We’re testing Morphi on one of our lab iPads, and it seems to be a very good introductory 3D modeling tool.
There are an increasing number of introductory applications, systems and services that are catering to those entirely new to 3D modeling (and 3D printing for that matter). One of the latest is Morphi, an iOS app that enables fairly easy creation of simple and printable 3D models.
As a tablet app, Morphi operates entirely by finger. You’ll be dragging and dropping items frequently to operate the tool.
Morphi provides some basic building blocks for 3D modeling, such as cylinders and cubes, which you can drag around, resize and other typical maneuvers. Using these simple tools, you can gradually build more complex objects.
One very interesting feature is the ability to input hand-drawn material using a special drawing screen as shown here. You can adjust the “pen” width and create strokes to draw anything.
These drawings are then automatically converted to 3D form and imported into the workspace. Here we added a base to our name.
You can export the 3D model as an STL file, unlike some similar apps, which only provide for visual use. In fact, Morphi permits export to Thingiverse or Adobe Creative Cloud, too. The STL export is accomplished by emailing you a Zipped file containing the STL.
And that STL looks quite correct, as far as we can see here.
The same input screen also permits importation of images from your photo library or even directly from your device’s camera. The image is essentially reduced to a black and white version (no, not gray, just black AND white), for extrusion into 3D form.
Curiously, Morphi also offers to rotate your image 90, 180, 270 or 360 degrees, but we could not find a good use case for this option.
Our take on Morphi is that it is a very simple 3D modeling application that can actually produce basic 3D models that will indeed print. The best use for this product we suspect will be for children or those having no 3D experience at all; others with any experience will likely want to move on to more complex products.
Morphi is available from the App Store at no charge, sort of. While the base application is free, you will have to pay for additional features. For example, you can buy a set of additional shapes and letters to include in your build menu options. The free version permits limited testing of the Draw panel, but then requires a purchase later. The full version will cost you less than USD$10, but if you like you could purchase either the “Shapes Pack” or “2D Image to 3D pack” for less.
Via MorphiApp
