Getting Started with Plasticity for Beginners | V1.4 Update | UI and Modeling Overview
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- Опубліковано 28 тра 2024
- In this video we are updating/redoing an intro video to get you started with Plasticity.
Plasticity is a CAD program for Artists. It has a lot of powerful CAD tools and the freedom of a direct modeler to give you the foundation and freedom to model nearly anything you want. But in order to make the most of Plasticity you should get comfortable with the UI, Shortcuts, and General workflow.
If you don't have plasticity yet make sure to download a 30-day trial from : www.plasticity.xyz/#pricingst...
If you are looking to buy Plasticity we are an Affiliate and the code "LEAD10" will get you 10% off your purchase and help out the channel.
In the video we talk about shortcuts and go over the most common ones you should know, but for a more complete list check out : plasticity-unofficial-documen...
00:00 Introduction
00:37 What is in this video
02:35 General Plasticity Settings
04:04 Tour the User Interface and Essential View and Selection Shortcuts
06:00 Shift CTRL and ALT when Modeling
07:35 Move Rotate Scale
08:58 Contextual Tools
09:52 Duplicate
10:52 See All Commands
12:06 Modeling Tutorial Introduction
12:31 Creating Curves
16:35 Extruding a Solid
17:02 Rotating a Face
17:30 Plane from Selection
17:42 Using SHIFT to get projections
18:50 Adding Fillets and Chamfers
19:18 Moving Faces
20:28 Extruding and Joining
21:28 Offset Edges of Faces
22:10 Iso Param and Line Knife Tool to Split Faces
23:10 Referencing geometry when creating curves
25:22 Modeling Process Review - Навчання та стиль
I’m never using fusion 360 ever again after seeing this, it’s so straight forward and easy.
If you don't need the parametric CAD side of things to change dimensions, freeform modeling, or any of the extra stuff like CAM, simulation , sheet metal etc, you can't go wrong with Plasticity.
Great introduction to Plasticity. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful! We did a 5 part series spending a bit more time on some basic modeling if you are looking for some more. ua-cam.com/play/PLBDfGh8A8kXVIrO1aizPFmRBy-A-G9svk.html
Just learned so many things watching this tutorial. Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
only half way through but this is well done
impressive how much you pack into less than 30 minutes
many thanks for sharing your knowledge
subbed
Glad you enjoyed it! and thank you! I am planning out another plasticity series to add to the list soon!
Great beginner video...thanks!
Glad it was helpful! I am editing a 5 part beginner series now that should be out soon.
Thanks for this. Definitely looking for more Plasticity content. It seems to fit a lot of what I need, a straight up modeler that isn't trying to be everything to everyone, where I can build what I need quickly and not break the bank, and mathmatically based so that I dont have to become some sort of mental contortionist to effectively and easily perform simple functions, like chamfers, fillets and booleans without destroying the geo. It's been on my to-do list to get better at using this for a while now, and I know a current project would have benefitted if I had had the time to do so. It's a lot more powerful than people give it credit for, and perfectly fills a need if you don't need a parametric modeler (how often do I really use that functionality in practice for my purposes?) or need to create drawings and such. Just a few more improvements here and there, and I have a feeling it'll be a must-have or go-to for most of my modeling needs. I just need to get more comfortable with it. It seems like every other day, I'll notice some function and say, "damn, i should have just used Plasticity for this."
awesome to hear and agree! Nick is trying to listen to what everyone wants in the software, which is great, but I think the direction it is going will still be the core "hard surface" modeler going to blender after the model is done, but with the capability to be good for users making 3d prints or just having fun.
Super clear , i learn a lot , thanks !!!
Glad to help!
Thank you bro
Very cool program, looks easy to be creative fast without any thing holding you back or slowing you down. Would almost dare to say revolutionary
Nick who created the software took a hard look at a lot of different programs and really built it listening to a lot of feedback on what people want.
Yeah! Hey! I learned how to mangle an object in Plasticity and believe-you-me, I like using it to make shapes a hell of a lot more than Blender. Day one of my 30-day, but I am strongly tempted to buy this with your discount code!
We have a 5 part modeling series coming out next week on basic modeling approaches. 4 parts on modeling tools needed to do most anything, and a 5th episode where we walk through a design. Stay tuned!
Nice tutorial.
Thanks!
please do more im very much a beginner to plasticity and never used cad programs before
I have a few more videos in the lineup planned.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign thank you
I like plasticity so far. Hope they add a quad view sometime.
I think i saw that in the list of improvements asked for so fingers crossed. I don't like to model that way but a lot of people do.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign I grew up with Lightwave 3D, it's in my DNA :D
Thanks for the vídeo! How is the handle wirh STL files? Can I import and change?
Not currently. I think there are features in the works that will let you work by snapping to a mesh, but currently you can import them as reference and that is about it.
"Traditional" CAD such as Siemens NX & Solid Edge, IronCAD and Spaceclaim do all that direct modeling together with parametric modelling at the same time.
That is true, but they aren't as good at it and most of those are a lot more expensive too. IronCAD is the only one that is under $1000 in that list. NX i think is well over $10k. Solid Edge is very bad from a UI/UX perspective and is $2000. Spaceclaim, woof :) I don't even think they list their prices online.
What i mean by they don't do direct modeling as well, programs like Solidworks for example made a "Direct modeling" toolbar and just stuck tools that have existed in it for a long time. But when push comes to shove and you try to move faces around for example, or add fillets to complex shapes it chokes. I have taken several models from Solidworks, Fusion and others that would not fillet or shell, and plasticity has no issues with it. Even though its build on the Parasolid Kernel it is a bit more flexible.
But yes traditional CAD in nearly all flavors have direct editing. Honestly the closest one for me is Fusion. Turning off history and still being able to create detailed sketches but not capture history is the next quickest thing to Plasticity for me, but its not the right tool for everyone.
Very nice tutorial, I love it. Thorogh explanation. Subd + bell so I don't miss any plasticity content!
Thank you very much!
I'm coming from sketchup 2017. I make cabinets. I have to render images for clients sometimes and need printed views with dimensions. Can do?
Sadly no. I would suggest going to Autodesk Fusion if you need to make drawings with dimensions. I have some videos on making custom scripts to bring in cabinet sizes in csv format and configure them. and fusion now has configurations so you could make one cabinet, configure it and automate some of the drawing tasks.
Im leaving fusion 360 my biggest thing before i know this will my main playeform. Is 3d scanning something into mesh then being able to design off that
Not currently with Plasticity no. You can import an OBJ mesh but its basically just a reference. you can't model on it or snap to it. So if you are looking for a scan to design workflow I do suggest you stick with Fusion. It is the best right now in terms of what you get for the price.
I had never seen this software until now and coming from a Blender, Fusion and Maya background, this seems to be a polished Blender, in the areas they overlap of course. Some of the options you showed could be added to Blender too, like the CAD Transforms addon for the Grab -> Freestyle kind of stuff. But I didn't really see a whole lot in here (in this limited quick overview) that would make me want to pay the $300 USD for it over a free Blender. Especially considering Blender has decent sculpting and rendering tools, not to mention everything else it can do.
I'm curious as too what your thoughts are of Plasticity. Would you actually recommend it over Blender for just modelling?
Love your content by the way, thanks for this video, I've learnt about a cool new program!
Hey There, yeah Plasticity is meant to be a companion to Blender and not replace it. It is built on the Parasolid Kernel and is a BREP/NURBS modeler. So you aren't dealing with a mesh, but a true "solid" or "surface". Unlike things like Cad Sketcher for Blender that try to mimic CAD operations, this is a CAD program meant to ease in the Hard Surface type models that often take some care and creativity with edge loops and modifiers.
I would say check out this video on Blender Bridge ua-cam.com/video/rzcp4jBEYMk/v-deo.html Which has a real time link between Plasticity and Blender. If you are a good Hard Surface modeler in Blender with your Add-ons and you like that workflow you probably won't get much more out of Plasticity. But if you like a CAD workflow for direct modeling and then bringing those models over to blender or things like surface painter for doing materials, textures, rendering/animation then its worth a look :)
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Thanks for that explanation. If they could bring the parametric history to Plasticity, that would intrigue me a lot as that is one of the primary features I enjoy from Fusion. Or yes, if CAD Sketcher eventually gets to a point where it works flawlessly, then I could just go with Blender. If you know of software that has the history and precision modelling of Fusion but is somehow still a mesh modeller, please tell me, as this would be perfect!
Again though, thanks for making all of this content, I have learnt a lot from you over the months. Your teaching style is so easy to follow along with.
@@manleyg4907 I think history might be on the plasticity road map BUT its a low priority I am sure. They are adding Xnurbs and bumping up surfacing capabilites and i think will have some mesh based design tools like pulling a curve to a mesh. I don't know of of a history based modeler but still mesh. Fusion Forms is probably close but its direct modeling. IF you use that to start a design you can right click on the form body and export the control cage as an OBJ and bring that into blender. I did a video awhile back on that.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign That’s good to know! I will keep my eyes open for that then. Thanks again for all the work you do for us to learn 😁
I have a CNC plasma cutter. I’ve been using the free version of Fusion 360 and Sheetcam. Does Plasticity export DXF files that I can post process on Sheetcam?
Sadly no there is no DXF export. Your best bet is to export a 2d sketch from Fusion, a 2d drawing, or sheet metal flat pattern. I don't know of a dxf export on the horizon for plasticity as generally the workflow wouldn't go to 2d but rather into more 3d for things like rendering/animation.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign. Ok thank you!!! I hate that since Plasticity looks good.
How do add solidity to a design, like for instants you want your design to have 5mm walls ?
The design is solid to start, but if you want to shell it there is a tool call Hollow you can use which will. You can also offset faces. If you have a surface (sheet) you can thicken it.
Perhaps this was done on purpose as there were numerous Blender parallels stated in the tutorial, but there is not enough emphasis on precision modeling. The only part of the process that included a precise measurement was the size of the original square. I understand that this is "CAD for artists" but some "artists" (read: designers) need the precision inputs for one reason or another, whether it's making parts to be engineered, 3D printed, a meticulous workflow, or to appease one's OCD. After watching this and not seeing any precision makes this software look like a Blender, Maya, or C4D substitute, which is nothing new in the world of 3D modeling. However, this is still piquing my interest, and I'll look for other tutorials to see if precision takes a front seat in the modeling process for designing things that will eventually be created in the real-world.
100% get what you are saying. It is not really intended for that kind of dimension driven modeling. You can make things a certain size when you create them. Add certain sized features, pattern at specific spacing etc. But I wouldn't use Plasticity and the term "Engineered" in the same sense of the word.
I did a video talking about the dimensions/measurements portion of plasticity a little bit ago here ua-cam.com/video/kATCRYZKE7U/v-deo.html
The main reason Plasticity exists is to model BREP/NURBS type geometry that is generally tricky to do in Poly modeling like Blender. Here you are modeling solids and surfaces like you would in a CAD program, but with more freedom around that workflow.
For concepting "hard surface" models Plasticity is a great tool. If you are designing something that requires 3deg draft pulled in a certain direction it could be done in Plasticity, but you are better off sticking with a parametric cad program where you can define those values, link them and drive/change them later.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Thanks for the reply. In your experience, how does the program fare in larger, multi-part models/scenes? Full transparency, I'm a designer in the retail/tradeshow sector so I'm modeling more than just single "thing" but rather many parts of a whole. I work exclusively in Rhino, and I'm not really looking to jump ship as this workflow suits me well, but learning new programs are always a plus for the resume.
@@mjroberts725 Honestly I would say it probably isn't a good fit. The only place I could see it make sense is to put together concepts quickly. Like you could put something together, export the BREP solid as a STEP and bring it into Rhino. Are you using Rhino 8 currently? I have been waiting to try that since the SubD stuff in 7 was still pretty bad. Was hoping 8 and updated edge weighting would help out. Personally i think if Rhino had more than one person doing the UI/UX it would be a great program. Tons of power/functionality but the workflow really hinders it in my opinion.
What do you use now for render/viz stuff? that might make a check in the Pro column for Plasticity as going to Blender is super simple. But if you go to something like Keyshot that is a different story.
I just got plasticity, I'm pretty happy with it so far, but the camera keeps doing this really strange thing of snapping at set angles, it's just bizarre and i haven't found any way of disabling that behavior.
That is strange. Does this happen when you just free rotate the part? If you hold down ALT, and the middle mouse button then drag a direction it will snap to the nearest plane. but just holding down the MMB shouldn't do that.
Please make a series
I have a car modeling series in Plasticity. Are you looking for a mechanical part modeling series?
the issue i find is that alot of shortcuts use the number pad and since I use a laptop for everything I dont have that functionality :(
Yeah i hear that from laptop users. you can do custom keyboard shortcuts and key binding. that might help? doc.plasticity.xyz/plasticity-essentials/command-palette
Or buy a usb numpad if you do lots of modeling
Why wont you just use blender with some cad plugins ? Looks almost identical and it's free.
They are very different. Plasticity models with BREP solids and NURBS surfaces. these are actual solids and surfaces and can be used a step files. Blender only creates mesh models. Mesh modeling can't produce a cylinder, and adding details requires edge loops and/or the use of a lot of booleans in a modifier stack. Plasticity lets you model hard surface type models faster and more accurate. If you want to use them in Blender there is a blender bridge which is a live direct connection allowing you to bring the model in to blender, retopo it if you need. pull edges/seams etc. and if you edit in plasticity it will update in Blender.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Interesting, ill check it out. I'm currently looking for F360 replacement but this direct modelling does not convince me.
@@sob515 What don't you like about Fusion. that might help.
@@TheShift1313 It's dead slow and bugged on macos, keeping all projects in cloud is annoying, only 10 projects editable allowed in free version. It's intuitive and easy to use but being forced to use cloud is disqualifying. I can already see that plasticity also has some serious performance issues on M2 mac's like 100% gpu usage all the time.
also your pdf download is a dead link
I have no affiliation with that site, simply providing the link. I would go off the website as the name on the PDF is v1.2 so would be out of date.
Difficult to follow at times, especially when using multiple concepts at once. Lots of information, but as a tutorial, it was lacking clarity.
Sorry to hear that but thank you for the feedback! As this was an update to an older getting started video that was longer I only pulled out the common workflow info.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign I did get a lot from the video, and definitely intended my comment to be constructive. I would really like to see a tutorial that is easier to follow, and one that uses precise measurements rather than freehanded. Thanks again.
@@tracybrown6004 This video I released when 1.4 came out with the dimensions which might help understand how Dims work (and how they don't work), but it wasn't meant to be an intro/beginner video into Plasticity. ua-cam.com/video/kATCRYZKE7U/v-deo.html
OK So 13 min in I am lost as you're assuming that we all have numpads. When you start and say, "Hit 7", and your display changes -- I can't follow along and make mine look like that. I googled it and it says there should be a preference setting for keypad -- there is no setting in my plasticity for a keypad. I am not going to continue and be lost because you're doing things I can't do. So this is where I abandon your video. I am already frustrated because you're not taking into account I have ZERO experiance with this software. You're blowing through fundamentals or moving to fast through them because you're forgetting we don't know how to do this. Show by example not by just clicking fast and making a cube wiggle.
I am sorry the process isn't working! I don't use Plasticity on a laptop, but i think i do mention in the beginning about the UI overview that you can click on X, Y, and Z in the view cube up in the right to get to the default planes. Very rarely am I called out for going to fast in videos ;) If anything people tell me to get to the point quicker :) This video is an update that combined several other videos that were done in v1.1. There are some changes but I do have longer videos in this playlist that cover the UI a bit slower if it helps.
If you are using a mouse with a middle mouse wheel you can try holding down ALT, then hold down the middle mouse wheel and moving the mouse to the left/right/up/down. This will snap to the next closest ortho view like Front, Right, Top etc.
As for setting your shortcuts. Hit F on the keyboard to bring up the command search tool. Look for Viewport, you should see them listed like "Viewport: navigate to back" and it will say "CTRL+Numpad1" for example. If you right click on that you should see some options to assign shortcuts.
Hopefully that helps.
Coming to Plasticity can be very tough since its a shortcut heavy program. Users coming from Blender usually have a better time than users coming from anything else.
Yes, but history even in Blender (not only CAD) is EVERYTHING. Its non-destructive! In Blender this is achieved by modifiers and Geo Nodes. Without history, you cannot adjust a project easily later. You have to do ALL the work AGAIN! This is a NO go for me. This is a great program, but it needs to have history or geonodes or modifiers added. This is a must if a client needs to modify the design in the later process!
Thanks for sharing! I think it "depends". I come from CAD and would agree that history based is key to a lot of designs. but direct modeling is pretty powerful. I guess it comes down to what types of models you make and what changes are needed. Plasticity may see History in the future FYI. It has been discussed on the beta discord channel.
@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign that’s good to know they will do it. I will definitely keep a big eye on this software. With history would be a true game changer!
I agree. History and the ability to modify is a huge part functionality.
A workaround for lack of history is to "save as" as you develop a model, especially before adding a key element. Another option is to develop seperate files as parts then combine them. This prevents you from having to start over from scratch.
@@dchurch911 You can also duplicate the bodies you are working on and save a version of it. Similar to how you work in multi-body parts where you derive something out, except here its independent. I do this in Fusion Forms all the time. Make a clean base shape and dupicate it before adding details. When i get to a point where i want to explore something ill duplicate it again leaving an untouched version in case i need to take a step back (even though Fusion saves a version each time).
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.
No that isn't the case. When plasticity was first released there was an Indie 1.0 license type for $99 and a Studio version. the 1.0 license type was locked at version 1.x. this will go up to version 1.4.23 im told(1.4.20 right now). The indie 1.1 license type is good for 12mo of updates including major releases.
The big difference here is the divide between Studio and Indie.
way too fast....and you are explaining and SHOWING what to do to do what you are doing, you are just madly moving the model without explaining how you are doing it...fail
Sorry to hear that tim. This video was an update and i tried to put a lot into. If you go back to the older videos in this series they are a bit slower but note the software version has updated and some things are slightly different.
ua-cam.com/video/ZhD4uVRuNnY/v-deo.htmlsi=4jHe7b4qlWDIJDsV
What would your ideal setup/tutorial be? maybe we can accomodate.
It looks handy, but the only thing that keeps me from getting it is the fact that it costs money. And that means they can reject my purchase at any point for any reason. Not future proof at all, and highly exploitative.
Not sure I understand your comment. what do you mean they can reject your purchase at any point? This is a perpetual license software, not a subscription based software. When you buy you get updates for a set period but you own that version of the software. You can choose to upgrade to newer versions ( i think that pricing structure is still under discussion), but you are not required to. So not sure how you mean its not future proof and highly exploitative.
Bahahha.