shapes section: cylinder, box, sphere, torus, etc. The key difference is that solid shapes are backed by the CAD engine, which allows performing effective boolean operations that are limited with other types of shapes in Boxshot.

Limitations

Solid shapes in Boxshot are limited to just one material per shape and automatic texture mapping. This applies to both simple and complex shapes. Consider converting finished solid shapes to embedded models and assigning materials there if you need more flexibility.

Solid Shape Properties

You can add a Solid shape from the CAD section of the Shapes panel in Boxshot.

At the very top, you’ll find the Shape type selector. Here you can switch between the supported solid types: box, cylinder, cone, sphere, etc.

Below, you’ll find the properties of the selected shape type. For instance, you get just Radius for the sphere shape, but many more options for a box or cylinder.

Some shapes with hard edges (like a box or cylinder) also feature a Bevel parameter that lets you round the edges.

Then comes the Advanced section, which provides properties common to all shape types:

• Texture mapping — here you can select the UV mapping applied to the object;
• Smooth angle — lets you configure the hardness of the object’s edges;
• Quality — controls the level of detail in the generated geometry.

At the very bottom of the panel, you can find the Convert to script button, which converts the solid shape to a script-based solid (see below).

Solid Shape Types

There are three types of solid shapes in Boxshot:

• Simple — this is what we’ve just described: a simple box, sphere, cylinder, etc;
• Complex — the result of a boolean operation on other solid objects;
• Script — a solid shape defined by code.

The simple shapes were explained above. Complex shapes are created by applying boolean operations to other solid shapes (simple or complex). Finally, both simple and complex solid shapes can be converted to script-based solids by clicking the Convert to script button at the bottom of the panel.

You might need scripting if you want to create a complex or highly configurable shape and are comfortable with code. Check the solid scripting tutorial for more details.

Complex Solids Limitations

Once a boolean operation is performed on solid shapes, they are no longer simple, and there is no way to configure their basic parameters (like size or radius). You can still adjust the texture mapping, level of detail, and smoothness, though.

The only way to configure a complex solid shape is to convert it to a scriptable solid and edit the script.

When To Use Solids?

You only need solid objects if you want to perform boolean operations on them. Although you can also perform boolean operations on most shapes from the Simple Shapes section, the result is usually much more stable and predictable when solid shapes are used. If you don’t need booleans, using Simple Shapes is preferable.

More Tutorials

Rendering

• Realistic Rendering — improving scenes visual appearance;
• Lighting — control environment and directional lighting;
• Saturated Reflection — make "rich" colorful reflections;
• Floor Reflection — reflecting scene objects in the floor;
• Job Manager — rendering jobs later;
• GPU Rendering — rendering scenes faster on GPU;
• Rendering Time and Quality — getting more control on rendering;
• Simple and Realistic Lighting — speeding up scene rendering.

Materials

• Texture Slots — how to use texture slots in Boxshot;
• Glass Materials — how to make semi–transparent objects look attractive;
• UV–Spot — how to make a UV–spot effect easily;
• Foil Effect — how to add foil–finishing to your shapes;
• Bump — adding relief to your materials;
• Copying Materials — how to copy materials to other shapes;
• Custom Materials — extend the materials library with your own ones;
• Semi–Transparent Labels — making semi–transparent and partial labels;
• Boxshot Materials — more details about Boxshot materials.

Features

• Boolean Operations — combining and subtracting shapes, making holes;
• Decals — applying decals and configuring them;
• Bump Decals — applying bump where it is needed;
• Depth Of Field — adding more realism to your renderings;
• Tools — read more about Boxshot tools;
• Managing Images — how to manage image files used by Boxshot projects;
• Shapes Instances — creating lightweight copies of other shapes;
• Model Editor — edit embedded models in many ways;
• Shrink Wrap — heat–shrink film simulation for objects wrapping;
• Physics Simulation — applying gravity to your scene;
• Palletize — arrange scene objects for the pallet;
• Snapshots — save scene state to re–use it later;
• Translation — teach Boxshot to speak your language;
• Vector Artwork — how to maintain the quality of vector artwork.

Shapes

• Lathe Objects — making symmetrical objects using revolving curves;
• Loft Objects — making custom objects with 2D cross–sections;
• 3D Text — making 3D text objects in Boxshot;
• Extruded Objects — how to make thick 3D object of your flat 2D curve;
• Conical Labels — making conical labels with distorted artwork;
• Dieline Box — a very realistic dieline–based box;
• Custom Shapes — adding custom shapes to the left panel;
• Solid Shapes — create boolean-friendly shapes;
• Script-Based Solids — create complex solid shapes with code;
• Third Party Shapes — importing third party shapes to Boxshot.