Plasticity 2024.1 | What's New | Raise Degree | xNurbs | MatCaps | MORE

In this video we are going to highlight some of the new and updated features for the recent release of plasticity 24.1.1. Remember we are an affiliate so if you use the code LEAD10 at checkout you get 10% off and it helps the channel out. www.Plasticity.xyz
We can't cover everything that has changed but here is a list of minor and major updates.
1. Minor Enhancements
. Improved the interactivity of the Radial Array command.
. Enhanced accuracy of the midpoint computation for planar face polygons.
. Export dialog now remembers the last used filename.
. Automatically name imported image OBJ files based on the original import filename.
. Introduced a new orbit rotation strategy using the classic tumble turntable approach.
. Extended the TangentCircle command to construct tangents to three curves/edges.
. Added new shaders for isophotes and draft angle analysis.
. Introduced new built-in matcaps and for advanced surfacing workflows.
. Custom matcaps
. New "ultra" faceting preference to enhance surface smoothness in surfacing workflows. Use with caution!
. Command palette now highlights clashing keybindings in red.
. Diagnostic error bodies are now displayed in the Loft and Sweep commands to identify issues like self-intersections.
. PatchCommand now optionally accepts an overbuilt sheet to trim into a hole.
. UntrimCommand has been enhanced to create holes instead of only duplicating.
. ExtendCurve command expanded to accept curves in addition to vertices, extending in two directions simultaneously.
. JoinSheetsCommand can be triggered with one sheet selected, and it will prompt to select the second sheet.
. Shift-x can now temporarily disable undesirable snaps during point picking.
. RebuildCommand expanded to replace smoothly connected edges.
. Introduced new edge snaps .closest, perpendicular, tangent
. New hover snaps for tangent circles and arcs
. New hover snaps where curves and edges intersect the construction plane ,aka "pierces", and axes.
. The measurements panel now displays angles between two edges.
. Outliner's right-click menu includes a new option to create a group with selected items.
. "Plane from selection" now allows using surface cvs to create construction planes.
. Importing OBJ STL files now prompts for unit confirmation.
. Measurements in the lower-right panel can now be clicked to be copied directly to the clipboard.
. ExtendSheet Command introduced an "up to" behavior for extending surfaces.
. Enhanced the STEP export dialog to include options for converting analytic surfaces to NURBS and selecting the STEP version.
. Added a warning for unsaved changes when opening files as well as a indicator dot for unsaved changes in general.
. Simplified the Pipe Command gizmo.
. New obj export option: "inflexion".
. Obj export can now optionally use the current matcap and disable the wireframe. This can be used to check ultra-high-resolution zebras, for example.
. Dimension Command can now resize cylinders
Major Enhancements
. Offset Face command now supports dependent offsets.
. RaiseDegree Command increases surface complexity by converting analytic surfaces to spline and increasing the spline degree.
. Surface CV editing now allows direct manipulation of both trimmed and untrimmed faces.
. Faces with visible cvs now have a "nominal" surface to allow easier edits in the presence of direct editing
. RemoveNominalSurface Command is available in case it needs to be removed
. Introduced TogglePoints command to show hide points on faces, curves, and bodies.
. Added scaling options to the Pipe and Sweep commands.
. Implemented a "Full Round" fillet option.
. "Rebuild" command now can rebuild the surfaces of faces; extend and shrink options allow for easily overbuilding surfaces
Small but Significant Changes
. Dragging CVs of curves and surfaces now aligns with screen space; previously it was parallel to the construction plane
. Enhanced sketch operations to confirm with a single Enter press or single left-click.
Studio-Exclusive Features
. Integrated the xNURBS addon for high-quality surface construction.
. Added support for Rhino 8 imports.
Noteworthy Optimizations
. Enhanced parallelism in OBJ/STL exports.
. Object transformations now bypass refaceting on confirmation for efficiency.
. Implemented 16-bit snorm normals and 16-bit indices where possible to optimize memory usage.

[@wasfire5000]

Love your videos. So clear, everything. Thank you!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad you like them! More to come soon!

[@2danshepherd]

I agree @wasfire5000. The clarity of his explanations is why I watch as well.

[@cascadiadesign]

RE: Time 5:14 You can use "Rebuild" at a larger tolerance (such as 0.005) on that large corner fillet face to simplify its CV structure. I tried it and was able to pull out some CVs to distort the corner and then apply a smaller fillet around the top edges of the box. Everything remained stitched together as the object remained a solid. Your point about saving smaller fillet operations until the basic shape is achieved is well taken.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Great tip! Thanks

[@jeffk412]

very polished presentation, thanks!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You're welcome!

[@TheEtbetween]

Can I import stl files and edit them? Or even Obj? Thanks?

[@TAH1712]

Great description and presentation.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thank you kindly!

[@jacquesjanoyer]

Thank's a lot !

[@user-mg2om5dr7e]

Love your videos!~~ Thank you!~~

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You are welcome!

[@shokk1967]

Thx for this, I'm on the indie version, but plenty to be learning with the new update.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Yeah i think for users who do a lot of complex shapes/surfacing work, the Studio is a no-brainer. but the Indie tools work for 95% of users from what I have seen. I think "Raise Degree" is in the Indie license.

[@shokk1967]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign yes raise degree is part of the indie package

[@TheEtbetween]

Thank You!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You're welcome!

[@pixelkay2004]

thanks!!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Welcome!

[@ShopTherapy623]

I started my 3d printing journey about 10 months ago. I got an educational license for Fusion 360 (from my nephew), and have become pretty efficient at it. What is the learning curve going from Fusion to Plasticity, and is it worth switching? There's definitely a lot of limitations with Fusion.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Awesome! Depends a bit on what you think the limitations are with Fusion. Its a different modeling approach. If i need something controlled by dimensions and maybe update the dimensions, Fusion is still the choice. If i need to model based on mesh from scans, Fusion. Plasticity offers a lot of freedom with less rigid workflow, but it comes at the expensive of precision. Not that you can't be precise, but its more direct modeling than sketch/parameter driven modeling.

[@shokk1967]

I'm looking a basic course not on asset creation but this like snapping to the centre, snapping objects together, lining stuff up, how to do angles, creating parts then using the mirror tool correctly. I use onshape, but feel comfortable in plasticity. Would you know of anything that might help me?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

We just released a 5 part series on basic solid modeling tools that have 4 episodes for learning the basic tools and the 5th episode practicing. kzbin.info/aero/PLBDfGh8A8kXVIrO1aizPFmRBy-A-G9svk That was done in version 1.4. There is another YT channel called PixelFondue that does sub 1min videos on specific tools. Kind of like a rapid fire help. We plan to build out more videos but were waiting for this new version to be public to make sure the efforts weren't wasted :)

[@shokk1967]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign excellent, and thx. 😊

[@Argyll9846]

I wish every Plasticity video maker gave such clear, precise information. What really irritates me are video without a commentary.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Appreciate that! I know a lot of makers either don't speak English or not well enough to want to narrate. There are a lot of great creators out there using it.

[@Argyll9846]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign I agree and the beauty about English is that no matter how bad you speak it, you can always be understood using even only a few words. I've watched videos from a couple of creators who have commentary in their early videos, but none later on - just fast time-lapses. Basically they put the onus of viewers to work out what they are doing and why.

[@3dsteveo765]

I just began you new 5 part on learning 1.4. Does this release mark the end of bug fixes. Or do we have to upgrade?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

I asked that question on the discord channel and I will have to get back to you. I am not sure the answer to that. You don't have to upgrade as you own whatever version you have, but how bugs are handled in those I am not sure. I will have to get back to you on that.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

The reply I got was that no major bugs have been reported in 1.4x but there may be a few more things that come up. currently its 1.4.20 on github and there was mention of a few more updates that are easy to port back to the 1.0 license.

[@user-xk2ny1vh5h]

I'm about to start drsigning the interior of a narrowboat. I'm looking for software that will allow me to brainstorm ideas , when happy, move the design over into say Fusion. Would Plasticity be able to do this? I tried Blender but the learning curve was too steep, SkerchUp Pro was non- intuitive but the workflow is what I was looking for - just bloody annoying to use!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

For concepting absolutely! But there are several freeware boat hull design programs out there as well. For Brainstorming the Raise Degree tool would be pretty handy, but after the brainstorm what is your next step? Are you planning to try and take that data and actually make the hull?

[@user-xk2ny1vh5h]

Hi thanks for the reply. (Google ' Narrow boat' using the 'images' option) No I won't be buildig the hull this is a renovation project with alterations. The interior fit-out incorporating the alterations to the structure and engine/propulsion is what I'm looking to resolve. I'm intending to scan the boat and move on from there the external dimensions are approx 70ft x 7'6"". I'm looking for a a low detail ( because of the rust pitting) but accurate scanning method to import onto CAD to start the design - any suggestions? Perhaps photogrammetey??

[@gonzalomorenoandonaegui2052]

I had no idea of this software, is it better than Alias for surface modelling considering price ?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

well. Alias is a Class A surface program with the ability to do SubD modeling and curves with high precision built on top of a reference Mesh. I don't think they are comparable. But alias is $4k-$10k/year. The surfaces in Plasticity so far are higher quality than that in Fusion.

[@jimmyjames6913]

HI and thanks for the video! I just tried to renew my plasticity license and wasn´t able to use your checkout code- why is that?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Yeah so sadly I learned today that the affiliate discount codes only work for new purchases and not for the Updates.... sorry

[@terryd8692]

Yeah, I just tried too. We have to add VAT on as well, so thats another 20%. I also thought the upgrade was $175 but thats the studio renewal price. I thought I'd get away with paying $157.50 but it'll be $240. I think I'll just stick with Indie.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@terryd8692 oh wow 20% for VAT!

[@yellowsky7330]

Are the new features included in both versions? I'm trying to decide whether to get the Indie or Studio version. At the moment I think Studio is way beyond my capabilities.

[@BojanSusic-qi4qn]

xNURBS is exclusive to the studio version, that's it for the differences in features

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

the Raise Degree is in Indie, but xNurbs is in Studio. There are other differences on import/export file types and such but right now that is the bigger difference for most.

[@4museman]

👍

[@user-zj2wm1hy4q]

The software purchase method is great. First because it allows customers to own the software for a price that makes sense, not being afraid to end up without a way to work if you dont have a credit card enabled every month. It means they will sell exponentially more than the usual solidworks, autocad, inventor etc.. Plasticity will take over for sure, becoming the standard for 3d design very soon due to the amount of new users learning it directly due to the low cost. All my friends bought it, and also in my company almost everybody has it already. Second that it stimulates the software house to keep improving the software way faster and making money with the small upgrades. People certainly will pay an extra 150 or 200 bucks for an upgrade each 6 months, rather than 29.90 a month. For the monthly subscription of autocad for example: every year, they launch a new version, no actual workflow improvement, no tool improvements, no actually a new useful functionality. You do the same stuff in version 2004 and 2024. It now looks just heavier to run.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Yeah Autocad hasn't seen much in terms of updates in a long time. I just installed Inventor 2025 today and its mainly UI/UX updates with a few things. Same with Solidworks. The fact that Plasticity has incorporated Raise Degree and xNurbs, those alone are big especially respective to tools in other programs.

[@MIchaelSybi]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Same for Rhino. It has some improvements, but I managed to work faster in Plasticity, though I knew Rhino for like 4 months of learning, and Plasticity for 1 month, which proves the point it's a faster modeler. Rhino has some edge over fillets editing, but any program has some advantages, for 95% of work Plasticity is fast and interchangable for me. I compared Rhino vs Plasticity functions and was hard pressed to say where RHhno has advantage and what Plasticity can't do. It can pretty much everything ieven now with the new change degree option

[@steeltree-fabricatingandcu3796]

do you think i could scan a car fender for example , upload the stl to plasticity and manipulate the shape without redrawing the whole thing manipulate meaning make it a wide body design that i can 3d print

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Sadly no. You could do that with Blender since it will be a mesh, but you would likely need to remesh it and the flow of edges won't really be ideal for editing in that way. As of right now Plasticity doesn't do anything with mesh imports other than display them. So for me designing parts off scan data I still go to Fusion.

[@steeltree-fabricatingandcu3796]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign yeah i have tried with fusion ive reduced the amount of triangles im really struggling with it

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

It can be tough. Fusion isn't really a mesh tool so anything over 10k triangles can really bog down a system. I have a design right now with millions of triangles and its tough. Making the mesh unselectable helps. Basically every time you cursor over a mesh it tries to highlight every face and that sucks performance.

[@steeltree-fabricatingandcu3796]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign where in the settings do you change this

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@steeltree-fabricatingandcu3796 For the unselectable, you right click on the mesh body in the bodies folder in the browser. near the bottom it will say "selectable/unselectable" that will put a little red circle on the body in the folder. This basically means if you need to select it for any reason you need to do it from the browser. BUT form tools like pull can still pull down to it without it being selectable.

[@ecospline]

if there is a possibility to import camera settings from blender ?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

The workflow is really made to go from Plasticity to Blender and not the other way around. There is a Blender Bridge which is a live connection between the two but the data only flows from Plasticity to Blender.

[@ecospline]

​@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign ...what a shame - thanks for the information👍

[@DevSingh-bn6fe]

Your discount code is not working for upgrading license

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Yeah, i just found out the affiliate codes only work for new purchase not for upgrades sadly....

[@cekuhnen]

CV Edit only works with G1 fillets! Not g2!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

If i make a G2 fillet on a box I am able to still raiseDegree on it. It actually works a bit better than G1 fillets. Are you seeing a different behavior?

[@cekuhnen]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign possibly I explained my thought incorrectly my point is that if you use a G2 fillet which is buys different than and g1 adjust tangent surfaces seem to work at least that is my experience

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@cekuhnen Yeah if you are editing a surrounding face, a conic fillet seems to behave better. The raiseDegree CVs treat the face as its untrimmed self and the fillet seems to work better. If you use a CV the raise degree doesn't seem to use the untrimmed face anymore. However IF you are trying to RaiseDegree on the fillet itself, the G2 works a bit different. All a bit of a crap shoot with fillets :)

[@TheEtbetween]

Can I import stl files and edit them?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Not currently no. You can import an OBJ but just as a reference. If you need to edit a mesh file your best best is likely Blender.

[@pancho10silva]

what is the command for raise degree ?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Shift +S when you have a face selected. Toggle Points (to show/hide the raise degree verts) doesn't have a shortcut by default.

[@pancho10silva]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign thanks a lot 🙌🙌🙌 great work btw

[@logiclandco]

Seems very intuitive & powerful tool, but expensive for hobbiest around the corner.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

It is pretty powerful. As for the price that really depends on what you need it for. Yes a lot of CAD programs have hobby versions, but some still charge or have stipulations (like OnShape) that your designs are public/open source. With Plasticity it is a perpetual license so if you buy an Indie license you own it forever.

[@cyberbemon]

Do you plan on updating your intro to plasticity videos with the new tools?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

This is tricky as everytime we update something minor changes :) Since KZbin doesn't let us swap out videos we are thinking about how to handle this. We have a website for Fusion courses that allows us to swap out content and the solution might be to offer Plasticity content there to better manage versioning. In terms of the updates that happened, the main thing that would affect workflows is the 1 click vs 2 click confirmation. As a user, how would you prefer to consume content like this where an update may affect a small portion of a larger set of videos? A complete redo with the update or to offer a "primer" with what has changed? or some other option.

[@cyberbemon]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign I think with smaller updates, its more than enough just mentioning them under comments/linking the video that expalins the new changes and what not. I don't think it's worth redoing a whole series of tutorials for minor changes. But if there was a significant update that changes a lot of the workflow, then I'd personally prefer a new video kinda showcasing the new changes. I find it often overwhelming having to go through new things and figuring out what changed and what didn't, an example of making use of the new changes helps a ton when it comes to getting my head around the new stuff.

[@D.Naylor]

Not bashing SW; but their what's new videos barely get few thousands views even after few years. 10k views after 5 days in impressive.

[@adamfilipowicz9260]

Can it create threads?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

there is no thread tool, but you can manually create threads.

[@adamfilip]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign well that sucks.. im out.. back to Fusion

[@chikhai]

Sucks if you bought an indie license last year though. I wish I could just up my product versions and demand more cash.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Yeah, there is an upgrade option, and it sets your license from the time of upgrade. So if you have indie for 6mo and you upgrade to Studio, the license starts at that time. So you get 12mo of studio from that point. www.plasticity.xyz/upgrade-renew

[@chikhai]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Yeah, I know the upgrade path. I just feels like early adopters like myself have got the shaft and doesn't bode well for the future. Bumping up the version number to evade giving a full 12 months of support is very shady.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@chikhai i don't think that happened did it? I thought indie and studio got 12mo support including major releases. I think the 12 mo thing was extended for early adopters. I bought my Studio in march 2023 so it has been public for over a year now, but I was able to download 24.1.1. I would try to update if you haven't. I think i saw something on discord about an extension for those early adopters but it wasn't for long. 30 days maybe?

[@chikhai]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign You can't run the latest version with an Indie 1.0 license. It prompts you to upgrade. If you're running v1.4.20 or below you can continue using it until your license expires, but if you decide to download the latest version your license absolutely does not work. I saw this coming with the wording of the license originally, but I wasn't expecting them to be this predatory. Especially at such an early stage. Once again the greatest threat to indie developers is other indie developers.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@chikhai Sorry to hear that!

[@rodolflum3444]

mic got a lot hissing

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

hmm thats strange. i checked from a few different sources even my bone conduction headset which sucks and i don't hear a hissing. I had someone else check on a few different sources too with no hiss. Not sure what the problem could be....

[@kevinm3751]

So not worth paying full price for an update from the old version!

[@Strider1122]

I'm just gonna wait for another year I think maybe even two for proper proper upgrades. Not many ultra major differences to make you go 'hell yeah'

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

To me the biggest upgrade worth the money is Raise Degree, which is in the Indie version. That to me is a big shift in how you can model. It is my understanding that there will be more than just xNurbs in the Studio version that will be aimed more at those in a professional role using Plasticity to make money. Me personally I bought in to the Studio version as I wanted access to all the tools. For most users i think Indie will do.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

to be fair you would pay more for xNurbs in another program as an add-on. But yeah if you don't do or need surfacing tools like that, the Indie version makes sense.

[@dotcom4389]

i was near to purchasing this product (indie) but then i found out that they changed the terms and conditions so that the indies wouldnt get any of the new features. very dirty practice and could ruin the company. be careful.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

I commented on your post. The statement isn't true. The old Indie 1.0 license locked you at version 1.x. The new license that you buy now for $150 is Indie 1.1 and that gives you 12mo of updates including major releases. I don't know where you got the info that they just changed the terms to restrict new features. It is the opposite of that.

[@dotcom4389]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign 2024 version that has just been released, new features are only for studio. The indie version allowed for all new features within the 12 months.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@dotcom4389 Yes, for the Indie 1.x license for the original release. There change in license structure now has an indie 1.1 license that enables access for 12mo including major updates. You can update the old indie license to the new indie license for $100 or upgrade to a studio license. If you purchased an Indie 1.0 license at the original release that was only for 1.x versions. When the license structure was updated some time ago (don't know when), and the new indie price was $150, that does include major releases. The purchase page on the plasticity site states the same. I have spoken to original Indie license holders that felt a bit cheated but I don't see anywhere on the original license that granted access past the 1.x version of the software.

[@poni7373]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign I agree with what you stated here. I purchased the original In die license and read the license terms, which were all pretty clear: Udates for all 1.x versions included. Nothing more, nothing less. And back then, Indie was $99 if I remember correctly. I don’t feel misled in any way or form.

[@dotcom4389]

​@@poni7373 even though i think theres a good chance that you are fake account, belonging to the company. ill pretend.. so you agree that you wont receive any updates within your 12 months contract. ok.... ok...

[@PeoniesandPendulums]

Cool 😎 @abovewongart

[@TheEtbetween]

Can I import stl files and edit them?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Not currently no. You can import an OBJ but just as a reference. If you need to edit a mesh file your best best is likely Blender.