Noumenal is a beautiful and easy way to create 3D shapes.
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This is the main screen. You will work with shapes in the main area of the screen, called the stage. The strips to the left and bottom of the screen are called bars. The bottom bar is called the stack. You will use this bar to store and group intermediate shapes. The left bar is called the shelf. You will use this bar to store a collection of components that you may need to copy. It will always contain primitive shapes, as well as any shapes you place there. Separating the stack and shelf from the stage is a gray ribbon containing several buttons. The name of the current stage and the last touched shape is displayed above this ribbon on the bottom.
You will use the shelf and the stack bars to hold parts of your shape as you build it. The stack is for temporary storage, while the shelf can be used to build a collection of reusable components.
Rings are drawn on the screen to show where fingers make contact with shapes. Large dots show contact with the background. If you lift a finger, they become a small dot, which acts as an anchor, until all fingers are lifted.
Place a shape in a bar by dragging the shape from the stage to the edge of the screen where the bar lies. Dragging several shapes together will group them as one shape, and they can be ungrouped again by tapping the grouped shape in the bar. You can scroll through the shapes in a bar by moving shapes side to side.
Shapes in the stage can be moved using one, two, or three fingers. Using more fingers lets you move the shape in more ways.
With one finger, you can move a shape left, right, up, and down.
With two fingers, you can also spin shapes around, move them torward or away from you, or change the size (in scaling mode).
Shapes will move in and out of the screen when not in scaling mode.
Shapes will change size when in scaling mode.
With three fingers, you can also spin shapes into and out of the screen. This takes some practice, but keeping two fingers still and moving the other will spin the shape around the line between the two still fingers. Using both hands (two fingers on one hand, one on the other) may help.
Tapping and then dragging a shape will also allow moving a shape torward and away.
When using two taps, a fixed contact is added, also shown as a ring.
In scaling mode, a tap and drag will stretch a shape in one direction.
Also, you can tap once quickly before using two fingers to spin a shape around its center.
If you want to get rid of a shape in the shelf or the stack, pull it to the nearest edge of the screen and hold for a second until it is removed.
Touching more than one shape or the black background at the same time will move all shapes (the world) together.
To move the world with one finger, use it to touch a shape at the same time that you touch the background with a second finger, and then release the second finger. You can move all shapes left, right, up and down. Alternatively, you can drag the background with one finger.
To move the world with two fingers, use them to touch multiple shapes at once, or use a third to touch and release the background. You can also spin the world, or move it closer or further from you, or change sizes (in scaling mode). Alternatively, you can use two fingers on the black background to move, rotate, and change sizes (in scaling mode).
To move the world with three fingers, use them to touch multiple shapes at once, or use a fourth finger to touch and release the background. You can spin into and out of the screen.
A quick tap before using two fingers to move the world will allow you to spin around the center of the closest shape.
Shapes can be combined to make new ones. There are three different ways to combine shapes. Quickly tap a shape twice to change how it will combine with others.
The first way to combine a shape is to add it to other shapes. A shape in this mode is called a positive shape.
The second way to combine a shape is to remove it from other shapes. This will create a hole the size of that shape. A shape in this mode is called a negative shape.
The third way to combine a shape is to keep only the parts of other shapes that are inside it, trimming away everything on the outside. A shape in this mode is called a clipping shape.
There are a number of buttons. Some toggle specific modes, while others perform actions when touched. These will light up when active, or fade when disabled.
The left side of the ribbon shows a view looking from the edge of the screen, designed to improve depth perception. This will automatically rotate around to get the clearest view of the closest points on the shape being moved. You can think of it as a rear view camera on a car.
This gauge is to the right of the shelf. It indicates the complexity of the shapes in the stage. When full (red), shapes cannot be added to the stage until some are removed, by placing them in the stack or the shelf.
You can change the color of a shape by tapping the "pick color" button, choosing a color, and then touching the shape.
If you want to share a shape, put it on the stage and then press the "share" button. There are several ways to share your shape:
The scale is the longest dimension for exported meshes. It doesn't affect FCT or image exports.
An active subscription is required to share GLB, USDZ, and STL files.
Please contact support@noumenal.app for support or to give feedback. Thanks!